Highlander's Golden Jewel (Beasts 0f The Highlands Book 6) Page 13

  “Kaithria,” Keir said loudly, “ye are nae a prisoner, my jewel. It is not like that at all.”

  Kaithria spun to Cat. “Is this why ye invited me to come here?” she demanded. “Yer home was nae safe?”

  Cat shook her head. “Och, nay! Er...aye, but I wanted ye to come! Me uncle and I thought it would be best fer yer safety, though. And we didnae want to involve Lady Swan since she is pregnant, or Laird Wolf and the children.” Cat looked at her uncle. “We thought at first they were still looking for the king’s illegitimate son, and ye were linked to him. All knew that it was ye that escaped the orphanage with the children, and led them to Brough, and it was known that one of the little boys was the king’s supposed son.”

  Kaithria looked between the two of them. “Ye didnae think to tell me aboot any of this?”

  Kaithria twisted her fingers together within the robe of Keir’s gown. She did not believe this had anything to do with the orphan children she had led to safety. The king had stopped anyone he had sent looking for his “son,” as he knew he was safe with Wolf and Swan McKay.

  Kaithria’s heart sped up. This was about her father. They had inadvertently brought her back near the Keith clan and her father, Laird Ronan Keith. She had had no idea the Gunn clan and the Keith clan were mortal enemies, nor that their lands were next to one another.

  Kaithria’s heart sank. She could not tell them who she was. These wonderful people would hate her.

  She was a Keith.

  She was their enemy.

  And somehow, her father had found her.

  15

  “We didnae want ye to be afraid,” Cat said as she nervously fidgetted with her hair.

  “What if it’s the Keiths?” Kaithria asked.

  Keir scoffed. “They wouldnae dare. They could not hope to bring on an attack. They are known Jacobites. The king would take their land away if they tried anything. Besides, they have gone entirely to sheep. There’s nae enough men left to wage any sort of siege or attack.”

  “The laird is mad, they say. Do ye believe this to be true?” Kaithria asked tentatively.

  “I have heard this as well. I am not surprised. We have been enemies of the Keiths for as long as my clan has been here. Evil scunners,” Keir growled.

  “Ye hate all Keiths? Even the women, the children?” Kaithria asked quietly as she held her hands tightly together.

  “Aye,” Keir answered curtly.

  “Any Keith? If I was a Keith, would ye still hate me, just because of me name?” Kaithria asked slowly.

  Keir scoffed. “That is not the case so it doesnae matter,” he said roughly with a scowl.

  Kaithria stared at him.

  Keir thought she looked sad. “I dinnae understand yer question,” he said.

  “I need to get dressed,” Kaithria said in agitation. “May I have some privacy, please? And my clothes?” She stopped and blushed hotly, looking at them all. “I really do thank ye all. No one has ever done anything like this for me—”

  Cat motioned for her to stop. “What are ye doing? Ye cannae be up and aboot, Kaithria. Ye have been injured, badly!”

  Keir was silent, watching her.

  Kaithria looked at Cat. “This is nothing. I have been hurt worse. You of all people should understand this, Cat.” Kaithria lowered her voice for just Cat. “Ye were sick in yer bed for a vera long time. When I met ye, ye were hungry for adventure. Ye needed to get up and be out and have control of yer life once again. I need the same.”

  Keir nodded to the other ladies that they may leave. He watched until they had all left and the door was closed, then he stepped forward to Kaithria. He had heard her what she had just said to Cat.

  “Ye mean ye dinnae trust us to guard ye? Ye have always been responsible for yerself, havenae ye? Is it so hard for ye to trust anyone else to be there for ye? Like these ladies just were.”

  Kaithria was caught in his eyes. “I am vera thankful, for everyone.” She could not hide the hurt in her voice. She wanted to say, How can I trust ye when ye didnae even think to trust me with this? But being a Keith was her own secret. So she said nothing.

  She took the clothing that Cat handed her and held it tightly to her chest, waiting for him to leave so she could dress. When he stood there, just looking at her, she turned back to Cat.

  “I will go back to our bedchamber to dress.” She turned to Keir. “I thank ye for the use of yer bedchamber, and all ye did. Both of ye.”

  Keir watched the two of them leave. He did not know what to say to Kaithria. It occurred to him that this was a first. The first time that he did not know what to say to a woman.

  Because it had sounded like Kaithria was saying farewell.

  Three days went by.

  Three days of Kaithria being surrounded by Aunt Agnes and the other women.

  She was never alone. They insulated her completely.

  If Keir tried to approach, they gave him frowns and scowls and narrowed eyes.

  Keir could not get her by herself, even for a moment. He wanted to explain, to apologize. Whatever it would take to get her to even look at him.

  The only condolence was that she was just as hurt by his niece as she was by him. She could not seem to accept that they were trying to help her.

  The more Keir thought about it, the more he realized that if the same was done to him, he would be angry as well.

  On the fourth morning he managed to catch Cat as she came down the stairs.

  “Cat,” Keir said as he came to the bottom of the stairs of the great hall, “I must speak with Kaithria, but she is always surrounded by all ye women. I am thankful ye are all keeping her safe, but there is no need to keep her from me,” he growled.

  Cat frowned. “The women are indeed thinking they are guarding her, but I am just trying to keep her from leaving,” she said as she looked over his shoulder and all around the great hall.

  “Why would Kaithria try to leave? What is it? What are ye looking for? ” Keir demanded in alarm.

  Cat looked at him and scowled again. “Kaithria. She was gone when I woke up this morning. I dinnae know why she feels she must leave, but she wants to. It makes no sense to me. She is safe here.” Cat looked around as she bit her lower lip. “She was vera vexed last night after dinner. The older gentleman she has been sitting next to has been talking to her at length at dinner each night.”

  Keir narrowed his eyes and groaned. “I wanted her seated next to me.”

  Cat looked back at him. “Kaithria declined yer offer.” Cat studied her uncle’s strained face. “Ye had the mon ask her questions, dinnae ye? About her brooch? He seemed to think he knew where the brooch was from. She was staring at it last night.” Cat watched the play of emotions cross his face, watched as his jaw went rigid. “What did ye do, Uncle?”

  “That gentleman is William Smellie; he is an encyclopedist. I asked him to try to place the brooch. He thought he recognized the crown on it.”

  Cat arched an eyebrow at her uncle. “So she realized ye are trying to find out more aboot her. Ye hurt her and now she wants to leave.”

  Keir arched his eyebrow right back at her. “Or she didnae like the answers herself.”

  Cat took a step toward him. “Uncle, ye are being foolish. Either way, ye hurt her. Inviting her here to Kinbrace has been terrible for her! Between the men attacking her and the hateful Cheri’ MacMelchon that Aunt Agnes invited for ye to marry—”

  “Whot?” Aunt Agnes said as she came out of her solar. “I didnae invite thot horrid woman for him to marry. I invited her knowing she would be a gallus, bowfin, bampot.” She smiled down at Cat. “I also knew with the likes of her to choose from it would push him to Kaithria.”

  Cat groaned. “That woman is evil, Aunt Agnes!” Cat said as she tugged at her hair with both hands. Then she looked up at her aunt with narrowed eyes. “But I thought ye dinnae like Kaithria.”

  “Kaithria loves ye, Catriona,” she said softly. “That in itself was enough to like her. I did observe
her, however, and Hextilda told me what she knew of Kaithria also. I found her to be strong-minded, polite, calm, loyal, loving, and a good fighter and protector. A true lady. And so, Hextilda and I made a few arrangements. We believe that Keir and Kaithria are a perfect match.”

  At Keir’s astounded look, Agnes continued. “What better way to get a man who has his choice of any female to finally settle doon and choose, than to be told that this one woman he cannae have.”

  Keir rubbed his jaw in agitation. “Kaithria had already told me she doesnae want to marry, Aggie. I did not need ye or Hextilda’s further machinations in this!” he growled.

  “Whot? She said as much to me but I didnae believe her!” Agnes said shrilly. She looked at her nephew, who seemed to be ready to punch something. “Ye love her, dinnae ye? Then whot are ye standing here for? Go find her, mon!” Aunt Agnes gave Keir a shove on his shoulder towards the door of the hall.

  Cat was right behind him.

  16

  Kaithria rode Dummernech along the river behind Kinbrace, past the Devil’s Pool and beyond. She did not really know where she was going, but she knew she had to leave.

  She was a Keith, after all.

  The Gunns hated the Keiths.

  She did not think she could bear to see Keir’s reaction when he found out the truth about her.

  It was sure to come out.

  William Smellie knew about her brooch. That it came from Morrocco, he had said. She had never known her mother’s homeland. Only that it was warm and sunny most of the time, and oranges grew there, though she had not tasted an orange in her entire life. She also knew that it was on a trade route that Ronan Keith used.

  William had said that it was a brooch denoting Morrocan royalty. That confused Kaithria. It was the brooch that her mother had given her on their last day together. Where had her mother gotten it? Had her mother’s family been royalty?

  What had really frightened her was his knowledge of the history of the Keiths. William told her how he had heard stories that the Keith laird had kidnapped a princess on one of his southerly voyages and brought her here to the Highlands.

  William kept looking strangely at Kaithria as he told her the story. If he was waiting for Kaithria to tell him he was correct, she could not. She was hearing it all for the first time. She had not known that Ronan had kidnapped her mother, for her mother had talked like she had fallen in love with him when they first met, just as Ronan had with her. But it made sense, since her father had cursed Ronan for taking his daughter away.

  William had continued, saying that Ronan had kept his new bride hidden, for she was his prize. The young woman bore him a son, and then a daughter. The daughter looked remarkably like her mother. But the woman ran from Ronan, taking her own life and that of her small daughter’s as well. No one knew why she would do such a thing. But there were those that said that a curse had been placed on Ronan for stealing the young woman and that when the daughter was born, his sheep caught a terrible disease, killing more than half of his flock. That Ronan went mad, thinking the curse had been true.

  William had stared at her for an uncomfortable amount of time.

  Kaithria could only comment that the story was very sad.

  She could not say that it was true.

  She could only leave.

  She rode away from Kinbrace, away from the Gunn lands, away from the direction of the Keith lands.

  She headed where the river took her. It wound through open heath, through little valleys, and down a purple heather-covered hill. Eventually, the river ran through a wooded area.

  Kaithria had to slow down here as Dummernech was tall and the tree limbs were low, snagging and catching at her hood and the drape of her cloak over Dummy’s haunches. The branches snagged in his long mane, tearing the black hair out here and there as Dummy snorted in irritation.

  Kaithria finally got off so she could lead her horse through the thicket and move branches out of their way.

  Dummy’s ear’s pricked backward and forward; he snorted now and then as the woods got darker and thicker. Kaithria stepped into a clearing and stopped. Dummy’s nostrils were flaring wide, his nose up, ears forward.

  They were not alone.

  A tall, dark figure stepped out from behind a tree on the other side of the clearing, then three more moved out into the open.

  They walked slowly, forming a ring around Kaithria and Dummernech.

  The horse started prancing in place, snorting sharply through his nose in alarm.

  Kaithria wished desperately that she had not gotten off of her horse. She had a better chance on his back than here, standing on the ground. Against four men.

  She glanced around surreptitiously from under her hood. Not at the men around her, but at the clearing. The only way out at a full gallop was the river. It was narrower here and not as deep. If she could get on Dummy, they could run for the water and follow it out of the woods. But there was nothing to use to mount up onto the tall horse, and she knew with a feeling of dread that they would catch her before she could even manage it.

  She thought of the trick that her friend Neely had done with her horse Teeth. Teeth could bow, kneeling on one front leg. It lowered his back enough that Neely could throw her leg over the horse and sit in the saddle. Has Dummernech been taught this as well? she wondered. It seemed to be very handy for an older warrior with heavy weapons to carry. What if all of the old black warhorses from Brough Castle had been taught this?

  Kaithria edged closer to Dummy. She needed to tap his front leg. The closest part of her body that could do it under cover of her long black cloak was her own knee. She knocked her knee twice against his front leg.

  Dummy let out a loud, drawn-out groan. Kaithria looked at her horse with her mouth open and worry in her eyes. Is he in pain? He is old. Too old?

  “What is the matter with yer horse?” one of the men demanded as he took a step back.

  “He is vera old,” Kaithria said in her low voice. She kept her face down, her hood shielding her eyes.

  Dummy continued to groan as he bent his front leg, the one that Kaithria had tapped. He began to slowly sink down onto the bent front knee. His hind legs were shaking and trembling visibly.

  Kaithria held her breath.as the horse sank fully onto his bent front knee. She pulled herself together. “Och, me poor, poor, old horse!” she said with exaggerated fear as she reached out for his mane, as if she was hugging him.

  The stunned men could only stand there and watch the big, black horse with all the scars sinking down, as if he was dying. His one white scarred eye closed with his groans.

  Kaithria clutched her fist in his mane, and without thinking any further, she threw herself onto his back and put her heels into his sides.

  The men shouted and surged toward her as Dummy let out another groan and heaved with an immense push to his feet.

  The men scattered.

  Kaithria spun Dummy around and pushed him into a fast gallop straight at the river. Her hood flew off her head and her cloak billowed out behind her as she urged Dummy into a huge leap straight into the river.

  “It is her! Get her!” one of the men shouted.

  “C’mon Dummy! Faster! Please!” she pleaded with the horse as he took great lunging strides through the river, heading downstream.

  The men were right behind her. They had wasted no time, and she had not been fast enough. Poor Dummy could not get back up as fast as Neely’s horse could. Still, the old horse lunged through the water, his giant feathered feet making huge splashes.

  She felt a sharp pull on her cloak. It tightened painfully on her neck. She screamed as she was pulled by her cloak, leaning backward out of her saddle over Dummy’s haunches. The horse twisted with her offset weight and veered back towards the bank.

  She twisted and turned as she tried to grab at her cloak behind her head to relieve some of the pain on the front of her neck. But it was too late; she was pulled off of Dummy. She was thankful for all the cloth wrapp
ed around and around her back, covering her wound, for she did not feel any pain when she slammed into the ground.

  With spots forming in front of her eyes, before she knew it someone was dragging her up the bank and onto the grass.

  She hadn’t even made it out of the clearing.

  She lay on the ground, heaving, trying to regain her breath when a figure stepped forward and looked down at her.

  “Guid afternoon, Sister.”

  17

  Kaithria stilled, her hands at her neck. She blinked multiple times as she looked up at the face leering down at her.

  Black hair that was straight, gleaming. Skin that was slightly more tanned than the normal Highlander. His eyes were darker than hers. Still, they were unique. His were still tawny eyes but were a light brown with fascinating striations of gold around and through them.

  She had never forgotten those eyes.

  “Caden?” Kaithria stammered out.

  “Dinnae even say my name. Changeling!” he spat out at her.

  “I am nae a changeling,” Kaithria said calmly as she started to sit up. “How can ye think that? Ye are me brother.”

  He just glared down at her with those familiar eyes.

  Kaithria shrank back from her brother’s angry face. It seemed he hated her as much as her own father did.

  Catriona and Keir were following Kaithria’s tracks through the woods. Cat had to grab Keir from charging into the clearing to save Kaithria when they got close enough to see her surrounded by the four men.

  Cat pulled Keir down behind a huge fallen tree.