Highlander's Bride (Heart of the Highlander Series Book 1) (19 page)

"Ha. And to think I offered myself to ye. Ye
are even weaker than yer brother. Ye are daft if ye think they're in need of
yer help. Yer high and mighty wife paid me well to keep ye from followin' them
to their love nest. Ye wouldna be welcome to join in what they do with each
other."

Her words cut him like a knife, leaving his
emotions raw and bleeding. My God, this couldn't be true. Could it?  No!

Her smile changed to a smirk. "Shall I tell
ye of yer sweet wife and honorable brother? I found them writhin' about,
kissin' and pawin' each other in this very chamber, only two nights after ye'd
gone."

"No!"

"Aye. Yer loyal wife said she wouldna be left
to pine fer ye, and in truth, preferred the younger, more virile brother. And
as for him, he is so besotted with her all he could say was how much he loved
her and they were meant fer each other."

"Damn you, wench. How dare you invent such
lies?"

"'Tis no lie. Why yer own wife told me she'd
made her choice before ye were wed. Yer leavin' only made it easier to be with
yer brother to do as she wished." Fiona's smirk turned to a look of
hatred. "Lady MacGregor bade me keep my silence fer fear of harm. When I
told her I didna fear fer myself, yer lady laughed and said Elsa was old and
could easily be harmed."

"No, I won't believe it."

Fiona threw back her head and fisted her hands on
her hips. "Fer days, yer fine lady   enticed yer brother. When he pledged
his devotion, she gave her body to him in this chamber. Aye, in yer very bed.
Look, I saved the sheet she sinned upon that ye would know the truth."

Running over to a chest by the wall, she pulled it
away and yanked out a soiled bed sheet. Small spattered drops of dried blood
were smeared over its surface. The telltale proof ripped open Alexander's
heart, shredding all hope and doubt. How could Katherine have done this? And
with his own brother! God, she had betrayed him just as Beatrice had done. No,
much worse. Beatrice had not pledged herself in marriage to him alone.

Fiona shook the sheet at him. "When they'd
had their fill of each other, Lady MacGregor called me to yer chamber and told
me of their plans to leave and bid me help her or know her wrath. Yer good lady
paid me three pounds silver, to delay ye from goin' in search of them."
She thrust the sheet at him and then tossed it at his feet. "Your wife
laughed and said 'twas a small price to pay fer bein' free of yer cold ways.
She would have yer name and yer brother in her bed to warm her whene'er she
liked."

Alexander bellowed out in rage and threw his
goblet against the wall. It smashed, sending a rivulet of red wine running down
the chiseled stones as if even the wall bled from his torment. "You cursed
witch. You have betrayed our clan and me by being in league with my— with Lady
Katherine. You will leave this castle now and never enter it again!" The
words burned in his throat. Fiona deserved a much harsher fate for her actions.
No one could say him nay if he ordered worse, but he couldn't bring himself to
do it.

He yanked the bolt from his door, wrenched it open
and shouted into the corridor. When a clansman came running, Alexander pointed
at Fiona. "Cast this traitorous witch from the castle grounds with only
the clothes on her back. Let her exist by her own vile, deceiving wits. She is
no longer welcome within the gates and is not to be given shelter by anyone in
our clan on fear of death to herself and anyone harboring her!"

Screaming, Fiona threw herself at him and raked
his face with her nails, before the clansman could drag her off. Her wailing
voice shrieked back curses of revenge as she was led away to her fate.

Chapter Thirteen

Alexander turned his back on the sight of his
chamber door closing on Fiona's muffled curses. Disgust and anger at her
betrayal ate at his soul. He thrust his clenched fists toward the heavens and
cried out his rage at being played such a fool.

God in Heaven! He'd allowed his foolish heart to
be taken in by Katherine's beauty and pretense of caring. Fie on all women!
Hadn't even Fiona shown herself to be vile and deceitful? Even she, whom he'd
known since childhood, held naught to truth and honor!

Gathering his targe and an extra plaid, he
hurriedly looked about his chamber before he turned to leave. There, on the
floor near the bed, was a dried sprig of heather. A vision of Katherine on
their wedding day wearing a crown of heather assaulted him. How loving and
understanding she had acted. Aye, an act it had been. By all the saints, he
must rid himself of any tender feelings for the beautiful bitch he'd married.
Aye, and for his treacherous brother. The thought of William cuckolding him
with his wife consumed Alexander like a festering gut wound.

He touched the back of his hand to his face where
droplets of blood congealed in the scratches. Curling his fingers into a tight
fist, he swore. "By God, I will have my revenge!" Grabbing up his
broadsword, he quickly sheathed it to his side. Then he jerked the door back,
slamming it against the stone wall of his chamber as he ran out. 

God, how would he bring himself to tell Da the
truth of Katherine and William's treachery? No, he couldn't do that to him. He
must think of some other tale to tell him of their disappearance and his
reasons for seeking them out.

Turning a corner in the corridor, he found Ian
deep in discussion with the man who'd led Fiona away. His plans to save his
father the shameful knowledge melted on his lips.

The older man's face was mottled with apparent
anger, its bright patches matching the red of his beard. He motioned the clansman
to leave when Alexander approached. "God's blood, Alexander, what has
taken control of you? I command you tell me! Were you so against the marriage
and my wishes that you now have set our people one against the other over it?
For what reason have you banished the lass Fiona from our clan?"

Ian raged on, his words filled with accusation and
disbelief. "Damn it, where are your wife and brother? Have you set your
wife aside as well or banished her to one of your distant holdings? And what of
William? Did you send him to dispatch her as soon as her parents left? By God,
'tis dishonor you bring upon our clan!"

Alexander's fury rose like bitter bile in his
chest, and he responded in kind, his words lashing out in contempt. "No,
father, I am not the dishonorable one. I leave that distinction to my depraved
brother and whore of a wife. I have learned they are lovers and conspired
against us with Fiona's aid. Katherine and William have fled together and I
will not rest till I have found them and sent their black hearts to Hell by my
own hand!"

"What idiocy is this? I dinna believe it. You
know your brother would ne'er set himself against you or bring such dishonor to
our clan!"

"No. I know it not. I have seen what the
beautiful Lady Katherine can do to a man's heart. Whether through love or
treachery, William has done this evil deed. It doesn't matter by which means
'twas done. I will take my revenge when I find them. For past love of my
brother, he will be dealt a quick fate. As to the witch I married, she will beg
for death before I am through with her!"

Not waiting for a reply, he vaulted down the
stairwell to his men's lodging on the lower floor of the keep. He burst through
the doorway, startling a young man who dropped the sword he was polishing.
"You, lad, call my men together. Tell them to arm for battle and make
ready to leave the castle!" With that, he ran to the stable.

As he was packing his saddlebags, one of his men
entered dressed in battle gear. "Lord Alexander, yer men are assembled in
the courtyard. How many days' provisions should be packed? 'Twill take time to
lay in stores for a siege."

"God's wrath, man. Don't question me like an
old woman. I have no time to waste. Tell the men we leave now. We are Scots and
fighting men. We'll take from the forests and streams whatever we need. As to
the length of our journey, 'twill be as long as needs be, to rid this world of
two deceitful traitors. Go tell my men to be ready or fear for their
lives!"

Shock etched the man's face. "Aye," he
shouted and hurried from the stable.

Fully armed and his horse saddled, Alexander
glanced wretchedly about the stable. A wee voice deep within his soul cried out
against what seemed to be and yearned for another answer. He shook his head to
dispel the unmanly moment of weakness and strode out to join his waiting men.
Mounting his stallion without a word or backward glance, he signaled his men to
follow him. He galloped under the portcullis and out of the castle grounds,
scattering castle folk and animals in his wake.

After riding for several hours, he and his men
approached the crossroads between Perth and Ironwood. The thundering noise of
approaching riders filled the air. Sensing treachery, Alexander ordered his men
to form a mounted schiltrom and prepare to fight.

However, with sight of the approaching troop's
banners, he called for his men to fall back. The brilliant black and gold
banner of Laird Drummond alongside his own red and green carried by Malcolm,
reassured him of the goodwill of the approaching riders.

Great clouds of dust arose as the two armies of
men met at the crossroads. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, the dust
clouds took on the red hue of the sky and seemed to portend a cloud of blood
rising from a field of battle. 

Both lords dismounted and walked toward each
other. Laird Drummond spoke first. "Alexander. What do you here? When
Malcolm found me and told me you had left for During Castle by yourself, I was
fair surprised. Devon and I had made merry with wine and wenching and your man
had a devil of a time convincing my befuddled brain aught was amiss. We mounted
and followed, but you already had a day's ride behind you when we but
started."

When Alexander didn't immediately respond,
Drummond continued with a bemused look on his face. "From what Malcolm
told me, I didna expect to see you away from your new wife so soon. Och, my
arse has had enough riding for one day. Let us make camp and you can tell me
why you left court alone and now ride with a small army away from your
destination."

Nodding grimly, Alexander turned back to his men
and called for them to dismount and set up camp.

Malcolm walked up and nodded. "Alexander, I
am here to serve ye. I would have gladly traveled with ye and stand ready to
follow yer orders." 

Pleased by Malcolm and Davey's show of loyalty,
Alexander clasped their forearms in greeting. "By the saints, old friends,
'twould have been far better had I stayed in befuddled ignorance at court with
you. 'Tis a long and grievous tale which sickens me to relate. Malcolm, bring a
stout keg of usquabae to carry us through the telling."

Around them, clansmen erected tents and lit
campfires. Several men led horses off to be groomed and fed. But as one of
Alexander's men attempted to lead Tursachan away, the animal pulled sharply
against the reins. It threw back its head, snorted and rolled its eyes in
wariness.

Drummond grinned at Alexander. "Some things
never change. That black devil you ride will ne'er take to another's
hand."

His friend's words brought back a flash of memory
of Katherine smiling and feeding an apple to Tursachan, both at ease with the
other. The memory burned into his heart as he thought of how he'd been betrayed
by his beautiful wife. It seemed she had a way of winning even his stallion's
trust. How she would pay for her treachery!

After eating a hastily prepared meal of rabbit and
dry bannocks, Laird Drummond, Malcolm and Alexander stretched out before a
fire. Davey and Malcolm waited for their friend and laird to reveal the story
he had alluded to earlier.

Seeing their looks of expectancy, he threw a large
stick onto the fire and drank deeply from his mug. "May the Lord curse me
for a weak man, but I felt no relief in leaving my wife on our wedding day as I
had thought I would. In the few days we had together before we spoke our vows,
I felt a great liking, nay, a fondness growing toward her for she seemed as
kind and caring as she was beautiful."

He took another long drink and shrugged. "I
began to ponder on the wisdom of my plan to leave for court and bide my time in
order to accustom myself to the idea of being wed. But then…" A tight knot
twisted in his gut at the memory of Katherine's unreasonable accusations. How
dare that wanton whore think to accuse him! "Then the day before our
wedding, she turned shrewish and questioned my actions like a skirling
harridan. When I realized folk in the courtyard were listening as she let loose
her temper and screamed at me, I became angry and decided to carry out my plans
after all. By leaving right after the marriage vows had been spoken, I thought
to teach her to tame her shrewish manner and sharp tongue."

A weak smile lessened Alexander's angry
countenance for a fleeting moment before his lips set in a sullen line again.
"I almost foundered when I looked at her in the chapel as we pledged our
vows. She was so very beautiful but 'twas more than that. When I looked at her,
everything I saw seemed honest and gentle."

He swallowed the remaining drink in his mug and
held it out to Malcolm to refill. After taking another deep drink, he
continued. "The rest you know of how we left and went to court. I tried to
lose her memory while I was there, but it wouldn't leave me. When Devon
questioned me about Katherine, I knew 'twas time to go back and make things
aright. All through my return journey I thought of her. But when I arrived at
During Castle, I found I had been made the greatest of fools."

Drummond looked up sharply. "What are you
talking about?"

Alexander kicked a rock into the blazing fire and
drank deeply again. The warmth of the usquabae eased the tightness in his
throat. "When I didn't find my wife in our chamber, I sought her in the
chapel. There, the priest told me she and William had left for Ironwood well
over a fortnight earlier. I thought aught was amiss, so I questioned my father.
He acknowledged their departure and spoke of his concern over receiving no word
from them. When a wool merchant sent word of seeing signs of ambush on the road
less than a day's ride from Ironwood, I feared greatly for their safety."

Alexander's jaw clenched and he sat silently
staring into the blazing fire, lost in thought. His grip tightened on the mug
turning his knuckles white. Then he belted back another swallow and spoke
bitterly. "When I returned to my chamber to prepare to go in search of them,
I learned the truth about Katherine and William. It seems while I was away,
they lost no time in cuckolding me and have fled together! I have sworn to
avenge myself on them and travel now to Ironwood. They will be repaid for their
cursed treachery."

Obvious shock etched Drummond's face as he barked
out his question. "What? Alexander, that canna be so! Think on it, mon.
Surely 'tis no truth in what you've been led to believe. Who told you
this?"

Malcolm nodded in agreement. "Aye, lad, this
rings false. Who has spun this tale?"

Alexander shouted angrily, sickened by his memory
of Fiona's reception of him. "It doesn't matter who told me. Only that I
know the wrong has been done! At the morrow's first light, I ride with my men
to Ironwood."

He turned a black look on his man-at-arms almost
as if he expected disloyalty from him as his wife and brother had shown.
"Malcolm, you swore an oath of allegiance to me years ago. Do you still
stand loyal or no?"

Malcolm jumped to his feet and glowered back.
"Ye have nay cause to question my honor! My word is my bond. I ride with
ye even unto death." Angrily clapping his right hand to his sword, Malcolm
turned and stomped away, his heavy tread trampling a few clumps of nearby
heather.

Alexander looked back at his friend with a glare.
"And you? Do you still stand with me as in the past?"

Drummond's harsh words cut through the thickening
haze of alcohol and growing weariness. "Damn it, Alex, you are a great
arse if you doubt the loyalty of Malcolm or myself. I know naught of this, but
I will stand by you as we have always done, one for the other." He tossed
his mug to the ground. "But you'd best leave off your swilling of usquabae
and clear your head before we ride on the morrow. I have no wish to ride into
battle with a bemused drunkard!" Kicking his mug out of the way, Drummond
stalked off to his tent.

Guilt lashed at Alexander for doubting the two
friends he'd known most of his life. And what of the merchant's tale? Did it
have aught to do with Katherine and William? Were they alive and well? If so,
and they were innocent, why had no one heard from them? Cursing, he hurled the
usquabae keg away. Then he rolled across the ground away from the fire and
curled his plaid around him. Despite the cold, he didn't seek the comfort of
his tent with his men. He'd heard enough for one night.

What he needed was to be alone to think.
Unfortunately, the crushed heather beneath his nose conjured up the memory of
Katherine thanking him for sending her flowers on their wedding day. For the
slightest moment he felt ashamed that he had been too anxious over Malcolm's
return to think of doing so. Then realization dawned; William must have sent
those flowers. Damn it. His brother hadn't even waited till he was gone.

**

The heavy mist and gray light of approaching dawn
did nothing to ease the pounding in Alexander's head or the chill in his soul
for the deed he vowed to do. He stood, found his legs none too steady and
cursed his fate.