Abducted, Book 8 Page 16
Justin got up and began to pace. For a long time, Carley and Sawney just let him think and when Carley looked as though she needed comfort Sawney took her hand.
“Perhaps there is another way,” said Justin finally. “I will send him, and two others I find unpleasant, off to find something for me.”
“What?” asked Carley.
“A sea monster.”
“Father, we have heard they are very large. They can hardly bring back a sea monster.”
“Aye, but they can bring back a bone that will tell us just how large they are.”
Carley heaved a sigh of relief. “I would like the sight of such a thing myself.”
Justin retook his seat. “When they return, I will think of something else and if I am no longer with you, Sawney will know what to do.”
“Perhaps I might like a Viking spear from the far north,” Sawney said.
Justin smiled. “I believe you deserve a bedchamber of your own.”
IN THE GREAT HALL OF the Graham hold two days later, Chisholm finished pounding a small wooden peg into the wall at the corner of Paisley’s favorite tapestry. Then he moved back to stand beside his wife and admire it. She chose one with a dark blue background that depicted a long haired Scottish cow and twin calves.
Suddenly, there were shouts outside and Chisholm rushed out the door to see what it was with Paisley right behind him. A crowd had already gathered near the meadow and from behind it, Paisley was too short to see, so he took her hand, led her back inside and up the stairs to the window in their second-floor bedchamber.
In the meadow, the MacDuff brothers were trying to catch their fifth cow. Chisholm put his arms around her from behind and said, “I promised them four cows and one bull. Yet they chase another cow. Do you suppose they do not know the difference?”
Paisley giggled. Rain the day before caused the brothers to slide in the mud, but they were determined. First Ross grabbed one around the neck and held on, but the cow was not deterred and kept right on walking. Adair, pleased with his brother’s accomplishment slipped once, then twice, in the mud trying to catch up so he could tie the rope around her neck.
Just as he was about to succeed, the cow jerked her head, tossed Ross off, and when he landed on his backside the crowd roared with laughter. First a drop of rain fell, then another and soon the heavy downpour made the people run for cover, but the brothers did not care. They finally managed to separate their target from the herd and were last seen running after it down a hill and up the other side.
Paisley turned in her husband’s arms. “I do love you so.”
He smiled and tightened his hold on her, “I am happy to hear that. Promise you will say it often.”
“I promise.” Once more, she looked up into his eyes, grinned and got lost in his passion.
~The end~
A Time of Madness
Book 9
Marti Talbott’s Highlander Series
Sample chapter
Neasan MacGreagor came home an angry man determined to get revenge for being sent away. Yet the man he most wanted to kill, Laird Justin MacGreagor, died before he could. Now the clan had to choose a new laird and most expected it would be Justin’s son, Sawney. However, Neasan had other plans. Could all his plotting and scheming actually make this ruthless man their next Laird?
CHAPTER I
SHE WAS TOLD NEVER to go off alone, but Mackinzie Campbell had a mind of her own and Laird Campbell had given up trying to control her years ago. The color of her hair was more red than brown, her eyes were green, she had a smattering of freckles across her nose, and her favorite place in the world to be was standing in the tall grass on the crest of a hill overlooking the crashing waves of the sea below.
To the north, an island where some of the Campbells lived, often tempted her to cross the water but she doubted she would be any happier there. In the opposite direction, the land rose up into high cliffs that curved around the bay, and never was there a lack of seagulls gracefully gliding in the wind.
The dark clouds on the horizon and the ferociousness of the waves hitting the rocks was a sure sign another storm was approaching and if she waited too long to go back, she was sure to get soaked to the bone. Still, the rhythm of the sea often held her spellbound as it hit the rocks, rushed up the sandy beach and then subsided.
The sun was still shining on the hill and the pleasant meadow behind it, which was rimmed with tall Scot Pine trees and a thickness of undergrowth. A path at the bottom of the hill led from the ocean to a waterfall that offered plenty of fish easily caught.
Mackinzie loved the feel of the wind in her unbound, waist length hair. She wore the light blue and yellow plaid of her clan and a blue shirt, with the customary measure of plaid over her heart and shoulder.
Orphaned at an early age with no siblings, she often wondered what it would be like to have a real family. She never seemed to abide with any one set of parents for very long. After all, they did have valid reasons for sending her away, like a cottage too small, her unwillingness to obey, or a mother who could abide her silence no longer.
By the time she reached seven she realized rejection most often occurred when she spoke out of turn. Since she was never quite certain when her turn was, she spoke less and less to avoid the problem. On the other hand, when she was not fond of the family who kept her, talking out of turn was very beneficial.
There were other reasons for her silence, but those she kept to herself. At thirteen, Laird Campbell had had enough of her unruly behavior and decided to give Mackinzie a cottage of her own. That suited her just fine.
She might have feared for her safety living alone, but her devil may care attitude and the gift of suitable weapons from an unknown benefactor, made her a better fighter than most men. Everyone was well aware she would not hesitate to kill if she needed to. Likewise, she was a good hunter and when she wanted something more than meat, she offered to wash clothing. The unmarried men and women who were occasionally unwell greatly appreciated her efforts, but otherwise kept their distance.
It was true, Mackinzie had no friends, having insulted every member of the clan at one time, or another, and no Campbell was likely to marry her. If any man had asked for her, which she doubted, Laird Campbell most likely warned against it. Always before she did not care, but as she got older, loneliness began to plague her. Her life, therefore, was one unhappy day after another for which she sought relief, as she did on this day, at the top of the hill overlooking the sea.
She was about to leave when she spotted a magnificent black stallion running along the edge of the sea with its tail lifted and its head held high. He seemed to enjoy the feel of splashing through the water’s edge and he was almost out of sight when he stopped, turned and looked up at her.
Never had she seen such a wondrous sight and she was even more pleased when the stallion started up the hill toward her. His eyes were as black as the rest of him, but she saw no danger and when he stopped within reach, she smiled and patted the side of his head. She expected him to bolt and run away, but when she moved closer and stroked his neck, the stallion stood perfectly still and let her. He seemed larger than most horses and to mount him she would need a rock to stand on, so she contented herself with just petting him. A few minutes seemed to be enough for them both and soon he turned, went down the hill, crossed the meadow behind it, and walked into the forest.
Somehow, her spirits were lifted that day. It was a good omen that put an uncommon smile on her face, and for a reason she did not understand, she felt her life was about to have meaning.
As soon as it started to sprinkle, Mackinzie hurried down the hill and headed back to her village.
NEASAN MACGREAGOR HALTED his horse at the end of the long, wide MacGreagor glen and listened. A guard, hidden somewhere in the forest, whistled and soon the whistle was repeated until it reached the ears of all those living in the large village, where the paths meandered between dozens of cottages at the other end of the glen. Behind the
cottages sat a three-story keep where their laird lived and conducted the clan’s daily business. In front of the Keep, two halves of a short, semicircle stonewall skirted the large courtyard and the wide gap between them began the path down the center of the glen. The ends of the walls were beginning to crumble, but everyone was certain they would be repaired someday.
Decided upon generations before, each whistle had a different meaning, the longest of which meant danger. This whistle, however, only prepared them for a visitor. A visitor? Had he changed so much in seven years the men no longer recognized one who was born and raised in their village? It must be so, for as he started his horse down the path in the middle of the glen, no one came to greet him as he expected. Perhaps they were too shocked.
Strapped on a two-wheel cart built especially for the hauling, his horse pulled an enormous, curved bone that had already astounded many a Highlander. Few had seen the ocean, let alone the bone of a sea monster.
Any other man might have been happy when Laird Justin MacGreagor sent him away, for Neasan MacGreagor had seen far more of the people and the land of Scotland than any of them had. It was true, in his youth, Neasan craved adventure, but being allowed to leave was not the same thing as being forced to. Neasan was forced to go and unjustly too, for even if he was guilty, Laird MacGreagor had no proof.
The other two men sent with him were not accused of any crimes and did not suspect the true reason for their sudden departure. Neasan did. He suspected they were sent away for no reason other than being greatly disliked by their laird. The truth be told, Neasan didn’t like them much either, but he needed them and kept silent on the matter. Laise and Osgar thoroughly enjoyed the journey even when food was scarce and the nights were cold. Like them or not, their ultimate fate was also an injustice, one which Neasan could not forgive or forget.
NEASAN WAS A VERY LARGE man, as most MacGreagor men were, with blond hair, blue eyes and a nose that had been broken more than once. His beard and mustache covered most of his lower face, save for where a long, unsightly scar on one cheek marked his greatest battle. It was a battle fought alongside Laise and Osgar near the end of their first year away and it did not go well, but the MacGreagors would never hear the real account.
The seeds of Neasan’s wrath were planted long ago, although he could not precisely say what first caused his discontent. Yet on the day his face was scared and his good looks vanished, his bitterness quickly increased. Until that day, Neasan thought of himself as a handsome man, at least as handsome as any other was, and his ability to attract women with a smile proved him right. Now, women quickly looked away. That too was Laird Justin MacGreagor’s fault.
The one woman Neasan truly wanted was Justin’s daughter, Paisley, but Justin let few men near her. Paisley had sparkling blue eyes, hair the color of snow and many men dreamed of having her. For months, he watched her from afar, but not once did she notice him or favor him with her smile. Her coy and rude behavior toward him was an unthinkable insult.
Even if Justin had allowed Neasan to court her, MacGreagor women had a say in choosing their husbands and it was unlikely Paisley would have chosen him. Therefore, it served Justin and his daughter right when Laird MacAlister abducted her and Neasan was only too willing to help.
Unfortunately, after she was recovered, she married a laird from another clan. That too made Neasan furious. He did not love her, that much he knew, he only wanted to claim her as his prize. All was not lost, however, for husbands died all the time and hers would be easy to kill.
Soon after he was accused of aiding Paisley’s abductor, Neasan was abruptly sent away. His punishment was much worse than death or banishment—he and the other two were sent to find something that should have been impossible to find - the bone of a sea monster.
Spending his nights alone after the other two died and wandering the shores of Scotland looking for the impossible only served to further increase his rage. Then one day his luck changed. His horse nearly tripped over the tip of a bone sticking out of the sand and upon closer look and extensive digging, the fragment turned out to be the gigantic rib bone of a beached whale.
At last, he brought the impossible home and people were beginning to recognize him. Neasan MacGreagor completed his ride to the village with pride and pretended smiles for them all. He was a hero of sorts, and when he stopped his horse, dismounted, and untied the cart, nearly all of the people were gathered to admire the bone. Best of all, they had a mountain of questions he was going to enjoy embellishing for the next few days at least.
Laird Justin MacGreagor did not come to greet him and Neasan took that to mean he was not welcome back, until he learned his laird was ill. That was unfortunate indeed. For months, Neasan savored the idea of calling a healthy Justin out and fighting to the death. Now he had to wait until the man either regained his health or died.
Yet two of Justin’s sons were there, Sawney, who looked like a younger version of his father and Hew, who appeared more shy and quiet than Neasan remembered. Both were fully grown now and if it came to that, Neasan thought neither would be difficult to defeat in battle.
“What of my son?” asked a woman.
As the crowd quieted, Neasan lowered his sorrowful eyes. Appearing sympathetic was something he practiced the night before and he neglected to answer for just the right length of time. “Laise and Osgar fought bravely and died with honor.”
The mother caught her breath and as her eyes began to tear, Neasan tenderly took her in his arms. It was not something he enjoyed, but it had to be done if the clan was to think him a changed man.
ONLY FOUR MEN WERE seated in chairs around a table in the small cottage, but the rest of the room was filled to the brim with the curious, all wanting to hear the first of Neasan’s exciting accounts.
“Aye, we fought them,” said Neasan, “‘twas a fine battle easily won. We were as dancers, spinning here and jabbing there until all five lay dying on the green. Before that first battle, I did not know how well we could fight. I tell you true, were the MacGreagors conquerors, we could rule half of Scotland.”
“Will the king mind if we take half of Scotland?” one of the men jokingly asked.
Neasan grinned and lowered his voice a little. “I vow not to tell him, what say you?” Determined to be well liked, he was pleased when the men roared with laughter. It appeared to be working.
In the back of the crowd, Sawney was not laughing. He remembered his sister’s abduction well and had a two-inch scar on his neck to remind him. One moment he was standing next to Paisley and the next, a man held a dagger to his throat while another man carried her away. Her abductors had help and it wasn’t long before it became clear Neasan was the traitor.
It was Sawney’s Aunt Carley who saved Neasan from being either executed or banished. Once they were convinced Neasan was guilty, Justin, Carley, and Sawney talked long into the night in Justin’s bedchamber trying to think of the best way to rid the clan of a man they could never trust again. It was not for Neasan’s sake Carley pled on his behalf, but for his mother’s who was Carley’s closest friend.
Now, an enormous whalebone stood in the middle of the glen, the other two men were dead and Neasan sat in his mother’s cottage gloating over his accomplishment without noticing her absence. She did not believe the rumors of his treachery, faithfully watched each day for her beloved son’s return and his name was the last she spoke before she died two months before. Indeed Neasan was laughing instead of mourning and Sawney seemed to be the only one disturbed by it.
Sawney had heard enough. The MacGreagors were not conquerors and it did no good to excite the minds of warriors. He turned around, eased between two men standing behind him, went out the door, and walked away.
End of sample chapter.
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Follow Clan MacGreagor through multiple generations beginning with The Viking where it all began, The Highlanders and their struggle to survive, Marblestone Mansion and the duke who simply could not get rid of his scandalous duchess, and still more historical stories in The Lost MacGreagor Books. Then check out Marti’s contemporary romance/mysteries in Missing Heiress, Greed and a Mistress, The Dead Letters, and The Locked Room. Other books include the Carson Series, Leanna, (a short story), and Seattle Quake 9.2.
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