Harlequin Historical May 2021--Box Set 1 of 2 Page 4

  ‘You can sleep here, mademoiselle. I have my cloak and shall manage very well in front of the fire.’

  Maddie glanced around the cave, noting the dark passages, the distance from the cooking area where the fire was now just a dim glow. She shook her head.

  ‘No. They clearly expect us to share this bed and, to be frank, I think I would like to know you are nearby.’ She drew herself up and looked him in the eye. ‘I hope you will not abuse my trust in you, Grant Rathmore.’

  ‘You could be the handsomest lass in Scotland and ye’d be safe enough!’

  She saw the gleam of his teeth in the dim light.

  ‘What I mean is, you may sleep easy, madam. I am far too exhausted to have any designs upon your virtue tonight!’

  * * *

  They set off again at dawn after a slight confrontation when Maddie offered to pay for their night’s shelter. At first Angus Gillies was inclined to take it as an affront to his hospitality, but Maddie insisted.

  ‘Whisht now,’ he said, looking at the coins she pressed into his hand, ‘What am I supposed to do with these? They are no use to us here, in the mountains.’

  ‘Not yet, perhaps, but you may use the money later, God willing.’ She closed his fingers over the coins and held them, saying earnestly, ‘It is not much, sir, and I do not wish to cause offence, but I would very much like you to take it.’

  The brawny Highlander flushed slightly and raised her hand to plant a clumsy salute upon her fingers.

  ‘Then I shall tak’ it in the spirit in which it is given and I will thank ye, mistress, and wish you Godspeed on your journey.’

  * * *

  As they rode away from the cave, Grant laughed.

  ‘I think you have gained an admirer in old Gillies, mistress. If I had offered him payment, he would have run me through.’

  ‘They were so kind; I could not leave without showing my gratitude. I only hope they live long enough to spend it.’ When he looked surprised, she met his eyes steadily. ‘I am acutely aware of their predicament, sir, even though I am a stranger here and do not speak the Gaelic.’

  She dropped back, indicating the conversation was at an end. Grant pondered her words and found himself wondering at the lady’s self-possession. The assault by the redcoats was enough to shred any woman’s nerves, but the very next morning she had set off into the unknown with a stranger and maintained her composure even when they had met the Highlanders and she had no idea of what was being said.

  ‘You laughed out loud, Mr Rathmore.’ She trotted up beside him. ‘What is it that has amused you?’

  ‘I was just thinking what an unusual female you are, Miss Madeleine d’Evremont.’

  Her dark brows rose and he found himself being scrutinised by a pair of deep blue eyes. ‘Now why should you say that?’

  ‘You are travelling alone with a man you do not know, through a country turned upside down by war, and you show the most admirable sangfroid.’

  ‘I cannot see that hysterics would do me any good at all in my present predicament.’

  ‘True, it would make my escorting you damned difficult!’

  That made her laugh this time. ‘Indeed, it would. My father said very much the same before he agreed to let me accompany him. He needed a housekeeper, he said, not a watering pot.’

  ‘Are you very close to your father?’

  She wrinkled her nose. ‘Not particularly—in fact, he can be the most infuriating man, but the alternative to remaining with him would have been going to live with my aunt, who is something of a recluse.’

  ‘From what I know of you that would not have done at all!’

  He was pleased when she responded to his grin with a wry smile.

  ‘No, although I think sometimes Papa wished he had left me behind, especially when I disagreed with him.’

  ‘Aye, arguments with a parent are the very devil,’ he admitted, with feeling.

  ‘Forgive me, but did you quarrel with yours? You said your father did not wish you to fight.’

  ‘He did not.’

  Grant closed his lips, but he could not close his mind to the regrets that had plagued him for months. His father had been right, the cause had been lost from the start and the retribution would be—was—bloody.

  ‘So why did you fight for the Stuart Prince?’

  Grant sighed. ‘A friend was in a rage to go. I had no plans to join the army, but he kept on at me, day after day, persuading me it was my duty to join the cause and put a Stuart back on the throne. Eventually I gave in. I knew my parents would disagree so I gave them no opportunity to stop me. I slipped away.’ His mouth twisted at the memory. ‘Like a thief in the night. It is my biggest regret, that I did not take my leave of anyone and did not say a proper goodbye, because I can never go back.’

  ‘Pray do not say that. I am sure, one day—’

  ‘No.’ Grant interrupted her. On this point he knew he was right. ‘Ardvarrick and my family are lost to me now, even if I could be sure of their forgiveness. It is almost inevitable that everyone and everything I hold dear will be punished severely for my actions. One thing is certain: if I go back, the army will follow. The best thing I can do for Ardvarrick is to stay away. That is why I am making my way to the east coast, to secure a passage to France. I have friends there, contacts I made during a brief sojourn in Paris at the age of nineteen, when my father sent me away to broaden my education.’

  ‘I am pleased you will know someone there,’ she replied. ‘And have you sent word of your intentions to your family? They will want to know you survived the battle.’

  ‘No.’

  Grant’s jaw was so tight he could barely utter the word as he tried to suppress the guilt, the shame he felt. He often imagined his father’s disappointment, his mother’s heartbreak at the way he had left them, without a word. He had disobeyed his father and joined the Stuart Prince and even the initial euphoria of those early days, of capturing Edinburgh and the victory at Prestonpans, had never quite dispelled it.

  He said now, ‘There is little point in telling them anything, until I am safely abroad.’

  Maddie recognised the finality in his voice and she said no more. She wanted to urge him to write to his parents, to let them know that at least he had survived Culloden, but it was no business of hers. She did not know the man well, he would not appreciate her interference, but it cost her an effort to hold her tongue. She maintained her silence as the track took them high over barren hills where the wind blew without ceasing. Maddie was relieved when they dropped down again to take a path through the ancient woodland, even though they had to force their way between the trees in places.

  * * *

  After what seemed like hours, they stopped to rest the ponies and eat the oatcakes and sliver of cheese the Highlanders had given them from their meagre supplies. Neither mentioned their previous conversation and the mood between them was companionable as they sat together, sheltered from the wind by a large boulder projecting from the hillside.

  ‘If I recall correctly what Angus said, we should soon reach Tarland,’ Grant told her. ‘After that it is but a few miles to the river.’

  ‘Then when you are rested, we had best get on.’ She began to pack away the remains of their food. ‘All the cheese is gone, but we will save the rest of the oatcakes for later. After all, it is not certain we shall find lodgings tonight.’

  * * *

  It was another full hour of riding before they came to a wide valley. They stopped at the edge of the trees and Maddie could see in the distance a small settlement, smoke curling up from the houses.

  ‘Is that Tarland at last?’ she exclaimed. ‘Thank heaven! It will be a relief to get back on to an open road again.’

  She was about to move forward, but Grant put his hand on her reins.

  ‘Wait.’ He was staring towards the settlement
. ‘There is an unusual amount of activity down there.’

  ‘Perhaps it is market day.’

  Madeleine wanted to be sanguine, but she, too, began to feel the first stirrings of alarm as she saw the tiny figures bustling around below them.

  ‘Wait here.’

  Grant dismounted and moved cautiously towards the edge of the trees. Maddie paused only to secure the ponies before she joined him.

  ‘I think I can make out splashes of red between the houses,’ she murmured, straining her eyes in an effort to see better. She clutched his arm. ‘Grant! There are soldiers. Hundreds of them.’

  ‘Aye, and from here they will be patrolling the river for miles in both directions.’ She heard him curse under his breath, then he took her hand and pulled her back into the shelter of the trees.

  ‘What do we do?’

  ‘The first thing is to get away from here,’ he said grimly. ‘Come. We will have to go back and skirt around them. If we keep within the trees, with luck they will not see us.’

  They had reached the ponies before she realised he was still holding her hand. When she tried to pull away his grip tightened and he stood for a moment, looking down at her fingers.

  ‘This setback will add considerably to our journey. I am very sorry about that, Madeleine.’

  The use of her name and the humble note in Grant’s voice twisted something inside her. It was as if an iron band was squeezing around her heart, which alarmed her. And she wanted to comfort him, which alarmed her even more.

  ‘You could not have known.’ Gently, she disengaged her hand. ‘If we had followed the valley route, the way I wanted to go, we might well have ridden into them. That would have been a great deal worse.’

  ‘Is that an admission that you were wrong, Miss d’Evremont?’

  Her lips twitched, but she said with mock severity, ‘It is, Mr Rathmore. Now let us mount up and be gone from here before I rescind it!’

  * * *

  They made their way back through the woods until Grant judged it safe enough to turn again.

  ‘We will head east,’ he decided. ‘We can cross the river further downstream, possibly beyond Aboyne, and approach Glen Muick from the south side.’

  She considered this, then nodded. ‘How much longer will that take?’

  ‘That depends upon where we can cross the river without being seen.’

  ‘We might try to cross after dark.’

  ‘That is a possibility, but I fear it will add an extra day to our journey, at least.’

  ‘Oh, dear. This is taking more of your time than you had bargained for, Mr Rathmore.’

  ‘Aye, but you have promised I shall be paid for my trouble. Besides...’ he looked at her, a gleam of humour lurking in his deep brown eyes ‘...I cannot abandon a lady in need.’

  Maddie looked away, feeling again the tightness around her heart. If only he would not smile at her in that way! She drew in a long breath to steady herself.

  ‘I have told you before, sir. I can take care of myself.’

  ‘Yes, I remember you saying so, ma’am, more than once. Very well, let us get on!’

  Grant’s words and the laugh in his voice did much to dispel the unfamiliar feelings. In fact, she thought, with growing indignation, she had a strong inclination to box his ears for teasing her!

  There was no more opportunity for idle banter. They kept to the wooded slopes, but it was necessary to stay alert for army patrols. Thankfully, the redcoats who were on the hills saw no need for caution and crashed their way through the trees, giving Grant and Maddie time to conceal themselves in the undergrowth.

  * * *

  It made for slow going and they were not even within sight of the river by nightfall.

  ‘With this cloud cover it will soon be too dark to see,’ remarked Grant. ‘We must consider stopping soon. We should look out for a hut or barn to shelter for a few hours.’

  ‘I think we would be safer here among the trees,’ said Maddie. ‘We have seen so many soldiers today that they are very likely to be making use of any building themselves.’ She glanced about her and pointed to one side. ‘There is a rocky overhang there, which will offer us a little protection from the weather and it is well screened by the surrounding woodland.’

  Grant nodded. ‘That will suit us very well.’

  It did not take them long to see to the horses and make themselves comfortable against the rockface, wrapped in their cloaks. Maddie rummaged in her saddlebag and pulled out what was left of the oatcakes.

  ‘They are a little broken, I’m afraid,’ she said, unwrapping the muslin and offering the crumbly remains to Grant, ‘but we shall not starve.’

  ‘I am only sorry it is too dangerous to light a fire,’ he remarked. ‘However, I do have this to keep out the chill.’ He pulled a small flask from his pocket and offered it to Madeleine, who eyed it suspiciously.

  What is it?

  ‘Uisge beatha,’ he said. ‘Whisky.’

  She took the flask, raised it to her lips and took a sip. The fiery liquid burned her throat as she swallowed.

  ‘Oh!’ She drew a long breath, taking in the pungent aroma that lingered in her mouth. ‘That is certainly warming.’

  He laughed. ‘Have you not had whisky before?’

  ‘Never. I believe it needs to be drunk with some caution.’

  ‘You are very right.’

  She took another sip, this time rolling the liquid around her tongue. ‘However, it is not unpleasant.’

  She handed the flask back to him and saw the flash of white as he smiled.

  ‘We will make a Highlander of ye yet, lassie.’

  She munched on an oatcake, deciding it was safer to ignore his impertinence.

  * * *

  The darkness settled around them and soft sounds filled the night: the snuffle of the ponies tethered nearby, the occasional hoot of an owl and the rustle of small animals. The noises were reassuring and Madeleine felt quite comfortable sitting beside Grant, their shoulders almost touching.

  ‘This place was a good choice, Miss d’Evremont,’ he remarked, in a tone of approval. He offered her the flask again. ‘I doubt we could have found a better spot.’

  She took another sip of the fiery spirit. It was most assuredly warming.

  ‘I am not totally without experience,’ she told him. ‘My father and I were obliged to sleep out of doors on more than one occasion.’

  ‘Evading brigands?’

  ‘Not always, sometimes my father was avoiding the law.’

  ‘What a colourful existence you have had, ma’am.’

  She shrugged. ‘Papa always said he only did what was necessary to survive, although I might wish that our life had been a little more conventional.’

  ‘I fear you would find conventional very dull.’

  She laughed. ‘Possibly.’

  ‘Would you like another dram?’

  ‘Thank you, no. I must not. I need to keep my wits about me.’

  ‘I am not trying to make you intoxicated, Miss d’Evremont.’

  ‘You would not be the first man to make the attempt,’ she flashed back at him, embarrassed that he had guessed her thoughts.

  Suddenly, the darkness and their isolation felt much more dangerous.

  ‘I should inform you that Papa has an advantageous match planned for me,’ she told him. ‘A suitor from a minor branch of the Bourbon dynasty, so I am not minded to throw myself away on just any man.’

  His response was little more than a grunt, which sounded almost derisive. How dare he! After a moment she continued.

  ‘I must say, though, that some of my suitors have been most attractive.’ She added with an air of superiority she knew would irk him, ‘Very rich and exceedingly handsome.’

  She smiled in the darkness when she heard his littl
e growl of annoyance.

  ‘Perhaps I should set your mind at rest,’ he said. ‘I find females with an independent, managing disposition most unattractive. They are not at all in my line. Especially foreign women with a dubious history.’

  She winced, but could not really blame him for retaliating.

  ‘I am glad to hear it,’ she retorted. Then, deciding it would not be wise to pursue the argument, she said, ‘Now, one of us will need to be awake at all times, so will you take the first watch or shall I?’

  They agreed that Grant would sit up first. Madeleine wrapped herself in her cloak and settled down on the ground, using her saddlebags as a pillow.

  ‘Independent, managing,’ she said to herself as she tried to get comfortable. The words rankled and she wished now she had not teased him. Not even the knowledge that she was safe from his advances made her feel any better.

  * * *

  Grant huddled into his cloak and sat quietly, watching and listening for danger, while their conversation rattled about in his head. So, he was neither handsome nor rich enough for Miss Madeleine d’Evremont! Not that it mattered one jot to him. She was spoiled, hot-tempered and far too strong-willed for his tastes. The sooner he handed her over to her friends in Glen Muick, the better!

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ‘Madeleine. Come along, wake up now. We must be moving.’

  There was a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her. Madeleine sat up, rubbing her eyes and blinking in the grey light.

  ‘It is almost dawn. I was supposed to take a watch, Grant. Why did you not wake me?’

  ‘You were sleeping so peacefully I thought you would benefit from a longer rest.’ He handed her the water flask. ‘As soon as it was light enough, I walked on a little way to see if I could ascertain where we are. Good news, the river is much closer than we thought when we stopped last night. I think we might try to make a crossing now.’

  ‘By all means.’ She shook off her remaining sleepiness and scrambled to her feet.

  ‘I have already saddled the garrons, so let us be gone with all speed.’

  Maddie wanted to object to him doing so much while she slept, but instead she merely thanked him. He had used her name again this morning and she had used his. It felt natural, comfortable and she was reluctant to upset the new camaraderie.