Chapter 20

They rode for another week until they reached the edge of the McMillan lands, which was marked by a stream called the Bracken Burn, which was famous for the abundance of brown trout that inhabited it. After a short while Murdo and Alec, the most experienced fishermen, had caught half-a-dozen fat ones, and they went to bed with full stomachs that night.

There were no more chances for Norah and Tearlach to spend time alone like they did the day before. Norah very carefully kept away from him at night, when she slept slightly apart from the menfolk, even though it would have been far more sensible to keep warm by sleeping amongst them. It was bad enough for a woman on her own to be traveling with five men, never mind sleeping with them! She giggled as she thought of the look on her father's face if he ever found out about it.

Tearlach found sleeping on the hard ground painful for his injured shoulder, but he bore the discomfort stoically, even though he had to lie on one side of his body at night, unable to turn over on his injured side. He dreamed about holding Norah in his arms and having her soft body pressed against his, and sighed deeply. If he pretended she was there, pressed against him, he found himself able to drift off into a light doze, and although it was no substitute for proper sleep it refreshed him a little.

After they had risen and breakfasted on yet more trout, Tommy called a meeting.

"I know the Captain of the Guard at Laird McMillan's castle," he announced. "If we meet any of McMillan's guards I can mention his name. We should reach Muirkirk Castle today, an' I hope we dae, because I am sick o' eatin' trout!"

The others laughed, and they crossed the stream a few hundred yards away by means of a makeshift bridge made of a few planks of sturdy wood.

As Tommy had predicted, they were met by two of the McMillan guards who were patrolling the outskirts of the estate shortly after they entered it. They were heavily armed, carrying muskets, swords and daggers, and they looked anything but friendly.

"State your business!" the bigger of the two men demanded.

"My name is Tommy McAllister," Tommy said calmly. "We are here to see Iain Murray."

"Captain o' the Guard?" The man regarded him with deep suspicion and exchanged glances with his colleague. "Does he know ye are comin' to see him?"

"No, but we are good friends," Tommy replied. "We are happy to surrender our weapons to ye if you let us see him."

Again, the two guards glanced at each other. "That will be acceptable to us," the first man, who seemed to be the senior of the two, said.

Tommy nodded as he looked round the little band of rebels. "We have a' had enough o' runnin' away fae Sassenachs, an' we are quite willin' to serve the Laird in whatever way he needs us to."

"On one condition. Ye must swear fealty to Laird McMillan."

"That will be fine wi' us too," Tommy said as he held up his hand. "I swear fealty to Laird McMillan."

They all held up their hands and one by one swore allegiance to the McMillans. When Norah took her turn one of the guards smiled at her. He was young, perhaps the same age as Tearlach himself, and quite handsome, with dark hair, light brown eyes, and regular features. When she smiled back, Tearlach scowled at him, feeling a frisson of jealousy shiver over his skin.

He knew he should not be so possessive over Norah, for he had absolutely nothing in the world to offer her after all, but he simply could not help it. He was so desperately in love with her that having another man even glancing her way made him feel like striking him.

They rode onwards. It took them half a day to reach the castle, a grey granite construction that sprawled all over the summit of a low hill. It looked functional rather than elegant. In fact, it was a distinctly ugly building, but all of them were full of relief to see it, since they had been traveling for a very long time and were weary to the bone.

As soon as they rode into the courtyard a tall man in his middle years with bright blue eyes and a wide smile came to greet them. "Tommy!" he called, extending a hand to his friend. "Where did you come fae?"

"It is a very long story, my friend," Tommy replied. "Best told over a big plate o' food an' about a gallon each of ale!" He introduced each one of them and they proceeded to the kitchen where they sat while eating the best meal they had had for weeks.

They each took turns in telling parts of the story while Norah ate, drank, and listened. She could hardly keep her eyes open, and her head began to nod after she had finished her meal.

Tearlach glanced over at her. "Can you give us some lodgings?" he asked. "We are happy to sleep on the ground but this wee lady has had enough."

"Aye, she deserves better," Tommy agreed. "She is one o' the best lassies I have ever met."

Consequently, Norah was moved to the women's staff quarters in the castle, and the men slept with the guards in the keep.

As Tearlach fell asleep that night, he dreamed again that Norah was in his arms. He decided that he had to tell her how he felt, but how could he when he had not a penny to his name?

\*

Norah had been helping in the kitchen in a casual capacity, mainly because she wanted to make herself useful, but since she had no official job she was free to do as she pleased. She spent much of her time exploring the outside of the castle, and made friends with some of the housemaids who seemed to be fascinated by her story.

"Ye should write a book," one of them suggested.

Norah laughed heartily at that. "And who would read it?" she asked.

"I would," said a deep voice from the kitchen door. The maids looked up from their work and their eyes widened in amazement as they saw Tearlach enter the kitchen. He grinned at all of them and they responded in kind, then he held out his hand to Norah.

"I have a few hours off," he told her. "It's a lovely day. Would ye come for a walk?"

Norah stood up and smiled at him, taking his hand. She looked back at her friends and winked. When the door had closed behind them, one of the chambermaids voiced what they were all thinking.

"What has she got that we havenae got?" she asked.

"Him!" one of her friends cried, laughing. "Wish I was in her shoes!"

It was bitterly cold, but the sun was shining out of a clear blue sky, and Tearlach led Norah down the hill to Loch Kencree at the bottom of the hill, where he spread out a blanket on the grass.

Tearlach had brought along a flagon of ale for them, and they drank it as they watched the water fowl flying in and out of the bulrushes and sedge at the edge of the loch. There was a slight breeze that made the water shiver, but the ducks glided along, oblivious, diving under the water now and again to find food for their ducklings. Norah laughed as she saw a mother duck with a line of little ones swimming along behind her like a row of soldiers on parade.

She turned around suddenly as she was distracted by the sight of a magnificent heron which landed on a low-hanging tree branch and stood looking around himself as if waiting for everyone to admire his beauty.

And all the time Tearlach watched her, admiring her profile, her shining blonde hair, the curve of her breasts, everything that made her who she was - the woman he loved. Could he tell her now? Dare he?

"Norah?" He asked. His voice was trembling.

She turned to him, smiling. "Yes, Tearlach?"

"Dae ye know how much I love you - how much I have always loved you?" He left the words hanging in the air, unable to say any more.

"I thought you did when we were younger," she replied, "but lately I thought you had changed your mind."

"Never, never, never, my darlin'," he told her, raising a hand to cup her cheek. "I should never have left you. I was young an' daft, but ye know that, an' I am full o' regret at bein' so stubborn' an stupid. I have loved you since the first time I saw you in the carriage, since the first day ye came to the forge.

Every minute I was away I never stopped thinkin' about ye. I always thought I could dae everythin' by myself, my own way, an' I would never listen to anyone else. My Da told me not to go away an' fight but I thought I knew best. I always did, but I was wrong. I'm sorry."

Norah looked at his dejected face for a moment, then smiled. "There is no need to be sorry, Tearlach. You said sorry already and you had no need to. I never want to hear that word dropping from your lips again. Promise me."

"I promise," he replied. Looking into her eyes, he began to hope, and a moment later she said the words that put him out of his misery for good.

"I love you, Tearlach," she whispered. Her eyes were shining with happy tears. "And I have for a very long time. I would do anything for you."

"Anything?" he asked nervously. He felt as though he was standing on the edge of a precipice as he waited for her answer.

"Anything," Norah confirmed, laughing softly.

"Then - Norah -" he stopped, unable to get the words out of his mouth, but suddenly they burst out all at once. "Will ye marry me? I know I am not the best man in the world but I will do everythin' I can to make ye happy."

Norah began to laugh, and for a moment he thought she was going to refuse him, perhaps thinking that his proposal was ridiculous, but then she kissed him.

It began gently, but after a few seconds it became something else as Tearlach gently eased Norah backwards onto the grass. He felt her breathing quicken, heard her moan of desire, and his body hardened in response. He made a low growling noise in his throat and thrust his tongue inside Norah's mouth, tasting her sweetness as she responded eagerly.

Norah was in heaven. They had kissed before, of course, but this was like nothing else she had ever experienced with Tearlach. Now that she was committed to him, now that she was sure he was hers, and hers alone, she could allow him as much freedom as he wanted. She felt his hands cup her breast and tease out her nipple with his thumb, before moving to her backside and brushing over the mound of her sex.

She had never felt anything like it. Suddenly she felt wicked, as if some lustful spirit had invaded her body. She had always been taught that such desires were bad, but she no longer believed that, and even if they were, she gloried in her sinfulness. How could something that felt as blissful as this possibly be wrong?

Norah could have lain on the grass forever with Tearlach's thigh draped over her, pinning her down, his hands and mouth giving her more pleasure than she had ever thought possible.

When they drew apart a few moments later, Tearlach realized that Norah still had not answered his question. "Norah." He heard his voice crack as he said her name. "Ye havenae answered me. Will you marry me?"

An imp of mischief inside her wanted to make him wait, but as she looked up into his apple green eyes and saw how anxious he was Norah found that she could not. It would have been too cruel.

"Of course I will marry you, Tearlach," she replied. "In fact, if you had not asked me, I would have asked you."

"Really?" He was astounded.

"Yes, really," she assured him. "You escaped from me once, Tearlach McLachlan, but I am never going to let you do it again!"

Tearlach held out his hands, pressing his wrists together.

Norah looked at him, puzzled. "What does this mean?" she asked, frowning.

"Well, if I am your captive," he replied, eyes twinkling, "where are my chains?"