Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Alison found little pleasure in her ride. She'd gotten so used to having Finn by her side and teasing him and racing him that this morning's outing left her with little enjoyment.

As she rode, she blushed as she spotted various places where she and Finn had found pleasure with each other. Even the jump over the hedges brought her no joy. Blast the man, he'd ruined her morning rides.

Thinking about the chores that awaited her back at the castle, she turned her horse around to end her ride and return home. She came to a halt as two riders approached. One of the men looked familiar, but she wasn't sure.

Once they grew closer, she recognized Archie Sinclair and quickly turned her horse back toward the village. They were definitely up to no good and somehow she believed it involved her.

She could hear them getting closer and pushed poor Bonnie-Bay harder. Within minutes, she was lifted from the horse's back and settled on Archie's lap.

She elbowed him, punched wherever her fist landed, kicked back with her foot and attempted to scratch his face. She tried to reach for her dagger, but it was underneath her.

"Sit still, lass, or we will stop and tie ye up and it won't be pleasant."

"What do ye want with me? I'm married. ‘Tis o'er, Sinclair."

"Nay. No' o'er until we get the promises yer da made in the betrothal agreement."

"‘Twas broken! By ye! I married Finn Mackay. Ye have yer lemman. Leave me alone." Once more she shoved her elbow into Archie's middle and shifted in an attempt to get her dagger.

Was The Sinclair angry enough to kill her even if her da did hand over whatever it was in the agreement that The Sinclair wanted bad enough to abduct her? Or were they just going to hold her until they received what they wanted?

She had never known what her da had gotten out of the betrothal agreement that seemed so very one-sided. From the little bit of the agreement that she had seen, The Sinclair would be getting land and the lairdship for Archie. She didn't see in the agreement what it was that The Sinclair was giving in return.

It was another reason she felt as though her da was willing to enter into any agreement to get rid of her, or mayhap he was indeed suffering from a mental decline after her brothers had died.

Every so often, she saw her old da, who seemed clear and even energetic. She had overheard her father talking to James and Albert at the evening meal one night about the restoration of the Stuart monarchy a couple of years before and how the Highlanders felt the need to be fully aligned. Mayhap that was the boon Da received from the betrothal.

All of that didn't matter, however, with the predicament she was in. Finn would be furious when he found out she left the stable by herself and then got abducted.

She calmed herself since it was not likely she would escape from the two Sinclairs and she would waste her energy trying. ‘Twas better if she waited to see where they were taking her and try to escape from there.

"Where are ye taking me?"

Silence.

"I asked, where are ye taking me?"

Silence.

She jabbed Archie's middle with a strong jolt from her elbow, catching him by surprise. He grunted and raised his fist to hit her when the other Sinclair said, "Nay. Da will no' be happy if ye harm her."

Archie leaned down and said softly to her. "I doona care what my da says; if ye hit me again, I will blacken yer eye and tell my da ye fell."

So the men were under orders not to harm her. ‘Twas also interesting that, had she married this man, not only would she be sleeping in a cold bed, but she would also most likely be visiting the healer on a regular basis since she wasn't very good at keeping her thoughts to herself.

She grinned. Not like Finn who kissed her objections away. Blast, she missed the man. Even though she knew he would be very angry with her, there was no doubt that he would rescue her.

She trusted him.

Deciding maybe it was better being sweeter than she wanted to be with Archie, she said, "So where are ye taking me?"

To her surprise, he answered. "Castle Sinclair Grinigoe."

"Can I ask what yer purpose is? As I mentioned, I am married to Finn Mackay and we are verra happy."

Were they very happy? Aye. She was, anyway, and was pretty certain her husband was as well. Did that mean they loved each other?

Before she could dwell on that, Archie said, "When ye played the whore for Mackay and forced me to break our betrothal agreement, we lost things that my da wants."

She huffed. "I did no' play the whore, but then ye would ken all about that since ye have one of yer own."

Despite whatever warning Archie had received, he punched her on her back, taking her breath away and bringing tears to her eyes. Apparently the brother—name unknown—didn't see what Archie did, but she knew she would be suffering a bruise on her back.

"Then I am to be yer hostage until ye get what ye want from The Mackay?"

"Aye. Now I want ye to shut yer mouth since yer blathering is giving me a headache."

After a while she realized she needed to stop to take care of her needs. "I must take a break."

"No breaks. We intend to reach Sinclair before dark."

She shifted around. "No' possible, unless ye wish me to piss on yer lap."

"Ye do that and I'll strip yer clothes off and let ye ride naked the rest of the way."

She had no doubt this monster would do it. "I would freeze to death!"

He shrugged. "Then stop asking for things."

"This is the first thing I asked for. Doona ye have any feelings in ye at all?"

"No' for ye. I lost the entire Mackay clan because of ye."

She wanted to say that he didn't have to break the agreement, but she was very glad he had. Marriage to this monster would have given her a lifetime of misery.

After a few more minutes of suffering, she decided that knowing the type of man Archie Sinclair was, she had to be sweet and submissive to get what she wanted.

"May we please stop for only a minute so I can take care of my needs?" She smiled all the time, her jaw so tight she considered a couple of her teeth would break.

Archie gave her a quick nod and held up his hand to signal to the other Sinclair that they were stopping.

He jumped off the horse but made no move to help her down. She slid off the animal and remembered for the first time her horse Bonnie-Bay. The animal was so well-trained she was certain she'd found her way back to the stables.

Archie walked her toward the bushes. At least he had enough understanding to allow her to go farther into the woods without accompanying her. But not without a warning. "If ye try to escape, I will hunt ye down and the beating ye will get will be only where my da can't see it."

With a sigh of relief, Alison squatted and relieved herself. Once that problem was taken care of, her rumbling stomach reminded her that she'd missed breaking her fast.

She joined Archie and they walked side-by-side to the horses where the other Sinclair waited. When they reached the animal, she said, "I dinna break my fast. I need food."

"'Tis no' my problem, lass."

Before she could protest, he lifted her by the waist and practically tossed her onto the horse. Had she not grabbed the pommel, she would have slid to the other side and landed on the ground.

He climbed behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and they continued the journey.

Finn rode like someone possessed from the small village back to Castle Varrich, his heart thumping so loud he thought it would jump out of his throat. As much as he prayed Alison was home and safe, he had a very strong feeling that the fires were set to send him and some of his men away from the castle.

Since there didn't appear to be anything amiss at the castle, he didn't dismount but rode directly into the stables. Old Kilmead wandered out from the back of the stables, looking guilty.

"Where is Lady Mackay?" He didn't mean for the words to come out as a bark, but given the look on Old Kilmead's face, it apparently had.

The man swallowed a few times and waved toward the hill he and Alison rode down every morning. "She went off for her ride e'en though I told her ye said not to do it."

He wanted to blast the man but knew ‘twas not his fault. His wife was stubborn and independent and took every opportunity to defy him. This time he was certain she'd run into trouble.

He turned Morag toward the hill and rode at a speed he was lucky didn't cause him to tumble over the animal's head.

A race around the area they generally rode in produced no evidence of his wife. Realizing he needed help to continue his search, he headed back to the keep.

Once he arrived at the stable, Bonnie-Bay wandered out, her saddle still on her back. "Did ye find yer wife, Finn?"

"Nay." He shook his head, thinking the man would have assumed that since his wife's horse had returned without her.

"I need a fresh horse. Take care of Morag and tack another one for me." He walked off to the keep. He would need to get a few men to help him search, although, since the questionable fire, he had a sick feeling that Alison had been taken.

"Finn!" Albert came rushing toward him, waving a piece of parchment. "This just came for ye. A messenger brought it."

Finn grabbed the parchment and read it. He looked up at Albert. "The Sinclair has abducted Alison."