A Laird for Christmas (33 page)

“Come, let’s join the others. The flames are too intense, their stranglehold on the castle too strong.” Angus guided her out of the keep and into the night air.

Outside, her people gathered. Margaret organized them into groupings where the more able-bodied could help either the young or the old as they made their way across the courtyard and to the inner bailey. Margaret clutched the puppy, Angel, in her arms. At the sight, Jane drew a breath of fresh clean air and felt her muddled senses clear. “What about the battle?” she asked Angus. “Will we be safe if we leave the inner bailey?

“The MacGuires are still a threat, but the fire is certain to kill us if we stay.”

Jane turned back toward the keep. A reddish aura rose from the growing core of heat and flames that spread into the night sky, while a heavy choking mass of gray smoke billowed around them.

Jane shivered as the cool night air touched her heated skin. Tiny flecks of white fell from the sky, and for a moment Jane thought it was ash. But as she held her hand up, tiny flakes fell upon her flesh, hovering for a moment before melting.
Snow.

Jane tipped her head back. The moon peeked out from behind dark clouds, bright and full, mixing its light with that of the fire to cast a look that was nearer to daylight than evening across the land.

Bellhaven Castle was burning. There was nothing she could do but let it burn.

The MacGuires brought down the wall of the inner bailey with a final strike of their catapult. Stone exploded, landing against the ground with a mighty thump. A roar went up as the MacGuires charged. Nicholas and the others were prepared. They held their swords and bows at the ready, waiting to strike. The clan climbed up over the rubble and prepared to engage when they stopped cold, staring gazes and slackened jaws, at something behind Nicholas and the other men.

Nicholas turned and looked in stunned disbelief at the roaring inferno that was Bellhaven Castle. He heard David’s harsh imprecation, but could not tear his gaze away from the macabre sight before him.

The roofs of Bellhaven were being devoured by flames.

“Lady Jane,” Jules cried.

The shocked murmurs of the men sounded behind him.

“We have to get Lady Jane and Lady Margaret out of there.” Lord Galloway’s sword found its sheath as he bolted forward, only to stop a heartbeat later as dark figures appeared through the haze of smoke.

Nicholas saw Jane, illuminated by the flames, as she came rushing through the gate to the outer bailey with Lady Margaret, Angus, and many of the servants in tow.

Nicholas ran to her and grabbed her into his arms. He did not care that the others looked on. “Praise the saints you are unharmed.”

Lord Galloway swept Lady Margaret into his arms. “My love, my heart. You are safe.”

The MacGuires, released from their momentary shock, climbed over the rubble and entered the inner courtyard with lowered swords. Lord Galloway and Nicholas both swept the women behind them.

“The castle… is burning.” Seamus MacGuire came forward, clothed in the green and blue of his clan’s colors. “Our cannon fire was not responsible, was it?”

“No,” Jane said, stepping from behind Nicholas. “Amelia and Clara were.”

“Amelia?” Seamus’s eyes widened.

A million questions crowded Nicholas’s thoughts, but he forced them aside. There would be time for questions later.

“You know the truth?” the aging laird asked.

“She told me.”

Seamus’s gaze searched the crowd of people gathered around them. “Where is she? Where is Amelia?”

Sorrow reflected in Jane’s gaze. “Amelia refused to leave the castle. Her anger forced her to seek revenge, but it was her fear that ultimately took her life,” Jane said softly. Nicholas could hear the regret and sorrow in her voice.

Seamus’s face turned red. “No!” he cried as he swung his sword at Jane. Nicholas blocked the strike, knocking the weapon from Seamus’s hands. David caught his arms and pinned them behind him.

The MacGuire men surged forward. Colin, Jules, and Bryce stepped between Seamus and his men, prepared to take on the clan with their swords at the ready.

“Stop,” Jane commanded. “There will be no more destruction this day.” Her angry gaze skewered each of the MacGuire men. “Has there not been enough loss already? Your kinswoman is dead. Bellhaven is in ruin. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Please, I beg you, withdraw before any more blood is shed.”

Seamus’s cheeks reddened as he no doubt fought to keep his anger in check. “Amelia is gone?”

Angus nodded. “I went into the flames tae rescue her, but ’twas too late for the poor lass.”

Seamus’s shoulders slumped. “I dinna want things to end like this.”

“Are they at an end, MacGuire?” Angus asked, surveying Seamus’s clansmen.

The angry murmurs of Seamus’s men sounded over the pop and hiss of the flames. Then, at a nod from their leader, they sheathed their weapons. Their voices died down.

David released the clan chief. Seamus stepped away and reached down, picking up his sword.

Jane’s men raised their weapons once more, but halted a moment later when the old laird slid his weapon back into its sheath. “As much as I want revenge for Amelia’s death, I fear we are more to blame for that outcome than you are. We must now be satisfied with the fact we have taken Bellhaven from you. Not in the way we had anticipated, but the castle is gone nonetheless. Because of this, the MacGuires consent to retreat. When the flames die down, we will return to claim Amelia’s body.”

Jane nodded, then lifted her chin. “Had I known about Amelia, I never would have kept her from you.”

Seamus’s face reddened once more.

Nicholas tightened his grip on his sword, prepared to step between them if the old laird moved a handbreadth.

A moment later Seamus’s shoulders slumped. “She was my granddaughter. I failed her. We all failed her.” On a sigh, the clan leader signaled his men back over the rubble. He caught sight of Clara and waved her to his side. “You had best come with us. I doubt you will be welcome here after what we tried to do.”

The girl followed behind Seamus, leaving the defenders of Bellhaven to stand alone amongst the ruin.

“Colin and I will see them off the Lennox land,” David said.

“Were any of our men hurt in the battle?” Jane asked as David and Colin disappeared over the rubble.

“A few are wounded, but those wounds will heal with time.”

Jane released a sigh. “I am grateful for that small miracle.”

“Come,” Nicholas said. He offered Jane a hand. “We should retreat to the outer bailey while the fire blazes. Distance will guarantee our safety.” Jane and Nicholas hung back to assist the others over the loose rock and gravel, until finally they made their way into the outer bailey.

“The outer buildings have yet to catch fire.” Nicholas felt a small catch of relief. All was not lost. He organized the female servants to pull water from the well, in preparation for the flames to come. In the meanwhile, he and the
men dug a trench just outside the garden wall in an attempt to keep the flames from spreading.

When their work was done, Jane found her way back to Nicholas. He set his shovel aside and turned to watch as the tops of the trees in the garden caught fire, forming an arch of flames that hopped from one skeletal frame to another.

“Fear not,” he said in a calming tone. “The fire lines will hold. We will cling to what remains of Bellhaven for your sake.”

“Thank you.” Jane’s voice was raw from emotion as she stared at what had been the north side of the castle. All that remained was an empty shell that was being devoured by obscene tongues of red and orange and blue.

Burning branches from the trees fell to the ground and ash floated down around them, mixing with the ankle-deep snow on the ground. Silence settled. Nicholas pulled Jane closer against him when an explosion rocked the earth. Another explosion sounded, then another. As heat from the fire mixed with the cool stone, the stone expanded, sending stone and wood and debris to rain down upon them.

Tears rolled down Jane’s cheeks, leaving rivulets in the soot and ash that clung to her skin. “This castle has seen many wars over the course of its seven hundred years and now it is a ruin.”

Nicholas covered Jane’s hand. “But Bellhaven is not gone. The lands yet exist. And with care, you can rebuild and restock.”

Her hand turned and held tight to his own.

He gave her hand a squeeze, trying to impart warmth, comfort, anything that might strengthen her as they glanced at the sight of the flames.

“I am sorry, Jane, for all you suffered today.”

“Nothing lasts forever,” she said softly.

“You are wrong.” He tipped her face to his. “My love for you will last a lifetime, whether you choose me as your husband or not.”

Jane stiffened beside him. “In all the chaos, I had forgotten by this time tomorrow it will all be over.”

Before the sun set on Christmas Eve, Jane would have to choose one of her suitors to spend forever with.

T
he following morning, after bedding down in the stables for the night, Jane and her people stood in a new layer of snow. Despite the damage from the fire, the snow had a cleansing effect on what remained of Bellhaven. The once pink-gray stone that had been charred black last night was covered in a blanket of snow, softening the broken line of the battlements. In the apple grove, the scorched, twisted skeletons of the trees were covered in crystals of white.

Bellhaven no longer looked dead. It looked like it was sleeping, waiting to be reborn. She stood, back straight, absorbing the thought, letting it fuel her determination.

The MacGuires had come peacefully early that morning to find and retrieve Amelia’s body. They had taken her charred remains, wrapped in a shroud of white, with them for burial.

Amelia. Her sister. Jane shuddered at the memory of how the young woman had died. Things could have been so different for the two of them if only… Jane left the thought at that. There was no going back, no changing
what had happened. She’d had a sister for a few moments, but now that sister was gone, along with all the mysterious attacks on her, Margaret, and Bryce.

Margaret and Bryce remained. They were her family now. The three of them could bond together and be all that each other needed. But would that bond include marriage to Bryce? Despite what her heart demanded, should Bryce be the logical choice?

“How do you feel?” Margaret gently touched Jane’s arm, interrupting her thoughts. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No.” Jane turned away from the ruins and shifted her gaze to the familiar faces gathered nearby. David, Jules, Colin, Lord Galloway, Bryce, most of the household staff, Angus, Ollie, Egan, and of course Nicholas.

Jane offered them the beginnings of a smile. Christmastide was one of her favorite times of the year. Despite the secrets that had been revealed last night, and the fire, she still felt a glimmer of the usual happiness that this time of year brought. If she forced the disaster from her mind, and truly looked at what was in front of her, she still had one of the greatest gifts of all—love. She had the love of her people, her family, and her suitors.

Her suitors.

“Today is the final day of the challenge. I know we had planned a melee for today, but given the circumstances I thought we would change things up a bit.”

“Cousin Jane.” Bryce stepped forward. “None of us expects you to continue with the challenges. We know the depth of your loss. Make your decision now. Any one of us who remains in the competition would accept you willingly. And the others will bow out graciously once you choose.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me,” Jane said as she turned to address the others. She drew herself up as a sudden lightness came over her. Christmastide was upon them. It was the season of peace, of giving, and of joy. Despite the ruin that surrounded them, those gifts of the spirit could remain.

Jane smiled, a true smile—one that she felt from the bottom of her soul. “Your final challenge is to find whatever you can among the ruins of
Bellhaven. Things we can use to make ourselves more comfortable. Find as many items as you can, but chose one to offer to me as a gift this Christmas Eve.”

David frowned. “We should stay with the others and help prepare the outer buildings before the pending storm lets loose.”

“Angus and Ollie are quite capable of organizing the other men to see to that task. Please, David, do this one last thing for me.”

“As you wish,” he said with a bow. “I could never deny you your heart’s desire.”

“You have two hours,” Jane said, before dismissing them to head off toward the ruins.

“I will help Ollie and Angus.” Lord Galloway pressed a kiss to Margaret’s lips, then he was gone, leaving the two women alone.

“Are you certain it was wise to send them off on a scavenger hunt when we could really use their help to rebuild a warm, safe haven?”

Jane remained silent while she waited for the men to be out of earshot. Finally she said, “We need the useful items they will find every bit as much as we need shelter. I also sent them away because I need time to prepare. Margaret, I need your help. I must find four gifts of my own to give to the men who I will not take as my husband. Please help me send them away with something with which to pursue their own dreams.”