Page 69 of Fearless Heart
Chapter Twenty-One
Lillia was lost. Not in the sense she didn’t know where she was, but in the sense she had no idea how to proceed. She wanted to walk all the way to her father’s lands and never leave them again. It would take nearly a full day of walking to reach her clan’s holding. The cold brisk chill of early eve and flurries changed her mind. She pulled Heath’s tartan around her and shivered. What was she thinking to leave the keep without her cloak?
The Fraser keep called to her, and even though she wanted to get warm, she kept walking. She replayed her discussion with Heath, his Uncle Andrew, and his mother. They were right; she was being selfish to the extent that if she cared for Heath, she should let him go. But the thought of doing so disheartened her.
Lillia lost her footing on a patch of slippery snow-covered ground. She landed on her bottom and slid down a steep hill. Try as she might, she couldn’t catch hold of the branches of yew bushes that spotted the landscape. Her body rolled to a stop when she reached the bottom.
She let out an unladylike expletive. Lillia ached, but more than that, her heart hurt. She sat up, bent her knees, and leaned upon them, hoping to compose herself. Still, she couldn’t hold back the heartbreak or slight of being injured in her fall. She wept and after a few moments of sorrowful regret, she looked up.
Ahead through the trees, she spotted a fire. Although she tried to step lightly through the woods, her leg hurt and she hobbled along. Surely the interlopers heard her coming. Lillia stumbled over a log hidden by a trace of snow. She pitched forward and someone caught her.
A man righted her and stepped back. “My apologies, Mistress.”
“Why would you apologize? You saved me from falling … again.” She searched the area and noticed he traveled with one other man, and two women who stood too far to discern who they were. They wore heavy cloaks, which surely offered protection against the elements. How she envied them.
“No man should ever touch a woman unless he is given permission. I apologize because I touched you.” He bowed to her and stepped back.
“You are gallant. Who are you?”
“My lady’s guard. She is yonder, there.”
Lillia peered around the man’s large form and saw the women approach. As they got closer, she recognized one of the women.
“Lady Fraser, ‘tis good to see you again.”
“Lady MacKintosh, you’ve returned.” Lillia hobbled towards the fire, hoping to get warm before she moved on.
“Leave us,” she said to her companions. “I wish to speak with Lady Fraser alone.”
The others meandered to the other side of the small clearing.
“My husband is visiting your keep. There’s talk of a treaty betwixt the two clans. I didn’t wish to join him there and decided to look for the last of the mushrooms before they die off with the oncoming cold.”
Lillia shook as a hale wind swept through the clearing. “I won’t speak of your … visit here in the woods, Lady MacKintosh.”
“Fiona, please. We’re old friends you and I, especially since you saved me from certain death. I envision that day often. If you hadn’t saved me, I would have plunged from that hillside. My poor, dear husband would’ve never known what happened to me. You are cold. Come, I have an extra cloak you can wear. Why are you out here in the cold without proper garments?”
“I’m wallowing in misery.”
Lady MacKintosh smiled. “They say misery loves company and I’m gladdened to have come across you. Sit and join me. Tell me what has caused this melancholy?”
She hesitated for a brief moment, but the fire was too warm not to indulge the woman. Lillia sat as near to the flames as she could get. With the heavy cloak around her shoulders, she warmed in short time.
“I’ve made quite a mess of my marriage.”
“Oh my dear. Most marriages suffer a wee bit in the beginning. Is your husband abusive? Has he harmed ye? If so—”
Lillia scowled. “Oh nay, not at all. He is compassionate. What I mean to say is that he is of a chivalrous nature. My circumstances forced his hand and he married me out of pity. I deem he regrets it now.”
“Regrets or not, I’m sure he’s pleased with you. You’re lovely and kind. And from what I’ve seen, verily brave. Aye, you are fearless. I much envy you for that for I don’t think I’d ever be as courageous.”
She lowered her gaze, her cheeks now brightening from the fire and the praise. “I shouldn’t have agreed to wed him and now he shan’t follow his lifelong pursuit. The king’s army is likely pursuing me, which will inevitably cause his clan to war and many in danger.”
“How wretched. If your husband cared about his lifelong quest, he wouldn’t have asked ye to wed him. And as for the king’s army, what would cause our gallant king to chase you all the way here in the Highlands?”
Lillia shouldn’t be forthcoming of her problems, but speaking with Fiona lightened her. “I always thought I was of the clan Hunter, but I recently found out that I am the kin of King Alexander. The Comyns seek to use me to unseat King Robert. The king wishes to imprison me to keep them from vying for his crown.”
Fiona moved closer and clasped her hand. “Oh dear, that is quite a wee bit of problems to squelch.”