Highland Love Song (DeWinter's Song 2) (20 page)

To you, Kassidy, with hair the color of a golden sunset and eyes as green as the most precious emerald. Do you think Raile will mind if I adore you from afar?

Warrick stared at the inscription for a long moment, feeling like a fool. He laid the book aside and stood. With a deep bow, his eyes went to the maid. "Do I have the pleasure of addressing Her Grace, the duchess of Raven worth?"

Kassidy stood up to her full height with a proud tilt to her head, her defiant green eyes meeting his silver ones. She removed her cap and tossed it aside, and shimmering gold hair tumbled down her back.

"You will have to forgive the deception, Lord Warrick. But you see, you have something that belongs to me and I have come to get her back."

Warrick stared at the golden-haired beauty, understanding very well why Lord Byron had praised her loveliness. "I must say, you have gone to great lengths to deceive me, Your Grace—a duchess posing as a lowly maid. No wonder my household thought you too obstinate."

"I will not play word games with you, Lord Warrick," Kassidy said. "The day will come when you will be called to task for what you have done to my daughter."

"Perhaps, Your Grace. But that day has not yet come."

"Oh, but it will. You will answer to me and her father, and if that isn't enough to keep you awake at night, you will also answer to the king."

He smiled. "Your Grace, I believe I would be more frightened of you than any crowned head."

"I have come to take my daughter away, Lord Warrick, and I intend to do just that."

He turned to Arrian. "And is it still your wish to leave?"

"I want to leave more than I have ever wanted anything in my life, Warrick."

He moved to the door and wrenched it open. "I will think on the matter. I'll let you know my decision at dinner tonight." His eyes went to Kassidy. "I would ask to dine alone with your daughter, Your Grace."

Kassidy stood face to face with him, her eyes burning like green fire. "That will not be possible." Hundreds of angry words ached to be spoken, but Kassidy did not want to provoke the man too far. After all, they had to lull him into passivity so they could escape. "Arrian does not want to be alone with you, and you can guess why."

"What if I give you my word that no harm will befall her? I only want to talk to her. There is much I need to settle in my mind."

"I'm sure you will understand if I'm not too concerned whether your mind is settled or not. I'm slow to trust your word, my lord," Kassidy said.

"Would you trust me if I should offer my word as the earl of Glencarin?"

"Not good enough."

"What if I give you my word as chief of Clan Drummond?"

Kassidy thought for a moment. The word given by a chieftain was not to be broken. "Then that would suffice, my lord. But you should first ask my daughter if she is willing to dine with you."

Arrian laid the book on the window seat and stood. "I have nothing to say to you, Warrick."

His eyes were almost pleading. "But I have many things to say to you."

Kassidy nodded her head only slightly to indicate that Arrian was to accept.

"Very well," Arrian said. "But only in the company of my mother."

Kassidy smiled at him. "You have my daughter's answer."

"She told you about what happened between us, Your Grace?"

"Of course she did. Did you think my daughter would keep such a thing from me?"

His eyes were hard as they probed Arrian's. "I had hoped that what happened between us, Arrian, would remain between husband and wife."

Arrian glared back at him. "Not true husband and wife, my lord."

Warrick turned to Kassidy with a touch of humor in his smile. "I will be a most fortunate host tonight, Your Grace, with two lovely ladies at my table."

"I'm glad we understand each other, my lord," Kassidy said.

"I'll look forward to this evening. Until then, there is something in the village that requires my attention."

"Tonight, my lord," Kassidy said, "all will be settled between you and my daughter."

Warrick's eyes sought Arrian's, and she thought she detected pain in the silver depths. But, no, surely she had been mistaken.

"Until we meet again, Arrian."

19

After the door had closed behind Warrick, Kassidy sprang into action. "Hurry, Arrian, dress warmly and sensibly so that it will appear we are merely going for a stroll. We haven't much time."

Arrian's eyes were wide. "Are we leaving now?"

"Yes, as soon as possible. You heard him say he would be in the village most of the day. We may never get another chance like this one."

Arrian flew to her trunk and sifted through its contents until she found a gray woolen gown. She quickly changed, and Kassidy fastened the hooks for her while nodding in approval.

Kassidy changed her own clothing while Arrian slipped her feet into boots and tied her unruly hair back in a ribbon.

"Wait here until I return," Kassidy said, picking up the breakfast tray. "I'll watch below until I see him leave. Be ready when I return."

Arrian looked around the room that had been her prison for so long. She touched the lace on the canopy, thinking of the other girl who had occupied this room.

In a way they had been kindred souls. Warrick's sister had also been forced into a marriage she hadn't wanted. But poor Gwendolyn's life had ended in tragedy, while Arrian was about to escape.

She tried not to think of Warrick or of her feelings for him. It still hurt too badly, and the wound was too raw and deep.

She closed the trunk, knowing she would have to leave her beautiful gowns behind. Her jewel chest was on the dressing table and she opened the lid, selecting those that had special meaning—the pearls her father had given her on her fourteenth birthday, a diamond brooch from Aunt Mary, a golden locket that had been her mother's.

She picked up the ring Warrick had slipped on her finger the night they were married. She had removed it and put it away without looking at it. Now she saw that it was very beautiful, a large diamond surrounded by sapphires. She slipped the ring into her pocket—she would keep it as a remembrance.

Carefully she picked up the book that Lord Byron had given her mother and tucked it inside her cape.

She picked up a quill, dipped it in ink, and scribbled a quick letter to Warrick. When she was finished she propped it against the mirror so he would find it.

Kassidy rushed into the room. "Lord Warrick and his steward have ridden away, so we must act quickly. I informed Mrs. Haddington that you needed fresh air and we would be walking on the beach."

Arrian picked up her cape and threw it over her shoulders. "She didn't suspect anything?"

"No. She has been worried about you and agrees that fresh air will do you good."

Arrian took a last look around the room and followed her mother into the hallway.

They walked leisurely out the front door, hoping to allay any suspicion, should someone be watching. They hastened their steps as they walked in the direction of the sea.

Arrian took her mother's hand and led her to the steps that had been carved into the stone. Descending quickly to the beach, they began to sense that freedom was within their grasp. Soon they were both running as they followed the path away from the castle.

Arrian kept looking over her shoulder. Suppose Warrick returned early and discovered her letter before they were safely away? Oh, why had she written that letter?

Arrian pulled her cape around her more tightly. The sea fostered a cold wind, and she shivered. "What do we do now, Mother?"

"We walk southward and hope Captain Norris is watching for us."

Arrian glanced up at the imposing castle that towered high atop the rock-faced cliff. Why was she feeling such heavy sadness? If Providence had not brought her to these shores, she would never have known Warrick. In another month she would have become Ian's wife. But would she have been happy? Could she have ever truly loved Ian if she had so readily given her heart to Warrick Glencarin? These questions haunted her as she raced farther away from the man who had won her heart.

Kassidy stopped to catch her breath, and Arrian pulled her against the cliff wall. "Mother, is it possible to love a man and hate him at the same time?"

Kassidy clasped Arrian's hand, knowing she had to answer her question as honestly as she could. "I would think it's possible to love a man and think you detest him. But knowing you and the values you respect, the man you choose to love would have to be honorable or you would not respect him. Without respect there can be no love."

Arrian was pondering her mother's words. It was true. She could never love a man she didn't respect.

They came to what looked like an impassable rock formation that projected across the water. Kassidy stopped for a moment, gripped her daughter's hand, and began to climb.

At last they dropped on the other side. Arrian began to feel elated. They were going to make it! When she rounded a corner she was quickly grabbed and dragged into the shadows.

"At last you have come, my lady," Captain Norris said, smiling. "I'm so happy to see you. We began to despair that you would never escape."

"Let us leave at once," Kassidy said, hurrying toward the boat that would take them to the
Nightingale
, which lay at anchor inside the cove.

Arrian and her mother were placed in the boat, and several men pushed it into the swelling waves.

Arrian felt a sudden rush of happiness, until she glanced up at Ironworth Castle. Then fires of uncertainty smoldered in her heart. If she was so happy to be free, why did she have this strong urge to leap from the boat and run back to Warrick?

Tears choked in her throat, and her mother pulled her into her arms. "Don't cry, dearest. It's all behind you now. You will never have to see him again."

Arrian turned her face against her mother's rough cape, and a shudder went through her body. Never see him again? Oh, why did those words tear at her heart?

High above the cliff two riders watched the longboat fight against the incoming tide to reach the yacht anchored nearby.

"You were right, Warrick, they lost no time in leaving," Mactavish said.

Warrick's gaze was fastened on the small figure huddled in her mother's arms. "When you told me that a ship lay off the coast, I knew it waited for Arrian and her mother."

"So you let Lady Arrian think she escaped."

"It was the only way. I was certain if I told them I would be away from the castle today, they would make their way to the ship."

Mactavish studied his chief's face and saw the misery Warrick tried to hide. "You did the right thing."

"Yes, you convinced me of that. But somehow I had hoped she might decide at the last moment to stay."

"I thought I saw something between the two of you that—"

"You saw nothing," Warrick said angrily, spinning Titus around and riding toward Ironworth.

The loud call of the sea birds and the rhythmic splashing of the waves against the face of the cliff were soon drowned out by the pounding of Titus's hooves as he raced the wind.

Warrick couldn't bring himself to go into Arrian's bedroom until she had been gone three days. At last he gathered his courage and opened the door. Everything was neat and in its place as if she had just stepped out and would soon return.

He closed the door and stood in the middle of the room for a long moment, feeling somehow like an intruder.

Finally he walked into the small dressing room to find the trunks containing all of her clothing. He remembered Arrian telling him she had gone with her family to Paris to buy a trousseau. All had been left behind.

Warrick raised the lid of the trunk and ran his hand across the soft pile of the crimson velvet gown she had worn the first day he'd seen her. He lifted it against his face and closed his eyes, breathing in the sweet lingering scent that still clung to the fabric.

A quick pain stabbed his heart. He neatly folded the gown and replaced it in the trunk. On the floor he found a red satin shoe that must have been purchased to match the gown. He held it in the palm of his hand, thinking how tiny she was, how defenseless.

Like a man in a trance he walked back into the bedroom. First he picked up her brush, where strands of golden hair still clung to the bristles. He touched it lightly and then placed it back on the dressing table. A large chest caught his attention. The key was in the lock, so he turned it and stared at magnificent diamond, ruby, and emerald jewelry. He wondered why Arrian would have left it behind—it had to be worth a king's ransom.

When he closed the lid, his eyes fell upon the letter that was propped against the mirror. He was reluctant to read it, for he knew it would be her last message to him.

His hand trembled as he stared at the neat handwriting.

My lord,

By the time you read this I will be gone from this prison you created for me. However, I am not unsympathetic to your plight and that of your villagers. The jewels in this chest belong to me, so I give them to you to use as you see fit. Since it was the Maclvors branch of my family who wronged you, it is only right that the jewels should come to you. It is unlikely that our paths will cross again and I cannot find it in me to wish you ill. Perhaps the feud between our families is over at last. Let it die with us, my lord. I have seen what hate has done to you. Let it go, Warrick. I have.

He stared at his image in the mirror, feeling as if his life's blood was spilling out of him. Arrian was right. For so long, revenge had been his only reason for existing. Too late, he realized it was time to let the blood hate die.

The voyage had been uneventful as the
Nightingale
sailed down the Scottish coast. Arrian kept mostly to her cabin and lay on the bed for most of the day. Kassidy had remained with her daughter, silently lending her strength.

Arrian would cry herself to sleep at night, thinking her mother wouldn't know, but of course she did. Kassidy knew there was nothing she could say to make her daughter's pain lessen. Later, when Arrian felt less hurt, they would talk.

Arrian stood on deck beside Captain Norris as the ship neared land. He seemed troubled so she knew he was bothered.

"You want to ask me something, Captain?"

"Yes, my lady. I've been worried about you. I've heard much about the fierce fighting between these two clans. Will there be more bloodshed over this incident?"

"There's been too much bloodshed already. I intend to see that this feud dies."

"You know I stand ready to help in any way I can, Lady Arrian. You used to toddle around my legs and climb on my lap. I have a particular liking for you."

She smiled. "You are kind, as always. If you will excuse me, I'll go below now."

Kassidy joined the captain, and they both watched Arrian disappear down the companionway.

"I suppose His Grace will have to be told what happened," Captain Norris said.

Kassidy and Captain Norris exchanged looks, both knowing Raile would be a power with which to be reckoned. "Yes, he will have to be told," Kassidy replied. "Did you call on the Lord Mayor in private, as I asked?"

"I did, Your Grace. He regrets that he can do little to annul the marriage between Lady Arrian and Lord Warrick unless both parties agree to the act."

"I see. Well, perhaps my husband can persuade Lord Warrick that it would be advantageous to his health to sign the paper, Captain Norris."

He was silent, and Kassidy knew he was wondering what Raile would do when he learned what had happened to his daughter. She was wondering how she would have the courage to tell him.

It was a dull, misty day when the
Nightingale
dropped anchor in the port of Leith, a tiny fishing village that stood in the shadow of Edinburgh. The yacht sailed to the docks and lowered her sails.

Arrian stood beside her mother, who gave her an encouraging smile.

"Nothing is so bad, dearest, if it's shared with someone. I promise you'll not be alone. I'll stand beside you."

"I need your strength, Mother. Especially when I see Ian."

"If it is your wish to leave for Ravenworth now, Arrian, I'll instruct Captain Norris to put out to sea at once."

"I have to face Ian—I owe him that."

Kassidy recognized a new strength in her daughter. She would stand back and wait to see if she was needed.

Suddenly there was the sound of a dear, familiar voice calling out. "Your Grace, my lady, I thought you'd never get here." The maid waved up to them. "I'll see to the trunks, then I'll come to you."

Arrian smiled at her mother. "It would seem Elspeth is our greeting party. I should have known she would meet us as soon as we docked."

Arrian thought of her mother's maid, who was more like a member of the family. The sound of Elspeth issuing orders brought a feeling of normality to her life.

"Careful with Her Grace's trunks, she had them made special in Paris, France. Don't scare a one of them."

When Elspeth had climbed to the upper deck, she rushed to Arrian and hugged her tightly. "Lord, but I thought we'd never see you again, m'lady. If you hadn't come when you did, I was ready to storm that castle myself."