April Holthaus - The MacKinnon Clan 02 (7 page)

Jacqueline felt surprised by his informal inappropriate language. Clearing her throat she softly replied, “Yes.”

Slowing his horse, Ewan found a thicket of bushes. It was out in the open but would offer the English lass enough privacy, at the same time allowed him to keep watch on her. Sliding his leg to the other side, he leaped down from his horse and raised his hands to grab onto Jacqueline’s waist to help her down.

“Ye can go behind the brush but dinna take long.”

Jacqueline walked down the slope to the other side of the bushes. After taking her time, to purposely defy her riding partner, she returned and went over to a pile of rocks that had a flat surface on top to sit and stretch her sore legs. Jacqueline watched Ewan as he dug around in his satchel.

Besides his arrogant behavior, Jacqueline couldn’t help but admire his masculine physique. Sitting directly behind him, her eyes traced along his wide shoulders and the curve of his back. While riding behind him, she remembered the feel of his tight stomach muscles flex underneath her small hands. Suddenly, her heart ached for James. Jacqueline began to feel guilty for having such thoughts towards another man.

Ewan turned around and placed a small dagger into his right boot. He felt the lass somehow tricked him by refusing to reveal herself and was uncertain if she could be trusted. He would have to sleep with one eye open, to make sure that the English lass wouldn’t try to kill him in his sleep. 

“There is a hollowed-out cavern just on the north side of these hills. We will camp there for the night,” Ewan said pointing in the direction of where they were heading.

Jacqueline stood up from the rock and slipped her foot into the stirrup of the saddle and mounted the horse without assistance. Soon they were off again. The hillside was steep, causing the large horse to step lightly until they reached the opening of the cave.

The mouth of the cavern had narrow walls that reminded Jacqueline of the passageways at Carlisle Castle. Once inside, the walls expanded wide and revealed a small enclosure just big enough for three or four people to sit in comfortably.

Ewan entered the cave holding onto an armful of wood and peat. Placing them down, he took out a flint and started to light them. The heat of the flames sent a tingle up his spine as the warmth enveloped around his cold flesh. Ewan removed the satchel he had hanging across his shoulder and pulled out some dried venison and an apple. Pulling out the dagger from his boot, he sliced the apple in two and held out one of the halves to the quiet lass.

Ewan felt bothered as she refused to speak to him. Perhaps he was being too harsh, he thought. After all, he did not know anything about the lass, and he would no longer wait for answers.

“I think it is time ye tell me the truth, and all of it. Who are ye? And what is an English lass doing so far from home, and in yer nightgown fer that matter?”

Jacqueline knew that she could no longer hide her identity. She had no choice but to trust this man. She needed his help. She would beg if she had to.

“My name is Jacqueline Marguerite Renold. I am the cousin of Lord Richard of Carlisle.”

“Carlisle?” Ewan laughed. “That foolish bastard thought to send a woman on a fool’s errand. And what is yer mission, my lady, to seduce the Scots who freed the prisoners? Make them easy bait for the soldiers to capture?”

Jacqueline shook her head. “I am not on any foolish mission. I was the one who freed the prisoners. They are after me.”

“After ye? My lady, it was me and my men who stormed the castle. It is our head that Richard wants. I doubt a lass is much of a threat to him,” he said quite amused by her story.

Jacqueline ignored his awkward expression and continued, “It was you who attacked us? Believe what you will, but I freed the prisoners. Killing in the name of God is a sin and I do not agree with how King Edward is handling his position with the Scottish. It is not his right to decide their fate, when all they want is freedom.”

“Freedom? Ye are English, my lady, what do ye ken of freedom. Ye live high and mighty in yer castle under yer king’s protection.”

“Freedom is why I left. That day was to be my wedding day. My brother had signed the contract for me to marry Lord Wessex. But my heart belongs to another. My brother had my beloved banished and one day he will find me and come for me.”

“Why dinna yer beloved take ye wit him?”

Jacqueline looked down at her hands and lightly replied, “I do not know. But one day he will come and we shall be married and leave this bloody place.”

“So nay only do ye have the king’s guards after ye, but an angry betrothed. Never have I met me an English lass fighting for a Scottish cause.” Ewan stopped laughing when he looked into Jacqueline’s disheartening blue eyes. Eyeing her up and down, he sat back against the stone wall. And like being reminded of a dream, he quietly said to himself, “Nay, it can nay be.”

Ewan looked at the petite lass in front of him. Ewan felt haunted by her daunting beauty.
Could it be her?
Could this be the angel that appeared to me that night?
He wondered. Her wavy golden hair, small features and slim figure told him that the lass was telling him the truth. That she indeed was at the castle that night. And that she was the angel that emerged out from the darkness.

“It was you.”

“What was me?”

“When my men fled the castle, I turned back and thought I had seen me an angel, appear before my eyes. Angels can only be seen when a mon is at his most desperate hour. I believed ye to be an angel who had come down from the heavens to offer us a sign of protection fer our people. But it was ye, running through the courtyard.”

Jacqueline’s embarrassment caused her cheeks to blush bright red. “I am afraid that I am far from being anything angelic.”

“I am no’ arguing that. Ye are English afterall.”

Jacqueline tightly pursed her lips and lowered her eyebrows by his comment. He was nothing more than an arrogant and proud man.

Ewan thought about how this situation went from bad to worse. With her now under his protection, the English would be searching for them both. It now made sense to him why the two men in the woods wanted to keep her for ransom. If the English really did place a bounty on her head, they would stop at nothing to put her in grave danger.

Ewan knew that that only way to help this lass was to find her a place she would be offered full protection, regardless of the English blood that ran through her veins. Even though, the idea of collecting the ransom for himself did cross his mind. It would be one sure way to rid himself of the lass and avoid becoming more involved.

Jacqueline yawned and felt her eyes grow heavy. Feeling fatigued and overwhelmed from the day’s events, she laid her head down upon her arm in front of the fire. She began to slowly close her eyes when she felt Ewan cover her up with his plaid. Tucking the soft fabric underneath her chin she looked at up him.

“I do not mean to cause you any trouble. But I do thank you.”

“Good nigh’, my lady,” Ewan said as he continued to tend the fire.

Ewan watched Jacqueline wrap herself up in between his thick plaid. Within minutes he heard the soft sound of snoring.

“Brother, what are you doing?” Jacqueline looked into Wayland’s dark eyes as he stood there speechless, swaying his black hood back and forth in this hands. She looked down at the wooden platform she stood upon and out at the eerie faces of the silent crowd staring up at her. A young ragged girl in the crowd pointed above Jacqueline’s head, causing Jacqueline to look up as well. As she slowly lifted her head, tightness in her chest caused a sudden loss of breath as she saw the noose dangling from the wooden beam above her. Looking back at Wayland, Jacqueline pleaded to him, “Brother, no, please you mustn’t, please you can’t.” She watched as he placed the hood over his head covering his face.

Jacqueline’s frightening dream shook her awake. Even with the cold air blowing in from outside the cavern, she woke with a sweat. Immediately, she sat up to calm her rapid breathing. Glancing around, she realized that Ewan was gone. Panic set in as she thought that her rescuer had left her alone. She would not blame him though. Helping her would only put his own life in danger and perhaps it was too much of a bargain to ask for.

Hearing commotion from outside the cave, Jacqueline went to peek outside. Down the hill, she saw several men with torches illuminating the darkness. She assumed they were the English soldiers scouting the area for her and the prisoners. From behind her, she heard leaves rustling underneath heavy footsteps. She looked down and found a thick piece of wood and picked it up. Hiding aside the entrance of the cave, she held the wood up high above her head, she waited for the intruder to reveal himself. Suddenly turning the corner, a large figure emerged and Jacqueline swung down hard onto the man’s head knocking him out cold.

Dropping the piece of wood, she used her foot to turn the trespasser onto his front side. In his arms he held onto what appeared to be a pile of clothing. Lifting up the fabric that covered his face, Jacqueline dropped to his side immediately after realizing that the man she attacked was Ewan. 

“Oh Ewan, I am so sorry. I didn’t know it was you.” Ewan did not move or respond.

Praying that she did not kill him, she shook him a few times trying to wake him, hoping that the Englishmen below were not aware of their presence.

Thunder clashed in the distance and a few drops of light rain began to pour down. When Ewan did not recover quickly, Jacqueline stood and grabbed onto his feet. With all her might, she dragged him into the cave to lay him next to the fire and went back outside for the clothes he was carrying.

Laying his head on her lap, she brushed her hand over his forehead where now a large red bump protruded.
What have I done?
Grabbing onto one of the articles of clothing to dry his face, Jacqueline realized that what she was holding onto was a gown. Looking at the beautiful purple stitched pattern, it dawned on her that he had left to find her something more appropriate to wear, other than her nightgown and robe. She felt awful for her terrible behavior.

Holding him this close, Jacqueline could not resist raking her fingers through his thick black hair. The flames of the fire glowed off his tanned skin. With his narrow face and angular cheekbones, he was a very handsome man. Jacqueline’s eyes caught a flicker of a shine from his chest. She looked back at him to see if he had wakened from his slumber and carefully lifted the top of his collar to reveal a beautiful gold medallion. It was round with an image of what looked to be a boar’s head with a hammer below it. Uncertain of its meaning, Jacqueline assumed it represented his clan.

What Jacqueline did find peculiar, was a light blue ribbon knotted to the chain that hung aside the medallion. Ribbons, Jacqueline knew were used to represent a lady’s favor. Never did she consider Ewan to be married or betrothed, but perhaps he did have someone in his life that he cared for deeply, just as she had her James’ heart. Hours passed and Jacqueline couldn’t stay awake any longer. Leaning back against the cavern wall, she fell asleep with Ewan’s head still resting on her lap.

Chapter 7

Ewan awoke with the most excruciating headache. Without opening his eyes, he placed his hand on top of his crown feeling a large painful bump on the side of his head. His fingers combed through a clump of hair that rested above his head and immediately he opened his eyes and looked up. Just above him, a beautiful sleeping lass held him in her arms. Confused by what had happened last night, he tried to remember but his mind was blank.

“Good, you are awake. I was worried about you,” Jacqueline said while she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

Ewan lifted his head from her lap and sat up. The rush of blood made him feel disorientated.

“How did I get here? The last thing I remember was being attacked.”

“You were not attacked. I was the one who hit you. It was only an accident. I saw the English soldiers and thought that you were one of them.”

“It was ye who attacked me. Why didn’t ye just kill me and run off.”

Frustrated, Jacqueline stood up from the ground. “You still don’t trust me?” she accused.

“My lady, I can give ye three reasons why I dinna trust ye. Yer a woman, I dinna ken ye and yer English. I did however offer ye protection and that I am giving ye. I e’en went out to gather ye some things as ye can nay keep traveling dressed as ye are. I found ye something to wear.”

Jacqueline bit her tongue, worried that she would say something that she may regret. Looking down at the dark purple gown and black cloak, she asked, “Where did you find these?”

“They were hung up drying outside one of the crofts we passed. I borrowed it.”

Jacqueline looked down at the stolen dress. She was not accustomed to taking things that did not belong to her and reminded herself to ask for forgiveness for Ewan’s transgression. She couldn’t help but become aware that even though his action was unruly, the gesture was kind that she felt a thank you was in order.

“I thank you. Again you have shown me kindness when others have not.”

“Yer welcome,” Ewan said still rubbing his head.

Jacqueline looked down at her mud-covered nightgown and felt the mangled knots in her hair. Remembering they passed a creek along the way, she wanted to wash up before they were to leave towards Carrick. She picked up the gown and cloak from the ground and bundled them up into her arms.

“If you will please excuse me, I would like some privacy.”

“Dinna go off too far.”

Ewan waited for what seemed to be a long time for a lass to have some privacy. Worried that she may be in danger, he set out after her. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon allowing for better lighting to follow Jacqueline’s tracks. With the snow almost melted, the tracks became harder to follow. Ewan slowed his pace as her footprints veered off down towards a creek at the bottom of a small incline. Along the water’s edge, he caught a glimpse of Jacqueline and his horse. She had led the horse down to the water to drink. Ewan began slowly walking towards the slope.