Enticing the Weary Warrior

by Tammy Jo Burns

  “Why didn’t any of you come help her?” Liam demanded as he tensely stood there. He watched Megan, ready to act if any of these people hurt her. He heard the pounding of boots on the rock drive, but refused to turn around and look at who approached.

  “Dear God,” he heard a familiar voice stop beside him.

  He turned to see Justin Southerby, his childhood friend standing next to him as well as Thorn Wulfe. “Where there’s one there’s usually another,” Liam muttered. “Believe me when I say we will talk about his later, but we need to take care of Megan and the old man. As far as I’m concerned we can string that undesirable up by his bollocks.” He nodded in Williams’ direction, walked to Megan, and then had the two women help him get her situated in his arms. He knew his leg would feel like hell tomorrow, but he refused to hand her over to anyone else, not even her brother.

  As he reached the garden, a beautiful blonde stood outside on the veranda, watching. When she saw Megan’s face and clothes she clapped her hands over her mouth, and her eyes became glassy. “There’ll be time enough for tears later. Where shall I put her?”

  “Follow me,” she ordered, getting herself under control.

  Liam followed her, taking the stairs slowly.

  “In here,” she said, opening a door. The woman pulled down the bedding and placed Megan on the sheets.

  “I’ll help.”

  “You’ll do no such thing. I don’t even know who you are.”

  “Liam McTavish.”

  “You weren’t supposed to be here until much later.”

  “And now we can all thank God that I changed my mind.”

  “Yes,” the woman agreed. “Go join the men. I’ll let you know when you can see her.”

  Liam found himself being pushed out of the bedroom and almost tripped on the small forms of a boy and girl sitting outside Megan’s door. The little girl was sniffling.

  “What’s wrong with Aunt Meggy?” The boy asked.

  “She’s been hurt,” Liam answered bluntly. He talked to the children as if they were miniature adults, not knowing any other way to act around them. He had no experiences with children and he didn’t know quite how he felt about them.

  “Is Mama going to fix her?”

  “I hope so.”

  “See, Holly, Aunt Meggy’s going to be all right.”

  “Who’re you?” the boy asked.

  “An old friend,” he answered before turning and retreating down the stairs. He couldn’t stay in this house, pacing until he found out how Megan was going to be, so he retraced his steps and made his way back to the stable. “How’s the old man?” he asked the men milling about.

  “Coming around,” one of them responded. The old man moaned as he came to and several of the men helped him sit up.

  “He needs stitches,” an older man said before placing a damp cloth on the spot of the old man’s lump.

  “I’ll be fine,” the old man growled.

  “You’ll do as Doc says, Hamrick,” Justin said. “Doc, will you go to the house and see to Meggy, as well?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Justin knelt in front of Hamrick and asked, “What happened?”

  “This piece of horse shite was going to rape her, that’s what happened,” Liam spoke angrily.

  “Liam,” Justin admonished calmly.

  “The lad’s right. Williams came in acting the cock of the roost. I tried to protect her, but he threw me aside and that’s all I remember.”

  “I heard a cry for help when I came up the lane. By the time I got here, Megan was unconscious and that son of a bitch was on top of her, mauling her like a rabid animal.” The man they were discussing had been tied up and his garments once more put to rights. “You need to hang him from his bollocks,” Liam suggested again.

  “We’ll lock him up and I’ll send for Runners to take him to Newgate so he can stand trial.”

  “For having his way with women? The case’ll be laughed out of the court room. No, I’ll take care of him,” Liam stalked towards him only to be pulled away and slammed against the side of the stable. He looked into the eyes of his childhood friend.

  “Listen to me,” Justin ordered. “Let the courts take care of this. He attacked an Agent of the Crown,” the man looked pointedly at him before he continued. “You are not in a war anymore, free to do whatever you wish. I promise you, he will be taken care of. If I thought otherwise, I would take him as far from here as possible and put a gun to his head myself. Trust me on this, Liam.”

  “If I see him again, I swear I’ll kill him.”

  “Aye. Come with us,” Justin encouraged.

  “My horse and bag—”

  “Will be taken care of.”

  “Sir,” the old man Justin called Hamrick halted their progress. Liam, Justin, and Thorn turned together. “Thank ye for savin’ the lass. I’ve come to think of her as a granddaughter and I…” the man paused as his voice cracked. He cleared it before continuing, “Thank ye.”

  “No thanks needed,” Liam said before turning and walking towards the house once more.

  * * *

  “Damn you,” Liam turned on Thorn, “and damn Mack. How dare you manipulate me like this?” As soon as the door was shut, he let loose the anger he had been restraining.

  “And if they hadn’t, you wouldn’t have been here to save Meggy,” Justin pointed out.

  “That isn’t the point. I shouldn’t have been here. I didn’t ask to be here. I’m here because you,” he pointed at Thorn, “and Mack thought you knew better than I do. Dammit, what is so bloody hard to understand?”

  “We can’t understand anything if you don’t talk to us,” Thorn said. “Liam, we know you’ve been through a lot.”

  “You know nothing,” he ground out.

  “Then talk to us. Tell us. We want to help you,” Thorn begged, guilt lacing his voice.

  “I don’t want your bloody help!” Liam roared in frustration. “I just want to be left alone. Do you ken?” The Scottish word came out in his anger.

  “No,” Justin finally said, “I don’t. The Liam I used to know did not run from life.”

  “I’m not the man you knew. Besides, who the hell are you to tell me how I used to be? You wouldn’t speak to me the last time we were both in Scotland, couldn’t stand the sight of me. And if I remember correctly, ordered me to stay away from your sister,” he accused Justin.

  “Liam, things change. I saw the truth and never should have kept you from Meggy. I was wrong. Perhaps things would have ended differently.”

  “It’s too late for recriminations now.” Liam stubbornly crossed his arms.

  “Dammit, I’m tryin’ to apologize.”

  “I don’t want to hear it,” he said.

  “At least say that you’ll stay. Mack is right that we could use a trainer with your experience.” A hopeful note entered Justin’s voice.

  “You mean one that has experience being captured and tortured by the enemy? One who knows what it’s like to watch hundreds, no thousands, of men die?”

  “I didn’t say that. Bloody hell, quit putting words in my mouth, you damn, bloody, stubborn Scotsman.”

  “I’ll stay long enough to see that Meg will be all right and then I’ll be on my way.”

  “And where will you go?” Justin queried.

  “I’ll find somewhere.”

  “You are always welcome at my house, if you don’t mind children underfoot. I’ll leave directions for you. I should be going, though. Liam, don’t be a stranger. Southerby, it was good to see you again,” Thorn said. He shook both men’s hands and saw himself out.

  “Whisky?” Justin asked.

  “Yes.”

  Justin sat and watched the man he thought never to see again as he stared out the window. “Perhaps you should go see your family. That is if you haven’t already seen them.”

  “No on both counts.”

  “Then you don’t know.”

  Liam turned to look at Justin, cocked his brow
, and waited for him to speak.

  “Your uncle married, an heir was born several years ago, and there’s another child on the way. Neither you nor your brother will have to be trained to be laird.”

  “That’s a relief,” Liam said. “I was going to petition the Crown to skip over me and let Thomas inherit since he was more than likely being groomed. Where are he and Sasha?” he asked, referring to his younger sister.

  “Thomas is attending university in Edinburgh to become a physician. Sasha’s married with one child so far. A local lad, James Thornton, is who she married.”

  “I remember him. He was a good lad.”

  “Where have you been, Liam?”

  “Doing my duty to my country.”

  “Dammit, talk to me. We were best friends at one time.”

  “That was a long time ago. Before you told me to stay out of your sister’s life because you thought I was carrying tales about your brother.” He took a slow sip of whisky, letting the smoky-flavored liquid calm him. An awkward silence fell over the men until a soft tap sounded on the door. Liam spun around in anticipation. Justin’s wife entered the room. “How is she?” he demanded.

  “Sleeping.”

  “We have not been formally introduced. I am Clarissa Southerby, Justin’s wife.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he bowed. “As I said earlier, I am Liam McTavish. Thank you for taking care of Meg.”

  “Thank you for stepping in when you did. When I think how close that man came to…” Clarissa broke off with a shudder. “Let’s just say I’m just a bit sad we are not digging a grave today.”

  “Clare,” Justin said, shocked.

  “Don’t ‘Clare’ me, Justin Southerby. I will not have men like him living within reach of myself or my daughter. Do you understand me?”

  Liam watched Justin pale at the thought of someone attempting to do to his wife or daughter what the bastard had tried to do to Megan.

  “You’re right, Clare,” Justin said, as he stood and crossed the room to take his wife in his arms. “I should’ve sent him on his way long ago. I’ll write Mack immediately about a more arduous interview process.”

  “Thank you,” Clarissa mumbled against his shirt, sniffing.

  “Excuse me, but I think I’ll go look around the facility,” Liam said, wanting to get away from the couple who obviously needed a moment of privacy. He set down the empty whisky glass and slipped out of the room, securing the veranda doors behind him. He ambled towards the stable to check on his horse first. When he entered the stable, his eyes automatically went to the spot where he had found Megan. His stomach churned sickeningly. He raced to some low shrubs and bent over as the whisky made a reappearance.

  “Here.”

  Liam heard an unfamiliar feminine voice behind him. He spun around, embarrassed to be caught in a moment of weakness. The woman had dark auburn hair and green flashing eyes. She held out a flask to him. He looked at it skeptically as he ran the back of his hand across his mouth.

  “It’s only water. Me and the other girls wanted to say thank you for taking care of Williams.”

  “He’s done this sort of thing before?”

  “Almost. The men would never let him close enough to us at first and then once we learned how to defend ourselves, he became more talk than action. Then Lady Dalmore arrived and he seemed to forget all about us, which was a blessing, but we felt bad for her. Never thought he would actually try anything, what with her being Lord Southerby’s sister.”

  Liam took the proffered flask and took a swig, using it to rinse his mouth. Then he took a deep draught of the cool liquid. “Thank you…”

  “Hannah,” the woman replied. “Hannah Abbott.”

  “Miss Abbott, I would like to check on my horse, but then I would like a look at this training facility. Would you mind being my guide?”

  “No, sir. I would be more than happy to. Now you know my name, but what is yours?” she asked coyly.

  “Liam McTavish, former agent for the Crown.” He bowed as if the woman before him were a fine lady.

  They quickly saw that his horse had indeed been put up and cared for before beginning the tour. She first let him tour the dormitory for the male trainees. Next, they moved to the practice facility itself, which looked like a huge barn. Inside it was sectioned off so that it could be used for several different purposes. There was a boxing area and a fencing area.

  “What is that?” Liam asked nodding to a man and woman doing some sort of hand-to-hand combat.

  “That is a training style we are being taught from the Far East. Us women are not as successful with boxing as men are, but with this it is all about balance and counterbalance.”

  “I see.”

  “And what is going on over there?” Liam pointed out a table that was being set by both a man and woman.

  “They are being tested that they know all the formal place settings. We have to be able to function in all levels of society.”

  A flash of a memory came to Liam, and suddenly he knew what he had done to be captured. He had not become too overzealous. He had not known enough. He thought back to that dinner the night he was captured, and the strange looks he had received when he had reached for a utensil not used until the last part of the meal. As a gentleman, it should have been second nature to him, but he hadn’t known. Had that one little thing tipped off General Soult as to who he had really been? “And over there?” Liam asked nodding at a long counter, pushing the memory to the back of his mind for now.

  “On one end they are learning all the drinks one should know. At the far end, they are learning all about poisons and potions, everything that can kill and cure, both man-made and those that come from nature.”

  “Let’s hope they don’t mix the two up,” Liam mused.

  “Yes, sir,” Hannah replied in all seriousness.

  “What is that?” Liam indicated a staircase leading to a platform.

  “Torture,” Hannah moaned.

  “What?”

  “We use the structure to learn to fall without hurting or killing ourselves,” a man answered the question. “Hello, my name’s Adam.”

  “Liam McTavish.” He shook the man’s offered hand.

  “Thank you for what you did to Williams. He was a snake we had been protecting the girls from.”

  “Adam, Mr. McTavish was an agent himself.”

  “It’s an honor sir,” the younger man bowed respectfully.

  “Is this all you’re being trained on?”

  “No, sir,” Adam quickly answered. “We’re also trained on skills such as picking locks, writing in code, breaking codes, gambling, and much more.”

  “What do your families think of you doing this?”

  “None of us have any family to speak of, sir,” Hannah answered.

  “Expendable, then,” Liam mused.

  “Pardon?” Hannah asked.

  “Nothing. Thank you for the tour, Miss Abbott. Adam, it was a pleasure meeting you, as well.”

  “Are you staying on as a trainer, Mr. McTavish?” Adam asked.

  “I haven’t decided.” He nodded his head and let himself out of the massive barn. His mind swirled with all that he had seen. It was an amazing endeavor, and one that was badly needed if England was going to stay ahead of the rest of the world. Liam found himself wanting to stay, to help train these men and women. If it had been any other person overseeing it, he would not hesitate.

  He took a circuitous route back to the house, attempting to take as long as possible to get there. Once again, he found himself on the veranda outside Justin’s office. This time the doors were open and welcoming. He hesitated nonetheless before entering.

  “It’s safe. There are no women about,” he heard his childhood friend call from inside.

  “This is quite an operation that you have going on.”

  “Thank you. When Clare came into my life, I knew I could not continue on with being an agent. This allows me to make certain that the various depa
rtments have enough agents to meet their needs.”

  “With perhaps a more stringent process as to who makes it and who doesn’t.”

  “Yes. Since our opening, Williams is the first one we’ve had a problem with.”

  “He won’t be your last.”

  “Not if we keep doing this for any length of time. We’ve been lucky.”

  “Yes. Where’s my bag? I would rather sleep in the men’s dormitory.”

  “I’ll hear of no such thing. You’re a friend and you’ll stay in the house.”

  “Southerby, I don’t want to argue about this.”

  “Good, then, it’s settled. You’ll stay in the house.” Justin gave him directions to where his room was located. “We’ll expect you to dine with us. We dress casually.”

  Liam was at the door when the other man called his name. He turned his head to look at him expectantly over his shoulder, one hand gripped the doorframe.

  “It’s good to have you back.”

  “Thank you.” Liam crossed to the stairs and slowly began climbing them, knowing he would be passing Megan’s room. When he reached the top of the stairs he made his way to her room. Liam raised his hand to knock on the door when he heard voices inside that halted his progress. He knew he should walk on, but instead he hovered outside her room, listening.

  “How are you feeling?” he thought that might be Clarissa.

  “I’ve been worse,” Megan’s husky, feminine Scottish burr wrapped itself around him. He felt his blood race through his body. “What happened to Williams?”

  “Sent to gaol.”

  “Did Justin stop him?”

  “No,” Clarissa hesitated.

  “Who then?”

  “Liam McTavish.”

  And just that quickly, Liam broke into a cold sweat. He thought he could go in and see her despite their past, but he had been lying to himself. Besides, it seemed as if another man had a claim on her now. And where exactly had Lord Dalmore been during the attack? Liam lifted a shaking hand and tunneled it through his hair. His entire body shook. He pushed himself away from Megan’s room and found his own down the hall. Once inside, he closed and locked the door, then leaned heavily against it.

  * * *