Rowan's Lady (47 page)

“But the fool died before we could get ye to him.”

Where on earth would she be at this moment if the
man had not died?

“We had also long suspected the elder Blackthorn
as well. I was the one that suggested to Garrick that he add the stipulation of
no bairns
to the contract. It was the only way to get him to agree. If
he hadn’t, ye’d a been married to his da.”

Another small miracle. Though Garrick’s father was
not as mean and heartless as his son, the thought of being married to him made
her ill.

“So I’ve been nothin’ more than an unwitting spy?”
she spoke into his back.

He answered with stone silence.

She was nothing more than a pawn to be used by
Robert Stewart and her father. She had grown up knowing her father did not care
about her happiness. But she had trusted Robert Stewart. His betrayal of her
trust left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Me lady, I ken that ye love Rowan. He’s a good
man,” Archie said as he looked over his shoulder at her. “But the marriage has
already been arranged. We’ve three men left that we suspect of workin’ with the
English.”

“Bah!” Arline cried out. “Do ye expect me to marry
all three?”

“Nay, me lady. We hope that ye’ll be able to get
the information we need from Phillip Randall. If yer successful, ye’ll be
rewarded with a home of yer own, anywhere ye wish to live. ’Tis fer the good of
Scotland that ye must do this. Mayhap, Rowan will wait fer ye and ye can marry
him in the future.”

She knew he was trying to appeal to her sense of
honor and loyalty. He was also dangling a bit of hope in front of her nose. But
wait to marry Rowan? She made a decision then and there. Slowly, she let her
arms go slack and she slid from the horse.

Wait to marry Rowan? Not bloody likely!

Rowan and his men raced across the glen and
followed the tracks into another dense thicket of woods. There, they were
forced to slow their pace, which sent Rowan’s anger to new heights. When doubt
as to Arline’s safety and well-being crept in, he pushed them away. He could
not think of her injured, harmed, or dead. When he did, his heart would sink
with the weight of heartache he had not felt since Kate’s death.

There was not as much deep snow in this part of
the forest for it was protected under the wide canopy of evergreen trees. The
trees themselves were blanketed with snow, but the ground was more mud and
slush than anything else.

The men walked for a time and eventually picked up
the tracks again. They had turned in a northwesterly direction. Looking up at
the sun taking its late afternoon descent, Rowan mumbled a curse and started
for his horse. He had to find her before nightfall. Without lanterns or
torches, ’twould be next to impossible to follow their tracks.

Rowan was just about to mount his horse again when
Findley held up his hand. “Listen!” he said in a sharp whisper.

Rowan strained his ears. For a moment, all he
could hear was the breeze as it tickled the evergreens. Moments later, he
thought he heard a shout coming from up ahead. His heart pounded as he climbed
onto his horse and urged he and his men forward.

There was a possibility that it was nothing more
than a farmer out searching for an errant cow. His heart raced as they made
their way through the evergreens.
Please, God, let it be Arline and let her
be well.

She ran from Archie as if he were the devil. With
the hem of her dress clutched tightly in one hand, she tore through the trees
and brush. An overwhelming sense of deja vu fell over her. She’d fled through
trees and thick underbrush months ago to get away from Garrick’s men. Now she
fled to get away from a man sworn to protect her.

Arline did not worry that he’d kill her if he
caught her. Nay, she was far too important to the ridiculous scheme her father
had concocted.

She didn’t necessarily run in hopes of freedom.
Nay, it was nothing more than a means to delay what was most likely the
inevitable. If she could find a decent place to hide, she could wait until
Rowan found her. That was her sole goal at running; to stall, to find Rowan the
time he’d need to find her.

She ignored his calls for her to stop. Dipping
under low hanging branches, crashing through bare bushes, she ran in zigzag
fashion in hopes of confusing him with her tracks.

Not knowing if he remained on his horse or had
left it to chase her on foot, she continued to run as fast as her legs would
carry her. The cold snow and slush stung her slippered feet, the branches
scratched at her dress. Still, she pushed forward.

Not far ahead she saw a large felled tree. She ran
around it, stopped long enough to see if it would make a good hiding place. It
had fallen over a good sized dip in the land. If she could wriggle her way
under it, she could hide from Archie.

His voice was growing nearer as he called out for
her to come back. Not very likely!

“Ye’ll freeze to death, me lady!” Archie’s voice
rang through the trees. “I canna allow ye to die! Come back and we’ll start a
fire!”

She’d rather freeze to death than return to Archie
and subsequently her father. She ran around a few evergreens and backtracked to
the log. Panting, covered in sweat, she dug her way through the slush. There
was not much room, but enough that should anyone walk by they could not see
her. She lay on her side with her back pressed against the cold earth and
prayed.

Rowan did not know who it was that was yelling. He
could barely make out what the man was shouting. But it was enough that he
could ascertain the man was yelling for Arline.

Rowan and the others dismounted, leaving their
horses where they stood. Not one man made a sound as Rowan waved directions for
them to fan out. Rowan and Findley carefully made their way through the band of
evergreens while the rest of the men spread out.

The man’s shouting drew nearer and became clearer.

“Damn it, Arline! I need ye to come back!”

Rowan and Findley gave each other a curious glance
as they stilled themselves to listen further. Hope rose with the realization
that Arline was alive!

“I swear if ye do no’ come back, I’ll kill Rowan
meself!”

Rowan stiffened. Whoever this stranger was, he
knew Arline well enough to call her by her first name and to threaten her with
Rowan’s life. Rowan sent a silent prayer that Arline would not cower to the
man’s threats.

Rowan nodded at Findley and pointed him to wind
his way around to the east, while Rowan set off for the west. His goal was to
surround the man and bring him down before he could find Arline.

As stealthy as cat-o-mountains surrounding
unsuspecting prey, Rowan and Findley spread out, careful to listen for Arline
as well as the stranger.

Arline heard Archie’s footfalls as he approached
her hiding place. She watched as his booted feet stomped through the slush as
he passed by. Holding her breath, her body stiffening with fear as he continued
to call out his threats.

“I swear it, Arline! By God I swear I’ll kill him!
If ye want to see Rowan live, ye’ll come back now!”

Arline was confident that
that
would not
happen. Rowan was a warrior who could take care of himself. She’d not let
Archie’s threats make her fearful.

She closed her eyes and tried to take in slow
breaths as she listened to Archie continue his tirade.

“And after I kill Rowan? I will kill his
daughter!”

Her heart leapt to her throat. Lily. Lily could
not defend herself. She was but a babe! What if Archie grew weary of chasing
Arline and returned to the keep? He was supposed to be a protector, not a killer,
of innocents!

Archie’s first and only allegiance was to
Scotland. His sole purpose in life was to ensure Scotland remained free. If
that meant killing an innocent child, then so be it. Scotland was bigger than
any one person.

Bile rose, she chased it back and swallowed. If
anything happened to Lily, she could never forgive herself. Rowan would never
be the same.

She was not given the opportunity to weigh her
options or devise any further plans of escape or keeping Lily safe. A large
hand reached into her tiny hiding spot, grabbed her by her hair and yanked her
out.

She did not go without a fight. Kicking,
screaming, clawing, she fought against Archie.

“Settle yerself down!” he barked, grabbing her
arms and hoisting her to her feet.

She saw it then, plainly, without question or
doubt. Sheer, unadulterated anger and determination stared back at her through
hazel eyes. In that instant, she knew, Archie would do whatever he must to get
her to her father, to secure Scotland’s future.

“I swear, I’ll kill every last person that ye
love, if you do no’ listen to me!” Squeezing her arms, he shook her violently.

To her soul, she believed him.

Giving her a good yank, he pulled her along, back
to where he’d left his horse. “Do no’ even think of runnin’ away again,
me
lady.
I’ll no’ look fer ye again. I’ll go straight back to
Áit na
Síochána.
”

She was too angry to cry. Believing that if she
could slow down their pace, Rowan would be able to find her and put an end to
this mess. “I’m of an age!” she spat at him. “I no longer have to heed me da’s
bidding!”

Archie stopped, spun her around and grabbed her
arms again. “’Tisn’t yer da’s bidding, but mine! Ye do this because it be
the
right thing to do.
” His voice was low, menacing. It sent shivers running up
and down Arline’s spine.

He had tried appealing to her sense of honor and
loyalty, had threatened to kill everyone she loved. Now, he flung her own words
at her, wielding them like a weapon.

As she struggled against his tight hold, she
thought she caught the flicker of movement out of the corner of her eyes.
Fervently, she prayed it was not her father’s men.

“Have I no’ already given enough fer
yer
country?”
She growled. “Ye ferget, I am from Ireland, no’ Scotland! My first fealty is to
my own home country!”

“Ye gave up Ireland when ye married Carlich, ye
foolish woman!”

Her struggling only made him angrier, still, she
persisted in her attempt to stall him. As she struggled, she saw the flicker
again and it was drawing closer. “I’ll no agree to it, Archie! I will no’ do it!”

“Och!” he threw his head back in frustration and
yelled. “Why? Why must ye be so damned foolish?”

Arline could see and feel his fury bubbling to the
surface. Spittle formed in the corner of his mouth. She began to fear he’d have
no compunction about killing her.

Enraged and furious, he tossed her to the ground
and with drew his dirk. Arline’s eyes widened in terror. He was no longer her
sworn protector, but a man hell bent on a mission.

“I should simply slice yer throat!” His voice
echoed through the forest. He grabbed her by the hair and lifted her head as he
placed the dirk against her throat.

“Nay!” she scratched out pleadingly. “Archie, do
no’ do this!”

Something flashed in his eyes. His lips pursed
together. He appeared to be mulling over his options when the sound of a twig
snapping behind him drew his attention away from her.

Findley and Rowan were standing not ten feet away,
with broadswords drawn and expressions of complete determination alight on both
their faces.

“Step away from her, and I’ll let ye live.”
Rowan’s voice was as cold and firm as the blade of steel he held in his hand.

Arline’s relief at seeing Rowan was short lived.
She lay between the two men, afraid to utter a sound or move the tiniest of
muscles. Archie snatched her hair up again and yanked her to her feet. She
groaned and tried to pry her hair from his hands. He yanked harder and pressed
the dirk against her throat again. “Rowan, I swear I’ll kill her if ye do no’
leave us be.”

Rowan cocked his head slightly. “Ye’ll be dead before
she hits the ground.”

“If he doesna kill ye, then I will,” came a voice
from behind. Archie spun around to see Duncan just a few steps away from him,
with his sword drawn.

“Let her go, and ye’ll live.” Rowan repeated.
“Harm her, and ye are as good as dead.”

Archie pulled Arline closer, using her as a
shield, pressing her firmly against his chest. He wrapped one arm around her
neck while he pressed the dirk against her throat. Taking careful steps
backward, he was dragging Arline along with him. His breathing became jagged
and harsh, like an animal caught in a trap.

“Ye dunna understand!” he yelled at Rowan. “This
is fer Scotland! Fer her freedom!”

“Ye put too much faith in one person,” Rowan said.
“What can she do that hundreds of others have no’ tried or done before her? Why
is she so bloody important?”

Archie paused, still clutching a very terrified
Arline to his chest. “He’s right, Archie!” she squeaked out. “Ye can find
another to help ye.”

He cocked his head to get a better look at her.
His expression told her he thought she was insane. “Another? Nay! Ye be the
only one we can trust. Ye be the only one with a sense of duty and honor!”

He began dragging her away again. “I canna be the
only woman in all of Scotland, Archie! I canna be the only one who can do what
ye ask!”

“Shut up!” he howled at her. “Shut up!”

He jerked harder, increasing the pressure of his
arm. If he did not stop, he’d either end up strangling her or breaking her
neck. She looked to Rowan who followed them step for step. His eyes told of
steadfast resolve to see her through this alive and unharmed. It bolstered her
spirits and gave her hope. She made a split decision, one that she hoped would
not cause Rowan’s death, or her own.

Pretending to faint, she let her entire body go
limp. Archie fought to keep her on her feet, but with one arm holding the dirk
and the other around her upper chest, he was hard pressed to manage it.