by Aileen Adams
But Quinn doubted they had.
What had been a two-hour ride in a carriage turned into something much shorter when they rode a single horse as hard as the poor beast could go. Had the gelding not been soaked by the rain, he would have been slick with sweat by the time the harbor came into view.
Ysmaine looked over his shoulder. “We’re almost there?”
The rain had slowed to a mere drizzle by then, allowing them the benefit of seeing where they were headed. Far preferable to riding blind, as he’d been since the rain began.
“Aye,” he grunted, “though there’s no telling where to go from here. How to hide ourselves until the time comes to sail. The village will be aware of us soon enough, like as not, once the guards arrive.”
Her arms tightened about his waist as she grunted in disgust.
Then, she pointed. “The ship. Captain Seamus will help us. He said he would be on his way to Edinburgh, did he not?”
“Remember, he thought we were—”
“I know what we pretended on the ship, but I brought your purse with me, and there is more than enough inside to purchase passage.”
“The two of ye became good friends, did ye not?”
She snorted. “You sound as though you might be jealous.”
“I am not. Why would I be?”
“I am certain that I do not know, which is why I wonder at your sounding so.”
He shook his head, was it possible that the woman would argue with him this way after all they had just been through?
They galloped the rest of the way down the road and only slowed to a trot once they’d reached the village. Dawn was near, the sky lightening by the minute, and several villagers had already begun their days.
It would not take long for the guards to reach them with news of what had happened at the estate. Word would spread like fire. There would be nowhere to hide.
Seeking out the ship’s captain—Seamus, according to Ysmaine—was as good an idea as any.
They rode to the docks, seeking out the familiar ship. One of the lanterns on the deck flickered, telling Quinn there was someone awake onboard.
He let out a low whistle, bringing one of the crew to the railing.
“Is Captain Seamus aboard?” Ysmaine whispered, hands cupped around her mouth.
The lad nodded, then disappeared. A familiar face peered down at them a few minutes later.
It took mere moments for him to surmise the situation. He looked to the lad who had fetched him.
“Lower the gangplank. We’ll have two more aboard.”
31
“I knew there had to be something more than ye were sharing with me.” The captain sat across from them at the round table below deck, where the crew shared their meals. Neither Quinn nor Ysmaine had made use of this or any other room before then.
Things were different now.
Ysmaine’s hands closed around a mug of hot mead. She shook from the chill, still wet from their ride. “There was hardly a chance to tell you the truth. Even now, I wonder if we’ve done the right thing by being honest.”
Seamus sat back on his stool, his thick arms folding. “What about me makes ye believe I would be so eager to run to a nobleman from a foreign country and reveal your presence? I care nothing for the high-and-mighty nobles, and even less for the man you just described to me.”
“It could be dangerous, harboring us on your ship,” Quinn reminded him.
Seamus granted him a wry smile. “It would not be the first time I’ve carried cargo I was not strictly permitted to carry. I am not concerned.”
“We will pay you whatever you like,” Ysmaine vowed.
“Think nothing of it,” he said with a wave of one rough hand. “We’ll be off shortly, and you will reach Edinburgh by tomorrow evening.”
He left them alone, then, his voice ringing out from the deck above.
Quinn studied Ysmaine. She focused on the mug in her hands, still trembling slightly as she raised it to her lips.
“We shall be safe now,” he promised. “Once we’ve reached Edinburgh, we will ride through until we reach Duncan land, at the base of Ben Nevis. Phillip Duncan will provide protection to us until it’s certain we’re in the clear.”
“How can you be so sure?” she asked, avoiding his gaze.
“Because I know the man. And because he will understand why we made our escape, as the captain understood.”
“I killed a man.” Her hands shook harder than ever. “I killed him. He bled to death in front of me.”
He moved his stool closer to hers, until their legs touched. She seemed to relax somewhat at the contact. “Lass, look at me.”
She did, with red-rimmed eyes full of tears.
“Ysmaine, ye did what needed to be done. I know it. Ye would not kill or even injure anyone unless there were no other choices.”
She drew a deep, shaky breath. “I threatened him with his sword. I put it to his throat. He… moved toward me, as though he wished to overpower me. He expected me to fall back, I suppose.”
“Ye did not.” He knew her better than that. The guard did not.
“The sword…” She touched her throat. “It went in.”
“Ye did not kill him.”
She snorted. “I just told you I did. I am not telling a lie.”
“I know it, and I tell ye, there is no fault on your part. He might have remained still, instead of moving toward ye. Do ye think he might have harmed ye?”
“Perhaps. I’ll never know.”
“I know.” He draped an arm over her shoulder, drawing her to him. The weight of her head upon his shoulder was glorious, indeed. She belonged there. “But I know ye did it for the right reason. Not out of anger or vengeance. Ye were saving yourself. There was nothing else to be done.”
“We escaped.”
“We did.” He pressed his lips to her wet hair. “We did. Thanks to ye, lass. It was your bravery and quick thinking that got us out of there. I could not have done it without ye.”
He hooked a finger under her chin, lifting it until their eyes met. “Ysmaine, I must tell ye something before another disaster befalls us and I lose my chance. If ye do not feel the same, I understand, but ye must know how much I love ye, lass. I love ye with all my heart.”
A light flickered in her eyes, her mouth widened in a smile. “You do?”
“Aye. Very much.” He stroked her chin, studying her face. A face that had engraved itself on his heart, never to leave. “I am yours, forever, if you’ll have me.”
Fresh tears filled her eyes. “I’ll have you. I love you.”
It was not their first kiss—he’d been unable to help himself when she’d freed him, but it was the sweetest he’d ever experienced. She melted into his arms with a soft sigh, opening up to him, clutching him tight. Needing him as he needed her.
She chuckled, ducking her head while he brushed the hair from her forehead and placed soft kisses upon it. “We’ll have another long ride ahead of us.”
“Aye,” he whispered between kisses, moving down to her cheek. “We will that. And perhaps when we reach the Duncans, I won’t have driven you half-mad. I will still have your love.”
“You will always have my love,” she promised, kissing his jaw. “Always, until the end of my days. Perhaps it will be me who drives you half-mad. You may wish you could return to the days when you bound my hands.”
“I doubt it.”
“You do?”
He pulled back slightly, just enough to meet her eyes. “Aye, for the sooner we reach the Duncans, the sooner I might wed ye.”
She giggled, now crying openly. “Would that we might take wing and travel faster, then.”
“Does that mean ye will?”
She had no chance to speak her assent, for he kissed her again the moment she nodded. The sweetest kiss of his life quickly followed by the happiest, the most meaningful.
The ship began to move, signaling their safe departure.
They were safe, an
d in each other’s arms.
All was well.
32
Phillip Duncan’s handsome face twisted in a scowl. “The fiend,” he snarled, the hands resting upon the table curling into fists.
Ysmaine glanced at Quinn before nodding. “Yes. A good word to use.”
“To lie as he did.” He stood, pounding one fist into the other palm. “All in order to lure you to his estate. What sort of man does this?”
“A fiend such as the Marquis.” This came from Phillip’s brother, Jake, who leaned against the wall. “Tis a pity ye were not able to make him pay for his cruelty.”
“Escaping with our lives seemed more important at the time,” Quinn chuckled.
“The full hospitality and protection of the house and the clan are at your disposal,” Phillip assured them. “Anything I can do, please, I need only hear it from ye. In the meantime, I see my wife waiting in the doorway, demanding I allow the two of ye to rest and refresh yourselves.”
“They only just arrived.” Sarah Duncan was an energetic, no-nonsense type of woman who strode into the room and motioned for the two of them to follow her.
“My apologies if I wished to first find out why they graced our threshold,” Phillip grunted, albeit good-naturedly. “If an army of soldiers had followed them, would it not be for the best that I learn of it before you spirited them upstairs?”
Sarah merely shook her head, her long, brown braid swinging to and fro as she did. “My husband,” she muttered with a sly smile. “Come, both of you. Rooms are prepared, along with baths. I suspect you might both be the better for one after riding from Edinburgh.”
She was not wrong. Ysmaine ached from head to foot after four days of riding, and the impressive Duncan manor house had looked something like Heaven when it came into view. For the first time, no matter what Quinn had promised all along the way, she felt truly safe.
And truly comfortable. The bedchamber which Sarah led her to was similar to the one in the castle in France, but entirely more comfortable and pleasant. The windows were open, allowing the sweet, spring air into the room.
There was nothing as sweet as Highland air, Ysmaine was certain, and she would never be foolish enough to leave again.
“Quinn tells me you are a healer,” she murmured to Sarah when the two of them were alone.
“Aye, that is so. It is the reason I met my husband. He kidnapped me.”
Ysmaine burst out laughing. “How similar to my own story.”
“Just so,” Sarah smiled. She rested one hand upon her swollen belly. “And now, I’m well on my way to bearing our second child. Life follows its own rules, it seems.”
“It would seem that way.” Ysmaine sat with a groan of pleasure, sinking into the feather bed. “I was badly wounded on the road to Burghead and became very ill.” She lifted the hem of her kirtle to reveal the thick, pink line left from that hideous wound.
Sarah examined it. “Your healer did good work,” she decided. “I am glad to see it, not simply because you seem like a lovely person, but because you make Quinn very happy. I do not know him well, but I know he is a good man.”
“He is.” Ysmaine blushed.
Sarah motioned to the washtub. “The water is fresh and hot, and you are free to sleep as long as you like. I will have food brought to you as soon as you are ready for it.”
“Thank you.” Ysmaine took her hand. “Thank you so much. Your protection means the world to us both.”
“Thank my husband for that,” she suggested. “And I know I speak for him when I say he is happy to do it.”
“Is there a way I could speak to him alone? I have a bit of business I would like to discuss with him.”
Sarah shrugged. “Certainly. I will let him know you desire a minute of his time.”
It wasn’t until the following afternoon that Ysmaine ventured out of bed, bolstered by a meal served to her in bed, and found Phillip in his study.
He smiled when he noticed her waiting for him. “How are you feeling today?” he asked, waving her in.
“As though I slept more than half a day,” she chuckled, blushing.
“No one deserves it more, from what I’ve heard,” he replied, smiling indulgently. “What can I do for you?”
She cleared her throat, fingering the end of the braid hanging over her shoulder. She could stand up to the Marquis, kill a guard to save the man she loved, but she could not ask this of the Laird without fidgeting.
“I own a parcel of land in Clan Fraser territory,” she began. “It is not much, but my father left it to me upon his death.”
“A woman owning land,” he murmured, nodding. “I am impressed. Your father was a wise man.”
“Indeed,” she agreed. “And as Quinn explained last night, on our arrival, his half-brother is in need of assistance in paying his debt. He owes quite a lot.”
“Aye,” Phillip grunted.
“You… are a powerful man, who likely knows powerful people. At least, people in a position to assist me. I wish to sell the land in order to give the proceeds to Quinn, that he might use it to free his brother.”
Phillip’s mouth fell open. “Truly? That is a very generous thing to do.”
“We are betrothed,” she smiled, all but overcome with shyness. “I believe it would make a suitable wedding gift. All Quinn ever wished was to free Lennox, and I told him I would do everything possible to assist him. This is all I can do.”
He smiled. “You are a good match. I believe the two of you will be quite happy together.”
“I believe you may be right,” she smiled.
“I would be glad to have my solicitors broker a sale on your behalf,” he assured her. “And yes, I believe Quinn would be overjoyed to free his brother.”
Then, with a smile, he said, “You may wish to find your betrothed. I spoke with him earlier, and I believe you ought to hear what it was we discussed.”
She walked out into the hall, where a little girl she recognized as Sarah and Phillip’s daughter ran about, laughing at the curly-haired little boy who followed her. Sean, his name was. They were cousins, she knew, the boy being the son of Jake and his wife, Heather. He adored his older cousin and wished to be wherever she was, even though he’d only just learned to walk and found it a bit of a challenge.
It warmed Ysmaine’s heart that they could grow up together, along with the twin girls born to another pair who lived within the household. Maccay and Alis were their parents, the girls a pair of feisty, shrieking things who were less than a year older than young Sean.
So many people. A large, happy, loving household full of the sounds of joyous laughter. The sort of place Ysmaine had always longed to make her home.
Not that she expected for them to remain in the manor house once the matter of her property was settled. Quinn did not wish to settle down so easily, and she respected that.
She merely wished she knew where they would make a home.
She stepped outside, admiring the towering Grampian mountains which dominated so much of the view from the door of the house. The darkness in which they had arrived had not allowed for a clear look at them.
They took her breath away. Yet another thing she would never have been able to enjoy in France.
Quinn was with a few of the men, down on the field where soldiers trained. She recognized the limping man as Jake, who she knew was in charge of the Duncan soldiers. It appeared as though they were discussing strategy, as though Quinn were assisting him.
Would that he could make a life of doing so.
She could only hope.
Quinn smiled when he noticed her approach, and Jake waved him on.
“Good afternoon.” He grinned, kissing her cheek.
“I cannot believe I slept so long. I’m embarrassed.”
“Ye have no reason to be, lass.” He took her arm, leading her down to the lake beyond the manor house. It was as still as a pane of glass, reflecting a deep, blue sky full of puffy clouds.
“What a b
eautiful place,” she breathed, relishing the pine on the air.
“The perfect place in which to rest and recover after what you’ve been through,” he observed. “As close to paradise as I have ever found, if ye must know.”
She smiled. “I can understand that.” She glanced over her shoulder, toward the house. “Phillip told me you spoke with him this morning, and suggested it was something I might wish to hear about. What is it?”
He winced. “Always one to make such announcements on a man’s behalf,” he muttered. “He ought not to have mentioned it.”
“What was it all about?” She stopped, turning to face him. The mountains sat behind him, providing the ideal background to his handsome face. A face she loved so well.
He sighed, then, shook his head. “I asked if we might be wed here. If he would oppose my sending for the others, back at the Anderson house. He said he would enjoy hosting all of them for our celebration.”
She squealed with delight, throwing her arms about his neck. “That would be wonderful!”
“It suits ye, then?”
“Of course! To have everyone who matters to you, here with us? I cannot imagine a better way to begin our lives together.”
And she could not. She wished to know the people who mattered to him. She wished to be part of his life, for the rest of his life.
“What is it the two of you discussed?” he asked, releasing her after a long time spent in each other’s arms.
She smiled. “Wedding gifts.”
Epilogue
One month later
“Are you ready?”
Heather nearly glowed with excitement as she finished arranging the short train of Ysmaine’s deep blue silk gown.
“I believe so.” She looked down at herself. The small bouquet of white flowers shook slightly in her hand, but that shaking was the result of excitement. She had never felt so happy.
Tucked into the bouquet was a small piece of woven cloth which she would present to Quinn as a symbol of the home she would make for him and their family. Sarah had already tucked sixpence into her leather shoes for good luck.
