Page 13 of The Dark Highlander’s Heart (Thorns Of The Highlands #2)

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S ome distance away from the Oliphant lands, McGregor Keep towered somberly above the evening mist.

Any travelers who might have happened by just after dark and peered up to the highest window of the structure would have been met by a strange and terrible sight: A face so pale and drawn, and with a gaze so dark and wretched, that most would swear it was the visage of some grim and suffering phantom.

Which, in a way, it was.

Laird Angus McGregor had been sitting at the window for an interminable span of time, for in his state of perpetual confusion and horror, the hours and days blurred together.

His spies and soldiers periodically entered the bedchamber to offer updated reports regarding Katherine’s fate. There was not much news. And what little there was did nothing to lift Angus’s spirits.

“They say she has been taken.”

The woman’s voice in the doorway behind Angus startled him badly, particularly since it was not a voice he had heard in over a week; a voice he rarely heard at all, really, except when it echoed mournfully through the upper corridors of the keep, moaning for servants to bring food or medicine for headaches.

When he turned, he saw his wife Annabel standing at the door. In her white nightclothes, and with her gaunt and pallid face, and angry countenance, she too resembled nothing so much as a spiteful ghost seeking to avenge itself upon the living.

“Aye.” The word from him was little more than a hoarse grunt. He scrubbed his face with his palm, exhausted and dazed, and realized that he had not shaved in days.

“They say she has nae been placed in the Oliphant dungeons with Romilly,” Annabel went on. Her eyes were red, though whether it was from weeping or one of her blasted headaches, Angus could not guess. “Rather, she has been seen riding openly across their lands and villages with the captain of their guard. Wearing new clothes, no less.”

These were the same reports that Angus had already received, and so he grunted again.

“That is a small mercy, then, do ye think?” she asked. “That although yer scheming has led to the capture of both of our children, at least one of them is not chained in a dank chamber ‘neath the ground, surrounded by rats?”

“I did what I felt needed tae be done in order tae protect our clan and its future,” Angus retorted through clenched teeth. “And nay, ‘tis not necessarily good news at all that Katherine is being allowed tae roam freely. For it means she may have betrayed us.”

“ That is still yer concern?” Annabel scoffed. “Yer petty little war against the Oliphants? Ancient grudges, still kept aflame by their laird jilting our firstborn? How can ye care about such nonsense, when we might never see our girls again?”

“I have always had duties greater and heavier than just my own bloody family!” Angus snapped. “My first duty is to this clan! And though I love my daughters, I must now worry that one of them might be a traitor,” he growled in frustration. “If only I could learn more of the details of Katherine’s captivity, but my damned spies cannae get close enough! After what happened with Romilly, the Oliphants are too suspicious of faces they dinnae recognize, and even cautious around those they do.”

“Oh, what difference does any of it make anymore, ye silly old fool?” Annabel demanded. “Ye cannae triumph over the Oliphants in open war, and yer idiotic machinations have only succeeded in getting our daughters captured and weakening our position all the more. I dinnae care whether every McGregor banner in the land is torn down and replaced with that of the Oliphants, we must put an end to this! We must do whatever it takes, agree to whatever is asked of us, if it will only bring our children home safely! Damn it, Angus, how can ye not see that?”

Angus hung his head. “Ye have never understood. Ye have never even tried, come tae that. Ye decided tae be miserable from the moment we were wed, and tae sequester yerself day and night whilst blaming yer ‘headaches.’ So do a favor tae us both, hen. Go back tae yer chamber, take yer powders and concoctions for yer blasted head, and leave the affairs of our clan tae me.”

“Will ye petition for their return, Angus?” she challenged. “Will ye make concessions tae them if it comes tae that? Will ye, for God’s sake, put yer pride aside and do what’s right for yer daughters for once, instead of treating them like agents in yer fight with the Oliphants?”

“I told ye, I shall do whatever is required of me tae protect and defend this clan,” Angus answered. “Beyond that, I owe ye no insight into my plans. Ye are nae my advisor, nae even a friend tae me. Merely a baneful presence which forlornly haunts this keep.”

Annabel stood there a moment longer, as though she might try to speak again. Then, seeing it would do no good, she shook her head slightly and returned to her chamber.

Angus hung his head, wondering what on earth he was meant to do next.

Any capitulation would be weakness. And any weakness would surely be exploited by the Oliphants. Perhaps his blasted wife did not care about Oliphant banners hanging from McGregor ramparts, but Angus did.

He saw no alternative but war, then.

If Annabel was right and their chances against the Oliphant horde were hopeless, then at least Angus would know that those McGregors who fell in battle would do so with honor defending their homeland, rather than cowering before Laird Alex.

He only wished there were some other way.

While Angus McGregor agonized over his situation, his younger daughter did likewise, all through the night and into the next morning. When the first light of dawn peeked through the windows of her chamber, she knew what she had to do, though she loathed and dreaded the prospect of it.

She dressed in one of the outfits that Isla had allowed her to borrow, and as she did, she wondered what would become of her after she spoke to Bryan about her decision. Would the dress be torn off her and returned to Isla? Would Katherine be forced back into the clothes she’d worn during her early days there so that she could wear them down in the dungeons in a cell next to her sister?

Katherine thought about when she had visited Romilly down there; her sister’s matted hair and dirty face, and the sounds of screams punctuated by the squealing of rats. She desperately wished she could liberate Romilly from such a grotesque place, rather than joining her in it.

Unfortunately, there was nothing else to be done, and she knew it. So whatever happened as a result of her choice, she knew she would have to bear it with as much grace and dignity as she could muster.

She brushed her hair, then went in search of the captain of the guard. The servants she asked were able to direct her to him. He was strolling the walls of the castle, checking with his guardsmen to ensure that their night had passed without incident. She understood his reasons for doing so; surely her father would have heard of her abduction days ago, and that would make his scheming all the more dangerous for the Oliphants.

“Good morning, Captain,” she called out.

Bryan smiled when he saw her, then waved and approached. With the wind in his long dark hair and the sun creating a halo behind him, he looked especially dashing that morning, and thus the sight of him made her heart hurt, as she considered what she had to tell him.

“I hope ye passed a restful night, Lady Katherine?” he greeted her.

Katherine shook her head with a sad smile. “I have not had a moment’s rest since my arrival here, but my accommodations are not tae be blamed for it. They have been lovely and generous indeed.”

Bryan nodded sympathetically. “Aye. Somehow, I doubt ye had much rest before ye came here either, worrying about yer sister and the future of yer clan.”

“That’s true enough,” she admitted.

“Because of those concerns,” he pressed on, “I hope ye have given careful thought tae the choice put before ye? And have made the right decision?”

Katherine sighed. “I have made a decision I believe tae be the right one. I can only pray that I am correct in that. I cannae give ye what ye ask for, Captain. I cannae propose such a surrender tae my father. Not in good conscience, not when he would surely see me as a betrayer and disown me for doing so. Not when I know that it would mean the end of my clan’s entire way of life.”

“But it needn’t—” he began.

She held up a hand to silence him, shaking her head mournfully. “It would. Ye may not know that for a certainty, but I do. Even if none of that were true; even if my father did agree tae such a thing, it wouldnae lead tae any lasting peace. Merely an Oliphant victory, and one that would remain fleeting so long as my father is alive to plot its reversal. The only way to keep him from turning against ye and starting another war eventually would be tae end his life, and that I cannae help ye do. So we are at an impasse.”

“I see,” he replied, looking disappointed. “I had hoped that during our time together, I had been able tae reach ye.”

“Ye did,” she assured him. “Ye made my choice more difficult than ye can imagine. But it is my choice nonetheless. Even if it means that I must join my sister in yer dungeons while ye make war upon our clan.”

“We may not be able tae avoid war without yer help,” Bryan told her firmly, “but the fact remains that ye are innocent, and so, unlike yer sister, ye have no place in our dungeons. ‘Twould be wrong tae keep ye here any longer if no good can come of it.”

A ray of hope gleamed in her eyes. “Then, surely ye dinnae mean that ye will release me?”

“The decision is ultimately Laird Alex’s,” Bryan said, “but as I’ve told ye, he is a good man, and I am sure he will see things the same way I do. I see no reason why ye should remain here if ye dinnae wish tae.”

Katherine opened her mouth to tell him she did wish to remain at Castle Oliphant with him; as a guest rather than a prisoner, and perhaps as a woman he might woo. It was funny to consider that all other things being equal, a lady of her station would not be courted by a guardsman, not even a captain.

However, she was hardly a “noblewoman” here, was she? She belonged to a clan that was an enemy of the Oliphants. As such, her position was far more ambiguous, and so why shouldn’t she have Bryan Black as a suitor?

What good would it do to return to the McGregor Keep, knowing war was coming to them?

But sadly, she knew the answer to all of that. It was her home, it was where her family was, and so it was where she belonged.

If she did not return now, then, even in the highly unlikely event that her clan survived the conflict, there would never be any home for her to return to. She would be branded a traitor for having stayed with the Oliphants willingly instead of being there to support her father in his time of greatest need. She would never be forgiven, and as a McGregor, she would be considered all the more unwelcome by the rest of the Oliphant Clan.

Return was her only option, though she hated the thought of it.

So she curtsied and said, “Thank ye, Captain. Ye are a good man, and I am heartily sorry tae ever have suspected otherwise.”

“I scooped ye off yer horse and spirited ye away tae an enemy territory without so much as a by-yer-leave,” Bryan chuckled. “If ye had not suspected me of being a man of questionable character, ye would have had tae be simple-minded indeed. In fact, ye happen tae be the cleverest lass I’ve ever known. Perhaps the bravest as well. I may lament yer decision, but I respect that ye made it, even assuming that it would lead ye tae the dungeons. That shows tremendous courage.”

Oh, how she wanted to change her mind and stay with him! At that moment, she could have grabbed and kissed him right there upon the ramparts.

But if she did, then she knew she would never be able to do what she felt was right.

“Again, thank ye,” she said hoarsely.

Bryan bowed to her, then took his leave, going directly to Alex’s study. When he got there, he found the laird staring out the window again, lost in thought. Alex almost didn’t hear Bryan’s knock, but when he did, he gestured for the captain to enter.

“I take it ye bring me more news of our guest?” Alex asked with a wan smile. “Good news, I pray, for I feel our time for making peace with Laird Angus is swiftly running out.”

Bryan nodded, clearing his throat. “She willnae aid us. I have explained to her that doing so is the only way toward peace, and that she need not be a traitor in the doing of it, but she is convinced that her father will cast her out just the same, and perhaps she is right. From what we know of him, Angus is an obstinate soul, and willnae see reason.”

Alex sighed heavily. “That cannot be the end of it.”

“I am afraid that it is.” Bryan paused, then added, “And since it is, Alex, I believe we have no choice but tae return her tae her homeland as soon as possible.”

Alex’s eyebrows shot up. “Have ye taken leave of yer senses? After all that was done tae bring her here?”

“No one knows what it took tae bring her here more than I,” Bryan reminded him, “and now I believe that no good may come from continuing tae keep her.”

“But she has only been here a short while,” the laird protested. “She might well change her mind.”

“I have seen the determination in her eyes, and the conviction in her spirit,” his friend informed him. “If ye have ever trusted me, Laird Alex, then trust me now. She willnae bend. Beyond that, all we can do is keep her against her will.”

“Then why nae continue tae do that , at least?” Alex suggested. “We needn’t imprison her, we can continue tae make her comfortable during her stay like civilized people. She still represents leverage against her father. She might still be used as a bargaining chip.”

“The effort would be futile, I assure ye,” Bryan answered. “If taking one of Angus’s daughters has not persuaded him tae at least attempt a settlement, then having both of them willnae put an end tae it either. Perhaps if they had been male heirs, they might have been worth more tae him. Who can say? But she has made it clear that he willnae bargain for her, not even in the face of his clan’s ruination.”

“Of course she would say that tae be released,” Alex retorted, exasperated.

Bryan shook his head. “She made this choice fully expecting tae be sent tae the dungeon for it. Her resolve is strong, Alex. I dinnae believe she ought tae be punished for that, do ye? Is that in keeping with the honor of Clan Oliphant? We never took the lass with the intent of harming her, and tae keep her here any further would be tae do her harm, if only by making her appear a willing traitor in the eyes of her own people. We erred in thinking it would profit us tae take her. Let us not compound that error by holding her further.”

Alex slammed his fist down on his desk in frustration, hard enough to make the captain jump. Then he stood and paced the room furiously for several minutes, his brow furrowed.

Bryan waited patiently. He knew the laird well enough to know that it was unwise to interrupt his thoughts when he was like this.

At last, Alex said, “Very well. Ye asked earlier whether ye have ever had my trust, and the truth of it is, ye always have and still do. If ye genuinely feel that this is our best way forward in dealing with the McGregors, then I will trust in that as well.” He gave a small shrug. “Who knows? Perhaps in releasing her, we will at last demonstrate to Angus that we are honorable and therefore worth striking a deal with to avoid bloodshed. I doubt it,” he added ruefully, “but we can hope, at least. I trust ye intend tae take her as close tae the borders of our lands as ye can without risking an encounter with the McGregors? And that ye plan tae bring a cadre along with ye for protection?”

Bryan shook his head. “I’ll need to ensure she is close enough tae her home that no harm will befall her on the way. Otherwise, Angus shall blame us for it, and likely believe we turned her loose in an unsafe area on purpose. Likewise, if I come with other guardsmen, Angus might believe it is the first battle of the war coming tae find him, and respond in kind. I managed alone before, and though it will doubtless prove more difficult this time, I still shall not fail. Ye chose me for my particular talents in this regard, after all.”

“That I did.” Alex clapped Bryan on the shoulder briskly. “I still believe this is unwise, and I dinnae wish tae risk my finest warrior and friend on such an errand. But my faith in ye tells me I ought not refuse ye, and so I shall not. Go, and do what ye must to return to us safely.”

Bryan bowed. “Thank ye, Laird Alex.”

He was pleased with Alex’s decision to allow him to release Katherine, and looked forward to relaying the news to her.

As he proceeded to her chamber, though, a troubling thought occurred to him.

Had he insisted on going with her to the border alone for the reasons he’d given, or simply because he hoped to steal a few more precious moments alone with her?

And if so, was he making a grave mistake which might endanger both their lives?