Reckless by Hannah Howell

2

The soft, fragrant grass felt good beneath Ailis’s tired body as she sprawled next to her recumbent friend Jaime and left the children to play on their own for a while.

“Och, Jaime, I must be getting old. The bairns fairly wore me out.” She grinned when the big man laughed, a deep rich sound that suited him well.

“It does them good to run. They dinna get to do it much. Wee ones need to have a run now and again, mistress.”

Ailis nodded, briefly studying the big, dark man at her side. His muscles strained his dull brown jupon, and his hands were so large and strong that Jaime could easily kill a man with little effort. She felt perfectly safe with him and trusted him with the children’s lives. Jaime knew how to control his great strength, when to restrain it and when to unleash it.

She was sure that Jaime was not as slow-witted as people thought. He could learn a great many things if one just had patience with him, but Ailis knew that the most important thing she had taught him was self-worth, something his vicious father and others had stolen from him. She could not help but feel proud of that. It had also made Jaime utterly devoted to her, a devotion so complete it occasionally made her uncomfortable, but she did not dissuade him. It was good to have such an ally, for she had few at Leargan.

A sigh of pleasure escaped her as a cool breeze soothed the heat of the midsummer sun. “ ‘Tis true that the children are forced to be quiet at Leargan so as not to anger the laird.”

“Aye, he can be a mean one.” Jaime sat up to watch the children more closely.

“He can, indeed. And yet ‘tis sad, for a child needs to be a child. They grow so fast.” She watched the children laugh and chase each other, reveling in the beauty of a cloudless summer’s day.

Jaime cast her a nervous glance before blurting out, “I ken that it isna my p-place to speak so or to press ye, but—what will happen to m-me when ye wed Donald MacCordy and go to live at Craigandubh?”

“Why, ye shall come along with us.” She patted his large clenched hand. “Dinna fret yourself. I willna leave ye behind.” She knew no one at Leargan would protest his leaving, for they all thought that Jaime was a half-wit and one to be feared.

He unclenched his massive hands and spread his palms flat on the ground. “Thank ye. Ye and the children dinna tease me or fear me. Ye are my only friend, and I dinna want ye to leave me.”

“Well, I shallna, and the children certainly wouldna wish ye to be separated from us. They love ye dearly.” She frowned when he tensed, oblivious to her words, and stared intently at the ground beneath his hands. “What is it?” She placed her palm flat against the earth and was startled to feel a faint tremor. “Jaime?”

“S-someone c-comes,” Jaime spat out, then cursed the stutter that had marked him as an idiot, a stutter Ailis had helped him overcome until it only affected him when his emotions ran high. He clenched his jaw and struggled to speak quickly despite the stutter. “They c-come from the n-north.”

“MacDubhs,” Ailis whispered, terrified for the children because Jaime was unarmed, their horses were unready, and they were all far away from the protective walls of Leargan.

“Maybe. A goodly number and they ride hard. We must flee from here.”

“There is no time!” Ailis cried as she leapt to her feet, able now to hear the swift approach of horsemen from a direction where only her enemies dwelled.

With a speed that Ailis found truly astonishing in such a big man, Jaime collected the children. Ailis nodded when he suggested that they seek shelter in a large tree at the edge of the clearing. It was hardly impregnable, but it could hide them from the riders thundering their way. If not, it would buy them time, time that could bring rescue. Ailis nimbly swung up into a large gnarled tree and got ready to haul up the children as Jaime handed them to her. Jaime was just handing Rath up to her, the last of the three frightened children, when the riders galloped into the clearing. Ignoring her urging to join them, Jaime turned to face their enemy alone.

Alexander reared to a halt mere feet from the huge dark man. His soldiers quickly reined in around him. After studying the giant by the trunk, Alexander looked up into the branches of the tree and felt almost lighthearted. Twin boys and a small strawberry-blond girl child peered down at him. Such luck did not often come his way.

“The fates have truly smiled upon us this day, Angus.” He grinned at his cousin, who held his usual place of honor on his right. “The fruit we seek is here for our picking.”

“Aye, but there is a muckle great tree to fell ere we can collect the harvest.” Angus nodded toward Jaime.

As he signaled to his men to go after the man guarding the tree, Alex advised them, “Dinna kill him if ye can help yourselves. He is unarmed and outnumbered thirty-five to one. ‘Twould be naught but murder.”

From her perch in the tree Ailis watched nearly half of the men dismount, toss aside their weapons, and approach Jaime. Her blood ran cold when she recognized the MacDubh badges they wore. They apparently did not intend to kill Jaime, but she was not particularly comforted by that. Jaime could not defeat all of the men. Unless some help miraculously arrived, she and the children would fall into the hands of her clan’s deadliest enemies. Tales of the horrors the MacDubhs visited upon any MacFarlane luckless enough to fall into their bloodthirsty grasp ran rampant at Leargan, and she had the misfortune to suddenly and clearly recall each and every one. Calm reason told her that not all of the tales could be true, but, she decided, fear was a highly unreasonable emotion. At that moment she could, and did, believe all the very worst that had ever been said about the infamous MacDubhs.

Relaxed in his saddle, Alexander watched the battle as his men rushed the giant standing guard by the tree. It was a fight that could only end in victory for his men, but the dark behemoth was taking a heavy toll. The fact that the huge man would face several MacDubhs with only his bare fists was pure lunacy, but Alexander could only respect such madness. It was evident that the big man intended to fight to the death, with whatever weapons were at hand, in order to protect the four who huddled in the tree. Loyalty such as that could only be honored, although Alex wondered if the man’s protectiveness would be as fierce if he knew who had fathered the children he so valiantly fought for. When the large man finally fell, Alexander felt no surge of victory. He dismounted, approached the tree, and gazed up at four small, pale faces.

“Come down, mistress, and bring the bairns with ye,” he ordered. A second, closer look at the little girl’s strawberry curls and the twins’ eyes and features confirmed Alex’s belief that he and his men had chanced upon Barra’s brood. “Your gallant protector has fallen at last, so ye must accept defeat and climb down.”

“Accept defeat? Never!” replied Ailis, successfully subduing her very real fear for the children, herself, and the unconscious Jaime. “If ye want me and the bairns, ye will have to come up here and collect us.”

Alexander ground his teeth as he signaled to a select few of his men to answer the girl’s challenge. He knew she was trying to gain herself some time. Whether or not she had any sound reason to think that that would gain her rescue, Alexander was determined to give her as little time as possible.

When the first man who tried to ascend the tree was sent groundward by the simple but effective application of one dainty booted foot in his face, Alexander was as surprised as anyone. As each man went up, he was cleverly routed. The men planned a defense for the move that sent their predecessors tumbling to earth, but the woman, with the agile assistance of the boys, simply adjusted her methods to suit the new attack. Despite a MacDubh advantage of physical size, muscular superiority, and greater number, the girl held the stronger position, for she had a highly advantageous point of defense.

As the eighth man tumbled to the ground, Alexander decided he had had enough. Valuable time was being wasted. He drew his sword and held it to the throat of the now conscious, but still groggy, giant who had proved such a valiant protector despite having been overcome in the end. The threat was a bluff, and Alexander could not guess how she felt concerning the welfare of her guard, but it was a ploy worth trying.

“Mistress,” he called, and everyone looked his way. “There has been enough of this play. Come down or I shall cut this man’s throat here and now.”

Ailis knew she had finally lost the battle, but said, “Ye didna kill him when ye had to fight him; why should I believe that ye would do so now?”

“Because we both ken that ye are trying to gain time. Well, I have no more time to waste.”

That cold statement confirmed Ailis’s decision to surrender. A plan was of little use when it was known by the enemy. Neither could she use Jaime’s life to buy time to wait for a rescue that might never come. No one knew she and the children had left Leargan, let alone where they had gone to. She doubted that they would even be missed for several more hours. Jaime’s life meant more to her than gaining a little time. Ailis could only pray that she was not just delaying Jaime’s fate even as she hurried forward the fate of herself and the children. She glared down at the man who threatened her dearest and truest friend.

“I want your oath that no harm will come to us,” she said. “Your solemn oath.”

Alexander stiffened with outrage and snapped, “We dinna make war upon helpless women and bairns.”

“I didna ask ye for a debate on what ye will or willna do. I asked for your oath that the bairns will come to no harm whilst they are in your hands.”

A soft growl through tightly gritted teeth was Alexander’s first reply, but then he said, “Ye have my oath on it. Now, get your backsides out of that cursed tree ere I skewer this giant.”

“Someone must catch the children,” Ailis said, trying not to let the man’s obvious fury frighten her. “ ‘Tis too far for them to come down unaided.” Over and over she told herself she had to remain brave before the children, for she did not wish to add to the upset they were already suffering.

It was difficult for Alexander to just stand and watch as the children were lowered down. As he took a close look at them, their relationship to his brother, to the MacDubhs, was clear to see, and he felt himself swell with emotion—an even mixture of a still raw grief and a deep joy. In order to conquer that wealth of feeling he turned his full attention to the slim, shapely, raven-haired woman nimbly descending from the tree and ignoring the offered assistance. The vision also caused something to stir inside of him, but he was almost certain most people would not consider lust an emotion.

The woman was small, yet had a sensual air equal to, even surpassing, that of a voluptuous woman. As she moved to the fallen giant’s side, her walk held an explicit invitation, although instinct told Alexander that it was not only unintentional but unknown to her. Nevertheless, Alexander was immediately determined to accept that invitation.

Jaime sat up, looking a little groggy and his swarthy face reflecting his upset, an emotional turmoil further illustrated by the heavy stutter he spoke with. “Och, m-mistress, ye shouldna have come d-down. I am n-nay worth it. Ye should have s-s-stayed in that t-tree.”

The twins were patting Jaime’s broad back, and little Sibeal held one of his large hands in her two tiny ones in an attempt to calm the distraught man, so Ailis patted Jaime’s dark, curly head. “Nay, I couldna desert ye. Dinna fret so. If it will make ye feel any better, dinna believe I did it for ye, but for myself—for the ease of my own heart, soul, and mind. Nary a one of them would have given me a moment’s peace if I had let ye be slain.”

A frown settled on Alexander’s face as he ordered his men to collect all the items that belonged to the MacFarlanes. It was clear that Jaime was a little slow. It was also clear that even the woman held some affection for the brute. That puzzled Alexander, for it went against what he had come to believe about women. So did her surrender simply because he had threatened the giant. He pushed his confusion aside and considered the problem now confronting him. He wanted the girl, but lust was not sufficient reason to drag her along with them. So, he mused with an inner smile, he had to find another to salve his conscience.

“What are ye to these bairns?” he demanded of Ailis. “Are ye their nurse?”

The very last thing Ailis wanted the man to know was that she was Colin MacFarlane’s niece. Although he had been kind to the children, she could not forget the blood feud between the MacDubhs and the MacFarlanes. She suspected he might not be so charitable to an adult MacFarlane. “Aye, I am their nurse.”

“Ye look a wee bit young to be a nurse.”

“I am twenty. ‘Tis old enough.”

“Then ye are to come with us. I will have need of a nurse to tend the children, and there is none at Rathmor.” He grasped her by the arm and frowned when she did not immediately fall into step at his side.

“What of Jaime?” she asked as she fought the tug he gave on her arm.

“What of him? He can stay here.”

“I didna surrender to save his life just so that ye can leave him to Colin MacFarlane’s fury. ‘Twould be a certain death for Jaime.”

Alexander knew he was making a mistake even as he looked into the eyes of the three children. Just as he had expected, the plea he could read upon the children’s face was his undoing. It was undoubtedly foolish to take such an admirable fighter into the very heart of his stronghold, but Alexander knew he could never tell the children that he was going to leave the brute behind to an uncertain and, most assuredly, unpleasant fate.

“Very well,” he snapped, irritated by his own weakness. “He may come with us if he swears to cause no trouble.”

Jaime hesitated only long enough to exchange one long look with Ailis, then managed to utter the promise Alexander had demanded. Alexander’s men eyed the huge man warily as he mounted. The MacDubhs did what they could to disguise any signs of their presence. They swept the ground with branches to obscure their tracks, patted down any turned-up earth, and even cleared away any horse droppings. The last thing Alexander needed or wanted was to be caught up in a mad race for the safety of Rathmor.

Alexander sat the young girl Sibeal on his horse in front of him while the twins were mounted together on another horse. The somewhat haughty-appearing nurse rode alone, and astride, much to Alexander’s appreciative amusement. He wrenched his gaze from her slim stockinged legs and signaled the start of the ride back to Rathmor. He ordered his men to keep the horses at a steady, ground-covering pace, yet one that would not tire the animals out too quickly.

It had all gone far too well for his liking. Alexander could not believe his luck. It made him uneasy. Except for a multitude of bruises and a possible broken bone or two, he and his men had gained their objective with very little violence. He had been prepared to attack Leargan itself, hoping that the advantage of surprise would compensate for his small force, but he was pleased that he did not have to take that risk now. Nevertheless, he could not shake the feeling that trouble and complications aplenty waited just around the corner. He cursed himself for a superstitious fool and concentrated on getting back to Rathmor before his remarkable good luck ran out.

As Ailis rode along on her sorrel mare, she felt relieved that her ploy of claiming to be the children’s nurse had worked. She suspected the man had very little knowledge of such things; otherwise he would have realized that she was too young to hold such an important position in her clan. She prayed that none of the children would give her away. It was enough for now that her quick, sharp look had silenced them. She did not like to force them to lie, but the truth now would only cause them all a great deal of trouble.

Although there had been sporadic violence between the clans, she had no idea why the MacDubhs should want Mairi’s illegitimate children. They could not possibly know what she had only suspected. Yet stealing the children had clearly been the MacDubhs’ plan. She could not believe that the fair-haired leader who had spared Jaime’s life could be so vile as to harm children. Ailis hoped that she was not letting the man’s handsome face blind her to his true nature.

There was only one thing she was sure of, and that was that she faced rape at the hands of the beautiful if grim-faced man who led the MacDubhs. A chilling shudder ripped through her when she had finally realized who he was—Alexander MacDubh, the most famous and feared member of the MacDubh clan. From a very young age she had been taught what the man looked like, a description it had been easy for any young lass to recall. Those tales of a beautiful man, altered by grief from a charming courtier to an embittered, cold-hearted raider, had always fascinated her and won her sympathy. As a young girl, she had suffered from a confusing mix of a need to see such a beautiful man and a dread that she might some day get her wish. Dread was what she felt now, for she had caught a glimpse of a familiar look in his rich blue eyes, a look she regrettably knew all too well. Alexander MacDubh desired her. Now that she was his prisoner, he could simply take her whenever he wished.

The arrogance of it annoyed her even as the inevitability of it chilled her. She would have no allies at Rathmor; Jaime would only be slain if he tried to come to her aid. Her true identity would certainly not help her. It could easily inspire an even harsher treatment.

In the guise of the children’s nurse she might be able to talk Sir Alexander out of what he was planning for her. Rumor said that he had once been a very charming seducer. If he discovered that she was Ailis MacFarlane, however, MacDubh would find the use of her a thing to savor, for he would know how it would stab at the heart of the too-proud Colin MacFarlane. The more she considered the matter, the more inevitable rape seemed, so she tried not to think about it, something she failed miserably at. She vainly fought an encroaching sense of resignation.

When the dark walls of Rathmor came into view, her air of calm was even harder to maintain. Rescue would now be difficult and costly, in both time and in men. It would all depend on how badly the blood tie between the MacCordy and the MacFarlane clan was desired. There could well be no rescue attempt at all. As far as the children were concerned, Colin MacFarlane could consider himself well rid of a heavy and embarrassing burden.

Suddenly the time she had struggled to gain back in the clearing was no longer desirable. Time could now lose her her maidenhead. Time could now tear away her disguise as a mere nurse. Time could now buy her nothing but trouble. In fact, she thought as the thick gates of Rathmor thundered shut behind her, time could now become her worse enemy.

 

“If we continue on like this, we will kill the horses.” Malcolm MacCordy dragged his forearm across his face, using his shirtsleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow. He scowled up at the afternoon sun and then looked around the clearing they were in.

As he reined in beside his cousin, Donald snapped, “We havena found them yet.” His father, brother, and most of the ten men-at-arms with them muttered agreement. “Do we just quit, then?”

“The moment ye kenned that the children were outside of Leargan, ye tumbled into a panic.” Malcolm spoke in a low voice, for he did not want the men-at-arms learning of the MacCordys’ deep interest in the children.

“And so we should have. Colin is a fool. Letting the bairns roam free is much akin to dropping a full purse in the town square and hoping it will be left untouched.”

“And riding about hour after hour like crazed idiots makes us wiser than Colin?”

“We need those children!”

Malcolm bit his tongue against all the words he wished to say. If the MacCordys had not been so grasping and dishonest, they might well have an ally or two left. Then they would not have such a need for the children. In truth, they were nearly encircled by people who had a grudge against them, and first amongst those were the MacDubhs. Malcolm suspected that the MacDubhs were behind the disappearance of Ailis and the children.

“We arena succeeding this way.” Malcolm struggled to be tactful and finally said, “I think we need to rest and rethink our plans.”

“Aye,” agreed William. “That sounds like a good idea.”

“Oh? And what would ye ken about a good idea?” Donald yelled at his younger brother. “Ye are naught but a witless fool!”

With a shake of his head, Malcolm dismounted as his cousins began to bicker in earnest. He watered his horse, loosely tethered the animal, then collapsed beneath a large tree. He watched in bored amusement as the graying Duncan joined in the argument between his two burly sons. The rest of the men dismounted, watered their horses, and let the animals graze as the three men continued their quarrel. Malcolm mused that it did not require any great wit to know that riding around the countryside at full gallop and shouting was no way to proceed, but there was no way to tell his cousins that.

Malcolm sighed, idly brushed some grass from the front of his elegant black jupon, and reached for his waterbag. Then he grew tense and still. He narrowed his eyes as he searched the ground for exactly what had so briefly yet fully caught his eye. It took several moments of close scrutiny, but then he understood. Someone had done a good job of trying to conceal it, but he knew some sort of confrontation had occurred on that very spot and not too long ago. He could now discern where the moss and grass had been trampled, even gouged in a few places. When he made a wider search of the ground, he discovered a few splotches of blood still sticky to the touch. Instinct told him the blood must be from a fight between Jaime and whoever had tried to kidnap Ailis and the children.

But in which direction had they ridden? Silently Malcolm searched the area in an ever-widening circle. His efforts brought him rewards just as the others ended their tirade and began to eye him warily. Malcolm paid his bulkier cousins no heed. Not far beyond the clearing there was ample sign of the recent presence of a large force of mounted men. Malcolm followed the trail of the riders a few yards. Now it was clear who had Ailis and the children. It surprised him some that, as all evidence indicated, they had also taken Jaime. Malcolm’s thin face tightened into a grim expression as he acknowledged the possible death of all the MacCordys’ grand plans and the fury his kinsmen would display when he told them. He strolled back to his cousins.

“They were here, but they are long since gone,” he announced.

Donald scowled at him and scratched his softening stomach. “What do ye mean? We were here but a short while ago and saw nothing.”

“We didna look close enough.” With his cousins at his heels, Malcolm began to point out all he had just discovered. “I think the blood is from that brute your tiny bride keeps at her side, Donald. Aye, and some from the ones who brought him down. The ones who did this made a nearly perfect job of concealing their tracks. It bought them the time they needed to get back to their lair before anyone came to look for the bairns and Mistress MacFarlane.” Having shown his cousins all the clues he had uncovered, Malcolm leaned against the gnarled tree he had sprawled beneath earlier. “From the direction the riders took when they left here, I think we all ken who has taken the lass and the children.”

“Aye,” snarled Duncan after indulging in a hearty and profane bout of cursing. “The MacDubhs. If Alexander MacDubh doesna ken who the bairns are now, he will ere his brother sets eyes on the bastards.”

“I think he kens very well who those bairns are,” said Malcolm, running his long fingers through his dark brown hair. “A man doesna come on a raid at midday without good reason. Nor does he leave his lands at this time of the year if he can avoid it. There is just too much work that needs to be done. Pulling men from their work now could well bring hunger in the winter months ahead. Nay, MacDubh came here for a reason, a very good reason, and I ken that it fell into his very lap. The man probably canna believe his luck. I think ye have lost this game, Cousin.”

“Nay!” bellowed Donald, then quickly lowered his voice. “There may yet be a chance to retrieve our loss. Aye, the MacDubh will want to hold fast to the children, but he willna keep Ailis. A ransom will be asked for her. Why, even the greatest of fools can see the worth of such a prisoner.”

“Aye, and the MacDubh’s no fool. However, if the lass is as wise as I feel she is, she will do her utmost to try and hide the truth of who she is.”

“I canna see that,” muttered William, revealing to Malcolm that he could easily be as thick-witted as so many accused him of being. “The MacDubhs will ransom her, free her, if she tells them who she is.”

Malcolm refrained from telling his young cousin how wrong he was, for he had learned years ago that pointing out his faulty reasoning did no good. “The MacDubhs have sworn vengeance against the MacFarlanes for the treacherous murder of their father. It would greatly please them to have Colin’s niece, his only heir unless that half-wit Colin married has a bairn. The MacDubhs will ransom Ailis, but they will use her ill first. The chance to taste vengeance by abusing Colin’s heir will be a temptation too sweet to refuse.”

Donald swore viciously. “That bastard MacDubh will use her anyway.”

“As any man would do if he found himself in possession of as sweet a piece as Ailis MacFarlane is,” agreed Malcolm. “I was meaning that she wouldna be passed amongst the men if she can hide who she really is. She willna be returned a maiden, but that is a small loss compared to what she could be if she were used roughly by all at Rathmor. Ye might yet get a taste of what ye have so hungered for, Donald.”

“Aye, but only after a MacDubh has savored it first. A cursed MacDubh was between the legs of Mairi ere I could have her. Now there will be one between the legs of Ailis. I am sore weary of MacDubhs taking the maidenheads of the lasses I am betrothed to.”

“Ye werena betrothed to Mairi,” said William, and he ducked to avoid Donald’s swinging fist. “Ye werena.”

“I was soon to be betrothed to her.” Donald ceased trying to strike his young brother and put his gloved fist on his hips. “I had to wait until her idiot of a father decided she was of an age to marry, but Barra MacDubh slid his sword into my sheath ere the betrothal toasts were raised.”

“Ailis is Colin’s heir, and that is more important than her cursed maidenhead,” snapped Duncan, cuffing his eldest son offside the head. “We are after her land, her dowry, and the alliance with the MacFarlanes, not her twice-cursed chastity. I dinna care who has bedded the wretched lass so long as ye are the one she weds.”

“I care!” yelled Donald, his pockmarked face turning a choleric hue. “The MacDubhs will pay dearly.” He tightly gripped the hilt of his sword.

“Ailis’s lost maidenhead is the least of our concerns,” Malcolm drawled, a quick glance assuring him that Colin’s men-at-arms remained out of hearing range. “The MacDubhs now hold the weapon we had planned to use against them, to break them. Bastards or nay, those children could be the only heirs Rathmor has. Barra MacDubh courts no woman save for Dame Ale, and Alexander has become so embittered that he trusts no woman and will take none to wife. He takes care not to seed any woman he uses. He doesna wish to give them the means to drag him before a priest. The children were a strong weapon whilst ye held it, but I think ye will never get it back now. MacDubh will expect ye to try and will be ready for ye. Rathmor is a nearly impregnable keep. Have ye any plan at all? Did ye never think that such as this could happen?”

“Aye, we did,” Duncan grumbled. “However, whatever we decide to do will take time, something we dinna have at this season of the year.” Duncan scowled and scratched his beard-stubbled chin. “Come the spring, the bairns will be back in our hands. The question we need to answer is—do we leave Ailis unransomed until we grab the bairns? I canna stomach giving the MacDubhs all they could demand in return for such a valuable captive. Colin willna be too pleased to part with the large ransom the MacDubhs could ask for the heir of Leargan.”

“Nay, Colin holds tightly to his purse,” William agreed, a brief look of confidence firming his round face.

Duncan nodded after looking at his youngest son in some surprise for his insight. “This must all be given some careful thought if we are to gain as much as we can out of this.”

“When the ransom is asked, willna Colin have to pay?” asked William. “If he deserts his own blood, he will never be trusted again by anyone who might hear about it.”

“Willie”—Duncan spoke with an exaggerated patience—“Colin MacFarlane is little trusted by anyone even now.”

“I think the question of ransom must remain unanswered for now,” Malcolm said. “I feel certain that Ailis will try and hide her identity. She isna stupid. It may be some time ere MacDubh kens that he holds someone who is worth ransoming.”

“I hope ye are right, Malcolm,” Duncan said, his voice heavy with doubt. “We need time to work out our plans.”

“Aye,” agreed Malcolm, “and right now time could prove to be our worst enemy.”