“Bad wine?” Adair asked, moving up to stand beside Chisholm. “Is there such a thing as bad wine?”
Not to be out done by his brother, Ross moved up too. “I wish to know as well.”
“Aye,” Chisholm said, “If the grapes are yellow instead of green and the wine sits in the sun for a time, a lad can fall to his death on the spot.”
“I knew that,” said Ross.
This time it was Adair who shoved his brother, “You did not.”
Suddenly the dog raced in the door and was about to wreck the place with his exuberance when Chisholm yelled, “Sit!”
The dog instantly obeyed and the brothers were astounded. They exchanged disbelieving glances and then Adair took a step closer to Chisholm and looked up. “Do we get the cows? We found her, this lass said we did.”
“Aye, you will get the reward.”
Adair shouted for joy, grabbed his brother’s arm and pulled him back out the door. The dog paused just long enough to look at Chisholm, then at the brothers and back at Chisholm again, before he raced out the door and followed the brothers.
Chisholm could still hear their jubilation as they mounted their horses and rode out of the courtyard.
“Thank you,” said Rona, “I feared you would have me executed.”
“Where did Paisley go?”
“Behind the castle and then into the forest,” the old man answered.
“Is she armed? Much can happen to a lass in the forest.”
Rona quickly tried to comfort his worries. “I gave her my dagger but I did not trust any of the lads to take her, not that they would have, being so afraid of MacAlister as they were.
“She is alone, then?”
“Aye,” Rona said.
Chisholm was in a panic when he rushed out of the smelly castle and mounted his horse. He guided the stallion around the large structure, found the path Paisley had taken and rode into the forest. A few moments later, he halted. Paisley left in the night and the next night was approaching. Which way had she gone? The forest was vast and reached all the way to England in some areas. He decided to go as straight as possible and call her name often. Hopefully, she would recognize his voice, not be frightened and answer.
Much later, all he could report seeing was one hare, a red fox that spooked his horse and a golden eagle perched high in a tree. He neglected to ask if Paisley had food or water, and was tempted to go back. In the shadows of the tall trees, even he was having trouble knowing which direction he was going. The best thing to do, he decided, was to find a place to build a fire and hope Paisley would follow the smell of smoke—if she could.
He left the castle in such a hurry he did not bother to ask if she was hurt. It would have been valuable information to have. The severity of the injury, if there was one, may well determine how far she could have walked. Then he remembered the old man tell of hearing her go, did not mention a limp and Chisholm began to breathe a little easier. Still, he had traveled on horseback much faster and farther than she could have on foot. She might not be injured, but she was definitely lost and alone.
The food he brought did not need cooking and it was a pity not to have something that would tempt a hungry Paisley to find him. Then again, he did have apples. Chisholm found a small clearing, dismounted and gathered enough wood to build a fire. He untied his sack, reached in, pulled out an apple and set it on a rock. Next, he found a stick, sharpened the end of it with his dagger and skewered the apple. He moved a rock near the small fire, looked around until he found another and put it on the other side. Then he balanced the stick between them and let the apple begin to slowly roast.
There was nothing to do but wait. Chisholm sat down, put his back against a tree and rested.
CHAPTER VII
IN THE KEITH VILLAGE, a converted barn complete with chickens and a hayloft served as the Keep. It was, after all, the largest building they had. The clan also had a high wooden fence made of tree limbs, tied together with leather strips, all the way around the small village. More tree limbs wedged against it both on the inside and out, kept it from falling and the two tall gates stood wide open.
A small scrap of hot cake was hardly enough to fill her empty stomach and Paisley hoped for a full meal. Although the clan seemed happy to see Blathan and his men, they did not seem friendly in her regard at all. No matter, she wouldn’t be staying that long, but then she realized she wore MacAlister colors and understood. The cottages were not adorned with flowers, tossed away food and horse droppings dotted the paths, and she took it to mean the people were not happy. Unhappy people would most likely mean she would be unhappy soon too.
When she mounted the horse behind Blathan she was glad to be off her feet, but after hours on a horse she was equally happy to be getting off. Once she had her balance, Blathan took hold of her arm and took her inside the Keep where Laird Keith waited. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimmer light, she could smell meat cooking and it increased her nagging hunger.
The table in the Keith great hall was nearly as wide as it was long and appeared to have at least one mended leg. The chairs were in no better repair and she wondered how they held the weight of the men. No wife or children were within, which Paisley thought odd, and at her feet a chicken pecked at bread crumbs on the floor. She was relieved when one of the men grabbed it and tossed the squawking bird out the door. Laird Keith, she noticed, was not a pleasant looking man and she hoped she would not be in his keeping for very long. He wore baggy long pants instead of a kilt, had two teeth missing and had not bothered to brush bread crumbs out of his blond beard.
At first when the men presented Laird Keith with the remarkable woman with glorious eyes, he thought of his own need of a wife. Yet when he walked to her and saw white hair at the top of her forehead, he yanked her scarf down and instantly flew into a rage.
Tired and hurting, Paisley jumped when he started to bellow unpleasant words in Gaelic, but that ended more quickly than she expected. Laird Keith abruptly lowered his voice and began to speak to Blathan in English. She pretended to concentrate on putting her scarf back over her hair, but she heard and understood every word.
“Take her back, Blathan!” Laird Keith insisted. “If she is discovered with us, we will all surely die. Have you not heard? She is MacGreagor’s missing daughter, the one he offers a golden goblet for.”
The color began to drain out of Blathan’s face. “She said it was so, but I did not believe her. She wears a MacAlister plaid.”
“Good, then she will be found wearing it, only see she is not found alive.”
Blathan was shocked. “What?”
“Do away with her!”
“Why?” Blathan glanced at Paisley, noticed her attention was focused on the chicken coming back in the door and turned back to face his laird.
Laird Keith put his hand on the back of his head as though it pained him. “I know MacGreagor and he will ride the whole of Scotland until he finds her. Once the deed is done, leave her where she will be found.”
“But...”
“Dare you question me?”
Blathan lowered his eyes. “Nay.”
His wife and children would have to wait, Blathan decided. He walked to her, took hold of Paisley’s arm again and pulled her out the door. Then he let go and shouted for a fresh horse and supplies. As soon as they were brought to him, he mounted, allowed another man to lift her up behind him and turned to ride swiftly back through the open gates.
WHERE COULD SHE HAVE gone, Chisholm wondered. The apple was starting to burn and still she had not come to him. He considered where she might go to look for water and wasn’t certain even he would know how to find it without a horse. The foliage grew thickest near a water source, but in Scotland where it rained often, that bit of knowledge was of little value. He wondered if she knew how to drink the dew from the leaves of the trees, he wondered if she knew how to hunt, and most of all, he wondered if she might love him too.
She seemed to like him and he remembered how
often he wanted to take her in his arms that night at the festival. She even watched him ride away and was still watching when he turned at the end of the glen and looked back. Would a woman who did not find him pleasing have done that?
When the stick holding the apple finally burned through and fell into the fire, he got up and kicked dirt until the flames went out. Perhaps when she found the forest so dense, she turned east or west. It would have been the prudent thing to do to find water, but which way did she go? If he chose incorrectly, he would widen the gap between them.
Chisholm sighed, bent down and picked a forest flower. One by one, he picked the five petals off; east, west, east, west...east. It was decided as well as anyone could decide, so he mounted his horse and headed east.
NOT LONG AFTER THEY left the land of the Keith, Blathan turned off the path and took Paisley into the forest. It would take more time to get to the place he had in mind, but at least there was less chance of anyone seeing them.
He was a conflicted man. Blathan had never killed a woman and certainly never one as beautiful as this. A pity it would be to do away with Paisley MacGreagor, a pity indeed. He thought about trading or even selling her, but then her body would not be found and Laird Keith would know.
More so on his mind was the question of where he could leave her so she was sure to be found. The forest would not do and out of the forest meant someone might see him do it. All men feared Justin MacGreagor and he shuddered to think what would become of him if there was a witness.
He felt the woman slump against his back almost as soon as she wrapped her arms around him from behind and he felt sorry for her. An hour later he stopped and offered her a drink, which she thanked him for. She had not spoken much, but she looked very tired and that explained it. The sooner he put her out of her misery, the better. He put his flask away and urged the horse onward.
The forest again kept Paisley from knowing in which direction they traveled and with each passing moment, she felt she was coming closer and closer to her death. When she could bear it no longer she finally said, “Please do not kill me, I have harmed no one.”
Blathan closed his eyes and bowed his head. She said it in English, must have heard every word and he could think of nothing to say. There would be no sneaking up on her to bash her over the head or slit her throat now. Instead, he may well be forced to look into her pleading eyes as he did it and the detestable thought made him wish he was in some far off land.
Paisley sat up a little straighter, shifted her weight and prayed she could talk him out of it. “I was lost, you found me and my father will be grateful.”
“I must obey my laird.”
“Must you? Have you never lied to him before?”
“He will know if you are found alive and he will kill me. What then will become of my wife and children?”
She sighed. “Then tell Laird Keith the truth. Tell him I will convince my father not to attack the Keiths and father will listen to me. Besides, if you let me go, I shall probably die in the forest anyway...alone...lost and...”
“That will not do. Laird Keith is right; you must be left where someone will find you.”
Paisley drew in a deep breath, “But if left alive, please say you will not leave me where MacAlister can find me. It was he who had me taken and he who aimed to marry me against my will.”
“MacAlister is an evil man; I would rather kill you myself than leave you to his devices.”
“I am truly grateful for that.” Her scarf kept slipping back so she let go of her hold around his waist to retie it.
Abruptly, Blathan halted the horse and put a hand out to grab her in case she tried to slide down and run. He turned to look at her and once he realized what she was doing, he relaxed.
The woods were normally crawling with hunters, which meant someone was likely to see him kill her, and the color of her hair was certain to let men know who she was. “‘Tis a curse,” he muttered.
“What is?”
“Your hair.”
“You cannot guess what a curse it is. Lads from all over Scotland have come to see me and I am often forced to hide.” She finished tying her scarf, but did not wrap her arms around him again, not just yet. “You might tell Laird Keith I ran off and you could not find me.”
He lowered his eyes and considered it. “Tis a fine reward your father has offered to the lad who finds you. Has laird MacGreagor such a thing to give?”
She had never seen it, but Justin would not lie in such an important case as this. “It is truly splendid.”
“You have seen it?”
“Father does not display his wealth, even for his children to see, but I once saw it.”
Blathan’s eyes widened in wonder. “I would like to see it for myself.”
“Take me home and I will see that the chalice is yours.”
He turned a little more so he could see her better. “Aye, but then my laird would know I disobeyed, I could not go home and he would keep my wife and children from me.
“Oh, I see. He must be a very dreadful lad.”
Blathan turned back around and lightly kicked the sides of his horse to make him move. “He cut my father down for no reason.”
As soon as the horse began to walk again Paisley quickly put her arms back around Blathan and hung on. “And now he commands you to kill another lad’s daughter. Do you know where my home is? I mean, which way it is?”
He raised his hand and pointed.
They were clearly not going toward her home and it was disappointing. Paying more attention now, she scanned the forest looking between the trees to see if anyone was watching. It occurred to her that if she let some of her hair show, it might just save her life. With one hand, she pulled the scarf to the front and made certain the back of her hair was uncovered.
Then she changed from English back to Gaelic in case someone could hear them. “Blathan, do you have a daughter?”
He was afraid she might mention that and closed his eyes. Having his daughter at a man’s mercy bothered him greatly, yet he successfully pushed those thoughts away—until now. “‘Tis not the same.”
“‘Tis exactly the same,” she argued. “You are to kill a lad’s daughter. I was once little with loving arms I put around his strong neck when he lifted me. I do it still even now I am older. How he used to love swinging me around and how I loved it too. He often took all of us to play in a meadow. We are six brothers and sisters, you understand and...”
He let her keep talking, all the while growing closer and closer to the edge of the forest. When he could see the rolling hills through the trees, he halted his horse. “We will rest here.”
Thrilled to be getting off the horse, Paisley made sure the scarf was covering the back of her hair, grabbed his arm and slid down. As soon as he dismounted, she asked him for a drink of water, took the flask he offered and tried to pull the plug out, but it was stuck. Using her most friendly smile, she said, “Can you not help me?”
He was a married man and he should not have found her so becoming, but even a married man has temptations. He took the flask, pulled out the plug, handed it back and stepped away. Killing her was going to be harder than he thought. When she returned his flask and asked, he watched her walk into the forest for her comfort.
Blathan kept thinking of his own daughter and soon realized he could not kill her. Instead, he would have to think of something to tell his laird later. He turned his back, folded his arms and hoped she would run off.
Escaping was Paisley’s first thought and she kept walking further and further away. When she glanced back, the back of his head was still to her and she wondered if he meant for her to run. He had a horse, she did not and if he changed his mind and tried to find her, she could never outrun him. Her best hope was to hide in the bushes. She spotted thick undergrowth around a tree, eased behind it and crouched down to watch. At length, Blathan mounted his horse.
Paisley held her breath, but instead of coming for her, he headed back toward
his village. For a very long time she waited, watched and listened, but Blathan did not come back.
She still had her dagger, but what she didn’t have was food and water. She was free, alone and hungry, but at least now she knew which way to go. Paisley stood up, looked that direction and closed her eyes for a moment. If she tried to go straight, she would only get lost again. She remembered seeing flat lands through the trees and hoped by going back she could discern where she was.
Aware that Blathan could be hiding somewhere still determined to kill her, Paisley cautiously made her way back through the trees. She stopped to look between them often, listened for the sound of a horse coming her direction and when she had gone far enough, she could finally see the lush valleys and rolling hills of Scotland. While the quiet land was magnificent, what she wanted to see was a village full of people, who would not fear helping her.
Such was not to be, the land was completely void of life.
Still wary, she stepped out on the well-worn path that skirted the edge of the forest. There were no patches of tilled land and behind the rolling hills there were no mountains like the ones she had seen from MacAlister’s window. Two whole days had passed since she walked with Sawney in the MacGreagor glen.
Sawney...she was so consumed with her own problems, she had not worried about her brother or Rona all day, but then another thought occurred to her. Staying near the edge of the forest meant she could spot riders far away and if they were MacAlisters she could always slip back in the trees and hide until they passed.
One thing though, which way was MacAlister land? She slowly turned to look left, straight ahead, and then to her right. Surely a castle with four floors could be seen. Even so, the edge of the forest curved and she could not tell. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to think. Had Blathan taken her east or west? Paisley was fairly certain she walked north when she entered the forest and east to find the Keith men. Yet Blathan did not take her back that direction, so he must have gone east or perhaps northeast to the Keith hold. But which way did he take her from there?
Abducted, Book 8 Page 9
