As the warrior knelt before his queen, Mary’s mouth dropped open in stunned surprise. Beside her, Jamie’s heart plummeted.
“You are Ian MacPherson?”
“Aye, Majesty,” the man said. “I was on my way here when I was attacked by a band of highwaymen. The scum left me for dead. If it were not for the kindness of a traveler who came upon me lying in my own blood, I would not have survived.”
The queen turned to Jamie. “Then the man who possessed that scroll—”
“Was one of the band of highwaymen,” Jamie finished. “And he is leading Douglas Gordon and his family into a trap.” Jamie’s mouth was a grim tight line as he shouted to Justin, “See that my horse is saddled and ready at once.”
Turning to the queen’s cousin, he said, “Lord Desmond, you and Ian MacPherson must stay beside the queen at all times until I return.” He pressed a hand to Mary’s sleeve. “Even when you sleep, Majesty, one of these men must be outside your door.”
He saw the fear that she struggled to hide. “Is that really necessary, Jamie?”
“Aye, Majesty. Promise me you will not risk your safety.”
She gave a reluctant nod of her head.
He lifted her hand to his lips, then drew her close.
Against his cheek she murmured, “I pray that you are not too late, Jamie. For I fear that the Gordons are in grave peril.”
She saw the look of grim determination in his eyes as he turned and strode to the boat that awaited him at the water’s edge.
* * *
“You have been very quiet on this journey, my lady.” Ian brought his horse close to Lindsey’s as they entered the forest. “Are you reluctant to leave the glittering life of royalty behind and return to the Highlands?”
“Nay. I am just—weary,” she said as her gaze scanned the heavily forested area. They were very near the place where they had encountered the highwaymen. She felt as nervous and skittish as a colt newly put to saddle.
“No matter. Your journey is almost over.” He saw her stiffen and asked, “What is wrong?”
“I thought I saw someone, or something, just beyond those trees.”
“I will investigate,” Ian said, leaving Lindsey alone on the trail.
She turned in the saddle, to call out to her father, who rode a short distance behind. A few minutes later her brothers caught up with them. They milled around, impatiently awaiting Ian’s return.
At last Douglas said, “Murray and Donald. Go and see what is keeping Ian.”
The two rode off while Lindsey and her father slid from the saddle.
Douglas watched as Lindsey knelt to pluck a wildflower and lowered her face to breathe in its fragrance. It brought a smile to his lips.
“Jamie MacDonald told me that you are like a wildflower,” he said.
Lindsey felt the pain, hot and sharp, around her heart and wondered when it would end. “Jamie spoke to you of me?”
“Aye.” Douglas watched his daughter and wondered how much he should reveal. But she seemed so unhappy. And he had always been willing to do anything to see her smile. “He told me that I had a very special daughter.” Douglas smiled. “And I told him that I was already aware of that.”
She walked to him and kissed his cheek, then lay her head on his shoulder. “Father, did you always know, even in the beginning, that you loved Mother?”
“Aye,” he said without hesitation. “From the moment I met her I knew she was the lass for me.”
“Would you have ever sent her away from you?”
Douglas heard the pain in her tone and prayed he could find the words to comfort her. “The agony of separation would have been worse than death.” He paused. “But if her safety depended upon it, I would have been strong enough to send her away. There were times I was grateful that she was safe in my fortress while I was doing battle. But always I feared for her. When you love someone, you cannot help worrying. It is the price we pay for loving, lass.”
He tipped up her chin and stared into her eyes. “Love is not a smooth, easy path through a meadow, Lindsey. More often it is a treacherous course, beset with mountains and valleys that would test the faith of a saint.”
She felt the sting of tears and blinked them away quickly. “Is it worth the pain?”
His lips split into a wide smile. “Oh, aye, Lindsey. It is more than worth the pain.” He kissed her hard and quick, then turned toward her horse. “Now, let us find your brothers and be on our way.”
As they mounted, Douglas gave a little frown. “They should have returned by now. Draw your weapons. Something is amiss.”
They moved out slowly, with Douglas in the lead. As they crested a hill, they came upon a small clearing just below them. And the sight that greeted them brought a torrent of oaths to the old man’s lips.
Murray and Donald lay bloodied and motionless.
“God in heaven.” Douglas Gordon’s heart stopped and he urged his horse into the clearing. Before the horse had even come to a halt he had leaped from the saddle and was kneeling beside his eldest son.
The others gathered around anxiously as he felt for a pulse.
“He lives. Praise God, he lives.” He rushed to Donald and examined him. “He is also alive. But he has lost much blood. Here, lass. He needs your help.”
Lindsey slid from the saddle and began tearing her petticoat into strips while Neal rushed to a nearby stream and returned with water. As she bathed their wounds and stemmed the flow of blood, Murray’s lips moved, though no words could be heard.
“He tries to speak,” Lindsey called to her father. Instantly the old man was on his knees beside his son. “What is it, Murray? Can you speak, lad? Who did this terrible thing?”
“He is about to say the name Ian MacPherson, old man,” came a voice from behind them. They whirled to see Ian holding a sword, followed by a dozen armed men. “But that would be a lie. You see,” he said with a chilling laugh, “I am not really Ian MacPherson. Nor am I really interested in protecting the queen. As a matter of fact, it was one of my band who almost succeeded in getting to the queen at Lochleven. We were offered a handsome reward by Lord Ruthven if we got to the queen before her army of protectors. Unfortunately, he was thwarted by the lass.” He shot Lindsey a hate-filled look. “I am one of this band of highwaymen. And we are here to seek vengeance.” To his men he shouted, “Tie them. And see they do not escape. I have waited a lifetime for this. I intend to savor every minute of it.”
* * *
Jamie rode hard through villages and hamlets, across flower-strewn meadows, over narrow streams and wide rivers and into the dense forest. It was an easy matter to follow seven people who had not attempted to hide themselves. But once in the forest, he noted, the trail faded. No matter. He knew where they were headed.
If his instinct about the man who claimed to be Ian MacPherson was correct, they would be sequestered in his evil domain deep in the forest.
His hand tightened on the reins. He had to reach them in time. If he did not, he would be forced to live with the pain of loss for the rest of his life. For all time he would know that he had sent the woman he loved to her death, rather than risk her dishonor.
What terrible irony for one who valued honor above all things. Yet even honor paled beside the loss of Lindsey’s life. It was fury that drove him. A raging fury that built with every mile.
* * *
Lindsey felt her heart stop when she saw Argus. The hideously ugly man who had held her captive in the forest bent to tie her hands. His single dark eye blinked furiously. “So, my fine and fancy lady, we meet again. It would seem the fates keep throwing us together so that I may finally get a chance to sample your charms.”
“If you are human, at least let me take care of my wounded brothers,” Lindsey pleaded.
The man they knew as Ian gave her a chilling smile. “What good would it do? They are only going to die anyway. As are all of you.”
“Then kill us,” Douglas said, “and spare us this torment.”
“Nay. Not yet. Not until it pleases me.” The leader poured himself a tankard of ale and said to Argus, “Start a fire and prepare some food. This night is a celebration. I intend to savor it.”
Soon a deer was butchered and hung over a fire. While it slowly roasted, the men began to consume vast quantities of ale. The forest rang with the sound of their laughter.
They feasted until their hunger was sated. And then, warm from the food and ale, the one called Ian approached Lindsey and bowed before her.
“The time has come, my lady.” His voice was a silken purr of pleasure. “I have waited a lifetime for this moment. And now I intend to take my revenge.”
“I do not understand,” she said. “I do not know you.”
“Nay. But I know you. And you,” he said, turning to include Douglas Gordon.
“You are wrong. I would remember you, had we met before,” the older man replied.
Ian sat on a fallen log and crossed his leg, staring for a moment at the toe of his boot. When he lifted his gaze, he fixed Douglas Gordon with a look of pure hatred.
“My given name is indeed Ian. But my clan is not MacPherson. I wager you remember my father.” He paused for just a moment before saying softly, “Neville Sinclair.”
Douglas gasped. The night had turned eerily quiet.
“Neville Sinclair.” Douglas Gordon spat the name like a curse. “He broke all the laws of warfare. Instead of fighting me like a man, he stole away with my only daughter and tried to violate her.”
“And you killed him,” Ian said softly.
“Aye. I killed him. Any man would have done the same. He caused my daughter to suffer for a lifetime because of his cruelty.”
“Do you recall his son who begged you to kill him also?”
Douglas stared at the man a moment, seeing in his mind’s eye the terrible battle that ensued after Lindsey’s leap to the courtyard. Then he shook his head. “Nay. I recall no lad. I barely recall killing Neville Sinclair. I remember only the way my little daughter looked, lying in a pool of her own blood, like a small broken bird.”
“I came into the room,” Ian said, “and fell weeping across my father’s body. And I begged you to run me through with your sword so that I could be with my father.”
Douglas blinked, remembering the scene he had blocked for all these years from his memory.
“Aye. I do recall.” His voice lowered. “I spared your life and told you that the only way you could ever be with your father was to lead a wicked life. I warned you not to follow in his ways or you would one day join him in the fires of hell.”
“Aye.” Ian’s eyes glinted with a dangerous light, and Lindsey shivered at the evil she could read in their depths. “Remember well your words, old man. This night, I intend to make you suffer as I have suffered all these years without my father.”
His hands closed over Lindsey’s upper arms, lifting her to her feet. Drawing a dirk from his waistband, he held it up so that the blade reflected the dancing light of the fire. But instead of placing it to her throat, he cut through the ropes that bound her.
“Before you die, Douglas Gordon, you will beg me to kill you as I once begged you. And I will show you the same mercy. You will be forced to live with all your pain.” He smiled, a cruel, dangerous smile. “You will first see your daughter ravaged by me and my men. And then you will see your sons die before your eyes. And only then will you be allowed to join them.”
“I beg you, take my life and spare my children,” Douglas cried.
“Ah. Already you beg.” He turned to his men with a triumphant laugh, and then his voice changed to the deadly whisper that Lindsey had heard before. “It is time to sample the lady’s charms.”
Lindsey’s eyes went wide at the sound of that terrifying whisper. “It was you who spirited me away from my father’s camp.”
“Aye, my lady. And this time I will not fail in my plans for revenge.”
As he pushed Lindsey in front of him toward the fire a tall figure stepped into his line of vision. There was no mistaking Jamie MacDonald. In his hand glinted the jeweled hilt of a sword.
“Release the woman,” Jamie commanded.
For a moment Ian froze. Then, seeing no other figures emerge from the woods, he threw back his head and laughed.
“You are alone and you think to fight all of us?”
“Aye.” Jamie’s eyes narrowed as he studied the lass in Ian’s arms. He had heard and seen enough to know that this man was capable of doing all that he had threatened. “And a hundred more, if need be. Release the woman.”
At the fire in Jamie’s eyes, Ian’s smile faded. Until this moment, he had not really understood the fervor that drove the Heartless MacDonald.
He motioned to his men. “Kill him.”
As the highwaymen drew their swords and advanced, they tasted the full force of Jamie’s wrath. His anger was a terrible thing to behold as he leaped, thrust, danced, disarming all in his path.
Alarmed, Ian tossed Lindsey to the ground and joined in the battle. As the sound of blade hitting blade echoed through the forest, Lindsey crawled to where her father and brothers lay and quickly cut through the ropes that bound them. When they were free they leaped into the fray, driving the villains back.
When Ian realized that he and his men were being badly defeated, he looked around for an escape. At the edge of the clearing, Lindsey had taken up a sword to guard her two wounded brothers. Moving quickly, Ian crept up behind her and gave her arm a vicious twist until the weapon dropped harmlessly to the ground.
As Murray and Donald struggled to their feet he hissed, “If anyone should follow me, I will slit the lass’s throat.”
Her brothers were forced to watch helplessly as Ian dragged Lindsey into the forest. Ignoring the pain of their exertion, they gave a loud cry.
Jamie heard their cry and from the corner of his eye saw the flash of color as Lindsey disappeared into a thicket. Without thought to his own safety he dodged the flashing blades and raced into the forest. A moment later he saw two shadows on the trail ahead of him. With a cry of rage he leaped forward, sword drawn.
Ian whirled, drawing Lindsey in front of him like a shield. “Unless you halt and drop your weapon, I will plunge my sword through the lady’s heart.”
Jamie had no doubt that this madman would do as he threatened. He remembered a time when he would have fearlessly acted to disarm such a villain without regard to the consequences.
But that was before Lindsey. He felt the river of sweat between his shoulder blades. Fear. But not for himself. His life would mean nothing without Lindsey. For her sake, he must play by the villain’s rules.
He tossed his sword to the ground and saw Lindsey’s eyes widen with fear.
Ian’s lips curved into a smile. “Who would have thought the Heartless MacDonald would surrender so easily?” He brandished his sword. “Now kneel before me.”
Jamie knelt in the damp earth, all the while gauging the distance between himself and Ian. If he were to charge quickly, he would take the blade meant for Lindsey. And if he could stay conscious long enough to put up a fight, she would be able to make her way back to her father and brothers. His life would be little enough to pay to save hers.
Ian read the fire in Jamie’s eyes and sneered. “Do not try it, MacDonald. My aim is true. My blade will find your heart with the first thrust.”
“It does not matter,” Jamie said, preparing himself for the leap. “Nothing matters now except that the lady be free of your curse forever.”
In the blink of an eye Lindsey saw him get to his feet. “Nay, Jamie,” she cried.
Then she saw a snarling, silvery shadow leap from the floor of the forest and launch itself toward Ian’s uplifted sword.
“Wolf,” she cried in alarm, as she saw Ian’s sword slice through the hound.
The distraction gave Jamie the moment he needed to take up his sword and attack. Within minutes, Ian lay dead. Jamie turned to find Lindsey kneeling in the dirt, with Wolf’s head cradled in her lap. Tears streamed down her face as she watched the blood stream from the great shaggy beast.
Jamie knelt beside her and ran a hand over the matted fur. Rage churned through him. Must everyone and everything he loved be sacrificed?
“Oh, Jamie. Praise heaven you came in time.” Lindsey felt the first sting of tears as relief flooded through her.
As she sought to comfort the gravely wounded hound, she whispered, “He finally came close enough to let me touch him. But the price was too high. He willingly gave his life for mine, as you were about to do.”
Jamie’s rage boiled over. He could not bear to look at the pain in her eyes. Nor would he risk the loss of any more of his loved ones.
Giving no thought to Lindsey’s father and brothers who gathered around them, he grasped Lindsey by the arms and hauled her roughly to her feet. His eyes narrowed as he studied her. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and keep her safe. But there was still so much to be done. And one pledged to the queen’s safety could not afford the time to be tender.
With fire blazing in his eyes he turned to the wounded lads, Murray and Donald. “Are you strong enough to ride to your father’s fortress?”
“Aye.” Murray looked puzzled at the anger in Jamie’s tone.
“Then you will escort Lindsey there.”
Lindsey’s eyes widened. “I will not...”
The hands gripping her upper arms tightened their grasp until she cried out. His words were a low rasp of fury. He spoke each word with emphasis. “You will do as I order.” Turning to her father he added, “I will brook no arguments, Douglas. I want the lass returned to your fortress at once.”
Lindsey bristled. Every curse she had ever learned rushed to her lips. “I will not have this son of a viper order me about like a servant. I would rather...”
Douglas lifted a hand to still her tirade. Turning to Jamie with a solemn nod he said, “It will be as you say.”
With a look of disbelief Lindsey’s gaze went from Jamie to her father, then back to Jamie’s implacable look.
“You go too far, my lord. I will never forgive you.”
Jamie turned on his heel and strode away.
For long minutes she stared after him, battling a tangle of jumbled emotions. At last she swung away. To her brothers she directed, “Bring the hound.”
“He is beyond saving,” Donald said as gently as possible.
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She would not cry over Jamie MacDonald. He was, unworthy of her tears. Her look of determination matched Jamie’s. “Bring him.”
As she bid her father and young brothers goodbye, Jamie stood alone, his face a grim, unreadable mask.