Highland Angels

by Ceci Giltenan

  “Where is it?” Andrew demanded.

  “I’m not certain, back a ways, I think. The entrance was little more than a crack.”

  “So onward, or back?” asked Chisholm.

  “As much as I would like to squeeze the breath out of Fearchar Morrison with my bare hands, if there is the slightest chance that Anna is in the other cave, I cannot risk it. I’ll leave Fearchar and his men to my father. We go back.”

  ~ * ~

  Anna had only given into tears for a moment. There was no point. She took a deep breath, trying to regain control. She tried to think of something pleasant. Her mind drifted to the wonderful dream she’d had of a visit with Grizel. Had she only just awakened from that yesterday morning? She closed her eyes and tried to recapture the warmth and happiness that had lingered after the dream. Her old nursemaid had told her Andrew was meant for her. What were her words? His heart beats with yers. Never forget that. Ye will share lots of blackberry kisses. ‘Tis a good year for blackberries.”

  She sighed. It might be a good year for blackberries, but it seemed unlikely that she would share any blackberry kisses with him. It looked as if there wasn’t anything but a watery grave in her future. However, the memories did calm her. She opened her eyes and glanced around, trying to figure out a way to escape. She could see the whole cave from her vantage point. Manus hadn’t tethered her to anything. She wondered if she could slide down and work her way to the opening still bound?

  She quickly ruled that out. With her hands tied behind her, she wouldn’t be able to control her descent or brace herself if she fell. She could be seriously hurt and unable to save herself at all.

  She thought perhaps she could find a sharp stone or something that she could use to cut the rope. She just couldn’t see a likely prospect, but as she searched, she noticed a line that went all the way around the cave wall about five feet from the floor. The rock below was darker than the rock above. She stared at it for a moment before realization dawned. It was the water line. She almost laughed. Manus had followed Fearchar’s instructions so well, he had secured her above the water line.

  She wouldn’t drown. She was damp and chilled but she had been colder—she smiled to herself—much colder. She could live through this.

  Ye can live through this if someone finds ye, which seems unlikely. No one knew who had taken them. If they did manage to figure it out, they would have assumed Fearchar had escaped to a port. But even in the unlikely event that someone knew the direction he had actually come, who would think to look in the sea caves for them?

  By the time anyone knew that she, Mairi, Tasgall and Darach had been trapped in sea caves, they would likely have drowned and she would die of thirst or cold.

  Nay. She must stop thinking this way. She believed if anyone could get out of this, Tasgall could and he would keep Mairi safe. She prayed fervently for them both. She thanked God for her brother’s strength, honor and his keen mind. Ye have given him all he needs, Dear God, please be with them.

  She was filled with peace and confidence that Mairi and Tasgall would not drown. Tasgall would free them. He had to. And if they got out, maybe they could save Darach. After all, they knew where he was.

  ‘Tis a good year for blackberries

  It would have been fun to take Davy blackberry picking. It would have been nice to pick blackberries with Andrew too. She smiled at the idea of blackberry kisses. The thought of never kissing Andrew again tore her heart. She loved Andrew’s kisses. They were gentle but demanding; they quieted her mind while stirring her desire, and were both all-giving and all-consuming.

  His heart beats with yers. Never forget that. Ye will share lots of blackberry kisses. ‘Tis a good year for blackberries.

  Grizel had been so sure, just as she had been in the first dream.

  Ye can do all things in Him who strengthens ye.

  But she had been right.

  Then Anna realized what the blackberry dream had meant. Grizel was telling her not to give up. “Andrew will find me and, come August, we will share blackberry kisses,” she said confidently to the empty cave.

  She just had to have faith and wait.

  And wait

  And wait.

  The light spilling through the crack in the wall faded into the gloom of evening. Water started flowing through the crack as well. It looked as if she would have to stay here until the tide turned again. Her arms ached from being tied behind her back and her wrists were chafed and raw. But she had faith. If not tonight, Andrew would find her tomorrow. There were blackberry kisses in her future.

  ~ * ~

  As they road eastward, Andrew fought the dread that threatened to engulf him. The tide had risen until the narrow strip of land on which they rode was covered with water. It was still very shallow, but if they didn’t find the fissure in the rock that Donald remembered… Andrew didn’t know what he would do.

  “I think that’s it,” shouted Donald.

  Andrew’s joy was only momentary as he dismounted to inspect the opening. “It can’t be. No one could fit through there.”

  “I can, Laird,” said Fearghas’s squire.

  Tadhg was tall for a lad of ten, but slender. Aye, if anyone could, he could.

  “Go ahead, lad,” said Fearghas. “We’ve no time to waste.”

  Tadhg slid off his horse and splashed through the water to the fissure. He had to crouch down and wiggle sideways, but in a moment he disappeared into the cave.

  Andrew heard Tadhg call, “Lady Anna, are ye in here?”

  “Aye, lad. Up here. I’m well, but my hands and feet are bound.”

  “I have a knife, my lady. I’ll climb up and cut ye loose.”

  Relief flooded Andrew. “She’s there,” he called to the other men.

  It took a minute or so for Tadhg to cut her loose, but the instant she was through the opening, Andrew gathered her in his arms. “Are ye truly all right?”

  “Aye, Andrew, but there’s no time, Mairi and Tasgall—”

  “Are safe. Tasgall was able to free them before we found them. Darach is safe too.”

  “Oh, thank God.”

  “My precious angel, I feared I’d lost ye.”

  “Not until I’ve had a lifetime of blackberry kisses.”

  Andrew wasn’t sure what that meant, but he didn’t care.

  Tadhg too squeezed back through the opening, and Fearghas said, “Declarations of love will have to wait. We have to ride hard now, or we won’t make it back.”

  Andrew put Anna on his horse, mounted behind her and they rode eastward, trying to beat the rising tide. They were riding in water that was nearly two feet deep before the bank widened and they reached dry ground, where the men who had searched the other caves awaited them.

  “Anna, we can find a place and rest for a while, if ye need to.”

  “Unless, ye and yer men need to rest, can we just go home?”

  He smiled. “Aye, lass, we can go home.”

  Chapter 24

  Eoin MacKay rode hard alongside the warrior who he had always considered an enemy. But today they had a common goal: stop Fearchar Morrison, the man who threatened both of their families. Laird Ranulf too was single minded. They stopped for nothing.

  By evening, they were riding south on the coast, approaching the mouth of the inlet. A small ship lay at anchor just offshore, a longboat poised to be lowered over the side.

  As they rounded the head, they saw Fearchar waiting with seven of his men. Eoin’s heart fell when he saw no signs of Anna, Tasgall or Mairi.

  Dougal too noticed their absence. He appeared calm and controlled, but the raw fury rolling off of the older man was palpable.

  In that moment, Eoin was absolutely sure Fearchar was about to die.

  They stopped a hundred paces or so from the Morrison party. Dougal called, “Laird Morrison, ye stole something precious to me. What have ye done with my daughter?”

  “Ye stole something from me too. Anna was my bride.”

  “And
yet, ye no longer seem to have her. Where are they?” Dougal asked, his calm tone belying his suppressed rage.

  “Well, I offered yer lass to my foolish brother. He didn’t want her. He calls her a sister. He’s no brother of mine. I left her tied up in a sea cave with her betrothed.” He glanced over his shoulder at the sea. “The tide’s in far enough, I suspect she has drowned by now, although Tasgall might last a bit longer.”

  A sea cave? Andrew and Chisholm had been trying to reach Fearchar before being cut off by the tide. They wouldn’t be searching caves. Eoin wanted nothing more than to run Fearchar through at that moment. But somehow the stoicism of the man next to him kept him from reacting. They needed to learn what they could before putting an end to this.

  Dougal asked, “And, Anna? She’s with them?”

  “The whore who chose yer son over me? Nay, she’s in a cave all by herself. She didn’t want me, so she can die alone.”

  Eoin could barely believe his ears when Dougal said, “Ye’re out-manned and out-matched. Ye can’t escape, Fearchar. Save a few Morrison lives and lay down yer arms.”

  Both his sister and his brother were either dead or facing imminent death as a result of this man’s actions, and MacLeod was giving him an option? He didn’t care what choice Fearchar made, he would see him dead today, along with every man with him who’d stood by as he left bound captives to drown.

  In disbelief, Eoin cast a sidelong glance at Dougal, relieved to see the old laird was tensed for battle. Clearly Dougal didn’t expect Morrison to accept the offer. His gesture was noble, perhaps out of respect for Fearchar’s young brother.

  “I will never surrender.” Fearchar spat. “MacKay, I’m surprised to see ye’ve become one of MacLeod’s lapdogs. Ye should be standing with me.”

  “Standing with ye? Why would I stand with ye?”

  “Yer sister was my betrothed. Andrew MacLeod doesn’t deserve to marry her simply because he stole her from ye. Ye should be thanking me for getting her back.”

  “Getting her back? Leaving her bound in a sea cave to drown while ye try to escape is not getting her back, ye coward,” roared Dougal.

  Eoin seethed. “Ye’re a fool, Morrison. Ye were not betrothed to Anna, and I would have handed her over to MacLeod on a silver platter before I would have ever married her to ye.”

  Those words sent Fearchar into a rage.

  “I’ll send ye to hell for that,” he screamed, charging forward.

  The battle was on, but those would be Fearchar’s last words.

  Before either Eoin or Dougal reached him, Laird Sinclair had charged forward approaching from Fearchar’s left and nearly cleaving him in two with one deadly swipe of his blade.

  Fearchar’s men charged forward to avenge their laird, but Laird MacLeod had the right of it; not only were there half as many Morrisons, Fearchar’s men were woefully unskilled. All seven were dead within minutes and Eoin had barely lifted his blade.

  He turned his eyes to the sea. If the captain of the vessel sought to reinforce Fearchar’s numbers, their feet would never touch dry ground. Clearly the captain too had realized this. He had hoisted the longboat and set sail.

  With no foe left standing, and the heat of battle waning, Eoin’s attention shifted to his family. He rode past the battle scene and started down the north shore of the inlet. Perhaps there was still time to reach Anna or Tasgall and Mairi. But his hope died as he reached the point where the cliff met the water. It was already impassable. He roared in anger and frustration.

  He turned at the sound of hoof beats behind him. Dougal and several of his men approached. “Laird MacLeod, is there any other way to reach them? Can any of the caves be accessed from cliff?”

  Dougal’s expression was grim. “Nay, lad. Some are little more than deep indentations in the rock. a few reach farther into the cliff, but the passages become impassable fairly quickly. If there are other access points, they haven’t been discovered.”

  “They’re lost to us?” Sorrow nearly overwhelmed him.

  “I won’t accept that yet. Andrew may have reached them in time.”

  “But he wasn’t searching sea caves for them. He was trying to reach Fearchar.”

  “Aye, but he didn’t. We came the longer way around. By all rights, Andrew and Fearghas should have arrived here before us, but they’re not here. Let’s not despair.”

  Eoin clung to that glimmer of hope. It was all he had.

  When they returned to the site of the battle, the men who had remained behind had already begun to bury the dead.

  Boyd Sutherland watched as Fearchar’s mangled body was thrown into a hastily dug grave. Eoin couldn’t quite read the emotion on the young man’s face.

  Laird MacLeod put a hand on his shoulder. “I know Darach is yer friend, lad, but we had no choice.”

  Boyd looked his laird directly in the eye. “I don’t mourn Fearchar Morrison. Darach is my friend, but he is nothing like his brother. Fearchar chose this evil path and it ended in the only way it could. ”

  Laird MacLeod nodded, his admiration for the young man evident. “Aye, it did.” To all of the men he said, “I need four of ye to finish burying the dead, return their hired horses to Durness and then see that a messenger is sent to Lewis for me. As we don’t yet know what Andrew and Laird Chisholm encountered, the rest of us will leave immediately for Curacridhe.”

  Chapter 25

  Once they reached the place where they had encountered the wounded Morrison guardsman, Andrew sent two men northward to find Laird MacLeod and inform him of all that had transpired. Then, he took his bride home. It was after midnight when they finally neared the castle.

  Eventually Andrew learned that news had trickled into Curacridhe since early evening. The first bit was brought by the men who arrived with the wounded Morrison. Sadly, in spite of Isla’s best efforts, he had succumbed to his injury a few hours earlier. It had been too much to hope he could survive a knife to his belly.

  Once it was clear the Morrisons had fled northward, messengers were sent to the men who searched elsewhere and they had all returned over the course of the evening.

  The next news came hours later when the contingent of men arrived with Mairi, Tasgall and Darach. The joy at having found the captives alive had been tempered by the horror of the tale they told and the knowledge that Anna MacKay had yet to be found. It seemed that all of Curacridhe and the assembled clans had waited, watching vigilantly, praying for her return.

  It wasn’t surprising then that cheers went up as they rode past the encamped clans. They were surrounded and could barely pass when they reached the site of the MacKay’s camp.

  “Andrew, let me down.”

  “Angel, it’s very late and ye’re exhausted.”

  “Please, Andrew. I’m not too tired to greet my brother’s clan. I love them. It won’t take long.”

  It took longer than he wanted it to, but she seemed truly overjoyed, so he waited as patiently as possible to take her the rest of the way home.

  When they finally rode through the castle gates, the greeting they received was even more exuberant. His heart swelled as Anna went from one embrace to the next. His clan loved her.

  Fearghas had greeted his wife with a vigorous bear hug followed by a tender kiss. Afterward, Ena extracted herself from her husband’s arms and worked her way towards Andrew. After embracing her brother, she turned with him to watch Anna.

  He nudged his older sister his face splitting into a smile. “Do ye still think Da made a mistake forcing the betrothals?”

  Ena shook her head. “Nay, she was meant for ye, Andrew.

  ~ * ~

  Anna had never been so happy to be home. She wanted to put the horror of the day behind her, and the loving welcome they received helped. On the long ride home she and Andrew had exchanged stories. She knew what had happened to Darach and what Tasgall had done to save Mairi. She saw him standing near the hearth with Aidan and Graham. His hands were bandaged, but he looked well otherwise. Whe
n she finally made it through the throng, she threw her arms around both brothers. “I love ye both so very much. Thank ye for everything.”

  “We love ye too, sweetling,” said Aidan as he kissed the top of her head.

  When she stepped back from her brothers, Graham gave her a hug too and kissed her cheek. “We were terribly worried when Darach told us everything that happened. When I went to old Laird Morrison’s funeral, I thought Fearchar was odd, but nothing made me think he would do this.”

  “His own brother didn’t see how warped Fearchar had become. Ye couldn’t be expected to,” said Aidan.

  Her lips curved in a sly smile. “Was that my brother defending a MacLeod?”

  “Aye and ye needn’t rub it in, Anna.”

  “And ye rode onto MacKay land at the head of a hoard of MacLeods,” she teased. “I bet ye never dreamed ye’d do that either.”

  He grinned at her. “Little sister, where ye’re concerned, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. But I would have ridden to hell and back to find ye.”

  She gave Aidan another quick hug before turning to Tasgall. Tears welled in her eyes as they hugged each other again. “Tasgall, ye were so brave. Ye saved Mairi. I knew ye would.”

  “Anna—” his voice broke. “I had to choose.”

  “I know, and ye made the right choice.”

  “But if Andrew hadn’t arrived in time…”

  “He would have saved me tomorrow. I was above the waterline. I might have been hungry and cold by low tide, but I was in no danger of drowning.”

  “Thank God,” he said. She could feel the tension leave him.

  She let go and stepped back. “Speaking of Mairi, where is she?”

  Andrew came up behind her, enfolding her in his arms. “Ena made her go to bed.”

  Tasgall laughed. “She made Fiona take Adam and go to bed too. Fiona was worrying herself sick and needed the rest. Mairi, on the other hand, wasn’t happy about it at all and she made certain everyone knew it.”