Capturing A Highland Knight (21 page)

“This will be good fer the clan, Annabelle.  ‘Tis yer duty.”

“I ken it, Mither.”

She pasted the prettiest smile on her face she could muster.  She hoped that it would please her mother, and that no one would notice that it was strained. 

             
Her mother helped her dress.  She had to admit that the burgundy of the dress was striking against her red hair and green eyes.  She followed her mother from the room.

“Yer father and I were contracted to marry,” Cadha said as they descended the stairs.

Annabelle gasped.  She would never have guessed that because of the way her father’s whole countenance changed when her mother walked into a room.  She had seen their love displayed often throughout her life.  It was something she coveted.

“Aye.  I was like ye, Annabelle.  I didnae want to marry him, but I had nae choice.  My father locked me in my room fer three days until the wedding.  I was headstrong like ye, and I rebelled.  I am glad I married yer father,” she said.  Annabelle could hear the love in her voice.

“Ye can have that, too.  Laird Harold is nae a bad mon.  He treats his servants and his people weel.  I think he shall treat ye weel also.  He’s a fierce warrior, but he is also a fair laird.”

Annabelle said nothing.  Maybe her mother was right. Even though Laird Harold was almost as old as her father, she could develop some affection for him.  Lord knew that she really did not have any other options.  She had
grown up with all of the knights and warriors of Kinloch, and none of them made her feel anywhere near what she should feel for a man.  None of the feelings she saw reflected in her parents’ faces.  They were all like brothers to her.  Indeed, many of them treated her like a younger brother because she was able to ride as well as they, and could handle a dirk as good as any of them, maybe better. 

As Annabelle and her mother walked down the stairs, Annabelle admired all of the richness of Dunwiche.  Laird Harold was indeed a very rich man.  Dunwiche hall was immense.  It was certainly bigger than the MacAlpin’s home of Kinloch.  There were four different towers of the keep.  She would occupy her own towers after she married. 

The food was plentiful because the land was rich and fertile; overflowing with robust crops and an abundance of game.  Even the people from the villages seemed to live well.  She noticed that his people seemed to love and respect him.  Even the servants were happy and pleasant.  She took in a deep breath and accepted her fate.

Annabelle and her mother finally reached the great hall.  Everyone had been awaiting her entrance.  Annabelle looked around at all of the faces looking up at her as she descended the stairs.  The hall was filled with MacAlpins and McInnises.  All faces turned to her as she entered the hall.  She noticed Angus in the back of the hall.  He gave her an encouraging smile.  She smiled back.  She saw smiles on every face, except one.  Laird Harold’s nephew, Julian, was standing near the door when she passed through.  His face was void of expression, but his eyes had the shadow of some deep emotion she could not recognize.  She turned away from him and looked at her husband-to-be.  He was already kneeling before the priest. 

Laird Harold had a broad smile on his face.  She saw a twinkle in his eye.  He was pleased to be marrying her.  She wished that she could feel the same way, but she just did not.  He was twice her age.  Although he had treated her with deference, she could see the ruthlessness beneath his exterior.  She wondered if he would be kind to her as her mother and father had said.  He was so big and he towered over her by at least a foot and a half.  She was a strong willed person, but looking into his face she felt that her will paled in comparison to his.  She suddenly felt panicked.

Annabelle knelt beside him and then turned to looked toward her father who was standing to her left with her mother.  She tried to convey her feelings through her eyes, but he only nodded at her.  She knew that his mind was made up by the hardness of his jaw.

Annabelle inwardly sighed and straightened her spine.  She would not show any weakness before the people of Dunwiche.  The MacAlpin clan would never forgive her if she gave in to her panic.  They knew her to be strong and courageous.  She looked back at her betrothed and then to the priest.  

             
The ceremony was over quickly.  Annabelle had numbly said her vows, never letting the smile leave her lips.  They adjourned for the celebration dinner.  Everyone gathered in the hall at the elaborately set tables.  Annabelle sat by Laird Harold at the dais table.  Her parents hadn’t made it to the table yet.  They were to sit across from her.

Julian sat down next to her on her right.  Annabelle thought that Julian was a handsome man.  He was a little thin, but he had a solid frame and lush dark lashes framed his crystal blue eyes.  He had the same black hair as Laird Harold.  His lips were on the thin side, but that did not really subtract from his attractiveness.  Even the jagged scar that ran from his hairline down his right cheek hadn’t marred his features.  But Annabelle could see something that was not so handsome behind Julian’s eyes.  She wanted to move, but there was nowhere for her to move to.  It was her duty to sit next to her new husband at the dais table.

              “Congratulations,” Julian said in her ear.  His breath was hot and unpleasant against her cheek.

             
She moved to the left a little and turned to look at him.  There was something slimy about him that made Annabelle’s skin crawl.  She could see a gleam in his eyes that she did not like.

             
“Thank ye,” she mumbled and returned to pushing the food around on the trencher that a servant had set before her.

             
“I hope ye and my uncle are happy together.  May no harm come to ye,” he smiled and leaned back in his chair.

             
Annabelle felt a chill go down her spine.  Somehow she did not feel that he meant that.  But before she could reply, Laird Harold stood.

             
“I would like to propose a toast,” Laird Harold bellowed across the room.  “To my new bride.  Ye have made me the happiest mon alive,” he said in his booming deep baritone as he stood and lifted his tankard and took a long drink of his ale.

             
Everyone cheered and followed suit.  Annabelle raised her tankard but took only a small sip.  She had lost her appetite and was ready for it to all be over.

             
“Thank ye,” she said softly and gave Laird Harold a small smile.

             
Laird Harold sat back down with a satisfied look on his face.  Everyone went back to talking and eating.  Annabelle kept her eyes on her food.  She wondered where her parents were.  She was about to take another sip of her ale, when Laird Harold suddenly clutched his stomach.

             
“My laird?  Are ye alright?” she asked him, alarmed and genuinely concerned.

             
The look on his face and the look in his eyes told her no.  Her eyes grew larger as she saw a trickle of blood slide out of his mouth.  Then he fell over on the table.  Annabelle just stared at him in shock.  And then some commotion down the table took her focus and she saw more McInnises and MacAlpins falling over on the table or out of their chairs. 

Speechless, Annabelle slowly stood up and backed away from the table.  All around her people were falling.   She groped blindly for the door.  She could only guess that they had been poisoned somehow.  Someone had poisoned the food or the drink or both.    But who would do such a thing and why?  She had drunk some of the ale.  She raised her hand to her mouth to quell a scream.  Where were her parents?  She did not see them in the ensuing melee.  She bolted from the room out of the front door.  She ran blindly to the stable and mounted the first horse she came upon.  She rushed through the open gates not knowing where to go or what to do.  She was going to die and there was nothing she could do about it.

              After riding for a while she began to feel pain in her stomach.  She fought it, but the pain got worse and she began to feel light-headed.  The ground began to sway in front of her.  She fought to keep a grip on her senses and her horse, but she felt herself falling.  Then everything was black.

§

              Annabelle felt herself shaking all over.  Derek had known all along who she was and what had happened at Dunwiche, yet he let her to believe that she had not been married yet.  Had he laughed about it with Eilidh as they planned their lives together?  Why would he keep it a secret?  Was it because he believed she was the one to poison the McInnises’ entire clan?  Did he compromise her on purpose?  But to what purpose if he intended to be with Eilidh all the time?  Eilidh did say that he would petition the king for a separation.  Did the rest of the MacDougals know also? Colm?  Did he feel the same as Derek?

             
Annabelle got up and paced the small room.  She tried to stop her body from shaking by rubbing her hands up and down her arms.  She had to leave.  There was no way she could stay and face the betrayal that Derek had done to her.  He had tricked her into falling for him.  She thought he felt something for her, even if he still visited other women.  She was sure he would be proud to learn that she was enceinte, but he already had a bairn on the way with Eilidh.

             
Annabelle wrenched the door open and walked determinedly to the keep.  She would leave tonight when everyone else was asleep.  Her mother would know what to do.  Annabelle stopped up short.  Her parents.  She did not know if they were even alive.  All of the time that was wasted in Derek’s dark plot to accuse her of the crime, she could have been looking for her parents.  She remembered that they had not come to the table before all of the commotion started.  Had they eaten any of the food or drunk any of the ale?  Were they dead?  A sob caught in Annabelle’s throat.  Is that why there had been no response to Derek’s message?  Had he even sent one?

             
Annabelle continued on her way, oblivious to anything or anyone around her. She would leave tonight to Kinloch.  She had to know if her family was alive.  She reached the kitchens.  There was no one around even though it must be close to the noon meal.  She picked up a sack from a pile in a corner and filled it with cheese, bread, and apples.  She found an empty flagon and put it insider her sack to fill later with water.  She, then, went up the back stairs to her chamber.  She did not need to pack anything because all of her clothes were borrowed.  She lay on the bed.  She would need to rest because she would have to travel through the night to reach Kinloch as fast as possible.  She estimated that it was a two day ride.  She knew she would have to keep Brighid or Megan from sensing anything was wrong if she was to leave without delay.  She was confident she could make it through the noon and evenings meal without trouble.  She would claim tiredness between those meals in order to avoid being in their company overlong.  They would understand because of the bairn.

             
Annabelle wished she did not have to deceive the women.  She had come to love Brighid like a second mother in such a short time.  All of the MacDougals had been kind to her, a stranger in their midst, but she had to know if her parents lived.  She had to know if Angus perished that night.  She had to leave because she could not watch Derek and Eilidh make a life, or hear him tell her that their marriage had been a sham and the king had dissolved it.  It would kill her to hear those words from him.

             
Annabelle allowed her body to relax and she drifted into a restless sleep.

Chapter 24

             
Derek watched the lithe body walk toward him at the table.  Her hips swayed subtly from side to side, easily drawing every man’s eye.  His only reason for noticing was because she was walking toward him.

             
“Here comes trouble,” Colm leaned over and whispered to him. 

             
Derek turned and looked at his friend because he noticed the edge in his voice.  Colm looked steadily back him.  Derek recognized the message in his eyes, but he did not need it.

             
Derek turned back toward the woman.  She wore a form fitting pale pink gown with a fashionably low neckline.  Diamonds hung from her ears and twinkled at her neck.  Her hazel eyes held a familiar spark as she approached her target.  Her silky black hair was done up in a coiffeur.  There was a diamond butterfly adorning the left side of her head.  As she drew nearer, Derek could smell her customary rose perfume.  He remembered how just a whiff of that scent was to enough to get his blood pumping, but now it was cloying.  He found he much preferred the subtle scent of honey and heather.

             
“Why, Derek MacDougal, I heard you were at court.  Why haven’t I seen you before now?” the woman asked as she stopped beside where he sat.  Although she had a pleasant expression on her face, her eyes watched him intently.

             
Lady Julia Bainbridge, Marchioness Rodman, was a rich widow who made it her business to know what was going on at court.  King George’s wife was a distant relative.  Derek met her his first time coming at court to pledge his fealty to the king.  He saw her while he was waiting to be summoned by the king.  Her beauty mesmerized him.  She noticed his regard and boldly came over to him.  After a few moments, she invited him to her house after he was done with his business.  Since then, every time he came to court, she would find him and he would spend his time at court in her company.  But not this time.  This time, he had not even thought about her.

             
Lady Julia continued to stare at Derek, waiting for him to respond.  He looked steadily back at her, but did not reply. She smiled.

             
“I was also told that you were knighted by King George, along with your father, brothers, and Colm.  How wonderful,” she said, reaching out to put her hand on his shoulder.  She walked behind him and put her other hand on his other shoulder.  She leaned down over him, letting her breasts rub against his back.  Her arms snaked around his neck.

             
There was a time when his body would have responded to her proximity, but not only was his body dead to her; he no longer wanted her touch.

             
“I was also informed that you are married now.  To a Highland woman, but that you were forced to marry her.  Is that true?” she whispered next to his ear.  Derek fought the urge to push her away.  He did not want to humiliate her.  She seemed to take his inaction as a sign to continue.

             
“Aye,” he replied.  Her hands rubbed up and down his chest.

             
“So that means you did not seek out a bride,” she kissed the side of his neck.

             
“Aye,” he said even though it was not a question.  His eyes searched out his brothers’.  Jace and Aster stared back with unusually blank faces.  His father’s face was a cloud of black.  Colm also looked like he would run him through with his claymore.

             
Lady Julia breathed into his ear and nicked his earlobe.

             
“Did King George grant your petition for separation?” she asked, running her hand through his golden hair.

             
Derek frowned.  He did not ask King George for a separation.  Everyone else looked just as puzzled as he.

             
“What petition?” he growled.

             
“Naturally, you would ask the king for a separation.  I know you were not planning to marry, and since you were forced to marry her, then you would want to dissolve it.  But if you are marriage minded, maybe you would want to marry someone else,” she smiled at him, kissing his cheek.

             
Derek was taken aback.  He would never have guessed that Lady Julia had been angling to marry him.  He was a third son after all, and she seemed the type who wanted status and prestige.

             
“What?” was all he could articulate.

             
Lady Julia chuckled.  She sat down beside him on the bench.  Her hand rested on his thigh just about the hem of his kilt.

             
“I know that King George would grant your request.  He knighted you after all, which means he esteems you very highly.  Then if you still want a wife, then I would be happy to fill the space.  You know we get along very well together, in and out of bed,” she smirked.  “Your highland wife would probably be happy to be free too.”

             
Derek stared at the audacity of the woman.  But then he paused.  He realized what Lady Julia had said.  Would Annabelle be happy to be free of him?  Did she want to be free of him?  They had not parted on good terms.  She was not even speaking to him when he left.  The night before they left, he went into their chamber and watched her sleep until it was time to leave.  He wanted to wake her and explain to her his relationship to Sine.  He wanted to tell her that he would not humiliate her with other women.  He wanted to tell her that he belonged only to her.  He wanted to tell her that he loved her.  Yes, he loved his wife and he did not want to be separated from her. No other woman mattered to him anymore. And if a separation was something she wanted, well he would find a way to change her mind.

             
Derek stood to his feet, shocking Lady Julia.  She stared at him with her mouth slightly ajar and her eyes rounded.

             
“Nay, I doona want a separation from my wife, and I dinna ask the king fer a separation,” he turned and walked out of the room.  Jace followed him out.

             
“Derek! Wait!” he yelled behind him.

             
Derek turned toward his brother and waited for him to catch up.

             
“Where are ye going?” he asked when he was beside him.

             
“To Dunkirk.  I find that I am wearied of this company and wish for the company of my wife,” he growled.

             
Jace smiled and squeezed his shoulder.

             
“I will tell Da and we will join ye.  I am ready to be back home as well,” he turned back.

§

              They rode the rest of the day and most of the night before they were forced to stop.  They were up before dawn riding hard toward home.

             
Derek’s mind stayed tuned to his wife.  He realized that although he had never experienced the emotion, he knew that he was in fact in love with his wife.  He was not even sure when it had happened.  At one moment he was angry with her, the next he could not get enough of her.  She infuriated him with her strong will and independence.  She was not afraid to stand up to him, and she did not try to stroke his ego or pander to his whims.  She was beautiful and strong.  But he realized that was what he loved most about her.  His mother had been right when she told him that a subservient wife was not what he wanted.  Annabelle was what he wanted.  He had not been looking for a wife, but now that he had one, he did not want to lose her.

             
He spurred his horse on, trying to will them closer to Dunkirk.  They had a few hours to go before they entered MacDougal land.  Laird Breac rode up beside him.  He signaled for him to slow down so that they could talk.  Derek reluctantly complied.

             
“King George willnae be happy that we left a day earlier than planned.  But I understand why ye needed to leave so abruptly, and I will handle the king if the need arises,” Laird Breac said looking at his son.

             
Derek nodded.

             
“Out of all of my sons, ye remind me the most of myself.  I was like ye before I married yer mither.  I had nae regard for any of the women I bedded until that woman was Brighid.  She was headstrong like yer Annabelle, and she still is,” he chuckled.  Derek just stared at his father, not knowing what to say.

             
Laird Breac was a very hard man, but a fair laird.  Although he never treated his sons with overwhelming affection, they knew that he loved them.  But Derek had never known him to tell any of them about his private life or affairs.  Their relationship was not like that, or so Derek thought.

             
“I see a lot of myself in ye, Derek.  I am glad to see that ye have now come to yer senses.  I can tell that ye love the lass, because ye react the same as I did when I realized what Brighid meant to me.  When I realized that my feelings fer her dinna make me weak.  She is exactly what ye need, lad.  Doona ever ferget it,” Laird Breac warned.  He grunted and then turned to ride with the other men again.

             
Derek understood his father’s warning.  He still had yet to deal with Eilidh.  He had no time before they left for England to tell her that he was no longer interested in her.  He knew that when he confronted Eilidh to tell her that their affair was over, she would be very angry, but he did not care.  What mattered was Annabelle, and if she would give him a chance to prove to her that she was the only woman for him.

             
Derek spurred his horse into a fast gallop, knowing that his father and brothers would keep up.  They were nearing Dunkirk, and he found himself in anticipation of seeing his wife.  The retainers on the outer walls greeted him as they raised the gate.  The villagers greeted Derek as he stormed through the village.  He waved but did not stop to talk to anyone.  When he reached the courtyard, he jumped off of his horse before it had come to a full stop.  A boy from the stables quickly grabbed the horse’s reins and took him into the stables.  Derek vaguely registered this as he stormed into the keep.

             
Ainsley and Megan stood near the trestle tables preparing them for the noon meal.  They both looked up as Derek entered the hall.

             
“Derek!  We were not expecting ye!” Megan said in surprise.

             
Derek glanced their way, but did not stop.  He moved toward the stairs leading to his chamber.  He was hoping Annabelle was there and he would not have to go looking for her.

             
“Derek, wait!  Why are ye back so early and where are yer father and brothers?” Megan asked and moved as fast as she could to intercept him.

             
“They should be in the courtyard as we speak,” he said as he tried to move around her to go up the stairs.

             
Megan moved to block his path again.  Derek scowled down at the old woman, preparing to bodily move her if need be.

             
“Move out of my way, woman!  I need to see my wife,” he growled at her.

             
Megan looked nervously at Ainsley before her eyes came back to rest on him.

             
“Why?  Doona ye want to have something to eat first?  Ye could wait for her to come for the noon meal,” Megan said.  Her eyes seemed to plead with him to do just that.

             
“Nay, I would see my wife and I doona wish to wait,” he said and moved past her up the stairs.

             
Megan called to him again, but he ignored her and continued to his chamber.  He pushed the door open and went inside.  The bed was made and everything was in order, but Annabelle was not there.  He turned to go back down to the great hall to ask Megan to tell him where Annabelle was, but ran into his mother when he left the chamber.

             
“Derek!” she squeaked.  He narrowed his eyes.  His mother seemed as nervous as Megan. 

             
“When did ye get back?  Is Breac, Jace, Aster, and Colm with ye?” she asked, putting her hand on his arm.

             
Derek stared hard at his mother.  She barely met his gaze and fidgeted with the broach on her arisaid.

             
“Where is Annabelle?” he asked her and noted her reaction to his question.  He saw her visibly swallow.

             
“Mither.  Where is my wife?” he asked again, barely holding his impatience in check.

             
“Where is she?” he asked more forcefully when Brighid hesitated to answer.