My Daring Highlander (41 page)

As they rode closer, her father’s face
grew redder.

“Where is Talia?” Seona
asked.

“Where have you been?” Murray growled,
his glare shifting to Keegan.

“Haldane MacKay captured me. Then,
thanks be to God, Keegan and his friends came to my rescue.” She
gave a quick glance at Wentworth’s sullen face, where he stood
stiffly by the tavern’s back door. Simply looking at him made her
cringe.

Keegan dismounted and helped her
down.

“Where is Talia?” she asked
again.

“Inside. Holed up in the storeroom,”
her father grumbled. “Go in and talk her into coming
out.”

“What do you mean
holed up in the storeroom
?”

“She’s blocked the door, and she has a
knife. She stabbed two of my men in the hands already. She’s gone
mad!”

“I see.” ’Twas true that Talia was
belligerent. Even if her actions got her into worse trouble, she
would keep rebelling.

Seona headed toward the tavern’s back
door, Keegan and his friends following.

Her father and Wentworth entered the
dim room behind, along with five Murray guards. “I want to talk to
you over here, Seona,” her father said in a stern tone.

She gave Keegan a quick glance. His
firm mouth, hardened jaw, and icy glare said he was ready to stab
someone. But none of them had drawn swords yet, thank the
saints.

Her father and Wentworth waited twenty
feet away, near the tavern’s huge cold fireplace.

When she joined them, her father
asked, “Haldane, you say? Is he Griff MacKay’s youngest
son?”

“Aye.” The men had already told her
father how Haldane had ambushed them several times on the journey
here, trying to kidnap her.

“Did he rape you? Seduce you?” her
father demanded.

“Nay.”

“I don’t believe her,” Wentworth
muttered between his crooked, yellow teeth. “She doesn’t have the
look of an innocent to me. She probably already carries another
man’s bastard. I withdraw my suit.” He strode from the tavern,
slamming the front door on his way out.

Seona’s heart lightened with a moment
of happiness. Marrying that man would’ve been hell on earth. But
she was surprised to see her father didn’t attempt to stop
him.

“’
Twas not Haldane who
compromised you; ’twas that one there.” Her father sent a sharp,
lethal glare at Keegan.

Seona held her breath, waiting for a
battle to break out. But everyone remained silent and
still.

“How did Haldane MacKay capture you?”
her father asked. “You had to be outside the castle walls. We know
the guards were drunk on whisky and not at their posts. You slipped
out, did you not?”

“Nay.”

“You’re lying, you little whore,” he
muttered, too low for Keegan to hear. “One of the maids saw you
slipping out of the kitchen with Rebbinglen. And six of my men saw
you in the chamber upstairs with Keegan MacKay. Naked. You sicken
me.”

We are married. I love
him. He is my husband
, she almost said. But
she couldn’t yet. She had to take her sister to safety
first.

“Where is Talia?”

“There.” He swung his thumb toward an
alcove with a closed door. “Get her to come out.”

Seona approached the rough door, made
of wide planks. “Talia? Are you in there?”

Silence.

Seona knocked. “Talia? ’Tis me,
Seona.”

“Where is Father?” Talia asked, her
voice muffled behind the thick wood.

“Here in the room behind
me.”

“I’m not coming out,” she said in a
stubborn tone.

“You cannot stay in there,” Seona
said.

“I can. There is food in here. I’ll
let you in and you can stay with me. We won’t have to marry the
beasts.”

Footsteps approached, and Seona turned
to find her father striding closer, a murderous gleam in his eyes.
“What is that on your finger?” he yelled.

The wedding band.
Fear paralyzed her for a moment, but then she drew
in a deep breath for courage, her gaze connecting with
Keegan’s—intense blue and arrow sharp. Silently, he and his friends
moved closer.

“’
Tis a ring,” she said. “I
am married.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Married?” Chief Murray’s hand flew up
and struck Seona’s face.

Fury blasted through Keegan’s veins.
He snagged the back of Murray’s collar and yanked him away. The man
made a choking sound just before Keegan punched him in the face.
The older man bounced off the wall and sprawled to the tavern
floor, blood pouring from his nose, curses spewing from his
mouth.

Keegan drew his sword to cut down
Murray’s guards, for they were sure to attack. But Rebbie, Fraser
and Dermott were one step ahead of him on that count. Each of them
held blades at the ready.

“Halt!” Rebbie commanded the
guards.

“Kill them!” Murray snarled, trying to
push up on his elbows.

“I wouldn’t risk it if I were you,”
Rebbie warned the guards with a menacing grin and they
froze.

Keegan snatched Murray’s sword and
dirk from their sheaths and tossed them across the room, then stood
on the man’s scabbard, holding him down. “How many times have you
hit Seona?” Keegan demanded.

“You bastard,” Murray seethed. “I’m
going to kill you.”

“I hope you’ll try.” Keegan went to
Seona who still stood by the storeroom door. Her cheek was red and
her eyes glinting with fury. “Did he hurt you badly?”

She shook her head. “I’ll be
fine.”

“Hold it right there,” Rebbie ordered,
drawing Keegan’s attention.

But Murray didn’t obey. He’d crawled
to his feet. “Give me your dirk,” he roared at one of his
guards.

“Hell,” Keegan muttered.

Rebbie, Fraser and Dermott launched
into action, each of them engaging one of the guards, while two
charged Keegan. Dodging out of the way, he grabbed a stoneware jug
from a nearby table and knocked one on the head. He collapsed to
the floor. When the other switched direction and came back for him,
Keegan ran him through with his sword. Then shoved him down onto
Murray. Keegan kicked the dying guard’s sword away, then grabbed
his dirk. Glancing around to see who else might be on the attack,
he found the other three either knocked out or dead on the floor.
None of them moved.

“You lads are lethal,” Keegan said,
battle rage still coursing through his veins.

Murray struggled from underneath the
dead guard and surveyed the scene. His eyes grew wide and his mouth
hung open when he looked up at Keegan. Was the man ready to beg for
his life? He appeared on the verge. Never had Keegan felt such a
sense of victory. But he wouldn’t kill Seona’s father while she
watched, unless he had to. It might prove too much for her to
handle.

“Anyone have rope? We’ll tie him up,”
Keegan said. “Them, too.” He motioned to the three guards who still
showed signs of life. “They’ll awaken eventually.”

Keegan turned to Seona. “Tell your
sister to come out of the storeroom. We’re leaving.”

Seona banged on the door with renewed
vigor. “Talia, come out. Keegan and his friends are taking us.
We’re running away.”

“You damned blackguard,” Murray
seethed as Fraser tied his hands behind his back. “I will see you
dead! All of you!”

“Do you remember who my father is?”
Rebbie asked.

Murray merely glowered up at
him.

“In case you’ve forgotten, he’s the
Marquess of Kilverntay. And, trust me, he has the king’s ear. I
would hate for you to lose this glorious estate.”

“Dare you threaten me,
you—?”

Fraser forced a gag into Murray’s
mouth, then tied it behind his head.

“I’m glad you shut him up,” Rebbie
muttered.

Keegan turned to see Seona and a
dark-haired lass who resembled her a great deal standing with their
arms around each other. “Are you both ready to leave this
place?”

“Aye.” They nodded, eyes wide with
eagerness.

Happiness replacing his battle rage,
Keegan smiled.

After the four of them dragged Murray
and his men into the storeroom, then pilfered some supplies, they
headed out the back door and mounted. Seona rode behind Keegan and
Talia behind Fraser.

The MacKay and MacKenzie guards
awaiting them outside joined them. Keegan could only assume the
rest of Murray’s men were either still passed out from the whisky
or suffering headaches and sickness from overindulging. Of course,
the ones who’d sustained injuries during their earlier sword fights
had likely gone back to the castle for the healer’s
assistance.

“Murray and his men will give chase
once the tavern keeper discovers them tied up,” Dermott said,
riding beside him.

“Aye,” Keegan said. “We’ll ride north
for a while to throw them off our trail.”

“’
Tis a good plan,” Rebbie
said.

“But we do need to turn west again
soon and head back to Teasairg,” Dermott said. “Cyrus has a large
force of men and the MacKenzies will be glad to help.”

“I appreciate it, Dermott,” Keegan
said.

If they could’ve slipped away during
the night, they would’ve split up and gone three different
directions as planned, but now Keegan thought it best they all
stick together because they didn’t have much lead time.

During the morning, they stopped once
to rest the horses and to eat the tough brown bread and hard yellow
cheese they’d lifted from the storeroom. But they didn’t tarry too
long. They wanted to make good time. Since they were circling
around, it would take longer to reach Dornie.

Mid-afternoon, as they rode along a
ridge with wide views all around, one of the guards spied a group
of riders following in the distance about a half mile
back.

“Damnation! They’ve caught up,” Rebbie
said.

“Aye, but they’ll not get the ladies
back.” Keegan glanced around, spying a crofter’s whitewashed
cottage down a short incline and hidden from the view of those
approaching. He dismounted and helped Seona to the ground. “Come.
Bring Lady Talia.” Keegan motioned to Fraser. “MacMillan and Boyce,
come with us.” The two most trusted MacKay guards and Fraser would
protect the women should any of the Murrays get past them. He
hastened toward the cottage with Seona and knocked on the rough
wood door.

A crofter’s wife opened the door, her
eyes wide.

“These two ladies, my wife and her
sister, need to hide within your cottage, with these three men
acting as guards. You will be rewarded for your help. Do you
agree?”

“Aye.” She stepped back and Keegan
entered first. The only other person in the cottage was a young
lass.

“Fraser, Boyce, MacMillan, protect
them with your lives.”

“Aye. You ken we will,” Fraser assured
him.

“Keegan?” Seona tugged at his plaid
sash, and stared up at him with concern.

“You’ll be safe in here. Don’t fash
yourself,” he told her.

“I’m not worried about me.
’Tis
you
that
concerns me.”

“I’ll be fine, of course. Do you not
ken I’m a warrior?” Forcing a grin for her sake, he kissed her lips
quickly and headed toward the door. “Bar the door when I
leave.”

“Aye,” Fraser agreed. “Come back in
one piece.”

***

Oh heavens!
Seona prayed Keegan would be safe as he faced her
father and his men.

“I’ll stand outside the door and alert
you if anyone approaches,” Boyce said.

“Aye,” Fraser said. Once the cottage
door closed behind the guard, Fraser turned to them. “Have a seat,
ladies, and try to remain calm. All will be well, I’m
certain.”

Seona led Talia to a bench by the
fire.

“What was this about you
being married?” Talia whispered. “I heard Father shout
married
just before the
clamorous noise in the tavern.”

“Aye.” Seona held out her left hand,
the gold band gleaming in the firelight. “We said secret and
private vows. Though Father may not recognize it as a legal
marriage, Keegan and I do. And as soon as we can, we will marry in
a church.”

“Oh, Seona.” Talia embraced her
tightly. “I’m so glad you rebelled and followed your
heart.”

“Aye, well, I couldn’t give him up. I
love Keegan more than I ever thought possible.”

“He is a handsome man,” Talia said,
then glanced at Fraser, pacing before the door.

“Are you talking about Keegan or
Fraser?”

“What? Keegan, of course,” she
hissed.

“Come now, sister,” Seona whispered in
a teasing tone. “You must admit Fraser is a handsome
man.”