Page 16 of Savage Kilted Highlander (Temptation in Tartan #9)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
T he realization made her even more curious about him. She finished her first bannock and while she was buttering the second, she asked, “Bane, will you tell me know what this mission you are on is, that made you kidnap me in the first place?”
He swallowed and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I suppose it daesnae matter now if I tell ye. Remember, I didnae set out tae abduct ye, Constance. It was yer sister Lady Agnes I was after.”
“Oh, yes. I had almost forgotten that. You have never told me how you happened to end up with me. Did something go wrong with your plan?”
He drank some hot chocolate before answering. “Aye. The truth is, I’d been plannin’ tae abduct Agnes fer months. I thought it would be simple. I’d go tae Castle Ferniehurst, watch fer a few days tae see her movements, then find an opportunity tae take her.”
“But why? What is it you planned to get in exchange for her return to our father?”
“Me braither, Tav,” he told her simply. “He went missin’ a year ago, and witnesses told me they saw him bein’ taken off by some of Laird Kerr’s soldiers. He’s bein’ kept prisoner inside the castle. I thought that if I could take Lady Agnes, I could get her faither, yer faither, tae give me back Tav in exchange fer her.”
Constance was shocked. “Your brother? That is what all this is about? You want your brother back?”
“Aye.”
She frowned, her bannock poised halfway to her mouth, trying to make sense of it all. “But why should my father have taken your brother prisoner? What reason could he have for doing that? I mean, you said that you and Tav are blacksmiths. If Tav has committed no crime, then why should my father wish to take him away and lock him up?”
Bane shrugged. “I’ve nay idea, but that’s what he did. I spent a few days watching the castle, seein’ how many guards they have, that sort of thing. I was expectin’ tae see Lady Agnes out and about. But there was nay sight nor sound of her. I saw yer faither but nae her. Then, on the day, the castle was thrown open tae celebrate easter and the end of lent, before I found ye in the forest.”
“Yes, I remember. It seemed to be quite a party,” Constance said.
“Aye, and that was the first time I got inside the castle and saw Lady Agnes.” He looked at her across the table. “Ye’re as alike as two peas in a pod. I dinnae ken how anyone could tell the difference between ye. But havin’ said that, I could nae get as close tae her as I wanted.”
“Why not?” Constance asked, forgetting her mouth was full again.
“Because she had an armed guard around her keepin’ everyone away. I got talkin’ tae a pie-seller, and he told me that the laird never lets Lady Agnes go anywhere without an armed guard, that she hardly ever leaves the castle at all.” He put a piece of bacon in his mouth and chewed it.
“I see how that would pose a problem for you,” Constance said, licking honey from her fingers.
“Aye. I left the castle and went back tae me observation point tae try tae think of a way around it. I kent I couldnae just abandon me plan tae get Tav back. And that’s when I heard someone comin’ through the trees. When I peeked tae see who it was, I thought I must be seein’ things. Either that or the pie-man had been lyin’ tae me.”
“You must have been very surprised—to see Lady Agnes there out on her own, wearing men’s clothing,”.”
He laughed. “Surprised is nae the word. Stunned is more like it. At first, I could nae believe it. I thought I must be seein’ things. But I was sure it was her. That long auburn hair was unmistakeable. Then I thought, this must be the luckiest day of me life, a miracle of sorts. I thought God was smilin’ on me, givin’ me mission tae save Tav his blessin’.”
“I understand now how you ended up with me,” Constance said. “I wondered why you believed me so readily when I told you I am Laird Kerrs’ daughter.”
“Aye. Well, know ye ken the whole story.” He sat back from the table, looking replete.
“Not quite, neither of us do,” she said, frowning. “It is very concerning to me to hear about what happened to Tav. Why should my father have imprisoned him like that for seemingly no reason? I am glad to hear that my sister is alive. But from what you tell me, it does not sound as if she leads a very happy life. It seems as though my father is keeping Agnes a virtual prisoner in the castle, just like your brother. I know it is her home, but I can assure you from my life at Ashbourne Manor, however comfortable a prison is, it is still a prison. It is all very troubling, because now I am starting to wonder if my father can be a good man.”
“Well, ye’ll soon be able tae find that out fer yersel’, when we get back tae the castle in a few days’ time and make the exchange.”
Constance nodded thoughtfully, surprised to discover she was not looking forward to that as much now as she had previously. In fact, she wondered if she might not be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
“I reckon we can stay here at the inn for another day. The day after that, we’ll make our way back the way we came. We’ll go tae the castle and ask tae see yer faither. I’ll get Tav back, and ye can be with yer sister. Yer faither will get his other daughter back, and everyone will be happy.”
“Yes, everyone will be happy,” Constance echoed, not so certain she would. What sort of man was her father? The awful possibility dawned on her that he could be just like Lord Ashbourne, cold and controlling. If he kept Agnes locked up inside the castle and never let her go anywhere without an armed guard then would he not be likely to do that to her as well? Now Bane had given her a taste of freedom to be herself, she was not sure she wanted to trade it for another comfortable prison.
She pushed her doubts aside for the time being and asked a question that had occurred to her during his story. “Bane, I told you I was not Agnes, that my father was not expecting me, does not even know me. And Agnes was in the castle. She was not missing, so no one was searching for her. So, why did you force me to make this terrible trek across the country?”
“Agnes was in the castle, aye. As far as anyone knew, she was nae missin’, so there was nay alarm. But just think what would have happened if someone who knew her saw ye with me. Ye’re identical twins. They would naturally assume it was her and come after me. I had tae stick tae me plan and get away from his lands tae be safe. Ye’re me only chance of getting’ me braither back, Constance.”
“I understand now. And despite all you’ve put me through, I admire you for doing all you can to save your brother. I keep forgetting that Agnes and I look identical and that you thought I was her at first.”
“Exactly. I thought ye were lying’ tae me when ye told me ye were nae her. But then ye kept talkin’ in that English accent of yers, and I thought that Agnes must either be a bloody good actress or that ye were telling the truth, and ye really are her twin. Now I ken ye were.”
“Don’t talk like that about my accent!” She had no idea why that was suddenly important to her.
“Aye, it is very strange. Tae me Scottish ears, anyway,” he replied with a grin.
“Well, you sound like, like… your mouth is stuffed with porridge!” It was a weak offence, she knew, but it was the best she could come up with in the spur of the moment.
Bane burst out laughing. “Well, being a Scot, I’ve eaten plenty of porridge in me life, so maybe that explains it.”
She burst out laughing as well, but inside, she felt a little sad to think that in a few days’ time, she and Bane would part forever. But she would be with Agnes, she told herself. The hollow inside her heart would be filled by her twin sister. She should have been overjoyed that that ordeal was finally coming to an end. But the sadness did not go away.
“So, I figured we could stay here at the inn until the day after tomorrow and then leave y fer the castle,” Bane suddenly said.
“What a relief. I thought you were going to make me go out in the cold again.”
“What would be the point of that? I think we’re safe here. What would ye like tae ae with the rest of our time here?”
She thought about it, and the answer came swiftly. “Well, the first thing I would like to do is to have a hot bath.”
Bane smiled. “I’m nae sure about that. There’s a horse trough out in the yard. Ye could have a bath in there if ye chip away the ice first.”
“Oh, let’s go down there now, so I can push you in it,” she retorted, giggling. “Seriously, I should like to have a bath and put on my new dress. Then you could take me out to see the sights of the town.”
“That’s nae a bad idea. I think I could dae with a nice hot bath mesel’. D’ye fancy sharin’ it with me?”
She was scandalized by the suggestion.
“No, I would not! Get your own bath.” It was only when he broke into laugher again that she realized he was teasing her. “You think you are funny, but you are not. I know you like to make fun of me because you think I am a silly prude, but it is the way I have been brought up. Where I come from, a young lady cannot even be in the same room with a man alone, unless he is ancient or a family member. You have no idea how hard it is to shake that off after living with it for so long. It is normal to me to think of my reputation at all times. If a lady takes a wrong step, she will be utterly ruined and loose her value.”
“Ugh, it sounds tae me like English women of yer class are treated like horses or some expensive chattel. How can bein’ in the same room as a man ruin ye? ’Tis a stupid idea,” he said scornfully. “Of course, ’tis much the same here with the nobler classes. Women are used as pawns in makin’ marriages that bring more wealth tae the wealthy. But in me opinion, too much value is put on a lassie’s virginity and nae enough on the lassie hersel’.”
Constance blushed madly and felt very uncomfortable when he said “virginity” like that, even though she agreed with what he was saying. He went on, oblivious to her embarrassment. “I mean, take ye and Agnes. As the daughters of a laird, yer husband will expect ye tae be a maid when he marries ye. But the lower classes dinnae care about such things so much. A woman has her own value that has naethin’ tae dae with that.”
It was such a startlingly novel idea, especially coming from a hard, gruff man like Bane, Constance could only stare at him in amazement as she took it in. She had been brought up to believe her only worth lay in how men and the society she dwelt within, perceived her. Was she pretty, dainty? Was she obedient and well-behaved? Was she chaste? Would she make a good match? Such things were its measure of her value.
But Bane, the man she had previously thought of as a Scottish savage, evidently did not see her that way at all. She might be his prisoner now, a gaming piece in his plan to get his brother back, but that had nothing to do with her being a woman. That was mere circumstance. In his eyes, she was a human being like him who happened to be a woman, with her own thoughts and ideas and the ability to make her own decisions.
Here, I can be the person I really am . I can even choose who I fall in love with and want to be with.
Strangely, as she looked over at Bane, that suddenly seemed of great importance.