Beneath a Highland Moon (The Highland Moon Series 1) (6 page)

T
he door opened suddenly, startling them both.

"
What's taking ye so long, old woman?"
The guard lowered his brows suspiciously.

Jillian smiled sweetly.
"'Tis my fault, not Winnie's, for I've kept her tarrying to answer questions about my people."

"
They're no longer yer people; they belong to Gordon MacRae," he sneered, before once again turning on Winnie.
"Old woman, ye've been in here long enough.
Out with ye," he said, waiting for her at the door.

"
I'm coming, give me but a moment to collect the tray.
Cook will have a fit if I forget to return it again."

"
Much thanks," Jillian said, and in a low whisper, added, "Tell Ian I'll come for him tonight, and that he must tell no one."
Jillian hoped she could still remember her way through the old tunnels that meandered between the castle walls.
She'd sometimes played there with her cousins as a child, but that'd been many years ago.

"
I'll bring what I can, m'lady," Winnie whispered back.

After the guard
closed the door behind Winnie, Jillian ate one of the bannocks and drank the spiced mead, but she wrapped the others in a bit of cloth, then tucked them inside the bundle beneath her bed.

It
would be several hours before Winnie returned with the things Jillian needed.
She said a silent prayer all would go well. In the meantime, she paced back and forth, going over and over in her mind everything that must be readied for the two of them to safely leave Lochstorm.
She dropped onto her bed, rehearsing what she'd say to Kade, once they arrived at Ravenskull.
Jillian lay back and closed her eyes.
She tried to picture his face in her mind, wondering if he'd changed so much in the last four years, as he had in the three years before that.

It
'd been the one and only time Jillian had ever truly been in love. Kade had swept her off her feet with his devastatingly handsome looks and devilish grin. In the solar of Ravenskull, by the light of a full moon, they'd planned to wed. But 'twas never to be. For the following morning they both learned that she was already betrothed to another. Jillian touched her lips. She could still remember the heady sensation of his breathtaking kisses.

With her thoughts
still deep in the past, Jillian was startled by the voices in the corridor.
She ran to the door, pressed her ear against it, and listened.

"
Ye've got an awful lot of food there for such a wee lass," the guard said.

"
Aye, but she has quite a large appetite, that one.
Why don't ye take that strawberry tart right there.
It'll not be missed and I promise I'll not say a word to anybody," Winnie said.

The guard
must have taken the tart, for he soon opened the door for Winnie.
She entered carrying a platter with a trencher filled with stew, along with apples, nuts, cheese, three strawberry tarts, and a goblet of spiced mead. Jillian raised her brows in surprise.
No wonder the guard was so curious.
She'd not have been able to eat that much food at three meals, much less one.

"
I've yer food, m'lady," she said, carefully placing the heavy tray onto the table, trying her best not to spill the mead.

"
I'm glad you've brought me so much food, for I must admit, I'm quite hungry," Jillian said loudly, so that the guard might hear.

H
er back to the door, Winnie reached into her arisaid and gave Jillian a small bundle of clothing, and a hat, along with the boots, and several small hunks of bread, she'd somehow managed to get her hands on, tied up in a kertch.

Jillian hurriedly
shoved them beneath her bed.
"Was James curious as to why you wanted his clothing?" she said, speaking low.

"
Nay, the lad had gone into the village to visit his mother.
I helped m'self to his things. The hat belongs to the stable master.
I nabbed it off a post when he weren't looking."
Winnie carefully took out a small package wrapped in cloth and handed it to Jillian. "Tarts for young Ian. The lad likes them," she said, blinking back tears.

Jillian hugged her.
"Aye, he does at that.
I'll be certain to tell Ian that the tarts are from you."

Winnie nodded, smiling at her
through misty eyes.
"Have a care tonight, m'lady."

"
Aye, I will, and when you ready Ian for bed, have his warmer clothing where we can quickly get him dressed when I get there.
Did you remember to count the steps?"

"
Aye, m'lady.
There be forty-five steps from yer door to the lad's."

"
Good. Were you able to see Mairi?"

"
Och, I'd near forgotten to give ye this," she said, bending down to remove a tiny packet from her shoe. "Mairi said that the sleeping potion must be added to food to conceal its bitter taste.
Give every last bit of it at least an hour before ye wish for the intended to fall asleep."

Jillian nodded.
"I'll remember.
Don't forget, we'll need at least a day to ride to Ravenskull. Once we've gone, you must hide that fact for as long as possible.
When Gordon asks, tell him we're both quite ill, and it could mayhap be very catching.
Tell him anything to keep him from finding out too soon that we're gone and sending his men after us.
Have someone fetch Mairi, in order to make it appear more real.
Now you must go. I don't want the guard to become too suspicious."

She hugged Jillian.
"Godspeed," she whispered and left the bedchamber.

A
ware of the guard's fondness for tarts, Jillian used one of those on her tray in which to hide the potion. With the tip of her
sgian dubh
, she opened a tiny hole in the end of the tart where the juices had cooked out, and carefully added the white powder.
Then she raked the filling back over and held it away from her for a look.
Satisfied he'd not notice it'd been tampered with, she placed it back onto the tray and hid her
sgian dubh
beneath her pillow.

After
eating as much as her stomach would hold, Jillian placed the remaining food—except for the tart—into the bundle.

It
'd be several hours before nightfall.
Jillian turned her attention to the panel beside the fireplace that concealed the door to the tunnels. She couldn't help but blame herself for Ian's capture.
With the first sounds of battle, if she'd hidden him in the tunnels before confronting Gordon, he'd be safe now. But Jillian didn't blame Winnie. She'd tried her best.

The
secret passageway had been used for many generations to hide women and children during attacks on Lochstorm.
During the lives of her parents, the passages had been used but a couple of times. In her own lifetime, they'd never been used as a place of concealment, but as a place to be explored by children.

Jillian
could only pray that Gordon knew naught of the tunnels, and if he once did—he'd forgotten. If he learned of their escape before they made it beyond his reach, Gordon would find them and bring them back.
Jillian didn't wish to think about what he'd do to her if that happened.

Since the latch hadn
't been used in such a long time, Jillian wanted to be certain 'twould open, unlike the ones in Ian's and her father's room. Getting onto her knees, she ran her hand beneath the bottom stones until her fingers touched the latch. Grasping it tightly, she tugged on it, but it refused to budge.

After several minutes of trying to loosen it
, her fingers became raw and sore, and the latch still hadn't moved.
She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to keep from bursting into tears.
If she wasn't able get the latch open, all her planning was for naught and they'd all be doomed.
She paced back and forth in front of the fireplace trying to think of a way to get the thing to dislodge.
Then she had a thought.

Grabbing
her
sgian dubh
from under her pillow, she wedged it beneath the latch.
She pried with all her strength, whilst at the same time fearing she'd break the blade.
'Twas a treasured gift from her father.
Just when she was close to giving up hope, the latch gave way and the door swung open.

Jillian sat back on her heels with a sigh of rel
ief.
Then quickly reclosed the door before anyone had a chance to come in and find it open.

The
next few hours passed slowly.
By the end of gloaming, the time had come for her to give the guard the tart containing the sleeping potion.

If Gordon should come to see her again, and find
the guard sleeping with her gone, he'd think she'd just walked out the door past him—what Jillian wished him to think.

S
he carefully picked up the tart, so as not to mash it, and slowly opened her bedchamber door.

"
What is it ye want?" growled the guard, his brows pulled tightly together into a frown.

"
Winnie brought me too much food.
I've a strawberry tart left and wondered if you might like to have it. I do so hate to see food go to waste."
With her heart pounding, she held the tart out to him, hoping he'd not refuse it.

She need not have worried
, for it took but a second for him to grab it from her hand.
Without so much as a word of thanks, he had it half eaten before she went back inside and closed the door.

Thunder rumbled
through the Highlands, and streaks of lightning lit up the night sky.
The raindrops tapping against her window were a Godsend.
In this weather, Gordon's men would more than likely be inside in the dry, rather than out in the cold rain. Giving her and Ian a much better chance of not being seen, as they made their way to the wood.

In
hopes that most everyone by then had gone to bed, Jillian quietly tiptoed to her bedchamber door and listened.
The guard's deep snores echoed in the corridor. The sleeping potion had worked beautifully. Of course, Gordon would have his head when he found out the man had fallen asleep at his post.

She quickly
discarded her shift and pulled on the lad's shirt, then belted the plaid on. The shirt was a wee bit loose, but the bulkiness would better hide the fact that she was a female.
There was no telling who they might run into whilst traveling in the Highlands.
A woman alone with a child would draw too much unwanted attention.
If people believed that they were a man and child, mayhap they'd be left alone.
Stuffing the toes of her father's boots with stockings, she shoved her feet inside.

She twisted
her waist length hair on top of her head then secured it beneath the worn hat with combs. Jillian opened the old chest beside her bed that had been hers for as long as she could remember.
She grabbed the key to the gate leading outside the curtain wall and carefully took out a locket. It had belonged to her mother—a gift from Jillian's father. It held miniatures of both her parents. She released the catch, and looked upon their smiling faces.
I miss you so
. After a moment, she closed it and started to put it on, but decided not to. It would be safer for her and Ian if she carried it. She carefully wrapped it and placed it in the bundle.

After fastening
on her cloak, she gathered the items she'd stored beneath her bed, adding a silver candleholder and a couple of candles for later.
She didn't dare to use one now for fear someone might see the light moving across the floor from under the door. Taking her
sgian dubh
from beneath her pillow, she dropped the gate key into the sheath and attached it to the belt. She fastened her cloak around her and slipped the bundle over her head and across one shoulder. She used the light of the fire to locate the latch, and Jillian breathed a sigh of relief when it opened on the first try.
Once she'd stepped through, she quickly closed the panel tightly behind her, and disappeared into the darkness.

Chapter Four

The tunnel
was cold, damp and smelled of rodents. Jillian wrinkled her nose. Without the light of a candle, she was in total darkness. She'd never particularly cared for dark, closed-in places, especially when uncertain of what lay just ahead. Taking a deep, unsteady breath, she carefully walked forward, counting each step she took. Mice, or perchance rats, squeaked and scurried around her. Jillian hoped that none of them took a notion to give her a closer look. She held onto the cold, stone wall, encountering cobweb after cobweb, praying all the while that there were no spiders crawling on her person. Slowly she edged her way along the tunnel toward Ian's bedchamber.

Something
large scurried across her foot. She quickly capped a hand over her mouth to smother a scream. That had been no mouse, but most likely one of the big rats she sometimes spotted darting around the edge of the castle. Thankful for the boots, she continued on her way, forcing herself to ignore the various noises around her.

Once
she reached step number forty-five, she ran her hands along the wall until she found the smooth wood of the panel.
Jillian prayed 'twould open easily, and when she tried the latch, it did.
She breathed a sigh of relief and stepped into the room.

Light from the fireplace illuminated
the nursery enough for her to see Winnie sitting beside Ian's bed.

She jumped up from the chair.
"M'lady, I've picked out the lad's heaviest woolens," she whispered.
"They should keep him warm aplenty."

"
Much thanks, Winnie. I see you were able to unfasten the latch."

"Aye, it took me a
while, but I did."

"
Good." Jillian looked down at Ian, his body curled into a tiny ball in the center of the bed. "I almost regret having to wake him from such a fitful sleep, but 'tis for his own sake."
She gently shook him.
"Ian," she whispered close to his ear.
"Wake up.
'Tis me, Jilly."

Ian
sleepily sat up and rubbed his eyes, then threw his arms around her neck. "Oh, Jilly, I've missed you so.
That man wouldn't let me see you.
He's not a good man, is he?"

"
Nay, he certainly isn't, and that's why you and I must leave Lochstorm castle for a while.
Do you remember the secret tunnels that I told you about in a story once?"

"
Is that how you got into my room?"
he asked, surprise clear in his young voice.

"
Aye, of course. How clever you are.
And that is how we're going to get out.
It'll be quite dark, but I need you to be brave, and not yell or cry out.
I'll be by your side the whole time and will not let anything happen to you."

"
I'll be very brave, Jilly," he promised her, his eyes wide in the dim light.
"Papa said I was brave because I didn't cry when I fell down the stairs."

Jillian felt
a tug at her heart at the mention of their father.
"'Tis true, and now 'tis time for us to leave.
We need to get you into this warm clothing.
'Tis a rainy night and I don't wish for you to catch your death of cold."

He suddenly
noticed the way she was dressed and giggled.
"Jilly, you look funny in those clothes."

She smiled.
"Aye, I guess I do at that."

After
getting him dressed, Jillian took the wool blanket from his bed. Before we go, I think Winnie deserves a hug for all the help she's been to the both of us."

Winnie
smiled, holding out her arms, and Ian ran to her.
"G'bye, Winnie. I'll miss you."

The old woman sniffled.
"I'll miss ye too, lad.
Ye behave ye'self and mind what ye sister tells ye."

"
Aye, I will."

"
Good lad."
Winnie gently kissed him on the top of the head and ruffled his hair with her fingers.

"
For your and Roderick's sake—as well as our own—don't let Gordon or his men ken we've gone until you absolutely have no other choice."

"
Aye, m'lady."

Grabbing
one of the candles from her bundle, Jillian lit it in the fireplace, and secured it in the silver candleholder she'd taken from her room. She took Ian by the hand.
"'Tis time for us to go."

Ian
waved good-bye to his beloved nursemaid and followed Jillian out into the tunnel. Before they continued on, she made certain the panel was once again securely closed.

His
small hand clutched hers tightly. She carefully chose her steps so as not to lose her footing on the debris scattered about the floor.

Stale, musty air assaulted her lungs a
nd she thought for a moment she was going to start coughing.
Fighting down the urge, she kept going.

"
Jilly," Ian whispered, pressing closer, "what's that noise?"

She gently squeezed his hand
. "I'm certain 'tis naught to worry over, perhaps a tiny mouse scurrying about.
Come now, we must find the way out." She prayed the big rat she'd encountered earlier wasn't nearby. Ian wouldn't be able to hold down his screams if it happened across his own foot.

The
flickering candlelight cast long shadows the length of the stone walls, bringing to mind all the frightening stories she'd listened to as a child, especially one that she remembered in particular.

Many
years ago, the wife of a clan chief residing at Lochstorm, took a young male servant as her lover during her husband's long absence in France.
The secret love affair lasted for some time, and the servant fell deeper and deeper in love with the woman.
Upon her husband's return, she completely ignored the servant.
Rather than live without her, he hung himself from a beam in the tunnels.
Several days later, he was found by two children hiding from their nursemaid.
'Twas said he roamed the tunnels weeping and mourning for his lover.
She shuddered inwardly, forced such dark thoughts to the back of her mind, and kept going.
A sudden rush of cool, damp air hit her in the face, and the candle went out.

I
an pushed his small body as close as possible against hers. "Jilly, I'm afraid."

His voice trembled,
and she knew he was about to cry. "Don't worry, sweeting, we're almost out." Without the light of the candle, all Jillian could do was feel her way along the wall. After what seemed like forever, but only a few minutes in truth, the cool air from outside gusted against her fingers. She'd found the exit. Locating the iron slide bolt, she tried to shove it over, but it didn't nudge. Age and lack of use, along with the continuous dampness of the Highlands, had taken its toll on the piece of iron and rusted it shut.

"
Hurry, Jilly, I don't like it in here."

"
I ken, just a wee bit longer," she said, feeling about at her feet, whilst hoping she wouldn't come across the rat.
She found a large piece of stone, mayhap left by the masons who built the castle many years ago.

"
Ian, look away whilst I try to break the door open," she said, and struck the crusty latch with all the strength she could muster, and praying that no one would hear the noise above the steady sound of the pouring rain.
After a couple of hard blows, the latch fell away.

She pulled her
sgian dubh
from the sheath and dumped the gate key out into her hand. She slid it between her teeth. Jillian wanted to waste no time, once they reached the gate.

Ti
me had completely sealed the door over with thick vines. Jillian had to shove her shoulder against the door several times, before she managed to get it to open wide enough for the two of them to slip through.
Her shoulder ached terribly, but at the moment she had more important things to worry about.

Pushing
the door closed once again, she did her best to pull the vines back over it.
She hoped no one would notice they'd been disturbed for at least a day, giving them time to reach Ravenskull.
They'd made it outside the castle, but they were yet far from safe.

She slipped the key from
her mouth. "Ian," she whispered near his ear, "Don't speak until I tell you 'tis safe to do so."

"
Aye, I'll not, Jilly," he whispered back.

After
placing the key back between her teeth, she wrapped the wool blanket around him and over his head. Then picked him up and held him against her shoulder, knowing for a certainty they'd reach the cover of the wood much sooner if she carried him. But first they had to get past the gate.

She looked about and listened, making sure no one was
around. Jillian pulled the hood of the cloak down over her head as far as 'twould go. Even in the dark, her pale hair would stand out. Once she was certain that all was clear, she ran as quickly as her legs could carry them to the gate in the curtain wall.

Jillian grabbed the key from her mouth, slid into the lock and turned it. The gate opened. She stepped through and locked it back. Then raced to the
stand of trees, where she'd asked Roderick to leave a horse. She prayed he'd been able to elude Gordon and his men long enough to get her one.
Rain poured down upon them, and Jillian hoped 'twould keep the guards away from their rounds a bit longer.

A saddled
horse—her own mare, Bonnie—waited beneath an ancient oak tree, with two thick, wool cloaks folded across her back.
"Much thanks, Roderick," she whispered beneath her breath.
After lifting Ian onto the horse, Jillian wrapped one of the wool cloaks around him, over top of the blanket she'd taken from his bed. The other, she fastened over her own. Then secured her pack to the saddle. Until they were well away from Lochstorm, she intended to lead the mare.
Whilst she walked, Jillian rubbed Bonnie's nose and gently whispered close to her ear to keep her from whinnying.

By the time they
'd passed through the thick wood and reached the road, the rain was coming down harder than ever, and the air had grown much colder. She looked up at the sky. The slightest hint of pink painted the dark horizon. It would be light soon. Then they'd be able to travel faster.
Jillian halted the mare and crawled up behind Ian. She pulled him back against her, enclosing him inside her cloak.
She hoped the heat from her own body might help him stay warm enough to keep him from catching a chill.

"
Jilly, I'm sleepy," he said, yawning.

"
Lean against me and close your eyes.
I'll wake you once we stop."

After a few minutes she
listened to his steady breathing as his small body slowly relaxed against her chest. She gently placed a kiss on top of his head.
He meant so much to her, and Jillian intended to protect him no matter the cost.

Ravenskull was
at least a good day's ride from Lochstorm—if she'd been traveling alone.
With a small child in tow, 'twould most likely take a few hours more.

Sometime n
ear daylight, the rain finally stopped falling. They'd soon rest and break their fast, as well as give Bonnie some time to graze.
As the gilded light of morn spread across the green hills and glens of the Highlands, she found a small clearing where they could eat, tucked inside the wood away from the sight of any who might be following.

"
Ian," she said gently.
"Wake up."

He looked up at her
sleepily and blinked.
"I'm hungry."

She smiled.
"I'd be worried if you weren't." She slid from the horse and helped him down.
"Come, let's see what we have to eat."
Jillian sat down on a moss-covered log and placed the bundle of food in her lap.

Ian
waited patiently beside her until she spread open the cloth.
His eyes lit up when he spied the strawberry tarts.
"I want one of those, Jilly."

She smiled and handed him one.
"Winnie sent them especially for you."

He nodded.
"That's because she kens how much I like them."
His mouth and chin were quickly smeared with strawberries.

S
he took a bite of the bread and chewed as she watched the horse pick the short grass covering the clearing.
The mare suddenly stopped and lifted her head.
Her ears twitched back and forth as she listened.

A
n icy chill raced up her spine.
She jumped up from the log, spilling the remaining food onto the ground.
Putting her finger to her lips, she motioned for Ian to stay quiet as she quickly put him on the horse and mounted behind him. They left the clearing in a dead run and didn't slow down until Jillian felt certain they weren't being followed.