Highland Warrior (30 page)
Authors: Connie Mason
“Do you believe I betrayed Ross, Hanna?”
“I doona know what to believe. The story I heard from the lads doesna bode well for you. Did you really tell Laird Ross that you love Angus Sinclair? I didna want to believe it, but Gordo assured me it was true.”
“No one knows the real story, Hanna, and Ross refuses to listen.”
“If you swear you didna betray Ross, I will believe you ”
“I swear I didna betray Ross,” Gillian said solemnly. “I wish Ross would listen to my explanation.”
Hanna grinned. “I knew you wouldna play Ross false. Sit down while I fix your favorite, eggs and ham, and some slices of toasted bread.”
Gillian was too hungry to pass up such a grand breakfast. She opted for warm milk instead of ale and sipped it while Hanna prepared her food. After she had sated her hunger, she returned to the solar to plot a way back into Ross’s heart.
For the next few days, Gillian languished in near isolation, ignored by everyone but Alice, Gizela, and Hanna. Ross avoided her like the plague. But Gillian didn’t let that stop her. She had learned where Ross slept. If Ross wouldn’t come to her, she would go to him. She would make him listen to her even if she had to tie him to the bed to do it.
Ross breathed a sigh of relief when Tearlach MacKay finally answered his summons and arrived at Ravenscraig. MacKay charged into the hall, stomped the snow off his boots, and bellowed, “Where is your laird?”
Ross got to his feet and strode forth to greet his father-in-law
“What happened, MacKenna? Do you need my help extracting my daughter from Sinclair’s clutches? I or fered to ride with you, but you said Gillian was your responsibility, that you would rescue her without my assistance. What went awry, lad?”
Ross squared his shoulders. “I have bad news, MacKay Sit down by the fire while we talk.”
MacKay stiffened. “Has Sinclair hurt my lass? I will tear him limb from limb.”
Ross guided MacKay to the hearth and pulled out a chair for him. The older man sat but remained wary. His voice rose on a note of panic. “Where is Gillian? Do not tell me you left her with Sinclair!”
“Gillian abides at Ravenscraig ... for now”
MacKay visibly relaxed, although his eyes remained narrowed with what could only be described as suspicion. “Mayhap you should explain why I am here, lad.”
Ross took a deep breath and related everything that had happened, including how Gillian had abandoned their marriage and taken Sinclair for a lover. When he finished, the taste in his mouth had turned as sour as his disposition.
“Let me get this straight,” MacKay said slowly. “We both kenned that Gillian sought out Sinclair to kill him. Why in God’s good name would you think they had become lovers?”
“I but repeat the words she spoke to me. Ask anyone who was there.”
“And you believed her?” MacKay shook his head. “You doona know Gillian if you think she betrayed you with Sinclair.” He assumed a thoughtful look. “What is Gillian doing at Ravenscraig? Apparently she didna remain with Sinclair.”
“She showed up at our gate four days ago,” Ross explained.
“You opened your gates to her?”
“I did, MacKay but only because I didna wish her death on my conscience. She had traveled from Sinclair Keep in a snowstorm, wearing but a thin cloak to ward off the cold. If I hadna let her in she would have frozen to death.”
“Did she tell you why she left Sinclair after she refused to return to Ravenscraig with you? Was she being held prisoner? Do you know the facts?”
“I know all I need to know. I summoned you to take your daughter back to Braeburn with you. No one wants her here.”
A stubborn streak as wide as his daughter’s suddenly asserted itself in Tearlach MacKay. “If I have the right of it, your kinsmen judged Gillian wrongly and sent her away while you were unconscious.”
“Ross nodded.”
“And McHamish told me she left his keep with the intention of killing Sinclair, am I correct?”
Again Ross nodded.
“But no matter what she told you, she did return, did she nae?”
“You’re not going to change my mind, MacKenna,” Ross maintained.
“Are you anxious to resume the feud, then?”
“Gillian broke the truce when she refused to leave Sinclair.”
“One could say you broke the truce when your kinsmen forced Gillian to leave your keep.”
“We are at a stalemate, then. Take Gillian and let the feud resume.”
MacKay rose, looking down his nose at Ross. “Bloodshed isna the answer. Gillian was forced to leave Ravenscraig and then returned of her own free will. The terms of the truce havena been broken. Gillian is yours, Ross MacKenna, for better or worse. I suggest you calm yourself and listen to her explanation.”
He resumed his seat. “Fetch ale and food for me and my men. ’Tis a long way back to Braeburn. And tell my lass I want to speak with her.”
“I amna your servant, MacKay,” Ross snapped as he motioned to a servant and relayed MacKay’s needs. “I doona want to spill blood any more than you do, and I promise to honor the truce if you take Gillian back to Braeburn with you.”
“Och, you are a coward, MacKenna. I never thought I would see the day a mere lass would defeat you.”
Ross leaped to his feet and reached for his clay more, which, of course, he didn’t carry inside his own home. “You go too far, MacKay. Truce or nay, you are treading on dangerous ground.”
MacKay sighed. “Verra well, I will say no more. As soon as I sup and see my lass, I’ll be on my way. You’re going to have to find a way to settle this on your own, MacKenna. I wash my hands of the whole business.”
“Da!” Gillian cried from the doorway. Alice said you were here.”
MacKay held out his arms, and Gillian flew into them. “What mischief have you gotten into now, daughter?” he whispered into her ear. “Your husband told me an incredible story”
With a snort of disgust, Ross whirled and stomped off.
“Did you tell MacKenna that you loved Sinclair and wished to stay with him?”
“Aye,” Gillian readily admitted. “Unfortunately the foolish man believed me.” She proceeded to explain everything that had happened after shed left McHamish.
“You were always impulsive, Gillian, but attempting murder after you were forced to leave Ravenscraig tops everything. What in God’s good name made you think you could kill those responsible for attacking MacKenna? You are but a woman. You were fortunate McHamish refused to accept your challenge, but challenging Sinclair in his own keep was stupid. You couldna have been thinking rationally”
Gillian shot a glance at Ross’s departing back. “Ross lay near death, I could think of naught but revenge.”
MacKay sighed. “MacKenna wants me to take you back to Braeburn with me. I canna fix this, lass. You’re on your own.”
Gillian’s chin notched upward. “I amna leaving Ravenscraig.”
MacKay nodded. “I assumed as much. That’s why I refused MacKenna’s request. You’re too much like me to surrender.” He rose. “Now hug your old da so I can leave.”
Chapter Fifteen
Ross wasn’t on hand to bid MacKay farewell. He was too angry to think clearly and had sought refuge in the stables. He had wanted Gillian gone, but MacKay had outwitted him. Though he was loath to admit it, the old fox was right: Gillian had been forced to leave Ravenscraig and had returned. The truce had not been broken. But that didn’t satisfy Ross. He would never trust Gillian again. No one wanted her here; why didn’t she realize her life would be miserable if she remained?
“Why is the lass still here?” Gordo asked when he found Ross in the stables.
“MacKay insisted Gillian hadna broken the terms of the truce because she was forced to leave and then returned of her own free will. I did everything I could to convince him to take her to Braeburn with him, but the wily old fox outwitted me.”
Gordo shook his head. “Och, what a coil, lad. Gillian must know she isna welcome.”
“Aye, she knows. I no longer share her bed.”
Gordo stroked his chin. “Has Gillian offered an explanation ? We all heard her say she was Sinclair’s leman.”
Ross’s face hardened. “She could explain away until doomsday and I wouldna believe her.”
“Ross! I know you are avoiding me, but I’d like to speak with you.”
Ross bit back a curse when Gillian, wrapped to her ears in her plaid, entered the stables.
“That’s my signal to leave,” Gordo muttered.
“Stay, Uncle.”
“Nay this is between you and the MacKay lass,” he said as he darted past Gillian and out the door.
“We need to talk,” Gillian said once they were alone. “Since you insist on avoiding me, I decided to come to you.”
“We have naught to say to each other,” Ross bit out.
“First, thank you for saving my life. You could have let me die outside your gate.”
“I wouldna let an animal die in the snow like that.”
Gillian shuddered and pulled her plaid closer around her. His voice was as frigid as a winter night. Thawing him wasn’t going to be easy He had already tried and convicted her.
“I truly did intend to kill Angus Sinclair when I set out for his keep, but I made a serious mistake in thinking I could do it alone.”
Ross turned away. “No explanations are necessary. Naught can justify the fact that you became Sinclair’s leman. Return to the keep; ’tis cold out here.”
Exasperation colored her words. “Why do you refuse to listen to me? Why must you be so stubborn?”
“Some things canna be explained nor forgiven.”
“Verra well, think what you will. I willna, however, be driven from my home. I belong at Ravenscraig, at your side, in your bed, mistress of your keep.”
“You will never, ever take your place in my bed again,” Ross replied. “Now, I have duties to perform. You are still recovering, and ’tis best you return to the keep, where it is warm and dry.”
“Doona think you can ignore me forever, Ross MacKenna, for I willna allow it. And if you take a leman, I will make you verra, verra sorry,” she added as she whirled on her heel and stormed off.
Gillian was still fuming when she entered the hall. If Ross refused to listen to her, how could she ever get back in his good graces? She settled into a chair before the hearth and stared thoughtfully into the flames. She could be as stubborn as Ross, and she was not about to let him ignore her. She had been ready to die for Ross, and she had to find a way to make him aware of the sacrifices she had made on his behalf.
The weather turned again. It snowed for days; the wind howled, and frost covered the windows. Inside, games were played, men diced, women sewed or embroidered, and musicians brought out their instruments and played for the enjoyment of those who had no musical skills. Feople gathered around storytellers of an evening, enthralled by tales of heroism and past battles.
During those long evenings, Gillian sat in the hall with the others, yet felt isolated because she was ignored. After a few days of people walking circles around her, Gillian decided she had had enough and planned a night Ross wasn’t likely to forget anytime soon.
As people began drifting off to their beds one blustery evening, Gillian returned to her chamber. When Alice arrived to help her get ready for bed, Gillian requested a tub and water to be brought up for a bath. She waited with bated breath until Alice relayed her wishes to the kitchen, fearing that her request would be denied. To her surprise, a tub promptly arrived and was filled in due time while Alice built up the fire and brought towels and soap.
Gillian luxuriated in the bath until the water grew cool. Then she stepped into a warm towel and let Alice dry her. After she dismissed her maid, she rubbed fragrant cream Gizela had made up for her into her skin and studied herself in the mirror, noting that while her pregnancy was scarcely noticeable, her breasts were larger. Shivering in the cool air, she pulled on her warmest bed robe and slippers and sat down before the fire to brush her hair dry.
Gillian’s mind raced. What if her plan failed and Ross rejected her? How could she continue to live in such a hostile environment? Would her bairn be accepted ? Or would he be ignored by everyone, including his father? Gillian refused to contemplate failure. But of one thing she was certain: She would return to Braeburn if Ross refused to accept their bairn. At least there her babe would be loved and protected by her father and brothers.
Gillian inhaled sharply and rose when she heard the church bells chime matins. It was midnight, the darkest part of the night, when everyone in the keep would be sleeping. It was time. Gillian opened the door, pleased to find the corridor outside her chamber deserted. Cautiously she made her way through the chill air and up the stairs to Ross’s chamber on the floor above the solar. She had learned from Alice where Ross slept. Dragging in a sustaining breath, Gillian eased the door open.
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