The Viking's Highland Lass (8 page)

She snorted.

“Else your leaving would not have mattered.”

“I was my da's pawn.” She let out her breath. “He is dead now. And Seamus is taking his place. Unless someone else can challenge him.”

“Will anyone?”

“Nay. He has five men at his back at all times. Someone who has a lot of men who would be willing to pursue this might be able to. Unless I could send word to my cousin to return, but Christophe hasna been much interested in clan politics and I have no idea where he is.”

“Then I suspect your people would not wish your cousin to lead the clan.”

“If someone like you, who could fight six men and win, were to challenge him…” She only said so because Gunnolf had bragged about his prowess. She didn't really mean it because no man could do that.

“Would I win the woman and lead the clan?”

She snuggled harder against him. “It would be the death of you, or he might lock you in the dungeon forever.”

“You do not trust in my fighting skills?”

She shook her head. “No man could win against such odds.” Then she sighed. “I am sorry that I misled you about knowing the way to the MacNeill lands.”

“I cannot say I am not disappointed, but I understand, lass.”

She appreciated that Gunnolf was understanding. Her da would have been furious with her. “So what is the plan?”

“We will continue to head away from the men on horseback. Mayhap we will run across some abode and can learn the direction to go. With any luck, the sky will clear, and I might know where I am.”

No matter how long they traveled that morn, the fog continued to persist. They hadn't heard any sounds of men following, thankfully, but Brina was afraid that Gunnolf didn't know his way home any more than she did.

When they reached a croft, Gunnolf warned, “We have gone in a circle and have returned to the same croft where the man shot his arrow at me, or at you, as the case may be. We will stop and seek shelter for a short while. You and my horse need to get out of this weather.”

She hadn't felt so chilled as when she'd been running on her own, not with the way Gunnolf kept her warm, though the wind still whipped the cold air about. “The pup?”

“
Ja
, I will keep him in hand.”

He helped her down and moved his horse into the byre, while she knocked on the door.

A woman answered, rocking a baby in her arm, her eyes growing large. “Lady Brina. Seamus and his men were here looking for you.”

Feeling sick with worry upon hearing the news, Brina realized Seamus and his men would be checking all the shielings for her. “Aye. My friend, Gunnolf, of the Clan MacNeill, is taking me home to see my mother's people. Except we got turned around in the snowstorm. Do you know the way to the MacNeill border?”

“Nay, no' me.” The woman glanced at Gunnolf as he stooped to enter the shieling. “Mayhap my husband would, but he has gone out to hunt for you.”

“Which direction?” Brina asked.

The woman hesitated to say and glanced again at Gunnolf, who could be intimidating. “North. He was forced to go with them, so they could find you. Seamus was angry, and though my husband didna want to leave me and the bairn behind, he had no choice. Beg pardon for my saying so, but Seamus will be a terror if you dinna return to the keep.”

“I canna wed the man.”

“We must all do what we can for the sake of the clan, aye? If they catch you with Gunnolf, they will kill this man of the Clan MacNeill. Even if he is family on your mother's side, Seamus will be angry that he has aided you in running away.”

Brina was again faced with indecision. With doing what was right for her clan and with saving herself. Yet she couldn't reconcile the notion of returning when she knew how she would be abused for it. Her people would go on as before without her. “Thank you for your kindness,” she said to the woman, not intending to tell her their plans.

With Seamus and his men hunting her down, and Gunnolf not knowing his way back to the MacNeill lands, she didn't feel real secure in the plan to go forward. If they caught him with her, they'd kill him. But she just couldn't return home either.

“I will find the way, Lady Brina. I will take you home to your mother's clan,” Gunnolf assured her as if he knew her thoughts.

She smiled at him, but she was certain he could tell she wasn't feeling any happiness with that smile. “Come, let us go. The faster you return me to Castle Anfa, the faster you can be on your way, Gunnolf.”

“Thank you, Lady Brina,” the woman said.

“Are you certain, Lady Brina?” Gunnolf asked.

She grabbed his arm and meant to hurry him out the door, but he stood like a statue in place.

“Come, Gunnolf. We must go. Now.”

When Gunnolf led her back to the byre, she remained quiet, not wanting the woman inside to hear their words.

“Are you certain you wish to do this?” Sounding worried for her, Gunnolf helped her onto the horse. “Once I get my bearing, I will take you straight away to Craigly Castle.”

“When you left your home and fought against the Sassenach, then attempted to return home, you had a purpose. You were no' running away from anything.”

“I did not return home though, lass. My purpose changed, and I ended up remaining with the MacNeills. No one would fault a lass for being unable to take on a man like Seamus. I do not want to take you back there.”

“Just take me away from the shieling.”

When they'd ridden some distance, she said, “I want you to take me to Craigly Castle. But I didna want to say so in front of the woman.”

Gunnolf let out his breath as if relieved. “
Ja,
you have my word I will get you there safely.”

But they hadn't traveled far when a man on horseback rode out to intercept them, his hair black, his expression stormy.

Gunnolf knew he couldn't push his horse any faster and reached for his sword, though he would have to put the pup and the lass down on the ground before he could fight the man.

“Nay,” Brina said. “He is one of my da's loyal men, Rory.”

A scar slashed across the man's left cheek, red and angry, a fresh wound. His dark blue eyes were narrowed as he sized up Gunnolf. He growled, “Who are you?”

“He is Gunnolf of the Clan MacNeill and he saved my life,” Brina said, defending him.

Rory studied Gunnolf further, an attempt at intimidation. Then still showing animosity for the man who was riding alone with Brina, he said, “Come with me. Seamus and his men are still searching for you. Come. I must show you something.” He eyed Gunnolf with wariness then, and said to Brina, “You may ride with me, my lady.”

“I promised to protect Lady Brina,” Gunnolf said. “I will take her where she chooses to go.”

Rory raised his brows to hear Gunnolf say as much. “You have no stake in this. And your life is forfeit if you remain here if Seamus learns you were with the lass all this time.”

“I stay,” Gunnolf said with conviction.

“Where are we bound?” Brina asked, not wishing Gunnolf to come to any harm, but she appreciated he felt it his role to protect her until she made it to Craigly Castle safely.

They rode toward one of the outlying farms, all of which she recognized now. Her old shieling wasn't far from there.

“Cadel's shieling. Why there? Seamus will search all the shielings in the area before long to ensure no one is giving me refuge.”

“I wished to see you earlier,” Rory said. “But my duty was to your da. Then Cadel learned you had run off in the snowstorm, and Seamus and five of his men were out searching for you. At that point, ‘twas too late. When I saw you with this man…” Rory gave Gunnolf another disparaging look. “What business had you on our lands?”

“I came to rescue Lady Brina,” Gunnolf said.

“Aye, he did. One of Seamus's men even shot me.”

Rory frowned at her, as if he didn't believe she could be telling the truth.

“The arrow grazed my arm. I believe he thought if he shot in my direction, it would have frightened me into stopping. I dinna believe he actually thought he would hit me. But Gunnolf protected me. As to why Gunnolf was here? He learned I needed rescuing.”

Rory didn't question them further of how that could have come about.

As they approached the stone shieling half buried in snow, a red-bearded man rushed outside and Gunnolf assumed this was Cadel, his green eyes wide as he saw the lass with him. “God's knees, beg your pardon, Lady Brina.” Then he said to Rory, “You found the lass.” He quickly turned his attention to Gunnolf. “Who is he?”

“Gunnolf of the Clan MacNeill,” Brina said as Cadel helped her down. “And my protector.”

Rory and Cadel exchanged looks. Gunnolf and Rory dismounted and Cadel offered to take the reins of both horses. “Hurry inside. I will take care of the horses for you. My wife will prepare something for you to eat. Your da is awake now.”

“My da?” Her knees buckled, but Gunnolf quickly seized her arm to keep her from collapsing.

“Are you going to be all right, lass?” He held her for a minute until she nodded, tears in her eyes. He helped her toward the door, his heart going out to her. He wished Rory had told her the news beforehand, but maybe he was afraid she would have fainted on the horse.

“They said my da was dead.” Her voice was barely audible, her whole body shaking. Her face had lost all its color as Rory opened the door to the shieling.

“That is what Seamus believed after a man struck your da such a blow he nearly killed him. I reached your da's attacker before he could deal the final blow and killed the man. Seamus had watched the man attack him, and he did naught to come to his aid. Seamus didna realize your da still lived. I managed to spirit your da away to Cadel's shieling before anyone was aware of it as the snow barreled in and the dead men were to be taken care of when they could. It was supposed to be this morn, but everyone who died on the field was buried in snow. When the snow melts, we will be out there to bury the dead, and Seamus could very well learn your da lives. Unless he believes wolves carried his body off.”

Gunnolf helped Brina into the shieling, her legs shaky. “Thank you,” she managed to say.

Inside a woman said, “Oh, my, Lady Brina, your da is in the next room. He will be so pleased to see you.” The golden-haired woman frowned at Gunnolf and eyed the waking pup as he squirmed to see all the new people.

“Mara, this is Gunnolf. And Gunnolf, Mara is Cadel's lovely wife.” Then Brina said, “But…but Seamus will be searching all the shielings for me. He will find my da instead.”

“Nay, he has already come here. We hid him in the root cellar,” Rory said. “'Tis concealed. Seamus didna find it. Go, lass, see your da.”

Brina didn't make a move toward the room.

“Brina?” Gunnolf asked, his hand still on her arm, steadying her.

Brina knew she should see to her da, though she felt as though she'd be seeing a ghost. But she couldn't move her legs in that direction no matter how much she tried.

Cadel joined them, and everyone watched her as she battled with herself over the realization her da was still alive. And it was not a good thing, but still better than Seamus taking over the clan and having to wed him right away. Yet if her da was badly wounded, Seamus would still end up leading the clan.

She wanted to ask Gunnolf to come with her because her legs felt like they could barely hold her up. Gunnolf was still holding onto her arm and then she looked up at him, his concerned expression endearing.

“Thank you, Gunnolf. I… will see my da now.” She swallowed a lump in her throat and headed for the small room. Her heart was thumping wildly. As quiet as everyone was, she assumed they all watched her as she approached the room. She paused before she entered, steeled her back, and walked inside.

Her da's eyes were closed, furs tucked up under his chin. A large gash across his forehead had been stitched and black and blue bruising surrounded it, his skin sickly pale. Had he been wounded somewhere else on his body also? His hair as dark as hers sported a dusting of gray strands, and she thought there were more of them now than the last time she had seen him.

She drew close. He was not a man who cared for pity or comforting and so she feared if she spoke to him or touched him, he would growl at her, and she would be angry right back. But she couldn't see him looking so poorly and not do something.

“You have a wolf pup. Not just a pup,” suddenly Cadel's wife exclaimed to Gunnolf in the other room.

“
Ja,
Brina insisted we take him with us,” Gunnolf said.

“She raised one once,” Cadel said.

“I did not know that.” Gunnolf sounded both surprised and amused.

“Here is some water for him,” Mara said.

Brina steadied her breathing and took her da's cold hand in hers. From being out in the snow, she felt hers were still colder. “Da, ‘tis me.”

His eyes fluttered open. For a moment, he just stared at her as if he didn't know who she was and that worried her even more. “Da, ‘tis me, Brina.”

“Aye, I know very well who you are,” he said crossly.

She relaxed her hand on his and meant to pull away, but he held onto her hand, despite looking so feeble. She knew then he was angry with her. Not that she hadn't expected it. She was certain Rory had told him all the news from the castle. Or Cadel had.

“You ran away,” he said, his voice just as hard.

“Aye.”

“In this weather.”

“I dinna wish to wed Seamus.” She knew her da would disapprove of her going against his wishes. But then if Seamus had left her da to die, maybe he'd had a change of heart concerning her marrying him.

“You left after the battle. Where have you been that Seamus was unable to locate you all this time?”

“A friend aided me. He is Gunnolf of the—”