“And I have no doubt that she likes tae see ye, but there are jobs here tae tend tae, Andrew. The cattle will not see to itself, and the fences need repairing up on the tops there,” Rhona continued.
“Is the boy wanting tae fly off again?” Stewart Mackintosh entered the croft as his wife served out another portion of porridge.
“Aye, apparently Cairstin, has more sorrel for the laddie.”
“I just want tae go down intae the forest for the morning, I will attend tae the cattle this afternoon. They dinnae need constant watch now, do they?” The thought of the pool and the mysterious lassie was foremost on his mind.
He could think only of going there again in the hope of seeing her and maybe even speaking to her. What he would say he was unsure, though he always kept the shawl with him, as though at any moment she would appear, demanding its return. He wondered if she missed it, wondering where it might be or who had stolen it from beside the pool. He longed to return it and had imagined the moment a hundred times.
“Let the laddie go,” his uncle Duncan sighed, “the time is coming when he shall not wander intae the forests on idle quests for herbs and discussions with wise women. Are ye tae be Laird or not, Andrew?”
“Aye, uncle, I am, and if I am tae be Laird, then I shall see tae it that those who work for me are given their due times of rest.”
At these words, both his uncle and stepfather laughed, and the young man was full of indignation.
Rhona could not help but smile at her son, “Yer father was a benevolent man, and he tae liked the solitude of the forest. Ye will make a fine Laird, Andrew. Be on yer way then, but dinnae stay away all day, there shall be no supper unless the chores are seen tae, do I make myself clear?”
“Aye, mother.”
Snatching his cloak, Andrew ran from the croft, the words of his uncle and stepfather ringing in his ears. The whole glen was laid out before him, and the forest in every shade of green lay below. It was not long before he was amongst the trees, making for the pools, taking the little paths and runs of the animals who scattered as he careered through the trees.
But in Andrew’s heart, there was doubt. He had reasoned with himself that the young lassie may not return to the pool. His Godmother’s words had been right: he could not expect her merely to be waiting there for him, perhaps she was only meant to steal into his life for a moment, but what a moment it had been. At his young age, he wondered whether any sight would ever capture his heart more readily than that of the bonnie lassie in the pool that day. It was all he thought about, and as he ran towards the waters, his heart raced with excitement at what he might find there.
As he came closer his pace slowed. He had no intention of startling the lassie, he walked cautiously, just as he did when out hunting or watching the forest animals. Before each step, he paused and listened on the breeze for any sound that might come to him. He could hear the waters in the distance, the gentle splashing of the waterfall as it entered the pool, and it was there that he fancied he could hear another sound.
It was a song just as he had heard it the other day, soft and sweet on the breeze as though it were meant only for him. Pausing, he listened, catching snippets of the words.
“Oh, roe, soon shall I see them, oh,
Hee-roe, see them, oh see them.
Oh, roe, soon shall I see them …”
It was the same voice; the sound had been in his thoughts and dreams ever since he had last seen her. It was as much as he could do to prevent himself from tearing at full pace through the forest and bursting into the glen, calling for that sweet voice as he ran. He daren’t scare her for a second time though and proceeding with just as much caution as before he made his way along a deer track to a spot set back from the pool where the ferns grew thickly
Cautiously Andrew peered through the foliage, keeping as still as possible, the song of the bonnie lassie continuing. There she was, swimming in the pool, diving down to the depths and emerging with a great splash. It was the same lassie as before, though she seemed even more beautiful. As if the longings of his heart had heightened the beauty before him, she almost glowed. Andrew could not keep his eyes from her, so transfixed was he.
It was this sight which he had thought of ever since that fateful day, but now that she was before him, he wondered what to do? Should he simply lie there and watch her, it seemed an intrusion to do so, as though he were catching her in a moment of intimacy, privacy reserved only for herself and the spirits of the forest. He wondered what his Godmother would say if she could see him now, lying amongst the ferns and listening to the lassie’s song.
Tucked into his tunic was the lassie’s shawl and he took it out, holding it in his arms as though he were taking her in his embrace. The shawl was soft against his skin, woven from the finest and most delicate wool. A beautiful garment for a beautiful lassie. Andrew longed to speak with her, to approach the pool and reach out his hands to her, holding the shawl as a sign that he meant her no harm. But he knew that the sight of him would startle her back into the forest, like a deer that runs when anyone gets too close.
The song continued, it echoed through the trees, and occasionally she would start to sing a new song. As though distant memories bubbling to the surface, snatches of a tune remembered, the words flowing freely like the running waters of the stream. Andrew was captivated, he could have lain there a lifetime watching her, but he knew that such in-action would leave him unhappy. It is one thing to observe beauty, but quite another to take it in your arms, to speak with it, and set yourself before it.
He had thought about his words a thousand times, but now they failed him, and as she emerged from the pool, all he could do was look away in embarrassment as she dressed, the warmth of the sun drying her body, another shawl about her shoulders. All the while, he could hear her humming to herself, as though her sorrows were melting away. How he longed to speak with her, but the thought of startling her prevented him from emerging from the trees. He had no desire to scare her, but he desperately wanted to make himself known. It was a feeling he had not experienced before, the deep sense of his heart awakening to another, the lassie before him more beautiful than any he had seen.
Chapter Six
‘A New Path Ahead’
As the lassie finished dressing, shaking the water from her hair and tying it up, Andrew faced a difficult choice. If she disappeared into the forest, he might never see her again, not unless he waited day after day, a course of action he doubted his mother would approve. But if he revealed himself, she would know that he had been spying on her and may never come to the pool again, frightened by the stories she had no doubt heard of Cameron aggression. Andrew longed to return her shawl, to speak with her for only a moment but now, as she prepared to disappear into the forest, he knew he must make his decision.
The choice he made was neither to allow her to get away nor reveal himself immediately to her. Instead, he waited a moment until she had disappeared into the forest and then leaving the hiding place made his way quickly to the side of the pool, fording the stream a little way down and running after her into the forest, her shawl clutched in his hands.
The lassie fascinated him, he wanted to know where she came from. Was she a peasant from the village? And if so, how did she afford such free time to wander through the forests. She seemed quite unlike any of the peasants Andrew knew. Most were rough folk, the kindest and friendliest ye were likely to come across, but no beauties existed amongst them. The lassie he now followed had about her a noble air, a sense of confidence and charm which could surely only come from one who had lived amongst the nobility. How did she know the ways of the forest so well? Did she dwell amongst its inhabitants in a place Andrew had never visited? Perhaps there would be a whole village of beautiful lassies living in a deep glade, hidden from the world. Maybe she was a faery and was leading Andrew a fanciful chase. All these questions raced through his mind as he followed her deeper into the forest and away from the familiarity of his surroundin
gs.
He could see her some distance ahead and was careful not to allow himself to be seen. She was walking amiably, in no hurry and he could see she carried a posy of wildflowers. Occasionally she would stop, stooping down to sniff a bloom or to watch the birds playing in the trees above. Once she turned, and Andrew had to duck behind a tree, his head peaking furtively around the trunk some moments later, fearful that he had been seen. But as he emerged it appeared she had seen nothing, and he continued to follow her happily through the trees, the occasional words of her song drifting through the air.
* * *
Nairne had enjoyed her swim, the water had been cold and refreshing, a tonic for her weary soul. It had been a wrench to climb from the water and dress. In the pool, she felt free and at one with the forest she loved so well. Now, as she returned to the Castle, a sense of unease returned. What wicked words would Murdoch have for her? Would her mother have missed her, perhaps warn her again for not heeding the Laird’s words? She had received his punishments before and knew just what her father was capable of.
Beneath the boughs of a tree, she paused, looking up at two birds playing high above. Their song, like her own, rang out sweetly through the forest and she watched the two lovers make their dance together. How simple it was for the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. Nairne had received considerable interest from other members of the clan. It was another reason to dread their arrival at this time of year for the clan gathering. There was always some distant cousin or unpleasant suitor for her to endure. She had no doubt that Murdoch would introduce her to one that evening when she returned, so long as his anger was not roused for disobeying his order to remain in the castle. She had little care for anything he said, though she worried that it was in his power to marry her off to some distant nobleman and be sent far away from her mother forever.
Sighing to herself, she bid the birds farewell and continued walking through the forest. Taking the secret paths which wound their way back and forth, emerging into peaceful glades and crossing babbling brooks. These were secret ways, and paths only usually taken by animals of the forest. She rarely ventured further than the pool, once, following a young deer some miles, had become scared lest a Cameron came to snatch her away. That day she had run as fast she could back home, expecting to be taken at any moment. But here, in her own part of the forest, she was sovereign, more at home amidst the trees than anywhere.
* * *
Andrew Cameron was growing ever more curious as to where the lassie was leading him. He had rarely been further than the pools and recalled with foreboding the temptation he once suffered to make his way to the Cameron Castle. His terror that day had been enough for him to vow never to return that way again. Yet today his feet would not alter their course, as dangerous as he knew this venture to be.
How many miles they walked, he did not know, but he continued to follow behind Nairne, eager to see where she led him. The paths seemed like his own, meant only for the deer and other animals and it seemed that the bonnie lassie knew this part of the forest as well as he knew his own. A few times he almost lost her, as she turned this way and that through the trees, a task made harder by the fact he wished to remain hidden from her at all times. Once, as she rounded a large boulder set amidst a dense thicket of trees, he fancied that she had stopped, waiting to leap out on the pursuer whom she must know to be behind her. Anxiously he waited a moment before cautiously peering around the great rock, but there she was, disappearing down a path he would never have spotted alone.
In his mind’s eye, Andrew could see his mother’s disapproving stare as he returned home late that day. She would pass some comment upon his tardiness and the fact his father would not approve. Catching a glimpse of the sun through the canopy, he knew it to be well past noon, and he heard the voices of his uncle blowing in the breeze.
“We Cameron’s have a war tae win, if ye are tae lead us as Laird then ye must learn tae pull yer weight. No more disappearing intae the forest on a whim.”
But all that Andrew could think of was the figure of the lassie up ahead. Surely, they must be nearing her dwelling. Soon they would emerge into a shady glade where a little croft much like his godmothers would stand. There he would find her family, simple folk hard at work, making a living from the forest. He imagined stepping forward and handing her the shawl, blushing as he did so and hearing her words of thanks. But still they walked on, and Andrew wondered if perhaps now it was the time to turn back, admitting that he had been led a fanciful dance by a faery.
It was just as the thought of turning back crossed his mind that the sound of voices brought him to his senses. Pausing, he hid behind a tree, crouching to the ground as the lassie also broke her song. Andrew wondered if she might be scared and prepared to rescue her lest the voices turn out to be hostile, but as he watched the mystery of her identity deepened, a strange sight unfolding before him.
“The Laird is looking everywhere for ye, lassie. We have been sent out tae mount a search after ye failed tae return earlier on. I would not like to be in yer shoes,” the captain of the guard addressed Nairne, as she stepped before them on the road to the Castle.
“The Laird has no business in questioning where I have been, just as ye had no business in telling him of my whereabouts after I expressly asked ye not tae the other day,” Nairne fixed the captain with a look of contempt.
“It is my job, and that of my men to ensure the safety of ye, yer mother, and the others under the Laird’s care. That makes it our business,” he replied, taking her by the arm as if to escort her home.
“Unhand me, I am quite capable of walking back to the castle unaided. Ye are dismissed.” Walking briskly along the track, the captain shook his head and ordered his men to follow after her.
“Leave me alone,” she cried after them, but the captain had his orders, and ignored her cries, following at a discreet distance to ensure she arrived home safely.
When Murdoch discovered that Nairne had disobeyed his order to remain in the castle, he was furious and flying into a rage had summoned the captain to begin a thorough search, knowing only too well that the young lassie would have disappeared into the forest for the day.
“Ye cannot prevent her, Murdoch,” Una worried for the girl but carried on with her work, threading her spinning wheel as the Laird raged about the disobedience of those under his authority.
“It is high time she was married and sent away,” he shouted, storming from the room, his mood black for the rest of the day as the guards went out upon their search
* * *
Andrew could hardly breathe, and he lay face down in the foliage as the guards walked within a few feet of him, his heart in his mouth for fear of discovery. Fortunately, the guards were still heavy with liquor from the feast the night before.
He waited a few moments until the sounds of the guardsmen disappeared down the track. Rising as quietly as he could he slipped after the lassie, hoping that he had not lost her and ever more eager to see where it was she came from. The thought of the danger he was in hardly crossed his mind, and now that he had seen the soldiers searching for her, he became even more fascinated as to who this mysterious lassie was.
She must be of noble rank to command men such as that, he thought to himself. But one name had sent a chill down his spine, the name of Murdoch Mackintosh. It was a name which conjured up every kind of horror for him. The man who had murdered his father and subjected his mother to the most hideous of designs, the man whose own brother betrayed him for the cause of righteousness, the man whom he knew he must one day challenge for the Lairdship of the glen.
Murdoch Mackintosh, a name to chill the merriest of gatherings and which many Cameron’s refused to speak. It sounded as though the lassie had no qualms in standing up to such a man, a fact which made her even more intriguing.
He could see her again, still some distance down the path and keeping to the side, amidst the dense foliage of the forest beyond he continued to follow her, wat
ching closely lest the guardsmen return. Andrew knew himself to be in dangerous territory, they must be close to the Cameron Castle and no doubt the place was swarming with Mackintosh men, all too eager to capture an enemy spy, whether they knew him to be the rightful Laird or not.
But Andrew’s curiosity continued to get the better of him. Clutching the shawl, he continued to follow her along the track, careful to remain some distance behind the soldiers who also kept their vigil. The bonnie lassie was a constant source of fascination for him. Her flowing hair and pretty figure seemed so at ease in the forest, as though it had been her home since childhood, just as it had been for Andrew. How he longed to speak with her and share the thoughts of his heart. She was beautiful, and even without a word exchanged between them he was fascinated by the mysterious lassie, she had enchanted him, and his mind was ever upon her, a more beautiful creature he had never seen in all his life.
Chapter Seven
‘A Terrible Surprise’
Highlander's Rightful Claim (Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance) Page 5
