Lady Kenna was a beautiful, kind woman. Rory had shared her same dark blue eyes. She wore a long red satin dress and her hair was tightly braided. She was everything a lady should be. Strong minded, proper and loving. It had been years since Annella lost her own mother and was enjoying the motherly contact she felt from Lady Kenna.
“I will help ye wash yer hair and get ye ready for bed. Ye also need to drink this. It may no’ taste good but it will help yer fever and yer aches,” she said as she handed her a cup of hot liquid. Annella took one sip of it and had to swallow hard to force herself to get it down. Lady Kenna was right, it tasted awful but Annella was not about to complain. Lady Kenna watched her as she began to lather up the soap in her hands.
Annella closed her eyes at the contact, feeling small tingles on her scalp as Lady Kenna massaged the soap into her long locks. When Berta washed her hair, she was much rougher. Oh Berta. She had forgotten to ask about her welfare. But deep inside, she knew. It was just another reason why she needed to seek out Laird Stewart and slice him with a dagger.
Once fully healed, she would get the full account from Alastair to find out what all had happened. She just hoped that she could stomach it. Taking another sip of the hot liquid, her face cringed.
Once Lady Kenna had helped wrap Annella’s ribs with clean bandages and put on a clean nightgown, she propped her up in bed and offered her some broth.
“I think maybe tomorrow ye can try some bread to help fill yer stomach. Tonight ye should rest. I can come back and check on ye later.”
“Thank ye, my lady.”
Lady Kenna smiled back at her and left the room.
Lying in her bed, she anxiously stared at the door expecting Rory to come knocking any moment, but after a long while all was silent. Feeling warm from the bath and covers, she began to feel sleepy. She decided to close her eyes to rest just a bit while she waited for Rory to come.
Annella woke up to the sun shining on her face. After sleeping in the comfort of her own bed she had felt well-rested.
“Ye are awake, my lady. Ye slept almost two days. I was worried about ye,” Rory said feeling relieved. He was leaning back on the chair next to her bed. His hair looked tussled and unkempt.
“Are ye hungry? I brought up some cheese and bread. My mother said that ye should be able to eat solid food now.”
“Thank ye.”
She reached out for the bread and tore off a chunk and took the small pieces into her mouth.
“My laird, I dinna get a chance to thank ye, for saving me.”
“Ye dinna have to thank me, lass. I would have gone through hell and back to find ye,” he said and looked down at his folded hands. Under normal circumstances, he would not have so easily spoke of his feelings.
“Which is why I must thank ye. Ye have brought me home and now that I am protected by my own people, I understand that ye will be leaving soon. Surely ye miss yer family and I can no’ ask ye to stay any longer.”
Saying the words hurt more than she thought. She did not want to see Rory leave but she couldn’t ask him to stay either.
He sat up from the chair and walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down next to her. He lifted up her hand and held it in his. He knew as laird he had a clan that he was responsible for, but leaving Annella was not an option.
“My lady, ye are no’ safe here and ye are still unwell. Most of the castle wall has been destroyed and in need of repairs and ye have lost many of yer fine warriors to the attack. With Dunstan only being held by a wee lass, a neighboring clan may see this as an opportunity to attack. Or…Laird Stewart may come to claim this land as yer rightful husband.”
Annella looked down angered and ashamed with herself.
“My lady, may I ask ye…”
“Nay I dinna agree to the marriage and I dinna bed down wit him, if that is what ye were going to ask,” she blurted out in anger.
“Then ye are no’ married, my lady.”
“Aye I am. The vows were spoken and before a mon of God.”
“If ye dinna say aye and ye dinna lose your maidenhood to the bastard then, ye are no’ married, my lady, and Stewart kens it. I think that is why he will want to come after ye,” Rory said feeling grateful and relieved.
“I’m no’ married, in truth?”
“Nay lass, ye are no’ married. No’, if ye dinna consummate the marriage. I will no’ leave ye here to defend yer home alone. And I will no’ be standing by and let ye be married to another mon.”
Annella looked up at him in confusion. She bit her lower lip waiting for him to clarify what he had meant.
“I will do everything I can to help ye and take care of yer people.”
“But how? I dinna understand.”
“Ye will have to marry me, lass. That is the only way to ensure yer protection and to cease the marriage wit Stewart.”
“So it would be an arrangement of sorts?”
“Aye. I come from a powerful clan and can offer ye protection, my lady.”
An arrangement wasn’t exactly what Annella wanted but knew that it would be the wisest decision. She felt foolish for thinking that Rory had any feelings of love towards her. She knew now that he was only being honorable by caring for her welfare. Feeling scorned, she bit back her pride and replied, “I thank ye fer yer offer, my laird.”
“No more harm will e’er come to ye again, Lady Annella. I will make sure of that.”
“I ken,” she said presenting a phony smile.
“If ye are feeling up to it, I can have my mother come in and help ye get dressed if ye would like to join us in the great hall this evening. There is much to discuss and of course to announce our upcoming nuptials.”
“I would like that verra much.”
“Then my lady, I will see ye downstairs.” Rory gave her a small peck on her forehead and exited the room.
Annella sat back on her bed taking in deep breaths. How foolish I am. Ye were right father. Love is a foolish dream; Annella said quietly out loud to herself.
Shortly after Rory left, Lady Kenna came to help Annella get dressed.
“Ye are looking much better today, my lady.”
“Thank ye. I am starting to feel better. The broth ye gave me yesterday worked wonders. My lady, I would like to wear my green dress and my black veil today. I plan to go down to the church and pray this afternoon for my father’s soul.”
“Of course, my dear. I will get them out of yer wardrobe,” Lady Kenna said as she quickly went into the wardrobe as Annella requested.
Once dressed, Lady Kenna held up an arm to Annella to help her walk down the stairs. Annella’s legs were still a little shaky but she was too stubborn to let them stop her. It had been weeks since she last visited the church and today was too important for her not to go.
The church was dark and cold when Annella entered. It had looked abandoned for quite some time. The air was stale and dusty. The MacCallum clan had been without a priest for months. He had died from fever and the abbey had not sent them a replacement. She excused Lady Kenna and held onto the benches for support as she walked to the altar to light the tapered candles. She kneeled down on the dirt ground and gave the sign of the cross.
Dear heavenly father. Forgive me my sins. Please watch o’er me and my people. I ask for the strength and courage to overcome what lies ahead of me. I ask for my father’s soul to be wit ye in heaven and to be wit my mother. Please bless Laird Rory and all the people of Scotland. May we find our freedom from those who choose to do evil against us. Amen.
Annella stood up and walked towards the back of the church to the entrance of the cemetery. With pride and sorrow in her heart, she stepped forward and walked through the row of the freshly dug graves.
Chapter 10
Not wanting to disturb her, Rory quietly leaned up against the door of the church. He had heard that she had gone outside without a guard and was unhappy that no one had attended her. With the English and Stewart on their trail many dangers lingered outside the castle walls.
Annella was kneeled down in front of a large grave that he assumed was her father’s. Annella had a solemn, peaceful look as he watched her arrange wildflowers near the headstone.
She had worn the same shade of green that matched the hue of the grass. The black veil in her hair was draped over her shoulders and down the expanse of her back. She was the bonniest lass he had ever seen; it made Rory smile knowing that she was soon to be his. A part of him wanted to tell her how he felt but his pride held him back.
He shifted his weight against the doorframe causing it to creak. Glancing up in his direction, Annella gave him a soft sweet smile.
“I dinna ken ye were standing there,” Annella quietly said as she stood up from the ground and brushed off the dirt from her dress.
“I dinna mean to surprise ye.”
“There are twelve total, including my father’s,” she said looking down upon the graves.
She bent over and picked up a small stone and threw it as hard and as far as she could. “What matters of evil would cause a mon to be so cruel?” she said with infuriation.
She looked at Rory beseeching an answer, wanting to make some sense of why it had happened.
“There are many evils of men, my lady. That is why we fight; to protect our homes and our families. My lady, why are ye out here alone? Ye should have a guard wit ye. I can no’ protect ye if ye go out alone. It’s no’ safe.”
“I dinna need a guard, I told ye that before. This is my home. I will no’ cower away like a scared child.”
“Ugh, woman. Are ye daft? There are English out there who have nay issues wit killing a lass. I am trying to keep ye safe, my lady,” he said waving his hands in the air.
Annella looked at him with frustration and put her hands on her hips. She did not like being treated as a child. She understood his concern but did not appreciate that he underestimated her ability. She would not willingly go into hiding and let Rory fight her battles. Let the English come. She had hoped that even Laird Stewart would show his face so she could have the pleasure in killing the man herself…slowly.
“I will no’ discuss this any further, my laird,” she said and walked past him back into the church.
“It’s Rory.” Stubborn lass.
Throughout the day, Annella kept herself busy to avoid Rory. She even tried to avoid eye contact with him from across the table in the great hall. Rory, Ewan, Colin and Alastair were sitting around the table discussing the further actions that needed to be taken to fix the castle. It would need to be completely repaired as in its current condition, it was not livable. They were speaking very cryptic and she had a hard time following what they were saying.
Annella watched as Lady Kenna entered the room with a jug of whiskey to fill their cups. Annella noticed that she looked nervous at first but when she looked over to Annella, she smiled. Wondering what was going on, she turned her attention back to the men.
“What did I miss?” Annella asked Rory.
Rory raised an eyebrow at her and gave her an inquisitive look.
“I can see it in yer eyes and the tone of yer voices. What are ye no’ telling me? Please I want to ken. I have a right to ken,” Annella’s voice was strained as she asked.
“There’s nay use in no’ telling the lass, my laird. She will find out one way or another soon enough,” Alastair replied.
“I dinna want to worry ye, lass. I was only trying to protect ye, as I said before. When Colin returned from the hunt this morning, he spotted a small band of riders heading this direction. They are a wee day or two ride away,” Rory explained.
“The English? Laird Stewart?” Annella quickly asked looking back and forth between all three men. The tone of her voice became high pitched from anticipation.
“We are no’ sure. It looks like they were wearing both colors.”
“Now what? What do we do?” she asked hoping that they would stay and fight.
“We need to head back to Dunakin, my lady. We have more men there and will be more prepared if we are followed,” Rory said and stood up knowing that she was going to argue with his decision.
Quickly Alastair stood up next to Rory. “My lady, ye must go with Laird MacKinnon. Ye are no’ safe here. I love ye like me own daughter and I could no’ stand it if ye were hurt or taken again. What few men are left, my lady, are simple farmers and only a small group of warriors. We can no’ ask them to fight. Laird MacKinnon has offered those who are left a home at Dunakin and employment. Nothing is left for us here. Winter is coming and it will be too cold to start repairs. We have Laird MacKinnon’s word that in the spring, we can return and build again. He also mentioned to us about yer upcoming marriage, my lady, and this union is what is giving hope to yer people.”
Annella sat there and stared at Alastair. She was taken aback that Rory had made all of these decisions without her knowledge. Leaving however was one thing that she did not want to do. She did not want protection, she wanted revenge and going to Dunakin to be locked up in some chamber for protection by her soon-to-be husband was something she wasn’t going to do quietly.
“Alright. We will leave, Alastair,” Annella said with a flat expression on her face.
Rory looked over at Annella and could see the defiance in her eyes. He knew that she was angry with him but he needed to do what he must to protect his future bride.
“Tell the men to grab what supplies they can. We leave before sunrise.”
Rory worried about only being a day’s ride ahead of the oncoming danger but he hoped that they would secure sufficient enough distance between them to keep both Annella and his mother safe. He knew that traveling with two women would greatly decrease their speed but he trusted his men to protect the women with their lives. Rory turned towards Annella. Her lips were pursed and eyes were a darker shade of brown.
“Will ye meet me in the upstairs chamber, my lady?”
“Aye,” she said and walked away towards the stairs.
Watching her walk away made Rory sigh. He thought it was cute the way she sauntered off, huffing and puffing. It made him smile. This wee hellcat of his excited him. Anxiously, he dashed up the stairs behind her.
“What is Dunakin like?” she inquired.
“Are ye worried ye will no’ be happy there?”
“Nay, it’s just besides my grandfather’s, I’ve ne’er really travelled anywhere else,” she said giving him a sad look.
“I promise ye will like it. Dunakin is a massive structure, and can look quite intimidating to outsiders, but my mother has added a womanly touch to the inside making it feel like home. It is built up on a hill a short ways from the village. On the east side of the castle lays Loch Alsh. Many ships and vessels pass through the loch to reach the mainland but we dinna get visitors verra often as we have no port.”
“I heard that the northern Highlands are beautiful.”
“Aye, but no’ as beautiful as ye.”
Rory walked over and stood in front of Annella. He leaned down and planted a soft kiss upon her lips. Eager for his touch, Annella stood on her toes lifting herself closer to him pressing her lips harder to his. She parted her lips as did Rory, only this time it was Annella who bravely swept her tongue inside his mouth tasting his sweetness. Rory rubbed his hands along her sides feeling the curves of her waist and hips. Pressing his hips to hers, he grunted feeling the desire he had for her.
But Rory wanted to bed her properly. He wanted to be married first. Softly biting her lower lip, he slowly pulled away.
“Have my mother help ye pack yer things. I can send someone later to get what ye need that we can no’ take on the horses. I will see ye in the morning.”
Feeling hazy from the kiss that caused her lack of breathing, Annella smiled and nodded and turned in for the night.
After finishing off the last bite of his oatcake, Rory helped Annella onto her horse. Once the rest of the group was mounted, Rory jumped onto his saddle and grabbed the reins. With Annella riding next to his mother in the mid
dle of the riders, Rory took the lead and kicked Torran into a fast sprint.
Rory knew that in normal conditions it would take him two days ride to ride back to his lands but traveling with women especially with Annella still recovering from her injuries, they would have to add an extra day. Some of the terrain would be rough and he wasn’t sure whether or not the women would sufficiently ride in the mountains. They would have to significantly slow down or he would have to find another route with a more stable path for the horses.
If anything happened to Annella, he would not forgive himself. He glanced over his shoulder to see how she fared and gave her a reassuring smile. She sat on top of her horse with such pride and proficiency. Her reddish hair loosened from its braid and fluttered around her head like wild fire.
Glimpsing over at Ewan who was riding at his left flank, he noticed a wide grin plastered on his face.
“What are ye so happy about?”
“Just waiting for ye to tell me that I told ye so.” Ewan looked towards Annella’s direction and then back to Rory.
Looking at him with cold eyes, Rory replied, “Ye just wait until ye find a lass who tangles up yer thoughts and chains ye down to a marriage contract.”
“Ha. There is no’ a lass in all of Scotland who can tame me,” Ewan said and raced his horse to pass Rory’s.
Traveling deeper into the northern Highlands vast mountain ranges, the cool September wind blew through the valley. Cooler than normal this time of year, Rory became concerned with the fog that seem to fall upon them. Riding in the fog would make their travel much more difficult.
As they entered into the forest, the fog had become dense and blocked out the sun causing poor visibility. Slowing their pace, they cautiously moved their horses into a tighter formation and trotted through the mass of trees.
“I’m no’ liking the looks of this,” Colin called out.
“Aye. It feels as if there are eyes in these woods,” Ewan agreed.
Rory adjusted himself on his saddle and placed his hand on the hilt of this sword. He too, did not like the look or feel of his surroundings. The Highlands were known to harbor thieves and highwaymen and with such little food and coin that he carried, he couldn’t risk their goods to be stolen by low life swine.
April Holthaus - The MacKinnon Clan 01 Page 8
