Heart of the Highlander Read online

  Her head cocked to the side. “If you had not come for me, I would likely be bound to him right now. Thank you, Rorie.”

  “My heart is yours, Muren. It will be waiting for you when you are ready.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. Such a statement put more pressure on her, but she needed to know that his love for her would not change.

  “Please take me home now, Rorie.”

  They travelled north to Strathnaver on horseback in silence. Rorie could not think of what to say to her. She’d made up her mind to do things her way, and he admired her all the more for it. Her mother, Morag, was on the doorstep as they rode up.

  “Muren! Why are you here, love?”

  Muren dismounted and embraced her mother. “I’ve left Ronan to his schemes, and asked Rorie to bring me here to you.”

  “But ‘tis not safe for you here. Ronan was here yesterday and told me everything. I expect he will return any time with men to return you to Dunrobin.”

  “Ronan was here?” Rorie asked. “So, he did not take the bait.”

  “He said he would have the ships followed, but that if it was him, he would have used the ships as a diversion. His theory in his mind was confirmed when you did not come ashore and offer terms. Muren, he really does mean to find you and bring you back to Dunrobin to see this business through with Douglas. You had agreed to it, and it is his honour now at stake.”

  “I will not return there, and I will not marry Douglas either.”

  Her mother looked at Rorie. He shrugged. What could he say? Even her mother could see the transformation in her.

  “I am very glad to hear that, but you are not safe here. Have you two married then?”

  “No, we are not married, or betrothed,” Muren said.

  When she did not offer any further explanation, Rorie realized she wanted time alone with her mother to talk, without him present. And there would be plenty of time for that. Like it or not, both women were coming with him to Eilean Donan now. She could have her space there, and at least he could be sure she would be safe.

  “Pack lightly, Morag,” Rorie said. “We ride hard to Eilean Donan. If we leave as soon as the horses are watered and rested, we can be there by dawn.”

  Muren turned to him. “I have not said I will go there.”

  “No, you have not, and I will give you all the space you desire, but I will not stand by and watch you fall back into a situation with no logical recourse. If your mother accompanies you, the issue of propriety is resolved, as is the matter of your safety.”

  “I agree with Rorie, Muren. We would be safe at Eilean Donan, and at this point, no one knows where you are. If Ronan goes there, Rorie can say he never saw her.”

  Muren passed a look between them both. Rorie could tell she was mulling it over. After several heartbeats, she said, “So be it.”

  Chapter Six

  A light drizzle fell sideways as dawn broke while they travelled south and west toward Loch Duich and Eilean Donan. Muren had never travelled this far west before and marveled at the sharp crags and mountains of Glen Shiel. Out here in the wide-open expanse of this rugged and wild land, Muren thought almost anything was possible. Her mother had not probed her about her betrothal to Rorie, but she supposed that was because he was within earshot. She suspected the inquisition would begin once they were alone.

  They trotted along the road leading to the castle much later in the morning than expected. As they rounded a turn and the castle came into view, Muren’s heart squeezed tight. The castle was situated on a small island, which allowed for a perfect vantage point for preventing attack. The stone bridge leading from the shore to the castle had three arches, giving it an almost whimsical appearance, though she realized it was for structural integrity.

  Rorie turned toward her with a smile. “I take it you approve?” he asked.

  “Aye, that I do. ’Tis a perfect size and perfectly situated.”

  He grinned at her, revealing his deep dimples. Something clicked within her. She was drawn to this place and to him.

  “Come, let us get you two settled. I shall have a chamber set up for you both, and a bath and food sent up.”

  They crossed the bridge and entered the castle, climbing down several steps then up again. The first place they stopped was in the great hall. Muren took a deep breath. The stone walls were covered with tapestries depicting battles and victories. The fire in the large hearth raged and had two chairs on either side beckoning her to warm herself there. While Rorie gave orders for her and her mother’s comfort, Muren took the time to explore the hall.

  Heavy chairs with cushioned seats flanked a long wooden table. Atop was a large silver candle holder holding at least a dozen candles. She moved from the table to the tapestries and marveled at the intricate stitching, especially the ones of their birlinns at sea. She’d never been on a ship, and looking at these images now, wondered if she would have gotten a chance had she agreed to marry Rorie.

  But was she refusing? She could find no sensible reason to refuse coming here when her safety was most definitely at stake. But did that mean she would accept him now? She was still uncertain of how she felt, and in fairness to him wanted to be certain of her own self first. Thankfully, he seemed to be willing to wait. For that, she was truly grateful.

  “This way, ladies,” Rorie said. “Your chambers are just up these stairs.”

  They followed him to the second level. More tapestries covered the narrow hallways giving the castle a cozy feeling, which she never felt at Dunrobin. That castle was much larger by comparison and always felt cold to her.

  “This first chamber is for you, Muren.” She entered the room and felt immediately at home, as though she belonged there. With a large four-poster bed and a side chamber housing a wooden tub, Muren smiled as she envisioned herself enveloped in it later.

  Turning to the corner of the chamber, she spied a staircase leading up. Curiously, she moved toward it and looked up.

  “It leads to the tower. There’s only one other way up there, and that’s from the master chamber.”

  “May I see?” she asked.

  “Aye,” he said, and led the way up.

  Once at the top, Muren’s breath caught from the view. Three sea lochs met at the point where the castle stood. All around her was sea and mountains. She drew in a deep breath as the wind lifted her tresses. Surely there was nowhere else with such perfection. She turned to Rorie who was watching her. Only then did she realize her mother had not followed them up.

  “You are so lovely, Muren.”

  Truly, she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and stay there forever. Instead, she turned her back to him and looked out over the loch.

  “Do you sail often?” she asked him.

  “Aye, I used to all the time before my father’s passing. Now, it seems I have more responsibilities than I know what to do with.”

  Muren turned back to him. There was a sadness in his expression now. Without thinking, she moved to him and pulled him close. His arms went around her waist, and he buried his face in her hair. His warm breath on her neck sent tingles down her back. God, how she wanted him.

  “Rorie!” a man’s voice called from below the stairs.

  “Up here, Ewen.”

  “I see you convinced the lass to return here with you,” the man said, as he reached the top. “I am Rorie’s much younger brother, Ewen,” he said as he bowed to her and grinned.

  He looked younger and more mischievous than his older brother, and Muren could not help but smile at his jest.

  “You are but two summers younger than me,” Rorie said with a glare.

  Muren could understand the weight Rorie carried, and in truth, he did appear aged since they had first met. The chiefship had added much pressure on him.

  “As much as I would like to debate the true difference in age between us, we have bigger troubles.”

  “What has happened?”

  “A scout from Glenelg just brought a message th
at a large party rides hard toward Eilean Donan. Their banners were undoubtedly Sutherland and another he didn’t recognize, bearing a blue lion.”

  “Any word from our ships?”

  “Aye, they are amassed at Rona as you requested, awaiting word from you.”

  “Send a pigeon. Get them to sail for here immediately.”

  With that, Ewen tore off down the stairs again.

  Rorie took Muren’s arm and led her toward the stairs. “We must get you safely in your chamber. I do not want you or your mother to come out unless myself or Ewen comes for you, is that clear?”

  Halfway down the stairs, he showed her a door she had not seen on the way up. “If you need to hide, you can do so in here. I will have your mother brought to your chamber so you may stay together.”

  “Rorie, do you think the Douglas is with my brother?”

  “Aye, I do.” He stopped when they were back in her chamber, and held her shoulders. “Muren, I know you want to take your time and decide what is right for you. Believe me, I accept that, and I would never suggest what I’m about to if you were not in danger. You know I would wait for you forever.”

  “Rorie, what are you saying?”

  “I am saying that if you thought you could be happy with me, now would be a very good time to decide.”

  “Would it be fair to you if I were to accept you now to save myself?”

  “I know you loved me once. I believe you do still, and I know we could make one another happy.”

  “If you will have me just to save me knowing I may never love you as I once did, then aye, Rorie, I will accept your offer. But I have terms.”

  His smile made her insides flutter. How he could disarm her, and she was certain there was no safer place for her but with him.

  “I will accept any term you put forth. But we need to formalize this before your brother arrives.”

  “Do you have a priest in residence?”

  “Not often, but I do today.”

  She smiled. “That confident, were you?”

  “Not even a little bit.”

  “You still have not heard my terms.”

  “I will when time is not a concern.”

  Muren had no choice but to be satisfied with that.

  “Will you tell me all that passes?”

  “Aye, Muren. I will tell your brother you are not here, and if he accepts that, then it should be a short visit. If he does not accept it, we will likely be holed up here for a long time.”

  “Thank you, Rorie, for keeping my mother and me safe.”

  Rorie cupped her face in his hands and then pressed his lips to hers. His scent enveloped her. She wished they had time to enjoy one another, but it seemed there was always an obstacle in their way. Rorie placed his forehead against hers. “I love you, Muren Grey.”

  With that, he left the chamber.

  Just as the first tingling crept up the back of her neck, Muren sat on the bed, holding onto the post, closed her eyes and drew in deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, her vision was filled with dancing black and white shapes. Her mother entered the chamber and locked the door behind her then raced to Muren.

  “Oh, love, is it happening again?” her mother whispered.

  Muren could only nod. She crawled up onto the bed and covered her face with her arms to block the light. Darkness held little relief this time. Sharp pain pierced her skull, more severe than any other time. Within minutes, the sickening blackness enveloped her.

  When Muren opened her eyes, she was in a thick wood clinging to a standing stone. It was the place she always saw during these magryme, and she had often wondered if this was, in fact, another realm or simply the conjuring of her unconscious imagination. Either way, her body tensed, and waves of sickness threatened to claim her.

  “You have returned to us, my child,” a voice said. It was like something very sharp scraping across stone. Muren shuddered.

  “I do not wish to be here. Please send me back.”

  “It is not I who summon you here, Muren. You are drawn to this place, and come here of your own free will.”

  “Please do not make me look,” she said and closed her eyes. The crone with her spindly hair and long fingers had first come to her like this when she was but four summers. Muren had screamed and screamed, but no one came to help her. The crone tried to show her things she did not want to see, and now would be no different.

  Bony fingers picked at her gown, urging her forward. Muren knew better than to resist. The one time she had, the crone picked her up and carried her to the pool. She could still feel the sensation of cold bones digging into her flesh.

  Muren knelt by the pool with her eyes shut tight.

  “Look.”

  “I do not want to see.”

  “But you must.”

  A bony hand pushed Muren’s head forward. When she opened her eyes, she was directly over the pool and staring at her own reflection.

  The crone touched the water, and the resulting ripple drew new images to the surface. Muren’s stomach tightened, and her body trembled. She wanted to turn away, but the crone held her shoulders so that she could not move.

  Muren let out a sob as Rorie’s face appeared moments before a sword was shoved through his middle. Muren broke free from the crone’s grasp, the image of Rorie falling to the ground and clutching his bloody wound burning in her mind.

  * * *

  Rorie stood at the lower tower and watched as Sutherland and his party approached Eilean Donan. He folded his arms across his chest and waited for Sutherland to speak first. He had no reason to welcome or banish them, and if he wanted to draw less attention to the fact that he harboured Muren and her mother, appearing defensive would not aid in his efforts.

  Travelling with what Rorie estimated to be one hundred men, Sutherland and one other rider left them on the shore and crossed the bridge. When he was in the outer courtyard, he lifted his gaze to Rorie.

  “Where is my sister?”

  “I left her with you at Dunrobin.”

  “You know very well she is not there, MacKenzie.”

  “And exactly how would I know that?”

  “Because you were spotted with her leaving Dunrobin.”

  “Really? By whom?”

  “By the same young lass who has now been taken out of my service for aiding you in abducting my sister.”

  “I know not of what you speak,” Rorie said. God, were they going to do this all day?

  “You have defied a direct order from the king, and as such your actions leave me with no alternative but to declare you an enemy of the crown. I have the papers here signed by the bishop,” Sutherland said as he held a parchment aloft.

  “I care not for your orders, Sutherland. The king does not have the authority to interfere in a betrothal between two clans unless those clans agree to let him have it. I do not know where your sister is, and I suggest you take your friends and leave my lands.”

  “I do believe the king would strongly disagree with you, MacKenzie,” the other man said as he dismounted and walked toward the keep. Douglas.

  Sutherland followed closely behind him. “You will let us in to discuss your options, MacKenzie, or I will return with mine and the king’s army to resolve this.”

  “Do as you see fit, Sutherland. Your sister is not here, and as you so graciously confirmed, I have no hold over her any longer. The king has spoken, and my betrothal to her is dissolved. She, and you, are no longer my concern.”

  With that, Sutherland and Douglas returned to their horses and mounted. Ewen leaned in close to Rorie. “Did they really think we’d let them in?”

  “Say nothing, Ewen. We need them to leave, and then we can act. Did you send the pigeon to Rona?”

  “Aye. This latest lot is much better trained than the last ones. I hope to have a returned message by the morrow.”

  “Good, we will need our ships. When Sutherland is out of sight, go below to the larder and instruct the cook to gather as much as he can spa
re to stock a ship. We will bring them to Rona and wait it out there.”

  “You do not think he will attack the castle anyway?”

  “Aye, I do, but I plan to ensure Muren and her mother are far away from any of the fighting. We need to get word to Fergus and MacDonald, too. Draft a missive saying only that Sutherland and Douglas intend to attack. They will know what they promised.”

  As soon as Sutherland was out of sight, Ewen retreated to do as Rorie had asked. Rorie, in turn, went straight to Muren’s chamber.

  She was propped up in bed with her mother attending her. Her face was pale and dark circles rimmed her eyes. He hated that she had to endure these headaches, and most especially that there was nothing he could do to help her.

  “Mother, I am well, I assure you.” Then to Rorie, she asked, “What happened?”

  “They believe you are here and intend to return with an army.”

  “So, what now?” Morag asked.

  “Now we put you both somewhere safe until this all dies down.”

  “Where?” Muren asked.

  “Rona. I have a hunting lodge there in a secluded harbour. We take one ship which can be easily hidden in a cove and not visible from the sea. The rest of the ships will stay here, so as to not draw attention.”

  “Will you come with us?”

  “Aye, at first. But I cannot leave Eilean Donan unprotected, and if I am not here, it will only make your brother more determined to look for me in order to find you.”

  “How did this get so complicated?” Morag asked.

  “Your son has been bullied by the king to break our betrothal and give her to a nobleman from Lancashire.”

  “A Lowlander? I cannot believe Ronan would agree to such a thing.”

  “Agree to it he did, Mother. If it were not for Freya assisting my escape to the bishop, and then Rorie’s rescue, I would be betrothed to the Black Douglas by now.”

  “Dear God in heaven, what is he thinking?”