A Highlander Born From Chaos (Highlanders 0f Kirklinton Book 2) Read online

  “Then you will know an Evie Elliott, I presume?” the boy asked, and Hamish looked at him in astonishment.

  “What business is that of yers?” he asked, narrowing his eyes, and the boy smiled.

  “I met her at the blacksmith’s forge, she mentioned you when she realized I would be coming here. She asked me to convey a message to you, that is all,” the boy said, smiling at Hamish, dangling this titbit over him like bait upon a fisherman’s pole.

  “Ye had better nae be lyin’ to me lad,” Hamish said, checking around him lest any of the soldiers should be in earshot.

  “I assure you, sir, I am not lying. She paid me handsomely to do so. Unless you would rather not hear what I have to say,” the boy said, and Hamish nodded.

  “What did she say, lad,” he asked, and the boy lowered his voice.

  “She asked me to tell you to meet her by the stream above the Armstrong castle tomorrow at noon, she said you would know what was meant by the message. That is all,” he said, and Hamish nodded.

  “And what did she look like?” he asked, still curious as to whether this was not some elaborate trick to entrap him, a ruse of Evie’s father and brothers or perhaps of Isabella herself.

  But the boy described her perfectly, explaining that he had met her as they waited for the blacksmith to shod the shoes on her horse and that she had seemed anxious to relay a message.

  “See, here are the two silver coins she gave me, and I can assure you that is far more than my mistress would have done,” he said, as though he too knew how cruel and unforgiving Isabella Musgrave could be.

  “Very well, lad. I believe ye are tellin’ the truth,” Hamish replied, and the boy nodded

  “She asked for no message in return, only that you meet her,” he said, just as Isabella appeared at the door of the farmhouse.

  “Hamish, what are you doing talking to the boy at such length? He should be getting back across the border, my father will wonder where he is. Go on, Samuel, be gone now,” she called, and the boy nodded to Hamish and turned to leave.

  “At noon, ye say?” Hamish asked again, and the boy nodded.

  “At noon, by the stream above the Armstrong castle, she seemed anxious that you be there,” he replied, and with that, he was gone.

  How strange, Hamish thought to himself, turning to find Isabella behind his, her hands on her hips and a questioning look upon her face.

  “Why were you speaking at such length to the boy?” she asked, but Hamish simply shook his head.

  “He was tellin’ me about a sightin’ of northern clansmen up on the ridge above,” he replied, “I said I would send out a patrol. The road will nae be safe for ye to ride out on this foal if there are such men at large.”

  “Nonsense, I shall ride where I wish. The Scots hold no fear for me,” Isabella replied, and Hamish was grateful that she seemed satisfied by his answer.

  But as the day went on and darkness fell about the castle, he could not keep his thoughts far from Evie and the prospect of seeing her again.

  I should put her out of my mind, he said to himself, as he huddled beneath his blankets later that night and tried to go to sleep.

  But try as he might, he could not rid himself of a sense of urgency and a deep desire to see her again. After all, it seemed she was equally as enamored, and Hamish fell asleep in the certainty that his curiosity would get the better of him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Hamish, do pay attention, you nearly set yourself on fire,” Isabella said, as Hamish absentmindedly backed away from her chair, kneeling to see to the dogs and catching the hem of his tunic in the flames.

  “Oh …” he cried, batting the flames as the air filled with the acrid smell of burning wool.

  It was only a little charred, and he sighed to himself, clambering to his feet as the dogs ran about excitedly.

  “I need to take them out to walk,” he said, and Isabella nodded without looking up.

  “How long will you be?” she asked, and he shook his head in reply.

  “I daenae know, as long as it takes to wear them out. They were barkin’ half the night, my father will get nay rest,” Hamish replied.

  “How is your father? I heard some of the men talking as though the time were close,” she replied.

  “Aye, the time is close, but he is clingin’ on to life till the bitter end. He had wanted to see me married,” Hamish replied.

  “Well, he shall hear of it, even if he shall not see it with his own eyes,” she replied, and Hamish sighed.

  “I am goin’ out to walk now, lass,” he said, and she nodded, still not looking up at him.

  The dogs followed him outside, barking and jumping up playfully, and he made his way across to the castle gates, signaling for the soldiers to open them.

  “Is it wise to walk out alone, Laird?” one of the men asked, “we have received more reports of northern clansmen upon the roads.”

  “I am nae takin’ the path north. I am goin’ across the heathers, there will be nay trouble that way,” Hamish replied, and the soldiers nodded, the gates creaking open.

  Hamish hurried through, taking to the path across the heathers and glancing up at the sun, which was rising across the sky. It was a cold day, but bright and a frost still lay upon the moorlands. He was soon high up above the castle, and looking back down, he could see the banners of the MacBrydes fluttering in the breeze.

  Ye are a fool, Hamish MacBryde, he said to himself, but his own words fell on deaf ears, and he hurried onward, looking back over his shoulder lest he should be followed and warily about him lest he was being watched.

  But the moorlands were barren empty, and there was no sign of another soul thereabouts. Hamish was intrigued by Evie’s message, and he wondered what she wanted to speak with him about. He was taking a grave risk in meeting with her, but he was convinced that this was not some trap or ploy to lure him back into the territory of the Elliotts. Evie’s words had always been sincere, and she had only ever been thankful to him for helping here as he was for her help too.

  The path was icy, but he made swift progress, the dogs running behind him. But as he came towards the ridge which overlooked the Armstrong castle, he paused and slowed his pace. Warily, he looked about him intent upon avoiding any contact with the Elliotts at all costs. The words of Fraser were ringing in his ears and he knew that his presence here putting his own life at risk. But he so longed to see Evie again that none of that seemed to matter, and as he came in sight of the stream, he looked up to see the sun’s position in the sky.

  It was near enough to noon, and the stream was gushing down below, wending its way towards the castle. He screened himself behind some scrubby trees at the water’s edge, checking from left to right lest he was being observed. But there was no one else about, only a hawk circling above and the cool breeze blowing across the heathers. Hamish sat down on a rock, close to the spot where he had rescued Evie from the stream and waited.

  It was almost noon, and he wondered if she would be there. Or whether this was indeed a cruel trick, or worse, a ruse designed to lure him back onto Elliott land and see him captured. Was she in league with her father? Had all this been planned? His paranoia was growing, but a moment later, there came a sight that cheered his heart and melted his anxieties away.

  Over the brow of the hill came Evie, looking around her just as Hamish had done as he came to the spot where he had rescued her from the stream. It was flowing slowly now, the water babbling along, as though it had never posed a threat or danger to life. There had been little rain, and Evie crossed easily over it, still looking around about her, as Hamish emerged from his hiding place.

  “Evie, Evie, I am here, over here,” he called, and she looked over towards him, a smile upon her face as she hurried up the path by the stream towards him.

  “Hamish, I was worried ye wouldnae come or that the message wouldnae have reached ye. Did the boy deliver it as I asked? I gave him two silver coins for his trouble,” she said, standi
ng before him, as he nodded, feeling a blush come across his face at her presence.

  “Aye, he told me. But at first, I was uncertain …” Hamish said, looking around him, for he half expected to see one or both of her brothers emerging from some hiding place or other.

  “Did ye think I had laid a trap for ye? Or that my father had forced me to seek to meet ye so that he could take ye captive?” Evie said, shaking her head.

  “The thought did cross my mind,” he replied, “but I … I wanted to see ye, Evie. I so very much wanted to see ye,” he replied, and she sighed, settling herself down on a mossy patch next to the stream, as Hamish took a seat close by.

  “Aye, I wanted to see ye too. I … I am sorry for how my father and brothers behaved towards ye, they have their minds and hearts set upon the past. Ye and I know that ‘Tis the future that matters. But I … I wanted to see ye because I have precious others to call friends, I missed, though it sounds so foolish to say for we have known each other just a short time,” she replied, and Hamish noticed that she too was blushing.

  “Ye daenae have to apologize for yer father, if I had found one of yer brothers wanderin’ upon MacBryde territory, then I would have done the same. But I am takin’ a risk comin’ here to meet with ye, Evie. A grave risk indeed,” he replied, and she nodded.

  “We are both takin’ a risk, and I have to ask myself why I have done so, we hardly know one another, but I should like to know ye more,” she replied, smiling at him, “ye are nae like the others, or at least …” and here she paused, as though trying to choose the right words, “at least … ye are nae what the MacBrydes are meant to be like, Hamish.”

  He could not help but smile at this, for he had heard tell of the tales which the other clans along the borders told of the MacBrydes. They were vicious and warlike, ever willing to use violence over words. He had even heard tell that his father was rumored to have plotted the burnings of crofts and the forcing of Elliott clansmen from their lands, intent upon subjecting them to enslavement or serfdom. It was all nonsense, of course, but rumors can spread far more quickly than the truth and especially when they are so exaggerated.

  “And ye are nae what the Elliotts are meant to be like. Though I didnae believe they were like that anyway. The old stories are exaggerated, and, in their exaggeration, they cause hurt and division between our peoples. Ye and I can see that,” he replied.

  “But my family are right about the Musgraves,” Evie replied, gazing at him with a searching look.

  He nodded, for he knew her words to be true. The Musgraves were every bit as terrible as the reputation which proceeded them, and he had no love for them, not even for Isabella who was nothing if not the true daughter of her name

  “Aye, the Musgraves are … English,” he replied, and she laughed.

  “But nae all English are as bad as the Musgraves. I am sure of that,” she replied.

  “The Musgraves have a fearsome reputation in these parts. They have been responsible for much bloodshed, and especially they have been somewhat harsh towards yer own family, Evie. I know that and I make nay attempt to defend them for that,” he replied, her gaze still fixed upon him, as though she were searching his feelings, and looking into his soul.

  He had thought that about her previously,that she had something of a searching way about her. A way of reading people far more deeply than most.

  What is she thinking now? He wondered, for he felt certain that she had the measure of him and that she realized he had no love for the Musgraves and was growing more doubtful of his clan’s alliance with them by the day.

  “And what would ye dae if ye were Laird? Would ye still side with the Musgraves? Or would ye change yer loyalty back to yer true people, the Scots, we Elliotts, and the others?” she asked, and he shook his head and sighed, for it was clear now that she had come to realize the terrible agonizing within his heart.

  “I … I daenae know. ‘Tis … ‘Tis difficult, Evie. The auld alliance was made when times were very different. Ye have seen our castle and my clansmen, we are nay match for the clans along these borders. Nae without the help of the Musgraves. They have been good to us, tolerant even and …” Hamish began, but Evie shook her head.

  “But what dae ye want? Why are ye marryin’ that woman, Isabella Musgrave? Dae ye love her? Or is it just a cruel strengthenin’ of this alliance? An alliance that should be cast aside, confined to history so that the MacBrydes can once again live in peace with their neighbors and fight against the common cause of us all, the English. Ye cannae possibly think that the Musgraves are a force for good?” she said, and he shook his head.

  “ All I have known, Evie and ye must remember that I have spent a lifetime hearin’ of the atrocities which yer family are responsible for,” he replied.

  “And I have spent a lifetime hearin’ precisely the same things about yer clan too, except I know the Musgraves to have committed the wicked deeds we tell of. My mother and father are livin’ proof of their wicked ways,” she replied.

  “For which I am sorry, and for which both of us know we are payin’ for in this continuin’ conflict. But ye and I are different, are we nae?” he said, for he longed to be on different terms with Evie.

  He had thought of nothing else except her these past days, his feelings growing, and his desire to see her increasing. Now that she was there before him, he wanted to tell her just how much she had captured his thoughts and his feelings. She was beautiful, of course, but beauty is only skin deep. What so attracted him to her was that she seemed to understand his thoughts and feelings towards the old rivalries between the clans entirely. They seemed at one in the thought that the past should be left there, left to be a memory, rather than the reality of the present.

  “We are, and that is why I so badly wished to see ye. Ye understand in a way that nay one has understood before. Ye are nae the MacBryde I was raised to hate,” she said, laughing.

  “And ye are nae the Elliott I was raised to hate,” he replied.

  For a moment, they sat in silence, the stream bubbling along next to them, and a cool breeze blowing across the moorlands.

  “Did ye … did ye feel guilty, Hamish? For comin’ to meet me?” she asked suddenly, and he smiled at her.

  “Aye, ‘Tis a betrayal, or so my conscience kept tellin’ me. ‘Tis a betrayal for ye and I to meet together in this way. A betrayal of our clans, a betrayal of Isabella, a betrayal even of myself,” he replied, “but when I listen to my heart, I hear somethin’ different. My heart tells me that I have never been happy, that I have never placed myself first, that I have too readily believed in the conflicts of the past and nay considered what I wish for myself.”

  Evie nodded.

  “If I had listened to my conscience, then I wouldnae be here. But my heart says just the same, and I am happy that I listened to it, Hamish,” she said.

  “As am I, lass. But we have crossed a line, ye and I. A line across which we cannae return. ‘Tis our hearts which have won out now, and we must follow them if we are to be happy,” Hamish said.

  Again they sat in silence. They were quite hidden behind the scrubby trees which lined the bank, but Hamish was anxious not to remain long on the territory of the Laird of the Elliotts. He glanced around him, wondering what excuse Evie had made to meet him and whether at any moment a search party might appear, and he would be forced to run.

  “Daenae worry, I told my mother I was goin’ to Lochrutton to watch the smithy in the forge. I am trusted enough to walk to the village and there will be horses to take there now and again. Perhaps … perhaps ye and I might meet again?” she asked, and he nodded.

  “I would like that. I would like it very much,” he replied.

  “I would too, but I know that if Isabella found out then …” she replied, her words hanging in the air, as Hamish nodded.

  “As much as if yer father or brothers found out,” he replied, smiling at her.

  “But what is life without a few risks?” she asked, and he nodded
.

  “Then let us make this our meetin’ spot, for I must confess that I wish to see ye again already, Evie, as foolish as that may sound,” he said, his cheeks reddening.

  She smiled at him and nodded.

  “And that is how I feel too, Hamish. Ye are … different to other men I know, very different,” she said.

  “And dae ye know many other men?” he asked, and she laughed.

  “Only my brothers, my father, my uncle, my Godfather,” she replied.

  “All of whom would see me in a sorry state if they found out we were meetin’ like this,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Only my father and brothers. My uncle Duncan is a monk at Lanercost. I have never heard him raise his voice in anger or make any threat against another. He is a man of peace, I was wrong to say that only ye and I seem to understand all this. I think he does too, or at least, he does nae seem to bear a grudge,” she replied.