For Love or Loyalty: The MacGregor Legacy | Book 1 (27 page)

“Tell her she made a bad investment.” Malcolm shoved the man away from him and kicked the discarded blade into the grass. “Walk back on foot.”

“But my horse . . .” He pointed to the side of the house.

“Is now mine,” Malcolm said. “Anything ye bring while trespassing on my property, ye might as well consider it confiscated.” Malcolm lifted a finger. “In fact, consider it payment for all the wrong ye did to Lauren—not that a price could be set for the kind of harm an’ torture ye inflicted.”

“Ye cannot steal a man’s horse.”

“But ye can go around stealin’ people?” Malcolm raised his voice and came at him. The man backed up, an expression of fear finally registering in his dark eyes and twisted mouth. “Get out of my sight before I am tempted to do more.”

The man turned and ran. Malcolm hurried back to the wagon to make sure his mother was well. He helped her down. “Come on. I need to see Lauren.”

“Who was that man an’ why was he bleedin’?” she asked, trying to keep up with Malcolm’s pace.

“He was from the bordello. An’ I hit him. He is blessed I did not do more.” Grateful he had placed new locks on the doors, Malcolm fumbled putting the key into the lock. It finally gave way. He shoved the door open.

“Lauren?” No answer. He hurried to the kitchen in the back where she crouched on the floor, clutching an iron scoop from the fireplace. No doubt, she intended to use it as a weapon. Silent tears streamed down her face as she hugged her knees, trembling. “Lauren, he is gone. No one will hurt ye.” Malcolm dropped to his knees in front of her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her, but he sensed he should approach her with caution. Instead, he touched her hands. “I promise ye’re safe now.”

She met his gaze, her blue eyes engulfed in a sea of red. “I made up my mind. I would rather die than go back to that place. At least heaven would be safer.”

“True, but I am a wee bit selfish.” He offered her a grin and squeezed her hand for emphasis. “I would rather keep ye here with me a while longer.”

“Why? Why would ye want a broken woman who needs to be coddled and pampered to get through each day?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Because ye are not broken, only wounded. And God heals an’ binds our wounds.” He stroked her hair. “An’ because I love ye.”

“I am afraid ye love the woman I was.” Tears slid down her face. “I canna even find myself—seems as if I am floating through the days in some foggy haze.”

“Lauren, this morning, the pastor read something that I want to share with ye. I memorized it. Now that God is helping me be a better man, I want to love ye with the passion born from the fruit of the Spirit. ’Tis the everlasting love of joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. I want to give ye more than a passionate love that fades with time, age, and hardship. Through Christ, we can have true love—the way it is meant to be between a man an’ a woman. I never realized it could be this way, ’til ye came into my life, an’ I began to see God through yer eyes.”

Chapter 15

15

L
auren was speechless after Malcolm’s declaration. He was too good to be true. In Scotland, she had dreamed of such a man, but back then she wouldn’t have imagined that Malcolm MacGregor could turn out to be so principled and God-fearing. She reached out to hug him and seek the comfort he offered, but he misinterpreted her actions and helped her rise from the floor.

“Thank ye . . . for everything.” Inadequate words compared to all the things he had done for her. Would he still feel the same way about her if he knew other men had seen her body? Shame crawled into her cheeks at the memories. She could never consider marriage without being honest about her past.

“ ’Twas naught. I wish I could have saved ye from . . .” His neck and face turned the color of his russet hair.

The urge to run her fingers through it compelled her. Lauren dug her nails into her palm. What was wrong with her? She had never experienced such feelings before. Mayhap, her time at the Pink House had turned her into a wanton woman.

“I shall take ye back to yer chamber.” He took her elbow and helped her stand.

“Aye, an’ I shall get us some food cookin’.” Iona pulled off her bonnet and tied an apron around her dress.

“Actually, now that I am up, I would like to sit for a while in the parlor,” Lauren said. “A change in scenery will do me good. I am tired of lying in that bed staring at the same four walls.”

“I suppose it is rather dreary.” Iona paused in thought. “It should have occurred to me to decorate the walls with somethin’.”

“I did not mean to sound ungrateful.” Lauren touched her fingers to her lips. The last thing she wanted was to offend them when they had opened their home to her, served her daily, and shared their food with her. “I only meant that ’twould be more cheerful to be allowed outside my chamber now that I can sit up and move without pain. I like yer company . . . both of ye.” Her gaze traveled from Iona to Malcolm.

“No need to explain yerself, lass.” Iona gave her a genuine smile. “We understand. Malcolm, take her into the parlor and keep her company while I cook us a decent meal.”

“Aye, I could use some stimulating conversation.” Malcolm took her elbow and led her from the kitchen, down the narrow hallway, past the bedchambers, and to the parlor at the front of the house. As soon as he had her seated in a wooden chair with a thick cushion, someone knocked on the door.

“I wonder who that could be?” he muttered as he went to answer it.

“Malcolm MacGregor. ’Tis good to see ye, my friend.” Pastor Brad’s voice carried inside. “I preached a short sermon this morn so I could pay ye a wee visit.”

“We are glad to have ye.” Malcolm swung the door wide and stepped aside. The elder man’s eyes landed on Lauren, and his grin broadened.

“Lass, ye’re a sight for sore eyes.” He strode across the hardwood floor and bent to take Lauren’s hands in his own. “I am so glad to see ye up an’ well. I have been thinkin’ ’bout ye.”

“Thank ye. Glad to see ye’re well.” Lauren forced a smile and pulled her hands away from his. She gestured to a chair across from her as Malcolm closed the front door. “Please, have a seat.”

“I shall let Mither know we have a visitor.” Malcolm glanced over his shoulder. “Pastor, I hope ye’ll stay an’ eat with us. ’Tis the first day Lauren will be joining us at the table.” Malcolm winked in her direction. “A cause for celebration.”

“ ’Twould be honored.” Pastor Brad looked at Lauren. “I came by because I thought ye might like to know what happened to yer friends.”

“Indeed, I would.” Lauren scooted to the edge of her seat. Guilt sliced through her already frazzled brain at being so immersed in her own worries, she hadn’t considered her friends. Worse, she hadn’t even thanked God for freeing them.

“Violet was taken in by a young couple who have a new infant son. The new mither is not recovering as fast as hoped. Violet will help with the household chores and the new bairn.”

“Do they know about her past?” Lauren asked.

“Aye, in fact, they have agreed to help Violet find her parents.” He held up a finger. “After learning that she was stolen at the age of ten and two and held prisoner in such a place, the deacons and elders of our church plan to petition Charles Towne to end such practices.”

“What about Violet? Is she embarrassed by this? Some may not be so understanding.” Lauren thought back to all the women she had known in Scotland who talked about the poor and anyone who had questionable behavior. “Has she attended yer church?”

“Aye,” he nodded, “an’ she was accepted by all. I canna speak for other churches, but our congregation wants to do something about this atrocity.” He scratched his temple and cleared his throat as Malcolm entered the room and sat by Lauren. “I know ye might be questioning why God allowed this to happen, but look at all the good coming from it. Two other lasses were set free. People are now aware of it and trying to stop it from happening to others.”

Lauren glanced at her hands in her lap. Such positive results should have made her feel better, but for some reason it didn’t. She felt used.

“Rose, your other friend, has been given a room at a boardinghouse. Her rent is free for the first couple of months to give her time to find a respectable position.”

“Pastor Brad, I am verra happy for them, but they must be careful,” Lauren said. “One of the guards from the bordello tried to break into our house while Malcolm and Iona were at church this morning.”

“Aye.” Malcolm nodded, linking his fingers and setting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. “When I demanded to know what he wanted, he said to get Madame’s investment back.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “If warned, they can take precaution.”

“What are ye going to do, Malcolm?” Pastor Brad asked, rubbing his chin in thought. “If he came once, what is to keep him from coming back while ye’re at work?”

“I have not thought of that.” Lauren gasped, hating the immediate fear rising inside. She shot a glance in Malcolm’s direction. Would it be improper to beg him to never leave her side again?

Malcolm couldn’t get Lauren’s stricken look out of his mind. Her fear was real and warranted. Pastor Brad agreed to come back on Monday to stay with Lauren and his mother while he worked, but that was only a temporary solution.

Malcolm spent a long day bringing down trees. He was dirty and sweaty, but he couldn’t let that deter him. By late afternoon, Malcolm rode by Dr. Drake’s house to see if he could speak with him. To his relief a candle burned in the upper window since the sun had set on the other side of the house. Dr. Drake’s office was on the first floor, but his living compartments were on the second.

Malcolm reined in his horse and dismounted. He tied the animal to a post Dr. Drake had installed in front of his office for patients. Malcolm walked to the thick brown door. A bell hung from the top of the threshold with a string hanging down. Malcolm tugged, and the loud clinking sound echoed through the house.

Footsteps clambered down the stairs toward the door. The lock clicked, and the bolt slid to the side. Dr. Drake greeted him with a pair of spectacles perched on his nose. His somber expression lifted in surprise.

“Malcolm, how is Lauren?” Dr. Drake asked, pushing his spectacles higher on his nose.

“Fine, but I do have some concerns. Could we talk?” Malcolm pulled his hat off.

“Come in.” Dr. Drake opened the door wider. “Would you like something to drink?”

“I am too dirty to ruin yer good furniture.” Malcolm gestured to his rumpled and soiled breeches and shirt.

“Nonsense.” Dr. Drake waved him inside and left him standing at the door. Malcolm had no choice but to follow if he wanted to talk to him. A sliver of light shone from the window as the sun faded from the sky. Malcolm trailed Dr. Drake past cabinets full of medicine bottles and medical tools he didn’t recognize.

Dr. Drake lit a lantern and sat in a wooden chair by the empty fireplace. Malcolm stood. Books lined several bookcase shelves on the other side. “Sit down, Malcolm. ’Tisn’t likely you will hurt a wooden chair.”

With a sigh, Malcolm sat in the chair he indicated and launched into the story of how Lauren was still in danger from the guards at the bordello and his need to search for his sister. “I would like to leave the area as soon as possible. I do not want people to know ’bout our departure or where we are goin’.” Malcolm crossed his booted ankle over his knee. “But I need to know if Lauren is well enough to travel. I canna do anything to harm her further, nor can I continue to work and allow her an’ my mither to be unprotected.”

Dr. Drake pressed his lips into a frown. “Ye do have a dilemma, but I would say the worst damage would be for those people to get her again.” He stroked his mustache. “I had hoped to give her more time to heal before undertaking such travel. Do ye know how far ye will be going? There is naught but miles of wilderness outside of Charles Towne. The roads are treacherous and overgrown in areas. Ye could encounter danger from wild beasts or even Indians.”

“I know, but the alternative to staying is not much better. We shall be going to Wilmington, North Carolina. I am not sure how far it is.” Malcolm pinched his eyebrows in concern. “If they do not leave her alone, I shall be forced to protect her. What good would it do me to end up in jail?”

“I think you would have plenty of people to testify on your behalf, and if they trespass, it could be considered self-defense.” Dr. Drake rubbed his mouth in distress. “I shall come by and see her tomorrow. I will let you know what I think. The last time I saw her, she was healing well, better than I thought she might.”

“Thank ye.” Malcolm sighed with relief.

“Try to create a padded pallet that she can lie on in the wagon bed so the jarring over uneven ground will not hurt her as much. I still do not want her lifting anything. ’Tis a long way. There is more land here in the colonies than England and Scotland combined.”

“So I have heard.” Malcolm grinned. “Mayhap, ’tis time we get a look at some of it. I might want to purchase a few acres myself. I have never had the chance to own land afore.”

“I would feel more comfortable if you had others traveling with ye,” Dr. Drake said. “There might be a few waterways you will need to cross. I shall try to get my hands on a map of the Carolinas for ye.”

“That is more than I could hope for.” Malcolm thought about what Pastor Brad said about his church petitioning the town and what Dr. Drake said about testifying on his behalf. “I have one more favor to ask.”

“Name it.” Dr. Drake sat back and waited.

“Pastor Brad has a small church in north Charles Towne. They saved two other lasses from the same bordello where Lauren was an’ plan to petition the town to stop the practice of takin’ lasses against their will. Can they count on yer support when the time comes?”

“Of course.” He nodded. “I am appalled by what I have witnessed. Most people do not know about it, but we can change that.”

“Not even Logan knows of our sudden plans to leave, only Pastor Brad.” Malcolm rose, and Dr. Drake followed, holding out his hand.

“I will keep your confidence on the matter.” Dr. Drake shook his hand. “I shall be over first thing in the morning.”