The Highlander Takes a Bride (20 page)

“She’s right,” Dougall said with a frown. “Whoever shot her probably kens she can defend herself. They’ll no’ attack outright, but continue to try sneaky attacks like that arrow.”

“Aye,” Greer frowned and nodded. “Then ’tis best she remain in the keep.”

Saidh gaped at him with dismay. “What?”

“Aye. Mayhap ’twould e’en be best to keep her up here where we can control who gets close to her,” Geordie suggested.

“That’ll no’ help us sort out who shot her, though,” Aulay pointed out. “We shall ha’e to let her out o’ the room, and even out of the keep eventually unless we want to move in here.”

“Aye, but we can no’ risk her getting shot or otherwise injured again by using her as bait,” Greer said with a scowl.

“It may be the only way to put an end to this,” Aulay said solemnly and then quickly added, “But let us worry about that later. She is too weak to e’en consider that right now.”

Saidh simply sat and glared as her husband and her brothers continued to discuss their plans to keep her safe. They seemed to have forgotten she was there, and were definitely oblivious to her hot eyes boring holes into their heads and bodies. If she weren’t so damned weak, Saidh would have got up and thrashed the lot of them. Unfortunately, she was suddenly exhausted, which was just pathetic to her mind when she’d just woken up after sleeping two days and three nights.

Mouth set with displeasure, she shook her head and then scooted further down the bed so that she could lie down again.

Let them plot and scheme, she decided as she settled on her uninjured side and closed her eyes. She would concentrate on regaining her strength and then thrash them all and go where she wished. She had no intention of being locked in her room like some sad maiden who could not look after herself.

She fell asleep to the drone of their plotting voices.

Chapter 13

“M
ill!” Alpin crowed triumphantly.

Saidh shifted her gaze down to the nine-men’s morris board between them and nodded. “Aye, ye’ve got a mill,” she acknowledged, and then peered to the boy seated on the bed across from her and pointed out, “But I’ve got two sleeping brothers.”

Alpin’s eyes widened and his head swiveled toward the two men seated in the chairs by the fire. Noting that Niels and Conran both were now slumped in their seats, snoring loudly, he grinned widely. “So ye do. That trumps a mill any day.”

Chuckling softly, Saidh scrambled off the bed and headed for the door. “Come on then, before someone comes to check on us or otherwise mucks up me plans.”

“Ye want me to come?” Alpin asked with surprise.

“Aye, o’ course.” Saidh paused at the door and glanced back in question. “Do ye no’ want to? I thought ye were as sick o’ being stuck in here as me.”

“I am, but I did no’ think . . .” Letting the sentence end unfinished, he shoved the game board out of the way and crawled across the bed to hurry to her side.

Smiling, Saidh waited until he reached her, then cracked the bedchamber door open and peered out cautiously into the hall.

“What is it ye put in their drinks?” Alpin asked in a curious whisper.

“Ye saw that, did ye?” she murmured, watching a maid traverse the hall, headed for the stairs.

“Aye,” Alpin breathed.

“Some o’ Rory’s sleeping tincture. I snuck it out o’ his bag last night when he went to fetch more mead to replace what ye’d spilled.”

“I only spilled it because ye knocked me arm and— Oh,” he said as he realized it had been a deliberate jostle, and then he frowned. “Why did ye no’ jest spill yer own drink instead o’ knocking mine all o’er me?”

“Because he might ha’e suspected something if ’twas me mead spilt. No’ that I’m no’ clumsy at times, but with ye spilling yers I figured he’d be less suspicious,” she explained, and then caught his arm and urged him out into the now empty hall.

“Where are we going?” he asked in a hushed whisper as they crept along the hall to the top of the stairs.

Saidh smiled faintly at the question. Alpin sounded as excited as a lad heading out on his first hunt. She couldn’t blame him. She was pretty excited herself. While it had only been three days since she’d woken after taking her injury, it felt like forever since she’d left the bedchamber. The men were being ridiculously protective and she was heartily sick of it.

“We’re both still weak, so will jest slip out to the garden behind the kitchens fer a bit o’ fresh air this time,” she murmured, eyeing the activity in the great hall below with a frown.

“How are we going to get there?” Alpin asked, sounding dubious.

Saidh sighed. She hadn’t really thought that far ahead. She supposed she’d just hoped they could simply walk down the stairs, through the great hall and then the kitchens and that no one would question them. That might have worked with the servants, but there were more than just servants in the great hall. Aunt Tilda was seated by the fire sewing, and Geordie and Dougall were presently at the tables talking quietly.

“We could use the secret passage,” Alpin said suddenly and Saidh stiffened, then turned to peer at him.

“What secret passage?”

“There’s a secret passage and stairs going below,” Alpin explained. “Laird MacDonnell showed it to me shortly after we came here. He said ‘twas a secret only the laird and his first usually kenned, but he was telling me so that were there ever an attack and the battle was no going well, I could get the ladies out to safety.”

Her eyes widened at this news. “Where does it come out?”

“Several places. There’s a door that opens into the pantry, another in the gardens and then there’s a tunnel that leads all the way out past the outer walls and opens into a cave by the loch.”

Saidh stared at him blankly for a minute, then a slow smile spread her lips. “Show me.”

Nodding, Alpin turned and led the way back to the master bedchamber. When he reached to open the door, she stopped him and urged him aside to do it herself. Easing it open, she peered inside and saw that both Niels and Conran were still snoring fit to wake the dead. She relaxed and urged Alpin in. Saidh was about to follow when the sound of a door clicking closed up the hall caught her ear. Turning sharply, she peered in that direction, but there was no one in the hall.

Frowning, she hesitated, but then shrugged and slipped into the master bedchamber. She eased the door closed, then glanced around for Alpin. The boy had grabbed one of the torches from the wall and now held it over the low burning flames in the fireplace to light it.

“ ’Tis dark in there,” Alpin whispered for explanation as she joined him.

Saidh merely nodded, not surprised. The secret passage at Buchanan was dark as a pit as well. She supposed all secret passages were.

Straightening with his now lit torch, he turned to peer at the wall next to the fireplace, then reached up and pressed on a smaller stone at his chest level. There was a grumble of sound as a portion of the wall slid inward and Saidh glanced nervously toward her brothers, but both remained soundly sleeping.

Letting her breath out with relief, she gestured for Alpin to lead the way, then followed him into the narrow passage.

“We have to push it closed,” Alpin whispered once they were both inside.

Saidh nodded and turned to press both hands to the large stone door, surprised when it took the lightest push to make it close. Large as it was she’d expected it would be a harder task. It must have some kind of weight and pulley system, she supposed.

“This way,” Alpin said, turning to head up the dark, narrow corridor.

“I am surprised ye’re willing to show me the passage,” Saidh commented quietly as she followed him. “I thought ye did no’ approve o’ me fer yer laird’s wife.”

“ ’S truth, I did no’,” Alpin admitted in a wry little voice. “But I’ve change me mind.”

“Ha’e ye?” she asked with interest. “Why? I’m still no much o’ a lady. I curse and carry a sword and ha’e a filthy temper.”

“Aye, but so does me laird,” he said on a sigh, and then added, “But I think me laird loves ye.”

Saidh stopped walking at this news and stared at the boy’s back as he continued forward, the torch leaving him in silhouette. His words had knocked the wind from her. Greer? Love her?

The boy said he
thought
Greer loved her, Saidh’s common sense pointed out. It wasn’t as if Greer had confessed it to the lad or something and it was a certainty. Still . . . what if he did? For her husband to love her would be . . . well, she thought that would be just fine. Wonderful in fact. Because she suspected she was coming to love the big, stupid stubborn man herself. How could she not? He’d done nothing but fuss over her the last three days since she’d woken from her long sleep.

While she and Alpin occupied the bed, Greer had taken to sleeping on a pallet on the floor next to her to remain close. He was usually awake and gone by the time she woke in the morning, but always returned to share the nooning meal with them, and then again at sup. Afterward, Greer didn’t retire below to drink with the men, but sat and played chess or nine-men’s morris, or any number of other games to entertain them.

The first night, Saidh had been too tired to play and left it to him and Alpin while she dozed in the bed, listening to their quiet voices. The second day she’d managed to stay awake and play a game or two against him. Much to her amazement he’d won more games than her. He had a fine strategic mind. She’d also asked him questions about his time as a mercenary and he’d regaled her with tales of battle and life as a soldier until she’d begun to nod off. Then he’d urged her to lie down and had tucked the linens and furs around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before settling into his furs on the floor next to her. Saidh had lain silently for a bit, then turned onto her side. She’d been just drifting off to sleep when she’d felt his hand clasp hers where it rested on the edge of the bed.

Last night the three of them had played games, laughed and chatted for hours before exhaustion had again made her settle in bed and snuggle down to sleep. He had again tucked the furs about her and settled onto his pallet. He’d also taken her hand again and Saidh had drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.

“Besides,” Alpin continued, unaware of how his comment had affected her. “I’ve been thinking.”

Forcing herself to start forward again, Saidh murmured, “Oh? And what ha’e ye been thinking?”

“Well, me ma and da are both very proper. Ye’d ne’er catch me ma cussing or wearing braies under her gown,” he assured her in a dry voice as he led her around a corner to the left. “As fer me da, he ne’er loses his temper or swears either. But . . .”

“But?” she prompted curiously.

“Well, they are me parents, so ’tis probably a sin fer me to say this, but they’re no’ good nobles.”

Saidh remained silent, not sure what to say to encourage the boy to continue. Sharing a sickbed with the boy, she’d seen the scars on Alpin’s back and knew someone had whipped him viciously and repeatedly. She was positive Greer would never do it, so could only think it must have been his parents.

“Me mother seems sweet. She simpers and keeps her eyes lowered. She is always proper in company. But she lies near every time she opens her mouth and she’s definitely less than proper when she raises her skirts for me da’s first.”

Saidh stopped walking again, her jaw dropping in shock.

“As fer me da, I ha’e ne’er e’er heard a cuss slip from his lips, and he ne’er loses his temper, e’en the time I accidentally broke his favorite inkwell, which was a gift from the king and one o’ his most prized possessions. He just smiled coldly, grabbed his whip and punished me, the whole time just smiling that cold smile. Then he ordered one o’ the maids to clean the blood away and put some salve on me back and walked away.”

Saidh’s mouth tightened at this and she continued walking again, thinking that if she ever met the boy’s father—

“And I ken he lies too. He has made deals with others and not held up his side o’ the bargain. He cheats our villeins all the time and there is naught they can do about it.” He sighed unhappily and shook his head. “Laird Greer would ne’er do that, and these last six months since me father convinced him to take me on as squire he’s ne’er raised a hand or whip to me either. Not e’en the time I near killed his horse by feeding him green apples. And he loves his horse,” he assured her, glancing over his shoulder to meet her gaze for emphasis.

Saidh nodded in acknowledgment. She wasn’t surprised to hear that Greer was fond of his stallion. She had had her mare for several years now and loved her dearly.

“So, after thinking on it,” Alpin continued, “it occurs to me that proper behavior does no’ make a good laird or lady. It does no’ make them kind or brave or good to their people, and it does seem to me that being good is more important than no’ wearing braies or cussing.”

“I see,” Saidh murmured with a faint smile. “So ye’ve decided to forgive me me lack as a lady.”

“That’s just it,” Alpin paused and turned to face her in the narrow space to say earnestly, “Ye
are
a fine lady, m’lady.”

Saidh snorted at the suggestion and waved at him to continue, but he stayed stubbornly where he was and told her, “Yer brothers and m’laird all stayed at our bedside the first two nights, refusing to leave ye.”

Saidh nodded. Greer had mentioned something about that the morn she’d woken up. He’d also said they’d talked so she wasn’t surprised when he continued.

“And yer brothers spent a lot o’ time talking about ye, telling tales about the things ye’d done and such. How ye nursed yer mother during the illness that took her life, tending her yerself rather than let her maid do it. How ye whipped the smithy at Buchanan when ye found out he was beating his wife and children. How ye jumped in the moat after a village girl who had tumbled in, and saved her life. How ye snuck food and coin to a young villager with child when ye learned her husband had died leaving her with naught.” He paused and shook his head. “And I could tell ye did no’ like the gown Lady MacDonnell insisted ye wear to the wedding, but ye wore it anyway, just to please her.”

Uncomfortable under his admiration, Saidh shrugged. “ ’Twas the right thing to do.”

“Aye. But no’ e’ery so-called lady would think so. Me own mother once fired a new maid because she decided she was too ugly to ha’e to look at. And she is mean as can be to me gran. I ken she would ne’er nurse her were she to fall ill.” He nodded firmly. “Ye may curse and wear braies under yer gown, and ye may carry a sword and fight like a man, but ye’ve a noble heart, and are a true lady fer all that.”

Saidh grimaced and turned her head away, embarrassed to find herself having to blink away a sudden welling of liquid in her eyes. Good Lord, she could take an arrow to the chest without shedding a tear, but a pain-in-the-arse boy gives her a compliment and she turns into a weeping female. Disgusting, she thought with a little irritation.

Sighing, she glanced back to Alpin and gestured for him to continue. “We’d best keep moving, else me brothers’ll wake ere we even make it out o’ the castle.”

Nodding, Alpin turned and started forward again. Saidh followed, but after a moment of silence said, “I’m glad ye no longer think I’ll be a poor wife to yer laird, Alpin. And I think ye’re a fine squire to him as well.”

“I try m’lady,” he assured her. “Although I think me lecturing him on how to be a proper laird most like annoys him.”

“Nay, he likes it,” Saidh said with amusement.

“Really?” he asked glancing back again.

Saidh nodded, and then realizing the light from the torch didn’t reach her and he probably couldn’t see her nodding her head, she said, “Aye. Think on it, Alpin. Did he no’ like it, do ye think ye’d still be his squire?” She smiled faintly, and added, “Besides, ’tis probably good fer us. We could both use a little polishing.”

“Oh,” Alpin breathed and turned to continue walking again, moving more quickly now. “Then I shall continue to endeavor to help.”