Ransom

“The lady wants to do what’s best for you, Alec.”

  “But tell her about Papa,” he pleaded.

  Brodick conceded. “Iain Maitland is a powerful man in the Highlands,” he said. “Many fear his wrath.”

  She smiled sweetly. “Is that right?”

  “Many would also guard what they say to his son.”

  Alec was nodding his agreement when Gillian looked at him. “I am more interested in keeping you alive than in winning your father’s approval by spoiling you and perhaps getting you killed.”

  “Let me see your arm,” Brodick demanded.

  She blinked. “Why?”

  He didn’t answer her or wait for her to comply with his command but took hold of her hand and pushed the sleeve up past her elbow. A thick bandage covered her skin, but he could see from the swelling and the redness at her wrist that the injury was infected.

  “How did this happen?”

  Alec squeezed closer to her side. “Are you gonna tell on me?” he whispered worriedly.

  Brodick pretended he hadn’t heard the boy’s question. He had his answer; Alec was somehow responsible for Gillian’s injury, and later, when he and Alec were alone, he would get the particulars. For now he would let the matter rest.

  Gillian and the boy were clearly exhausted, for both had dark circles under their eyes. Her complexion was flushed, and Brodick was pretty certain she was feverish. He knew that if the wound wasn’t taken care of soon, she would be in real trouble.

  “It isn’t important how I hurt myself, Laird.”

  “You will call me Brodick,” he said.

  “As you wish,” she replied, wondering why his voice had softened and the scowl had left his face.

  Before she realized what he was doing, he grabbed hold of her chin and tilted her head to one side so he could see the faint marks on her cheeks. “How did you come by this bruise?”

  “The man, he hit her with his fist,” Alec blurted out, thankful his uncle’s attention had turned away from Gillian’s arm. He was ashamed that he had cut her and hoped that his uncle would never find out. “And, Uncle Brodick, you know what?” he rushed on.

  Brodick was frowning at Gillian when he answered. “What?”

  “Her back is all black and blue too. It used to be, anyway, and maybe it still is.”

  “Alec, do be quiet.”

  “But it’s the truth. I saw the bruises when you got out of the lake.”

  “You were supposed to be sleeping,” she said before pushing Brodick’s hand away from her face. “May I see your soldiers now?”

  “Yes,” he replied.

  She had intended to leave Alec inside while she stepped out on the step to look at the soldiers, but Brodick had other ideas. He whistled, loud and shrill, causing Alec to giggle and cover his ears with his hands. The door flew wide and eight men immediately rushed inside the church. Gillian noticed that every single one of them had to duck under the doorframe. Were all the Buchanans giants?

  The second the door had opened, she had shoved Alec behind her back, thinking to protect him, which really was laughable considering the sheer size and obvious strength of the warriors coming toward her. Brodick saw how she shielded the boy and tried not to take offense over the insult she was giving him and his soldiers. Though considered ruthless against their enemies, the Buchanans would never raise a hand against a woman or a child. Everyone who lived in the Highlands knew them to be honorable, but Gillian was from England, and he therefore excused her behavior because she didn’t know any better.

  Dylan tossed his laird’s sword to him as he strode forward, and Brodick slipped the weapon into the sheath at his side, inwardly smiling over the stunned soldiers’ faces. They were obviously taken with the beautiful lady, for they couldn’t take their eyes off her.

  His amusement quickly turned to irritation, however, and he found he didn’t like them openly staring at Gillian after all. It was one thing to look, and quite another to gawk. Hadn’t they ever seen a pretty woman before?

  Alec peeked out from behind Gillian, spotted Dylan, and waved to him. The commander’s step faltered, and he bumped into Robert, who promptly shoved him back.

  Gillian studied each man while Brodick kept his attention focused on her. “You are convinced now?” he asked calmly after she had finished scrutinizing each one of his soldiers.

  “Yes, I am convinced.”

  “Is that a Maitland hiding behind a woman’s skirts?” Dylan asked, his composure still not completely recovered. “I swear to God, the brat looks like Alec Maitland.”

  Alec immediately ran to Dylan and laughed with delight when the soldier lifted him high up over his head. “She made me hide. I didn’t want to, but she made me.”

  “We thought you drowned, boy,” Liam whispered, his voice as raspy as dried leaves.

  Dylan lowered Alec and settled him against his shoulder. The child immediately put his arms around the warrior’s neck and then leaned to the side so he could see the others. “I didn’t drown,” he announced.

  The eight soldiers surrounded Alec, but several continued to stare at Gillian. Broderick took a possessive step closer to her and scowled his displeasure at Liam and Robert, the worst offenders, so that they would know their laird was angered by their behavior.

  “Is the Maitland holding a great distance from here?”

  “No,” he answered. “Robert, get her satchel and tie it behind your mount,” he ordered as he took hold of Gillian’s hand and started for the door. “Alec will ride with you, Dylan,” he added, and as he marched past Robert, he muttered, “Have you never seen a pretty woman before?”

  “Never one as pretty as this,” Robert replied.

  Dylan shifted Alec to one side and stepped forward to boldly block his laird’s path. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your bride, Laird?”

  “She’s Lady Gillian,” he said. He then introduced his soldiers to her, but he said their names so quickly and in such a thick brogue, she only caught one or two.

  She would have made a curtsy, but Brodick continued to hold her hand, and so she bowed her head instead. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” she said slowly, speaking in Gaelic for the first time since she had met Brodick, and she thought she had done an adequate job until they all smiled at her. Were they pleased with her attempt at their language or were they laughing at her because she’d failed miserably? Her speech became more halting with her growing lack of confidence when she continued, “And I would thank you now for your assistance in helping me get Alec back to his parents.”

  She was thrilled when all of them nodded.

  Robert stepped forward. “Are you his bride?” he asked, blunt as always.

  “No,” she answered, blushing slightly.

  “But you claimed to be his bride,” Aaron reminded her.

  She smiled. “Yes, I did, but you see, it was just a lie to make your laird curious so that he would come here.”

  “A claim’s a claim,” Liam said. The others immediately concurred.

  “What does that mean?” she asked the warrior.

  Dylan smiled. “It means, lass, that you’re his bride.”

  “But I lied,” she argued, thoroughly confused by the conversation. Her explanation seemed simple to understand, yet these soldiers were acting perplexed.

  “You have said it is so,” a soldier said. She remembered his name was Stephen.

  “Now isn’t the time for this discussion,” Brodick announced.

  He led the way outside, pulling Gillian along in his wake, and barely paid any attention to the two Englishmen waiting by the side of the steps. The horses were tethered near the line of trees.

  “You’ll ride with me,” Brodick told her.

  She pulled away from him. “I must say good-bye to my friends.”

  Before he could stop her, she hurried over to Waldo and Henry. Both men bowed their heads and smiled when she spoke to them. Brodick couldn’t hear what she was saying, but he could tell from the men’s faces th
at they were pleased.

  When he saw her take hold of their hands, he went back to her side. “We’ve wasted enough time.”

  She ignored him. “Laird, I would like you to meet Waldo and Henry Hathaway,” she said. “If it were not for these courageous men, Alec and I would never have made it this far.”

  He didn’t speak, but he did bow his head slightly to the two brothers.

  “Waldo, will you please return the horse I borrowed,” she requested.

  “But you stole the horse, milady,” Henry blurted out.

  “No,” she countered. “I borrowed the mount without permission. Please promise me, too, that you will both hide until this is finished. If he finds out you helped me, he’ll kill you.”

  “Aye, milady,” Waldo said. “We know what the blackheart is capable of, and we will both hide until you return. God protect you on your quest.”

  Tears came into her eyes. “Twice now you have come to my aid and saved me from disaster.”

  “We’ve come a long way together,” Waldo said. “You were such a little girl when we first met. You didn’t speak then.”

  “I remember what my dear friend Liese told me. You came forward to offer your escort on that black day. And now you once again have come to my aid. I will forever be in your debt, and I don’t know how I will ever be able to repay you.”

  “It was an honor for us to help you,” Henry stammered.

  Brodick took hold of her arm and pulled her back so she would have to let go of the older brother’s hand. “We must leave now,” he demanded, though this time his voice was much more forceful.

  “Yes,” she agreed.

  She turned, spotted Alec in Dylan’s arms, and motioned to the Hathaway brothers to wait. Then she pushed Brodick’s hand away and rushed across the clearing.

  “Alec, you will want to say thank you to Waldo and Henry for helping us.”

  He shook his head. “No, I won’t,” he said. “They’re English, so I don’t have to say thank you. Highlanders don’t like the English,” he added arrogantly.

  She held her temper. “Dylan, would you please give Alec and me a moment of privacy?”

  “As you wish, milady.”

  As soon as he put Alec down, Gillian latched onto his arm and dragged him toward the trees. Then she leaned down and whispered in his ear while the child squirmed to get away.

  Dylan turned to Brodick. “What’s she doing?” he asked.

  Brodick smiled. “Reminding the boy of his manners,” he answered. He glanced at the two brothers once again, then let out a sigh. “It seems I have also been reminded.”

  Before Dylan could ask him to explain his odd remark, his laird turned toward Waldo and Henry. The brothers were obviously afraid, for both backed away from him until he commanded them to stand still.

  Dylan couldn’t hear what Brodick was saying to the men, but he saw him reach down and pull his jeweled dirk from the top of his boot and hand it to Waldo. The stunned expression on the Englishman’s face mirrored Dylan’s. He watched as Waldo tried to refuse the gift, but Brodick won the argument.

  Gillian also saw what was happening and smiled as she continued to instruct Alec in his duty.

  A moment later, Alec, deliberately dragging his feet, made his way across the clearing to speak to the Englishmen. Gillian gave him a little push between the shoulder blades to get him to quicken his step.

  Alec lowered his chin to his chest and stood next to Brodick when he addressed Waldo and Henry. “I thank you, ’cause you both watched out for me,” he said.

  “And?” Gillian prodded.

  “And ’cause you didn’t have to but you did anyway.”

  Exasperated, she said, “Alec means to say that he is sorry he was a bother, Waldo and Henry. He also knows that the two of you put your lives at risk for him. Isn’t that right, Alec?”

  The child nodded and then took hold of Gillian’s hand as he watched Waldo and Henry take their leave.

  “Did I say it right?”

  “Yes, you did just fine.”

  Dylan lifted Alec onto his mount and then turned to his laird. “Has she told you what happened or how she and Alec ended up together?”

  Brodick swung up onto his stallion’s back before answering. “No, she hasn’t told me anything yet, but she will. Be patient, Dylan. Right now it’s more important to get her and the boy away from the MacDonalds. Once I know they’re safe, and I don’t have to keep looking over my shoulder, I’ll get her explanation. Tell Liam to take the lead,” he commanded. “We’re going to Kevin Drummond’s cottage before we head north. Robert will take the rear to watch our backs.”

  “The Drummonds are several hours out of our way,” Dylan said. “It’ll be sunset before we get there.”

  “I know where the man lives,” he countered. “But Kevin’s wife is well known for her healing ways, and Gillian’s arm needs attention.”

  Gillian stood in the center of the clearing, shivering from the cold while she patiently waited for the men to finish discussing her. It was apparent she was their topic, for they both frowned at her while they conversed with one another. The summer sun beat down on her face, but she was getting more chilled by the minute, and every muscle in her body ached. She knew it wasn’t just fatigue, and, dear God, there wasn’t time now for her to get sick. She needed every minute of every day before the fall festival to search for her sister. Oh, it all seemed so hopeless. She shouldn’t have lied to Alford by telling him that her sister had King John’s precious box. How was she ever going to find it when every soldier in the kingdom had searched for the treasure at one time or another over the past fifteen years? Could Christen still have it with her? Alford seemed to think she did, and Gillian had fueled his belief because at the time Alec had been in terrible danger. In her heart she knew the box was gone forever, and now she felt she was weighed down in a quagmire and sinking rapidly.

  She did have a fragment of a plan. Once she got Alec home, she was going to plead with his father for assistance in getting her to the MacPherson holding, where Christen was reported to be living. And then what? she thought. Her mind was filled with unanswerable questions, and she prayed she would be able to sort it all out when she was feeling better.

  Rubbing her arms to ward off her chills, she forced herself to think about the present. Brodick nudged his mount toward her. He didn’t slow the stallion’s gait as he approached. He leaned to the side and, with little effort, wrapped his arm around her waist and swept her onto his lap.

  She adjusted her skirts to cover her knees and tried to sit straight so her back wouldn’t touch his chest, but Brodick wouldn’t let her maintain any formality. He tightened his hold and hauled her up against him.

  In truth, she was thankful for his warmth, and his masculine scent appealed to her. He smelled like the outdoors. She wanted to close her eyes and rest for just a few minutes and maybe even pretend this nightmare was all over. She didn’t dare give in to the foolish fantasy though, because she needed to keep a watchful eye on Alec.

  She turned in Brodick’s arms and looked up at him. He was really quite handsome, she thought, forgetting for the moment what she wanted to say to him. She had heard stories about the Viking warriors who roamed England centuries before and thought Brodick was surely a descendant, for he was as huge as the Vikings were reputed to be. His bone structure was well-defined from his high cheekbones to his gently squared chin. Aye, he was handsome all right and had surely caused many a lady to lose her heart. That thought led to another. Alec had told her Brodick wasn’t married, but did the laird have a sweetheart at home waiting for him to return?

  “Is something wrong, lass?”

  “Could Alec ride with us? We could make room for him.”

  “No.”

  She waited a full minute for him to explain why he had denied her request, then realized he had said all he was going to say. His manner was distant, but she tried not to take offense. Her Uncle Morgan had often told her that the Highlanders we
re a different breed of men and danced to what he called their own strange tune, and she therefore assumed that Brodick wasn’t actually trying to be rude. His abruptness was simply part of who he was.

  She leaned back against him and tried to relax, but every so often, she looked behind him to make certain Alec was all right.

  “We’re almost there,” Brodick said. “You’re going to get a stiff neck if you keep looking back every other minute. Alec’s fine,” he insisted. “Dylan isn’t going to let anything happen to him.” With that, he shoved her head down on his shoulder. “Rest,” he ordered.

  And so she did just that.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Brodick shook Gillian awake when they reached their destination.

  She pulled herself from her slumber and rubbed the stiffness in her neck. It took some effort, but she finally forced her eyes to focus, and for a brief moment she thought she was still dreaming. Where was she? What was this place? Lush green hills surrounded her. A narrow stream gently meandered down the slope and in the center of the green valley sat a gray stone cottage with a thatched roof. The yard on either side was ablaze with wildflowers of every color in the rainbow, their perfumed scent floating around her. Birch trees flanked the clear-water stream that flowed on the west side of the cottage, and to the east was a broad meadow blanketed in a thick carpet of grass. A flock of sheep, ready for shearing, clustered together at the far end of the field, bleating at one another like gossiping women, while a rather regal-looking guard dog sat on his haunches with his head held high, eyes ever watchful as he surveyed his charges. Smoke gently curled up into the cloudless blue sky from the cottage chimney. A faint breeze touched Gillian’s cheek. This was a paradise.

  A shout shook her from her musings. A tall, thin-faced man stood on the front step of the cottage and was smiling and calling to the approaching soldiers. As she watched the men disappear through the doorway, everything that had happened in the last few days flooded back to her memory.

  Dylan had Alec on his shoulders and was bending down to go inside. Brodick had already dismounted but was waiting to assist Gillian. When at last she turned to him, he reached for her and she slid into his arms. For a fleeting moment their eyes met, and she studied the face of this man she hardly knew and yet trusted with her life. His piercing eyes made her think he knew all her secrets. She tried to shake herself out of such foolish thoughts. He was just a man, nothing more—and he needed to shave. His cheeks and jaw were covered with golden brown whiskers, and she had the insane urge to find out what it would feel like to run her fingers down the side of his face.