Highlander's Rightful Claim (Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance)

by Kenna Kendrick

  A sound behind them startled Nairne, and she jumped as a deer ran across their path, sending branches crashing around it as it leapt into the undergrowth.

  “Dinnae be afraid, lassie, tis’ just a deer,” Andrew was surprised at her fear.

  “I … just thought we had been watched. They say the Cameron’s have spies in the forest and are always on the lookout for a Mackintosh to kidnap,” she looked nervously about her.

  Andrew laughed, what nonsense she was talking, there were no Cameron spies in the forest, if anything it was Mackintosh’s they needed to be wary of.

  “And the Cameron’s say the same about yer people tae, lassie.” They walked through the forest paths towards the pool where they would part company.

  “The Mackintosh’s have no idea of this forest, they avoid it as often as they can. There are tales of strange goings-on here, they say the place is haunted by all manner of spirits,” Nairne replied.

  “Then why do ye come here then? Aren’t ye scared tae?”

  “Scared? No of course not, it’s precisely because of their fear that I come here, it’s my sanctuary.” Stepping out into the glade, the deep, clear waters of the pool reflecting the two as they stood at its edge.

  “When will I see ye again?” Andrew asked hardly wanted to leave the girl.

  “In three days? Here again at the pool?”

  “Aye, in three days, when the sun is at the same point.”

  The two stood for a moment in silence, their eyes meeting as they smiled. It had been a perfect day, and Andrew felt overjoyed as he bid her farewell. He had never met anyone like her before, a more ideal lassie he could not imagine, and as he watched her leave, she turned and waved, a sweet smile upon her face.

  * * *

  Andrew stood by the pool for some time, his mind filled with the memories of that happy day. How good it felt to finally come to her attention, and she wished to meet him again! Leaping for joy, he almost fell into the pool, so great was his excitement.

  Regaining his composure he looked up at the sun, the hour was well past noon, and he set off into the forest towards the home of his Godmother, the half-eaten bundle of food clutched under his arm.

  The little croft where Cairstine and Alistair lived was deserted when he arrived, the remnants of a smoking fire lying outside. He called out to them as he approached, but there was no answer and laying down the bundle of food he stooped into the croft.

  It was sparsely furnished yet homely, a few rustic pots and pans hanging from the wall and a low bed, table and stools over to the far side, he was just about to call out again when sounds from outside indicated that his Godmother and her husband were approaching.

  “A robber in our midst and we were only out a moment tae fetch water from the stream,” Cairstine laughed, embracing her godson.

  “Is all well with yer mother? Such a terrible business above, such wickedness,” Alistair shook his head as he too embraced the lad.

  “Aye, she is well, she has sent this food parcel for ye.”

  Cairstine laughed as she opened it, showing the half-eaten loaves and leftover cheese to her husband.

  “Did ye grow hungry on the walk here, Andrew Cameron? Tis’ a good thing I have just baked today, come along inside, no doubt a laddie like ye is eager tae eat again if he can, have ye come straight here, or did ye have other business tae see tae beforehand?”

  Andrew knew that there was no hiding from Cairstine and that she had already guessed what had happened to the half-eaten food. She was the one person whom Andrew knew he could trust with his secrets, and he had no worries about telling her or Alistair about his meetings with Nairne.

  As Alistair stoked up the fire outside, Andrew sat with his Godmother inside the croft. The sun was warm now, but the little dwelling was cool, and he was glad of the shade, he felt tired after his swim and walk through the forest, and he gladly accepted the freshly baked bread she offered.

  “So, what brings ye here today then, Andrew? Surely not just delivering a half-eaten food parcel to yer poor Godmother,” Cairstine sat opposite Andrew as he began to explain what had transpired between him and Nairne.

  She listened carefully, though he avoided the details about Murdoch Mackintosh, preferring to leave the facts as simple as possible.

  “And this is the fourth time ye have seen her?” she smiled as he finished recounting the tale of their swim.

  “Aye, firstly when I startled her, though of course I didn’t mean tae do so, the second when I discovered she lived in the village, the third when we first spoke, and again today,” he blushed a little, counting the times on his fingers and smiling.

  “Ye certainly seem tae have charmed her, but then should ye have lied tae her about yerself? Could ye not be honest with her?”

  “I … well, no, if she knew I was a Cameron then surely she would wish nothing tae do with me.”

  “Ye dinnae know that and besides ye have said yerself that she seems different tae any Mackintosh ye have ever heard of or had the misfortune tae encounter.”

  “Aye, perhaps, but my mother would say …” Andrew began.

  “Yer mother’s own dalliances with the Mackintosh’s began in deceit, she could hardly begrudge ye for doing the same, and yer stepfather is a Mackintosh, is he not a good and honorable man?”

  “Aye, perhaps yer right, but I have told Nairne already that my mother is called Cairstine and that I live here in the forest,” Glancing a nervous smile at his Godmother, she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

  “Andrew Cameron, what are we to do with ye? Ye have a nerve, dinnae ye laddie, and make no mistake,” as Alistair entered the croft and sat down next to her.

  “There is a tale, and a half tae hear now Alistair, ye will not believe yer ears,” and gesturing to her Godson, Andrew began to recount the tale.

  When he finished, his Godfather shook his head.

  “What a tangled web we weave for ourselves sometimes laddie, but it seems ye have given us no choice, ye are our son now, and this is your home,” the two laughed at Andrew who sat sheepishly before them.

  “I am sure we can play our part in the deception, but ye must tell her the truth in the end once ye know ye can trust her for certain,” Cairstine patted the boy affectionately on the shoulder.

  “Aye, I will, she is a good lassie, and I know I will be able tae, but I cannot reveal who I really I am just yet, I need tae give it time.”

  The three of them shared a simple meal together, the remnants of Andrew’s food parcel, and a freshly baked loaf of bread; some fresh fish from the stream, Alistair had just caught, and some wild sorrel and garlic made into a salad. Andrew loved to spend time with his Godparents, they had a mannerism about them which his mother had lost, or so it seemed. They were free and at ease, without the worries of the clan, or the hardships of life up on the heathers above. He had known they would understand his predicament and the choice he faced in being honest to Nairne as to he was. His mother would not understand, she would forbid him from having anything to do with the lassie and ensure he never went near the forest again.

  As he bid farewell to his Godparents later that evening, he could hear his mother’s disapproving voice if she found out the truth about Nairne.

  “Ye are a Cameron and are cavorting with a Mackintosh, and not only a Mackintosh but the daughter of the very man who killed yer father and tried to make me his chattel. It is a disgrace, Andrew, a disgrace tae the memory of yer dear father and tae all that this noble clan stands for.”

  As he walked home across the heathers, he wondered how he would excuse himself again in the coming days. His desire to see Nairne took away all reason, and he returned home as determined to meet the lassie in the forest again as he was to see his father avenged.

  * * *

  Nairne ran swiftly through the forest when she left Andrew at the pool, arriving home just as the sun was passing the afternoon mark on the castle sundial. Slipping in through the side door, thankful that it was still open
, there was no sign of any guards but as she crossed the courtyard the sound of her father’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

  “Yer disobedience is becoming a bad habit, Nairne Mackintosh, a nasty habit indeed, is it the forest ye have been intae again? There is no question about that I suppose, but what is it that so attracts ye there, I wonder?” stepping forward, he caught her arm as she turned away.

  “I … let me go, I like tae walk in the forest, ye know that,” Nairne recoiled from his grip as he pulled her close.

  “Ye seem tae like it far tae much for yer own good, lassie. Ye know what is in the forest, ye know the danger and the threat from the Cameron’s, I have told ye often enough, and yet ye still insist in disobeying me. Am I tae have ye locked in yer chambers and placed under guard tae prevent this happening again?” his face bent low towards her so that his eyes were staring menacingly into hers.

  “No, please don’t, I … I just want tae swim there occasionally, if ye would just let me go there once in a while, just tae swim and be alone with my thoughts, what harm can come from it?” struggling, she broke free of his grasp.

  “The harm will come if I find ye have been cavorting with those whom ye know not tae cavort with. If I find any treachery on yer part, lassie I shall no qualms in seeing tae it that ye are dealt with accordingly, do ye understand me?”

  “I just want tae walk in the forest and swim in the pool, let me have that one consolation,” she looked beseechingly at her father.

  Murdoch’s face turned suddenly from a grimace to a smile, and he almost appeared to be laughing to himself.

  “Aye lassie, perhaps the walk would do ye good sometimes,” and with a wave of his hand, he dismissed her, a surprised look crossing her face.

  But Nairne wasted no further time in arguing, her father had said she could walk in the forest and that was all that mattered to her. She all but forgot his cruel words and intimation of treason, all that mattered to Nairne was that in three days she would once again meet Andrew in the forest and share the company of her newfound friend, the bonnie young Macleod boy who had so enchanted her that day.

  Chapter Eleven

  ‘A Dangerous Liaison’

  “The laddie needs tae be told, he needs ye tae speak tae him, you are his mother,” Duncan Cameron tapped the solid wooden table, as he, Stewart, and Duncan sat waiting at the croft. The laddie was late returning, and they were getting worried about his whereabouts.

  “He’s still young, he’ll learn soon enough what’s expected of him,” Rhona gave he son the benefit of the doubt, “he’s probably just got waylaid watching the deer or some such, ye know what he is like.”

  “Or up tae mischief,” Stewart shook his head.

  His stepfather had grown suspicious of Andrew these past weeks, and he wondered just what it was that the young laddie was getting up to in the forest below. He had no wish to voice his feelings, but it had crossed his mind that perhaps Andrew was less committed to the idea of becoming Laird than the clan expected. The attack upon the crofts had come as a surprise, but it had also arrived at the most opportune moment. Was that a mere coincidence? Or had someone informant passed information to the enemy? Stewart was loathed to accuse his stepson outright but was determined that next time Andrew made his way down into the forests he would be followed.

  “Ye dinnae know what he is up tae,” Rhona added, “and until ye do then we must just let him work whatever out whatever it is, the laddie will come round.”

  “Which is why we will follow him,” Stewart added.

  “Follow him?” Duncan looked at Stewart with a puzzled expression.

  “Aye, in secret, when next he announces he is running off down intae the forest I shall follow him and see just where he goes.”

  Rhona was about to voice her opinion when the door to the croft flew open, and Andrew stood panting in front of them.

  “Where have ye been?” his mother rose to greet the boy, “we were worried about ye, yer dinner is long spoiled, though ye can salvage what is left in the pot if ye wish.”

  Andrew scraped the last of the stew into a bowl and dug a spoon in hungrily.

  “How was yer Godmother and Alistair, did they appreciate the food parcel I sent?”

  “Aye, they liked it well enough, I am returning again in three days.”

  At these words, Stewart and Duncan exchanged a knowing look.

  * * *

  “Do it without drawing attention tae yerselves, there’s a fair reward in it if ye do. Dinnae spook her, or cause her distress, but come back immediately if ye see anything. She may be telling the truth of course, but I dinnae trust her. All these walks intae the forest, and spending hours away from the castle, there is something going on,” Murdoch Mackintosh addressed the captain of the guards after Nairne had returned from the forest.

  He intended to have her carefully watched, but instead of preventing the girl from going into the forest, and causing further resentment on her part, Murdoch Mackintosh had changed his mind. He would allow her to walk freely, but he would also have her followed, to see where it was she was going. Any treachery on her part would be swiftly dealt with, and Murdoch Mackintosh had no qualms in punishing her, or in locking her away. He had every intention of swiftly marrying her off, and if he could discover that she was up to no good, then such a move would be far easier to justify to her mother, a formidable opponent even to Murdoch.

  “Aye Laird, I shall see tae it that she is watched at all times and when next she leaves this castle we shall be sure tae follow her,” the captain of the guards saluted the Laird and returned to his guard room.

  Murdoch smiled to himself, he’d catch his daughter out, one way or the other, of that he was sure.

  * * *

  Neither Murdoch nor Stewart had long to wait before their respective charges made their way into the forest again. Three days later, both were preparing to make their excuses and return to the pool. Both Nairne and Andrew had looked forward to the day, each worrying about leaving their respective dwellings behind. Would Andrew’s mother allow him to run off into the forest again and would Nairne be prevented from leaving the castle, despite her father’s promises to the contrary?

  “Did ye want me tae take anything down to my Godmother’s for ye, mother?” Andrew tried to sound as casual as possible.

  But his heart and his legs were desperate to race down to the pool where he hoped Nairne would be waiting. He had thought of nothing else since last they had met and had performed his duties on the croft with an eye always on the forest below, his mind wondering what the bonnie lassie was doing and whether she too was as excited for their meeting as he was.

  “Only my love tae her and Alistair,” Rhona replied, as Andrew put on his cloak and prepared to depart.

  “I may be some time, so dinnae worry like ye did last time, mother, I will be quite safe in the woods and Cairstine and Alistair will no doubt provide a fine supper for me,” and with his belt now wrapped around him and his little dagger at his side, he prepared to leave.

  His uncle and stepfather watched in silence as Andrew bid them both farewell, surprised that neither of them passed comment. In fact, he had been amazed by his family’s change of attitude towards him, running down into the forest below. Neither Stewart nor Duncan had spoken when he declared that he would be visiting his Godparents that day, they had not suggested he was shirking his responsibilities or neglecting his jobs. Quite the opposite, in fact, his mother, had positively encouraged him to go and visit and that it would be no trouble if he did.

  But now Andrew gave little thought to their change of heart, he was only grateful that he was allowed to leave the croft for the day. As he left, he bid farewell to his mother, stepfather and uncle, running across the moorlands and into the forest. He didn’t look back, but if he had done so, he might have seen his stepfather behind, running between the rocky outcrops and tufts of heather, hiding lest Andrew realise he was being followed, the mystery of where he was going about to be solv
ed.

  * * *

  “I wish tae go out intae the forest and swim at the pool tomorrow,” Nairne had said to her mother and father at dinner the night before her meeting with Andrew was due to take place.

  She was expecting her father to have changed his mind about letting her go and now be angry with her for daring to disobey him again. She glanced towards her mother and hoped would speak up in her defence but before Una could speak Murdoch Mackintosh gave a wry smile and nodded his head.

  “Aye, lassie, that would be nice for ye, will ye leave early in the morning? I shall have the guards open the gates for ye, it is always so nice tae swim first thing in the morning, is it not?”