Page 12 of The Dark Highlander’s Heart (Thorns Of The Highlands #2)

11

A s Bryan made his way up to Katherine’s chamber, he found himself oddly anxious.

He had initially thought that inviting her to go on a ride with him to the village was a sound tactic; that if she had more of a chance to witness the daily lives of the Oliphant clan members, she would have additional proof that they were good and friendly people who meant no harm to the McGregors—or, indeed, anyone else.

He also could not deceive himself, however, in hoping that his charm might persuade her further as well.

The unspoken affection between them during some of their time together had been as palpable as it was unexpected. He hadn’t thought that she could possibly have those sorts of feelings for a man who had essentially kidnapped her the way he had.

Still, there was no denying that there was desire hanging between them at nearly every encounter.

Could he sweep her off her feet enough to make her seriously contemplate turning on her own father?

And even if he could, would his sense of honor allow him to employ such a tactic?

‘Tis not as though I am being false with her, or manipulating her callously , he thought as he neared her door. The feelings are mutual, after all. She is fair of face, swift of wit, and sweet of temperament. To be a true suitor to her would be …

But that notion made him slow to a stop.

No.

His duty had been made clear to him: To guard her closely so she would not escape, and to attempt to sway Lady Katherine to aiding the Oliphants.

Laird Alex’s words came back to him, and he knew that it could well complicate, perhaps even sabotage, his given mission if he were to confuse it with some strange courtship. It could lead to him dropping his guard, which could lead to her escape, which could compromise the safety of the Oliphants.

He needed to maintain his focus at all costs. He knew that.

So, Bryan would be charming, then, but within limits. He would befriend her without wooing her. He would win her over without seducing her.

A knife’s edge , he thought again glumly as he rapped on the door.

Katherine opened it, and Bryan’s breath caught in his throat.

She looked radiant.

Her hair had been washed, brushed, and beautifully coiffed, held up by jeweled combs and pins. She had shed the rumpled dress she’d been abducted in, in favor of a marvelous riding outfit of green and white that emphasized the marvelous curves of her body. She appeared fresh and rested, and he smelled perfume upon her.

“Well?” she asked with a small smile. “I heard that ye might invite me tae ride with ye this morning, and so I thought it best tae make myself presentable.”

“Far more than merely ‘presentable,’ I assure ye,” Bryan said. His voice was hushed, and for the moment, all thoughts of propriety with regard to his mission had left him. “Ye look exquisite. And aye, I had indeed hoped ye would accompany me.”

“Ye trust me on a horse, then?” she inquired with a playful smirk. “Ye dinnae worry that I might break away and flee upon my steed?”

“I would run ye down easily,” he replied with a rueful smile. “And I would find a way tae subdue ye without harming ye. I would ask, though, that ye dinnae ruin a fine afternoon by testing me on that score.”

She laughed, and the sound was like wind chimes tinkling in his heart. He did not want to wait another moment to see her riding under the golden sunlight, with the breeze in her chestnut-colored hair.

“Come,” he said, extending a hand to her. “Let us away, that we may enjoy every hour of glorious daylight available to us.”

Katherine beamed at him and took his hand, and together they went to the stables to select their horses.

The stable hand, a kindly old man named Clyde, nodded and smiled at Katherine when she entered with Bryan. Bryan had visited Clyde earlier that same day, to tell him of Bryan’s plan to take Katherine out for a ride. He’d done so in order to ensure that Clyde would take it in stride, rather than gawking at their McGregor visitor or making any comment about her presence there.

Bryan wanted to make her feel more than just welcome in their lands. He wished to do all that he could to make her feel like she was one of the Oliphants. That their people would gladly embrace her, far more than her own family had.

He knew it would take time and patience. Nevertheless, he was determined to try.

“I’ve selected two of the finest creatures in our stables for ye today,” Clyde croaked happily. He tottered to a pair of lovely-looking steeds and took their reins, bringing them over. “I’d like for ye both tae meet Heather and Bluebell. They’re sisters I acquired from a traveler a fortnight ago, and from what I’ve seen, they’re the fastest we have. The most docile as well.”

“They sound delightful,” Katherine exclaimed. “May I ride Bluebell?”

“Certainly, lass,” Clyde helped her into the saddle.

Bryan mounted Heather. “Follow closely, now!” he admonished lightly. “Dinnae make me chase ye.”

“I won’t,” Katherine agreed, but there was a daring gleam in her eye, as though she might choose to make him ride after her at that.

He led her away from the castle, toward the nearest village. He did not dare pull ahead of her too much, for he knew she may yet challenge him to pursue her—either in jest, or perhaps not. Either way, he could take no chances.

But when he frequently glanced over at her, he found her keeping pace with him easily. Each time, she gave him a reassuring smile, as if to tell him that she had chosen not to flee.

Not yet, at any rate.

Bryan knew that word of Lady Katherine’s peculiar captivity at Castle Oliphant would have traveled among the villagers over the past two days, and he fretted mildly that she might not receive a warm welcome when they arrived. Still, he felt confident that he could keep things under control and make sure they understood that she was to be treated as a guest rather than an enemy prisoner.

“These lands are beautiful,” she called out to him. “I feel that I am far more able tae enjoy the scenery, now that I am not trussed up on yer horse with an uncertain fate ahead of me.”

Bryan chuckled. “Aye, I hoped that would be the case.”

When they arrived in the village, Katherine did receive a few odd looks from the people there, but when they saw Captain Black at her side, they mostly just shrugged and went about their business.

She and Bryan dismounted and tied up their horses, and began to stroll through the avenues of the town. Katherine looked around, wide-eyed.

“What do ye think?” Bryan inquired mildly.

“It seems a wonderful place,” she replied quietly. “The lasses here are just like the ones back home, the mothers and daughters I helped with their sewing and the like.” She laughed to herself, bemused. “I’m not entirely sure what I expected tae see here.”

“‘The Other,’” Bryan suggested.

She blinked at him, confused. “I beg yer pardon?”

“‘Twas an unfortunate thing my own father tried tae impress upon me,” Bryan explained, “In order tae make me more committed tae thievery. It was too easy for me tae feel for the people we stole from, so he would come up with ways tae make me feel that we had nothing in common with them. That they were so different from us with their wealth and privilege; that they were nay even the same species as us. Realizing the falsity of that perspective was a large reason I chose tae defy him in the end. Likewise, yer father taught ye that Oliphants have no commonality with yer people. That we are the enemy.” He snickered. “No doubt ye expected tae find a pack of savages, crunching on the bones of our own bairns as we plotted the downfall of the McGregors.”

Katherine nodded slowly. “Aye, something like that, I suppose.”

As they strolled through the market square, there were more curious and belligerent glances from the Oliphant clansmen, though most of them continued on their way in silence. Katherine did her best to ignore them, and focused her attention on the sights and sounds around her; the blacksmith’s hammer hitting red-hot steel, the smell of baking bread, the voices of the shopkeepers and farmers calling out their wares and prices.

She spotted a little girl, no more than eight years old, walking alone. She approached her carefully, not wishing to startle her. “That’s a marvelous dress ye have on, lass,” she said to the girl. “Did yer mother make it for ye?”

The girl shook her head, smiling proudly. “I made it myself! It took weeks, but I think it turned out well. Look!” She twirled, showing off the garment from all sides. “My mother taught me how tae do it, though.”

“Is she here with ye?” Katherine asked.

The lass nodded, then took Katherine’s hand. “Come, I’ll take ye to her. She sells candles. Perhaps yer friend might buy one for ye?” she added, smiling up at Bryan.

“Och, ye’re a shrewd one and no mistake,” the captain laughed. “All right, then. Let us inspect yer mother’s wares, and see if any of them are worthy enough tae decorate Lady Katherine’s chambers.”

There was a table set up nearby, covered with candles of various shapes and sizes. The woman standing behind it looked pleased to see the girl, but when she saw who was accompanying her, the smile faded immediately.

“Come away, child!” the woman said coldly, gesturing for the girl to get away from Katherine. “We ought tae have no dealings with the likes of her.”

“Why not, Mama?” the girl asked innocently.

The woman stared daggers at Katherine. “She’s a McGregor. They are brutes and killers, and naught flows within their veins but poison.”

These words stung Katherine bitterly, and she noticed that there were other Oliphant clansmen forming a crowd around them. Their numbers seemed to make them bolder in their hatred of her, and they muttered among themselves darkly.

So much for finding a new community for myself , she thought gloomily. They do not want anything to do with me, any more than my father wanted anything to do with them .

“There is no need for ire,” Bryan said slowly. “She does not mean harm to any of ye.”

“No more than her sister did either, I suppose,” a voice in the crowd called out sardonically. Several others chimed in, agreeing.

Katherine began to wonder whether it wouldn’t be safer for them to go back to the castle.

Then she felt a hand on her arm; small, dry, and papery, like the skin of a withered apple. When she turned to look, she saw a very old woman, stooped, her round face covered with deep lines. She was wrapped in a threadbare shawl, and looked as though she might topple with the slightest breeze.

Even so, she smiled brightly at Katherine. “Come, child. My name is Fiona, and my home is not far from here. Take tea with me, and see that we are not all nearly so ill-mannered as my neighbor.”

“That is quite kind of ye to offer,” Katherine replied. “However, I am under guard, for reasons which are no doubt clear to ye. I cannot accept yer generous invitation without permission from my companion.”

“Oh, the good captain will agree,” Fiona assured her with a dismissive wave. “He knows I am a stubborn old thing, and will not take no for an answer.”

“Fiona speaks the truth,” Bryan chuckled. “Arguing with her has never benefited me thus far, and I doubt it shall this day.”

Katherine felt a brief flutter of anxiety at the notion that the old woman might intend to harm her. Bryan’s attitude toward Fiona allowed Katherine to dismiss the idea, though. Her presence was clearly important to the Oliphants, else they would not have gone to all the trouble of taking her from her homeland.

And if Bryan knew Fiona well enough to trust her, that was good enough for Katherine.

Fiona’s home was a humble yet cozy cottage at the edge of the village. The place was kept clean and pleasant, and Bryan built a fire in the hearth so that Fiona could put the kettle on. The house filled with warmth almost immediately, and Fiona rubbed her hands in front of the flames to warm them.

“Ye have a lovely home,” Katherine said sincerely. “Do ye have any family that stay here with ye?”

“Oh, I had a husband years ago,” Fiona answered conversationally, pouring the tea and serving it. “A son as well. They were good men. Alas, they were killed during a raid by yer clan.”

Katherine almost dropped the teacup in her surprise. “I am dreadfully sorry!”

The old woman shrugged lightly. “Such skirmishes between our two clans were common back then. It broke my heart, but at the time, I was far from alone. There were many other grieving people in town who had lost loved ones in such a manner, and we were there for each other in all the ways that mattered. We got through. We endured.”

“And now ye would have a McGregor in yer home?” Katherine asked, astonished.

Fiona chuckled gently. “Ye didnae kill my husband or son. Ye were not even born yet when it happened. What good would it do to blame ye? How would that serve to heal the rifts between yer clan and my own?” She shook her head. “Nay, such spite only leads to more spite. The violence must end somewhere, and there are only two ways for that to happen. The first is for one clan to exterminate the other completely, down tae the last man, woman, and child. I dinnae have any desire at all tae see such a gruesome outcome to things, do ye?”

“Nay, certainly not!” Katherine replied.

“There it is, then,” Fiona went on softly. “The other solution will only come through kindness, mercy, and forgiveness. There is no other path for us, would ye not agree?”

“I would, aye.”

But I’m not nearly so sure my father would , Katherine added inwardly.

They sat and spoke for a short while longer; mostly about the flowers growing in Fiona’s garden, which were hearty and plentiful. The sweet scent of them drifted in through the windows, and Katherine breathed it in deeply.

Eventually, however, Bryan told her that they ought to get back to the castle. Otherwise, he feared that his fellow guardsmen—to say nothing of Laird Alex—might assume that she had attempted escape after all, and he had gone riding after her, or perhaps that McGregors had come to take her back by force.

It was a difficult reminder of the circumstances of her presence there, just when she had started to allow herself to forget them.

Nevertheless, she came along without complaint, for she understood the wisdom in his words.

She was silent for a great deal of the ride back to Castle Oliphant. Bryan saw that she was deep in contemplation, and though he wished to ask her what was on her mind, he felt it might be better to let her finish gathering her thoughts before inquiring.

At last, she asked, “Why did ye bring me to the village?”

“I see no reason why yer presence here should be confined tae yer chambers, or even tae the castle,” Bryan replied. “As long as certain precautions are taken, ye should enjoy at least some degree of liberty tae?—”

“Nay,” she interjected, shaking her head. “There was more tae it than that, I believe. Ye knew that Fiona would approach and invite me into her home.”

“I certainly believed it was a possibility,” he admitted.

“Then why?” she challenged again. “Tae make me feel guilt for the orders my father gave which led tae her family’s death?”

“Not at all,” Bryan told her. “I did it because I want to put an end tae the warring between our clans at last, and wished to determine for certain whether ye do as well. I thought that introducing ye to Fiona might be a good way tae do that.”

“I see. And do ye plan tae continue tae manipulate me thus while I am here?” she asked haughtily.

He sighed. “I intend tae do whatever it takes tae prove tae ye that we are nae yer enemies. If that means taking ye for a long ride on a sunny day tae introduce ye tae a kindly old woman who serves ye tea, well, then I suppose ye shall have to simply endure such horrors.”

This made Katherine feel chastised. When she spoke again, the bitterness had left her voice. “Ye say ye wish tae end the warring. But ye are a warrior. Surely ye would prefer tae win a war instead, and in doing so, earn further glory for yerself upon the field of battle?”

He stopped short on his horse, and she was forced to stop as well and lead Bluebell a few steps back toward him. As she did, she realized that in coming to such an abrupt halt, he had given her a chance to get a head start on him and perhaps escape.

He was too smart a tactician not to know that, she knew. But he had done so anyway.

Another demonstration of his trust, but a genuine one, or merely a show to get her to let her guard down?

She did not know. Every time she felt as though she understood him thoroughly, he managed to surprise her again.

“ye are right,” he intoned solemnly. “I am a warrior, which means I have seen combat firsthand. None who have, and have taken the violence they have seen, would prefer more bloodshed. Not when they could put an end tae it instead. Not for all the glory in the world.”

His words were spoken so earnestly that she did not doubt him. Particularly when she saw the ghosts of those memories haunting his eyes; the things he had seen, the things he had been forced to do in order to survive.

“Very well,” she said. “But again, I must remind ye that the hands of yer clan are far from spotless. Ye Oliphants have shed innocent blood, just as we have.”

As she said it, she felt strange using the word we in that context. For as Fiona had pointed out, Katherine had had no part in any crime committed against the Oliphants, nor had she taken any delight from the horrid scheming of her father.

“I dinnae deny that,” Bryan conceded. “All clans have dark chapters of their past, no one can claim otherwise. The previous laird was far from perfect, tae be sure. Laird Alex is a different sort of leader, though. He has a good heart, even if he is forced tae hide it beneath gruffness and an iron will much of the time. Ye have seen for yerself that his people thrive under his rule, and ye have never seen the Oliphants needlessly take the lives of yer countrymen since he became laird.” He laughed mirthlessly. “No doubt yer father blamed many evil acts upon us, but have ye witnessed any? Or merely heard them secondhand?”

He had a point, and she knew it, though she hated to admit it. Her father had told her many tales about raids carried out by the Oliphants.

She had never seen any for herself, though. Nor any evidence of them. Nor had she heard any stories about such raids when she had visited the lasses in town.

She felt like a fool for never having questioned any of it before. At the time, it had not occurred to her that her father would lie about such hideous things.

“Tell me, then,” she said hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper. “What would ye have me do? Tae aid ye, against my father? For ye must know that I wouldnae agree tae anything that would get any of my countrymen killed.”

“As I’ve said, ‘tis our wish tae avoid that,” Bryan replied.

He did his best to keep his tone even, but inwardly, he was jumping for joy. This was it! She had just taken her first real step toward cooperating with the Oliphants. And it had only taken a matter of days.

“All we would have ye do,” he went on, “is tae convince yer father that peace is in his best interests; a lasting peace, in which the Oliphant lands which were taken by previous generations of McGregors are returned.”

“But ye said that the aggressions of our ancestors ought to be put aside entirely, that we might forge a peace here and now,” Katherine protested. “Many of those lands have been tended by the current farmers’ fathers, or their fathers’ fathers. They supply what little provisions our clan can muster. My father would never agree tae such an offer if ye had a hundred of his daughters.”

“Aye, but he doesn’t have a hundred daughters, only the two,” he answered wryly. “And ye needn’t fret, for Laird Alex wouldnae allow yer people to starve. Ideally, we would wish for an alliance with the McGregors. We could find ways tae work together and share our resources, so neither of us would ever need tae resort tae pillaging or scheming against the other.”

Katherine was taken aback. “An alliance?”

These assurances seemed to encourage her, and Bryan was emboldened by it. “Indeed! And he wouldnae need tae fret about having no male heir, for the Oliphants would put a steward in place tae manage our affairs there. One who could help him with?—”

But the words died in his throat as Katherine’s eyes became stormy. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, and her face turned red. “Then what ye truly propose is nae ‘alliance,’ but conquest! Och, aye, ye’ll ‘put a steward in place tae manage yer affairs, and our affairs as well! My father would no longer be laird, and the McGregors would no longer be McGregors, merely Oliphant lackeys under different banners.”

Bryan sputtered, protesting. “That is nae what I?—”

“And when my father dies, yer ‘steward’ shall rule over us, I expect,” she fumed. “An Oliphant, giving orders tae McGregors, leading them into battle for causes not their own. Such a thing would mean the utter ruin of my clan! Ye must be mad if ye think my father would ever allow it.”

“Perhaps ye are correct,” he said. “But all we ask is that ye propose it tae him, and assure him that it is the only wise choice for him tae make.”

“Would ye like me tae write tae him as pitifully as I can? Pleading with him, telling him that if he doesn’t acquiesce, then my sister’s life is forfeit and so is mine? Perhaps I ought tae have a cup of water next tae me as I compose it so that I might dip a finger into it here and there and drop fake tears upon the paper!”

“I would like ye tae write from yer heart,” Bryan answered, growing frustrated. “And assure him that it is the only way tae avoid all-out war; one which he would surely lose, and which would cost the lives of far too many of yer countrymen, to say nothing of mine. Ye are clever, Lady Katherine. Ye know that this is the only way we can have a real peace between Oliphants and McGregors. One in which we need not fear plots being dreamed up and put into motion by a vengeful laird.”

“Ye do not believe he would abide by peace, then, having given his word?” she pressed hotly.

Bryan raised an eyebrow. “Ye now know the scheme he set into motion against Lady Isla. Do ye claim that Laird Angus is a man whose word ought to be trusted?”

Again, she hated knowing he was right, and having no rebuttal. Instead, she said, “I dinnae know whether I can write such a letter tae him in good conscience. I must consider it carefully.”

He nodded. “I understand.”

They rode the rest of the way to Castle Oliphant in silence. When they arrived, she dismounted and went to her room without another word. He did not follow, for he sensed that speaking to her further might hinder his case rather than help it.

Katherine closed the door to her chamber behind her, and when a servant girl knocked to ask if she wanted supper, she declined. The room had not stopped spinning since her return from the ride, and her stomach churned too anxiously for her to have any appetite.

She sat on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands, asking herself over and over, What am I to do? Oh, what am I to do?