Tess and the Highlander (24 page)

Jenny tapped on the door and pulled quickly
back. Tess’s heart was lodged in her throat when the door opened a
crack and a tall warrior peered down at her. She held the chamber
pot up and looked back at Jenny as the man let her through.

She didn’t even pause to take a breath on
the landing.
Peering through the darkness past
the single torch on the wall, she brushed past the guard and moved
silently down the narrow set of stairs. A few steps down, she heard
voices at the bottom of stairs and nearly tripped, but she caught
the pot at the last minute and continued on.

Reaching an arched doorway at the bottom,
she saw a door that she remembered Jenny said led outside. As she
was ready to run for it, though, she leaped back, flattening
herself against the wall when a portly servant walked in, carrying
a tray heaped with food.

“About bloody time ye showed up!” the man complained
loudly. “Ye take up this food with the others. Now ye give that to
me and take this. And look sharp, hussy.”

Two other servants walked in carrying wine
and more food, and there was a jam in the narrow landing. A moment
later, though, Tess found the tray in her hands.

“Hurry now. He doesn’t like waiting.”

A feeling of dread washed through her,
settling like ice in her middle. The servant carrying the pitcher
of wine walked before her. The other pushed her from behind with
the tray she was carrying.

At that moment, Tess knew exactly how it
felt to walk to the gallows.

“
Nothing
can happen to her while she
is under my protection,” David repeated, his tone conveying the
danger of his position. “The Macphersons would bring the very
legions of hell to my gate. They’d accuse me of murder…and succeed
in holding me responsible. We’ll not take that chance.”

“This is the fault of that foul Highlander.
We could have claimed that she never arrived here, if it weren’t
for him.” Evelyn glared accusingly at him. “Your men should have
done away with her when they were on the road.”

“They
tried
, but the accursed lass
escaped the burning cottage.”

They stopped speaking at the sound of a
knock.

“Yer supper, Sir David,” one of the servants called,
pushing the door open.

Evelyn glided across the room to the window.
It was already dark outside. She shivered as a cool breeze wafted
in and chilled her. They had to get rid of Theresa. They had to
find a way and do it soon.

It was bad enough receiving the letter that
Theresa was alive. Coming face to face with her daughter last
night, though, had completely unnerved her. She felt her world
crumbling around her once more. Aye, it was all happening again.
Eighteen years ago she had loved David Burnett, but no one had
listened to her begging and crying that he was the only man that
she could love. That he was the only man that she could spend the
rest of her life with. It didn’t matter to her that he had no
wealth. He was a warrior and would earn his place in the world.
Even her own sisters had sided with their father and betrayed
her.

So Evelyn had gone to the Highlands bitter
and resolute on the course her life would take. If she had been
forced to live a life of misery, then by God there would be no
peace around her. She would never be happy, and she would make
certain no one around her would be happy, either.

But the misery she inflicted had not been
enough. As Stephen spent more and more time in the service of his
king, she started meeting secretly again with David. He still loved
her. He hadn’t forgotten her. He hadn’t taken a wife. It was then
that they had planned their scheme.

Eleven years ago, she had
considered Theresa
her
child. The six-year-old was impressionable enough, and Evelyn
knew she could mold the girl into anything she wished. If all had
gone as they’d planned, she would have taken the child back with
her to the Borders. But that had been the only portion of their
scheme that had failed.

And David was certain that the child had
seen his face.

Assuming that the girl was dead for all
these years had been a great relief. But last night, Evelyn’s world
had fallen to pieces around her as she stared into the accusing
eyes of her husband.

Theresa Catherine
was
his
daughter.
In looks and in spirit, the dead had been raised.

A tray hit the floor with a loud clatter, and Evelyn
turned sharply to see the spilled food a step away from the table
where David had seated himself for his supper. The clumsy servant,
her head bowed over her task, was hurriedly cleaning up the mess.
Another servant cursed quietly and continually at the woman and
ordered the other two maids to run to the kitchens for more
food.

Evelyn’s gaze fixed on the servant. A lock
of dark hair had escaped the kerchief. She glimpsed the fair face,
the full lips, the flitting glance at David’s missing fingers as he
rested his hand on the edge of the table. Evelyn took a step toward
the girl, but she paused as David slowly rose from his chair. His
look told her that he had guessed at her identity, as well.

“I told the cook to send Jenny,” the other servant
continued to complain under her breath as she crouched by the girl,
helping with the tray. “Don’t know what he’s thinking, sending new
help with the master’s meal. Hurry, ye fumbling puss! Out quick…and
take this mess with ye.”

Evelyn frowned at the two women, scrambling on their
knees by the table. Theresa was wearing Jenny’s dress. The old fool
had taken her up to her bedchamber. She had taken her meals into
her. And now she had helped the girl escape in her clothes. So even
her own servants were betraying her. Evelyn felt her temper rise,
and she took another step toward them. Well, it would take only a
moment to put a quick end to this treachery. As she opened her
mouth to speak, David raised his hand and Evelyn’s gaze shifted to
his face. With the slightest shake of his head, he signaled for her
to wait.

Theresa lifted the tray unsteadily and scurried
toward the door.

“Let her go,” David said quietly. “That is
exactly where I want her…running after her Highlander with
witnesses who will swear she stole away of her own accord. Outside
of this castle, she is no longer under my protection…and then our
problems are solved.”

With her heart drumming in her ears, Tess
raced down the steps.

He was coming after her. Him. Her father’s
killer. Her mother’s protector. Now everything made sense. They
would kill her for sure now, for she had seen it all.

But had they recognized her?

At the bottom of the stairs, she looked in confusion
at the tray in her hands. She couldn’t run through the yard with
this. But she couldn’t risk though going to the kitchens,
either.

“I’ll take that from ye, mistress.” The
woman’s hushed voice behind her made Tess jump. She hadn’t even
realized that the other woman had followed her down the steps. “Ye
run for the gate now, before they figure something’s amiss.”

Tess gaped at her for a moment, stunned by the
servant’s words. They were all against Evelyn. They all knew her
for what she was. She let go of the tray when the other woman took
it.

“Pull the kerchief down over yer eyes. Walk
quick, and don’t answer any of them curs at the gate. When ye get
clear of the drawbridge, follow the road to the village, but turn
right at the split in the road. From there, ye can cut over to the
woods before you reach the first cottage. That’ll take ye to the
riverbank.” The woman darted a look up the stairwell. “Run, now. I
hear someone coming.”

“Thank you.” Tess whispered raggedly and
pushed through the door the woman pointed to.

The sky was dark and heavy, but there was no
rain. Tess’s feet sank into the mud outside the door, but she
didn’t care. Only a handful of men were visible in the courtyard,
and Tess was relieved to see a small group of workers crossing the
yard toward the gate. She hurried to them and fell in a couple of
steps behind the group. She had to stifle the urge to run. She kept
her head down, but felt as if everyone in the world knew who she
was.

The past twenty-four hours had given Tess a chance
to come to terms with her mother’s hatred. She had not caused Lady
Evelyn’s feelings toward her, but she was not willing to live with
them, either. The last few moments, though, had revealed the
horrible truth, and another powerful need had surfaced within her.
Revenge. She would avenge her father’s murder. But to do that, Tess
first had to get away.

There were lewd calls from some of the
soldiers keeping watch as Tess passed through the gate. She did as
the servant told her, though, and followed the rest of the people
out. Once outside the castle’s curtain wall, Tess slowed down a
little, giving the others an opportunity to move ahead of her.

She found the split in the road and a few
moments later was moving silently across the fields toward the
woods beyond. Once she’d stepped into the trees, though, the
darkness became an ominous presence. Every tree and shrub
threatened her. The sounds of night intimidated her.

But nothing of what lay ahead compared to
the murderous monster behind her.

As she followed a path through the woods,
Tess tried to gauge the direction of the river. Once she found
that, she would simply follow it to the point where she was to meet
Colin at dawn.

A twig cracked behind her. She turned
around, but there was no one. Tess stepped out of the path and
waited a moment. Nothing appeared, but prickles of vulnerability
raced up and down her back. She was totally unfamiliar with her
surroundings. She had no defense against anything…or anyone…that
might be lying in wait in the darkness ahead.

Feeling around at her feet, she found a
stick, straightened up, and started along the path again. It was
all she could do to fight down her panic.

A few moments later, the sound of the river
reached her ears. She stopped. Looking around her, though, she
could not decide where the sound was coming from. But Tess knew
that no matter how bad her confusion was, she still had to choose.
It wouldn’t be long before Sir David and her mother sent for her.
They quite possibly had done so already and found Jenny in her
place.

The sound of heavy footfalls came from
behind her on the path. Someone was in the woods. Tess listened,
unable to move from the spot. There were more footsteps. The sound
of men whispering quietly. They were so near. The Burnetts were
after her.

Before she could move, though, a thought pushed
forward in her brain. Why would Sir David’s men need to be quiet?
Why not light torches? Send armies of people in search of her?

It could be Colin and his men. They could be hiding
in these same woods. With a sense of relief that almost took her
breath away, she opened her mouth to call to them…and then
stopped.

Whoever it was, they were getting closer,
and Tess felt the hairs on her neck stand up. Acting on instinct,
she took off again through the woods, away from the sounds. Bramble
bushes caught at her clothes and young saplings slapped at her
face, but she didn’t look back. Frantic, she charged on through the
dark glade.

Tess no longer had any idea where she was or
what direction she was going. Confusion surrounded her as she tore
through the forest. The pulsing of her heart in her ears blocked
out all noise, and it was not long before her energy started
slipping away. Sobs of desperation rose into her throat, choking
her. And yet, on she ran.

She didn’t even see the man who stepped from
behind the tree until she ran into him. His bruising fingers
clamped on her arms, and Tess could feel the missing fingers on his
right hand. She tried to scream, but fear and shock clawed at her
throat.

“And finally we meet.” He spoke quietly,
without feeling. “And I am very grateful to you for making our
little business so simple for me to finish this time.”

Tess stared up into his dark eyes and
realized she was no longer thinking of her own end. Her fear
dissipated into the darkness like a puff of smoke. Instead, she
found that she was filled with anger at the injustice that would
never be righted.

“Why?” she said coolly. “Why did you have to
kill my father? She could have walked away from the marriage. Why
such cold-blooded murder?”

“He who lives by the sword, dies by the
sword,” Burnett answered bluntly. “The sword was Stephen’s way. He
was brave enough, and he was too proud to accept his wife leaving
him. It would have been a blemish on his name.”

“So you took his life.”

“He took Evelyn against her wishes. And I took her
back. It was the way he lived. It was what he knew.”

“You stabbed him in the back.”

Burnett looked away into the darkness.
“Think me evil if you will, but there was no difference between
Stephen and me. We lived our lives by the sword.”

“That’s a lie.”

“He killed in the name of the king. I killed
in the name of justice.”

“And you call
this
justice?” Tess
tried to shrug off his touch, but his fingers only tightened more
painfully on her arms. “Chasing me through the woods. Will you stab
me in the back, too, and call it justice?”

A hard smile broke on his face. “Others will
see it that way after they hear that I have hung the outlaws who I
will say attacked and killed young Macpherson and his men…and
Evelyn’s only child. There are many in Ninestane Castle who will
honestly swear that a foolish lass ran off to meet with her
Highland lover.”

“Colin,” she gasped. The taste of bile rose
into her mouth.

“As we speak, my men are putting your dear
Highlanders to the sword. You will be relieved to know, though,
that they will die peacefully while they sleep.”