Chapter 2

Arianna fought against consciousness when it nudged at her. Despite her best efforts, it won the battle, rushing over her on a wave of pain. She struggled to breathe through the worst of the pain only to be distracted from that effort when her stomach cramped viciously with warning. Arianna groaned out a curse, forced her aching body onto its side, and let her body rule as it forcibly expelled all the water she had swallowed.

“I told ye she was still alive.”

Adelar, she thought, and took a moment from her misery to give thanks. One of her boys still lived. When her stomach ceased to torture her, she would find out how Michel fared.

“Ye should listen to Adelar, monsieur. He is verra clever. Anna says so.”

Ah, and there was Michel, Arianna noted even as more spasms overtook her. Both her boys were alive. She could die now. Not happily or peacefully, but gratefully.

Arianna was pulled from her blinding misery by the rough touch of a man’s calloused hands on her upper arms. Her bare upper arms. She wondered what had happened to her clothes but was too sick to truly care. She then wondered why the mere touch of a man’s hands should ease her misery so much, the warmth of his big hands chasing away some of the chill that had sunk its teeth deep into her bones. A man’s touch had never done her any good before.

“Done trying to rid yourself of your own stomach now, lass?”

The man’s deep, gruff voice tickled something to life deep within her, something that had nothing to do with fear, pain, or sickness. Nor with the fact that her heart warmed at the sound of a fellow countryman’s voice after being so long away from home. Arianna was not sure what that something was but instinct told her it could cause her a lot of trouble. She no longer had much faith in her own instincts, however, and she was too weak and too wretchedly sick to puzzle it all out anyway.

Her attempt to pull free of the man’s grasp was thwarted by him with an ease that annoyed her. Before she could gather the wit to protest, she was rolled onto her back. Arianna found herself staring into a pair of dark blue eyes. It took her a moment to yank her gaze away from those fine eyes, just enough to notice well-shaped dark brows and an almost lush growth of equally dark lashes. Whoever this man was, he was unquestionably trouble. She did not have the gift of sight as some of her Murray kinswomen had, but she could foresee that much. Arianna wished she had the strength to grab the boys and run.

And was that not just her luck? she thought as he efficiently bathed her face. She washes up on shore—bruised and battered, her hair a gnarled, sand-dusted mess, her shift and stockings torn and filthy—and then spends far too long heaving her innards out on the ground. Is she aided by some kindly old crone? A plump, long-wed matron? A lowly servant? No. She is found by a man, a very handsome man. Arianna suspected that fate had chosen to ensure that no man would ever find her an object of his desire.

It was probably for the best, she decided as he sat her up and poured wine into her mouth. She would not know what to do with a man who desired her anyway. She had certainly failed abysmally with her late husband. Arianna rinsed out her mouth and spit, knowing she did so with more vigor and skill than any true lady should have. She decided to blame her brothers and a vast horde of male cousins for that indelicacy.

“Better?” the man asked.

“Nay,” she replied, not surprised that her voice was so weak and hoarse as she was certain she had damaged it while heaving half the ocean out of her stomach. “I believe I shall just lie here and die.”

“Nay,” cried Adelar as he grasped her by the hand. “Ye must stay with us.”

She smiled at the two boys looking at her with wide, frightened eyes. “I but jest, lads. Just allow me to rest for a wee bit and we will soon be on our way.”

“On your way to where?” demanded the man still holding her in his arms.

“And who might be asking?” She wished her voice were stronger for the weakness of it robbed her words of all the cool haughtiness she had attempted.

“Sir Brian MacFingal,” he replied, and nodded toward the tall, thin youth standing behind him. “That is Ned MacFingal, one of my brothers. Ye were sailing on a ship I had hired to bring me some goods to sell.”

Arianna frowned at him, the name MacFingal stirring some faint recognition, yet she was too weary and sick to clearly think of why it did. Or to care.

“I am Lady Arianna Lucette and these lads are my wards, Michel and Adelar Lucette. We paid Captain Tillet to bring us to Scotland so that I might take my wards to my family.” In her head, she suddenly heard the echoes of the sound of the ship splitting apart beneath the force of the larger ship ramming into it and the terrified screams of the men. “Those poor men,” she whispered as she stared out at the now calm waters. “Did they all die then?”

“Nay. Captain Tillet and four of his crew survived.”

After sending up a prayer of thanks, she briefly added prayers for the souls of the rest of Captain Tillet’s men. “A horrible way to die and so verra needless.”

“So, the captain wasnae mistaken when he said they wrecked purposely,” Brian noted.

“Nay, he wasnae. A much larger ship rammed into the side of his, destroying it. The boys and I saw it headed straight for us and got off the ship just before it struck us.”

“Ye jumped into the sea?”

“I believed we had a better chance of surviving if we chose how we went into the sea instead of just waiting to be hurled in. We shed the heaviest of our clothing and used a few empty kegs to keep us afloat.”

“Ah, so ’twas your clothing we found in one of the kegs,” said Ned, and blushed when everyone looked at him. “They are safe and dry.”

“That is good. Thank ye.” Arianna began to recall shedding her gown, cloak, and boots, and then looked back at Sir Brian, refusing to be embarrassed by her state of ragged undress. “If we could but borrow a few supplies, we will be on our way. Once I am with my family again, I will see that ye are weel compensated for your aid.”

“And that family would be?”

Brian waited patiently as he watched her mull over all the risks of telling him the truth. She was a mess. It was difficult to judge the color of her hair for it was wet, matted, and covered in sand. All he could tell, by the few hanks of hair that hung loose of the massive snarl, was that it hung to her hips if not farther. Her tattered clothing revealed that she was slim, her well-shaped legs surprisingly long considering how small she was. Despite the bruises and scratches on her too pale face, he could see that she would be a pretty little thing once she was cleaned up and healed.

Her best feature at the moment was her eyes, even underscored by the shadows of exhaustion as they were and a bit reddened by the sting of the salty water. They were large eyes, almost too large for her small heart-shaped face, and a beautiful amber color. Although clouded with pain and mistrust, he found that he had a very difficult time trying to stop staring into those eyes.

Arianna tried to clear the fog of weariness from her mind. She needed to think clearly. If she told this man she was a Murray, that would mark her as one of his countr ywomen and might gain her more help. The Murrays of Donncoill were well known, however, as were all the branches of the clan. Admitting who she was could quickly turn her into a hostage for ransom. Recalling that her clan had enemies, she knew that becoming a hostage for ransom might be the least of the troubles she could face as she tried to reach her family.

She glanced at Michel and Adelar. They had done well so far, but asking them to care for her until she was strong again even as they traveled for many days, alone and unprotected, was too much of a burden to set upon their small shoulders. They were all also as good as captives of this man already, a man whose clan name still tickled at a memory in her tired mind. She could not be certain if it was a good memory or a bad one, or simply that the captain had mentioned it, but she was certain that, at least for a little while, she needed some help. Sir Brian MacFingal was the only choice she had.

“That family would be the Murrays,” she said. “I am the granddaughter of Sir Balfour Murray of Donncoill. I am Lady Arianna Murray Lucette. My husband recently died and I am returning home.”

“So, ye are kin to my brother Gregor’s wife, Alanna, and, mayhap, my laird’s wife, Fiona. Fiona was a MacEnroy ere she wed Ewan.”

“Aye, Alanna is my cousin and I am kin to Fiona MacEnroy, too, but only through marriage, for her brother married my cousin Gillyanne.” She frowned as the memory that had nudged at her mind slowly became more distinct. “So now I ken why the name MacFingal sounded familiar to me. That all happened ere I left to be wed.”

“So ye see that it is best if ye travel to Scarglas with us and we can send word out to your family.”

“Nay, I couldnae ...”

“Brian!” Simon ran up to him and grabbed him by the arm. “I think we may have trouble soon. When I saw that ye and Ned had found others alive, I decided to wander farther down the shore to see if there were others who had pulled themselves up into the rocks. There are a lot of armed men headed our way.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, Brian saw Arianna and the two boys grow deathly pale. “I think there is yet something ye need to tell me.” He looked back at Simon. “How close?”

“They move verra slowly, searching, and have only just begun to do so. Half an hour, mayhap more, and they will be upon us. Fifteen men, I think. I cannae be certain for there is a chance a few have already moved from my sight or are still making their way in from the ship. I didnae linger to make sure of my count.”

“Get the horses packed.” As soon as Ned and Simon ran off to see to that chore, Brian stood up and pulled Arianna to her feet. “Are ye being hunted for some crime, m’lady?”

“Nay!” Adelar moved to Arianna’s side and glared at Sir Brian. “’Tis me and Michel the men hunt for. They want us dead so that they can claim all that our father left to us.”

“This is true?” Brian demanded, fighting the urge to steady Arianna when she swayed, still too weak to be on her feet for long.

“Aye,” she replied. “They dinnae want to wait to see if my husband’s family can get the boys declared illegitimate.” When he just scowled at her, she added, “’Tis a long, sordid tale, Sir Brian, and I dinnae think there is time to tell it all right now. All that is important now is that those men want these boys dead so badly that they rammed Captain Tillet’s ship, not hesitating to condemn us all just to kill the boys.”

Silently cursing, Brian swung her up into his arms, ignoring her protests. As he hurried to the horses, he made and tossed aside several plans before reaching the one he believed would work best. It was a risky one, but he was certain it would succeed in confusing and dividing the men who would soon be hunting them. He was also certain that Lady Arianna Murray Lucette was not going to like it.

He was pleased to see Simon standing ready with the clothes Lady Arianna had stuffed into the keg, and set her down so that she could put hers on. She had a quick, clever mind, he decided as he thought on how she had saved herself and the boys. It would serve them well in the days ahead.

“Simon, Ned, ye take this wee lad with ye and the captain and his men. Ride straight for Scarglas.” He pushed Adelar toward Simon even as the boy was still struggling to put his cloak on.

“Nay! The lads should stay with me,” protested Arianna, pausing in her struggle to put her boots on.

“So that the three of ye can be an easier target for your enemies?” Ignoring her muttered arguments, he looked at his brother Nathan and quickly explained why they needed to get the boys away from the shore. “Nat, ye take the others and the goods we have salvaged and make your way home in as twisted a way as ye can.” He nudged Michel toward Nathan. “Ye will guard this lad.”

“And what will ye do?” asked Nathan as he helped Michel get his cloak on straight.

“The lady and I will take three of the horses and head out as if we are racing for the Murray lands.”

“As if? Where are ye truly headed then?”

“To Scarglas, of course, but by way of Dubheidland. I believe it may be time to visit our cousins the Camerons. Sigimor has become too tame. Leading this trouble to his door should get his blood flowing again.”

Arianna watched the two men grin at each other and nearly cursed as she hastily laced up her gown, trying to ignore how uncomfortable it was to put anything over her wet, torn shift. She was tempted to curse at the men, too. They were obviously intoxicated by the idea of thwarting some foe, just like men everywhere. She had seen that expression far too often to mistake it. The fact that they would take up the challenge to protect a woman and two children as well as avenge Captain Tillet’s drowned men only added to the sweetness of the battle. It was fortunate that she had seen another side to men as she had grown or she could easily think they were all bloodthirsty idiots.

She looked at Adelar and Michel. The boys looked as frightened and uncertain as she felt. She did not need to ask if they were as terrified of being taken from her as she was of letting them go. It was written all over their pale faces, causing tears to shine in their wide gray eyes. Although her legs protested the movement, she went over to where the boys huddled together as the men moved quickly to finish the preparations to leave. Arianna knew she had very little time to soothe the children, or herself.

“We should stay with you,” said Adelar. “All of us together.”

“We will be together again soon.” She kissed each boy on the forehead.

“Do ye trust these men?”

“Aye, I think I do. Ye heard. They are my kinsmen through marriage and I have heard about them. The captain trusts them as weel. Go, my fine brave laddies. We will meet again verra soon and, mayhap, this will prove the safest way for us to get to my family. Heed weel the men who take ye with them.”

Tears stung her eyes when both boys hugged her tightly. She stroked their hair and then clenched her hands into tight fists to stop herself from snatching them back when they joined the men. Arianna ignored the pain and weakness wracking her body and stood watching until they were out of sight. Doubts and fears churned her stomach but she struggled against them. In the end the decision to let the boys go rested upon one hard, cold fact. She was in no condition to keep them safe and would not be for a while.

“Come,” said Sir Brian as he tossed her cloak over her shoulders, grasped her by the arm, and tugged her toward the three horses waiting for them. “We need to leave now.”

“Why three horses?” she asked, placing a hand on the flank of the white mare he led her to.

“I want to be certain the men hunting those boys think they have three choices to make, that they need to break into three groups to track us all down.” He looked at her. “Are ye strong enough to ride?”

Arianna nodded, praying she was not fooling herself. The very last thing she wished to do right now was get on a horse, riding hard in an attempt to pull some of her enemies away from the trails the boys had taken. She wanted a bath, clean clothes, a hot meal, and a soft bed. She even wanted to cease having to be so strong, having to silently endure all her fear, pain, and weariness. It would be so lovely, she mused as she pulled herself up into the saddle, if she could just fall to the ground and give in to her misery, perhaps cry loudly and messily like a child for a little while.

Brian mounted, checked the lead to the third horse loaded with several packs to mask the fact that it was riderless, and then glanced at Lady Arianna, who was securing her cloak more firmly around her body. She did not look as if she would stay in the saddle for long, but he had the suspicion that there was a core of stubborn, hard steel in the woman. All he needed was a few hours of hard riding out of her. As he kicked his horse into a steady gallop, he found himself hoping he could offer her a few comforts when they had to stop for the night.

After an hour of hard riding, Brian slowed their pace a little. The trail they followed was wide enough that Arianna moved up to ride at his side. He caught her glancing behind them several times.

“They wouldnae have reached the place we left for a while, and deciding what to do when confronted with three trails will hold them back for a time as weel,” he assured her. “They willnae follow the whole way at such a hard pace, either. They are unfamiliar with the area and will need to keep a closer eye on their route to be sure they stay on our trail. Nor will they wish to ride their horses to death, if they e’en have them.”

“I suspect they brought horses with them,” she said. “The ship was verra large, much larger than Captain Tillet’s, and they wouldnae have wished to chase me and the boys on foot if they thought we had escaped drowning. Your mon Simon may have left ere they were able to bring their horses to shore.”

“Which will take more time. Good for us.”

“True. The DeVeaux and Amiel may e’en have held back on bringing the horses to shore until they were certain a search or chase would be needed for ’tis a lot of work to do. They were looking for our bodies.” She winced. “When they find the dead we had to leave behind they will ken that Michel and Adelar survived. I am so sorry those poor men died only to be left to the carrion.”

“’Tis nay your fault. And I dinnae think the men hunting you and those boys would act verra kindly toward us once we said they couldnae have ye, so ’tis best we didnae wait there to confront them.”

Arianna sighed and rubbed her forehead, but it did little to ease the pounding in her head. “Nay, ’tis why I ceased to seek any help. That and the fact that Claud’s family didnae wish to believe that Amiel was doing any wrong. They certainly refused to believe that he would ever deal with the DeVeaux.”

“Who is Amiel?”

“My husband’s brother.”

“Ah. So the boys inherit something he wants.”

Explanations were needed but Arianna heartily wished she did not have to give them. It meant revealing her humiliation, her shame. Unfortunately, the man not only deserved the answers he wanted, he might need them to better protect her and the children. She had learned enough from her family, and from ruling over her husband’s lands as he spent much of his time dallying with another woman, to know that even the smallest piece of information could make a difference between life and death.

“At the moment the boys are my husband’s heirs.”

“At the moment? I assumed they are his heirs because he was wed before he married you.”

“He was and he remained married even as he took vows with me.” She could feel the heat of embarrassment color her cheeks and almost welcomed it for it chased away some of the chill lingering in her body. “No one kenned it, but he had married a girl in the village nearly six years before he married me. He did not annul that first marriage, which gave him the boys. Instead, he allowed all of us to believe Marie Anne was his mistress and had me train his boys. I kenned they were his sons, but I had thought they were his bastard children, ones he wished trained to a better life.”

Brian bit back the curses stinging his tongue. He could only guess at the depth of the humiliation she had suffered. It was all too easy to recall the anger and bitterness suffered by his father’s wives over the man’s unfaithfulness. For this woman to discover that she was a mistress and not the wife she had thought herself must have been a hard blow indeed.

Then he thought on how she treated the two boys his family now rushed to a safe haven. Brian had no doubts that she cared for them and they for her. It said a lot about the woman that she did not turn her anger or heartache onto the boys. Few women he had known would be so kind and loving toward the children of a man who had so cruelly betrayed them.

“Yet you still call yourself Lady Lucette?”

“To do otherwise would only shame both our families. I may be angry with Claud for his deception, but he is dead now, as is his wife. Murdered by his own brother, I believe. And his family? They may have nearly cost the boys their lives by refusing to heed my warnings, but they were grieving the loss of their eldest son and still reeling from learning how many lies he had told everyone. My family had naught to do with it all save to offer me what they all thought would be an excellent match. There is naught to gain in letting Claud’s lies be kenned save to shame all the ones who have done no real wrong.”

“Including you and those laddies.”

“Aye, including us. All I demanded of them was that, if they got the boys disinherited, that they gift them with the property held here and leave them with me. Then I left the problem of trying to sort out Claud’s deceptions to the Lucettes and brought the boys here. It was foolish of me to believe, even for a moment, that that would be enough to end the threat to them.”

“Your Claud was a coward.”

“Why do ye say that?”

“He didnae have the stomach to tell his kin the truth. He probably feared he would lose his place as the heir because he wed a woman he kenned his family wouldnae approve of. Instead of fighting for the marriage he wanted, fighting for his sons, he lied and dragged ye into his life of lies without a thought as to how it would affect you. And ye were right to bring those laddies here. They will get the protection they deserve now.”

That sounded very much like a vow but, before Arianna could respond to Sir Brian’s somewhat impassioned speech, he kicked his horse into a gallop. She hurried to get her own mount moving to keep up with him. It was not easy but she forced herself to ignore the exhaustion and pain battering at her body. She just prayed that it would not be too much longer before he claimed it safe enough to stop for a rest.

She fixed her mind on what he had said about her late husband, Claud, and had to agree. Claud had been a coward, too spineless to stand firm on what he wanted honestly and openly. He had also been selfish, thinking only of himself. It embarrassed her to think of how hard she had tried to make their marriage a good one before she had discovered Marie Anne, the woman she had thought was his mistress. Discovering that Marie Anne had actually been his true wife had made her feel, briefly, relieved that she had not indulged in many of her grand plans to seduce him away from his mistress.

Arianna just wished the sense of failure she still carried would ease. She had not failed for there had never been any chance for her to succeed. Claud was the one who had failed them all and was still failing them. Instead of being there to help protect his sons, it was the woman he had lied to and betrayed who was fighting to keep the boys alive. Arianna fixed her gaze on Sir Brian’s broad back and promised herself that she would win this fight. She also promised herself that she would never be so trusting and painfully naive again.