Sacrificing his Highland Heart by Kenna Kendrick
Chapter Three
“They are here, Laird. They have come as agreed.” One of Euan’s men approached him while he ate, and he leaned back to take the message in hand.
He grunted. “So, the English fools are nae so foolish after all.” He opened the letter he’d received a day and a half before, and just as he did, he heard his men, and two more entered the hall.
He glanced down at the words of the message he’d kept with him to remind him of why he’d done what he’d done.
Laird Rede,
We are in agreement. For my father’s life, you shall be united in marriage to my sister, Rose. Then we are allies.
Henry Sayer
Grinning to himself, Euan folded up the letter and laid it on the table. He motioned to a servant. “Prepare the rooms.” He turned to his men. “Are there many with them? It is nae a trap?”
His head man, Angus, shook his head. “Nae. There are only a handful of men with them. And our watchers have surrounded the castle, watching every area of land. There are nae others, lying in wait.”
“Good. Then get Sayer from the dungeon. He will be happy tae watch the marriage ceremony of his daughter. Get the priest as well.”
His men and the servant jumped to do their duty, and Euan was left alone in the hall again. When he was alone, the air around him seemed to shrink. He had created such a persona, and he felt it large and wide, hitting others and spreading and touching everyone in its path. When he was alone once more, it sucked back inside of him, like a brisk wind rushing back from whence it sprung, and he was just Euan. Laird, orphan and only 26 years old.
But it is a good plan. It will work. It will protect the people.He thought to himself, but deep down, he hoped that the portraits of his family, which hung on the walls of his hall, would hear as well and would know why he did what he did. That he did it for the sake of Rede Clan. He pushed away any vestiges of niggling guilt that pressed into his mind and heart, and he stood up, abandoning the meal he had only just begun. He was to be married that evening, and he needed to prepare himself properly.
He went to his chamber, dressed in his clan’s colors, and fitted himself with a belt, sword, and dagger. All his weapons except his buckler shield. He would look as fearsome as he was rumored to be. He would live up to his reputation, at least until the wedding ceremony was complete. Sayer would return to his estate and leave his daughter behind, forever cementing their alliance.
As he walked down the main steps and touched the hilt of his blade for strength, he could hear rumblings at the gate. With a nod to himself, he straightened his shoulders and stood before it, ready to make the acquaintance of his new bride. He could see the Sayer patriarch out of the corner of his eye, standing in chains, held by the arm by two of his men.
“Ye may open,” he said to the men guarding the door, and they pulled open the heavy door which screeched with the effort.
He stepped through the long passage toward the iron gate. He could see a younger version of George Sayer on one side and a cloaked figure on the other, both atop their horses, stationed and still. Sayer’s men, few in number, were waiting behind them on horseback. Euan’s own men surrounded them all on the wide stone bridge.
“Come down from yer height so that we might meet one another on equal footing.” Euan didn’t call for the gate to be opened just yet.
The younger Sayer jumped down, a look of righteous anger in his eyes. “As if you cared about such a thing, you Scottish bastard.”
He took a threatening step forward, but Euan held up a hand, amused, that the young man would think he could break through a tall iron gate with his bare hands. “Have ye nae come tae make a deal with me, lad? And yet ye think that ye could fight me? Take yer hand from yer sword. Ye look like a fool when my men from all sides are looking at ye, ready tae kill ye and all yer men as soon as ye take a wrong move.”
Henry Sayer was practically trembling with rage. Oddly, Euan felt a flash of kinship with the man. He knew the feeling.
“Where is our father?” Henry asked, and Euan’s eyes moved to the cloaked figure that remained silent throughout the exchange.
“He is inside, waiting for yer arrival.” If possible, Henry Sayer’s expression grew even darker.
He gripped onto the figure’s arm and nudged her forward. “Come, Rose. We shall go and see father first before anything more happens. Will you not open this gate? We have come as you have requested!”
Euan chuckled. The lad doesnae like his pride wounded, I see. He has been defeated; he is giving his own sister tae me for an alliance, yet he wants tae appear as if he has planned it all.
Euan stood in the middle of the entryway. He couldn’t take his eyes from the cloaked figure. He knew that he could never come to care for an Englishwoman after all the treachery her people had exacted on his and for foolish reasons. Yet, he found his curiosity overwhelming. He had to see the woman. He told himself that Henry Sayer might have tricked him, bringing him some random woman and claiming she was his sister. That would be a very good trick indeed.
But after seeing both the father and the son, Euan had a feeling that she would be black of hair and green of eye, and he wanted to see the combination on a woman’s face. He also wanted to know if she was beautiful or not. It made little difference to how he would feel about her, but still, he wanted to know.
“Wait just a moment, Sayer. Ye have brought me my prize, and I wish tae see her. Tae see what I have earned as part of our alliance. Besides, we cannae allow someone tae enter our stronghold cloaked. We must see her face.” His eyes flashed back at Henry, who now looked as if he was going to pop, but he didn’t move his arm from the woman’s, nor did he instruct her to remove her cloak.
“You do not believe that the first part of an alliance is trust? If you do not trust me, then we can go no further. We are at a stalemate.” Henry’s voice was low and menacing.
Euan paused for a moment and then threw his head back in laughter. “I could never trust an Englishman as far as I could throw him. But an alliance we will have.” His gaze sharpened. “Show me the lass.”
“Take off your hood, Rose,” Henry said, finally giving in to Euan’s words.
The woman lifted her hand to remove the hood of the dark cloak, and it fell back upon her shoulders. Euan’s following words were caught in his throat as he took in the sight of the most beautiful woman, he had ever laid eyes upon. “Open the gates,” he called loudly. He needed to get a better look.
* * *
Rose couldn’t bring herself to look up, not just yet. It would make it all too real, and in a matter of days, her family would be gone from her, and she would be left here. With a man whose voice sounded like ice as it barked its orders and responded to Henry’s feeble threats and angry tones. Her eyes were on his boots throughout the whole exchange. She could tell he was a strong man from the shape of his legs which showed in the slimness of his tartan trews. Now that they were in Scotland, the air smelled different, and the landscape looked different. Everything was so new and strange, and she had practiced keeping her breath steady the whole of the journey to keep from fear taking over her mind and her body.
When the Laird had ordered to see her before she entered the castle, she knew her time of hiding was over. She took another calming breath and removed her hood, keeping her eyes down but lifting her face a little. Henry had reminded her on their way of her pride. “We are Sayers, Rose. You do not need to humble yourself before this man, this creature.”
She remembered. She also wanted to stand firm to show him that she couldn’t be cowed. She had tasted her sweet freedom and independence, and she wouldn’t let someone else take what confidence she’d been able to build from that time. She watched in fright as the booted legs walked towards her and planted themselves in front of her.
“Lift your head a little more, lass,” he said, in a voice that she didn’t expect. It was still deep and powerful but also low and gentle. She didn’t move, so surprised was she by his change in tone.
She felt a gentle nudge on her chin with a rough finger. “Will ye nae show me yer eyes, lass? I need tae ken that ye are Sayer’s sister in truth.”
Clenching her jaw, she took another breath and then lifted her eyes to his until she was locked in pools of crystal blue. A small gasp escaped her lips, and she shut her mouth tight afterward, afraid he had heard her surprise and appreciation. The man was young, far younger than she’d expected, and he was…breathtaking. That was not the way she would have ever described a man before, but then again, no man had ever stolen her breath like this man had just done.
He was tall, very tall, taller than any Englishman she’d seen. He had blond hair, rough and windswept, a clipped blond beard, and a slightly turned up mouth in an amused expression. She knew she was rather bold in her assessment of him, but her eyes couldn’t stop their movements. They moved from his mouth to his neck and down. He had strong, broad shoulders that she had the strangest urge to reach out for and feel under her palms. He wore dark green and black plaid over his shoulders. Before she could continue her perusal, he spoke in a soft voice, making her look at him again.
“Aye, ye couldnae mistake her for anyone else. The eyes. Eyes like that….” He trailed off, and Rose almost leaned forward into him, curious about the end of that sentence. But he turned away and grinned at her brother. “Come along then. I shall see ye and yer men comfortable and ready. The priest should be along very soon.”
He didn’t look at her any longer, and she frowned. Just as she’d been told. He was a brute and their enemy, so why would she expect him to say anything more to her? She knew she was being outrageous to even want such a thing. Still, now that she had taken that first sip of freedom, her newfound confidence was stuck inside her permanently. She wanted to at least be recognized. Her anger slowly simmering in her belly, she followed her brother and new husband. They left the horses and their men and walked through a long passage toward the enormous open door of the castle. It had been a beautiful sight when they’d ridden up to it, even though Rose knew she was riding to her fate, either ill or good. And inside, the castle looked just as tall, impenetrable, and menacing as it had from the outside.
Inside, she finally felt warmer, out of the way of the cool spring breeze. Despite the early hour, torches were lit on either side of the wall. The passage eventually opened into a wide, open room, from which other passages connected. Just above her was a broad set staircase leading up the second level. She heard metal and turned to see her father there waiting just by the stairs, chained and looking as if he was utterly spent.
Her anger exploded, and it flooded throughout her veins. She was practically trembling with it. However, her fear for her father filled her too. “Father!” she called out and hurried towards him. When her hands met his arms, she felt how thin they were, and his chains rattled at the contact. Even so, there was a smile on his dirtied face.
“My Rose. You have come.”
“Of course! We could not simply leave you!” Her eyes moved quickly over his frame, searching for any injuries or changes, anything that she could throw back in the Scottish brute’s face. “Are you well? Are you hurt?”
Before her father could answer, the Scottish brute spoke. “He is well, lass. He has been fed and rested, and he has nae been hurt.”
Her father nodded, but now his eyes looked worried. “The man speaks the truth, but you should not have come, my dear. Henry,” he said, moving to look back at her grim-faced brother. “There was no need for you to come.”
“Of course, there was a need,” Henry spat under his breath. “It was a matter of honor.”
“I am happy to do my duty, Father,” Rose said, even though her words sounded stilted and awkward. She hoped that if she said them enough times that they would be true.
“Unchain him,” she told Laird Rede, keeping her shoulders straight and her eyes narrow as she turned to look at him. She knew how ridiculous it must look with her being so short and him so tall, but she put her hands on her hips, hoping to bolster her size as she stared up into his handsome face. “There is no need for chains, now that we are here to do as you ask.”
He smiled, clearly amused at her impudence. She, however, had to try to not focus on how much his smile made him even more handsome and alluring. “Calm yerself, lass. We are tae be husband and wife very soon, and yer father’s chains will remain where they are until the deed has been done.”
Before he could continue, a young man stepped up to Laird Rede’s ear, and he smiled again. “The priest has come. Now, off tae the hall and tae the wedding, my dear.” He offered his hand to Rose, and even though she was bristling with rage, at least her father’s freedom would come after the ceremony. She had come all this way, and she couldn’t stop now. She took his hand but was sickened by his look of smug satisfaction.
