Page 17 of Stolen Highland Dreams (The Highlanders #9)

16

D ashiell might be a chief, but Ella was doing this her way. She was the reason he had been attacked and had to get him help the best way she could. Her brother had been out gathering firewood and food with Amelda when Dashiell came to his senses.

She wasn’t going to send her brother through the woods to the castle, fearing harm might come to him. Though they both had practiced sword fighting, she was still taller than him and had a hefty swing when she put her mind to it. Still, Finnegan could also protect Dashiell while he remained here.

As Dashiell slept, she slipped out of the hut, having already told her brother to guard him, Amelda, and Mina at all costs. He’d wanted to go because he could speak, but she was afraid Dashiell’s men might return him to the castle, maybe even punish him for leaving his post like he did.

She moved like a wolf through the woods, staying low and quiet until she came to the stream. The full moon was shown across the ripples of water, making it seem so bright. She was afraid if she crossed the stream, MacAfee’s men would see her if they were still about.

Then she saw some of Dashiell’s men across the stream. The one named Fallon shouted, “There’s Ella!”

Instead of fleeing, she waved at them and motioned to them to come with her into the forest. She tried to say Dashiell’s name. Her lips parted, and she tried to push a word out. She was nearly in tears for failing him.

The horses were already riding her way. Before she could run to where the hut was, one of the men grabbed her onto his saddle. “Dashiell? You know where he is?”

She nodded and said, “Aye.”

Fallon said, “You…you spoke. Say the word again.”

She motioned for him to go in the direction of the hut.

“What if it is a trap?” one of the men asked.

She shook her head and pointed to the east.

“Say the word again,” Fallon implored as he rode toward the hut.

She couldn’t. She didn’t know how she’d managed to whisper out the word or how he’d even heard it. She’d barely heard the word herself, and it had sounded strange to her ears.

“I see naught here,” one of the men said.

“Go,” she said, much more forcibly than she’d spoken before. She couldn’t believe she had said another word. She pointed at the brambles. They couldn’t see it in the darkness, even with their torches, until they dismounted.

Fallon handed her down to Quinn and held her wrist as if he feared letting her run again. Not when they finally had her in custody. But she wasn’t running this time. MacAfee had now made an enemy of Dashiell, so she and Dashiell were on the same side.

She pulled Quinn toward the entryway, and he bent over low to get into the hut. Once inside, he could only bend over—unable to stand his full height. She thought that was another reason the blacksmith had said he couldn’t stay with them.

“He’s in here!” Quinn shouted.

“No need to shout,” Dashiell said, then he smiled to see Quinn, his hand firmly grasping Ella’s wrist. “She and her kin are coming with us. MacAfee is the one who killed her family, the late chief of Cairn Castle, and ambushed us. Are our men all right?”

“Aye, we killed the brigands, but we couldna find you,” Quinn said.

Fallon poked his head into the shelter, their torches lighting the small hut.

“Ella brought me here and cared for me. She and Mina are healers,” Dashiell said.

Mina was sitting up on her bed, her arm wrapped protectively around Amelda’s shoulders.

“As you all know, Finnegan is our blacksmith’s apprentice. The wee lassie, Amelda, can help with the gardens. Do we have enough of a force here to protect everyone on the way to the castle?”

“Aye. More than enough,” Quinn said, “as soon as we discovered you missing.” He glanced at Ella. “Can we move him?”

Mina said, “Aye, gently. He will be abed for days, mayhap longer.”

Then they moved Mina, Ella, and her kin out of the hut. Fallon and Quinn searched it for clues about the family’s history.

They looked through the drying herbs hanging from the thatched roof, then examined the empty cauldron still situated over the fireplace, the ashes grown cold. Fallon touched the edge of a rusty well-worn ax resting on its side against one of the walls. Quinn lifted the straw mattresses on each of two beds placed beside two of the walls. A fireplace built of locally quarried honey-colored limestone was situated against one wall.

“You would have thought someone would have seen the smoke from the hearth at some time or another,” Dashiell said as he considered the stones of the fireplace.

Fallon touched it and pulled a loose stone free.

“Whew,” Quinn said, “I was afraid the whole thing would come tumbling down.”

Fallon reached the opening and found a black bag embroidered with fine stitching and beads.

“What is in it?” Dashiell asked.

Fallon dumped the contents onto one of the beds and ran his hand through the items. “Violets, dried and withered, thirty gold sovereigns, around the same in shillings, a gold brooch encrusted with diamonds, a hair comb set with pearls, and a note.” He examined the note but then handed it to Quinn. “I canna read it as it is so faded.”

“I can only see the name at the beginning of the letter. It appears to be addressed to a Lady Marg…I canna make out the rest,” Quinn said.

“Margery? Or perhaps, Margaret?” Dashiell said as he looked at the letter.

Fallon pushed at the rest of the items and said, “There is a key as well.”

“A key?” Dashiell examined the small, ornate brass key. “To a chest, I suspect. See if the chest is here.”

The men searched for a chest but found only a girl’s blue woolen shawl folded beneath one of the beds, a few other articles of clothing, and a couple of new gowns being sewn. Dashiell examined the fine material.

“Take everything with us that you can. They willna be returning here,” Dashiell said.

“Aye,” Quinn said and had a couple of men gather everything together.

Fallon pulled Dashiell on the toboggan out of the hut, and Dashiell groaned. “Gently, the healer said.”

“He has always been the worst when he is abed, and a healer has to see to his wounds,” Fallon said to Quinn.

Fallon climbed onto his horse, and one of the men helped lift Dashiell onto his lap. Amelda was handed up to one of the men. Finnegan took the helping hand of another man and sat behind him on his horse. Mina was gently lifted into another mounted man’s waiting arms.

“Dinna drop me,” she said, serious as could be.

Quinn mounted his horse, and another man lifted Ella up to him. She planned to ride behind him like her brother did with the other man! “I hate to say this because the timing is so bad, but Lady Lantana has arrived from the king’s court in Edinburgh, sweet and attentive, nothing like the spiteful and malicious Lady Lynette,” Quinn said.

“‘Tis up to her, but I willna be entertaining any lass.” However, Dashiell glanced at Ella as she and Quinn began crossing the stream on horseback. He would make an exception in her case.

Everyone was watchful, on alert in case they were attacked further, but everything seemed quiet now. They finally reached the castle walls, the gates were opened, and the whole party of men and Ella and her kin entered the outer bailey.

The gates closed, and they headed for the stables while the grooms took hold of the horses and would feed and water them. Dashiell was so relieved they had finally all arrived here safely.

Dashiell was taken inside and up to his chamber, where Mai soon joined him. But he wanted to see Ella.

“What about Ella and her family and Mina?” Fallon asked.

“Find a bedchamber for Ella and Amelda. Mina can stay with them. The lad will stay with Theo.”

“So will he still be an apprentice for the blacksmith?” Fallon asked.

“If Theo is agreeable. We’ll talk about it on the morrow. For now, see that he gets settled in. If Mina tells the truth, they are a chief’s family, and we’ll treat them as such.”

“Aye.”

“If Ella isna too tired, I wish to speak with her,” Dashiell said before his cousin could leave.

“Aye. You do remember Lady Lantana is here?” Fallon mentioned again.

“What has that got to do with anything?” Dashiell wasn’t about to tell him he wanted desperately to speak with Ella, to thank her for coming to his aid at great risk to her and her family, and for going for help while facing the same danger.

“Aye.” Fallon smiled and then left. Before Dashiell could give his advisor orders, Fallon poked his head into the bedchamber again. “She spoke.”

“What?”

“Ella. Two words. Very softly. Barely audible. Hesitant. The words she spoke were: go and aye.”

Dashiell’s jaw dropped. Then he looked at Mai, and she smiled. “‘Tis a good sign. I’ve heard tell that when someone goes mute over a tragedy, if they begin talking again, before long, you willna even know they couldna before.”

“Send her here.” Dashiell was desperate to hear her speak to him.

“Aye.” Fallon hurried off, and Dashiell swore Ella had gifted Fallon something special before anyone else heard her speak.

Quinn said, “She said them in desperation as she wanted us to find you and get you to safety.”

That declaration made Dashiell feel all the more love for the lass.

Ella still couldn’t believe she had been able to utter two words. It had been such a struggle to get them out, and she was afraid that was all she could ever do. For now, though, she, her cousin, and Mina were taking turns bathing in warm water in a tub in the bedchamber, which was unbelievably wonderful.

They’d been given clothes and one large bed to sleep in, and Mina had a trundle bed next to one of the walls covered in furs. This was just heavenly. Ella was still worried about Dashiell’s wound and recovery and wanted to see him again soon.

A knock sounded on the door, and Flora opened it, came in, and shut it. “Beg pardon, my lady, but Dashiell is asking to see you,” she said to Ella.

Ella hurried out of the tub and dried herself off, but before she could put on the borrowed gown, Flora came over and helped her. She vaguely remembered how a maid would help her dress when she was younger, but those times were gone.

It seemed strange to have someone assist her. Ella was worried Dashiell was ill from all the jostling while they moved him from the hut to the castle. She was eager to see him and glad he had called for her.

“He wishes to see you. I believe he is grateful that you saved his life.”

Relieved, Ella nodded. Once she was dressed, Flora led her to Dashiell’s quarters. The bed was even bigger, with a chest against one wall, leather armor, great kilts hanging on pegs on the wall, and a tapestry of a hunt on another. She stared at the tapestry, remembering it was hanging in her parents’ chamber.

This was their room. Dogs were chasing a boar on the tapestry, and men were racing after them on horseback, pikes readied.

“Ella,” Dashiell said, “come here, lass.”

Flora moved a chair next to the bed and motioned to it.

Ella sat down on the chair. Rarely had her siblings been allowed in this room, except when her mother gave birth to her brother when she was ten winters and when her da had been accidentally shot in the arm during a hunt.

Her da had been of good humor about it. The man who had accidentally shot him had worried he would be dead for the mistake. Her da had shown what a good leader he had been and excused him for the accident. Everyone loved him except for his brother, Lennox.

“Ella?”

She glanced at Dashiell again, lost in her thoughts.

He reached out for her hand and groaned.

She quickly took hold of his hand and gently squeezed, reassuring him she was there for him.

“I want to thank you for saving my life in the woods. If you hadna, I would have died. And again, when you went to fetch my men to bring me home, despite my telling you not to, I thank you.”

She inclined her head and glanced around the room again.

“Fallon said you spoke a couple of words. Can you speak to me? Unless you are too tired.” He moaned a little, and she quickly pressed her hand to his forehead and uttered silent words, as she had done when Lady Olivia gave birth to her son. It was instinctive to stop his pain, something Mina had taught her.

“Can I get you something?” Mai asked.

Ella shook her head at her and said in a whisper, “Nay.”

The healer’s eyes widened, and so did Dashiell’s.

Ella couldn’t believe she had spoken again. She was shocked at herself but hopeful she could continue to talk, even more than just a word. It would be so wonderful to speak with people and not have to write everything in the dirt.

Dashiell smiled. “You have come home, lass, and here you will stay.”