Let Me Be Your Hero (2 page)

Take me to you, imprison me, for I, Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

John Donne (c. 1572-1631), English divine and metaphysical poet. Last lines of
Holy Sonnets,
no. 14

C
laire and Kenna watched as the men pulled the boat ashore. Claire shuddered at the sound of the hull scraping on the rocks, but she did not take her gaze from the figure of the tall, braw one in the back. As he waded to shore, she saw the flex of muscle beneath the wet trews.

He was pleasing to the eye, and a fine example of a man in his prime. He was well dressed, in a white linen shirt and trews, with the red Graham plaid that was worn by the Great Marquis of Montrose in the seventeenth century, when he was sent to the gallows. The other two men wore the blue Graham Menteith.

Dermot conversed with the men for a few minutes. Claire knew him well enough to know he not only approved of the Grahams, but that he also liked them,
which was not a common occurrence with Dermot, who was reputed to be as particular as Duffus when choosing those he favored.

Claire’s heart began to pound when the men laughed and started toward the women. As the eldest daughter, Claire would be introduced first. Her palms began to sweat, something that had never happened to her before, but then, never could she remember her heart beating so fast at the mere nearness of a man.

Hout! If she didna feel like a genteel lady—that is until she remembered her torn dress and the bits from her encounter with the rhododendron thicket still lodged in her hair.

She knew that in the absence of her father and brothers, she was expected to welcome the Grahams with kind regard, as her family’s representative. She well knew the Grahams were an ancient clan of much consequence, that went all the way back to Gramus, a Caledonian chief, who fought to repel the Romans. She oft heard her father tell stories of their military prowess, and how they were known as “the gallant Grahams.” Their strength and valor in battle was legendary, and many a fine leader died fighting beside Robert the Bruce and William Wallace.

Jamie, Lord Monleigh, was an important earl in the tradition of his ancestors. He was held in high regard, having earned the respect of his peers, his clan and the lower classes as well. His opinion was sought, his judgment sound, his treatment of others known to be honest and fair. Most important, the Grahams and Lennoxes had long been friends and allies, to the point that many of the members of each clan shared the same blood.

“Claire,” Dermot said, “do ye remember Lord Monleigh from the time he was here a few years past?”

She noticed that although he carried himself proudly, Monleigh’s eyes were kind, and that did much to put her at ease. “Aye, I do remember, although his lordship has grown considerably taller since that time. I dinna expect ye will remember me, Lord Monleigh, but on the behalf of my father, I welcome ye and yer men to Inchmurrin and Lennox Castle.”

“Lady Claire, I thank ye for yer gracious welcome. And ye are incorrect about my memory. I remember quite well my first sight of ye. How could I not remember, when I witnessed how ye so capably punched the sheriff’s son in the eye for hitting yer sister and pushing her into the mud.”

Everyone laughed, and Claire instantly felt a burst of heat upon her face. That was followed, she knew, by an explosion of color across her cheeks, as fiery and red as her hair. Lord above, she would never forget that incident, but she had forgotten it happened on that day, so long ago, when the Grahams were at Inchmurrin.

She also remembered her father’s stern scolding, and the subsequent punishment of being unable to ride her pony for one month. Once that was handed down, she heard her father say, “On the other hand, I dinna remember ever seeing anyone, man or lad, taking such a well-aimed punch and executing it with a more perfect delivery. Mayhap ye should have been a lad, Claire. Young Lachlan will have a black eye that he will no be able to hide. I fear ye have made an enemy for life, lass, for he will never forgive ye for the fact that it was a lass what bested him.”

“And I am two years younger that him,” she boasted, with much pride in her voice.

“Fine words butter no scones, Claire. I will not have ye putting on the plaid of a braggart. Now, come here and give me a kiss and then off with ye.”

The memory faded away, along with the warmth of her face, when Claire looked at him.

Monleigh was smiling. He asked Dermot if he had witnessed the punch.

Dermot nodded. “Oh, aye, I saw the moment she caught young Lachlan on the side of the cheek with her fist, and it slid right into his eye.”

Monleigh was laughing when he turned to his brothers. “The puir laddie went down in a heap. By the time we got there, his eyes were glazed and his arms limp.”

“Ye mean he was knocked unconscious?” the one with the bluest, heavenly eyes asked.

“Aye, he was no’ doon verra long, ye ken, but long enough that there was no mistake but what the wee lassie was capable o’ defending herself and those she sought to protect.”

“Tell me, has Lachlan Sinclair forgiven ye for the punch?” Monleigh asked, his eyes dancing with humorous indulgence.

“No, he swore a vow of retribution, and although he has not yet collected, I ken he ha’ no’ forgotten aboot it.”

Monleigh then apologized for not introducing his brothers, and corrected the oversight immediately. “May I present my brothers…”

Claire barely heard the name Niall, but when he introduced her to Fraser Graham, Claire regretted to the
bottom of her heart that she had punched Lachlan Sinclair in the eye, and she swore on her mother’s grave, that from this day forward, she would strive to be more ladylike, then added a short amendment.
At least when Lord Fraser is nearby…

They talked on for some time, the brothers interacting with Claire and her sisters, and then Claire invited them to stay for dinner.

Monleigh seemed pleased. “Thank ye for yer kind invitation. We had plans to go straight to Graham-stone Castle once we left here, so we would arrive before nightfall. However, such an invitation is difficult to turn down. What are a few miles ridden in the dark? What say ye, brothers?”

“I am quite fond of midnight rides,” Niall said.

“A modest price to pay,” Fraser said, “in exchange for a few hours of good conversation, in the company of such lovely lasses.”

“Do ye think,” Kenna asked after the men walked off, “that in our times it could happen that a man would be so besotted over a lass that he would kidnap her, like they did in bygone times?”

“Are ye daft?” Claire asked. “Faith! Where do ye get yer ideas, Kenna?”

“From the same place ye get yers, Claire.”

“Weel, I dinna sit around dreaming aboot nonsense.”

“’Tisn’t nonsense. I ken it could happen.”

“All right…fine…think it then, and have it yer way.”

“Ye dinna have to get mad aboot it.”

“I am not mad. I dinna understand what has come over ye all of a sudden. Ye were fine this morning, and
now ye are spouting nonsensical. Why would a man want to kidnap ye, when he could just as easily ask ye to marry him.”

Kenna was suddenly very quiet.

“Weel now, has the cat run awa’ with yer tongue? Dinna ye have an answer?”

Kenna shrugged. “Not today, but I ken I will ha’one tomorrow.”

Lennox Castle was built on a natural rocky outcrop on the southwest point of the island. A defensive ditch ran along the east side, which faced inland. It was a position that afforded both security and an effective way to control the coming and going of boats.

It was not as beautiful as some later-constructed castles, for it was a fortalice, a fortress built for protection and defense, and not intended to be pleasing to the eye. Yet, there was a certain charm to it—a certain romantic atmosphere it possessed—with its small tower, the keep, grounds, orchards and the beauty of the small island, and the enchantment of the lake surrounding it.

The castle itself consisted of three floors, hewn of native stone, three to four feet thick, castellated, and topped in the usual manner by a parapet. On the first floor, the kitchen and staff dining hall lay to one side of the tower, and to one side the cellars, laundry, the armory, and a narrow, steep stairway that led down to the dungeon. The rest included rooms devoted to castle maintenance and service. On the opposite side of the tower were the large dining hall and a library that also served as the earl’s study. From the main hall, a beautifully arched door opened into the courtyard.

There were two staircases that led to the upper floors: the second floor housing the family living quarters and the solar; the upper floor for those who worked in the earl’s employ.

All of the windows on the upper floors were like doorways to the tranquil and picturesque world beyond the island, and gave no hint to the savage and brutal events that had taken the lives of several Earls of Lennox, and members of their clan.

Aggie and Greer left shortly after the introductions so Aggie could alert the cooks that there would be guests for dinner. Claire, Kenna and Briana were going to take the familiar path back to the castle, while Dermot accompanied the Grahams in the boat.

With a backdrop of bright green meadow and the darker foliage of the thicket, the three lasses stood on the white pebbled shore, where the loch’s gentle billows washed against the rocks with soft liquid sounds that mimicked the sound of the sea. They watched Dermot and the Grahams push the boat into deeper water and then climb inside, and much to Claire’s delight, she noticed Fraser Graham’s movements were as graceful as a sea otter’s. She sighed, never taking her gaze from his person for even a second.

There must have been something desirous in that sigh, for Kenna immediately looked at her through two very suspicious eyes. “I thought ye said ye were no’ interested in men and such.”

Claire did not say anything.

“Claire, I heard ye say ye were no’ interested in the least.”

“What is the point ye are making, Kenna?”

“Ye scolded me for looking and speaking about their being so pleasing to the eye and all.”

“Aye.”

“Weel, now ye are doing the same thing, when ye said ye were no interested. Now, what say ye?”

“Mayhap I lied.”

“That is so like ye, Claire. It is what I find most infuriating aboot ye.”

“What? That I spoke the truth?”

“Aye, ye always stop me when I am nigh into an argument with ye, and then I have no way to let the steam off the kettle.”

“All I said was, I lied.”

“Aye, and how will I be finding myself a way to argue aboot that? I canna chastise ye for lying since ye have already admitted it.”

“Ye will think of something, I ken. Come now, we must start back if we are to arrive afore them.”

They started up the path, Claire going first and Kenna falling in behind her, the angry thrust to her chin saying she was still searching for a way to let the steam off the kettle.

At one point the path dipped where the trees thinned, and they caught a glimpse of the boat as it went around the rocky promontory that rose out of the deeper water. Wild roses and honeysuckle climbed the rocks to tangle with the flowers and ferns that grew in the crack. To the side where a small inlet lay, the water was smooth and still—it reflected like a mirror, the beauty of the island hanging over it.

From a short distance away came the sound of laughter, which cut through the silence like a crackle of static, and Claire felt a sudden stab of loneliness that
she did not quite understand. Her father and brothers left for Stirling two days ago and were due home on the morrow, so she should suffer no loneliness for them in such a short absence.

Yet it was such an odd sensation that she thought about it for a while—until she decided it was really more a feeling of loneliness, mixed with an odd sort of longing. That was followed by a horrible thought that suddenly occurred to her. Losh! What if she was having a glimpse into her future? And what if that meant she would go to her grave, a shriveled, innocent old maid?

The thought was so horrifying to her she immediately pushed it aside, said a quick prayer and thought upon something more pleasant—dark hair, and the bluest eyes that ever graced a bonny face.

Aye, she did not know the cause of these strange and new feelings, but she had a strong feeling as to the cure.

Fraser Graham had caught her eye, but she feared it would never go beyond that, for he and his brothers would stay for a time at Grahamstone Castle, and then they would return to Monleigh Castle, on a promontory that met the North Sea. So very far away.

If only there was a way to keep Fraser and his brothers nearby, then perhaps there would be time enough for them to be together, and to become, each to the other, too dear.

O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you. She is the fairies’ midwife…

And in this state she gallops night by night Through lovers’ brains, and then they dream of love.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English poet and playwright.

Romeo and Juliet
(1595), act 1, scene 4

A
fine meal was served, but no one paid much attention, for the best part of the evening was the friends they shared it with.

They were all settling into the wine and verbal exchange that follows dinner, when Claire heard a commotion in the outer rooms and wondered what the noise was about. That is, until she heard a booming laugh.

No one laughed like her father, and it was a pity, for Lord Errick had the most marvelous, magical laugh, and when anyone heard it, they knew immediately they were missing some wonderful part of life and wanted to participate.

His laugh was infectious and so endearing to her, for it brought back the memory of her childhood when she would go into the library and interrupt his work, and he would laugh and put her on his knee. He would tell her the story of how laughter came into the world, and how the first laugh was the sound of Adam’s joy when his first child was born, and how the laugh traveled across the room, until it bounced against the wall and shattered into millions of pieces. And when he heard the sound, God sent the angels to gather up all the pieces, and they gave one to each new child that was born, so there would always be joy and laughter in the world.

To Claire, that endearing laugh meant her father and her three brothers had returned from Stirling—a day earlier than she expected them. The commotion grew louder, and louder still, until the door to the great hall swung open and Alasdair, Lord Errick, walked into the hall. His captivating presence filled the room, for the sight of him in his dark green jacket with the pewter buttons, the black boots and heavy silver spurs was awe-inspiring and demanding of respect.

She smiled at the sight of her handsome, ginger-haired brothers, Breac, Ronaln and Kendrew, and was soon joined by her sisters when she went to greet them. Soon the Lennox men were surrounded by the four loving females in the family, who joyfully welcomed them home.

After many hugs and welcoming kisses, Alasdair greeted his guests, with two daughters tucked under each arm. “God’s love, Monleigh, had I known ye were coming I would have postponed my trip to Stir-ling. How long have ye been here?”

“We only arrived earlier in the day,” Jamie said. “ ’Tis good to see ye, Lord Errick. Do ye remember my brothers, Fraser and Niall?”

He released his daughters. “Och, of course I remember, although they were not quite so tall the last time I saw them.” Then to Monleigh he said, “Please, call me Alasdair like yer father did. I was present the night ye were born, and we prefer to dispense with the formalities here.”

Jamie grinned. “Aye, we do the same at home, so it would please me greatly to have ye call me Jamie.” Alasdair greeted each of them with a few comments and a warm slap on the back, but when he greeted Fraser, he said, “God’s blood, Fraser, ye have the look of ye father about ye, and a strong resemblance it is, too. ’Twas like walking into the hall and seeing him here. I ken ye ha’ been told that before.”

“Aye, I have heard it a time or two, but it is something that I never tire of hearing.”

“Dermot,” Alasdair said, “will ye tell someone to bring us some ale.” He turned to his sons. “Please sit doon, my laddies, and we will have some conversation with our ale.”

Once they were all seated, Alasdair said, “Losh, but ’tis good to be home. I ken if I had my way, I would never set foot off the island. Whenever I return home, all the woes of the world seem to disappear the moment I step off the boat. There is always so much turmoil in Stirling.”

“I take it you went on business and not pleasure,” Jamie said, his tone saying he had been there himself, denoting he understood the feeling perfectly.

“Aye, it was the worst kind of business…the kinfolk
kind,” Alasdair said. “Ye do remember my brother, William?”

“Aye, I was sorry to hear he died. Two years ago, was it?”

“Three. He left a widow, Isobel, who has been a thorn in my side since the day William died.”

“Isobel…she was married before, was she not?” Fraser asked.

“Aye, she was the wife of Sir David McLennan. They had a son, Giles.”

“I dinna know her personally, but I have heard her name bandied about,” Jamie said. “She is keeping company with Lord Walter Ramsay, I believe.”

“Oh, aye, she latched onto him almost immediately. Thick as thieves, they are. They barely had time to remove my brother’s body afore Lord Walter moved into Finlay Castle. William left Finlay to her, along with a sizable inheritance, only that doesna seem to be enough to satisfy her voracious appetite for worldly goods.”

“Ye mean she is after money?” Niall asked.

“Aye, my money, and plenty of it. She hired herself a lawyer and was asking for half of everything I owned. She claimed I was no’ entitled to my father’s entire estate.”

“On what grounds?” Fraser asked. “I am sure your father’s title was properly entailed and ye, being the eldest son, were entitled to it.”

Before Alasdair could answer, Jamie laughed and gave Fraser a teasing elbow to the ribs. “Fraser has studied law in Edinburgh for the past two years, so he will naturally focus on the legalities.”

“’Tis my only fault,” Fraser said, “and my focus is
what saved ye enough coin to do the renovations on Grahamstone Castle, so dinna be too hard on my wee bit o’ legal knowledge.”

“’Tis true, I canna deny that,” Jamie said. “’Tis not the sound o’ me complaining that ye hear.”

Fraser’s face grew intent. “Tell us more about yer troubles with Isobel Lennox. What did she present as evidence?”

“’Twas no
prima facie
case, according to my lawyer.”

“What is that?” Claire asked.

“It is a judicial case in which the evidence is sufficient for a judgment, unless it is disproved,” Fraser said. He then asked Alasdair, “What did she present as evidence?”

“The only bit o’ supporting evidence she had was a legal document supposedly signed by my brother, outlining how it was my father’s wish that I share the things not specifically entailed with the title equally with him once he became of age. It also said that there was originally a document signed by our father attesting to the fact, but it had been destroyed…presumably by me.”

“Your brother signed such a document?” Jamie asked. “I knew William to be a man of honor, and find it hard to believe he would do such.”

“He didna,” Alasdair said. “The document was proved to be a forgery…a verra good forgery, but thankfully it ended the suit.”

“And Isobel?” Fraser asked. “Have they brought charges against her for lying and forgery?”

“No, and I dinna think they will, since she is claiming she didna ken the document was forged. She said
she found it in William’s papers after he died, but there was no reason for William to have such a document. He had plenty of money and lands, but Isobel was never one to be satisfied with what she had for verra long. She was always pushing William to buy bigger castles, so she could live like a queen,” Alasdair said, then he reached for the cup of ale offered to him.

Everyone was silent while ale was served around the table to all the men, save Kendrew, who had watered wine with his sisters.

After a few minutes, Niall put his cup down. “Avarice is a demon that once it has ye under its control, it is verra hard to ever extract yerself from,” he said.

“Aye,” Jamie said, “for every one of us who works to make an honest coin, there are dozens who fantasize about the inventive ways to take it from us.”

Alasdair nodded. “Isobel rather likes being in its clutches, I wager. Needless to say, she has gone through all of the money William left her. She has sold three castles, and has only two left. She is starting to feel the pinch of shoes that her big feet have outgrown.”

“So, the case is settled then?” Breac asked.

Alasdair nodded. “Aye, unless she fantasizes aboot it some more.”

Fraser gave Alasdair a sympathetic look. “I wish I could tell ye I think ye have heard the last of her, but people of that ilk tend not to realize when to quit. She will be back, as soon as she regroups and comes up with another plan.”

“I suspected as much. She was very contrite today.”

“But that was because she was in the presence of others,” Breac said. “For when we rode off, I saw the way she looked at ye, Father…as if she wished ye dead.”

Alasdair ruffled Breac’s Celtic-red hair. “Wouldna do her a bit o’ good, though, would it…since ye are my heir?”

“I dinna trust her, either,” Ronaln said. “She is evil. Whenever she walks past, I expect to see the leaves on the trees wither.”

Somewhere in the castle, someone must have opened a door, for a draft of wind was sucked down the chimney and a cool current of wind swept into the room. Claire shivered and was about to comment when it suddenly ceased, and everything settled back to the way it was before.

“Weel, that was a bit queerish,” Claire said.

“Aye,” Breac said, “makes ye think Auld Cloutie didna like us speaking o’ his disciple Isobel so disrespectfully.”

Auld Cloutie…
At the mention of the Devil, Claire felt prickles of fear dance across her skin. The words played over in her head. She knew Breac had referred to Isobel as the Devil’s disciple in jest, and she prayed it was not the clock striking thirteen.

“The Devil can have Isobel and Lord Walter, too,” Ronaln said. “And he can have Giles along with them.”

“Tell me again, who is Giles?” Niall asked.

“’Tis Isobel’s son by her first marriage,” Breac said. “We are about the same age.”

“Except Breac is a muckle more bonny,” Ronaln said, and everyone laughed.

Claire settled back and listened to the conversation
once more, but her thoughts were on Fraser. It pleased her to know that he had noticed her, for he did glance in her direction enough that even Kenna noticed, and began to nudge Claire with her knee each time Fraser’s gaze wandered her way.

Claire could not deny she was drawn to his unashamed good looks, and she watched him whenever she could. Neither could she refute she had studied him since he arrived. He fascinated her, and she liked the feeling she got when she watched him. Even better was the feeling she got when he watched her. Smitten as she was at the very first sight of him, she was pleased to see it was not only her, for he did seem to be mindful of her as well. She wished she had a name for this peculiar aching she felt in her chest.

Jamie’s gaze moved across the opposite side of the table, where Claire and her sisters were seated. “Lord above, Alasdair, ’tis a comely lot o’daughters ye have, and all o’ them proudly displaying their Celtic bluid. Every one o’ them has some shade o’ red hair.” He let his gaze move over Alasdair’s sons and added, “And that includes yer sons, too.”

“Aye, and they have the temper to go along with it,” he said, and everyone laughed, including Claire.

Jamie was still smiling when he said, “Ye ken yer daughters are of an age now when all the laddies aboot are going to come calling at yer door, and then yer troubles will begin. Ha’ ye betrothed any o’ them?”

“Nay, I promised their mother I would not do that, and vowed I would try to let each o’ them follow the dictates o’ her heart.”

“Weel now,” Niall said, “that is a bit unheard of, but ’tis not something I find displeasing.”

“And what about the three o’ ye?” Alasdair asked, “not to mention those rapscallion brothers of yours… Calum, Bran and Tavish…”

“Dinna forget Arabella, Father,” Claire said.

Alasdaire winked at Claire. “Och, lass, how could I forget fair Arabella. What of the Grahams?” he asked. “Any weddings I didna hear aboot?”

“Nary a one,” Niall said.

“No betrothals, either?”

“None,” Fraser said.

“Weel, Jamie my lad, it is time fer ye to think about taking a wife, to secure yer title, is it not?”

“Aye, and I have been thinking aboot it, but I canna seem to make myself get beyond that point. ’Tis devilishly difficult to do, ye ken, to pick just one.”

Claire lowered her head and rolled her eyes. From across the table came a muffled laugh. She raised her head and looked at the proud countenance of the man sitting across from her, and saw a teasing light was dancing in Fraser Graham’s eyes. She gave him a cross look and focused her attention on his brother, which appeared to amuse him even more.

Claire stifled a yawn. “I am tired,” she announced, and felt the kick on her leg from Kenna, but she ignored it. “I think I shall go above stairs, if you will permit me to say good-night.”

Jamie and his brothers stood. “We have stayed overlong, due to enjoying ourselves so much, but we’ve a long ride tonight.”

“Ye are welcome to roll out yer plaids here,” Alasdair said.

“Thank ye kindly,” Jamie said, “but we are expected tonight, and if we dinna arrive I am sure they
will have a patrol out looking for us. Before we take our leave, I would like to invite ye and yer sons over to Grahamstone tomorrow. There will be a meeting of several of the peers who live around Fintry. We are meeting to discuss the sudden increase in cattle raids. Have ye had a problem with it?”

“Aye, and the raids seem to be coming closer together. Mayhap I will bring Breac and Ronaln with me. ’Tis something we all have an interest in.”

After saying good-night, the men walked outside. Claire’s sisters all went above stairs, but Claire waited to tell her father good-night. She was wandering aimlessly around the hall when she noticed Fraser had left his gloves sitting on the end of the table. She snatched them up and ran across the hall. She threw back the door and ran—right up against Fraser.

“Oof!” It was all she could manage before Fraser’s arms went around her, which put her nose no more than an inch from one of the pewter buttons on his jacket. When she looked up, he grinned down at her.

Oh, he was a fine-looking one, he was, and she had a feeling women went after him like salmon after a shiny hook. She knew she should chide herself for having such shameless thoughts about him, but the will to do so was not there.