Highland Vengeance (19 page)

“
Olivia, thank you for
loving my brother. He needs you as much as you need
him.”

Maggie watched as her brother’s
beautiful wife smiled with magic and then left the chamber.
Camden’s sister quietly thanked God for her return home and then
prayed for her brother’s safety.

The sky was beginning to darken as the
night replaced day. Olivia anxiously walked around the large castle
as the servants continued to restore it to its beauty before the
wedding massacre. The wait for dawn would surely be the death of
her and she had begged Broderick many times to change his mind. As
the clans settled down for the night, Liam showed Olivia to her
husband’s bed chamber. As the warrior opened the door, she noticed
that the room was covered in dust and cobwebs.

“
Has it been that long since
my husband has used this room?” She wondered.

Liam grinned. “My laird never slept in
here m’lady. He slept in the barracks with us.”

“
Always the modest isn’t
he?” She smiled.

“
M’lady, Stephan, Keith,
Calum and I will be in the next room and one of us will always be
at your door. You will sleep safe tonight.”

“
Liam, I am too tired to
argue with you so I will just thank you for your protection,” she
chuckled softly.

Liam laughed too and then closed the
door as he left the chamber. Olivia walked around the room and
inspected everything she came across hoping to find something that
reminded her of Camden. The laird’s wife wanted a tunic with his
scent to hold while she slept but Olivia found nothing that cured
her need. As the minutes went by, they seemed like days and the
countess felt as if she were going mad. She knew her body was
beginning to catch fever and she feared the injury to her side was
infected. Olivia carefully restitched the wound again before
wrapping it thoroughly. She knew she was not giving the gash time
to heal and with her movements during the battle, it had torn open
again. The laird’s wife tried to rest but Olivia could not just lay
there and wait to help Camden. Never in her life had Olivia sat
still and now would not be the time to start. The warrior woman
would do now as she had always done before, disobey.

Olivia opened her door slowly and found
Keith standing by the large wooden frame.

“
M’lady, is everything
alright?” He asked frantically.

“
No Keith. I want you to go
and wake Liam, Stephan and Calum and tell them I wish to speak to
them now, in my chamber. Be silent and do not disturb any others.
Now go!” She said in a loud whisper.

He immediately obeyed her and then
quickly returned with the other warriors. The four men were nervous
about entering their laird’s chamber, especially with his wife
present. Olivia stood in front of the men and prepared herself for
the commands she was about to give.

“
I have taken your laird’s
rule until he can return. I expect you to do as I say as if he were
giving the order. God has cleared the storm tonight and I will not
stand by waiting for the morn to save Camden. You will lead me now
to the MacKay holding and we will free my husband.”

“
M’lady your valor is
honorable but we have no knowledge of how many men wait for us
there. We need to have the full battalion with us,” Liam
replied.

“
Yes, m’lady we do. If not,
we will be walking into a death trap,” Keith said.

“
I know the consequences and
I do not fear them. The pledge I made was in life and in death. I
am not planning to go in fighting. I wish to negotiate a trade with
Malcolm and we will go in to bargain for Camden’s life in return
for Malcolm’s sister,” Olivia answered.

“
But she is dead m’lady. You
killed her,” Calum said.

“
Malcolm does not know that
and he wouldn’t expect us to bring her with us during the
negotiation. I will demand to see that my husband is well and tell
Malcolm that Broderick is holding his sister not far from the
holding. By that time, the clans will have arrived and we will have
our reinforcements there and I will know that Camden is safe,” she
explained.

“
What if he doesn’t want to
bargain with you m’lady?” Calum asked.

“
It is his sister’s life, of
course he will want to bargain,” she pointed out.

“
This is a huge risk m’lady.
Are you sure this is what you wish to do?” Liam asked
quietly.

“
I ask you all, what would
Camden do if I were the one being held prisoner?” She said staring
at each one.

“
When do we leave m’lady?”
Liam asked.

Olivia and the four giant warriors
quietly moved through the halls of the castle and outside to the
stables. It did not take long for them to prepare their horses and
then Liam led them around the far backside of the castle so they
would not disturb the clans that slept outside. They maneuvered the
horses slowly and silently. Once they were far enough for anyone to
not hear, the group began to ride at a furious pace. The noise of
their massive stallions pounding the frozen earth, sounded like
thunder rumbling in the night.

As the early morning hours approached,
the sun peeked over the ridge of the mountains and began warming
the frigid air. Olivia’s face was already numb and stinging from
the harsh cold wind but she knew with each step, they were getting
closer to Camden. Liam slowed the pace as the group reached the
valley where the old brittle castle stood. When Olivia saw the
MacKay holding, she was not surprised at its condition. The horrid
place was fitting for such evil people.

Before they moved forward to the
holding, Liam asked Olivia again if this was for certain, what she
wanted to do.

Olivia smiled at the man and her answer
was clear.

“
I want to save my husband.
Before I give my next orders, I want promises from all of you that
you will not argue with what I say.”

All four of the men nodded and agreed
with Lady Sinclair.

“
I will go alone, unarmed to
make my trade known to Laird MacKay. When I come back, we will wait
for Broderick and the rest of the men,” Olivia
explained.

“
Unarmed m’lady?” Stephan
asked.

Olivia gave the man that challenged her
statement a wicked glare and Stephan was immediately
remorseful.

“
I am certain Malcolm’s men
will not let me anywhere near him if I am armed and it will also
show him that I have come to negotiate.”

Liam nodded and then the rest of the
men agreed. Olivia left her sword and bow with the rest of the men.
She decided to leave her horse behind and make the rest of the
journey on foot. The countess climbed down a rocky path towards the
pathetic looking castle and once she was off the cliff, Olivia
hurried through the clearing. As she continued ahead, Olivia stared
at the ruins of what was perhaps, a magnificent castle and wondered
where her husband was being held. She remembered Lorna say that he
was in a cell below the castle and Olivia then prayed to God again
for his safety.

The closer she moved towards the MacKay
holding, the more aware Olivia became of the men scattered about
watching her. She felt their presence and knew that the MacKay men
were hiding. Olivia stopped and then silently looked all around
her.

“
I am unarmed. I am Lady
Sinclair and I wish to speak with Laird MacKay. We hold his sister
hostage as you hold my husband,” Olivia shouted at the unseen
men.

When she had finished her sentence, at
least twenty men appeared from their hiding spots, all with swords
and arrows drawn. The warrior woman had never felt uneasy when it
came to fighting but now Olivia knew she was at their mercy. The
dirty man closest to her, grabbed Olivia’s arm and then guided her
towards the holding. The four Sinclair warriors stood at the top of
the cliff and watched as their laird’s wife was being taken away.
Liam had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and the man
instantly regretted letting her go alone.

Stephan and Calum were pacing back and
forth while Liam and Keith knelt with their heads down. The
warriors then heard a familiar call through the woods and they
easily knew who it was that signaled them. Broderick and his men
had left the Sinclair land only minutes after Olivia had. He fully
knew the woman would not wait for the morning light before leaving
to find her husband. Broderick had men posted all over to watch for
Olivia leaving and when she did, his men followed her shortly
behind. Although he was upset that she left without him, Broderick
commended her courage.

Now as the Sinclair warriors explained
to Broderick what Olivia’s plan was, the giant man was furious with
himself for letting her leave without him. She did not know Malcolm
and the things he was capable of doing. Broderick feared that
Olivia underestimated the evil man and now he waited while fearless
woman was in the sinister man’s holding.

The MacKay men immediately tied Olivia
up as soon as she was within the walls of the castle. Olivia was
led into a dark room and the pungent musty smell almost made her
gag. Every step she took on the muddy wet floor brought her closer
to the man sitting at the table in the center of the room. Olivia
assumed this was Malcolm from the smug look on his face.

“
Well, well, what do we have
here?” Malcolm asked his soldier.

“
She says she’s Laird
Sinclairs wife and that she holds yer sister hostage.”

“
This is so Laird MacKay.
You will get your sister in exchange for my husband’s safe return.
But before we make this bargain, I wish to see Laird Sinclair to
know that he is well,” Olivia insisted.

Malcolm had a bone-chilling laugh and
the smirk he gave Olivia would frighten most men. He stared at
Olivia and sized her up from head to toe. She was certainly as
beautiful as Ian’s men had described, in fact, they had not done
the woman justice and Malcolm wondered what she looked like with
her clothes off. He was certain that body would be flawless and the
evil man wanted to find out sooner rather than later.

“
And so you think to just
strut into my home, my castle, and make your demands?” Malcolm said
harshly as he moved towards her.

“
Your sister’s life depends
on the exchange?”

“
You silly English wench, I
was to kill Lorna myself. Why would I care now if she is dead or
alive? Besides, she wasn’t worth much to bargain with,” he said
callously, “I assume that since you hold Lorna captive, your little
soldiers must have taken the Sinclair holding back. Well, where is
that misfit army now? It must feel dreadful knowing you walked in
here unarmed for nothing.”

Malcolm turned to one of his soldiers
and instructed him to bring Laird Sinclair. The evil man wanted
this temptress to see what had become of her Highland warrior. He
also wanted Camden to witness his assault on Olivia. The MacKay men
left and then brought Camden from his dirty cell below the earth.
Laird Sinclair kept his head down and his body slumped. Going
without food had only slightly fatigued the warrior but he was
still prepared for the opportunity to escape.

Olivia watched as the soldiers brought
Camden in the room towards Malcolm. The sight of her husband
bruised and bloody made her knees weak but Olivia knew better than
to react to her husband’s condition. She could not look at him any
more for fear her emotions would give her away. Olivia focused on
Malcolm and his evil smile. Laird MacKay noticed her stare and
wondered how deeply the English woman’s feelings for Camden really
were.

“
Lady Sinclair, you can see
that your husband lives but I am afraid you did not bring much to
negotiate a trade with.”

The instant that Laird Sinclair heard
Malcolm address his wife, Camden’s head shot up and he saw Olivia
standing there. She looked pale to him and he immediately wanted to
touch her. The rage that built inside him was unlike anything he
had ever felt before. Camden’s blood began to pump rapidly through
his body and he started to inhale deep breaths of air to awaken his
muscles. Seeing Olivia in this dark and dingy place intensified his
body’s recovery and Camden became instantly aware that his love for
her would carry him through anything.

The countess could see her husband’s
fury building and she did not want the silly man doing anything to
make matters worse. For the first time, Camden and Olivia made eye
contact and it took everything in her power to not run to him and
kiss his beautiful face. She knew Malcolm was watching them
carefully and so Olivia turned her head back to their evil
captor.

Camden’s glare to Olivia was evident
and he tried to get his wife to keep her mouth closed. He was
afraid of her playing right into the hands of Malcolm. Laird
Sinclair could see the bruises on Olivia’s face and it made his
blood began to boil with fury. He thought of every scenario
possible as he tried to plan an escape for them. Nothing that kept
his wife from danger came to mind. They were in the belly of the
beast and Malcolm had control.

“
Lady Sinclair, since you
know that I will not be trading my sister for your husband, it
stands to reason that you too, have now become my captive. I assure
you though that I will treat you with much better care than I have
of Camden,” Malcolm vowed.