Highlander’s Frozen Heart by Shona Thompson

Chapter Six

Magnus managed to sleep for only what seemed like minutes to him. He spent most of the night wide awake, replaying what had happened between him and Adelleine over and over in his head, and by the time the sun rose over the horizon, he felt as though he could hardly stand on his own two feet. Exhausted, his eyes felt heavy and repeatedly tried to close, his body eager to lull him to sleep, but he didn’t allow it to do so.

It would be rude to stay in his chambers for much longer, after all, so he got dressed and left the room, only to find that everyone else in the house was already awake and going about their day. Victoria had his men sitting around her table, all of them digging into a proper feast for breakfast, and when she saw him, the smile that she gave him almost split her face in two.

“Come, come!” she said, beckoning Magnus as she pulled out a chair for him. Unfortunately for him, though, the only free chair seemed to be next to Adelleine.

She didn’t look very pleased about it, either, but she didn’t say anything. In fact, she didn’t even meet Magnus’ gaze as he walked over to the table and sat down next to her, his back stiff as a board as he tried to keep his distance as much as he could.

Magnus couldn’t do much other than sit there as his men spoke excitedly about their trip back home. He knew that they had all missed the Highlands, and he had as well, but he simply couldn’t share their enthusiasm about anything, not when Adelleine was right next to him, radiating nervousness and regret. He could feel her gaze on him, even though he didn’t dare to glance at her, burning holes into his skin.

“Are you quite alright?” Victoria asked Magnus, and he flinched, not expecting her to notice that there was something wrong.

Magnus put on his most charming smile and nodded quickly shoving a handful of fresh berries in his mouth, just so that he wouldn’t have to answer with words.

He didn’t trust his own voice to stay steady if he were to speak.

Thankfully, the rest of the breakfast was a rather painless affair for Magnus, and soon, he and his men were ready to depart. Just as his men were grabbing their belongings and his own, though, there was a knock on the door, and Adelleine and Victoria seemed to be just as startled as the men were.

“Excuse me,” Victoria said, hurrying to the door and opening it, only to greet whoever stood there with a lively laugh, “Oh my! Welcome, come in! Adelleine is right here.”

Though Magnus heard Victoria welcome the newcomer, it took him a while to see who it was, as the man took his time to come into the house. Once he did, though, his blood ran cold in his veins.

He knew who the man was. He had met him before, and he had heard all about him.

Magnus turned to look at Adelleine then, who had gone pale, her skin white as a sheet, and he soon knew that the baron she was intended to marry was no other than Caton.

Caton, who was notorious for being cruel to his former wives and mistresses, considered hurting women entertainment.

Adelleine didn’t even know what kind of man she was going to marry. She didn’t know about his past, she didn’t know about the rumors and the facts that circulated around him. She didn’t know that the most common rumor about him was that he had killed not one, but three servant girls.

Magnus didn’t always listen to rumors, but after talking to Caton himself, it had been easy to see that those particular rumors were mostly true. Caton was, indeed, a cruel man. He enjoyed belittling others, especially women, and Magnus would never forget the time that he had seen him extend his leg, just so that he would trip a servant girl who had served him a dish that he had deemed too cold.

“Good morning, Adelleine,” Caton said, ignoring everyone else in the room at first.

Magnus saw how Caton’s gaze lingered on Adelleine’s body, and he knew precisely what the other man was thinking. After all, he had seen the very thing that Caton was fantasizing.

“Good morning, Baron,” Adelleine said politely, a small smile spreading over her lips, one that did nothing to make her seem friendlier towards him.

Her disdain for Caton was obvious to Magnus, and he could hardly blame her.

Perhaps Adelleine could sense that he wasn’t a good man, Magnus thought. Perhaps there was something about Caton that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up every time he was too close, a survival instinct that told her to run.

Only then did Caton turn to look at Magnus and his men, and once he did, he raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Just as Victoria was about to intervene, though, Magnus smiled politely at the other man, introducing himself, even though the two of them had already met in the past.

“Laird MacRestus,” he said, “Ye might remember me, we met a few years ago.”

Caton scanned Magnus’ face for several moments, undoubtedly trying to remember him, but failing to do so. Magnus wasn’t bothered by it, though; in fact, he preferred it. The less the baron knew about him, the more at ease he felt.

“I must admit that my memory isn’t what it used to be,” Caton said with a loud, obnoxious laugh that echoed around the room, “May I ask what a laird is doing here, in Dalelry?”

“May I ask what a baron is doing here, in Dalelry?” Magnus said, instead of replying.

The look that Caton gave him would have brought lesser men to their knees, but Magnus stood his ground. He waited patiently for a reply, but it was one that would never come.

“Well, he is here for Adelleine, of course!” Victoria piped up, a hand coming to rest on Caton’s shoulder.

The two of them seemed to be awfully familiar with each other, Magnus noticed, and he wondered just how much Victoria knew about the man.

If she knew about him, how could she possibly want her own niece to marry him?

“So . . . yer the baron that Adelleine is to marry,” Magnus said, and the edge on his tone was obvious even to him.

“I am, yes,” Caton confirmed, flashing a smile at Adelleine, “You never told me why you are here.”

“I’m here because Jacob asked me to look after his sister,” Magnus explained, “And I’d do anythin’ for me best friend.”

“Ah, I see,” Caton mumbled, letting Victoria’s hand slide off his shoulder as he took a few steps towards Magnus.

He was trying to intimidate him, that much was clear. His men didn’t fail to notice, either, and soon, Magnus had all three of them standing right behind him, eager for a fight.

They knew who Caton was, too, and they certainly didn’t like him.

“We were just about to leave, me and the lads,” Magnus informed him. The last thing that he wanted was to get into a fight with a baron, and then have to deal with the repercussions.

The look that Adelleine gave him, though, was almost enough to stop him dead in his tracks. Her eyes, wide and fearful, had begun to fill up with tears, and Magnus could only shake his head just slightly, almost imperceptibly.

He couldn’t let that wedding happen. He wouldn’t.

Magnus had gone to Dalelry with the thought that he could perhaps help Adelleine financially if she so needed, giving her and her aunt some money every month. That had been the extent to which he was willing to help.

Now that he knew who her suitor was, though, he simply couldn’t stand aside and watch as Adelleine would be doomed to such a fate. Even if Jacob hadn’t asked him to take care of her, he would have still done his best to save her from such a marriage.

He would do his best to save anyone from such a marriage. No woman deserved the pain, the torture, and the humiliation that came with being Caton’s wife.

“I don’t suppose you would stay a while longer?” Victoria urged them. “Now that the baron is here—”

“Thank ye, but we must leave,” Magnus insisted, his tone firm, but gentle. He then proceeded to say his goodbyes, and he and his men were out of the house within minutes.

There was silence among them as they jumped onto the horses, and Magnus could feel his men’s disapproval, coming off them in waves. Once they were at a safe distance, though, he stopped his horse and gestured at them to do the same.

“What is it, m’lord?” Duncan asked.

“We cannae leave Adelleine here,” Magnus said, and it seemed to him that there was a collective sigh of relief around him.

“Shall we head back to the house?”

“Nay . . . nay, Duncan, I dinnae wish to harm a baron, no matter how much the bastard deserves it,” Magnus said. “We will wait until nightfall, and then I’ll sneak into the house for her. Then we’ll leave this place immediately.”

“We can fight him, m’lord,” Duncan insisted, “He is alone, we can kill him and nay one would ever ken.”

“I dinnae think he’s alone, Duncan,” Magnus said, glancing around him on instinct. A man like Caton would surely have some guards with him, just like Magnus did. “I simply think that his guards are sittin’ somewhere, waitin’ for him. The last thing we need is to start a war that nay one wants.”

“Aye, m’lord.”

Magnus led his three men out of Dalelry, deciding that it would be better to stay out of the town in case Caton’s guards saw them. Besides, it seemed easier to wait by the stream that ran through the outskirts of the town than being confined in a room.

The day went by slowly, and the entire time, Magnus kept an eye out for Caton and his men. They would hardly be able to spot them, hidden as they were by trees and bushes, but Magnus had a good view of the road that led out of Dalelry and towards Caton’s estate.

Perhaps he should let his men torch Caton’s home, Magnus thought, but the thought was only fleeting. It was a silly, childish approach to his problem, and one that wouldn’t solve anything.

No, he couldn’t draw any attention to himself or his men. Besides, once he would have Adelleine by his side, he was certain that he could shield her from anyone, even the baron and her own aunt.

No one would find her in the castle. No one would even know where to look.

“Is it true?” one of his men, Micheil, asked, breaking the silence, “What they say about the baron . . . is it true?”

“Aye,” Magnus confirmed, “At least I think so. As I said, I’ve met him once, and he was just as unpleasant as people say he is.”

“How can Mrs. Gresham nae ken what kind of man he is, then?” Micheil asked, “Everyone kens! How can she nae ken?”

“Perhaps she kens,” Duncan said with a small shrug, “Perhaps she wants her niece to marry a baron, and what happens to the niece is irrelevant.”

“Ye truly think so?” Micheil gasped, shaking his head to himself, “I cannae believe that she would do such a thing. She seems like a verra nice lady.”

“Aye, she does,” Duncan agreed, “But that doesnae mean that she is.”

“She’s doin’ it for the money,” Magnus said, “She doesnae have any, that much is clear . . . and if what Adelleine told me is true, then she owes a big sum to the baron. Giving him her niece would solve all her problems. She’s payment enough for the debt.”

It was a lot to bear, even for his men, who were not involved in the situation. Magnus supposed, though, that Adelleine had that effect on people, while Caton had the opposite; his men wanted to see Adelleine happy and Caton suffering, simply because she was kind and he was cruel.

Magnus didn’t want to see Caton suffering, though he wouldn’t try to stop it if it happened. What he wanted was for Caton to never hurt another woman.

As the day went by, Magnus grew more and more restless, and so did his men. It was an illogical fear to have, since Caton was still trying to impress Adelleine and her aunt, but Magnus simply couldn’t stop worrying that he would hurt Adelleine somehow, and that he wouldn’t be there to stop it. His heart only began to slow down once the sun dipped behind the horizon, several hours after they had first set camp by the stream, but even then, he knew that he couldn’t sneak into Adelleine’s house, not quite yet.

Besides, he hadn’t seen Caton and his entourage leave the town, and that only served to worry him even more.

The last thing he wanted was to attempt to enter Adelleine’s house, only to have his throat slit by one of Caton’s men, who would think that he was nothing but an intruder.

So, Magnus waited even longer, for several more hours, and he only left their camp once the streets of Dalelry were completely empty, and silence had fallen over the town.

Magnus moved slowly, deliberately, and soon he reached Adelleine’s house. The windows were dark, betraying the fact that everyone was asleep, and that gave Magnus some peace of mind as he crept towards the back door, the one that lead into the house through the kitchen.

His steps were feathery light. Moving with speed, he reached the back of the house, but then he immediately froze.

In the dark, there was a figure. It seemed to him like it had come out of the house, and was heading out into the streets, and so he thought it could only be one person.

Adelleine. Adelleine, who seemed to have taken it upon herself to escape.