The track which Nairne now followed led to the Cameron Castle. After her encounter with the guards, she held back a little, reluctant to return home immediately and face Murdoch’s wrath. She could almost hear his words and see his face of anger before her, it was a look she was used to, and whatever punishment he inflicted upon her would never dent the resolve she had to one day be free of him.
It was not for herself that Nairne feared but for her mother. Murdoch was capable of anything, if even half the stories from the past were true, then that much was certain. To have slain the Laird of the Cameron’s and attempted to force his widow into marriage would take a hardened heart, one who cared little for the feelings of others. She wondered whether the stories that were told of equal cruelty on the part of the Cameron’s were also true.
Murdoch had always said that the Cameron’s, in particular, his brother, was the cruellest of people and that high above the forest, on the crofts of the mountainside, they practised bizarre rituals and sorcery. Their women were subjected to grave misuse, and their animals worked to death.
“Cruel they are, cruel,” Murdoch would say, seemingly unable to recognise his own failings and reputation for cruelty, “mark my words that a Cameron would kill ye before ye had a chance tae reason with him.”
As she had swum that day, Nairne had thought about the young man she had seen at the pool, and wished she had not run off at the sight of him. It had been an immediate reaction, born out of fear, rather than reason. There had been no need for it, and she felt foolish at her actions, now that she had returned to the pool and walked the familiar path through the forest once again in complete safety, despite what Murdoch Mackintosh might have said to the contrary. But such thoughts soon disappeared as she emerged from the woods close to the castle gates, an unwelcome sight before her, the soldiers close behind.
“Ye are nothing but a disobedient little wretch, Nairne,” Murdoch shouted at her, advancing towards his daughter and taking her by the arm, dragged her to him, “how dare ye disobey my orders. I expressly forbade ye tae walk in the forest anymore and yet ye did so this morning. Ye have been gone all day, and I sent guards intae the forest tae search for ye. Disobedient little wretch.” With these words, he slapped her across the face, causing her to cry out in pain.
“Murdoch, what are ye doing?” Una called from the castle gate, emerging and crossing to where the two stood, an anxious look up her face.
“ Nairne, where have ye been, lassie? We have been worried for ye.”
“Stay out of this woman, it concerns ye not,” Murdoch snarled, “Nairne, ye have disobeyed me once tae often. Dinnae make a habit of it, do ye understand?”
Nairne remained silent. Looking defiantly at Murdoch, whose eyes burned with anger, his hand still clenched firmly around her arm.
“I am her mother and will ensure she is kept in line,” Una attempted to extract her daughter from Murdoch’s clutches.
“And I am her father and will be obeyed, ye tae will heed those words woman, ye are my wife and are under my authority. Dinnae forget that.”
At these words, Nairne burst into tears. Tearing herself away from Murdoch she rushed through the castle gate, followed closely by Una who shook her head at her husband, Murdoch spitting on the ground as he watched them go.
“Remember that I am master of this castle and master of this clan,” he called after them.
How Nairne hated her father at that moment, his words a reminder of the shackles which bound her to him. She felt sick to be reminded that it was Murdoch Mackintosh who had fathered her, and it was her poor mother, Una, who had to endure marriage to such a wicked man.
“Why did ye marry him, mother?” Nairne collapsed into tears into her mother’s arms as they entered her chambers, “why did ye marry such a cruel and wicked man as that?”
“Dinnae blame me, Nairne. I had no choice in the matter, just as many women have no choice in the husband they are forced tae be faithful tae. If it had been Rhona, then perhaps I would have had a happier fate, but then I would not have had ye as a daughter, and ye are the greatest blessing in my life. An irony that I have that man tae thank for. We dinnae always get tae choose our destinies, Nairne, but we can shape our lives as best we can. Obey yer father, for that is what he is, not just yer father but also yer Laird. We may not like it, but it is true.”
“I love to walk in the forest though,” Nairne replied sadly, “it is the only solace which I have at times, apart from yer embrace dear mother.”
Una took her in her arms and held her close, comforting her daughter.
“I will speak with him, there are times when his anger is lessened, but I offer no guarantee. If ye continue tae disobey him, it will only make him worse, and the dear Lord only knows what might happen then, Nairne.”
“Aye, I know,” Nairne wiped her eyes, giving her mother a weak smile.
“Be strong, Nairne, soon ye will escape far away from here and find happiness.” Mother and daughter and embraced once again, “now let us not dwell upon this sadness, ye know his temper will change like the wind.”
“I would never want tae leave ye though, mother.”
“Dinnae worry about me, I have married Murdoch Mackintosh, and if that has given me one thing, it is strength of character. Come now, I need ye tae help me with my spinning,” and with that, they walked to the Great Hall, linking arms, determined that Murdoch would never crush them.
* * *
In the undergrowth, by the castle gate, Andrew Cameron had watched in horror at the scene unfolding before him. He had expected the lassie to turn towards the village, perhaps greeted by several of the peasants who were scratching out a living there. He could hear the hammer of the blacksmith and the cries of a farrier but what unfolded before his eyes had caused his blood to run cold.
He had come right to the forest edge, the trees still thick where the path emerged into the open and had hidden behind some bushes, watching as the scene unfolded before him. There was the Cameron Castle, the sight of which he remembered from the day he had stumbled across it by accident many years ago. Back then, the view had been enough for him to turn tail and flee, but now, as he watched the young lassie, he could not believe what he saw.
At first, he had not recognised the man standing before the gate. Why should he? Andrew had never met anyone claiming to belong to the Mackintosh Clan, except his stepfather of course. But as the man had turned to berate the lassie as she emerged from the forest, Andrew had drawn breath, shocked by the sight. The man’s right ear was missing, and he knew of only one person with such disfigurement: Murdoch Mackintosh, self-proclaimed Laird of the Cameron lands and the murderer of his father.
Andrew could not take his eyes off the man. How cruel he looked, his disfigurement enhancing the look of malice spread across his face. He was angry, shouting at the young lassie and Andrew moved as close as he dared to listen to what was said.
He heard Murdoch call her by her name. Nairne seemed such a fitting name for such a beautiful lassie, and despite his shock, he was delighted to learn it, a sweet sound from cruel lips. A woman now appeared from the castle gateway, hurrying towards Nairne and Murdoch. Andrew assumed it to be her mother, but then he heard something which made his skin crawl and a fresh wave of terror pass through him. Andrew watched as Nairne stood silently before the man and woman, her head bowed in sorrow.
“I am her mother and will ensure she is kept in line,” the woman said, attempting to extract Nairne from Murdoch’s clutches.
“And I am her father and will be obeyed, ye tae will heed those words woman, ye are my wife and are under my authority. Dinnae forget that.” Murdoch spoke, as Andrew took a sharp intake of breath.
Surely, he must have misheard, was the beautiful lassie he had followed through the glen really the daughter of the man he had been taught to despise his entire life? He watched the scene play out before him, disgusted at seeing his father’s murderer for the first time. Andrew could not tear himself away from th
e sight, as much as he longed to, wanted to rush forward and avenge himself, the triviality of his romantic desires nothing as compared to the seething hatred he felt for the man before him.
But he also felt a profound tenderness towards the lassie and her mother, how dare that man ill-treat them so. It was clear from her demeanour that she hated Murdoch. Had he always been so vile towards her, made a mockery of her and treated her with such violence, despite her being his daughter? It was no wonder she sought refuge in the forest, longing for the solitude of the pool.
Andrew watched as Nairne and her mother disappeared into the castle. He was glad now to have a name to match her face. It was so pretty, and he kept repeating it to himself as he watched her departure. His attention then turned back to Murdoch Mackintosh, the Laird stood for some time outside the castle, looking warily into the forest. It was as though he could sense something was not quite right, a presence in the trees or a threat bearing over him. As he reflected, the guardsman stepped forward, clearing his throat to address his master.
“We were able to find nothing more in the forest, Laird, only the disobedient lassie. I see no reason why she should not be allowed to walk in the forest,” the captain of the guard said.
“And are ye now my daughter’s keeper?” Murdoch grabbed the man by his tunic and pulled him close, “I shall decide where my daughter walks, am I understood?”
“Aye, Laird,” the captain looked fearful, as Murdoch released him and he fell back.
Andrew had seen enough, he turned and scrambled up, terrified lest he was discovered. Fleeing back into the forest, he attempted to find the paths which Nairne had so expertly navigated. Taking several wrong turnings, he emerged into a glade filled with purple flowers and grazing deer. The animals were startled and turned to run as Andrew stood catching his breath.
“Foolish laddie,” he spoke out loud, breathing heavily, for he was scared that any moment Murdoch’s men could emerge from the forest and take him prisoner.
He wondered if he had been seen and whether he had put his family in danger by going to the pool and following Nairne home. The thought of Murdoch’s hideous face was foremost in his mind, it disgusted him, and every tale and story of his wickedness seemed to flow through his veins.
Looking around, he wondered where exactly he was, not recognizing this part of the glade, peaceful now the deer had scattered into the forest.
“Foolish laddie,” he repeated, looking up towards the mountains peeping above the treetops beyond.
A few turns brought him to a path he recognised from earlier that day, the boulder behind which Nairne had disappeared just coming into view. His heart stopped racing a little, and he was calmer now though still disturbed by what he had seen.
It seemed strange that the obsession of his heart should turn out to be the daughter of the man who had so altered Andrew’s life even before he was born. If it were not for Murdoch, then the Cameron Castle would be Andrew’s home, and he would be Laird of the glen upon his father’s death. If his mother had not escaped the pretender’s evil clutches, would he have been subjected to the same violent behaviour by the hideous man?
He shuddered to think of what Nairne was subjected to at her father’s hands. It was clear that there was no love lost between them. She had seemed different in the forest, as though she were truly at peace.
Andrew strolled through the forest, happy to be moving further away from the Cameron Castle and its foreboding façade. He had no desire to return and yet he could not rid himself of the vision of the beautiful lassie. It was not her fault who her father was, no one chooses their lineage only their future and Andrew had no doubt that Nairne wished that future to lie away from Murdoch.
Arriving back at the poolside, he took Nairne’s shawl out from under his tunic, looking down at the delicately woven garment which belonged about her shoulders. He remained determined to return it to her, to speak with her and find out more. She was beautiful, and he knew that his heart would not rest until he had heard her voice.
The sun was well past its zenith as he emerged from the forest later that afternoon, he knew he would be in trouble for his tardiness, but somehow none of that mattered. He could not rid himself of the thought of Murdoch Mackintosh, his arm raised in anger at Nairne and the look of hatred and fear across her face.
“Where have ye been, laddie?” his stepfather called out as Andrew approached the crofts late that afternoon.
“In the forest,” Andrew tried to behave as if nothing had happened, taking off his cloak and jumping over the fence into the midst of the cattle Stewart was tending to.
“Ye promised yer mother that ye would be back by the midday meal, it is nearly five hours since then, where is yer sense of shame, laddie?” Laying down his tools, Stewart looked disapproving at the young man.
Andrew looked at his stepfather, now that he had seen Murdoch he could tell the two were brothers. There was something in his face which showed the similarity in the lineage between them, a fact which made him shudder as he pictured Murdoch’s face.
“What is Murdoch Mackintosh like?” he queried.
“Why do ye want tae know that?” Stewart was never happy when asked about the brother whom he had betrayed and who had treated him so treacherously.
“I have heard much talk about him, the clansmen speak as though we are soon tae defeat him in battle and retake the castle. That is what Uncle Duncan says anyway, but if I am tae lead our clan tae war, then I want tae know what the man is like who so viciously seeks tae crush us.”
My brother is a cruel man who treated yer mother in a way that no man should ever treat a woman. He is not afraid tae use violence against anyone who stands in his way, he is dangerous and not tae be trusted, do ye hear me?”
“Aye, I hear ye, have ye lain eyes upon him since that fateful day all those years ago?” Andrew was still keen to learn more about the man, the image still pressed heavily upon his mind.
“Once or twice, though he has never laid eyes upon me. I have seen him down in the forest, riding with his noble retinue, there is a wife, and I believe he has a daughter too though I know nothing of her. There are rumours, idle tales and so on, but the important thing to remember is that Murdoch Mackintosh is not the rightful heir of this glen. He may be Laird of the Mackintosh’s, that I dinnae dispute, but no Cameron owes him loyalty or favour. That is why we must gather together all those loyal tae ye and tae yer father before ye tae fight.”
“But why have we waited until now? Why not get rid of him years ago?”
“Because only now are we strong enough tae take the fight to him, now let us return tae our work, there is much still tae do this day before sunset, and yer absence has not made completing these tasks easy, ye shall feel yer uncle’s wrath as well as mine, of that I am certain.”
With that, they returned to work, but Andrew remained puzzled and could not rid himself of the image of Nairne. His fanciful mind imagined himself rescuing her from the castle, and the evil clutches of her father, or speaking with her in the woods, telling her about himself, revealing who he was. He daydreamed about marriage and even children, wondering if she were already betrothed or not. Despite his family’s chastisement for his lack of work, he had only one thought in mind: to return to the pool and await her once again, this time though he intended to speak with her, come what may.
Chapter Eight
‘A Weary Obsession’
“Ye cannot expect tae defeat the Cameron’s so easily, they have hidden in the forests these past twenty years, there is no map tae their hiding places, and besides ye and yer men are not strong enough for such a raid,” Una spoke to her husband as she and Nairne joined Murdoch at dinner in the Great Hall.
It was a week since Nairne had returned to the pool and Murdoch had confined her to the castle for disobedience. Only allowed to walk in the gardens, any mention of the forest was greeted with an angry response. Now Murdoch was laying out his plans to finally defeat the Cameron’s, his constant
obsession these long years past.
“What do ye know of such things, woman, are ye a soldier? Have ye fought in the wars and campaigns that I have? I have led this clan tae victory on numerous occasions, the fact the Cameron’s continue tae elude us because they are tae cowardly tae face us,” Murdoch dug his knife viciously into his meat, and though it were a Cameron foe.
“The Cameron’s have spies throughout the forest, ye have said so yerself, and they know the ways and paths far better than any Mackintosh, except perhaps for Nairne here, and that is another question for ye, Murdoch. When will ye allow Nairne tae walk in the forest again?”
“When the Cameron threat is vanquished, that is when,” he replied.
“I am perfectly safe in the forest,” Nairne turned on her father in anger, “no Cameron has ever set upon me, I dinnae even believe they are as ye say they are.”
“Dinnae contradict me, lassie, remember the one who startled ye and caused ye tae run? What if he had caught ye, would I now have a coffin for a daughter?” Murdoch snarled.
Highlander's Rightful Claim (Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance) Page 6
