Highland Storms (29 page)

‘
Seems to be the night for sprained ankles,’ Brice sighed. ‘Do you think this one can manage to carry both of us? Otherwise we’ll have to take turns walking.’

‘
I suppose we can try, they’re strong little creatures.’

‘
Come on then, up you get. We can’t afford to waste time.’

Brice helped her to mount up behind him and she wrapped one arm firmly around his waist while holding the reins of her own pony with the other.

‘
I hope he can at least walk without any weight on his back,’ she muttered.

Brice’s pony carried on, although at a slower pace. At one point he too stumbled, and Marsaili held her breath waiting to see if he’d been hurt, but he seemed fine. Instead she realised she’d heard a grunt from Brice, which made her frown. She squeezed his waist again on purpose and was rewarded with a curt, ‘Don’t!’ Then he seemed to remember his manners and added, ‘Please.’

‘
Why? Where else are you hurt? Did you fall over when they pulled you along?’ Concern for him flooded through her, giving way to outrage once more at the treatment meted out to him.

Brice chuckled, but it was a rather strained sound. ‘I ache everywhere,’ he admitted. ‘But I didn’t fall.’

‘
You mean …?’

‘
The Redcoats decided to have some sport with me, yes. Before they pushed me into a very deep pit, which is how I came to twist my ankle.’

‘
Damned whoresons!’

Brice turned to peer at her through the gloom. ‘Such language!’ he teased, pretending to be shocked. ‘And here was I thinking you were a lady. Tut, tut.’

‘
I don’t care, it’s what they are,’ she muttered. ‘What gives them the right to treat you like that? They’ve not even proved your guilt yet.’ Which reminded her. ‘You didn’t hide any weapons, did you? I mean, I know your father’s a Jacobite, but you never said …’

‘
No, I didn’t. That’s not to say I wouldn’t, if my father asked me to, but in this instance, I’m innocent. I have a fairly good idea where they came from though.’

‘
I know. Seton,’ she spat. ‘He’ll pay for this, so help me God.’ And she told Brice what had happened after his departure.

Brice groaned. ‘Damn it all, woman, the entire household will know about the secret tunnels soon. Then what will be the point of them?’

‘
It’s not as if I had a choice,’ she huffed, then heard another chuckle. ‘Oh, you’re teasing me again.’ She punched him lightly on the arm, then remembered his injuries as he drew in a hissing breath. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry! I forgot.’

‘
It’s all right, just try to restrain yourself from now on, please.’

‘
Perhaps I shouldn’t hold onto you?’

‘
Don’t be daft. I’m not having you fall off. Besides, I like your hands just where they are. For now.’ Another chuckle.

Marsaili muttered under her breath. ‘Men, hmph.’

‘
Are you saying you don’t like holding me now? That’s not how it seemed when I came back from market.’ She heard amusement in his voice and wanted to hit him again, but refrained.

‘
Think what you like. You surprised me, is all.’

‘
Hmm, long surprise, eh?’

‘
Hold your tongue, Brice, or I’ll squeeze your ribs again.’

‘
Promises, promises, never anything else with you, is there,’ he sighed.

‘
Brice!’ She tried to make her voice sound threatening, but probably didn’t succeed very well since he laughed again. He did stop teasing her though, and she allowed herself to just enjoy holding him tight. His stomach felt hard, yet warm, under her hands and it was very tempting to lay her cheek against his broad back. Eventually she gave in to the urge and didn’t regret it. It was almost as though she belonged there.

‘
We’ll need to stop soon,’ Brice said eventually. ‘The ponies have had a long day and night and must be very thirsty, as am I. Any suggestions?’

Marsaili thought for a moment. ‘Shieling huts?’ she ventured. ‘If we go a bit higher up, there ought to be some and they should be empty. Everyone will have brought their
kyloes
down long since.’

‘
Good idea. Help me look then.’

Chapter Twenty-Two

It took them until the break of dawn, but eventually they came upon a couple of deserted shieling huts. Thankfully, they were also in the lea of a large outcrop of rock which shielded them from view.

‘
Unless Sherringham has tracker dogs, he’ll never find us here,’ Marsaili said.

‘
He’d have to go to the nearest garrison for those. I doubt he’d waste the time.’

Brice heard a small burn gurgling its way down the hillside and led the two ponies in the direction of this sound as soon as he’d dismounted. In the pale morning light, both he and the horses drank their fill of the cold water. Brice also washed his face and hands as best he could. He felt refreshed, but increasingly stiff and sore all over. He’d had plenty of time during the ride to assess his injuries and had come to the conclusion he had several bruised ribs and probably contusions everywhere else. It was nothing that wouldn’t heal with time though and he was thankful for this.

‘
We’ll have to leave the
garrons
outside, they’ll never fit inside the huts,’ Marsaili told him when he returned to her side. She was speaking in a low voice, even though it was unlikely the Redcoats were on their trail.

‘
No, they’re not exactly big, are they?’ Brice had to bend almost double to enter the nearest one and peer in. It contained only a small hearth on one side and a sleeping platform made of turf on the other, that was all. There was barely room to turn around, let alone bring in a horse.

The ponies didn’t mind though. As long as they had grass to eat and the burn nearby, they were happy. Brice hobbled them, but knew the horses wouldn’t wander far in any case.

‘
Liath will let us know if anyone approaches, won’t he?’ he asked, although he was sure this was the case.

‘
Yes, I’ve told him to be on guard. He knows what that means.’ It was becoming lighter all the time now and she suddenly seemed to notice his face. ‘Brice! Dear God, what …?’

He held up a hand. ‘It’s not as bad as it looks, honestly. Nothing’s broken, not even my nose, which is a minor miracle.’

She shook her head and put up a hand to touch his temple. He tried not to wince and guessed he probably had a black eye since the merest brush of her fingers hurt. ‘How can you be so calm about it?’ she said, her eyes filled with what he assumed was pain on his behalf.

He shrugged, even though it hurt his ribs to do so. ‘No point being angry now. I’ll make them pay later. First, we need to reach home safely, then I’ll seek retribution. We both know who to blame and as for the Redcoats, I have friends in Edinburgh who will help me clear my name. Or my father does, at any rate.’

‘
Well, sit down while I find some bedding. You need to rest.’

There was a large, flattish stone outside one of the huts, which had obviously been used as a stool. Brice sank down onto it, happy to obey her this time.

Marsaili quickly gathered armfuls of heather and spread this over the sleeping platform, covered with a blanket. ‘Come, lie down,’ she urged and Brice made his way inside. He sank down onto the makeshift bed and groaned, leaning against the wall. ‘Ah, that’s better,’ he muttered. ‘At least it’s not muddy.’

‘
Muddy?’ Marsaili followed him into the hut.

‘
The bottom of the pit I was in. Very slimy.’

‘
Oh, right.’ She grabbed a small pail someone had left behind. ‘Wait there, I’ll be right back.’

‘
What?’ Brice stared after her, but she soon returned with the pail filled with water.

‘
Let me wash your wounds,’ she said, kneeling on the sleeping platform next to him.

‘
It’s not necessary. I’ll live.’

‘
Don’t be stubborn. Take off your shirt, please.’

Brice watched as she pulled up her skirt and ripped a piece of material off the hem of her long shift. ‘Now there’s a command I don’t hear often enough,’ he quipped. ‘Not from beautiful ladies anyway.’

She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Liar. I’ll wager the ladies fight over you wherever you go.’ He watched her cheeks turn pink as she realised she’d just complimented him. ‘I mean … not that I …’ she stammered.

Brice smiled and came to her rescue. Sort of. ‘You think I’m that good-looking, huh? You obviously haven’t met my brother.’ He pulled his shirt over his head with some difficulty, gritting his teeth against the pain.

‘
If he’s anything like as contrary as you, I’m glad,’ she retorted with spirit.

‘
Oh, no, he’s charm personified,’ Brice told her. ‘No lady can ever resist him.’ He waited for the familiar stab of anger to shoot through him at the thought of Jamie taking what wasn’t his, but nothing happened. This surprised him, but then he realised he didn’t care any longer what Jamie had done. His father had been right – Elisabet wasn’t worth fighting over. At the end of the day, Brice and Jamie were still brothers, their bond unbreakable. Whereas Elisabet was a fickle creature, not really part of the equation.

A great sense of relief swept through Brice at this epiphany. He really had put the past behind him. Now it was time to move forward, live his life on his terms. And time to enjoy what he had.
Carpe diem.

Marsaili dipped her makeshift cloth in the cold spring water and began to bathe his battered face and torso. He saw her hesitate a couple of times, as if she was afraid to hurt him further, but her touch was so light there was no risk of that. The cool liquid soothed his bruises and she washed away any traces of blood until he felt clean and almost whole again. As she worked, he regarded her from under his eyelids, but she refused to meet his gaze. He gathered she was shy about touching him like this and he wondered again why none of the men at Rosyth had managed to capture her fancy yet. It seemed incredible that someone so lovely should not have been loved.

‘
There, better?’ she asked when she’d finished.

He nodded and pulled his shirt back on. ‘Yes, thank you.’

She still wouldn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she put the pail away and rooted around in the saddle bag she’d brought inside. She handed him a bannock and some goat’s cheese. ‘Here, you must be starving.’

‘
Ravenous.’ Brice devoured his food, making appreciative noises, while she nibbled at a small piece of oatcake herself. ‘Thank you for that. I’m not sure I approve of your rash actions in trying to free me from the Redcoats singlehandedly since it was extremely dangerous and foolhardy, but you have your uses, I must say.’

Marsaili turned towards him and as the morning light spilled in through the open doorway, he could see her clearly. Her expressive face showed him she was unsure how to take his banter, but she retorted with some spirit, ‘Is that so?’

He grinned. ‘Mm-hmm. Although I’m sure providing food isn’t the only thing you’re good at,’ he added, grabbing her round the waist to pull her back against him.

‘
Brice!’

‘
What? I only want to thank you for coming to my rescue.’ He pushed her heavy plait to one side and kissed his way up her neck. ‘I don’t know what I would have done without you. I might even owe you my life.’ Marsaili squirmed in his grip, but he noticed she wasn’t straining away from him. Quite the opposite.

‘
Your bruises,’ she protested feebly.

He smiled against her soft skin and allowed his mouth to travel round to the underside of her chin and up her cheek, dotting more kisses along the way. ‘I told you, I’ll live. And my gratitude makes me forget all about them.’

‘
There’s no need to thank me,’ she murmured. ‘Anyone would have done the same for …’

‘
For whom? The man they can’t resist?’ he teased.

She turned to give him an outraged reply, but he took advantage of her open mouth and kissed her instead, properly, deeply. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this. It wasn’t gentlemanly. They were alone, far from home and he ought to be protecting her, not threatening her virtue.

But he couldn’t resist.

And if she allowed it, then where was the harm? If she told him to stop, he would. If not, he’d take whatever she offered.

Pushing her down onto the soft, woollen blanket, he ignored the little voice inside him that told him to stop now, before it was too late.

As far as he was concerned, it was already too late.

Marsaili had no idea how she’d ended up in this situation.

She’d been determined to tell Brice she was going to sleep in the other hut, for the sake of propriety, and that he had to keep his distance. But she had to feed him first and see to his hurts. He’d seemed so exhausted and obviously in severe pain, she didn’t have the heart to read him the riot act straight away.
And look where that landed me!

It was hard to string together any coherent thoughts at all when he kissed her like this. She couldn’t concentrate on anything other than what he was doing, how good it felt. Before she knew it, they were both lying down in the cramped space, with him leaning over her, his mouth working its magic on her lips. She’d never known sparring with someone else’s tongue could be so pleasurable, nor that it would make little streaks of fire shoot down the rest of her body and gather in the pit of her stomach. Or perhaps slightly lower down. The thought made her face heat up.