Marti Talbott's Highlander Series 1 (Anna, Rachel & Charlet) Read online

  She tried to listen to the voices, but the sounds were muffled and she couldn’t make out but a few words. Then she heard a woman say something about Rachel. Catherin was suddenly terrified and covered her mouth to keep from crying out. She thought she had already accepted the idea that both her daughters were dead, but in truth she wasn’t prepared at all.

  It surprised her when she heard the key go in the lock and saw the door handle turn. She held her breath and watched as the door slowly opened but it wasn’t her husband as she expected. Instead, a tall woman wearing a plaid stepped inside and raised a finger to her mouth to signal she should remain quiet.

  Behind the woman stood a large man wearing a matching plaid. He watched her for a moment and then took a step inside. He paused to make sure she wasn’t going to get upset and once he was reassured, he walked to her and smiled.

  His interest seemed to be in the chain, Catherin realized, and when he reached out his hand, she gave him the part she held in her hand. His eyes were kind and when he took her elbow and urged her to move closer to the bed, she went willingly. The man let go of her arm and took hold of the chain with both hands. Then to her amazement, he flexed the muscles in his arms and easily pulled one of the links apart. She and Anna had tried to do just that countless times and couldn’t get it to budge.

  Suddenly, she was free, filled with overwhelming joy and started to speak. But the woman reminded her to be quiet. The man handed her end of the chain back to her, leaned down and scooped her up in his arms. As quiet as a mouse, they slipped down the stairs, through the sitting room and out the front door. He continued to carry her across the courtyard and she was so grateful, she wrapped her arm around him and kissed the side of his neck. Justin smiled. He carried her through the gate, around the corner and farther still before he finally stopped and put her down.

  Anna’s mother had tears in her eyes and she could barely see the man standing before her. It wasn’t until she spotted the crown on his head that she realized it was the King of England. She tried to curtsy, but he took hold of her arm and wouldn’t let her.

  “Catherin, how will you ever forgive me?” The king took the chain out of her hand, knelt down and raised her skirt just enough to see her ankle. He grimaced, closed his eyes, swore under his breath and it took him a moment to realize the woman from the Highlands was handing him a key. As quickly as he could, he opened the lock and let the chain fall away.

  “My daughters?” Catherin asked, wiping the tears off her cheeks with the hem of her skirt.

  “We have not yet found Rachel, but we will. My men will search every house until they find her.” He stood up, patted her arm and smiled. “Anna is fine.”

  “He beat her, I heard him.”

  “I know, but she is healing.”

  Kevin knew he wasn’t going to get Rachel’s location from the toerag, so he let Stoneham stand there threatening and insulting everyone and everything he could think of. Kevin wasn’t even listening. He could still hear Anna’s words -- If I moved my head too far, he would cut my throat. -- The thought of how frightened she must have been made Kevin’s blood boil. Then he forced himself to remember the feel of her head on his chest so he could calm down.

  Stoneham seemed to be convinced he could handle all three men without breaking a sweat. Kevin would have liked proving him wrong, but he promised the king he wouldn’t kill the man -- at least not yet.

  “Stoneham,” the voice behind him boomed.

  Stoneham spun around. “Your Majesty?” He started to bow, but the king shoved him aside and walked into the dining room. Behind Stoneham, ten of the king’s well-armed men stood with swords drawn glaring at him and the color began to drain out of Stoneham’s arrogant face.

  The king walked to the Highlanders and turned to face Stoneham. Had he realized how puny he looked next to the giants, he would have reconsidered. “Something quite remarkable has happened,” the king began, “I seemed to have misplaced two full count of men and do you know where I found them? Right here surrounding your property. They were under the mistaken belief I had ordered them to protect you from an expected MacGreagor attack.”

  Stoneham was starting to get nervous and the king was glad of it when he walked around the Highlanders to the window, looked out and then turned back to face him. “I sent them away. Would you like to see for yourself?” Stoneham didn’t move. “I thought not. Thank God, I will not have that worry. A war with the Highlands is not something I would enjoy just now. When you are dead, I must remember to give this property to a more sensible man.”

  The king retraced his steps, noticed the glare Stoneham was giving Kevin and the one Kevin was returning. “Should I let the MacGreagor have you? I hear his father let you live, but I doubt the son will be so generous. By the way, you have committed bigamy. The church frowns on bigamy, you know. I met your first wife a few days ago and she has impressed me greatly.

  Would you believe she walked right into my court unattended and when one of my guards tried to stop her, she broke his arm? I was forced to hear what she had to say while I still had a command left. I am thinking of asking her to teach my men a thing or two and perhaps help us improve our Gaelic.”

  “She is not my wife, she is a liar,” Stoneham muttered.

  “I see.” The king spotted the pastries on the table and walked over to examine them. “Invite your other wife to join us. She is a lovely woman and I would enjoy having tea and a pastry with her. As I recall, she has a smile that can make the birds sing.”

  “She is...unwell.”

  “Oh I doubt that. Call up to her and see if she will come down.” When Stoneham stalled for time, the king called up instead. “Catherin, I demand you come down at once!”

  She didn’t hesitate for a moment. Catherin threaded her way through the king’s guard, walked into the room and turned to face her husband. Athena was right behind her and with as much hate in her eyes as she could manage, Athena dropped the lock and chain at Stoneham’s feet.

  The king broke off a bite of pastry, savored the taste and swallowed. “Tell me, Stoneham, to which of these lovely ladies should I give the pleasure of cutting you in half?”

  CHAPTER VII

  When it was time to leave, Kevin asked Catherin if she wanted to go with them but she seemed unwilling to answer. Instead, she whispered to Athena that she wanted to see Anna but she was afraid to go back inside to get her things. Athena understood and did it for her. Then, when Athena announced she was going with the King to find Rachel, Catherin was so used to being told what to do, she didn’t demand to go with them.

  The king, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure taking Athena was a good idea. He didn’t want a war with the Highlanders and couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t do or say something to offend her. But Athena was having none of it and stood with her hands on her hips glaring at him. The king shot Kevin a silent plea for help, but Kevin only shrugged. Finally, the king gave in.

  The two men agreed on a place in the forest where the Highlanders and Catherin would wait, and it had already been three days. Kevin hadn’t brought an army with him. Instead, he only brought three men, they were joined by the two he sent earlier to watch Stoneham and there wasn’t much to do. A couple of the men caught fish in a pond which provided them with plenty to eat. The men practiced their warrior skills in the small clearing and told stories around the fire at night, careful to speak in their native language. Some of the stories were unfit for the ears of a lady.

  Kevin kept a close eye on Catherin, but tried not to let her know. She seemed to want to see and touch everything, just as Anna had and she rarely spoke. The first night, she looked at the stars for so long, he thought she would never rest. The next morning she got up and walked fully dressed right into the pond. He was ready to hurry in after her, but she knew how to swim quite well and didn’t go too far out. She played in the water like a child, swimming, backstroking and, even floating.

  It was Justin who pulled the chain apart and he felt a de
sire to see to her, so he grabbed her bundle of things and took them to the pond. Then he set the bundle down and hung a plaid over the low branch of a tree so she could have privacy when she dressed.

  The King was right. When she smiled at Justin, Kevin thought she really could make the birds sing. He wondered if his wife had the same smile. In fact, if she looked at all like her mother after her face healed, he would be very pleased. He left the pond, sat down with his back against a tree and closed his eyes. Would she really be glad her father was dead? He was her father, after all. Would she want the details of how he died? He hoped not, it was a gruesome affair. Most importantly, was she thinking about Kevin too? He remembered every moment he spent with her from the time he lifted her out of Thomas' arms to the last moment when she listened to his heart. Suddenly, he opened his eyes. The whole time he‘d been away, he’d actually been thinking about his wife and not the woman on the horse.

  The second day, Catherin told Justin she wanted to bathe properly and he arranged her privacy. He wasn’t worried any of the men would look. None of them wanted to see the scars the toerag probably left on her. The second night she slept like a baby. The third day she talked more and worried more. What if they couldn’t find Rachel?

  Justin tried to ease her fears but wasn’t very successful. Then he found a soft piece of wood, sat down on a rock, took out his dagger and began to carve. The longer he worked, the more fascinated she became and before long, she was sitting on another rock not far from him.

  Kevin found a second piece of wood and handed it to her. Then he offered her his dagger. She stared at the dagger for a long moment, decided it would be all right, took it from him and tried to learn how to carve.

  The first time she made a mistake, she looked terrified. Yet Justin only laughed so she finally relaxed and smiled. Every once in a while she would make what she thought was another mistake, look at Justin’s reaction and smile when he laughed, putting a smile on all their faces.

  In the afternoon, Kevin went to the pond to wash up and when he came back Catherin was in a deep discussion with Justin. She was whispering and Justin kept shaking his head. “What is it?”

  “She wants to ask about Anna, but she is afraid. I keep telling her there is nothing to be afraid of. She says Stoneham would not let her ask about either of her daughters.”

  “But why does she imagine we are the same?”

  “She knows her husband was a MacGreagor.”

  Kevin took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He untied a leather pouch from his belt, reached in, felt for what he wanted and withdrew a closed fist. Next, he sat down on the ground in front of her. “Catherin, give me your hand.” She looked like she had just been struck by lightning and he had to tell her three times before she obeyed.

  When she finally reached out, he turned her palm up and dropped a beautiful blue stone into her hand. Then he closed her hand and held it between both of his. “This stone belonged to my mother and she told me these words: ‘God condemns the soul of a lad who hurts a woman or a child.’ If any lad hurts you ever again, you are to give this stone back to me and I will kill him. Do you understand?” He waited for her slow nod and then released her hand. Then he stretched out on the grass and began, “I will not lie, Anna was badly beaten and we thought she would die.” He saw Catherin grimace when he began to tell her the extent of Anna’s injuries, but it was better than letting her believe the beating was far worse.

  In the keep, Anna was healing and becoming more attractive by the minute. She often went outside for a walk and when she didn’t seem to want company, Katie watched her from the window. Every once in a while, Anna would walk to the closed drawbridge and just stand there looking at it. Kevin wanted her kept inside, but saying no to Anna was the hardest thing Katie ever had to do. She decided if Anna looked like she was going to climb the wall, she would take her out and face her brother’s ire later.

  Be sensible, Anna told herself. Kevin was trying to protect her, not imprison her. For days, no one had come or gone except small hunting parties and men hauling water from the moat. She reasoned if she were imprisoned, so were the rest of them and they didn’t seem to mind. Kevin told her she could only go out when it was safe. Did that mean her father had gained an army somehow and was heading this way? Surely someone would have told her if that were true. Then why was the bridge always up? Try as she may, she could not help but feel she was a prisoner again.

  She decided to continue her walk before someone thought she was daft. How many times had she stood in front of her father’s courtyard gate trying to will it to open so she could ride Threcher? The older she got the less often it opened.

  She thought about planting flowers around the Keep. That was something else she wasn’t allowed to do at home. In fact, there were no plants or flowers anywhere in the manor. She didn’t know how to plant flowers and every time she asked someone in the hold to show her how to do something, they did it for her. It seemed like they wanted her to be utterly useless and it annoyed her.

  She was suddenly standing there looking at the bridge again and Katie was right beside her. She didn‘t mean to sound angry, but she couldn‘t seem to help it. “What could be taking so long?”

  “It has only been a few days.”

  “Thirteen miserable, frustrating days. I thought I could survive anything, but I am not so sure anymore. I am as worried about Kevin and the men, as I am about my mother and sister. Sometimes I do not want to love your brother, it is too painful.”

  Katie smiled. “You might not feel that way once you discover all his faults.”

  “Such as?”

  “Well, he snores when he is too tired.”

  “I will not be bothered; I do not intend to sleep in the same room.”

  “I see.” Katie wasn’t sure how to handle this situation. “Are you afraid of him?”

  “A little. I do not want to...my mother sometimes...”

  “Come, we will sit on the steps. 'Tis a beautiful day and we must enjoy it before the rains come.” Katie led the way and waited until they both got comfortable on the steps. “My brother is a good lad. He blames himself for what happened to you and he will not force you into his bed.”

  “Good.”

  “Anna...”

  “How many people has Kevin killed?”

  Her question caught Katie completely off guard. “I do not know. Our lads never tell us such things and the women are wise enough not to ask. MacGreagors do not find pleasure in killing for any reason, and often need time to accept what they have done. When a lass asks, her husband may leave and not come home for days.”

  “Have you ever seen Kevin kill someone?”

  “Someone? Kevin has never killed a lass in his life. I have only seen him kill one lad and the lad deserved to die. He was torturing animals. We kill animals when we need the meat, but we do not torture anything or anyone. Kevin warned him not to do it three times, but the lad disobeyed.”

  “Did Kevin believe the man would torture more than animals?”

  “Aye, he did. There is an evil in some lads. Our father told of a man our grandfather allowed to live, and the lad tortured and murdered seven people before he was put to death.”

  “Does God approve the death of such a man?”

  “I am certain he does.”

  Anna watched a flock of birds fly over and wished she was among them. She wanted out and it was driving her mad, so she wrapped her arms tightly around her knees.

  Katie could see her tension and tried to think of ways to distract her. “Anna, do you want children?”

  “I do not know, I have not thought about that. I suppose all lasses want children someday.”

  “When a lass loves a lad, it is natural to want to give him children. We give our lads a happy home and children. In return, the lads protect us and see that we are fed.”

  “When they are not snoring, you mean.”

  Katie smiled. “Aye, when they are not snoring. A wise lass gets her lad to
turn over so he does not snore.”

  “How could I do that? Kevin is too big.”

  “When he comes home, I will show you where to poke him.”

  “Did your husband snore?”

  Katie looped her arm through Anna‘s and grinned. “He snored so loudly he scared a wild boar away.” Just as she hoped, it seemed to lighten Anna’s mood. “He also made strange sounds when he ate. Had I known, I would never have married him. It was so unpleasant, I could not eat myself and I was feather thin by the end of our six months of marriage. My husband was lost at sea and when there was no hope of finding him, I came home. You will never guess what Kevin did when he saw me so thin.”

  “What?”

  “He was very young at the time, brought me three bowls of food and demanded I eat them all.” Katie got up and pulled Anna to her feet. “Walk with me. Emily had her baby a month ago and I have not yet seen it.”

  “The children do not like me. I see them when I walk, but they do not come near.”

  “Their mothers have forbidden it.”

  “Why?”

  Katie led Anna around the corner of the keep and chose the nearest path. She wondered why she hadn’t thought of it before; let the children keep Anna occupied. “The mothers were afraid one would hurt you. Shall we tell them you are well enough now?”

  Anna’s eyes lit up.

  As soon as they neared Emily’s cottage, the door opened and Emily welcomed them inside. Her cottage was neat and clean with simple furnishings including one bed for her children, one for the adults and a table and chairs. She spoke in Gaelic and Katie interpreted. “Emily is honored to have you in her home. She wants to know if you would like to hold her baby.”

  “I do not know how.” Anna confessed.

  “Did you not hold your little sister?”

  “No, I was not allowed.”

  Katie explained it to Emily, who quickly pulled a chair away from the table and urged Anna to sit down. The box the baby slept in was made of strong sticks securely tied together with strips of leather. She lifted her child out of the box and carefully placed her in Anna’s arms.