A Hint of Rapture (41 page)

Madeleine tugged sharply on the reins, veering the mare
hard about. Aye, she would personally see that her kin had nothing to do with
Garrett and his wagons full of winter supplies!

"Maddie Fraser!"

Startled, she spun the horse back around to find Meg
Blair running toward her, waving her hand frantically.

"Maddie, I canna believe 'tis ye!" the plump
young woman cried, tears swimming in her eyes. "I thought for a moment I
might be seeing a ghost."

Madeleine cringed inside. She wasn't prepared to greet
anyone yet, especially not Meg, whose tongue was apparently looser than
Madeleine had thought. It was Meg, after all, who had spread the news about
Glenis and herself tending to Garrett after he had been injured. She watched as
the young woman slowed her pace and stopped, her chest heaving.

"We've been so worried about ye, Maddie," Meg
gasped, her chubby face flushed pink with exertion. "Ever since we saw the
redcoats taking ye and Angus and the others away that night."

She drew a ragged breath. "They told us ye were
the outlaw who'd been raiding the English. Is that true, Maddie? They said ye
were going to hang, but here ye are!"

Madeleine quickly thought of a way to dodge Meg's breathless
questions. " 'Tis I, safe and sound," she replied, forcing a smile,
"but we'll have to talk later, Meg. First, ye must go and tell Agnes Burke
that Ewen and Duncan are well and coming home, as are Angus and Allan
Fraser."

Meg's eyes grew round. "But how, Maddie? 'Tis a
miracle, to be sure—"

"Later, Meg," she repeated firmly. "Go
on with ye now, and hurry. Ye mustna keep such good news to yerself."

As the young woman nodded excitedly, Madeleine suddenly
remembered something. "Meg, did Glenis get off all right to Tullich?"
she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

Meg's smile faded, and she looked at Madeleine blankly.
"Glenis?"

"Aye, dinna she tell ye that's where she was
heading after staying with ye? I've been so worried about her. What did she do
after the soldiers came? Was she able to save the cart?"

Meg seemed totally confused. "Maddie, I dinna know
what ye're talking about."

Madeleine felt a twinge of fear. "I sent Glenis to
yer house hours before the soldiers—"

"Glenis ne'er came to our house," Meg
interrupted quietly. "I ne'er saw her that night, Maddie. We've been
wondering what became of her, and we checked yer house as soon as the soldiers
left, but 'twas empty."

Madeleine's throat tightened painfully, her hands
twisting the reins. "Are ye sure? No one's seen her?"

Meg studied her helplessly. "Aye, she's not been
heard of since that night."

"Dear God," Madeleine said, her mind racing.

No, dinna think the worse 'til ye know for sure, she
told herself. Glenis might have gone directly to Tullich. Aye, that made sense.

"Maddie, are ye all right?"

Madeleine blinked, meeting Meg's worried gaze.
"Aye, I'll be fine," she said faintly. "Go on now, Meg. I have
to get back."

"If ye'd like, Maddie, I'll come to the house in the
morning and help ye clean up," Meg offered. "Those redcoats left the
place in a fine mess. Shall I bring Kitty Dods with me? 'Twould be a lot of
work for just the two of us, now that Glenis is g—" She bit her lip as if
she just realized what she was saying.

Madeleine nodded numbly. "Aye, ye may bring
Kitty."

Meg said no more but turned and scurried away as
Madeleine wheeled her horse around and set off at a wild gallop toward Mhor
Manor.

Chapter 28

Madeleine dodged the wagons choking the drive and dismounted
near the front door. Her gaze frantically swept the estate grounds, but there
was no sign of Garrett. He had probably gone up the road to direct the rest of
the cavalcade.

She dashed into the house and up the stairs, deciding
to share her unsettling news with him after she had changed. If she didn't find
him then, he would have to wait until she returned. She took only an instant to
glance in each room as she passed, relieved to see that the upstairs had been
left remarkably untouched.

No doubt because Hawley's pompous commanding officers
had enjoyed these rooms, she surmised with disgust, hurrying down the hall to
her own chamber.

She pushed open the door, stunned to find everything
exactly as she had left it but for the unmade bed. She did not waste time
contemplating who might have slept there. She rushed to the wardrobe, her hands
shaking as she unbuttoned her riding coat and whisked it from her shoulders.

If she left for Tullich immediately, Madeleine thought
as she twisted out of her skirt, she would be at least halfway there before
dark. The road was clearly marked. She would have no trouble finding the
village nestled on Loch Ruthven's western shore.

She quickly dressed in a frayed fustian gown, reveling
in the freedom of the wide skirt, then kicked off her riding boots. She
replaced her silk stockings with thick, woolen ones and donned a pair of sturdy
brogues. Lastly she fastened a heavy tartan shawl around her shoulders for
added warmth.

It felt so good to be dressed in her old clothes, she
thought, flying to the door. With a last glance at her room, she sped across
the hall and down the side stairs. Glass crunched beneath her shoes as she
walked through the drawing room to the front door, but she gave it little heed.
She stepped outside into the fading afternoon sunshine, searching for her mare.

She spied the animal munching contentedly in the tall
grass just beyond the drive, a soldier holding the reins. Her eyes widened as
the young man clucked his tongue and began to lead the horse toward the stable.

Madeleine ran after him, shouting above the din of
rumbling wagon wheels, bellowing cattle, and neighing horses.

"Hold on with ye!" she cried, catching up to
him. "Where are ye taking my horse?"

"I've orders from Major Marshall to brush her down,
m'lady," the soldier answered, still walking.

"I'll take care of it," she said, yanking the
reins from his hand. " 'Tis my mount, after all." Before he could
stop her she had hoisted herself into the saddle and swerved the mare around,
only to find herself suddenly yanked out of the saddle from behind and
enveloped in a strong pair of arms.

"What!" she gasped, struggling to wrench
herself free from whoever was holding her around the waist. "How dare ye!
Let go!"

The arms only tightened, drawing her closer. Warm
breath fanned her neck, and she shivered, tensing at the familiar voice which
was just above a whisper.

"You must realize I can't have you stealing out by
yourself, Madeleine, not with so many of Hawley's soldiers about. As your
husband, I'm determined to protect you, yet I can't be everywhere at once. I'd
rather you remain here with me, at least until my own soldiers arrive from Fort
Augustus."

Madeleine twisted in Garrett's arms and glared at him
over her shoulder. "I believe I have more to fear from ye than from
Hawley's soldiers," she said angrily. "Let go of me, Garrett."
To her surprise he did, though he still stood very close to her. Too close. She
stepped back, hugging her arms to her chest in a vain attempt to quiet her trembling.

"Where were you going?" he asked, his eyes
staring into hers in a manner which never failed to disconcert her.

"I think ye most mean where
am
I going," she responded tartly, trying to compensate for
what he was doing to her senses. She fought to keep her voice steady, her words
spilling forth in a rush. "I just spoke with Meg Blair, and she told me
Glenis never arrived at her home the night ye discovered I was Black Jack. I
sent Glenis to Meg's, thinking 'twould be safer, then the next morning she was
to set off for her sister's in Tullich." She paused to catch her breath,
wondering why Garrett was looking at her so strangely. "No one's seen her
since that night," she continued, "not here or in the village, so I'm
going to Tullich to see if she's there—"

"Glenis didn't stop at Meg's," Garrett
interjected quietly. "You don't have to worry after her, Maddie. She's
fine."

Astonished, Madeleine could only stare at him.

"Glenis is at her sister's in Tullich, just as you
wanted her to be."

"How . . . how do ye know?" she asked
hoarsely, her mind racing. Why hadn't Glenis gone to Meg's? Surely she must
have realized it was dangerous for her to be on the roads so late at night,
considering what was to happen.

"Perhaps we should go inside to discuss this,
where it's quiet," Garrett suggested, glancing at the commotion around
them. He took her by the elbow before she could protest and steered her toward
the front door.

Madeleine had to half run to keep up with his
determined strides. She stumbled over the threshold but he caught her,
supporting her with his arm until they were in the drawing room. He practically
forced her down into an armchair, then stood in front of her so she could not
rise.

"You're not going to appreciate what I have to
tell you," he said cryptically, "so I'll stand here until you hear me
out."

"What?" she demanded loudly, her temper
kindled by his rough handling.

"Glenis didn't stop at Meg's because she went to
find me," he said slowly, watching her face. "And she did, on the
road to Inverfarigaig. She told me you were Black Jack, Madeleine, and she told
me where we could find you and your kinsmen, at the yew tree near
Errogie."

"Ye're lying," Madeleine said in disbelief.
"Glenis would never have betrayed me—"

"She didn't betray you," Garrett cut in harshly.
"Glenis saved your life, Maddie, the lives of your kinsmen, and the lives
of my soldiers as well. If she hadn't found us there would have been a
bloodbath, and all because you had some idea I wouldn't believe you were Black
Jack if you simply gave yourself up."

"Would ye have believed it, Garrett?" she
said bitterly.

"I don't know," he answered, heaving a sigh.
"It doesn't matter now."

"Aye, ye're right," Madeleine said, staring
past him and out the grimy window. "It doesna matter."

She felt numb. Never in a thousand years would she ever
have imagined Glenis would play the traitor. She could hardly comprehend it.
Her dear Glenis, the woman who had cared for her since she was a babe. She was
her confidante, her friend, and a traitor.

Madeleine swallowed against the tears welling up in her
eyes. "What else did Glenis tell ye?"

"She told me why you began raiding, to keep your
people from starving," Garrett related, his voice very low, "and she
explained how you managed sneak from the house without anyone noticing, through
the secret tunnel." He smiled wryly, glancing at the drawing room closet
behind her chair. "I could scarcely believe it when she told me you were
the one who nailed me on the head."

Madeleine said nothing, still staring into the
distance. She remained silent even as Garrett gently tilted her chin upward so
she was looking into his eyes.

"Glenis said she could not return to Mhor Manor,
Maddie," he said quietly. "She thought you wouldn't want her around
because she'd betrayed you. I wanted to argue with her and tell her it wasn't
so, that you wouldn't think she was a traitor since she had saved your
life—"

"Ah, but ye're wrong, Garrett," Madeleine
interrupted him vehemently. "Glenis Simpson is a traitor. I never want to
see her again." She jerked her head back, and his hand fell away from her
chin. "Are ye finished? If so, I'd like to retire to my room."

Garrett seemed stunned by her bitter words. As he moved
away from the chair, she stood up and walked woodenly to the archway. She
leaned on the wall, needing the support.

"If ye were thinking ye might fetch Glenis from
Tullich, save yerself the trip, Garrett," Madeleine barely managed, tears
threatening to overwhelm her at any moment. "She's never to set foot in
this house again. Not if ye want to have any peace at all." She started
toward the stairway, then paused, meeting his gaze once more. "I take it
I'm restricted to Mhor Manor 'til yer soldiers arrive, if I heard ye
correctly?"

Garrett nodded. "It's for your own safety,
Madeleine. I don't trust Hawley's men. My soldiers should be here within a few
days, Sergeant Fletcher and the others, the same men who were here before,
except for Rob Tyler. Then you may go where you wish—within reason."

Madeleine smiled weakly. "Funny," she said.
"Ye dinna trust yer own kind and I dinna trust you and Glenis . . ."
She paused, nearly choking. "Glenis betrayed my trust." Her voice
fell to a ragged whisper, her eyes misting over. "There seems to be a
dearth of trust these days, wouldna ye say, Garrett? And there doesna seem to
be any help for it."

She turned and fled up the stairs, barely making it
inside her room before she doubled over, her body wracked by silent sobs. She
slammed the door shut and sank to the floor with the corner of her shawl over
her mouth, crying as if her heart was breaking.

Her world was so completely torn apart, so upside down,
she didn't know if she would ever make sense of it again.

First she had lost her father, now Glenis. Her final
bond with the past was irretrievably broken. Her future loomed before her,
bleak and bereft of any hope for happiness. All she had left was Garrett, a man
who had usurped her land, a man who saved her life and married her because she
was useful to him. And she had once believed she loved him.

The sad songs were true, she thought dazedly when her
tears were finally spent and she lay exhausted on the floor, wrapped in her
shawl.

Love, even at its most fleeting, brought nothing but
heartbreak and sorrow. She must have been mad to think Garrett Marshall ever
cared.