Highland Portrait (36 page)

He gave orders to one of his men for the disposal of Malcolm’s body and he and Albert went through the small garden door into the keep.

Upon entering the keep Robbie ordered their horses saddled and readied and taken outside the castle walls. He would take Albert and Stella through the kitchen and pens to mount up outside the city walls.  Kilmartin was a hard half days ride so they could be there at dusk if they left immediately.  Malcolm’s mob had no horses so their trip could be made in relative safety.

Robbie stopped one of the servants and asked for Stella, she pointed down the hall to the library.  He ran swiftly in that direction.

“Mama I will return again,” Stella spoke softly, holding her mother close.  Elinor had gone to the kitchens to prepare food for the three travelers and Stella and Merry were in the library.

“Aye, daughter, I know that I will be seein’ ye again.”  Merry’s tears were a confusion of joy and sorrow, being overcome with the wonder of seeing her daughter again and losing her so quickly to the forces that Merry herself had battled all her life. She was reluctant to let her daughter go, but knew that she had to seek safety and the safest place for her at this time was in an age where she would not be hounded by superstition and fear.

“Please take care of Robbie, Mama.  He mustn’t know where I’m at, but let him know that I will return.  He thinks we go to hide at Ballygowan.”  Merry nodded, glancing at the door to see Robbie dashing in, his sword at the ready.

“Merry,” he shouted, “Where is Albert?”

“I’m right here, Robbie,” Albert came from a corner of the library, stuffing papers in his small pack, readying himself to take leave of the castle.  He wrapped his arms around Merry and held her tightly, sorrow filling his heart at yet another leave taking. He whispered into her ear, ”Merry, my love, you must come with us.  Not today, but when I return you will return with me.  We must be whole and complete and I tire of leaving you.  I love you, Merry.”  He kissed her fiercely and Stella’s eyes nearly popped from her head to see her father in such an impassioned embrace.  Merry whispered in his ears and he nodded, grabbed Stella by the arm and headed toward Robbie who still stood at the door.

Robbie did not like the look of terror and sadness that had found its place on Stella’s face.  He wanted to erase all cares from her life and provide her with safety and comfort, but all he could do right now was hide her and he would bow to Albert’s insistence that the best hiding place was at Ballygowan. He beckoned to her and she ran to him, wrapping herself in her embrace, telling herself that this parting would not be forever, but a short time.  He could hear the shouts from the bailey and his own fears heightened.

“Let us go, Albert,” Taking Stella’s arm he pushed her along the hall to the kitchen, Albert following closely behind.  Moving quickly through the kitchen, then the holding pens, they were soon outside the castle walls where their mounts waited, Grey and Arwen and Albert’s black gelding at the ready.  Four of Robbie’s warriors would be riding with them to ensure their protection and they all mounted quickly and headed south, riding swiftly to Ballygowan.

“How much further to Ballygowan, Robbie?”  Albert, exhausted by the pace they had kept was ready to end this journey.  It had turned sour and he did not like his daughter being subject to this kind of danger.

“We are almost at Kilmartin and Ballygowan is perhaps a league south.  We should be there in less than an hour if we keep this pace.”  They had stopped to water and rest their horses and Robbie had circled his warriors to make sure that Stella was enclosed within their watch. He watched her drinking at the stream. She was holding up well, but had spoken very little, and he could see the lines of weariness around her eyes, her shoulders slouched with the burden of her flight.

He desperately wanted to hold her, comfort her, reassure her that he would deliver her safely.  She smiled at him and wanly held out her hand to him.  He crossed to her and held her tightly.

“Stella, my heart, my love, I dinna want to be parted from ye for even a moment’s time.  It pains me to leave ye at Ballygowan.”  He cupped the back of her head with his large hands and brought her lips to his.  All the longing, all the love, the tenderness and devotion he held for her was delivered in that kiss and Stella drank in the Robbie that had come for her in the studio.  The circle had been completed, they were together, to be parted for a time, but she would make sure that it was only for a short while.  Albert would see to it, she was sure.

“Robbie you asked me how I knew your name and I told you I didn’t know but now I do, Robbie.  The small child you were betrothed to, the one that died, that was me, Robbie.  We have always been promised, always connected even when separated by time and space.  We will always be a union, Robbie.  Soon, Robbie, we will be together again, when it is safe for me to return.”

Stella could see comprehension, like the rising sun, bursting upon Robbie, his heart filling with love’s enlightenment.

“Stella…” was all he could say, so stunned was he by news that he himself should have guessed.  He gently touched her hair and gazed into her golden eyes wishing he could kill Malcolm a hundred times over for causing this parting.

“I will stay with ye at Ballygowan until I am assured of yer safety and then shall avenge ye of the mob.  I will make it safe fer ye, Stella.”  Robbie kissed her again and looked up at the sound of an approaching rider.

He recognized one of his warriors, Jamie, riding as if pursued by demons.  Robbie was immediately on alert, pushing Stella behind him.

Jamie skidded to a stop close to Robbie and jumped off his lathered horse.

“Robbie, the English are behind me.  They seek a horse thief among the MacDougalls and are nay in a mood to ask questions first.”  Jamie led his horse to the stream and bent to quench his own thirst.  Robbie, knowing this to be more of Malcolm’s mischief, cursed the English and the very bad timing of their arrival.  He ordered all to mount.  He knew it was no good to deal with the English because they had Arwen in their possession and there could be no denying the theft.  Their only recourse was to get to Ballygowan and hope that Albert’s idea, whatever it was, would work.

“Stella, Albert, quickly, we must ride hard.  Albert, I hope ye know what ye are about.  Do ye know exactly where we go?”

Albert looked at Robbie, his face filled with anguish for all the trials he and his daughter had brought upon his friends.

“Trust me, Robbie, this is the only way to keep Stella safe.  I know what I’m about, lad.  Let’s go.”

The party took off pushing the horses hard, Robbie leading with Albert and Stella right behind him, followed by his four warriors.

Within minutes of their goal the thunder of a dozen horses could be heard closing in on them.  Robbie signaled Stella to ride forward to the front so that he might put more distance between the soldiers and her.  Riding harder they climbed a small rise and Albert raised his arm pointing.

The stones of Ballygowan stood like mystical giants atop a small rise, etched with the concentric markings of ancient hands, their powerful magic humming as Stella approached them.  She heard them from where she sat her horse and she knew that this was where her adventure ended.

“There they are, we’re here!”  Albert brought his mount to a skidding stop, as did Stella, Robbie and the warriors.  Robbie began shouting orders to his men to blockade Albert and Stella and he moved forward to meet the English as they came.

“No, Robbie!” Stella screamed.  She panicked as she saw him move toward the approaching soldiers, knowing that he put himself in the worst kind of danger.

“Run, Stella, run and touch the middle stone,” shouted Albert. “If you hesitate we’ll all be killed!”  Stella jumped from Arwen and ran toward the stone, looking back and watching Robbie and his warriors engage the English with swords.  Filled with fright she stopped and turned, wanting to run back to Robbie.

“Don’t stop, Stella, run, touch the middle stone.  Don’t, no you can’t help him, run, dammit, you’ll make it harder for him.  Run!”  Albert pushed her toward the circle and making sure that she did as he directed he turned back to Robbie, his sword in his hand.

Stella, fearing for her life, but fearing for Robbie’s and her father’s even more, she reluctantly did as Albert told her, running across the rough ground, tripping on small stones, righting herself and moving passed the circle of stones.  As she neared the middle stone, she turned back to see Robbie fighting two English soldiers, his blade already wet with their blood.  Her father spearing one of them and turning to run toward Stella.

“Now, Stella, Now!”

Stella, terrified, swallowed her fear and reaching out to the middle stone touched it with her palm feeling the humming of the rock fly up her arm and then the blackness took her.

Chapter Twenty

Stella woke, lying on her stomach, her mouth full of dust, the scorching sun beating on her back.  She had a headache pounding time to her accelerated heartbeat, still running from the soldiers.  She slowly pushed herself up stumbling on her skirts.  She reached to her back and sighed in relief, she had her backpack.  She looked around her and saw her hat sitting crown-up just a few yards from her.  Her boots were on, the only thing missing were her jeans and shirt and she was hoping that they would be there at the castle when she returned.  And she would return.

She looked around to see if her father had come through, but there was nothing.  She knew exactly where she was, a ridge overlooking the Pedernales where she had ridden Arwen many times before.  She wondered where Arwen was right now.  If she got back to the barn would Arwen still be there or was she somewhere in Scotland, being led away by English soldiers.

Stella was probably about forty five minutes from home…by car. She wasn’t sure if she should wait or start the walk back home.  If Albert came through he would know where he was, but she remembered what her father had said – the traveling couldn’t be controlled.  She trembled thinking of her last glimpse of Robbie swinging a sword as the English attacked he and his men.  Always a pacifist she had never been close to fighting of any sort and to see the swords flying in all directions, slicing through flesh leaving red stains like flowers in the landscape, caused her to shutter and she knew that she would have nightmares filled with the clanging of blades, the screams of pain and the arrival of death.  She was glad that Robbie had his warriors with him, that he had not fought them alone, but she cried for him, wanting desperately to see him again, to know he was safe.

Picking up her hat, dusting it off, she put it on shading her eyes from the unforgiving sun.

She looked toward the west, and figured she was about two miles from the stables.  Walking in the hot Texas sun in a wool dress was not exactly the smartest thing she could do right now, but she didn’t have much choice.  Once she got to the stables she would check to see if she still had a horse then call someone to pick her up.

An hour later Stella walked into the barn, sweating like a racehorse, looking to see if Arwen was in her stall.  It was getting late in the day and Brandy would have brought in all the horses.  Stella walked down the concrete center aisle of the barn and hesitated before she got to Arwen’s stall.  She stepped up to the stall door and Arwen pushed her head over the door, nickering in greeting.  Stella’s heart jumped, glad to see the animal she had come to love even more since being in Scotland.

“Hey, Stella, how’s it goin’ girl?”  Stella looked up to see Brandy coming toward her carrying tack.

“Girl what are you doing in that outfit?  Is that wool?”

“Reenactment, Brandy, getting ready for some Renaissance stuff.  What time is it?”

Brandy looked at her phone. “It’s almost closing time, 7:45.  Where’s yer truck, I didn’t see it outside.”

“Well, actually I was dropped off.  Can I get a ride home?”  Stella was hot, itchy and feeling on edge about Albert, worried he might be caught in some time loop or something.

“Sure, let me finish up and we’ll head out.”

“Great.  Listen, Brandy, if you should see some guy out here in a Renaissance costume looking kinda confused please call me immediately, it’ll be my dad.”

Brandy rolled her eyes and looked at Stella.  “Anybody in a Renaissance costume is confused.  You need to stop going to the Faires, girl.”

Driving home Stella glanced at a bank sign, and watched it blinking the time and date.  She had gone through the portal yesterday evening.  She’d only missed one day.  If Ferghus, or Casper, was still at home he would be hungry but not on the verge of collapse.  Stella crossed her fingers that he was still there.

Brandy pulled up into her driveway. “Here ya go.  Sure ya don’t want to go out for a pizza?  My treat.”  Brandy looked hopeful, but she looked at Stella, who looked dreadful, and knew that she’d be too tired.

“Thanks Brandy, but I’m exhausted, I’ve had a tough day.” With false bravado she waved and smile. “See you next week!”

Stella walked in the door and was immediately hit with forty pounds of red fur, bouncing and barking and wagging his tail.  She was so relieved to see Ferghus that she sat on the living room floor and cried, hugging the dog.

“Ferghus, Ferghus.  Oh baby, I’m so glad to see you.”

After greeting Ferghus, she went immediately to the studio and tentatively opened the door. The light was still on but did not shine blue, Everything was as she left it yesterday except Robbie’s portrait was gone.  In its place was the original painting of Shawn.  Stella was so keenly disappointed she began crying again, missing him so much and being so worried about what might have happened.  They had not even had time to say goodbye.  Then she remembered.