Читать книгу Kidnapped By The Highland Rogue - Terri Brisbin - Страница 12

Chapter Two

A few days later...

Niall Corbett watched, arms crossed over his chest, as the motley group spread out over the area and claimed their places. As it did each time they found a spot in which to lay a camp, the fighting over the choicest bits began almost immediately. Though Anndra was the biggest fighter amongst them, Micheil was smaller, quicker and meaner.

While the shouting and brawling continued, Niall walked to a place that was on the perimeter of the clearing, higher than the surrounding ground and covered by a tree. It would do for now.

He dropped his belongings, few as they were, and seated himself on a nearby log to see the outcome of the fighting. As he expected, Micheil claimed victory once more and kicked Anndra’s bags off the small patch of grass near the fire pit and placed his own there.

Lundie, Niall noticed, almost mirrored him. Arms crossed, watching the fight and resolution with thinly disguised contempt and resignation. No matter how many times Lundie had ordered the men not to fight amongst themselves, this small disruption happened at every new place where they camped. And over the six months that Niall had spent with these men that was a goodly number of fights. A few blackened eyes and cracked ribs were usually the result, so Lundie ignored it most of the time.

Niall walked through the area and realised it had been an organised camp some time ago. Caves into the mountainside held remnants of those who had lived here. With the mountain’s forests and height to hide it, this would be an excellent place to hide for a long time. Lundie approached, so Niall stood.

‘Someone used this place,’ Lundie said. ‘’Tis too organised for another explanation.’ Niall nodded.

‘Nothing like the shielings the Highland clans use to watch their herds,’ Niall added. ‘The caves there show signs of having been used, too.’

‘Do ye think ’tis safe for us to stay here?’ Lundie, the man running this gang, had grown trusting of his opinion over the last months. A part of Niall’s plan that was a success.

‘With that old man’s death on our last raid? I suspect no place will be safe for us for long.’

The Mackintosh was not known for his mercy but rather his strength and shrewdness. The death of one of his people would cause him to take notice and action against those responsible. Niall glanced once more across the clearing at just those men. He’d like to think it had just gotten out of control, but something niggled at him when he thought on how the whole raid had happened. If he had doubted it was planned, Lundie’s next words confirmed it for him.

‘’Twas bound to happen,’ the man said, shrugging his shoulders and looking away.

So, whoever was giving Lundie orders gave that one as well.

A line had been crossed with that death. What Niall was certain was meant only to be harassment was now much more serious. If a man’s death was part of the bigger plan, what could be next?

‘We will only be here for a few days. It should be safe enough for that,’ Lundie said, his decision clearly made and the plan set in place. Niall could only nod as Lundie walked to the centre of the clearing and waited until he gained every man’s attention.

He was not the leader who had a masterplan in mind, but only that leader’s second-in-command. Someone else, someone more powerful, had designed these attacks and somehow benefitted from them. After each raid or attack, Lundie would disappear to meet with the one who gave the orders and then return with the orders for the next step. Niall needed to discover the identity of that one who had some plan to sow discord between the now allied Camerons and Mackintoshes.

Though his own orders gave him permission to do as he must, both to maintain his anonymity and to identify the leader of this plan, he did not countenance taking lives. Especially not innocent villagers who did not raise resistance but only protected themselves. But, from Lundie’s comments, their activities had escalated and would again soon. Lundie pulled out a small sack and weighed it in his palm. Coins jingled within and the others smiled and moved closer. Niall watched and waited.

‘Ye have done good work and yer reward has arrived.’ Lundie tossed the bag to Iain Ruadh to distribute. Each man would get several gold pieces, more than any of them would have earned in years of honest toil. It took little more than that to gain compliance to whatever Lundie offered.

‘Iain Dubh,’ Lundie said, calling Niall by the name he’d used during his time with them, ‘’twill be yer turn for a reward on the next raid.’ Though the others grumbled, they’d each earned the chance to claim something from their endeavour. ‘Choose something ye like and ’tis yers.’

Niall nodded in acceptance and smiled as he received his gold. If their previous pattern held, Lundie would reveal their next target and they would attack on the morrow. Only the death of the old man had made them pause for any length of time. Tucking the coins into a small pocket in his leather jack, he waited for the rest of it.

‘The Mackintosh has left his lands and gone to The Cameron,’ Lundie revealed. ‘On the morrow, we will make a small visit to Drumlui village.’

Niall forced himself to react as the others did. This was a huge challenge that the leader thought them ready for and the men listening smacked each other on the back and congratulated themselves for being given such a task. Niall’s stomach roiled and clenched at the thought of such a foolhardy mission.

No matter that Brodie Mackintosh left his lands, his commander and others would be in charge of the security of the keep and the village. Formidable defences were in place and even more would be at the ready if the chieftain was not in residence. Good Christ! This called out disaster to him more than anything else they’d done.

‘At nightfall, when the gates close, we will stir up a wee bit of trouble.’ When the men cheered, Lundie waved at them. ‘Nothing too much, ye ken. Just a little excitement that will surprise them.’

In other words, knock a few heads, toss a few cottages and get out. Niall shuddered at the thought of being that close to the main keep of The Mackintosh chieftain. He suspected that someone was trying to stir up trouble for the Mackintosh, but Niall did not want to be close enough to be caught when it happened.

‘Seek yer rest. We ride hard before daybreak, taking different paths to Glenlui, and will enter the village separately.’

Lundie nodded at the men who sought their places and readied for the night. No fires would be built that could draw attention, even in this remote location. They followed the same pattern as they had for months, posting guards who would take turns through the night. Niall could see no good from this newest plan, so he decided to say something to Lundie.

‘This is dangerous. You know that, Lundie,’ he said quietly so only the other man could hear. ‘Pricking at the man is one thing. Attacking his main village, at his keep, borders on madness.’

‘’Tis the order,’ Lundie replied, with another shrug of his shoulders. ‘Dinna worry. The pay will match the danger, Iain,’ Lundie reassured him, believing that greed and gold drove him as it did the others.

‘Well, then,’ Niall said, nodding. Let Lundie think it was about the money then. On the morrow, Niall would be on his guard.

* * *

So, after sitting in the caves, dry at least, for a day they’d not planned on, they made their way down from the mountains and to the village. Niall made his way into the village, riding past the gateway of the keep without staring at the tall, stone walls around a taller stone keep. He dismounted, leaving his horse tied nearby, and went to the baker. After buying one of the man’s last remaining loaves, he eased his way along the paths, observing the villagers who lived and worked here.

It did not take long to notice her.

A young woman, tall and lithe, walked past him and was trailed by a young man who he took little notice of. But, it took only one glance to assess this situation. The young man, awkward and lanky, wanted the woman. The woman who barely gave him a moment’s attention. Until she stopped and turned, giving Niall his first good look at her.

Good God, she was a beauty!

She wore a plain gown, but that was the only unremarkable feature of hers. Green eyes the shade of the summer forest. A gently sloping nose that led his gaze down to the most perfect mouth and lips he’d ever seen on a woman. She said something to the man and he imagined how her lips would taste and feel against his own. How her voice would sound as she whispered his name....

Niall shook his head, trying to understand the strange wanting that this woman caused. Tossing the last bit of bread in his mouth, he chewed it slowly while sorting out the cause of his reaction to her. He was not an untrained, inexperienced lad with no history of involvement with willing women. Before, before he became Iain Dubh, he had had his share of lovers and even since becoming this rogue, women had sought him out for bed play.

Nay, inexperience did not explain it. So, he stepped into the shadows of the path where he would not be seen and watched the exchange between the two.

Even without being able to hear their words, he could decipher what was happening. The man was trying to convince the woman to accept his offer. He shuffled from side to side, unable to meet the beauty’s gaze for more than a moment or two. Truly, Niall doubted he could have for much longer than that.

Then, the woman took the man’s hand and was clearly attempting to be kind about her obvious refusal. Was the man making an offer of marriage? He was bolder than Niall thought him to be if that was happening,

‘Dougal!’ the beauty said louder now. Ah, the hapless lad was called Dougal. ‘I have been as clear as I can about a match between us. I pray you to leave the matter now.’

Dougal, the hapless lad, opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to say something. The lad’s rebuttal to the lass’s refusal, Niall suspected. But the determined young woman—was she an Isabel or a Margaret?—did not give him the opportunity. She released his hand and stepped back, a clear message to one who had eyes to see it.

Niall let out a sigh and retrieved the apple he’d been carrying in his sack. Biting into it, he continued to watch this unexpected bit of entertainment to ease the waiting.

Bloody hell! He needed to get into position and realised the lass, and lad, would be in the middle of the coming disturbance. Glancing around, he wondered how to steer her away from it. Niall saw that his presence had not been noticed. Mayhap if they saw him, they would leave this area and go in some other direction?

He’d seen many other men and women in the months with this gang and had never thought of warning one of them, so why now? Why her? For it was the lass for whom he was concerned.

Without truly thinking on it more than that, he stepped out of the shadows, making enough noise to ensure she would hear him. And she did, stepping back even further now from young Dougal. She raised her eyes to his and Niall lost his breath with wanting and need for this perfect stranger.

Sucking in a breath, he nodded at her but remained where he stood. He wanted her to move down this pathway and away from the village well on his right. Tugging the reins of his horse, he slowly walked in front of her and she turned back to her companion and in the direction he wished her to go. After only a moment’s contemplation of her choices, the beauty faced him once more, staring at his face as though deciding if they had a past introduction.

He would have remembered meeting this one but could not. He’d never travelled to the lands of the Mackintosh and Cameron clans before this. If he’d seen her at court, his appearance would have been very different than it was now with dirt and grime covering most of his face and features and the worn and torn clothing of a band of men living on the road.

This close, he could see that her eyes were even more spectacular than at a distance, glimmering in this sun’s light as though touched by fae magic. Her gaze narrowed and he felt the heat of arousal race through him. Wiping the back of his hand across his now sweaty forehead, Niall struggled with his control.

‘Good day, sir,’ she said quietly, still searching his face. ‘Do you have need of something?’

Did she have to phrase her words so? His randy bits took a different meaning from them than the simple courteous one she meant. The sound of her voice, soft but with deep tones tracing through it, was as sensual as he’d thought it would be. Before he could reply, hapless Dougal walked to her side, and even took a step closer, positioning himself as her protector. The poor lad would never stand against what was coming.

‘Good day to ye both,’ he said, making his accent rougher to blend with the more common one of the gang. ‘Nay, just travellin’ on and stopped for a drink from the well there.’ Niall nodded at the stone structure—a common reason and place for visitors to stop.

‘The dipper sits in a bucket at its side,’ the beauty replied. Hapless Dougal glared and crossed his arms over his meagre chest, mayhap able to read more in Niall’s gaze at the young woman than she did.

Niall pulled his horse along, blocking the rest of the path, and feinted towards the well. The sound of stirring trouble began echoing into the clearing. The other two glanced to the source of the sounds and the woman took a step towards it. Without thinking, Niall grabbed her by the shoulders, ignoring her gasp, and pushed her in the other path.

‘Go. Now. Away from here,’ he whispered fiercely so that only she could hear his words.

She stumbled back a few steps and into hapless Dougal, who caught her. Niall could waste no more time here without exposing himself to the outlaws, so he did not spare another glance at her. Instead, he mounted and rode off towards the growing disturbance, knowing he must play his part.

The lass would have to see to herself, no matter how much his randy bits wanted him to do otherwise. That he had to force himself not to look back at her told Niall that she was more dangerous to him than any other challenge he’d encountered thus far. And these last months had presented him with many more than he’d ever thought to face.

The spreading chaos and noise drew his full attention now and he could give little more thought to the enticing, green-eyed temptress.