Shipwrecked (15 page)

“Do ye think that
I don’t ken that, Quinn?  I ken what I should do, it’s just that I canna force
myself tae do it!”

“We’ve got Malcolm
tae think of, and every day that ye dally here with the lass is one day that we
should be runnin’ for our lives.  What if we’re found out, Rowan?  What if
we’re captured and indentured as we were meant tae be when we were shackled tae
that damn ship?”

Silence fell
between them in the dark.

“Have ye taken her
maidenhead?” Quinn said, gritting his teeth together, expecting the worst.

“Jesus, Quinn!  Do
ye think that I have no morals?”

“I doona ken what
tae think, Rowan.  I’ve seen ye rollin’ around beneath the blankets with her in
the woods, heard ye groanin’ and her whimpering and…”

“I’ll admit that I
havena been completely proper with the lass, but I’d never stoop sae low as tae
dishonor her,” Rowan said adamantly, angry that his brother was butting in to
his personal issues. 

“I hope she’s
worth it… I…” Quinn trailed off, searching for the right words.

“Was Mairi worth
it?” Rowan flung the words angrily at his brother.

Quinn stood up
silently, muscles tense, and punched to heavy wooden wall of the barn with an
explosive blow.  He let out an inhuman roar and pummeled the wall again before
stalking angrily into the darkness.

Chapter Nine

Anna had found her
warrior’s weak spot.  His nipples were ticklish, and Anna deviously slid her
hand under his shirt and up his taut chest.  She sat cradled in his lap on the
horse, and when she brushed her fingertip faintly across his nipple Rowan squirmed
in surprise and nearly unseated both of them from the horse.

“Doona provoke me
woman,” he whispered haughtily against her ear so that his brothers wouldn’t
hear.  “Ye ken full well that I’ll get ye back ten fold tonight when I’ve got
ye alone.”

Anna felt Rowan’s
muscles tense beneath her, and she knew immediately that something was wrong as
he jerked the horse to a stop.  Her blood iced in her veins, spreading the
feeling of fear when she saw why Rowan had stopped. 

Turning a sharp
corner in the well traveled road, they had nearly run right into the soldiers. 
It was too late to flee, there were too many of them to outrun.  Rowan
increased the pressure of his protective grip around Anna’s waist and reined
the horse to a stop.

Quinn glanced over
at Rowan, nodding ever so slightly at his brother, his eyes darting first at
Malcolm, then at Anna.  Quinn and Rowan had made a pact that if a situation
like the one that they had just walked into arose, they would work together to
save Malcolm and Anna. 

They had planned
to sacrifice themselves in whatever means necessary to give their younger
brother a chance at survival, hoping that he could safely deliver Anna to her
Uncle.

Rowan nodded in
agreement, feeling the weight of his dagger against his side, knowing that his
meager weapon would do little to defend him against twenty soldiers, each one
armed to the teeth.  He knew that he would not be able to defeat them with only
his dagger, but he hoped to at least fight them off long enough, create a big
enough distraction so that Anna and Malcolm could slip away into the dense
forest.

He was confident
that he had trained Malcolm well.  His brother knew how to disappear into the
forest, to hide and forage for food.  Malcolm would be capable of seeing to
Anna’s welfare, but he would need a diversion to slip away with her.

The leader of the
men rode forward, or at least the Murray brothers suspected that he was their
leader, being that his coat was bedecked with more medals and finery that the
other soldier’s uniforms.  He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a squared
jaw.  His skin was tanned from much time spent outside, and he had his blonde
hair slicked back into a thin queue at the back of his skull.  He reined his
horse to a stop in front of them, and looked quizzically at Rowan and Anna.

“Anna?”  He asked
cautiously, blue eyes scanning her face.  “Anna Stanton?”

“Yes?” Anna
responded nervously, her voice shaky. 

How does this
man know my name?

The soldier hopped
down from his horse and shouted over his shoulder to his comrades, “It’s
her…we’ve found her!”  He straightened his jacket, still holding the reins of
his horse in his right hand, and then took a step forward.  “Jonathan Arbor, mam,
at your service,” he said, introducing himself and lowering into a formal bow.

Anna felt her
mouth drop open in shock, and she had to make a conscious effort to close it.
Her stomach clenched, and for a split second, she thought that she might be
sick.  She noticed that Rowan’s legs tense beneath her own, and that his grip
was now so tight about her waist that she had trouble breathing.  She could
feel Rowan’s thundering heartbeat against her back.

Jonathan stared at
her impatiently, his blue eyes studying her beneath scrunched together brows. 
He stood up to his full height, and brushed a strand of his blonde hair back
behind his ear.  “Don’t you know who I am, Anna?” he asked, studying her. 
“We’re to be married.”

Anna swallowed
hard, the shock of Jonathan’s introduction taking hold.  “Yes…I know who you
are,” she stammered, unsure of what to do next.

“I’ll take her
now, hand her down,” he said, now addressing Rowan as he walked briskly over
towards them.  “We owe you and your companions a debt of gratitude for keeping
her safe, you’ll be handsomely rewarded,” Jonathan smiled, motioning for Anna
to get down from Rowan’s horse.  “C’mon, Anna…I’ll help you down,” he said,
extending his gloved hand up towards her.

Fingers shaking,
Anna obediently took his hand, and allowed him to help her down.  Rowan held
onto her waist for just a second too long, and her eyes met his as Jonathan
pulled her down from the horse.  Rowan’s eyes were stormy with possessiveness
and rage, and she knew that he was using every ounce of his self control as he
let her go.  She could still feel Rowan’s touch against her skin.

Jonathan stood
next to Anna, openly appraising her.  “It looks like you’ve had a rough
journey,” he chuckled, taking in Anna’s dirty, torn dress and her disheveled
hair.  “We’ll get you home and cleaned up in no time,” he remarked, embarrassed
that his bride looked like a common pauper.

He let go of
Anna’s hand, and she stood next to him, stunned and unable to find the right
words.  She dared not look up at Rowan, already fighting back tears that were
eager to fall. 

Jonathan dug in the
inside pocket of his coat and produced a heavy purse.  He tossed it handily to
Rowan, who caught it reflexively.  “For your trouble,” he said, nodding at
Rowan.  “Thank you for delivering her safely.”

“Aye,” said Rowan
numbly, the purse heavy in his palm.  He didn’t want the money.  He wanted
Anna.

Taking Anna’s hand
in his, Jonathan started to pull her towards his horse.  She stumbled, frozen
in place, causing him to look at her harshly.  “Shall we?” he asked
insistently, tugging her towards the horse again.

“Wait!” Anna
said.  “I need to tell them goodbye, they’ve been so kind to me…”she trailed
off shaking free from Jonathan’s grip and walking purposefully back towards the
Murray brothers.

“As you wish,”
Jonathan said, swinging impatiently up into the saddle of his horse.  “Don’t
take long; we need to get back to the inn before dark.”

Anna was unsure if
her knees would carry her; they were shaking beneath her and threatened to give
out.  Her pulse was hammering in her ears, making it difficult to think
rationally.  She walked over to Malcolm and Quinn first.  Malcolm was already
off the horse, and was followed by Quinn, who still held the reins in his left
hand.

Malcolm rushed
towards Anna, and captured her in a bear hug, crushing her towards his chest. 
She distinctly heard Jonathan’s grunt of disapproval, and responded by hugging
the boy tighter.  She pulled away from him, holding him at arms length, and
held his face between her palms.  There were tears welling in his eyes, and he
fought hard to hold them back.

“It’s going to be
fine, Malcolm.  I’m fine,” she said, seeking to reassure him.  “You listen to
your brothers now,” she said, smiling, and reached up to brush a strand of hair
behind Malcolm’s ear.  “I’m so proud of you; you’re growing into such a strong
young man.  You’ll make some lucky girl very happy someday,” Anna said,
smiling.

“I’ll miss you,
Anna,” he whispered, sniffling and working hard to fight back tears.

“I’ll miss you
too,” Anna said honestly, as she leaned forward and placed a kiss on Malcolm’s
cheek.  She hugged him tightly and then let him go, turning to Quinn.

Anna knew that
Quinn was not a hugger, but she wrapped her arms around him anyway, catching
him off guard.  He awkwardly fitted his arms around her and rested his chin on
her head. 

Anna leaned up and
whispered into his ear, “Take care of him, Quinn.  He needs you.”

Quinn knew that
Anna was not talking about Malcolm.

She drew slowly
away from him, smiled slightly, and then kissed him on the cheek.  Anna
straightened her spine and prayed silently for strength.  She was about to do
the hardest thing that she had ever done.  She had to say goodbye to Rowan.

Rowan slid numbly
down from his horse, holding the reins in his left hand.  His eyebrows were
knit together, and a look of resentment was heavy on his face.

Anna walked up to
him, standing less than a foot away from him, and waited for him to look down
at her.  He swallowed hard, collecting himself and settled his gaze on hers.

Anna bit her lip
in an effort to keep the tears that she held back from flowing.

“Doona cry,
sweetheart,” Rowan whispered so that only she could hear.  “It will only make
this harder,” he said, reaching up to brush the first of her tears from the
corner of her eye with his thumb.  It took every ounce of restraint that Rowan
had to hold onto his control.  He fought every urge to grab Anna, toss her on
the back of his horse, and to try to make a run for it.  He knew that they
would never make it, they were vastly out numbered.

Anna’s chin
quivered as he touched her, and she leaned ever so slightly into his touch,
closing her eyes and savoring the feel of his skin against hers.  She swallowed
hard, fighting to regain her composure.  She knew that if she hugged Rowan, if
she held him in her arms right now that Jonathon would have to pry her away
kicking and screaming.  She didn’t dare touch him because she knew that she
would not have the will power to force herself to let him go.

Standing on her tippy
toes, she slowly reached up until her lips hovered just above the skin of
Rowan’ right ear.  She shuddered as she breathed in his masculine scent,
fighting to retain her composure.

 “I love you,
Rowan Murray,” she whispered, the emotion of her admission causing her voice to
shake.

Rowan swiftly drew
in a shaky breath, and fought to keep himself composed.  He hadn’t known that
it was possible until now, but he actually
felt
his heart break in half
as Anna whispered those words.

Chapter Ten

“Tonight you’ll
wear the blue satin.  I had it made to compliment my coat,” Jonathan said
matter-of-factly.  “And wear your hair up again, I like it better that way,” he
added before closing her chamber door.

Anna donned an
olive green gown, which she felt complimented her hazel eyes beautifully.  She
brushed her blonde hair until it crackled, and plaited both sides next to her
forehead, bringing them together in the back of her head and securing them
above the flowing masses of her blonde waves. 

I like my hair
down.

Being Lieutenant
Arbor’s fiancé was not at all what Anna had anticipated.  She hated it with
every fiber of her being.  Jonathan was particular about everything, and he
seemed to believe that because he had paid to bail Stanton Place out of
financial ruin, that in turn, he also owned Miss Anna Stanton.  He told Anna
what to wear, whom to speak to, what she could and could not do, and he even
tried to tell her what she should think.

Anna had survived
the past two weeks at Jonathan’s country estate by keeping her chin up and her
head held high.  She had hoped that with time, she would come to like Jonathan,
maybe even love him.  He made this difficult by treating her like a possession,
and not a person. 

The invitations to
the huge wedding that he had planned had already been sent out.  With less than
a week until the ceremony, the feeling of dread that had been growing inside
Anna was now impossible for her to ignore. 

Anna wanted to get
married, and she knew that it was part of the duty that she needed to fulfill
in order to restore the Stanton family name and keep her Mother out of the poor
house.  Yes, Anna wanted to get married, but not to Jonathan Arbor.

***

Anna was startled
into wakefulness by a faint clinking against the glass of her window. 
Curiosity piqued, she threw back the down comforter and stepped onto the rug,
padding across the wooden floor to the window.  She looked out into the night,
and her heart nearly exploded with joy.

Rowan stood in the
darkness, throwing pebbles up at Anna’s window.  His breath caught in his
throat when he saw her come to the window.  He wanted to scale the walls of the
house, break through the second story window and steal her away into the
night.  Her long blonde hair was unbound, and she held up one finger, signaling
to him that she was coming down.  Rowan’s heart hammered in his chest, he had
hoped only to see her, and had not dared to dream for more.  Seeing her again
flooded him with emotions, both blissful and torturous at the same time.