Highland Legends 04 - Captive Highlander Read online

  “Ah, you gain control of your anger,” Ian chided.

  He read her easily. It made it harder to keep her temper in check. “I’ll take my leave now,” she said, backing towards the door to his cell.

  “Could you help me to the table first?” he asked.

  “Can you stand?”

  Ian tried to push himself from the bed. His head throbbed. The blow to the head might have been a bit more serious than he first thought. “My head spins when I try to move.”

  Her brow furrowed at his remark. “Damn Keith and his happy hammer,” she muttered. “If you can manage to stand, I can help you. I canna lift you without calling Keith back and I doubt he would approve.”

  Ian gazed into the very heart of her. “A little help might go a long way,” he suggested. Katie came close and grabbed his arm, helping him to his feet. Taking immediate advantage, Ian pulled her to him. “Thank you,” he breathed. He could feel her heart thundering in her chest and her short excited breaths.

  “Let go of me!” She tried to pull away. He held her fast.

  “Sweet Katie, I am so out of balance. Help me back to the bed.”

  She snorted, but obliged. “You promised not to misbehave,” she complained.

  “Is this misbehaving?”

  “Aye, so.”

  “One would not ken you felt so by the shiver it caused.”

  “Arrogant ass! Fear makes my heart thunder and my breath grow short.” She jerked away from him. Ian leaned back on his makeshift bed.

  “So you admit it excites you.”

  “’Tis fear alone which makes me react so,” she insisted.

  He smiled. “If that is what you would like to believe, virgin Katie.”

  Shaking, she ran out the door of his cell, slammed it closed, and locked it. “There is food in the sack. If you’re lucky I’ll come back to replenish your stores.”

  “I shall look forward to it,” he said, watching her flush in fury. She turned on her heel and fled the dungeon. Ian let his eyes drift closed knowing exactly what would fuel his dreams in this dark and dingy hole.

  Chapter 4

  Katie struggled composing herself after her encounter with Ian. He was not what she expected. It confounded her to no small degree that his touch made her feel alive in a way she had never known before. She had no choice now. Her plan moved forward and she must finish it for the good of all.

  Drained from lack of sleep, she needed to make her presence known and hope Rannoch had not noticed her absence. She wanted to see her father. It hurt to see him in his current state. She didn’t know if she could bear it without some additional company. Katie would gather her siblings and they would go as a group. To that end, she made her way to the spot where she expected to find them.

  The sun came through the clouds and lit the walled courtyard near the lower entrance to the keep. Brianna, named for their father and two years Katie’s junior, tormented their younger brother Jamie. “You canna have it,” she cried, holding a bejeweled dagger behind her.

  “Da gave it to me,” he responded, lunging toward Brianna.

  Her golden-brown hair flew in the wind as she danced back waving the knife above her head. “You cut Tessa’s dress with it.”

  “I needed to know if ‘twas sharp.”

  Brianna resembled Highland laird Brian Blackburn more than any of them did. She had his hair color and his green eyes. Tessa, the youngest, came over and looped her arm around Katie’s waist. “They fight again,” she complained.

  “Aye, ‘tis in their nature.”

  Smiling, Katie watched Brianna and Jamie spar. Her brother’s golden hair did not match Brianna’s at all, but they both shared the bewitching green eyes of their father. When their mother died giving birth to Tessa, Katie became more like a mother to her fellow siblings. Some days she resented it. Today wasn’t one of those days. Stroking Tessa’s hair, Katie smiled. The child had the most fantastic coloring, white-blond hair, and blue-violet eyes. “Dinna fear, little one. ‘Tis just a spat. Did he really cut your dress?”

  “Aye,” Tessa responded. “‘Twas my idea to test the sharpness of this blade.

  Katie burst out laughing. “Brianna, give it to Jamie. Tessa asked him to do it.”

  Brianna turned to stare at them. “Is it so, Tess? Did you suggest such folly?”

  With a grin and a shrug, Tessa nodded. “God’s teeth, here,” Brianna said tossing the dagger in Jamie’s general direction. He caught it with ease.

  “I would have you all accompany me to see father,” Katie said.

  “Will father be better today?” Tessa asked. “We need him back.”

  “Aye, we do, but I dinna expect it. He seems to grow worse instead of better,” Brianna said.

  Katie shot her a glare. “We must be patient and hope the illness runs its course.” Katie’s thoughts flew to the upcoming visit. She prayed for her father to show some signs of life, but whatever malady gripped him made his soul captive in a body which could not move or speak. He still lived inside the motionless shell. She could tell by the gleam in his eye or the occasional tear trickling from his eye. Other than that, he lay deathly still.

  Brianna sniffed. “Why do you coddle Tess with false hope? We all ken he’s going to die.”

  Tess began to cry at the remark. “I dinna have a mother. I canna lose my father,” she wailed.

  “See what you’ve done now.” Katie rolled her eyes at her sister.

  “I canna go in there and look at him today. I’m staying right here.” Brianna crossed her arms across her chest and planted herself on a stone bench in the courtyard. “You are my sister, not my mother, and you canna make me go.”

  Jamie ambled over. “Come on, girls. We’ll go without her.”

  Thankful for her brother’s support, Katie grasped Tessa’s hand and the three of them entered the keep.

  “Is father really going to die?” Tessa asked. Her small face transformed into a tearful frown.

  “’Tis up to God now, Tess. For now we must pray nightly for his recovery.”

  Her little sister looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. “I pray for it all throughout the day,” she whispered. “And still it doesna happen.”

  “God’s will is done regardless of the desires of the living.”

  Jamie gave Katie a look of approval for the way she handled Tessa’s fears. “Listen to Katie, she knows.” Grabbing Tessa’s other hand he walked with them through the hallways to their father’s chamber.

  Katie wrapped lightly on the door although she was not sure why. Her father could neither move nor speak. Unless someone attended him, no one would answer.

  “Come,” a voice echoed out from beyond the door.

  Katie scowled. It was the so-called healer. Pushing open the door, Katie entered the chamber followed by her siblings. The stench of illness filled the chamber. It smelled as if her father rotted away while the world went on without him. Trying not to gag, Katie led her siblings into the chamber.

  Sorcha Blaine stood near the bed, her jet black hair swirling around her exposed, marble-white shoulders. Full breasts rose from her red, low-cut gown. Jamie savored the view until Katie poked him back to attention. Sorcha’s dark eyes met Katie’s gaze briefly then she turned back to her patient. The Irish healer leaned down and wiped her father’s brow with a cloth.

  “He grows weaker,” Sorcha said.

  Katie’s stomach turned as she moved further into the dim chamber and came closer to the man who had always been her rock. Now he lay helpless with drivel and spit running down his chin. “When did this start?” Katie questioned.

  Sorcha stepped back from the bed to allow them closer. “Yesterday, I searched for you, but I couldna find you anywhere.”

  If Sorcha knew Katie was not at Duntaigh yesterday, Rannoch knew. The two of them always whispered together in dark corners. “What is that odor?”

  “’Tis the medicine I rubbed on his chest,” the healer replied.

  “The stench alone coul
d do him in,” Katie snapped. Giving Sorcha a withering glare, Katie came to the bedside. “Could you let us have a few moments alone with him?”

  “Of course, Milady.” She paused as she stepped back. “Laird Rannoch was looking for you.”

  “Rannoch is our ward during our father’s illness. He is not laird here.”

  Sorcha’s dark eyes flashed briefly with an unnamed fire, and then she nodded. “Aye, so, Milady. Forgive my careless tongue.” With that, she left the chamber.

  “The Red Witch, that’s what they call her,” Jamie said. “I dinna think she has a gown of any other color.”

  “You didna seem to mind her display.”

  “I grow quickly into a man,” her brother replied. “She invites attention.”

  Holding up her hand, Katie discouraged further discussion. She watched Tessa take her father’s hand and begin a long conversation about the new puppy the stableman found for her. Casting a glance around the room, Katie prayed for strength. She walked over and shoved back the curtains from the narrow windows to let some daylight into the room. With some light streaming in, the chamber seemed more acceptable. Sorcha preferred to lurk in the shadows. In one corner sat a table full of herbs and supposed cures. These were the property of the Irish healer.

  Katie’s attention returned to the massive bed. Tall and finely carved it overflowed with fine bedding fit for a king. Alas, the king of this keep lay helpless as a newborn babe. At least a child could move. Her father let out a whining gurgle. Katie stepped over and stroked his brow. His mouth twisted as if he wanted to tell her something. She leaned closer, but to no avail. The sounds he made were not words.

  Tessa’s hopeful face shined up at her. “He grows better,” she said. “He tries to speak. I see him whole in my mind’s eye. It will happen.”

  Katie cringed at her little sister’s reference. Tessa swore she knew certain events would happen before they occurred. The family discouraged her discussion of this claimed foresight in fear the church would accuse the child of heresy or worse. If there were ever one of her sister’s visions Katie wanted to become reality, it was this one, but the whole idea of such things being possible went against everything she believed. Katie bit her lip to keep from crying. Stroking Tessa’s shoulder, she sighed.

  “Aye, Tess. He does look better today,” Jamie said with a surety Katie did not have.

  She closed her eyes and prayed for strength.

  At that moment, the door burst open. Rowan Rannoch entered the room with Sorcha at his heel. “Where have you been?” he said, roughly grasping Katie’s arm. “I searched the whole castle looking for you yesterday.”

  Katie stiffened and pulled away from his grasp. “I didna ken I had to keep you advised of my every move,” she said.

  “I am your ward, responsible for your safety. If I ask your whereabouts or your plans, you will tell me.” His cold, gray eyes stared holes through her as he waited for a response. “Well? Where were you yesterday? This is the first I’ve seen you in days.”

  How much of a lie could she get away with? He would badger her until she came up with some reason for her absence. Closest to the truth was the best. “Yesterday Keith took me to Rannoch Moor. It grew late and too dangerous to travel, so we camped there before returning.” She looked at her father, and then back at Rowan. “Could we go into the hall?”

  He nodded and opened the door for her as they stepped outside the chamber. Sorcha sought to follow them, but Katie blocked her way. “I need to speak with my ward alone,” she said closing the door in Sorcha’s face.

  Rowan Rannoch studied her with his brooding eyes. He should have been handsome with his thick, dark hair and rugged features. Somehow, he was not, at least not to Katie. “You camped on Rannoch Moor?”

  “’Tis so sad to see father like this. I can barely force myself to his chamber every day.” She drew a deep breath. “I told Keith I had to get away, just for a bit. He agreed to be my guard. I spent the afternoon riding on Rannoch Moor, and then ‘twas so late we camped at the shepherd’s cabin on Belfour Ridge before returning.”

  “Hardly suitable for you to take a lone man with you on such a journey,” he snapped. His glittering eyes flashed into hers. “I wilna have you do it again, Katie.”

  “Keith is my father’s oldest and dearest friend and counselor. Surely you dinna suggest he favors me in any perverse way.”

  “I dinna think he does, but you are far too trusting.” He relaxed his stance. “You need something else to think about, perchance a wedding.”

  “Wedding?”

  “Aye, so. ’Tis past time I took a wife. I sent a missive to Robert the Bruce explaining that due to your father’s illness, I have become your ward. I asked him to grant me permission to marry you.”

  Katie could not hide her shock at his suggestion. “Milord, you are my ward.”

  “Aye and many wards marry their charges to best protect them when they see fit. Your father is tragically infirmed. I dinna ken if he will ever recover. I can protect you. I will guard your castle and lands until your father is well or Jamie is old enough to take over. I pointed these things out to the king. I’m sure he will agree with my proposal.” He reached across and ran his hand over her cheek. “What say you, Katie?”

  Rannoch’s touch did not compare with the touch of Ian Innes. It was so loathsome to think of being Rannoch’s wife. She had to fight to keep from running down the hall. “I am too young to wed. I canna possibly think of it until my father’s plight is sure.”

  “Not too young,” he corrected. “You are of the right age to marry and bear children. We will talk of it again and in time you will come to see the benefit.” Gazing lustfully at her, he smiled. “If Robert the Bruce approves, you will be mine regardless of your wishes.”

  “Robert is too occupied fighting the English to consider such a request. I would go now and visit with my father,” she said. Brushing by him, she fled back into the chamber where the one she needed to protect her lay suffering in a private hell.

  Rannoch found the one he sought. Draco Drummond struck fear in men’s hearts by his very appearance. His name derived from the Celtic word for dragon, an apt description for the hulking, scarred warrior.

  “Follow Katie Blackburn. I want to know everything she does. Find out what she is hiding. You will report only to me. Do you understand?”

  “Aye, Milord.” Draco hesitated. “Milord, it might be helpful to ken what are you thinking?”

  Rannoch let out a frustrated sigh. “I am not sure, but it is odd that she should be missing around the same time the Dragon of Dunbocan had his gathering of clans. Could it be Katie intercepted Laird Blackburn’s invitation and went herself? She has questioned my judgment of late and encouraged me to seek peace. She doesna ken I am the one stirring up the Innes clan.”

  “King Edward counted on you to attend and report back.”

  “Aye, and what is my answer to the English crown?”

  “Surely you dinna think the little twit could have pulled off something like that on her own.”

  “She just admitted to being with Keith. He would help her with anything.” Rannoch scowled. “Go and find out what’s afoot. I will deal with Keith.”

  Rannoch watched his stealthy companion head off to do his bidding.

  Chapter 5

  Katie woke with a start, her body quivering in delight. All night dreams of her captive’s touch tortured her making her own flesh betray her with cravings for things she should not want from him. A few well-placed splashes of cool water would quell the fires and restore her reason. Taking off her sleeping shift, she went to her bathing room, stood in the tub, and dumped a whole bucket of cold water over herself.

  What magic had Ian wrought? She should hate him for the things his clan had done to hers. Instead, she ached for his touch and wanted more of this wonderful awakening. Surely, he cursed her with some kind of sorcery.

  Somewhat refreshed, she dried off and pulled on her kirtle and overdress the
n used what her trusted servant set out to bring order to her appearance. She wondered what Ian would think of the simple, white linen gown. Did it make her look chaste? She did not feel innocent since Ian’s touch.

  There was a rap at the door and Maura came into the room. “Did ya sleep well, Milady? I canna fathom why ya spent the night out on Rannoch Moor. Keith should’ve brought ya back no matter what the hour.”

  Katie thought hard to form a response. How could she keep her secret without an outright lie? The woman had been at her side since her mother died. Tall and thin with mouse-colored hair, Maura appeared to be frail. She was not. Katie would be lost without her. “’Twas no fault of Keith’s. I wouldna come back.”

  Maura put her arm around Katie’s shoulders. “Even the strong need a respite from their burdens,” she said, giving Katie a hug.

  “Aye, so. Would you help with my hair?”

  In no time, Maura untangled Katie’s curls and secured part of her hair back from her face. “How’s that, Milady?”

  Katie looked in the mirror. “’Tis beautiful. Thank you.”

  “Where are you off to?”

  “Oh… here and there, there are always things to attend to.” If Maura suspected anything, she did not voice her concerns. Katie smiled and left the chamber. She sighed in relief when she escaped Maura’s watchful eye. Katie needed to check on Ian, but there were tasks that would not allow that until much later.

  Early in the evening, Katie finally made her way toward the dungeon. Something seemed out of place. She kept hearing noises behind her. At first, she thought it was her imagination, and then it hit her. Someone followed her. How would she explain carrying a bag of food and supplies? Rounding a turn, Katie slipped her torch into a wall bracket in the passageway. She ducked into a little-used storage room and watched through a crack in the door as Draco Drummond walked by. He cursed when he realized she disappeared. Draco came back through the passage and Katie ducked behind some barrels in the store room. She heard him checking each chamber as he went. He opened the door to the chamber where she hid and looked inside.