The Scotsman Who Saved Me

by Hannah Howell

  Then she was inside what looked to be a perfectly normal store. She glanced to the front of the building and noticed it too had an entrance. Then she looked at Robbie but he was blushing so brightly she did not have the heart to tease him. A big woman came out from behind the counter, walked over, and rapped Robbie on the head.

  “Mabel!”

  “Idiot! You don’t go bringing some proper woman in through that tavern.” She pointed at the door. “We have a door. Next time you bring her here, use it. Now, can I do anything to help you?” She turned and smiled at Emily.

  “Yes, please.” Emily proceeded to ask for what Mrs. O’Neal wanted and followed the woman as she marched around the store collecting up everything asked for.

  Emily took the time to look over the goods offered and was surprisingly impressed. As the woman piled the goods she asked for on the counter, she checked over a few dresses, some shirts, and even looked at the skirts. Her things saved from the cabin were not meant for riding around outside and she decided she could use a simple cotton outfit. Checking what she had for money she picked up a pretty little dress and walked back to the counter only to find Robbie getting candy.

  “How nice of you to pick up some sweets for the children.” She nearly laughed aloud when he gave her a narrow-eyed look.

  “That is a good idea. I think I will pick some other candies up for them.” He finished filling the bag he held and grabbed another.

  Feeling a little sorry for him as she had no idea of how much money he had, she slipped him a couple coins. “Include some from me as well. Neddy loves lemon drops.”

  As Mabel added up what they had bought, Emily looked around for a lady’s saddle. The woman hurried over to her and asked, “Do you want one?”

  “Actually I was looking for a lady’s saddle.”

  “Huh. Never have understood how some ladies sit on those things let alone ride about.”

  “It does take a lot of training. Do you have one?”

  “All I have is some used ones. After living here for a while a lot of ladies give them up for a normal saddle.”

  “Fear I am not ready to do that. Is there a way I can look some of them over?”

  “Sure can. Come with me. We keep them in the back room with some other things people got tired of. Maybe you will see something else you have a liking for.”

  Emily shook her head when the woman turned and started to walk away. She had to marvel at the woman’s skill at selling things. Her remarks about the type of saddle she was looking for did sting though. Emily was not sure she could ever change to ride as the men did.

  The cost of the saddles quickly put her off. They were priced well for being secondhand goods but it was still more than she could afford. She was stroking the fine embossed leather of one when Robbie walked in.

  “That is one of those funny saddles ladies ride.” He stroked the leather. “Thinking the woman didnae use it much. Nice work on the leather though.”

  “It is but it is also too rich for me. That little table is cute though. I wonder why someone would get rid of it.”

  “I bet Matthew could make you a little one if you want it.”

  “I suspect he can too, but”—she leaned closer to him and whispered—“the woman hoped to sell a saddle and I cannot oblige her, but I can afford to buy that little table.”

  Robbie nodded. “You sure?” Emily nodded and he lifted the table. “Got good weight. We’ll take this, Mabel. Emily, do you want me to put it in the buggy?”

  Emily went back to the counter with Mabel and paid the bill. She discovered that Robbie had already paid for the things Mrs. O’Neal wanted plus the candy. When she stepped outside and adjusted the bonnet she had just bought several men stepped out of the tavern. From beneath the rim of her bonnet Emily looked at one of them and nearly stumbled. Then he spoke and laughed with the other men and her blood froze. She tried to hide her upset and went to the buggy. A glance back showed the man staring at her and she grew afraid.

  “Robbie, we must go. Now.”

  Hearing the fear in her voice Robbie looked around and then started the buggy on its way. “Those men?”

  “The one who was looking our way is one of the men who attacked our cabin. I recognized his voice and his laugh. Then he looked at me and I truly fear he recognized me as one of the ones in the cabin.”

  Robbie cursed softly and urged the horse to a faster speed. It was just a plow horse and although it tried, the men were gaining. Emily was terrified that Robbie would be hurt when she noticed several horsemen headed their way. It took them drawing closer for her to realize it was Matthew, Iain, and Geordie.

  “Why are ye pushing this poor old horse to a speed it probably never ran before?” Iain asked as he rode up on Robbie’s side of the buggy.

  “Those men behind us? They are the ones that attacked the cabin where Emily was. They are the ones that made poor Neddy an orphan.”

  All three men turned to look behind them and the men after them slowed down and drew their guns. Robbie pushed Emily down and tried to prod the plow horse back into a harder trot. He was pulling away from the confrontation when the shooting began. Emily struggled against a rising hysteria. The sound of guns, the looming threat to her and these men who had taken in her and Neddy was almost more than she could bear.

  Emily listened to the guns for a moment and then tried to look over the seat, needing to see how everyone was faring. Robbie used his foot to push her back down again and she cursed. “I just want to be sure no one gets hurt,” she said, hanging on to the seat to steady herself.

  “Ye’ll just get yourself shot.”

  “We are too far away.”

  At that moment a bullet ripped into the top of the buggy seat. Emily screeched and ducked down all the while keeping her eyes on Robbie, who appeared to be unhurt. Then a horse without a rider galloped past them and she took a chance at a fast look back, raising herself up just enough to see a body in the road. Iain, Matthew, and Geordie were chasing the other men into the hills.

  “Can I get up now?”

  Robbie looked around and nodded as he eased up on the reins so the plow horse could return to its long steady stride. “Just keep a close eye out for them trying to circle back this way.”

  “But one of them is dead.”

  “That willnae make any difference to men like that. If they think about it at all, it’ll be to consider how they will split his share of whatever they are getting for this crime.”

  Holding on to the side of the buggy, Emily kept a close watch out for the men. They were almost to the house when she saw three riders coming back down the hill. Everyone looked hale and she breathed a sigh of relief. She came to a decision. She and Neddy had to leave before they got one of the MacEnroys killed. It was wrong to bring this trouble to their door.

  When Robbie pulled to halt in front of the house, Emily got down and pulled out her purchases. Just as she was about to get her table, the brothers rode up. Matthew looked at the small table Robbie pulled out of the buggy for her and frowned.

  “Ye bought furniture?”

  “She felt bad for Mabel, who had hoped to sell her a saddle so she bought this instead.” Robbie frowned when Matthew dismounted and took the table. He stood there testing every joint and studying the legs. “Not bad. Women like these little things?”

  Emily nodded. “I will see if Mrs. O’Neal wants it for Neddy and I cannot carry that about when we leave.”

  “Leave? Where do you think you are going?” asked Iain, surprised at how shocked he was by the idea of her leaving. Shocked and, he realized with dismay, hurt.

  “I have no idea but it is clear we need to leave here. Those men will tell someone where I am and there will be more.” She needed to get to her room for she feared she was going to break down and cry if she stayed there talking on the need to leave.

  “Actually dinnae believe those men will be saying much to anyone.”

  She stared up at him. “Of course they will.” />
  Iain shook his head. “Hard to tell anyone a thing when ye are dead.”

  A part of Emily was relieved by the news and she felt ashamed of it. “I cannot have killing following me wherever I go. There has to be some way to stop this. But even if there is not, I can stop it touching you and your family by leaving. It will follow me and Neddy.”

  “Is there anyone you can trust to speak to about it? Anyone here that you trust aside from us?”

  “No.” She still desperately wanted to have a good cry but she held back her tears. “There is no one.” She walked into the house and straight up to her room.

  Seeing the box sitting on the bed, she walked over and picked it up. She sat on the edge of the bed and opened the box. All the papers rested neatly inside just as they had for nearly four years. Emily doubted she would find anything in them to help her but she carefully unfolded and read each one. When she picked up one it felt a little odd and she thought Neddy may have refolded it wrong. She opened it and out fell several letters. She stared at them as if they were poisonous snakes for a moment before she picked them up. Arranging them by dates received, she began to read and soon tears filled her eyes. Despite her best efforts to stop them, the tears slid down and she had to hold the letters out of the way.

  Every single one was from their cousin. Annabel had written to the woman about her marriage, her child, and even where they had settled. In a sad way Annabel had signed the death warrants for the last of her family. David had to have known what she was doing yet never said a word.

  “What is wrong?”

  Emily looked up to find Iain standing over her. “My sister wrote to our cousin. Our cousin is also Albert’s cousin. My own sister, who had sworn she understood the danger we were in and how we had to hide, sent letters to our cousin. I do not have copies of her letters but the answering letters give me a good idea of what was said. Constance spoke of how wonderful it must be to have a son. Then about how beautiful it sounds at the cabin. She would have told enough about it to give them a good place to start looking. I can barely read this they so infuriate and sadden me. I told her! I told her there had to be no contact, nothing said to anyone.”

  Tears choked her and she tried to hold them back but she could feel them continuing to slip free and roll down her cheeks. It was hard to accept that her older sister could be so careless. Even if she had not fully believed everything Emily had told her she should have at least felt some sense of caution. Their parents had been killed and someone had tried to kill them at least once. That should have been warning enough for anyone.

  The bed dipped and a strong arm went around her shoulders. Emily leaned against Iain and tried to soak up some of his strength. She was both furious and heartbroken. Her sister was dead and Emily did not want to be angry at her but she was.

  “So your sister wrote to someone and that is how the men found you. It seems a long way to come. Why not just leave you here out of his way but with no blood on his hands?”

  “I begin to think Albert likes to get blood on his hands. He killed our parents and we are pretty certain it was him behind two attacks on us. So we fled. I thought she had listened to me. She swore she understood that we were in danger, and that David and Neddy were, too. She swore to me that she would write to no one or talk to anyone. But she did and she obviously did so for a long time.”

  “I am sorry her foolishness has hurt ye so.” He kissed her lightly and held her close. “Ye need to sleep, Emily. Ye have had a harrowing day and now discovered what has to be verra bad news.” He took the papers from her hands and carefully put them back into the box. “I think ye are also upset that ye are angry with a dead woman, your sister. Get some rest. It may help ye see things more clearly.”

  She sighed. “Yes, it may help.” She got the key from the chain and relocked the box. “Thank you. It was just such a shock.” She took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her eyes. “Oh, I should help Mrs. O’Neal with the meal.”

  “She has been making the meals here by herself for a few years. She will be fine. Rest. I will have her put together something for ye for if ye wake up hungry. It will be right there on your new table.”

  Emily looked over and saw the table she had bought and had a hard struggle not to start crying again. “Thank you. I did not insult Matthew by buying it, did I?”

  “Nay. He understood what ye did. Saved a little face for Mabel. Not a bad thing and he was impressed at the way it is built.”

  She smiled and surprised herself with her ability to calmly lie down. She really needed to tell him the whole truth, she decided. There was no question he deserved to be told. At least then he would know what he was up against. Although she thought it wrong to sleep, her eyes closed in minutes. Emily fought to try to sort through her thoughts as she waited for sleep to take her but it came over her quickly and she sank into it with a sigh.

  Iain stared down at her. He could not even imagine how her sister could have ignored so many warnings that they were all in danger and written to anyone at all over in England, especially to a woman Emily considered too closely connected to the man she was sure was hunting them. Shaking his head over the idiocy, he walked away to deal with his own work before supper and try to think of a way to stop his anger over the past from coming to life and aiming for her. Even he was getting tired of it.

  Chapter Eight

  Iain frowned at the paper he held and could make out only a few words. The lessons he had been forced into by Mrs. O’Neal and his brothers were actually working, but slowly. It had only been a week of regular lessons but he felt he should have been able to read more than a few words. If he was to get the small loan he needed, however, he needed to understand every word before he signed it. That meant he had to go to Emily and he sighed. He had done a good job of angering her with his wavering emotions and he doubted she would want to be helpful. Then he told himself not to be a fool. Emily would help because she was one who could not do anything else.

  Standing up, he headed out of his room, deciding it was best just to steel his spine and get it over with. It was late so he hoped the meeting would be over quickly. He rapped on the door to her room and she opened it, her look of surprise changing quickly to one of wariness. To his astonishment she stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind her.

  “Neddy is asleep,” she said quietly.

  “Ah. Weel, I need ye to read a paper for me.”

  “What sort of paper?”

  “I need a loan from the bank and they said they wanted me to sign this.” He held out the paper. “Your teachings helped me guess at only a few words. I dinnae want to sign anything until I ken exactly what it says though.”

  “That is wise. A rule my papa lived by. Is there a place where we can sit for a moment?”

  “We can go down to the dining room. No one there this hour of the night.”

  She allowed him to lead her down the stairs. He was not in one of his cold moods and she was pleased he had turned to her for help but she remained cautious. The way he could go from warm and seductive to coldly formal in the blink of an eye was unsettling and, to her disgust, hurt her feelings. She was not going to be made to suffer for wrongs done by the others of her class.

  By the time they reached the dining room, Emily was calm but determined. She would not allow him to play his confusing games of kissing her one moment and treating her like a complete, and somewhat disliked, stranger the next. Since she intended to tell him the truth, that might well end his games anyway. With his rancorous feelings about the English gentry, the truth would certainly end the strange bouts of warmth he showed her. Sitting down, she frowned when he pulled a chair closer and sat right next to her then handed her a couple of papers.

  “Dinnae ken why they need more than one page,” he muttered.

  “Probably written by their lawyers or one of them has learned the craft. I have never known a lawyer to use one word when he could use six. They are always trying to make certain they do not l
ose or forget a thing. Do you wish this to be read aloud?”

  “No need unless you find something you think is important. My agreement was to put up my flock in exchange for a loan.”

  Emily nodded and began to read. She was pleased she had read several such legally binding papers before now so she knew how to dig her way through the massive collection of unneeded words. Then she hit the section that spoke of what Iain was to put up as collateral and frowned. Her frown deepened as she slowly read it again then finished reading the whole document.

  “Did they know you cannot read?” she asked.

  “I didnae say. I told them I needed the night to think on this. But, then, not many folk around here can read and I suspicion they guessed.”

  “Quite probably, because if you looked at the whole document . . .”

  “I did.”

  “Then you would have immediately objected if you had been able to read it. You offered them your flock as collateral. Right?”

  “Aye. I saw that word.”

  “Oh, it is there. It says if you do not repay this loan in the time agreed upon they have the right to take your flock as payment, and your land, and your house and all belongings which they will be permitted to sell at auction to recoup the money owed.”

  Iain sat stunned. “Jesu. I never mentioned our lands. We could recover if we lost the flock but would never recover if we lost the house, land, and all else. What were they thinking?”

  “That you cannot read, would sign this, and thus give them the chance to make a gain. It very nicely says for repayment of loan, all interest accrued, and other expenses including a penalty for being so rude as to not repay as agreed. Even if they left it as you asked those last two should not be there as they are left vague as to how much and such things can be fiddled to their liking.”

  “Ye mean raised to whatever they want.”

  “Yes. A fee added for nonpayment or even late payment would be acceptable if stated clearly but not this. It was always stated clearly, the cost and how it could rise. Is there a lawyer in town? A man you trust?”