Highland Escape (10 page)

Mairi leaned her cheek against Anna’s head. “I think ye and I shall have regularly scheduled times each week to talk and get to know each other. Aye?”

Her throat too tight to answer, Anna nodded, pulling herself gently from Mairi’s embrace. At last, she found her voice. “Thank you for your kindness, Lady MacGregor.”

Mairi gave Anna a shooing motion with her hand. “Posh. And Lady MacGregor is the mistress of this manor. When we are alone, ye shall call me Mairi.”

Anna found herself thrown off-balance by Mairi’s kindness. How could she move on when they continued to undermine her mistrust?

* * *

Anna’s injuries healed during the next fortnight, both physically and emotionally. Her routine settled into a pleasant one full of stories and dreams with Nessa and Isla, and afternoons with Mairi as often as she could spare them. Anna found herself seamlessly accepted into the women’s groups and wondered at her transformation.

A knock on the door midmorning interrupted the girls’ lively discussion of English nobles. Glancing up, Anna saw Duncan standing in the doorway.

“Are ye well, Lady Anna?”

A sense of uneasiness stole over her as Duncan’s appearance disrupted the one place she’d felt safe since arriving at Ciardun.

“I do not think it wise to use that name, sir. I would prefer Anna, of clan Elliot.”

“Very well, Anna, of clan Elliot, how do ye feel today?”

She put on an emotionless mask. “Well enough. To what do we owe the honor of your visit, sir?”

“There is someone who is quite anxious to see ye.”

Surprise betrayed her featureless guise. “Who could possibly wish to see me?”

Duncan’s grin was smug as he held out a hand for her. “Come see.”

Remembering the last time she touched him, Anna ignored his outstretched hand. She walked into the hallway, pausing for him to lead. He led her out the front door of the keep, where her best friend in the world stood waiting.

“Orion,” she whispered. He whinnied and ambled over to her, nuzzling his velvet nose against her neck. Closing her eyes, Anna breathed in his smell as his breath warmed her skin, a feeling of pure joy flooding her soul. She stroked his long face, pausing at the white star on his forehead, the inspiration for his name. Duncan shrugged.

“He has been quite unapproachable. I assumed ’twas because he longed for his mistress.”

After a few minutes of their comforting exchange, she looked up. “Thank you, sir. Orion is all I have left.”

He tilted his head, furrowing his brow as if to argue, then thought better of it. “I wondered if ye felt up to a ride and tour of the village. Ye must be weary of being stuck in my sister’s room.” They strolled toward the stables near the front gate, Orion lumbering alongside.

Anna frowned. “I doubt I could stand anything more than a gentle walk. I still suffer headaches if jarred.”

“Aye, a gentle walk then. Since he has seen ye, I doubt he will allow us to put him away without at least spending some time with ye. I would not put it past him to follow ye upstairs.”

She tried unsuccessfully not to chuckle at the image, but his words were too potent. To hide her amusement, she saddled her horse, falling easily into the familiar routine. Duncan tacked a beautiful bay gelding, whistling as he worked. Anna noticed that, while quite lovely, the horses in the laird’s stable did not meet Orion’s standards. Not surprising, as he cost her father a small fortune a few years ago. They’d spent a sizeable amount of time looking for the right combination of size, temperament and bloodline. Duncan cast Orion more than one look of admiration.

“One of my responsibilities is overseeing the acquisition, training and breeding of our horses. I am quite certain I havenae seen a horse as fine as yers. Would ye be opposed to allowing him to sire on a few choice mares?”

She laughed out loud at his request. “You presume much, sir. I should be fit to ride in a few days. Unless you have a lady ready now, that does not leave much time. Though I doubt Orion would mind overly much.”

A scowl settled across Duncan’s face. “Call me Duncan, please. Are ye not taking my da up on his offer, then?”

Her humor fled with his question. She remained undecided. Part of her wanted to rage over the treatment she’d received earlier. The other part of her realized she had nowhere else to go. Though still somewhat angry, she’d experienced real contentment these past days.

Nessa looked to her as a hero, the older sister she’d always wanted. Anna had never single-handedly saved someone’s life before. They shared a bond not easily broken, their connection strengthened every day. It would be painful not to have Nessa in her life any longer. Soul-weary of loss, she didn’t want to face it again so soon.

It was unlike her to waver. She’d always been so resolute in her decision-making. An ache of longing for guidance from her father and Master Zhang swept over her. She would even settle for Edrick’s advice, though it would come at the cost of teasing. She’d happily allow him to tease her mercilessly if only she could see him again.

“I see ye are still undecided.”

Duncan’s voice lifted her from her internal musings. “I am still angry.” She cringed to hear the snarl in her voice. She hadn’t intended to put so much emotion in her response.

Duncan regarded her as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, face grim. “I knew ye would be. Ye were right about us. We
have
acted as barbarians. I was told my behavior the last time I saw ye was explained.”

“Yes, your father said you were angry with him.”

Duncan took a deep breath. “The man who struck ye attacked and injured a guest at my father’s table without provocation. I
should
have killed him! Now we share an enemy, one who knows the truth of ye. I fear he could spread this knowledge, bringing enemies here. I have failed to see the wisdom in many of my da’s decisions regarding ye. This one was the tipping point. It dinnae occur to me ye would think yer appearance offended me. I apologize for making ye think so.”

Fury ripped through Anna. “To hell with apologies and pity from you and your father, Duncan MacGregor! I neither require nor want them! I would prefer respect, and the men of your clan at least to
act
like they possess honor!” Anna closed on him, hands at her sides tightly curled into fists.

Duncan stepped back, hands raised in surrender. Struggling to regain her composure, she spoke through gritted teeth. “I thought we were going for a ride?”

Duncan laughed and boarded his horse, tension eased. “Aye, we were indeed.”

She mounted Orion, and looked MacGregor in the eye. “Shall I fetch my weapons?”

“Nae, ’twill not be necessary. I know ye dinnae trust me, but ye
are under my protection.”

“Mayhap you have not noticed,
sir
, but I do not require your protection.” Vestiges of anger colored her voice.

Duncan’s cheeks darkened and his eyes flashed, but he clamped his mouth shut and rode out the door, keeping whatever it was he wanted to say behind his teeth.

Neither spoke for several minutes, allowing the tension to ebb once again. As they rode through the village, Anna noticed it was much like her own had been. Viewing the community from a prisoner’s viewpoint on the ride in, it had appeared differently.

Duncan pointed out the smithy, butcher, weavers, mason, and the rest. “And once a sennight, there is a market when the villagers buy, sell and barter goods and services.”

Anna nodded. “’Tis much as my home was.”

As they passed the small mud-and-stone crofts, she noticed each had a small fenced garden as well as chicken houses and pens with pigs. Cattle and sheep stood in the meadows alongside acre after acre of plowed fields. They passed vineyards, orchards, and several storage barns along the way. At the back of one, she spied a large number of beehives. Anna was struck by the beautiful setting. Everything appeared green, lush and growing, with the scent of flowers in the air. The steep hills and rock balanced the ruggedly beautiful land.

Anna stole several sidelong glances at her guide. She watched the play of his muscular body, moving as one with his horse.
Admiring him is surely madness
. She tried to summon the anger she’d felt at the stables as a shield against such foolish thoughts, but found it had waned. Part of her wanted to remain angry, but after being outside in this beautiful setting, she found no appetite for it.

“Your home is beautiful. It is similar to mine, but also very different.” Thoughts of home tugged at her heart.

His sky-blue eyes sparkled, and in them she saw pride for his home, his clan. “Aye, I knew ye would like it. Now I need to convince ye to stay.”

Furrowing her brow, Anna found herself at a loss for words. She didn’t know how to respond to him, nor could she understand what his smile did to her.

I should still be angry, damn him!

They rode beside the small river winding through the village and past a miller’s wheel. Following the river downstream, they came to a body of water so large she could barely see the other shore.

“Fadagorm Loch. We share it with the MacFarlane clan, our allies. Their lands are on the far side of the loch, to the west. We trade with them and work together to protect our territories. To the north live the Stewarts, my mother’s clan. They are allies, also. North of the Stewarts lies the MacNairn clan. They are the ones who stole Nessa and Isla. We are sworn enemies.

“To the south are the Grahams. We have never had any problems, but do not have an alliance. Father may try to form one with Nessa’s marriage in the future. They are friendly enough, and we trade with them a few times a year. We are known for our blend of whisky, which they have a taste for. ’Tis always in demand.”

Scrutinizing the area, Anna got a sense of the boundaries he described. “So we were met by the Grahams on the second day of our trip and by the MacFarlanes the third day.”

“Aye, ye are a bright one. Nessa tells me ye speak, read and write several languages, and ye have been taught a great number of things.”

Clearly he wanted to know more. Instead she offered, “Your sister is wonderful. I have greatly enjoyed my time with her.”

“Aye, she is a good lass—my father’s joy. Ye have made her very happy by staying. She hopes to keep ye.”

His words brought a smile to her lips before she thought to stop it. She hated the conflict churning within. Duncan’s consideration today only worsened her confusion. Seeing him as her enemy made things so much easier.

Walking the horses back to the stables, she unsaddled Orion. She grabbed a brush off the wall and set to the task of brushing him. Grooming a horse was always one of her favorite ways to think. The simple, mindless chore freed her to consider solutions to problems or ponder decisions. Today, she found no such respite, acutely aware of the man a few feet from her.

She’d known him less than a month. The early part of that time, he was her enemy. She’d need longer than a few days to think otherwise. They groomed their horses in silence. He finished first and leaned against a stall door. A strange discomfort crept over her, and she slid a glance in his direction. His tilted smile as he watched her work softened his rugged face. She ignored him, attending instead to her horse.

After she finished, Duncan took the reins and led Orion to a large stall. She didn’t want to appear rude, but found it difficult to express gratitude. The words seemed to stick in her throat.

“Thank you for the ride today. It was enjoyable. Thank you, also, for taking care of my horse whilst I was unable.” She forced a pleasant look on her face, feeling it stretch the limits of plausibility.

He bowed to her. “Of course, milady. ’Twas the least I could do.”

There. Though she would not give in to feeling guilty for losing her temper, she could at least be grateful.

* * *

With a sigh of relief, Duncan rocked back on his heels and watched Anna climb the stairs. The morning proved to be a success. Kenneth would be pleased to hear it. Maybe a few more outings and she would trust enough to consider staying. Getting Anna to vent a portion of the anger she’d held since her arrival seemed to have brought her some relief. At first, he feared he might have to defend himself. He owed it to her to take anything she threw at him. Words anyway.

She appeared genuinely happy to be outside, and seeing her horse well cared for clearly touched her. Watching her smile when they were reunited filled him to overflowing. Knowing he could be the author of her joy brought a feeling he was hesitant to explore. He only knew he wanted to be the one who made her smile.

Duncan had wondered if not seeing her these past few days would cause his feelings to wane. To his surprise, his attraction toward her had only intensified. The simple ride this afternoon increased his need to be near her. He’d forcibly stopped himself several times from drawing closer during their ride, seeming to have little power over his actions.

Like a stallion with the scent of a mare in season, he found himself inexplicably drawn to her. ’Twas folly to consider she would allow him closer yet. No, he would keep his distance, continuing to invite her to venture out. Doing so would show the clan his intent toward her, as well as give her opportunities to continue to discharge her wrath in a more controlled fashion. This, along with the steady efforts of the women, would surely erode the walls she erected.