The Great Scottish Devil (16 page)

“
She
couldna be our Roseanna.” Rose’s expression was devastated and tears sprang to her eyes. “’Tis no’ possible.”

“Roseanna?” Agatha looked curiously to Brodie.

He tried to step away, but she wouldn’t allow it. Irritated, he focused on the MacKays. “Laird MacKay, Lady MacKay, this is Lady Agatha Stonewall.” He hesitated before adding, “My betrothed.”

They blinked in surprise, but Rose quickly asked, “Then where is Annabel?”

“Annabel Henderson? If that is who you seek, you have missed her. She left yesterday morn with the Campbells,” Agatha explained, clearly missing the strong emotions around her involving Annabel.

“
Yesterday?
” MacKay growled. He looked furiously at Brodie.

Brodie was having none of his bluster. “I sent word to ye long ago and heard nothing back. I kept her here as long as I could,” he snapped.

He ignored the way The MacKay glowered down at him. He might feel sorry for them, but it was Annabel who he protected. “I couldna be sure if she were really yer missing daughter. She has suffered enough, losing the people who raised her. She didna even suspect they werena her birth parents until her pa died. I couldna tell her ye
might
be her real parents. I couldna have it no’ be so and get her heart broken all over agin.”

“Yer message said ye and yer men found her traveling by wagon, alone. That ye brought her here. I dinna understand why she would leave. Why ye would let her leave.” MacKay looked upset, confused, determined. “Who are the Campbells? And why would she leave with them?”

“Tinkers. Like Annabel,” Agatha explained before Brodie could respond.

“My daughter is a
tinker
?” MacKay questioned in disbelief. No doubt, Brodie thought, because the man was a powerful laird, the leader of the MacKays.

“I do no’ know her whole story, only that she was raised by Katherine and Dougal Henderson. Tinkers who traveled all of Scotland and England her whole life.” He thought about how he’d found her, how he’d mistaken her for a thief. “Her da had just died when we came upon her. We buried him and I insisted she come here under my protection. I sent word to King Edward that she would be my ward until I found her a suitable husband. But she has wanted to leave from the moment she came here. Before, in truth. She wanted to continue her family’s tinker route.”

“I...I do no’ understand why or how you connected her to us,” Rose said quietly.

“She found a note one day.” He remembered the jumbled words, the threat. “I will tell ye more aboot it as we share sup. There is much more ye need to ken aboot Annabel.”

“I would go after her now instead of—” MacKay barked, stopping when Rose gave him an imploring look.

“Husband, the sun sets even now. ‘Twould be foolish to ride out and try to track them. Besides, we have all ridden hard to get here and yer men are tired, hungry. As am I.”

His broad shoulders slumped but he nodded. “Verra well. If Laird Urquhart will allow us all to stay the night, we will leave in the morn.”

Brodie nodded and glanced to Douglas. “Show The MacKay’s men where to bed down fer the night.” He then looked to Agatha. “See that Cook feeds them and gets them ale.”

He reached up to lift Rose off her horse. When she stood in front of him, he was struck by how much she looked like Annabel. God, he missed her.

Rose gently touched his face to capture his attention. “’Tis all verra confusing, my laird. It hurts me to hear she has suffered. And I thank ye fer trying to watch after her. Though it puzzles me why ye let her leave without a husband.”

Agatha bristled beside Brodie, but, thankfully, she didn’t say anything. They had already argued about his strong feelings for Annabel, about his finding fault with any man who even looked at her. He’d finally realized that he would never choose a man for her and that it was best to let her go on her way, let her find a husband on her own. Again, his gut knotted at the idea.

Rose seemed to push aside that matter and asked hopefully, “Do ye think Annabel looks like us, my laird?”

He nodded. “Aye. She has The MacKay’s hair, though hers is cut short for a woman. She has his eyes as well.” Brodie smiled gently at her. “Annabel is a wee bit of a thing, like ye. Strong and stubborn in spirit at times, softhearted and tender at others. Loved by all here, missed as well.”

Rose raised a knowing eyebrow and Brodie looked away. He knew instinctively that she’d heard in his words and in his tone how deeply he felt for Annabel. “Ye are a guid mon, Laird Urquhart.”

He didn’t feel all that good at the moment. He stood in front of these people and his betrothed and was fairly certain they knew how he felt as well. That he loved Annabel to his very soul. That he’d had to do the honorable thing and let her leave him.

Brodie made a sudden decision. He’d been worrying about Annabel, sensed something was wrong. He hadn’t wanted to think about it, but the concern wouldn’t go away. Now he could make sure for himself that she was all right. He looked straight at The MacKay. “I and some of my men will go with ye in the morn.”

“But surely you do not need to—” Agatha said unhappily.

“I
will
go with them.” Brodie smiled sadly at Rose. “I wish to see Annabel’s joy at meeting her blood parents.”

Yet as he watched the pleased look spread over Rose’s face, he also knew Annabel would be angry with him. He’d only meant to protect her in case the MacKays weren’t her real parents. But she would only see that he’d kept a precious secret from her.

* * *

Angus watched from a safe distance away as Callum and his wife bundled together in the bed of furs beneath their wagon. The small fire they had made earlier had died down to bare embers now. All four horses were tied a dozen feet from the wagons and appeared to be sleeping. Even Annabel had sought sleep, nestled in the bed of her wagon.

He frowned into the darkness of the forest, annoyed. The Campbells had done as he’d asked and finally gotten Annabel away from Urquhart, and they’d led her away from the Highlands. Sutherland had been very definite in his orders that she not go any farther north. In truth, she wasn’t to go anywhere beyond this point. And neither were the Campbells. He was to kill them all here.

Tomorrow. They would all die on the morrow and he would finish collecting the fine fee he’d been promised. It would be enough for him to disappear from these parts for a good long while. Mayhap he’d head toward Ireland. He’d heard a good mercenary was always being sought by someone.

He scratched at his crotch, thinking of the beauty sleeping in the wagon. He’d slit the Campbells’ throats sometime around dawn. Mayhap he’d catch them either still sleeping or separately as they took care of their personal needs.

He grinned and rubbed his aching erection. As soon as the Campbells were taken care of, he’d have some alone time with Annabel. She’d pay for turning him down, thinking she was better than he was. He’d let her see just how powerful and commanding he could be. He’d strip her bare and force her to all fours right there in the middle of the forest. He’d shove her face to the ground and make that butt of hers thrust up for him. Then he’d…

The horses shifted restlessly and he forced his plans aside. It was time to seek his pallet for the night. He needed to be well rested for all he intended to do on the morrow.

* * *

Annabel had almost drifted into sleep when she heard loud whisperings. She blinked fully awake at the mention of her name. Her heart pounded. She strained to hear better as Callum and Sarabeth seemed to argue from their places beneath their nearby wagon.

“I am not sure aboot this, Callum,” Sarabeth said, sounding concerned. “Annabel is such a sweet lass. Mayhap…”

Callum’s voice rose to more than a whisper in his frustration. “’Tis more money then we have made in a verra long time. We need it. We canna keep traveling like we have. We are getting too old.”

Sarabeth gave a sigh loud enough that Annabel heard it. “Ye’re right. Me bones are weary of sleeping on the hard ground and the wagon bed is even worse now.” She heaved another sigh. “Still…”

“We made a deal with Gordon. I dunna think getting out of it would be easy…or wise. He is a verra hard mon.” Callum hesitated before adding, “Alastair Sutherland isna a mon to go against either, wife. Ye ken his reputation as being merciless as much as I do. He wants Annabel Henderson enough to hire Gordon to bring her to him. We canna change our minds now.”

“I am naught sure Gordon means to take her to Sutherland. I think he means to kill her.”

Callum took several seconds to respond and when he did, he sounded sad but helpless. “I hope ye’re wrong aboot that. But ‘tis nothing we can do. I am naught strong enough to take on such a mon.” He blew out a deep breath. “Best naught to worry aboot it any more. We should reach our meeting place on the morrow. Then what will be, will be.”

Annabel’s heart raced so loudly at what she’d overheard that she worried they would hear it. She should have listened to her instincts about not trusting this couple. At first they’d seemed somewhat friendly, but then she’d seen a calculating look in Callum’s expression from time to time. Now she understood it. He’d been thinking about how much money he would get by enticing her away from Urquhart and taking her to Gordon.
Angus Gordon
! Somehow she knew Angus was the Gordon that Callum was talking about. In her last couple of encounters with him, she had seen a hard side to him…a cruel side.

She pulled in a much-needed strengthening breath. As if dealing with Angus wouldn’t be difficult enough, someone possibly even worse than him wanted her: Alastair Sutherland. The words her father had spoken before he’d died came back to her.
Ala…vow to kill Anna…
Then the cryptic words in her mother’s note came back as well:
evil man gave you to us…no choice
.

She shivered, not as much because she was cold, but because someone horrible wanted her dead. But why? And what had Dougal and Katherine Henderson had to do with this man?

…on the morrow
. The Campbells planned to meet up with Angus on the morrow. They would turn her over to him and collect whatever money he’d promised them. Then he would take her to this Alastair Sutherland. Mayhap. Or mayhap—just as Sarabeth suspected—he would kill her.

Another shiver raced through her. Aye, the man could easily kill her. She’d seen it in his eyes when he’d recoiled after she’d refused to marry him. He hadn’t liked being thwarted. Shivering even more, she knew that he would do far worse than simply killing her. He would rape her first, brutally…and then he would take her life.

Nay! She would not allow it! Nor would she be here on the morrow to be led by the Campbells to her slaughter. She’d give them an hour or so to fall asleep. Then she would steal away into the forest on foot. She would change into her boy’s clothing once more and take every weapon she could find with her. Somehow she would find her way back to Urquhart. Back to Brodie.

Tears slid down her face. She had no right to go back to Urquhart and to Brodie. His life was complicated enough without her adding to his burdens again. But she had nowhere else to go. She would only stay there until he could find her a husband, just as he’d promised the king he would do. This time she’d make sure he really made a good effort at it.

* * *

Morning had barely begun when Brodie and Braden MacKay led a combination of his men and MacKay men out of the bailey. The air was cool and thick gray clouds swirled above them with the promise of rain. While the noise of the many hoofbeats was thunderous as they crossed over the wooden drawbridge, no one spoke. He imagined the MacKays were thinking about finally seeing their daughter after all these years. Rose had questioned him endlessly last night while they had shared sup. Braden, too, had voiced many questions and listened avidly to every piece of information about Annabel that Brodie had provided. She would be well loved.

He shifted in the saddle and felt once more the curl of frustrated longing twisting his heart. He loved Annabel. But he could not have her. He was honor-bound to wed Agatha and a Durward always stood behind his word. He would take her to wife upon his return from this trip to find Annabel and reunite her with her true parents. There was no other choice.

They had just started going around the village when a pair of riders sent ahead to track the two tinker wagons rode toward them. Brodie immediately raised a hand to stop the advance of the men behind him. He stiffened and his gut tightened as he waited for the riders. Even from here he could see their expressions were grim.

Reining in a few feet from Brodie, the newest of his soldiers said quickly, “The wagons dinna turn north as ye expected, my laird. They turned south, heading into the forest.”

“I thought ye said…” Braden began, stopping when Brodie scowled at him.

“Something isna right,” Brodie said. The feelings of urgency he’d experienced almost from the moment Annabel had left Urquhart two days ago grew stronger. He might not remember much about himself, but he knew to trust his instincts. A warrior didn’t live long if he didn’t. “We need to ride hard this day. As hard and as fast as the horses can handle. Is yer wife up to it, MacKay?”

Rose rode up beside her husband and looked pale now. “She’s in danger, isna she?”

“I do not know this fer a fact, only a suspicion.” He leveled a worried look on both the MacKays. “Do ye trust me in this?”

“Aye.” Braden turned back toward the curious men. “We will ride hard this day. Stop when ye must, and then catch up with us. We will nay rest until we catch up with the wagons.”

Brodie faced the scouts again. “Lead the way.”

They took off and Brodie urged his mount after the men, as did all behind him. It had been a long time since he’d prayed, but he did now.
God, keep Annabel safe.

* * *

Angus had slept longer than he’d planned, dreaming about all of the ways he would take Annabel’s body. The sun was already rising and light slipped in through the heavy pine branches around him. It soured his mood even more. At least he hadn’t heard sounds of the wagons leaving the campsite. Actually, he’d heard very little sounds of movement around the wagons yet. He was grateful for that. Mayhap he could still accomplish all that he’d planned this day.