Highland Rake

by Terry Spear

  "Why? If you can hear a ghost speaking, why did you no' hear his words?"

  "I didna want to. He was talking about marriages and…" She shook her head. "I didna want to hear."

  "Alana, he may have told you who murdered him and the rest of your kin."

  Tears filled her eyes. She had blocked her da's words out, so cold, so tired, hurting so badly, she didn't think she would ever find her way home.

  She hadn't needed to hear her da's words. He would tell her uncle and the rest of their clan what had happened. She had just needed to reach the castle before she was too tired to care.

  "Do you recall anything else?" Dougald asked. "If you wanted your horse, why didna you come for her?"

  "My da wouldna let me. He shouted at me to come with him."

  "I wish you had come for the horse, lass. My brothers and I would have taken care of you."

  She wished it, too.

  She shuddered from the cold and Dougald's arms tightened around her, and she settled into his warm embrace.

  He might have spoken to her again, but she was tired, and drifted off to sleep until she heard her brother say, "I have been thinking."

  She wanted to groan out loud, but she thought Dougald was sleeping, and she didn't want to disturb him.

  She opened her eyes, and turned to see Connell wrapped up in his plaid next to her. She was glad Dougald couldn't see or hear her brother.

  "After all that was said about my untimely demise, I was thinking back on the events that led up to my death." Connell rolled onto his back, arms folded beneath his head, and he stared up at the ghostly night. "She was verra insistent that I be with her that night. No' other."

  "It was planned then?" she whispered.

  Dougald stirred at Alana's back.

  "Aye, I believe so. At first, I thought it was just that she was seeing me at such a time because her husband would be away."

  "But he wasna."

  "Nay. She was verra adamant that he would be gone though. Our uncle had sent him on an errand that would take two days."

  "I didna know this. You didna tell me."

  "I didna think it important because I wasna thinking my murder might have been planned."

  "Aye. So I will verify with our uncle that he sent the man on an errand. What else?"

  "She insisted on the time of night also. I was surprised because we were always more spontaneous in the time we would meet. Careful, aye, but we didna make plans to meet at such a specific hour, particularly when her husband was going to be gone for so long."

  "That the situation was so different between the two of you makes it sound as though something was wrong. Did she behave differently toward you?" She couldn't believe she was about to ask this, but she thought it important to do so. "Was she as ardent?"

  Her brother raised his brows at her as if saying she shouldn't be discussing such a thing since she was a lady and he was her brother.

  "Or was she upset that you might be killed? Or shocked when her husband caught you two together?" Alana continued.

  Connell frowned. "I never really thought of it in those terms. Now that I think back, she usually had her clothes off before I had removed mine. This time she made me take mine off first."

  Alana was sure she was blushing furiously as hot as her cheeks suddenly became. She hadn't expected this much information. Yet she had to know what was different this time between him and the woman if it meant learning that his murder was planned.

  "Made you?"

  "She helped me. She was always too busy removing her own clothes in the past—worried we would get caught. This time I just thought her slowness was due to her husband being away for so long, and she hadn't felt as rushed."

  "But she didna want her husband to see her naked with you, in reality," Alana guessed.

  "Mayhap."

  "Did he know you had been with her before?"

  "We were careful. We didna believe so."

  "He must have found out. Mayhap had her set up the meeting. But had he another reason to kill you? And 'twas like taking care of two situations at once. Kill you because you were seeing his wife, but also eliminate you for someone else's benefit."

  She chewed on her bottom lip, deep in thought. "Connell, after you died, what happened? How did she react? Distressed? Shocked that he would kill you? Happy?"

  "Why would the lass have been happy? We were verra good together."

  "All right, so she was distressed."

  "Aye, weeping and going on."

  "For anyone's benefit? Was there anyone there who would witness what had happened?"

  "Turi. He had come to see to the matter."

  Alana frowned. "If she was fully dressed, why would anyone believe she and you were…well, lovers that eve?"

  "I hadna given it a thought. I was still so stunned to see her husband in the chamber, still trying to sort out what had happened, not even realizing I had died. Not at first."

  "And then Turi arrived and reported it to our uncle?"

  "Aye."

  "But then Ward must have worried our uncle would have been infuriated with him for murdering you in a fit of passion, so he and his wife ran." She pondered that for a moment, then said, "Connell, when you were no' allowed to go on the hunt when da was murdered, was it Da who caught you stealing the loaf of bread? Or someone else?"

  Connell didn't say anything, just stared up at the mist.

  "Connell?"

  "Landon. We had a fight. I was sweet on one of Duff's daughters and her family needed food. Da was punishing them because the two eldest lads, Firth and Alpin, had stolen sheep from the MacNeill without Da's approval. Landon had gotten into a fight with Alpin the day before, and he told me I shouldna be stealing for them. That the two boys would take the bread and never share it with the others. He said he would tell Da. And he did. I was so angry, I couldna think straight. Then when you came home alone and wouldna say what happened to Da and the rest of our men…"

  "I wasna really…myself…for a time, Connell."

  "I didna understand at first, but I did later."

  "I was glad you were home when I returned." Alana sighed. "I didna know Duff's family needed food. I might have sneaked it to them and gotten away with it. Landon wouldna have known for certain that Firth and Alpin would have taken the food and not shared it with their family."

  "Are you speaking to your brother?" Dougald whispered to Alana.

  She gave a little start. "Aye."

  "Who told him the Duff family needed food?"

  Again, Connell didn't say anything right away. Then he snorted and folded his arms across his chest. "Landon did. He thought it amusing that they were hungry after what Firth and Alpin had done. But all I could think about was the daughter that I liked and how she would go hungry because of her brothers' stealing."

  Alana passed along the information her brother shared with her. She yawned, and vowed to ask her uncle first thing in the morn about whether he had sent the woman's husband on an errand or not, then snuggled again in Dougald's warm comforting embrace. And fell asleep.

  Until later that night when one of the maids in the tent screamed.

  Chapter 21

  When the maid screamed inside the tent, Dougald quickly pulled Alana to her feet and unsheathed his sword. Several men grabbed their weapons. Gunnolf and Niall charged forth to inspect the tent, the others standing guard, waiting to meet the attackers.

  Dougald stayed steadfastly with Alana, not about to leave her side, his sword ready, Alana tucked under his free arm.

  Gunnolf came out and shook his head. "Seems the man slipped away, whosoever he was."

  "Who was he?" Alana asked, trembling in the cold.

  Gunnolf said, "She didna know. 'Twas dark in the tent and when he pulled the plaid from her face and hair, she awakened and screamed. The other woman's head was already exposed to the man so he could see who she was without disturbing her sleep. When the woman screamed, he sprinted out of the tent."

  "He wa
s searching for Alana? It would have been too dark for him to see their faces. But he could see their hair, as light as Alana's is compared to the other women's," Dougald said, his voice harsh. "Who was guarding the tent at this early morning hour?"

  No one spoke up.

  "Who was supposed to be guarding?" Dougald tried again.

  "Uisdean," one of the men said from the Cameron clan.

  "He is dead!" one of the men shouted beyond the camp. "Someone murdered him."

  The Cameron strode forth and said to Dougald, "We need to continue on our journey." He looked at Alana with grave concern, and she felt a shiver go up her spine. Her eyes filled with tears. She hadn’t known the man well, but was certain he’d had a wife.

  Everyone looked stunned, several of the men’s mouths were agape, Cameron was frowning, his fists clenched. Dougald put his arm around Alana and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

  To his men, Cameron said, "You know your tasks. We will eat and be on our way."

  He might have sounded harsh, but she knew him. Knew her uncle worried for the rest of the party’s safety. He wanted her home within the protective curtain walls.

  "Would it have been one of your men?" Dougald said in a hushed voice so only Cameron, Alana, Niall, Gunnolf, and the two lads could hear as they stood close to them.

  "Mayhap and he was able to draw Uisdean away from the fire without him suspecting anything," Cameron said.

  "Gilleasbuig?" Alana asked, since she had not seen him all day, and she wondered if he had no longer been with the Cameron's men.

  "Mayhap 'twas him. Since the maids are MacNeill, they might no' have recognized him," Cameron said. "Although I would hope it was none of our men. But I am certain Uisdean wouldna have left his post if the man hadna drawn him from there and he knew him well. He would have otherwise called out an alarm. Which teaches others to be on the guard and no' to leave their posts without warning someone else."

  Feeling chilled to the bone, Alana shuddered again, considering what the man had wanted with her. To carry her off? To murder her? She couldn’t believe one of their men had been murdered.

  She saw Seana watching her, eyes wide. Seana. Dougald's sister had unwittingly saved Alana from whatever the man's plans had been.

  Dougald rubbed Alana's arm and said, "Let's get you over to the fire." He motioned to the other maids to join her.

  "What would you have us do?" Tavis asked, the lad's expression anxious, but he kept glancing at Alana as if he wished to stay with her and protect her.

  "Stay with the ladies. Both you and Callum. Niall and Gunnolf, you also. When you ladies wish a moment of privacy, let one of us know. You will have a guard escort at all times."

  They murmured their ascent, but none looked comfortable with the idea. Worse, though, would be if the brigand attempted to grab Alana. As embarrassing as the notion was, she knew the other choice was more disagreeable.

  "I could have stayed in the tent with the ladies," Tavis said, quite seriously, adding kindling to the fire. "Then the man wouldna be alive to threaten the lady any longer."

  "Aye," Dougald said. "Mayhap you could pretend to be one of the ladies this eve."

  Tavis frowned at that suggestion and Niall chuckled. "You have to be willing to do anything to protect the lasses, lad."

  Callum was grinning at him. "I would like to see that. You, Tavis, dressed as a lady's maid."

  Alana didn't like the notion at all. What if the man had intended to murder her, and he had mistaken one of the other women for her? True, the other women's hair were dark brown, nearly black and hers such a pale gold that he must have been able to tell the women were not her. She shuddered to think he might have killed the boy, just because he had been sleeping in the tent with a thought to protect the maids.

  "Nay," Alana said. "'Tis too risky."

  The men were too busy poking fun at the idea, trying to lighten the mood in their warrior way.

  "Aye," Niall said, folding his arms across his chest, smiling. "'Tis too risky for the maids. The lad is too old to keep his mind on his duty if he was allowed to sleep with three lovely lasses."

  Callum laughed. "Tavis, aye. But if I were to do so—"

  Gunnolf ruffled the boy's hair. "You would be just the same."

  Tavis grinned at that.

  She noted that though the others were trying to make light of a bad situation in a good-natured way, Dougald looked concerned, his hard expression barely changing.

  "Please, sit," he finally said to her again, with an almost smile as if he was trying to reassure her but wasn't quite able to manage it. "I wish a word with your uncle."

  "Wait, Dougald." She thought he looked down at her with an expression that said he didn't want her joining him. She didn't want to, but she needed him ask her uncle about the man who killed her brother. "Ward murdered my brother for being with his wife. But Gwyn told Connell that my uncle had sent her husband on an errand and he would be away for two days. He obviously wasna. Can you ask my uncle if it was true that he had sent Ward on a mission?"

  Dougald's hard look softened. He caressed Alana's cheek with his thumb, "Aye, lass. Anything else Connell remembered?"

  "Turi was the first to find my brother." She told him about how things were different between her brother and the wench before the husband murdered Connell. When she was done, Dougald planted a soft kiss on her mouth.

  With tears in her eyes, she sat down with the maids by the fire while Gunnolf bowed his head a little to Dougald, the silent acknowledgement that he would watch over the women. Niall and the lads would guard them, too.

  Not that the rest of the men busy in the camp weren't also observing the ladies as they went about their chores. They knew her uncle was incensed at what had happened and all of them were ready to attack anyone who made any kind of threatening move toward her.

  Between learning it looked more and more like her brother was set up to be murdered and the incident in the tent, Alana attempted to consider what was going on and not dwell on the upset.

  Her uncle was speaking to one of his men, redheaded Bran, whose family had been from Ireland, and he had been born on Cameron lands. He was her uncle's right-hand man in everything to do with battle plans, and generally well-liked by everyone.

  Dougald joined them and she was afraid that Bran would stiffen or react as though the MacNeill was an intrusion. She wasn't even sure how her uncle would react, but he slapped Dougald on the shoulder as if he was part of his fighting party and the three men spoke in earnest with each other.

  She sighed, not relaxed after what had happened, but glad to see that her uncle seemed to have really taken a liking to the man she'd married, which meant everything in the world to her.

  She noticed then that Niall and Gunnolf were also observing Dougald's acceptance into the clan. They were like brothers to him, just as protective of him as they were of her.

  Niall glanced down at her and gave her a warm smile, then crouched next to her and said in a hushed voice for her hearing only, "You dinna have to worry about him with the other lassies, my lady. Now we will have to use Angus as the one we tell tales about. Truth be told, all of us were much affected by my uncle's, Dougald's father's philandering ways. He was our laird. Since my own da died when I was a wee lad, I was raised along with my cousins as their brother." He motioned to Gunnolf. "He was only a lad when he fought in a battle and lost his da. He has been a brother to us as well. We all swore when we found the right woman, she would be the only one for us, and we would never be like the MacNeill laird before James."

  "Thank you for sharing that with me, Niall," she said quietly back. She couldn't tell him how much she appreciated his words. But she knew that some lasses might still try to gain Dougald's attention despite how he felt about his father's philandering ways when the newness wore off with her. What if she was breeding and another lass was too enticing to say no to?

  She took a deep breath. She would not worry about what would be or would not be.

&
nbsp; Niall rose, looking satisfied that he'd set her mind at ease and watched again to ensure everyone was doing what they ought to and no one made a move to join them that might be considered a danger to Alana.

  Seana sat down next to Alana. "'Tis true, what Niall said about all the boys. They despised my da for keeping a mistress and dallying with others. Around us, my mother, Lady Akira, was good of heart and never spoke ill of our da, but I know she felt badly. She never knew I had witnessed her heartache. I believe what Niall said was true." Then she smiled impishly. "But if any lass attempts to steal Dougald from your marriage bed, you and I will have a wee bit of fun with the maid."

  Alana grinned at her. She loved Dougald's sister. Which made the situation really difficult for Alana, too. She knew someday Seana would be gone with barely any warning, just like the others. She had to be glad for them, that they'd finally found peace. But she also had missed them.

  The day was misty and damp and in the distance she could not see anyone. The sky was beginning to lighten by degrees, though the sun was not visible either.

  After eating roasted grouse around the campfire, she and the other ladies took a time to perform their necessary personal duties while Dougald, Niall, and Gunnolf kept their backs to them but stayed so close, Alana couldn't help being embarrassed. She had to remind herself she'd be much more mortified if someone tried to grab her when she was in the middle of washing or other chores and didn't have the men close at hand to protect her and the other ladies.

  When she was done, she joined Dougald and asked, "What did my uncle say? Did he send Ward on an errand for two days and just came home sooner than expected? Or no'?"

  Chapter 22

  Dougald hated having to tell Alana the news concerning the man who had murdered her brother. He cleared his throat and helped her to mount, then climbed onto his horse. "Cameron had not sent Ward on an errand. But had the lie been perpetrated by the two of them, just the wife, or mayhap just the husband? Cameron, Bran, and I suspect they both knew about it or her behavior would not have been so altered when she met with Connell. But was the wife coerced into saying her husband would be gone? We all believe so. If she liked being with Connell, we think her husband must have discovered their relationship and had her arrange to meet with him so that Ward would have more of a legitimate reason for murdering him."