Highland Escape (29 page)

They also played tracking games. She rubbed raw meat on small pieces of leather and hid them. Each time, he smelled and tracked them, making a game of each one as he found it. As his abilities increased, so would the distances between the bait. Eventually, she would bury the lures, sharpening his skills and creating a more challenging game.

Proud of the wolf pup and the progress they’d made, she smiled and watched him work. A terrible thought crossed her mind as she remembered her promise to Duncan. After spending only a few weeks with Trean, she wasn’t sure she could kill him if unsuccessful in his training.

The orphaned pup had wormed his way into her heart. Pushing the dreadful thought from her mind, Anna’s determination to triumph multiplied.

After finishing their games, he followed her, always shadowing her, eager to please. She knew he considered her his pack, and slept at the foot of her bed at night, unwilling to be parted from her for long.

Anna turned her attention to the stable. Most of the horses had taken to Trean like the other dogs around the keep and did not fear him as a wolf. She visited Orion, enjoying his company. He now serviced the MacGregor mares as they came into season. Next spring would be fruitful. She would have plenty of new foals to deliver and eventually train. Enjoying her time at the stables, she only returned to the keep to wash for supper once the light of the day waned.

Anna blushed every time her eyes caught Duncan’s. With his knowing smile, he told her he, too, thought of their afternoon tryst. She thought about how many such encounters they would have in the future. His words of more to share and explore haunted and excited her.

Anna had a better idea of what to expect, though she almost wished for ignorance. What had passed between them made her crave him more than she could fathom. Every thought seemed to lead back to lying naked in his arms. She now understood why young maidens were not allowed to be alone with their suitors. It also explained why all knowledge of what went on between married couples remained closely guarded until the day of the wedding.

* * *

The next morning, the men gathered around the training yard. Anna asked about the first day of their game. While stories were told, a foul odor surrounded the group. In ones and twos, they moved away from Duff, eventually leaving him standing alone.

Anna sniffed the air near the giant. “Duff, why do you smell like rancid fat?”

Looking sheepish, he shuffled his feet before answering. “’Tis a home remedy, milady.”

“A home remedy for what? Only the Black Death would be horrid enough to make one wear such a putrid substance.”

“Me ma makes it for sore muscles and sprains.”

This prompted chuckles from the group. Trying to keep a straight face, Anna glanced around, noticing what she hadn’t seen before. All stood rigidly, and many unconsciously rubbed wrists and elbows.

Understanding dawned as she realized she stood before a bunch of stiff-necked Highlanders. Of course, they did not yield as instructed. They would fight any lock or throw, causing themselves more harm than necessary. By resisting, they undermined the exercise. Shaking her head, Anna swallowed the rebuke she wished to deliver. The situation required a different strategy.

“How many would benefit from a balm for sore muscles and joints? I make an effective one which is a bit easier on the nose.”

No one was willing to admit to such a need. “Fine, then. I am calling a halt to the game. If you cannot take instruction and yield as ordered, I have no choice. The laird will not be pleased to learn his elite guard is incapacitated because of my doing. Besides, no one learns when resistance is given.”

Amid the grumbles, Iain spoke up. “If we give ye our word to yield when we feel the lock engaged, may we continue?”

She glared at him. “Your word then?”

“Aye, milady.”

Staring down the rest of the group with narrowed eyes, she did not relent until they gave a collective, “Aye.”

She nodded once in return. “We will go another day and see. I expect all those who experience pain in their joints will see me afterward for a proper balm as part of the agreement. No exceptions. And Duff, you are to throw that noxious unguent out. No disrespect to your mother,” she added with a smile.

“None taken, milady.” He offered a gap-toothed smile in return.

While they worked, Anna noticed the laird at a distance, standing under the large oak with another man she couldn’t see well enough to recognize. Though not as tall as the laird, he was broader. Before the group finished for the morning, Duncan joined his father and the stranger. Calling a halt for the noon break, she reminded the men they’d given their word.

Walking toward Duncan, Anna stopped, stunned.

“Grandfather?”

A large grin spread across his craggy face as he opened his arms to her. She immediately ran into his embrace.

“
Tigh Beaghan
. My favorite
Tigh Beaghan,
” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

Anna wiped away tears of happiness. “But Grandfather, I am your only granddaughter.”

“Aye. And that is what makes ye my favorite.” His eyes danced as he laughed out loud and hugged her again.

The MacGregor men left, giving them privacy.

“You are here. Why are you here?” Anna couldn’t believe it.

“To see with my own eyes ye are indeed well. We feared ye dead. And now I hear I am to negotiate yer marriage. I knew why ye kept turning down all those English popinjays. There is too much Scot in yer blood to settle for anything less. I also came to tell ye that ye have a choice. If ye love this man, and want to be his wife, then ye shall have my blessing. But dinnae marry because ye think ye must. Say the word, and we will take ye back. Back to yer family.”

Anna opened her mouth to speak, only to snap it shut when her grandfather held up his hand.

“The earl may wield power on his side of the border, but he will find more than he bargained for if he tries to cross into Scotland to find ye. The group of men he sent after ye when ye fled never lived to see English soil again. Most of the border clans know of yer fate, and have sworn to protect ye if ye return.”

Anna’s tears returned, knowing so many were willing to shield her.

“Yer da was an Englishman respected by all. ’Twas a rare thing amongst our people. Because the earl killed Braxton and my grandson, then forced my only granddaughter to flee blindly into the unknown, he earned naught but more enemies.”

To be in her grandfather’s arms again reminded her of the love she had known all her life. Tears of joy seeped as she held him tight.

“Ye should have come to me, Sprite, I would have protected ye,” he whispered in her ear.

Hearing his childhood name for her warmed Anna’s heart. “I knew not who attacked us. After losing father and Edrick, I could not bring those enemies to you.”

He held her in front of him and clucked his tongue at her response. “I cannae call ye Sprite any longer. Ye are a woman grown.”

A smile spread across Anna’s face. “I will always be your Sprite, Grandfather. I do love Duncan and wish to marry. The first week here was difficult, but they have treated me with nothing but kindness since.”

Nodding, he held out an arm for her. Anna kissed him on a weathered cheek, then took his offered arm and walked back to the keep. As they passed through the main hall, the group of Elliot men at the table rose as one and surrounded her in greeting. Anna was elated to see her clansmen. Of the twenty men her grandfather brought, an uncle and four cousins were part of the group. With a nod of his head, Moray Elliot signaled his son, her mother’s brother, to accompany him to the laird’s hall, bringing Anna with him.

Anna, escorted by her uncle Gavin, walked into the smaller room. She noticed the hearth chairs placed in a circle with Duncan, Kenneth and her grandfather already seated. Kenneth gingerly rubbed his jaw, drawing her concern. She took the empty seat between Duncan and her grandfather.

“Laird, do you have a tooth troubling you? I can take a look. Perhaps an herbal posset will draw out any infection.”

Kenneth smiled, which apparently hurt, as he clutched his jaw. “Nae, my teeth are fine—mayhap a bit loose. Howbeit, my jaw is sore.”

Anna shot him a puzzled look.

“Yer grandda hits harder than one would think. When I told him I held ye prisoner for a sennight, he took offense.”

Suddenly embarrassed, Anna muttered, “I am sorry.”

Kenneth gave her a reassuring look. “Tis nothing to be sorry for. Duncan would have done the same if he thought he could have gotten away with it.” The curve of his lips and the wink he gave her said there were no hard feelings.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Starting from the time she and Edrick witnessed their home under attack, Anna recounted what transpired until she encountered the MacGregors. Apparently, the two lairds had already covered this touchy ground. She had no wish to open the topic again for fear of further hostilities. Picking up with Alain’s attack, she related the rest. Duncan took up part of the tale. Both her grandfather and uncle asked questions from time to time, especially about the ambush. Each time her deeds were told, her grandfather and uncle grinned with pride.

An uncontrollable anger swept over Anna at the news the earl’s men had rebuilt her home and now occupied it. She sprang from her chair and paced to the window and back. With no way to vent her rage, it slowly settled into her gut. Trying to control her breathing, Anna told herself this was not unexpected, but to hear it confirmed by family across the border somehow made it more real.

By the time she’d calmed enough to sit again, discussion of her marriage had begun and a bargain was soon struck. Much to Anna’s surprise, her grandfather offered a
tocher
on her behalf. Even MacGregor seemed to be surprised by the coin.

The promise of assistance, should it be needed, was agreed upon. Five days of hard riding separated the clans, so immediate help would not be forthcoming for either. They granted permission to have the banns called immediately. Anna and Duncan would marry within three weeks. As they completed the agreement, a shiver ran through her. Whether from anticipation or fear, she couldn’t say. Holding her hand, Duncan obviously felt it, sending her a reassuring look.

Uncle Gavin took his leave, along with Duncan, to see the Elliot men settled, and Anna went upstairs to wash and change for the evening meal. Though she immensely enjoyed the company of her family, she remained quiet during the meal. As they settled around the hearth after supper, Duncan asked Elliot for accounts of her childhood.

Escapades she’d long forgotten—some she wished had
stayed
forgotten—were told. Embarrassed by the wildness of her youth, she fidgeted, wanting to find a place to hide. After an hour of such stories, the evening grew late, and her tolerance for embarrassing tales had been exceeded. Excusing herself, Anna kissed her grandfather and uncle then made for her room, feeling Duncan’s gaze on her.

Chapter 23

Duncan offered his arm. “Allow me to escort ye.”

With a tired smile, Anna accepted his assistance and climbed the stairs of the tower.

“Do ye wish to speak of what disturbed ye during the marriage negotiations?”

She heard in his voice the soft, reasonable tone he used when he knew her to be upset. “I am surprised you noticed.”

He pulled her into an alcove at the second floor landing. “As yer husband, ’tis my job to know when ye are upset and to soothe when I can.”

Anna offered a small smile at the fact her braw Highlander possessed a gentle side. “Part of it is the old fear. You will own me as you do your horse. Though I trust you, I struggle with the notion of being someone’s possession, at the mercy of their whims or mood.”

Smoothing the lines in her brow, he stroked her forehead and hair for a time in silence. “Aye. If I were to be yer chattel, I would feel the same. Ye know I value ye more than my own life, aye? And a wee bit more than my horse.” Humor seeped into his voice.

She smiled and nodded.

“Yes, more than your horse.”
But more than your own life?
She wished to believe him as strongly as she needed her next breath. The fact remained, she was uncertain. Part of her still believed he would put her aside at some point, or fail to understand and encourage her warrior spirit. She could not bear the thought of losing him or being forced into a role she hated.

“I know ye view our marriage as me taking ownership of ye. In part, ’tis true. However, I see ye as a gift from above, one I dinnae deserve. I am to love and cherish ye, giving up my life, if it comes to it, to protect ye. Some things ye do run counter to those desires. Like charging those men who attacked us by yerself. Ye almost caused my death when ye did. I never want to experience again the feeling of utter helplessness as I stood wounded, unable to protect ye.”

Since he mentioned this before, she knew it was important to him. His eyes hardened.

“My mother said she told ye of my brother.”

Anna nodded.

“’Twas the same feeling when I watched him disappear under the flow of the river. I couldnae bear to lose ye as I lost him.” Unmistakable despair colored his voice. “If I lose my patience or temper with ye, ’twill be because ye make it hard for me to honor my vows to ye and yer family. The
tocher
yer grandda offers is a symbol of payment for my protection and care. Yer grandda and I had a long talk this morning whilst ye instructed the men. He wished to know the man his only granddaughter chose. He also wanted me to know how precious ye are to him. I made it clear I understood how rare ye are.”