“I mean what I say. If Jacob Stuart is out there somewhere, ‘tis best she remains here. Without any of my guard going after her.”
To his horror, William’s face flushed. “I would never.”
“Aye, that ye would, and I will not sit here and argue the point like a pair of wee lads. I have work to be done, as do ye, and I think it’s best we both get to it.”
This was not meant to be.
Richard’s words still rang in the air when a member of the guard appeared in the doorway. “My laird, Captain Blackheath, a group of men have been spotted approaching the castle on horseback. They fly the Stuart banner.”
Richard was out of his chair in an instant, going to the window overlooking the southern side of the castle. “How many?”
“Five, it appears.”
“Only five?” William joined Richard at the window. “It seems unlikely he would send only five men, does it not?”
“Aye, it does that.” They both saw the approaching men at the same time, once they rounded a bend upon leaving the woods. They were still little more than shapeless forms at such a distance, though the colors of Clan Stuart were plain to see.
“Alert the guard. Tell them to prepare themselves, but dinna show themselves unless they receive word from one of us. These men might have come here to speak and nothing more.”
“Ye dinna believe that.”
“Nay. I dinna.” Richard’s smile was grim. “But I shall treat them as if this were the case just the same. If anyone is to make the first move toward a battle, I want it to be him. I would not lead my men into battle without provocation.”
William turned to the man who’d come in with the news. “Alert them, as the laird orders.”
“What do ye plan to do?” Richard asked.
“I’ll stay with ye, of course. Why do ye need to ask?”
“I did not ask ye to guard me.”
“As if I would leave ye alone with any one of those men. This is my duty. I intend to see it through.”
“Verra well, then.” They strode from the study together, and for the first time since his return, William felt as though they were working together again.
“Prepare the great hall for visitors, and quickly,” Richard ordered two of the household lasses as they passed in the corridor. “Enough wine and refreshment for five guests.”
“Do ye believe they’ll come in and sit down with us?”
“I know not, but I wish to extend the normal courtesies nonetheless.” Richard came to a stop behind the closed front door to the keep. Having witnessed many such meetings, William knew he would wait for his guests to be escorted through the castle walls and into the keep rather than meeting them outside. One subtle way of reminding visitors who was laird and who was not.
William turned to him, his voice low. “What will ye say when they demand her return?”
“Ye dinna know they will.”
“Och, come on, man. Ye know as well as I do why they’ve come all this way. I believed I was smarter than I was at concealing our movements. I was wrong. I must ask your forgiveness for anything that might come as a result of my carelessness.”
“Ye did as ye felt ye had to,” Richard replied. The tightness in his voice and the way he held himself told William there was much more left unsaid, but this was not the time to speak of such matters. Not with someone who might prove to be an enemy just outside the castle walls.
“What will ye do, then? Will ye hand her over to him?”
There was a moment’s hesitation. A moment might as well have been an eternity. “I canna say as yet,” Richard admitted. “I dinna wish to, but I must consider my lands, my people, my guards.”
Once again, there was nothing he could do but stand to the side and watch as this took place. To wait for the visitors to arrive and hope Richard made the right decision.
Though even William could admit to not knowing what that meant for anyone but himself.
All the while, his thoughts were with the one waiting in the cell below. She had no knowledge of what went on above her.
25
One of the stewards opened the door to the keep, giving them a view of the courtyard in time to watch five horsemen walking their steeds through the massive doorway.
Beautiful horses, which spoke of the wealth of the riders. Or, at the very least, of the man who rode before the others. He sat tall, proud, with a certain tilt to his head which in William’s opinion made the man a perfect target for his fist. He’d never cared for men who observed the world with their head thrown back in such a manner. As though they owned everything beyond the end of their nose.
This was his first impression of the man he assumed was Jacob Stuart. Little wonder then that he needed to lock a woman away in order to keep her under his roof.
He dismounted, along with his men, all of them bearing the same proud expression. But none of them were like him. William had lived his entire life in the keep and knew the difference between a laird and his guard.
Jacob’s dark hair gleamed in the early morning sunlight. He looked well-rested and recently groomed. Where had he spent the evening? William’s stomach turned at the realization that the man and his guard had been near enough to where he’d been with the lass that had they lingered much longer, their paths might have crossed.
“Laird Richard Munro.” The visitor inclined his head. “I am Jacob Stuart, laird of Clan Stuart.”
“Welcome, Laird Stuart,” Richard replied in his deep, booming voice. “What brings ye so far from home?”
Jacob’s dark, knowing eyes had already moved from his host and onto the man standing beside him. William thought they bore a gleam, as though he already knew the name of the man upon whom he’d turned his attention. “I received troubling reports which I would like very much to discuss with ye,” he replied, still staring at William.
“Aye, and ye shall. Do come and join us inside. I arranged for refreshment upon receiving word of your approach.” Richard was the laird of the castle in every sense, and he maintained this appearance of warmth and hospitality as he led his guests inside with William walking beside him.
Truly, anyone but the man who knew him best would imagine no hostility or even suspicion on Richard’s part. Perhaps this show of friendship would lull Stuart into a false sense of security.
They entered the hall where much of the household—included the highest-ranking members of the guard—spent their nights. Now it was empty, clean, and the table which ran down the center of the room was set with wine and an array of cold meats, cheeses, and breads. There were even several types of sweet cakes. The lass to whom Richard had given orders took the orders seriously, it would seem.
None of this appeared to impress their guests in the least. Richard ignored their raised eyebrows and poured two healthy mugs of wine. “To our guest,” he announced, handing one to Jacob.
“Thank ye kindly,” he replied with what might have been a genuine smile if not for the cold, dead look in his eyes. “It has been a long journey, and we do appreciate your kindness.”
“Come, be seated.” Richard chose the chair at the head of the table, as was his right, and William stood beside him. While his hands were not on his weapons but rather clasped behind his back, he was deeply aware of their presence and of how easily he might reach them.
Jacob sat and motioned with one hand for his men to do as they pleased. They filled clay bowls with food—the devils were hungry, no matter how they pretended to be unimpressed.
“Now. What is this about reports you’ve received?” Richard folded his hands on the table. “They must have alarmed ye greatly if they were enough to inspire such a long ride.”
“Aye, they were quite… alarming.” His eyes cut to William once again as he drank his wine. “I had a matter of personal importance, ye ken. A piece of property was stolen from me.”
“Stolen?” Richard asked, while William bit his tongue and vowed to himself that he would not ruin anything for the lass b
y speaking out.
He would not give Jacob Stuart the satisfaction, for this was obviously what the man had in mind. He knew who William was and knew she must be somewhere within the castle walls.
“Aye. Stolen. Carried way in the night.”
“And just what would this property happen to be, might I ask? If it is not too personal a question, ye ken.” Richard did not move a muscle, and his voice did not betray his thoughts. William wished just then that he had learned to control himself as well as Richard had, for he was prepared to tear this bastard limb from limb for speaking of her as nothing more than a piece of property.
As though she were nothing more than a horse or a saddle.
“I believe ye already know.” Jacob’s tone was soft, even lilting. “I believe the man who stole it from me stands in this room. At your side.”
“It?” Richard looked up at William, his gaze a stern warning. “I know of no object which the captain of my guard might have stolen from ye.”
“Ye know damned well what I mean.” Gone was the pretense of friendship. “The piece of gypsy scum who escaped my cell.”
“Ye dinna speak highly of her,” Richard observed, his tone still cool. No longer friendly, but without the rancor which Jacob had adopted. “In fact, I would think a man would thank my captain for taking a piece of—what did you call her? Scum?—off their hands.”
“She belonged to me.”
“She is a free woman, and as such belongs to no one.”
“So ye admit she is here somewhere? That ye have her?”
“I admit nothing to ye, as it is none of your affair.”
“It is my affair, as she belongs to me! What about this do the pair of ye not understand? It was none of your concern,” he spat, eyes narrowed, pointing to William. “Ye ought to have kept riding, lad. My men saw ye, and I’ve received reports of the pair of ye riding through the Highlands since that night. I’ve been aware of every move you’ve made. I followed ye all the way here. I suppose ye aren’t half as clever as ye believe yourself.”
William remained silent. The most difficult thing he’d ever had to do, without a doubt. Only the fact that his silence seemed to drive Jacob mad made it possible.
The man’s face turned a peculiar shade of red. “Have ye lost the ability to speak, then? Are ye unwilling to defend your actions, knowing they happen to be indefensible?”
“Perhaps the man knows he has no need to defend himself or even to speak to ye, as he knows he did nothing wrong.” Richard leaned in. “Ye kidnapped a woman and held her in a cell. She was half-starved and covered in filth from what I hear. Ye meant to wear her down, did ye not? Ye wished she would tell ye of her family, the raiders, where they might be found. Ye wished to use her against them and collect a reward. Is that not so?”
Jacob all but sputtered, as did William. He forgot from time to time just how sharp Richard was. He need not be told the specifics.
“Do ye know they have already been captured?” Richard asked, and now he was toying with his prey. When surprise flashed across Jacob’s face, he nodded. “Och, aye, days ago. I suppose ye were too involved with following this man hither and yon to stay abreast of what took place. Those of us who remained at home to mind our lands and our tenants are better aware.”
Jacob sat back in the chair with a shrug. “What of it, then? It matters not in the least.”
“Does it not, now? Then I suppose ye shall be on your way.”
“Why would I leave so soon?”
“For one, ye are no longer welcome here. If half of what I’ve heard is true, ye are nothing but a tyrant. For another, there is no longer reason for ye to hold her. There will no longer be a reward offered for the capture of the raiders. She is worth nothing.”
“She is mine, and she escaped, and I will have her back. Perhaps ye dinna understand the meaning of honor here in the north—”
“That is enough!” Richard bellowed, blocking William’s attempt at lunging for the man as he did. “Ye will remove yourself from my castle and my lands immediately, and ye will never return.”
“Och, but I will.” Jacob stood, now flanked by his men. Their hands rested on their weapons—dirks, swords, pistols. “I shall return in one hour, and my men shall come into your castle and take what belongs to me. Ye have a short time
“Your men?” Richard asked, looking at the four he’d brought with him.
“Dinna fool yourself,” Jacob smiled. “Do ye believe I would come to ye with no more than four men? I’ve brought half my guard with me, and along the way collected every man willing to fight alongside me.”
“Why would they do that?” William asked. It was the first time he’d spoken, but there had been no holding back the question. “Who would fight when there is nothing to be gained?”
“Men who have nothing to lose,” Jacob smiled. “Though again, ye are incorrect. I intend to compensate them for their trouble.”
Richard snorted. “Can ye give them back their lives? For that is what they shall lose if they attempt to take this castle—or anyone in it.”
“So ye wish to believe.” Jacob continued to smile as he and his men backed away. “Ye shall see in one hour. If ye come to your senses, send her to me, and I shall be willing to pretend the entire affair never took place. Ye have my word.”
“As though I would trust your word.”
“As ye like.” Jacob shrugged as he and his men turned to leave.
“I could kill ye now,” Richard reminded him.
“My men will still come; they have orders to do so if I dinna return.” Jacob’s soft laughter echoed through the entry hall as he and his men left.
“I had assumed as much, though I felt it worth saying,” Richard growled as the five of them mounted. They watched the men ride away, walking the horses as though there was no need to hurry.
“Close the gate,” Richard ordered the moment they were outside. When the heavy chains pulled the door down, William turned to him.
“What shall ye do? Send her or nay?”
Richard merely scoffed at this. “What do ye think, man? Do ye believe I would turn her over to him for any reason? I never intended to. I merely wished to get a sense of the man before I ground him into the dust.”
With that, the castle sprang to life. William had trained his men to be prepared for just such an invasion, and they went about their orders without needing instruction.
Richard waved to Maggie, who’d worked in the household since he and William were lads. “I want all of the women down in the cells. A handful of the men will go with ye to keep ye safe. Ye still have the weapons in the kitchen?”
She was grim as she nodded. “Aye. We’ll do what needs to be done.” She led the women to the kitchen to fetch the weapons—dirks and swords from what William was aware of.
“What about her?”
Richard frowned. “What do ye think? I shall leave this to ye, as ye know her better than I. Do ye believe she ought to be left down there, that she would be safer there?”
“Aye. She’ll hate me for it, but she ought to stay down there. If all goes well, no one will never make it down to her.”
It was time for his men to prove he’d trained them well.
26
Shana was just beginning to consider working her hand free from one of the shackles when the sound of at least a dozen female voices rang out. They were growing louder, getting closer.
She dragged the chains behind her, going to the bars and craning her neck to look down the narrow corridor between the rows. The women—so many of them!—were pouring down the stairs, all of them armed.
“Hello! What goes on?”
They ignored her at first, or else they did not hear her. With all of the noise they made, all of their chatter and whispers and such, it was possible her voice had been lost among the others.
“Hello!” she cried out, louder this time. “What goes on?” It was then that she became aware of many voices coming from upstairs, and the poundi
ng of feet.
Her heart began to pound as well. “Will any of you tell me what’s happening?” she demanded, now torn between panic and fury as they continued to ignore her.
One of them—she recognized her as one of the lasses who’d washed and combed out her hair that very morning—peeled off from the others and scurried down to where she waited. “They’re comin’,” she whispered, eyes wide.
“Who is coming?” Though she need not have asked. She knew in her heart what was about to happen. What she’d brought upon all of their heads.
Little wonder the women had ignored her.
“The one who was lookin’ for ye and Captain Blackheath.” The young woman’s eyes swam with unshed tears. “The laird sent us down here with weapons to defend ourselves.”
“All because of ye.” This was one of the older women, whose scornful glare all but burned a hole in Shana’s head. She was not the only one who shared this opinion it seemed, as many of the women shared her resentful expression.
“Jacob Stuart?” she whispered, her terror growing.
“Aye, Jacob Stuart,” the woman spat. “He gave the laird an hour in which to return ye. He said that if ye were not returned, his men would come back and attack the castle and everyone in it. He knows ye are here.”
This was nearly too much to be believed. “Th—this means Laird Richard will not turn me over to the Stuarts?”
“Aye. What do ye believe it means? And now we’re all in danger, thanks to ye.” Mutters and whispers accompanied this as the other women expressed their displeasure.
“How much time do we have?”
“We?” the old woman scoffed. “There is no we.”
“Please,” Shana whispered, staring at her. Willing the woman to meet her gaze, holding it once she did. “Please. I want this no more than you do. I wish to bring an end to this. But I need your help.”
“Ye canna help us,” another of the women muttered. “Ye have already done enough to put our lives in danger. The lives of our men, our brothers, and sons, and husbands. They shall follow the laird’s orders, because that is their duty. And they might die today because of ye.”
Highland Temptations: Boxed Set: Books 1-3 Page 35
