The Accidental Highland Hero (The Highlanders #2)

Chapter Five

Eilis could scarcely breathe, the part of her meal that she had managed to eat now sitting like a solid rock in the pit of her stomach. Why had she not thought to ask someone, anyone, which clan James was the chief of?

MacNeill. Mayhap in her semi-unconscious state someone had mentioned the name and that’s where she had gotten it from. She groaned inwardly.

“You have a clan name now, Eilis,”

James said, dryly, his jaw taut.

He didn’t seem at all pleased, and Eilis had a hard time choking down her fowl, but she didn’t feel she could change her name so easily now. What if she picked the name of an enemy clan? She thought of many clan names, but had no idea which the MacNeill might not like, except for the Dunbarton.

“Aye, MacNeill is my clan’s name.”

She lifted her chin and dared him to disagree.

“From the Glen Affric branch?”

“Aye.”

“Tell me what you know of the area, Eilis MacNeill of Glen Affric.”

She buttered a piece of bread, trying to calm herself, attempting to quell the trembling in her fingers. “I love picking berries from the rowan trees beside the Allt na Imrich stream in Glen Affric. My da, when he was alive, made drink from it. I collected blaeberry also to dye my cloth blue or to give to our healer who used them to aid the digestion. South of Loch Beinn a'Mheadhoin, I gathered berries from the juniper to add to the meal and hazel nuts from the trees at the falls. I have watched the beavers build damns on the river and the crossbills courting one another in early spring, singing to each other, then fighting for ownership. I have seen the red deer stag with velvet-covered antlers in summer grazing on the grasses and heather against the backdrop of the Five Sisters of Kintail. I have found the home of the red squirrel, its drey of twigs and leaves in the fork of a pine overlooking Glen Affric lach.”

She looked at him finally, her eyes challenging him to dispute her recollections.

His look devilishly sinister, James nodded. He motioned for a servant and spoke to him in a hushed voice.

Eilis tried not to attach any importance to his actions, but a trickle of unease snaked up her spine.

The servant spoke to Eanruig sitting beyond Niall. He glanced at James, who nodded. When the seneschal looked at Eilis, she noted the surprise in Eanruig’s expression, and she quickly shifted her gaze to the table.

Somehow, she believed she had sunk deeper into a quagmire of quicksand like the kind she had accidentally gotten into along the banks of the river Nith.

Eanruig joined James. “Aye, my laird?”

“The lady says she is one of your kin.”

Eilis shrank in her seat.

Eanruig leaned closer and looked at her, then grinned. “Aye, I do remember a bonny lass who looked like the lady. She was with a woman in the village whose family married into mine…a distant relation, as I recall. I thought she resembled someone I knew when first I pulled the lady from the sea.”

Och, this could not be.

“Do you wish for me to take her home to her kin?”

Eanruig asked James.

James’s hard gaze remained fixed on her. “Eilis?”

“I…I thought you wanted me to assist you with Catriona.”

Eilis hated the way she sounded so desperate.

In an arrogant way, James tilted his head to the side. “Would you wish me to send word to your kin you are here?”

“I…I think if you tell them I am here, they will wish me returned home at once.”

Eilis felt as hot as when she was burning up with the fever, but a vague worry nagged at her that ‘twould not be in her best interest to return to Glen Affric and meet her kin.

“I would not wish them to think you are dead, Eilis.”

His tone of voice had softened, but she did not think he was as concerned about her family’s worry than he was about finding out who she truly belonged to.

“Nay.”

She set her bread down, her hands shaking. If they located her cousin and the word reached her family she was still alive, she feared she was doomed. Though she could not remember the reason she was so afraid to return home. And she could not even recall the name of her cousin. What horrible thing had she done? Had she stolen away on the ship and run away? Had she…she killed someone?

“Why do not you want your family to know?”

Lady Akira asked, her voice concerned.

“I…I do not feel verra well. May I be excused?”

She wasn’t lying. Her head felt too light, and her stomach swirled with upset.

Nobody uttered a word at the high table, and the hall grew quiet while most everyone watched the intrigue.

Finally James signaled to the healer. “Tavia will accompany you to the guest chamber.”

He turned to the servant. “Have Fergus guard the lady’s chamber.”

Annoyed James would have a man watch over her, Eilis shakily walked with Tavia to the guest chamber without a backward glance at James or his mother. She had really gotten herself into a mess this time, and she didn’t even know what it was she was afraid of.

Fergus, a massive Scotsman, broad shoulders, red-bearded, piercing green eyes, gave her the impression he was not one to disobey. He walked behind her, his heavy step reminding her she was going to the chamber and nowhere else. The stables seemed a good place for her right about now, stealing a horse, although not James’s this time that could so easily be stopped with a whistle, and escaping.

Knowing James would have Eanruig try to locate her cousin, Eilis pondered a means of gaining her freedom. Think, Eilis, think.

“Mayhap I could have something to drink,”

she said to Tavia, hoping the woman would fetch it, and Eilis could figure a way to get around the bear-like hulk that followed on their heels.

Tavia gave her a sly, knowing look. “Once you are settled in your chamber, I will fetch a servant to bring you something.”

Was Eilis as transparent as the veils she sometimes wore over her hair? With every passing second, the urge to flee grew.

When they reached the chamber, Tavia closed the door behind them then crossed the floor to the bed and pulled the linens back. “I do not think you are so verra ill. Why did you say you were one of our clansmen?”

Eilis walked over to the closest window and stared out. In the distance, she could see the Five Sisters of Kintail. How far were they from Glen Affric? Eanruig could learn the truth about her soon. Mayhap she would remember who she was then. But even so, the constant nagging voice at the back of her throbbing head told her it was wiser not to know.

“Eanruig will soon enough discover who you truly are then what will you do?”

Tavia asked. Her words were spoken without malice, softly, with a hint of concern.

“Can you not understand a fate worse than death awaits me if my family learns I am still alive?”

At least that’s what Eilis truly believed, although she could not conjure up the reason for the fear she had that her family would discover her whereabouts.

Her brown eyes rounded, Tavia stared at her. “Surely you exaggerate your circumstances.”

“Nay.”

Eilis brushed a wayward curl behind her ear. “I am better off dead to my family.”

“I cannot believe anyone would feel that way. You have no scars on your body. No one has beaten you. Why would you think so ill of your family?”

Feeling desperate, Eilis pleaded, “Help me to leave here before Laird James sends word to them, Tavia. I beg of you.”

The oddest thing was she felt as though she had pleaded her heart out with her family, to no good end. That she could not fathom the reason was maddening. Except it was not a good situation, and she had to leave this place before her family discovered her.

“Nay, Lady. If I were to help you leave, His Lairdship would have my head.”

Tavia patted the bed. “Come, lie down, and I will have a servant fetch you something to drink.”

Eilis considered the long drop to the courtyard. Without a rope… She glanced at the bed linens. Tied together, would they be sturdy enough and long enough to—

The door creaked open, and Lady Akira walked into the room, her gaze worried.

“She wishes something to drink, my lady,”

Tavia said.

“Tell a servant.”

“Aye.”

Tavia hurried out of the chamber.

“What is this all about, Eilis?”

Eilis wrung her hands, considering the door left wide open. But she was certain the hulking Highlander was standing just beyond the door out of sight. “I must leave at once, Lady Akira.”

“After agreeing to help my son with Catriona, most certainly not.”

Lady Akira’s brows furrowed. “Why are you afraid your family will learn of your whereabouts?”

“I beg of you, do not let them know I am here.”

“My son has already dispatched Eanruig to locate the woman he saw you with last summer.”

Eilis could have screamed. She turned her attention back to the window. Torches glowed in the dark, and she envisioned guards walking along the wall walk, watching for intruders. Mayhap she could slip over the south wall, which was in ill repair.

“Why not tell me what is wrong, dear?”

“My…my family must not know I am alive.”

Eilis began to unplait her hair. “They must not. That is all.”

Lady Akira let out her breath. “This sounds to me like a betrothal you are unhappy about. If your da has died, some other male member of your family must be your guardian, and you will have no say in the matter.”

Was she betrothed to some disagreeable Highlander? “I am not betrothed to anyone.”

She hoped. Pulling off the borrowed belt, Eilis laid it on the chest. “What happens to me is no one’s concern. I died when the ship went down. That is all.”

“Except everyone here at Castle Craigly knows better. Tell me what ails you, Eilis. James is very clever at working out matters that benefit most concerned.”

“Forgive me if I feel he would fail in this venture. I fear my family will not be dissuaded. If Eanruig finds my—the lady he saw me with last summer—she will tell my family that I am still alive. It will not go well for me, my lady. Believe me. And there is naught His Lairdship can do about it.”

Lady Akira frowned. “Then you are displeased about a disagreeable betrothal.”

“I am not betrothed…”

Eilis stopped, nearly saying she didn’t remember, but then how could she know she was a MacNeill if she didn’t recall why she feared returning to her family? If she didn’t remember anything, her family name, the reason for her concern, they would discount her fears and attempt to locate her family. She worried then, her life would be forfeit.

“Why not tell me what it is all about?”

Lady Akira waited patiently for Eilis to finish what she was saying, but when Eilis shook her head, Lady Akira asked, “You are going to bed now?”

“Aye, my lady, if it pleases you.”

Tavia returned with a goblet. “If you are ill, you need to be abed.”

She strode across the floor and set the goblet on a small bedside table. “I will help you with your kirtle.”

“I will see you in the morning, Eilis,”

Lady Akira said.

“Thank you for your kindness, my lady.”

James’s mother’s expression revealed not a clue as to what she was feeling. She said naught, bowed her head slightly, and left the room. Fergus closed the door, and Eilis took a ragged breath. As soon as Tavia left her alone again, Eilis would make a rope out of linens and pray they held her weight when she made the perilous climb out the window.

Getting beyond the wall, that was another matter.

****

“Eanruig, since there is still no word from my brothers, make a trip to Brecken Castle also as you seek answers concerning Eilis, and see what is keeping them. Do you have spies inquiring into the recent sheep theft?”

James asked, as his seneschal prepared to leave at his request.

“Aye, Laird. Two of our men are attempting to determine what has occurred.”

Eanruig took the pouch of rations the cook offered him.

“It seems the Dunbartons must have known a wedding was taking place. I wish to know if someone in the village had leaked this information to our enemy.”

“Aye. I will return as soon as I am able with all the news.”

Eanruig gave a nod then hurried out of the hall.

James stretched his legs in front of the stone hearth, the sweet-smelling peat burning blue. “Ah, my lady mother,”

he said, spying her coming his way, hoping at least his mother had more success at clearing up yet another mystery. “You look like you did when da passed away. What is the trouble with the lass?”

“I think Eilis is betrothed, although she denies it.”

The news shouldn’t have mattered to him, except to be concerned her suitor would be anxious to secure his bride, but the thought irritated James that she would not be free to wed another. Feeling such a way was more than foolish. He combed his fingers through his breeze-tangled hair. He told himself it was just his concern the man she was betrothed to would take her away before Catriona arrived, and his plans would be tossed asunder.

When he did not speak, his mother continued. “She is afraid of her family, but something else is the matter, although she would not say what.”

“Och, why would she deny she is betrothed to marry someone? The truth will come out soon enough. When her family learns she is still alive, they will take her home, and that will be the end of our ruse with Catriona.”

There, he said it. The real reason for his concern that Eilis might be betrothed.

Lady Akira sat down on a bench next to James and stretched her hands out to the fire. “Ah, but Catriona will be here, whether Eilis is or not.”

Niall stormed across the room, his cheeks red and a frown digging into his temple. “The lady cannot be forced against her will.”

“We can say naught about the matter if her guardian has already decided this for her,”

Lady Akira said.

“You say guardian?”

James asked, his curiosity piqued. “Why not her brother, or an uncle, or mayhap a cousin?”

“She did not say, just spoke of her family.”

In a gesture of irritation, Niall threw up his hands. “But why would she say she is not betrothed? Should we not take her word for it? What if some other matter frightens her?”

James faced his mother. “Well?”

“She did not say.”

James let out a disgruntled sound.

Niall paced then stopped abruptly. “What if the lady is in danger? You should not have sent Eanruig on this errand.”

At hearing his cousin distrust his decision, James quashed his growing temper. “He will keep the questioning to a minimum. Several of his family members live in Glen Affric. They will speak not a word of the matter.”

“And if their tongues wag?”

Niall asked, his voice at a fevered pitch. “If word reaches her family, and they demand her return at once?”

James took a settling breath. “We will deal with that when we come to it. No sense in worrying about what might or might not happen.”

“Know you she will attempt escape,”

his mother said, her eyes shifting from the fire to him. “She will not stay here if she can help it. She is like a frightened, cornered animal, and she will make every attempt to flee her cage.”

“Tavia knows to stay with her tonight? And Fergus will stay on guard until he is relieved by another?”

James asked, although he could not imagine the wee lass would try to leave the castle grounds again.

“Aye.”

“I liked it better when she did not know who she was,”

James mused.

“I believe she did as well,”

his mother agreed.

“I like her just the same. Eanruig will put her life in danger, of that I am certain.”

Niall stalked out of the keep.

James jumped up from the bench, but his mother grabbed his arm. “Let him go, James. He only wants to help.”

Shaking his head, James stared in the direction his cousin had gone. “He cannot have the lady, although I know it is his most fervent desire. I need to speak to Fergus, to remind him not to give the lass an inch, if she thinks she is leaving here without my say. The woman will be her family’s concern when we discover who they truly are. I do not want to lose her before then and have to explain what has happened.”

Although James couldn’t help wonder if the lass was truly in danger or if his cousin’s usual flights of fancy were getting the better of him. But worse, he couldn’t help wondering if the lass did know the clan she was from, and she was attempting to hide it from him. He took off for the stairs and a word with Fergus, mayhap a word with the lass as well because he was certain his mother used too soft a touch to get the truth from Eilis.

****

Dougald MacNeill touched his forehead where his temple pounded something fierce. He found his wrist, nay, both wrists in chains that rattled with his movement. The horrific odor that filled the cold air was no doubt from the dank, dark confines of a cell in Dunbarton’s dungeon. Every inch of his body ached, and one eye seemed to be swollen shut. He tested his teeth. They all seemed to be in place and no bones broken. Thank God for small miracles. The lassies loved his handsome face. ‘Twould be a shame if the Dunbartons had ruined his charming looks, he thought facetiously.

The way his naked skin burned, he was sure he had suffered a few lacerations as well.

Easing himself up on one elbow on the foul-smelling straw he reclined on, he winced as his head nearly shattered with the pain. Mayhap a couple of ribs were broken after all.

“Dougald?”

a harsh voice whispered nearby but not near enough.

“Gunnolf?”

Dougald called out, meaning to announce in a warlike voice and ready to take on every last Dunbarton, but he sounded weak and in pain, which frustrated him all the more.

“Across the hall from you. How fare you?”

“Methinks I have been beat about a bit like the time we fought the last battle in the Crusade. And you?”

“Ja. Have you come up with a plan to escape, yet, mon?”

Dougald chuckled under his breath, although even that hurt every part of his body. He wasn’t used to being the one in charge. James, being the eldest, had always made their decisions. Then when Dougald and his other brothers had sought their fortune, Malcolm, the next older brother had led them. Now ‘twas his turn, though he wished the circumstances less dire.

“I have only just come around. Give me some more time, and I will come up with a plan, Gunnolf.”

“Dunbarton’s men said they would have rather hung us from a pike, but they realized you were James’s brother and I, his close companion. They plan to ransom us after we have rotted down here awhile, figuring they would like James to wonder what had become of us first. They hoped, mayhap, he would come begging for us afore long.”

Dougald snorted. “James, no doubt, is unaware we were on our way to aid him. So how many of their kin will no longer wield a sword?”

“Six.”

“Six too few.”

“Aye. If our horses had not been so tired, we would have finished the rest off in good order.”

Chains rattled across the hall then Gunnolf said, “They stripped us naked in the inner bailey, although you were out cold. The intent was to treat us like filthy prisoners, but ‘twas more than one lassie’s eye that looked on with admiration.”

Dougald smiled. “Then if a lassie should come to feed us or take another peek, mayhap we shall have our escape plan.”