Chapter 12

"Come back, right now! I demand ye!"

Fury beat at Ainslee McDonald"s heart. She was just so furious that Malcolm had done this to her.

But with a satisfied sneer, he turned, and attempted to ride off, galloping further down the narrow pathway.

He had reckoned without the pure rage of Ainslee. She was so fired up, having no horse was a mere inconvenience. Instead, she hitched up her arisaid and charged right at him.

"Ainslee!" Malcolm gasped, surprised at the sight of her leaping towards the horse.

"Halt!" Ainslee cried, and although Malcolm didn"t listen, the little mare was more obedient.

For a moment, the dappled mare stalled, giving Ainslee the chance to leap aboard.

Slyly, she threw herself onto the back of the dappled mare, snuggly beside Malcolm. There; she glared at him.

"Ye get off my poor wee horse right noo!" she demanded. Malcolm just shook his head and grinned. Ainslee felt her temper raising.

"Nae!" said Malcolm, trying his hardest to make things rough for her. He was irritated, she could tell. But so was she!

Grabbing onto him tight, Ainslee tried everything she could to try and beat Malcolm into submission - but none of it worked. In despair, she tugged his chest, and shrieked.

"Get off, leave me! I need to be on ma way... the poor wee mare will nae stand the weight o" us both!"

At Ainslee"s behest, the small mare cracked into a trot. Now they were riding, albeit slowly, along the dirt track. Ainslee glanced at Malcolm, hoping he would jump first.

Malcolm was not affected. "Well then, ye get doon," he said, without so much as looking.

Her hackles rising, Ainslee was not to be downtrodden.

"Nae, ye do, ye great lummox!" she spat. Pushing Malcolm with the sheer force of her might, Ainslee made a valiant attempt to jettison him from her horse.

It didn"t work, but the surprise of such a gesture made Malcolm stop and stare. At least she had his attention.

"Whit did ye do there?" he asked, his green eyes flummoxed and reeling. Ainslee felt the tiniest bit of pride. But they were still riding, "Did ye try an" throw me off, there?"

"She"s ma horse!" asserted Ainslee, and even though Malcolm shook his head, he did at least slow down. By now, Ainslee was losing her grip - as well as the sheer will power to cling on.

She was almost at the point of letting Malcolm have the horse, if it meant she did not have to talk to him any more!

Slowing to a stop, Ainslee slid off, but not without digging her fingers into the back of Malcolm, and pulling him down too.

Now they stood; each by the other, glaring accusingly.

"Whit...," began Ainslee and Malcolm in unison. Malcolm paused, as Ainslee continued.

"... did ye do that for?"

Her eyes flashed, defiant, as her heart pounded, ever hard as the galloping feet, approaching behind. Somewhere in the distance, both Marisse and James were forced to a standstill, as the little party coagulated in the tiny bend.

"Thank ye," Ainslee squared up to Malcolm, her eyes alight. "Noo ye can give me ma horse back an"..."

Malcolm pushed her back. Ainslee yelped, but he did so again, until her back was pressed against the low stone wall which ran against the dirt track road.

"Mal, I!" Ainslee gasped. The sheer force of his touch had toppled her.

"Nae," said Malcolm, his serious gaze hard upon her. His composure was mean. But he had not hurt her. Without fanfare he had put her on the backfoot. Literally.

Ainslee was up against the wall, unable to move, as Malcolm kept her pinned.

"Now yer gonnae listen...,"

Somewhere in the distance, she could hear feet reascend. Wherever Marisse and James were headed, it wasn"t coming towards them, leading her to conclude they had taken some other way.

Briefly Ainslee wondered if this was James" doing, to get her out of the way.

Watching her eyes, Malcolm nodded. "Aye, they"ve gone. Leave us alone, awhile, for a wee chinwag..."

His body pressed against her, he kept her in. She could not move, and although he did not touch her, she wished he might.

The strength of Ainslee"s desire came as suddenly as it was unexpected. Surprised, she looked up to his eyes.

"Yer gonnae hear how it really was," he said, looking straight at her. Ainslee tried to decipher what was in there, beneath his eyes. Anger? Jealousy? She really couldn"t be sure.

All the same, she heard her voice coming cold and hard.

"How really whit was?"

Her voice sounded high, as it danced against the cold winter skies. Malcolm just blanked her, and began talking again, this time in a low, careful voice.

"After we set sail from the clan coast... I didnae ken what had happened, nae really, nae for ages... All I kent was, I was far from home... an" that I didnae ken when I would see shore again..."

Ainslee watched him, but it was like he had glazed over. For a time, it was like he didn"t know who she was. Then he looked straight through her.

"I didnae ken if I"d ever see ye again, but it was all I thought about," he smiled, briefly, as Ainslee felt a blast of cold run through her.

"It was so long afore we saw the land again. I dinnae ken how long, but when we did, I ran away the first chance I had..."

Ainslee opened her mouth. She felt shocked. It was almost as if she was not there in front of him.

"Where were ye?" she asked. Her natural curiosity overruling her desire to fight him.

"France," said Malcolm, matter-of-factly. "The first time... Smuggling... och, all sorts, liquor, gold, everything the captain could get his hauns on..."

He took a step back from her, releasing himself slightly from her grip. Ainslee looked down. She had been totally unaware that she had been holding him. Now, slightly ashamed, she backed away.

"That"s what we did. Smuggle, an" take stuff...," his eyes flitted against hers, but as soon as they did, he turned. "It"s nae like I got any choice..."

He could see her making eyes at him, as if she did not believe him.

"Must have been hard," she said, her voice uneven. "Being forced to gallivant at sea... Sleeping in a different harlot"s bed ev"ry time ye made land!"

Ainslee"s eyes flashed in her face. She felt hot, distraught. None of what he was saying made sense. With a flourish, she turned to him.

"So ye were forced abroad... but none o" this makes sense... by who, and whit for?"

Her gaze turned towards him, sharp and staring. But he didn"t give up.

"By Bruce, my brother. It took me a while to ken it, but it was obvious... To begin wi" I couldnae believe it... but tis nae other way... an" whence I discovered he was laird, it was a certainty. He killed oor father to become laird. Getting me oot o" the way was just the start o" that!"

Ainslee was agog. "I... I....," she began. There was something, a sliver of truth she detected in what he was telling her. But it seemed so hard to believe.

"I need proof," she said, firmly. A damn site firmer than she felt. Inside, she was trembling. Being this near again after so long was melting her nerve. If she carried on like this she would simply fall into his arms, and that was something that she could never do.

Malcolm"s eyes sparked. "Proof?" he said, testily looking up. "Proof, ye want proof? Braw, here, have yer proof..."

As quick as a flash, he had turned, ripping his leine away from his torso. In a minute, Malcolm had removed the cotton shirt, to reveal a perfect torso - with six strong, deep welts on the back of. Seeing the red welts, Ainslee gasped.

"Malcolm, I," remorse flooded Ainslee, making her sick. Guilt submerged her. For the first time, Ainslee seriously considered that Malcolm really had been dragged off to sea.

But it was hard for her.

Believing that, might mean there was still some spark in her not quite dead. If she was not careful, it might burn her all over again.

But now Malcolm stared straight at her. Finally, his eyes did see, and connected fearsomely with her.

"I didnae leave ye," he said, his green gaze reaching sorrowfully at her. "I nae wanted to leave, an" I fought every second to be here..."

His stare implored her, Ainslee"s heart almost jumped a notch.

"Lass, just think... father wasnae traitor... As if he would sell the clan! All this lies, invented by Bruce to claim the title...!"

The wind rippled through her, through the both of them, but Ainslee was strangely untouched by the encroaching winter. All she could think of was the injustice of everything that had been done.

"Mal," said Ainslee, her pretty face stunned. "I shouldnae ha" believed it... That ye could betray us...Nae yer father...I... "

Ainslee stopped short of making an apology, but the emotion lapped out of control inside her.

Malcolm smiled at her, at last. "I couldnae. I couldnae do anything like that, especially if it meant taking ye away from me!" he sighed, then continued.

"I just need ye to ken, Ainslee, I nae left ye. Maybe I cannae expect ye to wait... but that ring I gave ye, meant something...to me, anyway...the wording, perhaps ye nae kent what it meant..."

"I kent," Ainslee gave a little start. She hadn"t meant to admit to this. It was the last thing she had meant. Cross with herself, Ainslee gathered herself together. Taking her wrap against the encroaching wind, she finally looked at him hard.

"I kent what it meant," she said in a hard voice. "E"en if I didnae ken the words..."

Malcolm reached over, for a moment, and almost touched her. But his hands stopped short of reaching hers. The strange truce between them did not quite extend to touching, yet.

"I nae forgot," said Malcolm, staring at her hard. "An" I nae will, Ainslee. I will make ye believe that..."

Ainslee"s mind went to the ring"s inscription.

Mon coeur, avez sans départir.

Then she shook her head. She could not risk having him back. He had hurt her too bad.