A Fierce Archer (Clan Ross Book 6)

by Hildie McQueen

  It was doubtful, in Ewan’s mind anyway, that the new Laird Mackenzie wished to battle. The man, however, was no doubt behind the efforts to bring conflict between smaller clans and the Frasers.

  Ewan let out a breath and nodded. It was his fault for showing off during the archery competition. When he’d shot three arrows at once, those that were aware of how Laird Mackenzie had been killed immediately suspected he was the assassin.

  Could it be that one of the people who’d been at the tournament had purposely attacked and attempted to kill him? It frustrated Ewan not to recall what happened before he was found left for dead.

  “Get some rest,” Keithen said and left.

  Ewan slid from the bed and pulled clothes from his trunk. At seeing his tunic, neat stitches where a tear had once been caught his attention.

  For some reason, Catriona had insisted on being the one to mend his clothes. She’d asked to do it and he’d made sure to bring her an article of clothing weekly. It had become the only time he could see her alone without the lass avoiding him.

  Not that he blamed her for being wary. After all, the poor woman had been through a horrific ordeal. There was little doubt in his mind that Catriona was changed for life. Whoever she’d been before he’d met her was forever gone. A pity, as he’d heard she was a lively creature who was quick to smile and pass out advice.

  Moving slowly through the pain, he dressed and then stood still for a moment as the room once again swayed when he straightened.

  After taking a few shaky steps, Ewan managed to keep from becoming dizzy. Although his vision remained a bit off, he could see well enough to make his way out of the small room he’d been given by the Frasers.

  It was time to find out what happened the day he’d been injured. If he heard the exact details from one of the guards, hopefully, it would prod the memory.

  “What do ye plan to do?” Broden, asked him when he walked out to the great room and lowered to a bench. “Return north or back to Uist?”

  It was the question he’d been asking himself since he’d spoken to the laird. “I am not sure as yet. It is probably best that I return north.”

  His cousin, Laird Malcolm Ross, would put him to work and allow him to provide a good life for himself. As much as Ewan detested the idea of asking for help yet again, he wasn’t ready to return to Uist.

  “Ye are not ready for work as yet,” Broden said, studying him with a flat expression. “Whoever cut ye, did not like ye at all.”

  “Tell me what happened,” Ewan said. “I do not remember anything of that day.”

  Broden nodded. The man was almost as tall as him, but slimmer. The warrior had seemed to dislike him since Ewan’s arrival. However, at the moment, Ewan didn’t have time to figure out why.

  As head guard, Broden didn’t treat him any differently than the others, and yet Ewan sensed that the man did not care for him in the least.

  “We rode out to the farm,” Broden said as he walked toward the guard buildings and Ewan fell into step beside him. It hurt to walk, but he managed to keep up. Admittedly, Broden walked slower than usual.

  “Each of us rode in separate directions and returned to the same spot at the sun being directly above. After looking about the farm, my group and I headed to a different farm. I was told by yer guardsmen that when ye all were heading back here, ye took a different route.”

  “Did I give an explanation?”

  Broden’s grayish gaze met his. “Not to me, or anyone else. No one was aware of yer new path until ye were brought back here by the hunters.”

  As the head guard had retold what had happened, small pictures formed in his mind. Perhaps the healer was right, and both his memory and eyesight would return to normal as he healed.

  They’d come to a stop and Broden motioned toward the keep. “Ye look about to drop. Return to the keep. I do not have time to tend to ye.”

  Although annoyed at the man’s tone, Ewan turned away and trudged back to the keep. Once he sought a meal, he would return to bed and rest. As much as he hated idle time, Ewan was well aware that rest was the best healer.

  Just as he entered the great room, he noticed several women sitting around a table at the far end of the room. Immediately, he knew Catriona was among them. Whenever the woman was out of her bedchamber, she sat at the same table. Positioned beside the fireplace, it was warm there, and protected by two walls. No one could approach the table without being seen.

  The men knew better than to approach her, although some had done so without issue. However, one time, a man had approached and Catriona’s reaction had been alarming. The man, who’d been a visitor, remembered Catriona from childhood and had neared to greet her. A startled Catriona had fallen to the floor and, while screaming, had scurried to the corner next to the fireplace where she’d cowered. It had taken the laird’s wife a long while to coax her to move and get her away and to the safety of her bedchamber.

  It was days before Catriona had emerged once again.

  When Ewan lowered to sit at a nearby table, he felt the gaze of the women. Ignoring the pointed looks, he waved a servant over and asked for food.

  “What are ye doing out of bed?” The slight hoarse tone in Catriona’s voice was like a soft balm to his entire being. That she’d walked over to him was stunning. He looked past her to the table to confirm his reaction. Four sets of rounded eyes met his.

  “I am hungry. Once I eat, I will return to bed,” Ewan replied, forcing an annoyed tone to his response. “Besides, I am not sure I can stand up right now.”

  He didn’t look directly at her, not wishing to alarm her. Instead, he bowed his head. In truth, the pain was growing increasingly worse. “Perhaps someone should help me to bed,” he grunted.

  “Young man.” Lady Fraser neared. “Whatever are ye thinking to be out and about so soon after being cut through? Ye must go to bed at once.”

  “He cannot move,” Catriona replied for him. To Ewan’s shock, her hand pressed to his forehead. “He is feverish.”

  Lady Fraser tsked. “Of course, he is. The wound is fresh...and bleeding.”

  Ewan looked down to find that blood had seeped through the fabric of his tunic and he moaned. “This is one of my new tunics.”

  “Up with ye,” Catriona said as he was lifted from the chair by guards who’d probably been motioned forward by Lady Fraser.

  At the movement, he cried out in pain. The room swayed and he gulped in air. It was as if the breath were taken from his body and he could not take any in.

  “Call the healer,” someone said. The lack of ability to breath took precedence and he concentrated on not passing out when pain ripped through his body as the guards carried him to a bed.

  ***

  Time passed, whether quickly or slowly, Ewan had no idea. Voices and faces came in and out of focus until he finally gave up trying to recognize what was happening. Feverish, he went from shivering to being so hot that he begged for water. Ewan recognized he was very ill and prayed that he would live.

  Then everything stopped. Perhaps a day had passed, or even two, he wasn’t sure. What he did know was that seeing the beautiful woman standing at the window peering out was the loveliest scene to wake to.

  “Ye almost died,” Catriona said as if sensing his gaze. “Perhaps this time, ye will remain abed until the healer gives instructions otherwise.”

  As much as he wanted to argue the point, Ewan decided it wasn’t the time. “What day is it?”

  “It has been five days since the day ye were found, and two days since ye acted so foolishly and left yer bed.”

  Two days. Ewan blinked, noticing that his eyesight was normal. One good thing had come from being asleep for two days. Hopefully, it also meant his memory would return.

  He let out a breath, grateful that it brought only slight pain. Not only that, but that he could breathe easily.

  “Why are ye caring for me? Ye should not fret, a servant can care for me.” Ewan hated to say the words. As much as he
wished to spend time with her, he didn’t want to be responsible for doing or saying something that would bring her more distress.

  “Tell me, why did ye kill Laird Mackenzie?”

  Chapter Two

  Catriona waited, knowing that Ewan was scrambling to come up with a reply. She had so many questions. Why had he killed the Mackenzie? Why did he remain there at Clan Fraser when he had no reason to? Also, his family was on the Isle of Uist and yet he lived either at the Ross’ to the north or at Fraser Keep.

  As much as she detested to be near any male, there were a few, in actuality, who didn’t bring her distress. Laird Fraser, Keithen, Broden and the healer. All of these men she’d grown up knowing her entire life. It was different with Ewan. Although she wished to flee each time he was nearby, she fought against it. Something about him called to her on a very basic level. It was as if they had shared a common experience before. In actuality, she’d only just met him. Nothing about what she felt when she was near him made any sense.

  It was doubtful someone like Ewan Ross could begin to understand what she’d been through. She doubted that even if a man witnessed it happening to someone they cared for, it would never possibly be the same as actually experiencing it.

  And yet, there she stood in front of him, wanting to know answers to the questions that had been swimming around in her mind for weeks.

  “Why do ye think I killed him?” Ewan’s deep voice cut through her thoughts. “I had no relationship or interaction with the man that would make me wish to kill him.”

  Catriona pinned him with a direct look. Upon his hazel eyes meeting hers, the urge to flee became hard to resist. And yet she planted her feet firmly and looked away for a moment so that she could speak freely.

  “It was clear at the archery competition. Several of the Frasers commented on the fact that the late laird had been pierced by three arrows that had hit him simultaneously.” Once again, her eyes met his gaze but she quickly looked away. “Ye can shoot three arrows at once with extraordinary precision.”

  When she lifted her gaze back to him, his eyes were closed tightly, as if he was trying to avoid pain. “I cannot answer yer question. Why won’t ye and yer people just be glad it was done?”

  “The motive. What reason would ye have to do it?” Catriona persisted. “Tell me.”

  The man had been cruel. He had killed hundreds of innocents without cause. There were hundreds of reasons anyone would wish him dead.

  “Whoever killed the laird did the world a favor. The man was cruel to hundreds and deserved death. Should there be a clearer reason than the devastation and overtaking of small clans by killing, pillaging and destruction?”

  She would not be deterred by what he said. There was truth in the words. However, like him, Catriona understood that there were always consequences, no matter how good an action was.

  “Ye, however, were not a victim of any of those things. Which brings me to consider that perhaps there is another, more personal reason.”

  His sharp inhale told her that she’d hit a sensitive spot. Sensing he would either admit to doing it or stop talking, Catriona decided it was best to ask one more question.

  “Admitting what ye did will stay between us. I cannot explain the need to know, other than I detested the man with all my being and although his death does not erase...things...it helps me feel vindicated.”

  When his eyes lifted to hers, they’d darkened. “There isn’t a better answer to why than that. The vindication ye and the other victims need.”

  “So, then ye consider yerself a champion of the downtrodden?”

  “I like the sound of it,” he replied flippantly. “However, I have not admitted to being who killed the late laird.”

  When he closed his eyes this time, she left the room. It was best to give him time. The conversation was not over. She needed to find out why Ewan Ross had killed the late laird. The reason was important. Not only because she wanted to be appreciative to him, if he was indeed who killed the man, but also because she hoped it would help her move forward.

  Upon entering her bedchamber, Lady Fraser entered right behind. Since they’d both been taken by Clan Mackenzie and kept as captives, Catriona and the laird’s wife had become especially close. Catriona had grown up spending more time at the keep with the laird’s daughter, Esme, than with her own family. Often, her parents come for meals, just to see her as she often refused to return home, fearful of missing her friends.

  During their capture, Lady Fraser had been treated well, unlike her, who’d been sent to the dungeon. The laird had instructed the guards to do what they pleased with her. Catriona shuddered, willing the memories away.

  “Darling,” Lady Fraser said. “Do ye feel up to traveling to the village with me tomorrow? Flora is set to return, and I thought it would be a good outing. We can fetch her and perhaps pick up a few things at the village square.”

  Since her horrible abduction, Catriona had only ventured as far as the flower field outside the walls. Accompanied by other women, it had helped ease some of her anxiety. The thought of traveling to the village made her wary.

  “What if someone stops us along the way? I am not sure that it would be a good idea to travel together. Someone could...”

  “Nothing of the sort will happen, Catriona. It is time for ye to visit yer family. Time for ye to face things. Ye cannot expect to spend the rest of yer life cowering in here.” She motioned around the room.

  In her heart, Catriona agreed wholeheartedly with Lady Fraser. Ever so slowly, she nodded. “I will try. Ye are right. It has been many days since I have seen my parents and my sister. I will go with ye.”

  Lady Fraser clapped. “That is good news, dear one.”

  ***

  Catriona was thankful for the security of the closed carriage as they traveled to the village.

  Despite her initial trepidation of traveling, she was excited to see her family. It would be a treat to see them all at the same time. Although her sister and mother had often visited, her father rarely came to Fraser Keep. His work running the mill kept him and his workers busy for most of the year. When he wasn’t milling the grain, he dispensed and sold grain for the rest of the seasons.

  “Once we deposit ye at yer family home, I will go to the market, see about Flora and then we can return to the keep. If ye wish to remain longer, ye can send word to the coachman,” Lady Fraser said with a pleased smile playing on her lips.

  Considering she wished to spend time with her family and still afraid of any reactions that would bring them to worry, Catriona decided it was best to keep the visit short. “I will not be staying. Once ye are ready to return, please stop by for me. I am afraid to remain too long and...”

  “No need to explain,” Lady Fraser said. “Tell yer mother I will come inside for a visit once I return for ye.”

  Catriona peered out to see that they’d arrived at her house. The structure was the same and yet it seemed so small compared to where she’d been living for the past year. The sight of her childhood home gave her comfort.

  Immediately, her mother rushed out through the front door to greet her.

  “Dear daughter, I am so happy to see ye,” her mother said, hugging her tightly and ushering her into the house. Once Catriona settled in the kitchen, her mother turned to look out and motioned for a young lad to come near.

  “Go to the mill and ask my husband to come at once. Tell him Catriona is here. Then go and fetch Audra. Tell her to come and bring the babe.” Her mother spoke quickly, barely catching her breath. “Tell my husband to bring flour.”

  Excited at the prospect of earning a coin, the boy raced off, closely followed by a dirty, hairy dog of questionable breed.

  Once again, her mother hugged her close. “If I’d known ye were coming, I would have cooked one of yer favorite meals. All I planned to make today was a simple stew.”

  “I adore anything ye cook, Mother,” Catriona assured her. “My visit will not be long today. It is my first ti
me leaving the confines of the keep. I will only be here for a part of the day. I must return with Lady Fraser.”

  “Does this mean ye are getting better? It must be or else ye would not dare venture out.” Her mother caressed Catriona’s face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “My dear girl, how I have missed ye.”

  Tears welled in her eyes and Catriona blinked them away. How could she tell her mother that she wasn’t the same person? She would never again be the carefree woman who’d gone to visit the Frasers that day so many months ago. Instead, she attempted a smile. “I miss ye as well. I hope to come visit often, now that I see I can without incident.”

  “Good. Ye must spend time with yer sister. Now that she has the new bairn, she seems to be constantly at her wits’ end.”

  Her sister, Audra, was ten years older than Catriona and had been married for six years. Despite the difference in their ages, they’d been close until Audra left home. Now with five children, it was comical to see her once calm and orderly sister constantly frayed and barely kept together.

  “Does she require help?” Catriona asked. “I thought Geoffrey hired a nursemaid,” she said, referring to her sister’s wealthy husband.

  Her mother shrugged. “I hate to admit that my grandchildren are quite disorderly. They run nursemaids off rather quickly.”

  The door opened and her father barged in with a wide grin directed at Catriona. Although he neared, he did not move close enough to touch her. Catriona hated that he had to be so cautious, but the last few times he’d visited, she’d had a hard time allowing him close.

  “It has been several weeks since I’ve seen ye. I am sorry for not coming, but ye know this is the busiest time at the mill.”

  Catriona moved to him and leaned against him. Immediately, the familiar woodsy scent of her father filled her senses, making her feel secure and safe.

  “May I hug ye?” her father asked in a soft voice.