Page 18 of Following Her Highland Journey (The White Witch’s Apprentices #2)

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" D uncan is back?" Caiside asked, wondering if she'd perhaps misheard what her maid was telling her. She was reading a book to her daughters, who admittedly were too young to be really paying attention yet, but had stopped when Una walked into the room with the announcement. "So soon? But he was only here a week ago, perhaps even less."

"Aye, ma'am, but it's for sure Duncan nonetheless," Una replied, bowing her head slightly. "Ye see, he asked me tae come fetch ye right away. Said it was urgent."

Urgent! That confused Caiside even more. It wasn't like Duncan to make a big deal of things, even when things were a big deal. What could have happened to have him summon her in such a way? And how could it possibly be more urgent than the letter he'd so recently brought to her?

"He's not alone either, ma'am," Una went on, rubbing her hands together almost nervously, though Caiside had no idea what the young maid would have to be nervous about. "There's a woman with him on horseback, ye see. And in the wagon, there's…" Una's voice faltered, and it was clear that her cheeks turned a little rosy. "A man, ma'am."

Mildly amused by Una's obvious reaction to this mysterious man though she was, Caiside forced herself to focus on the immediate situation. "A woman, ye say? Who?"

Una replied, "They didnae say. Said ye should come out and meet them, with his Lairdship too, if ye like."

"What did this man and woman look like, Una?" Caiside asked. She wasn't worried; if the two were with Duncan, then they were not anyone she had to worry about. Nonetheless, she wished to have as much information as she possibly could before she went outside the safety of her rooms to meet strangers.

"The man was big. Injured, like he'd been in a fight. But he has the sweetest face with deep green eyes and hair like a strawberry in summer," Una explained. Caiside hid her smile at the poetry of the description. "I think he might be a soldier, me Lady."

A soldier. One of their own? That seemed unlikely; Lorcan would have mentioned if they had one of their men missing. Perhaps, if this soldier was injured, Duncan had brought the young man here to be tended by Caiside and her apprentice? It made sense; they were far enough from the monastery that it may have been the quickest option.

"And the woman?" Caiside asked.

"She's very pretty," Una allowed, though with significantly less enthusiasm. "Long blonde hair, very well cared for, I would say, except that it's been tangled by travel. Her eyes are green, too, but in a very different way from his. She's very tall and quite willowy; actually, she looks a bit like a fairy from an illustrated story."

Caiside couldn't believe her ears. She felt her skin prickle at the unlikeliness of her thoughts, but the description was so close, how could it be anyone but Adair? That didn't make sense though. Adair couldn't be near the center of the clan, much less the keep. If she was, then she would never have sent that letter telling Caiside to come to meet her.

Unless, of course…

Oh, no.

"Una, please stay with the children," she asked the maid as politely as she could without her heart exploding from worry and confusion. "I will send their nanny along shortly. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of…of course not, but?—"

"I'm going to fetch Lorcan," Caiside told her. "And then…I think I need to go and meet our visitors."

Adair looked up as the doors to the waiting area opened and two familiar figures walked in. Even though it had only been a couple of years, both had changed a lot, but there was no denying who stood in front of her now.

First was the Laird of the Castle, his dark curls longer now, still wearing a neat and clean kilted uniform despite his status. His dark brown eye brightened with recognition as he took her in, though the other, an eye with blue glass, did not react. The original eye had been blue, too, but it had fallen victim to an attempt on his life by Caiside's own brother.

"Lorcan!" Adair exclaimed. She hurried forward and hesitated for a moment. "It's all right if I hug you?"

Lorcan laughed and nodded. "I'd say so. Ye're practically me wife's sister, after all, are ye not?"

Her heart warmed by those words, Adair gave him a brief but tight embrace before pulling back.

"And Duncan," Lorcan greeted. "Back so soon. And who's the third member of yer party?"

"Laird McLeod," Henry greeted respectfully, nodding his head though not getting up from his seat. His leg wound had worsened over the last few days, and though he could fight if he had to, he was likely going to end up with a limp forever. "Me name is Henry. We met briefly a year ago when ye graced Laird Martin with a visit. I was just a guard then; naebody of note."

"I was Captain of the guard once as well, Henry," Lorcan told him kindly. "Never underestimate yer importance. I was…sorry tae hear what happened tae Laird Martin and his family. They were good people, and I promise ye they'll see justice."

"Thank ye, me Laird." Henry sighed, but smiled. "And I'm sure the new Laird Martin will do a fine job carryin' on their name. His new scribe will keep him in check, for sure."

The mention of Isobel didn't bother Adair now, not when she knew the full truth. In fact, she found herself smiling too, wondering briefly how well Isobel was getting on with Allan. But that thought was wiped from her mind as the second person entered.

The woman's deep cocoa brown curls were expertly twisted up onto her head to keep them out of the way, though it was clear from their thickness they still reached down to her waist if not even further. Her eyes, still blue as a glacier in the winter, shone, and her pointed, pretty features made her look every part the favored apprentice of a White Witch.

"Caiside!" Adair cried out at the same time as Caiside exclaimed, "Adair!"

The two women ran and fell into each other's arms, hugging and laughing and sobbing for several moments until they managed to collect themselves. When they finally drew back, they remained holding hands, looking each other over carefully.

"What are ye doing here?" Caiside asked her, sounding truly confused. "I just received yer letter a few days ago, I…" She trailed off, her eyes falling on Duncan once more, and then she sighed. "It…it wasnae yer letter, was it? It was a false message."

"Oh, like a trap?" Lorcan asked, in surprise so dramatic that even Adair could tell that he was lightly teasing his wife, though the relief and concern he was feeling were obvious and not so very far from the surface. "If only someone could have predicted such a thing."

"Yes, love, ye're very clever," Caiside replied, sounding unperturbed by his teasing. "Adair?"

"I ken the letter ye received and the instructions ye were given. Duncan telt me everythin'," Adair replied. "But ye're right, both of ye—it's not the letter I sent. I had much different tidin's tae give tae ye than arrangin' some covert meetin'. I'm so sorry that they tried tae use me tae get tae ye. If I kent this would happen, I…"

Caiside waved her hand in gentle but firm dismissal of those words. "Nonsense. How could ye have kent? Though ye've done me only a mild disservice in showin' up here; me husband will never let me live down the fact that we argued and, for once, he was right."

Adair's heart warmed as they all laughed a little at that, though the joy was soured somewhat as she considered the news she really did have to tell Caiside. This could wait, though—first, she had an introduction to make.

"Caiside, this is Henry," she said after the amusement had died down. "Aye. That Henry. He's helped me all this time, saved me life over again. He's come tae help me get the message tae ye that I needed tae. And Henry, this is Caiside."

This time, Henry did pull himself to his feet. Lorcan hurried over and helped him steady himself, a small gesture that warmed Adair's heart to see. It did her good to know that Caiside had truly married a good man. "I met ye as well, Lady Caiside, when ye visited Clan Martin, though of course neither of us kent who the other truly was then. I've heard much of ye since reunitin' with Adair. Thank ye for havin' us here."

"And thank ye for comin' all this way, sir, and my condolences on the loss of yer Laird," Caiside replied, though the words seemed almost automatic. She was staring at Henry with nothing short of wonder in her eyes. "Ye are the Henry who helped Adair escape that terrible Laird who held her imprisoned all those years ago?"

Caiside, of course, didn't know the full story—only Fia did—but she knew enough to know how significant Henry had been in Adair's life. Adair saw Henry redden a little at the praise, and she cleared her throat and stepped in to save him.

"That terrible Laird is why we're here, me friend," she said. "The Laird who captured me…it was Laird McNair. Aye, the same Laird who burned Clan Martin tae almost nothin' and is ravagin' surroundin' clans even now."

Caiside and Lorcan both looked stunned. They exchanged a look that seemed to communicate a thousand words, then Lorcan said, "But what did he want with Caiside? It's clear he must have been who the false letter was from, so…"

"Oh, dinnae start with the 'I told ye so'!" Caiside exclaimed, but behind her laugh there was clear worry.

"It's worse than it sounds," Henry said grimly. "It isnae just McNair. It's…he's managed to convince Laird McMillan that yer treaty is void. The reason he's got so much power at the moment is that the two clans have been workin' together tae destroy ye."

Caiside paled. She and Lorcan exchanged another look, then Caiside sighed. "Ye should go rest, all of ye. Lorcan and I clearly need tae talk about the news, and…and, well, after that, we'll discuss what tae do next over a hot meal."

Adair wanted to argue, but exhaustion suddenly made her body sag, and she realized that rest was exactly what she needed. She nodded, and when Caiside called her maid, she allowed the woman to lead her away.

A hot bath awaited on the other end of the hallway, so freshly drawn that steam curled from the surface. Adair sank into it with a deep sigh, allowing the heated water to soothe her aching, screaming muscles and closing her eyes. After she'd assured the maid she didn't need anything further, she was at last left alone, just her and her thoughts.

As the water caressed her naked skin and the steam rolled lazily over the edges of the tub, Adair had to admit to herself that there was no room in her mind right at this second to think of McNair or McMillan or any of it. Instead, in this moment of relaxation, she allowed her thoughts to return at last to the kiss. The way it had felt, blistering hot and intense; the way her body had responded, like she had been on the receiving end of a lightning strike…

She sank into the tub a little deeper, allowing the water to lap over her shoulders. What was Henry doing now? Was he bathing too? The thought made her blush so deeply that the water suddenly seemed almost cool compared to her skin.

How silly, that she of all people should react that way to the very idea of a man bathing! As a healer, she had seen all sorts of nakedness and treated wounds in all sorts of uncomfortable places. She'd even seen Henry mostly unclothed as she worked on his injuries after the fighting. And yet, and yet…there was somehow something different about imagining him now, no fear or anguish surrounding him, laying in the bath as she did, with his chest glistening above the water. Was he thinking of her as she thought of him? The thought made her shiver.

There was much that Adair still had to experience in this life, much that she dreamed about and wished for, and she knew that wanting Henry was a big part of that. Was it all right to want him, now that she knew the truth about Isobel? She thought so, but she also knew that she'd never be able to take things further with him, to show him how passionately she felt and feel his passion in return, until he'd officially spoken with the girl he loved in the wrong way. Isobel deserved better than what she was getting now, and so did Henry.

And so did Adair.

She sank so deep into the tub that only her face remained above the water, thinking again of the kiss. How it had sung to her! How it had made her feel alive! If she was to live, she wanted that kind of life every day.

But a disturbing thought chilled her, breaking the magic and making her splash back up into a sitting position. They would never get the chance at that peace, at that love, at that heat and passion, until this fight was done. And Adair could never allow herself to rest until she knew Caiside was safe.

The answer came to her in a flash then—an idea so simple, so dangerous, that it could change everything. And maybe, if everything went perfectly, they could finally get their happily ever after.

That, or she would die trying. She shivered again, this time in worry rather than anticipation, because she did not want to think about how likely the second option really was.

"We know he's still sore about losing me," Adair explained over dinner, determinedly not looking at either Henry or Caiside as she spoke and instead focusing all her attention on Lorcan. "And so we let him ken that I ken he intercepted me letter. He has no idea I came here. We tell him that Duncan found me instead, and I will go tae him in exchange for protection of the clan and sparin' Caiside's life."

"Are ye mad?" Henry spluttered. "Ye cannae possibly think that's a good idea. Even if he tells ye that he accepts, he'll just massacre the clan the second he has ye on the altar. I willnae allow this."

"It isnae for ye tae allow or not," Adair said stubbornly, finally meeting his eyes. "And I'm nae fool. I ken he would break his word given the chance. But that's why the real plan is this: I'm simply bait. I will go and distract his men, and then Lorcan and his men, and Henry as well, can attack. We can kill or capture as necessary and prevent the ambush, and gain what information we can tae put an end tae all of this once and for all."

"This is far too dangerous," Caiside objected. "Let me go instead as was the original plan. I cannae in good conscience allow ye tae risk yer life more than ye already have for my sake."

But Lorcan shook his head. "Adair's right," he said after a moment. "Caiside, if ye go, ye'll likely be killed. Everyone kens ye're the real power behind this clan. Bonny as ye may be, there's nae chance a man like McNair will leave ye alive. But if Adair goes…McNair is obsessed with her, based on what ye yerself told me. Is that nae so, Henry?"

Henry startled at being addressed, then reluctantly nodded. "Aye. He would ensure that his men captured her rather than killed her, that much is true. But I still dinnae like this."

"Nae more do I," Caiside added, though she sounded less certain now. "Adair, is this really worth the risk?"

"Would ye do it? If I was the one in danger?" Adair asked, looking up and staring Caiside in the eye. "Tell me ye wouldnae, and I'll relent. Because that's what ye were ready tae do before I arrived, was it nae? March intae danger alone at only me word?"

Caiside held her gaze for a moment, then dropped it and sighed. "All right. All right. But ye must be careful, Adair. I'd never forgive meself if anythin' happened tae ye."

Henry cursed, but didn't object any further, for which Adair was grateful. Duncan cleared his throat and spoke up for the first time.

"So, will ye be wantin' me tae take this new message tae that scumbag McNair's representative?" Duncan asked, looking between them all. He sounded nervous but resolute nonetheless, and Adair loved him for it.

"No, I dinnae think so. I'll send another messenger, one who isnae wearin' McLeod colors and who isnae well kent," Caiside said after a moment. A thoughtful look was on her face, and Adair could tell she was plotting something. "Duncan, I have another job for ye, if ye're up for it."

Lorcan grinned, obviously on the same level of understanding as his wife. "Brilliant, me love," he said. "Brilliant."

"Tell me what ye need and I'm yers, lass," Duncan told her.

Caiside smiled. "In that case, I need ye tae take a message tae me uncle Shamos. It's time we called in some help in sortin' out this mess for good."