Page 33 of Healing the Highland Sinner (Tales of the Maxwell Lasses #7)

CHAPTER 33

A fter spending time with Ellair, Rosalind decided to retreat to her room to clean herself up and get herself ready for the task ahead of her. Her skin still tingled, and she couldn’t seem to wipe the smile from her lips as memories of being with Ellair drifted through her mind. She had no idea what was ahead of her. She didn’t know if she was going to survive the coming fight. But she was glad that, if nothing else, she gave herself one last memory that set her heart ablaze.

She paused and stared at her reflection in the looking glass. She raised a hand and pressed her fingertips to her lips, still feeling them tingling from his kiss. The memories of having him inside of her, one final time, sent shivers of pleasure through her body. Her mind though, threw a bucket of icy cold water over her thoughts, forcing her to recall the reason it was her last time with him, reminding her of his deception and betrayal.

The smile slipped from her lips and the tingles in her body faded, replaced by a cold chill that swept through her, taking all the pleasurable memories with it. Rosalind turned away from the looking glass and picked up her saddlebag, slinging it over her shoulder and checking one more time to make sure she had everything she needed and nodded to herself.

“All right, lass,” she whispered to herself. “’Tis time.”

Through the wall, she heard Ciar snoring loudly in the room next to hers and smiled wanly. If this all went bad, she would miss him the most. He had stuck by her side through the good times and the bad. He had watched her back and kept her safe for many years. But this was one time she couldn’t have him by her side. She needed him to keep up appearances with Laird Gunn. Needed Ciar to have her back by holding the fancy folk, as he called them, to their word. If this all went bad, she was going to need him to lead the laird’s men into Sinclair’s stronghold himself.

“Goodbye old friend,” she whispered. “May we see each other again soon, be it in this world or the next one.”

Rosalind slipped out of her room and gently closed the door behind her. Moving swiftly and quietly, she padded through the inn and down the stairs, taking care to keep from waking anybody. She passed through the common room. Two men sat near the fireplace, holding onto their cups as if their lives depended on it, engaged in a quiet conversation. They didn’t even look up as she flitted through and out the front door.

Rosalind made her way to the stable, where her horse was bedded down. The stable boy was long gone for the night. She walked into the darkened interior of the stable and found an oil lamp sitting on a barrel beside the door. Rosalind fumbled for something to light it with and cursing under her breath, she finally managed to get the wick lit.

The dim glow dispelled the shadows around her as she made her way toward the rear of the stable where her horse was kept. She turned the corner and stopped short, her heart jumping straight into her throat. She quickly gathered herself and tucked a thick lock of her chestnut-colored hair behind her ear, managing an indignant expression.

“What in the bleedin’ hell are ye daein’ here?” she asked.

Ellair casually sat in a chair in front of her horse’s pen, boots up on the railing. “I’m nae lettin’ ye go tae Sinclair’s stronghold?—”

“Ye’re nae goin’ tae stop me,” she hissed.

“I’m nae tryin’ tae stop ye?—”

“I’m goin’,” she spat.

“I understand I cannae stop ye. ‘Tis why I’m comin’ with ye.”

“’Tis nae yer choice?—”

She bit off her words and blinked as she stared at him, his words bouncing around in her head. She’d heard him but wasn’t sure she’d understood him.

“I’m comin’ with ye,” he repeated as she continued staring at him blankly.

She shook her head, trying to gather her wits. “’Tis me choice tae go. Alone.”

“’Tis nae yer choice where I go or dinnae go either,” he said. “Ye try tae leave me behind, I’ll just follow ye. So, ye might as well accept the fact that I’m comin’ with ye.”

His gaze was direct, piercing, and his tone was firm and brooked no argument. She had no doubt he would follow her if she tried to leave him behind.

“I cannae trust ye,” she said.

“Ye’re goin’ tae have tae,” he replied. “Have I ever let harm come tae ye before?”

He hadn’t—a point Ciar had made to her several times. She had no reason to think he would let harm come to her now.

“Ye told me ye’ve got a duty tae yer laird. Tae yer mission,” she said.

“And ye told me I’ve got a decision tae make. I can dae me duty tae me laird or I can keep me word tae ye,” he countered. “I’ve made me decision, Rosalind. I choose ye.”

His words hit her like a bolt of lightning, searing her veins and igniting a firestorm inside of her. Hearing him say he chose her made her heart swell so large, she thought it might burst straight out of her chest. It was what she’d longed to hear for so long. Something she had always wanted—a man who put her before anything else.

But she choked back the wave of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. It hadn’t always been so. He’d put his duty ahead of her. That was how they’d ended up where they were. He hadn’t chosen her. Not in the beginning. And knowing that helped to temper her emotions. Kept her from getting carried away. Choosing her when it was hard—when he hadn’t—was what truly counted.

“’Tis a little late fer that, isnae it?” she asked.

“Better late than never.”

She put an expression of annoyed indignation back on her face and folded her arms over her chest. The truth of the matter was, there was part of Rosalind glad to have him with her, but she would not show him that.

“Fine. Since I cannae keep ye from followin’ me, the best thing I can dae is be able tae keep a bleedin’ eye on ye so ye dinnae get me killed,” she huffed.

A flicker of a smile touched his lips, and she scowled at him. He immediately covered his mouth with his hand and turned away.

“Nay smilin’ at me,” she ordered.

“Of course. As ye command.”

“Then help me saddle me horse.”

“Already done,” he said.

He opened the pen, and she found two horses—his and hers—saddled and ready to ride. She sighed and shook her head.

“Of course, ye did,” she muttered. “Fine. Let’s go.”

“As ye wish.”

They got mounted and headed out of the stable. The night was dark with a waning moon casting the world around them in a pale, cold light. They rode in silence, cutting through the forest and along trails Rosalind still knew like the back of her hand, though she had not traveled them in quite some time.

“Ye ken where this stronghold is?” he asked, breaking the silence between them.

“Nay, I just thought we’d ride around in circles for a while,” she snapped.

She turned and cast a dark glare at Ellair as he chuckled to himself. Rosalind was desperately trying to cling to her anger. She did not want to let go of it, lest she lose herself in him as she’d done before. She knew she could not bear to let him back in only to suffer another betrayal. Her heart was broken enough as it was.

The ride through the hills and trees of the forest was long and arduous and as they approached the cave she was looking for, she signaled for him to dismount. They climbed off their horses and tied them to a nearby tree and motioned to the darkened mouth of the cave that was partially obscured, from where they stood, by a thick screen of bushes.

“We need tae approach the cave quietly,” she whispered. “Sinclair may have men inside standin’ watch fer all we ken.”

“What’s in the cave he’d need tae guard?”

She rolled her eyes. “Need ye ask so many bleedin’ questions?”

“’Tis only one question,” he replied. “And I’d like tae ken what we’re walkin’ intae before we actually walk intae it.”

Rosalind sighed. “After the laird who built this compound died without an heir, it fell intae disrepair. ‘Twas a popular place fer smugglers tae hide their goods. ‘Twas a neutral ground of sorts. Nay sort of fightin’ or thievin’ was tolerated. ‘Twas open tae all,” she said. “Over the years, before even the smugglers abandoned it, they built a series of tunnels that led under the curtain wall and intae the compound.”

“Escape tunnels.”

“Aye. Escape tunnels,” she replied. “I figure we can use them tae get intae the compound, find me braither, then use them tae get back out without raisin’ any alarm.”

He flashed her a grin. “’Tis a lot of hope in that plan.”

“Ye’re welcome tae stay out here and guard the horses.”

Ellair pulled a face. “Ye’ll nae get rid of me that easily. I told ye, I made me choice,” he said firmly. “I’m comin’ with ye.”

“Then move quickly, quietly, and only when I tell ye tae. Ye got me?”

“Aye, master. I got ye.”

“Dinnae call me that. And stop bein’ such a donkey.”

He chuckled. “I cannae help what I am.”

She turned away so he couldn’t see her lips quirking up in a smile. It quickly faded though, as she drew her dagger and motioned for Ellair to follow her. They flitted through the darkness like shadows, moving from tree to tree, bush to bush, until they stood outside the mouth of the cave with their backs pressed to the stony wall, silent and listening.

“I dinnae hear anythin’ in there,” she said softly.

He shook his head. “Me either.”

Before she could say more, Ellair drew his sword and plunged into the darkness of the cave ahead of her. She wanted to be angry with him for taking control of the situation like that, but there was part of her that was relieved since she was still nowhere near as skilled with a blade as he was. She held her breath, tense, and waited.

“’Tis all clear,” his voice drifted out of the darkness. “Naebody’s here.”

Relief flooding her chest, Rosalind took her hand off the hilt of her dagger and stepped into the cave. Ellair was a few feet in, completely cloaked by the darkness. If she didn’t know he was in there, he could have snuck up on her and cut her down before she even knew he was there.

“The cave is shallow,” she said. “There’s a ladder that leads down intae the tunnel.”

“I’m surprised ‘tis nae guarded.”

“I’m guessin’ Sinclair daesnae ken about the tunnels,” she said. “Though, I suppose I shouldnae be surprised. He never was much fer the histories.”

As her eyes adjusted to the dim, ambient light, they walked to the back of the cave and just as she’d said, there was a large, dark hold with the top of a ladder poking out of it.

“There it is,” she said. “I should warn ye, the tunnels arenae very big. It will be a tight fit.”

“Well, let us hope they dinnae collapse on us while we’re in there.”

She chuckled darkly. “Thanks fer puttin’ that intae me head.”

He grinned at her as he stepped onto the ladder and began the descent into the tunnel below. She waited until he’d disappeared from view completely before stepping to the edge and looked down. The darkness was impenetrable.

“’Tis clear. Ye can come down,” Ellair’s voice drifted up to her. “And ye’re right. ‘Tis a very snug fit down here, but at least it feels sturdy though.”

Rosalind closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come. She had never been one for small, cramped places, and this tunnel was going to test her like very few things in her life ever had. She fixed Blaine’s face in her mind and said a silent prayer, asking for the strength to see this through. She opened her eyes and blew out a breath, then swung off the edge of the hole and onto the rickety ladder that trembled beneath her.

“Here goes naethin’,” she said and began to climb down.