Heart of the Highlands: The Beast (Protectors of the Crown Book 1)

by Holthaus, April

“What the bloody hell do ye think ye are doing? We must away! We can no’ afford a war against the Sutherlands,” Rylan angrily said.

  “This has nothing to do wit’ ye. It is my right to slay that mon!” Ian roared.

  “No’ here! And ye bloody damn well know it! Do ye wish to see yerself at the end of a noose? For if the Sutherlands get their hands on ye, even the King can no’ save ye! Now, get yer head out of yer arse! There will always be another time; another place.”

  Since Isaac had received a pardon from the king absolving him of wrongdoing against the MacKays, Ian would be named a murderer if he killed Isaac. He must have irrefutable proof that the man was the one who’d orchestrated the assault on the MacKay clan if he was to be allowed his revenge. Ian clenched his fist. Turning around, he punched the side of a bookshelf, splitting the wood. His knuckles throbbed but the pain was easy to ignore. His mind focused on deeper matters than a few bloody knuckles.

  “Do ye feel better? Or do ye wish to have a go at me as well?”

  Ian gazed from under his eyelids at Rylan. Perhaps he should take him up on his offer. A good fight was an honest way to replace pent up anger, but he turned it down. Nothing would satisfy this need like Isaac’s head on a stake.

  “What is he doing here?” Ian growled.

  “The MacDonalds said Sutherland was here to face the King on other matters. Come! We must leave this place if ye wish to return to Leod by morning,” Rylan suggested.

  Ian stomped after Rylan, slamming the door behind him as they left the storeroom. As they reached the front gate his anger was replaced with pure panic when he spotted Leland riding toward them, alone.

  “Leland? What the bloody hell are ye doing here? Ye are supposed to be watching Keira and keeping her safe!”

  “Ye must make haste, Brother. Keira has been charged with heresy and treason!”

  “What the hell are ye talking about?”

  “Lady MacKenzie took Keira to confession. Keira told the priest about some acts of heresy by her father and claims her entire clan has denounced the Church. The bloody bastard priest told Laird MacKenzie of what she confessed. MacKenzie has her locked in the tower and sent men after her father.”

  “Is Keira safe?”

  “I dinna know. They would no’ allow me to see her. They locked her in the tower. I tried to stop them. Honestly, I did.”

  Fear that he had left Keira alone in a wolf’s lair shook him to his core. Why hadn’t she told him about her father? Was she a heretic as well? If she too were tried and convicted, then she would be equally punished.

  Ian felt very protective of her and blamed himself for her situation. He tried telling himself her youth and innocence made him feel the need to protect her, but he knew that was a lie. It was true that she was young and naïve, but that was not the reason he wanted to keep her safe. The true reason was how he felt when he was around her. The feeling he had been denying since the day he came across her on the road. He could not pinpoint exactly why she drew his attention, but he knew whatever the reason, he was not going to allow anything to happen to her while there was breath in his lungs.

  His showdown with Sutherland would have to wait. “Get the horses ready Rylan! We are leaving now and we will no’ stop until we get there!”

  Chapter 14

  Keira woke from her spot on the chair, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. For a moment, she looked about the room as the events of yesterday played in her head, reminding her why she was there. Unable to sleep, she tossed and turned until giving up completely and going to sit near the fire. She did not remember falling asleep but was grateful she had woken when she had. In her dream, all she could recall was running. Running from someone; a sense of impending danger. As the minutes passed, her dream faded to a few scant memories.

  Keira stood. The stone floor felt cold beneath her feet. The morning sun had not yet warmed the air, and a slight draft wafted through the window. Pulling the plaid up from off the bed, she wrapped it around her shoulders and went to the window. Leaning against the stone wall, she glanced over the windowsill, looking down at the bailey below and the clansmen at work.

  She spotted a group of four women sitting on wooden barrels, weaving baskets while they watched the young ones at play whacking around a small object with a stick. The men throughout the bailey were also busy with their tasks; hammering away building crates, tending the horses, and carrying baskets of sheep’s wool to the elderly, who used it to spin yarn. These were dutiful people, good people, even though in their blind devotion to the church they were unlawfully keeping her detained. She had done nothing wrong, but had spoken the truth within the sanctity of the confessional. The priest was the one who should be held accountable, not Keira.

  Without even a customary knock, the door to her room flew open, startling Keira. Her head quickly turned toward the door as a large Highlander swept in with the priest shuffling in behind him.

  “Lady Sinclair, my apologies fer my late arrival, I am Daniel MacKenzie, Laird of this castle. I trust ye have been well cared fer,” he said.

  “Unless it’s yer nature to lock yer guests in the tower room, I would most certainly say I have no’ been treated well, yer lairdship!” she angrily replied.

  “Aye, well I spoke to the priest about the nature of yer visit here as well as the information ye have divulged about yer father.”

  “I thought confessions were sacrosanct,” she said, staring daggers at the priest who cowered behind his master like a dog.

  “What ye did say and what ye didn’t does no’ matter anyway. Yer father has already been implicated in conspiracy with the English. He sits imprisoned at Inverness until trial.”

  “What? When?”

  “It just so happened when ye arrived at Inverness a few days ago to marry Laird Chisholm, yer father was arrested. What he failed to acknowledge was that Laird Chisholm had set him up, and was never intending to join ye at Inverness.”

  “If they already hold my father in custody then why am I being held against my will?”

  “Fer questioning!”

  “About what? If I may be so bold as to ask.”

  “Yer loyalty! Father Ambrose here told me about yer confession. Since yer father is to stand trial, and ye have no witness to verify yer innocence, ye too will be questioned at trial.”

  “At trial?”

  “Tis the way of it, my Lady. These are the king’s orders. Ye are to stay here until the trials. I have accepted custody of ye and will take ye to Inverness in the morning.”

  “This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!”

  “Take it up wit’ the king! Ye shall see him two days hence,” he said as he turned to walk away.

  As Daniel closed the door behind him, out of sheer anger Keira picked up the only thing in sight, a pillow lying on the bed, and flung it at the door with all her might. The soft thud of the pillow hitting the door did little to assuage her anger.

  Keira just then realized that her greatest fear had come to pass. Her father was involved. It explained everything; why he’d refused to travel with her, the important business he had to attend; it even explained why he wished for her to marry Laird Chisholm. If the king were to discover her father’s treachery, Chisholm would have offered him protection and she was the price her father had to pay. With Keira safe on Chisholm land, she would have been out of harm’s way. Had Ian not intervened, she would have been married to a traitor.

  ~*~

  Ian raced passed the gates of Castle Leod with Rylan and Leland riding by his side. Jumping down from his mount, he left the mare unattended in the middle of the bailey and took off in a sprint toward the castle door. Brushing past the guards, he marched into the great hall where Daniel MacKenzie and several of his clansmen were sitting down drinking ale.

  “Where are ye holding the lass?” he demanded.

  “Tis good to see ye too, Ian,” Daniel replied dryly.

  “Lady Sinclair. Where is she?” he asked again, his pa
tience wearing thin.

  “She is under my care. I have taken custody of her.”

  “Why? What has she done? Leland said ye have arrested her; under what charge?”

  “Heresy,” Daniel replied, matter-of-factly.

  “I have sworn to protect her. Therefore, she should be placed under my custody!”

  “Are ye even listening to yerself? The girl has committed a crime. Therefore, she will be tried. She has admitted to knowledge of her father’s treachery as well as attending unorthodox meetings against the church.”

  “That woman has been corrupted by Satan!” the priest added in an accusing tone.

  Ian snarled. He did not take too kindly to others speaking ill of her. Priest or not!

  “She has no benefactors who can attest to her innocence, so she is therefore guilty by association. She has the blood of a traitor. She will be taken to Inverness on the ‘morrow to stand trial in front of the Sherriff of Ross-Shire.”

  “What if I testify fer her?”

  “Ye have no authority to do such a thing. Ye have no claim on her.”

  “But, if we were to marry, it would be sanctioned by the Church. The King would have to listen to my plea,” Ian said before he even realized what he had just offered.

  “Ye would marry the daughter of Sinclair? The daughter of a traitor?” Daniel asked.

  “Aye. I would.”

  And that was the truth. If he could not bring himself to let her go, marrying her was his only choice. She would be his, forever.

  “I can no’ allow this discussion to go any further. My answer is nay.”

  “And ye can also no’ allow five hundred MacKay warriors barging down yer door either,” Ian threatened.

  Daniel’s eyes narrowed on him. Not accustomed to be threatened, he knew Ian was true to his word and if that’s what it took, then Ian would see to it in order to rescue Keira. Having been gone merely two days, he already missed her soft, warm smile.

  “Verra well. Guards, take him to the tower. Ye have one hour. If she agrees to marry ye, so be it.”

  Ian nodded and left the great hall following the guards. Barreling down the hallway, Rylan and Leland joined Ian.

  “Have ye gone mad? What of yer obligations and duties.” Rylan paused. “Ye have no’ told the lass yet, have ye?”

  “And tell her what exactly?”

  “Ye know bloody well what I’m referring to!”

  “What is it ye expect me to do? If I dinna marry the lass she may verra well find herself locked in the tower to rot, or hanging at the end of a noose like her father.”

  Rylan grabbed his arm to stop him.

  “Ian, ye cannae be serious about marrying the lass. No’ wit’ out telling her what she is in fer.”

  The look in Rylan’s eyes was serious and unyielding. Like a brother, Rylan always kept an annoyingly watchful eye on him, but Ian knew he was right. He had kept his identity a secret for so long he had forgotten who he really was. Living under the ruse of an outlaw, he’d left his life of luxury and comfort behind to serve James the best way he could. Taking a wife, however, would ultimately change all of that. Though he would still serve the crown, he would have to return to a place he had not called home for many years.

  Being the eldest son and the eventual Chieftain to Clan MacKay was not the only secret he had been hiding. As a member of the Protectors of the Crown, every moment he participated in his missions he was not only putting his own life in danger, but the lives of his family members as well. Could he marry her knowing the dangers that he might make her a young widow?

  Ian looked between Leland and Rylan.

  “I know what I am doing.”

  “Good. Well, I will no’ keep ye. I am sure ye are anxious to speak to yer bride,” Rylan replied.

  His bride, words Ian was not yet ready to hear.

  Chapter 15

  Since the moment Keira saw Ian ride through the gates, she had paced the floorboards. Anxiousness and nervousness buzzed through her; she could not keep still. Would he rescue her? Condemn her? She had never felt as sick to her stomach as she did now. She was desperate to see him, to speak to him, but then again felt completely terrified at the same time. She was making herself sick with all this worry.

  Her nerves caused her hands to shake and knees to wobble. Where is he? She felt the passing of time begin to slow. If this was not torture she did not know what was.

  Her biggest fear was whether he would believe her, if, and when, she finally had the opportunity to speak to him. If she could not convince him of her innocence, how could she convince the king?

  Loud footsteps could be heard climbing the three flights of stairs toward the tower room. Keira jiggled the door handle, but the door would not budge.

  “Hello? Hello?” she called out, but there was no answer.

  Keira took a step back from the door. She could hear someone jiggling the handle from the other side of the door, then the sound of a key turning in the keyhole. Keira held her breath, waiting for the door to open.

  “Keira?” Ian said as he pushed open the door and stepped in, closing the door behind him.

  Rushing toward her, he placed his hand on her cheek. Keira closed her eyes at his touch. For a moment, she felt as if they were back in the garden. She felt safe and knew that as long as Ian was near, she would be protected.

  “I’m sorry, lass. I did no’ realize bringing ye here would cause ye trouble. Are ye well? Have they hurt ye?”

  “Nay. I am fine.”

  “Ye must tell me, lass, everything that happened.”

  Keira lowered her head, her eyes filled with tears. Ian gently placed his finger under her chin, and raised her head.

  “Tis alright, lass. I’m here now. Ye have nothing to fear. No one will ever harm ye. I swear it!”

  As Keira gazed into his eyes, there was a fierce resolve and passion in his expression. She wanted so desperately for him to wrap his arms around her; to kiss her and hold her close. She did not want him to leave her side ever again.

  Keira wiped her tears away and sat on the edge of the bed. Ian kneeled down in front of her. His beautiful dark blue eyes looked up at her, filled with worry and concern. With a deep breath, she explained in detail what had happened since the morning he left, trying to remember everything. There was no point now to hold anything back from him. She had to trust him.

  “Why the bloody hell did ye no’ tell me? How did ye suppose I was to protect ye keeping secrets such as that?”

  “I did no’ lie to ye and I am no’ a heretic!”

  “I bloody know that, but tis no’ me who needs convincing.”

  “Ye…ye believe me?”

  “Aye! I believe ye, Lass.”

  Keira bent over and wrapped her arms around his neck, filled with relief. She’d half expected him to hate her. Ian, however, did not return her embrace and kept his hands firmly at his sides. It caused a small emptiness inside her.

  Pulling back she asked, “What’s going to happen now?”

  “Ye have been charged by the Church, but those laws and laws of Scotland are verra different. They have agreed to let ye go under one condition.”

  “And what condition is that?”

  “Ye have to agree to marry.”

  “Marry? What does that have to do wit’ anything?”

  “Lassie, ye have no benefactors, no witnesses to back yer claim, and the word of a woman means little in the eyes of the church. If ye were to get married, yer husband can vouch fer ye.”

  “And who is it I am supposed to marry?”

  “Me! I have offered fer yer hand,” Ian softly replied as if he expected her to argue in response.

  “Ye? Why would ye commit to such a thing?”

  “If ye’ve no’ wish to marry me, ye can always take yer chances at trial,” he suggested.

  Keira felt numb, in body and mind. For the first time, she had no words. Even her face was devoid of emotion. Marrying Ian in name only wasn’t entirely a bad idea. Af
ter all, by Ian’s account, it was the only choice she had. She assumed she could have the marriage annulled once her name was cleared of all charges. It should be a fairly easy task as the marriage would not be consummated. This wasn’t exactly the result she had hoped for, but little did that matter now. Oh, how her head started to pound.

  Ian placed his hands on top of hers. He looked at her with honesty in his eyes.

  “My lady, I am sorry, but ye have little time to decide. They are downstairs awaiting yer answer. I know this may no’ be the marriage ye were hoping fer, but I promise to be a good husband to ye and to protect ye until my dying day, if ye will have me.”

  Keira took in a breath.

  “How can I answer when I dinna even know who ye are? Do ye have a home? A family? Or are ye and yer mates outlaws living from place to place?”

  ~*~

  Ian laughed at her question. There was such innocence on her face. It made Ian want her even more.

  “Lassie, despite what ye think of me, I am no outlaw.”

  “I dinna understand. Most honorable men do no’ go around attacking carriages, pillaging camps, and kidnapping women!”

  “Fer yer information, Lass, I did all of that fer yer protection. As fer who I am, I dinna lie to ye when I told ye my name is Ian MacKay and my father is Laird of our clan. I am the eldest, and next in the line of succession. As my father is alive and well, I have left my home to join the cause for Scotland’s freedom. And I do so under the king’s authority. I am nay a rogue, my lady. I am a Protector of the Crown. My missions are kept secret as our king’s life depends on it.”

  “Are yer missions always so dangerous?” she asked.

  “Aye and deadly at times.”

  “And Leland and Rylan are they also Protectors?”

  “Aye, they are.”

  Keira chewed her bottom lip while mulling over what he had just explained. From her expression, he could almost see her thoughts grinding away like a wheel in a mill, trying to process all of the information.

  “I will no’ force ye to make a decision, but ye must see reason. I am offering to marry ye, to protect ye. I can no…”