Chapter 17

Madeleine snuggled deeper into the warm mattress, rubbing her cheek contentedly against the soft feather pillow. Her eyelids fluttered open ever so slightly.

“Hmmm…” she murmured sleepily, closing them once again. It was pitch dark in the room and hours yet before dawn. Plenty of time until she had to wake Lord Lovat.

She swiped languidly at her tousled hair, pushing it away from her face. Her hand dropped back down and dangled limply over the edge of the mattress. Her fingers brushed against smooth velvet, and she toyed with it absently, waiting for sleep to lull her once more.

Funny that the bed curtains should be drawn shut, she thought sluggishly. The evenings weren’t that cool yet—

Realization suddenly flooded her.

“Och, surely ye havna overslept again,” she moaned, her eyes snapping open. It was so dark she couldn’t see a thing. She sat up, her hands groping at the heavy drapery. She found the fringed hem and flung the curtain aside, gasping as a blinding shaft of sunlight cut across the wide bed.

“Damn!” Madeleine fumed under her breath. Her gaze swept the illuminated interior, surrounded by opaque draperies on every side and the sloping canopy overhead. It reminded her of a silent green-velvet tomb. No wonder she had thought it was still night.

Her heart leaped to her throat. Oh, no! She had promised to wake Lord Lovat before dawn.

She fumbled frantically for the gold pocket watch on the bedside table, squinting from the room’s brightness as she peered at its face. It was almost half past ten. Dear God, how would she ever get him out of the house and on his way without anyone seeing him now?

She threw off the bedspread, her gaze falling on the barren spot next to her. She touched the rumpled sheet. Garrett must have already been up for hours.

Her cheeks flamed, wanton images of the night before streaming through her mind. Her hand strayed to his pillow, still indented in the center. She could almost sense his warmth, his stirring touch. Her skin puckered with goosebumps, and she shivered, remembering…

“Dash it, Maddie, ye’ve no time to think of that now,” she whispered vehemently, forcing away the seductive memories. She climbed out of the bed.

“No time to think of what?” Garrett asked, rising from the chair behind the mahogany desk. His openly admiring gaze swept over her. “I thought I heard some rustlings behind those curtains. Good morning, Madeleine.”

Madeleine started and fell back against the mattress. She grasped the bed curtain and yanked it in front of her to cover her nakedness. “G-Garrett. I dinna know ye were still here,” she barely managed, her eyes wide with shock. She swallowed hard, determined to avoid his question.

“I only came back in a short while ago,” he replied lightly. “I’ve been writing in my military journal, one of my more mundane duties as an officer.” He closed the large leatherbound volume and looked up at her once more. He smiled warmly. “When I got up this morning, you were sleeping so soundly I didn’t want to wake you. I drew the bed curtains so you would have some quiet. I hope that was all right.”

“‘Tis no matter,” she said distractedly. How was she ever going to get to Lord Lovat now? she wondered. Her gaze fell on her clothes, draped neatly over an armchair. Her dirk lay upon the brocade seat, its silver hilt gleaming brightly. She glanced from the chair to Garrett.

He was leaning on the desk, his arms folded, staring at her as if he could see right through the velvet drapery. She felt a flush race from her scalp to her toes and she shifted self-consciously. She held the curtain more snugly across her breasts.

“Garrett, if ye dinna mind, I’d like to get dressed,” she said, attempting a firm tone. “I’ll catch a chill standing here. Could ye kindly leave the room?”

He looked nonplussed, almost hurt, and it seemed he might protest. Then he sighed. “If that is what you wish,” he agreed, his reluctance evident in his voice. He strode to the door, where he turned and glanced back at her. “If you’d like, I’ll bring you some breakfast. I haven’t eaten yet myself. I was waiting for you. I was hoping we might talk and perhaps discuss those particulars you mentioned last night.”

She nodded quickly, stung by his words. Obviously he was already thinking about Black Jack. “Aye, ‘twould be fine, Garrett,” she said quietly, deciding it was just as well.

Her reply seemed to brighten his spirits. He smiled again. “Good. I’ll be back shortly.”

As he closed the door behind him, Madeleine rushed to the armchair and grabbed her clothes. She dressed quickly, her mind spinning.

She hoped that while Garrett was in the kitchen, she’d have enough time to see to Lord Lovat. He must still be safe or the house would surely have been in an uproar. Garrett would certainly have made some mention of it to her if he had found an unexplained house-guest in their midst. His demeanor had suggested nothing out of the ordinary, other than the unsettling current of intimacy between them now.

Once again she had to banish the vibrant memories which leaped to her mind. She lifted her skirt and pulled on her stockings, wondering how she was going to explain to Lord Lovat her failure to wake him at the appointed hour.

How was she going to explain it to Glenis, for that matter? Her servant no doubt wondered where she had disappeared to for the entire evening.

Madeleine strapped on her dirk and ran over to the large wall mirror. She quickly surveyed her reflection.

It was strange that she appeared no different after last night, she mused. She certainly felt different. The only disparity she could see was the expression in her eyes. It was one of calm acceptance, almost serenity, so unlike the simmering fear she had seen there for the past two weeks. Perhaps after voicing her fateful decision, she was finally ready to face whatever was to come.

Enough! Ye’re wasting time, she chided herself. She raked her fingers through her hair, but the knots and tangles were impossible. She would have to brush it out later. With a final tug at her bodice, she hurried from the room.

She nearly fainted when she saw her chamber door was half open, golden sunlight splashing across the carpeted hallway. She dashed the short distance and burst into the room. It was empty but for Glenis, who was calmly making the bed.

“Good morning to ye, Maddie,” Glenis said nonchalantly, glancing over her narrow shoulder. “Ye might shut the door, lass, before ye say a word. Ye look like ye’ve seen a ghost. ‘Tis only yer Glenis.”

Madeleine could not seem to move her limbs. She only stared, her feet rooted to the floor. “Glenis, where’s—”

“Dinna say it, lass. Wait,” Glenis shushed her, scurrying over and closing the door herself. She walked to Madeleine’s side and gave her a fierce hug. “All’s well, Maddie, ye dinna have to worry. Sit down on the bed.”

Stunned, Madeleine obeyed her. She slumped on the mattress, and Glenis sat down next to her. “What do ye mean, Glenis?” she said. “Where’s Lord Lovat?”

“Here. Read this,” Glenis replied, reaching into her pocket and drawing out a single sheet of paper. She pushed it into Madeleine’s limp hand. “I found it under the pillow. ‘Twill explain everything.”

As Madeleine read the hastily scrawled letter aloud, her voice a mere whisper, a surge of incredible relief washed over her.

My thanks for your kind hospitality, Maddie darling. When you did not come to wake me, I was sure the excitement of my unexpected arrival proved too much for you. I’ll not blame you for that, and ‘tis almost better this way.

I’ve taken it upon myself to bid farewell by way of your great-grandfather’s tunnel. Aye, I’ve known about it for years. Your father showed the tunnel to me when he was a lad, so proud of it he was. We chieftains know of a great many such secrets. ‘Tis how we live so long and so well.

One final word to you, Maddie. You’re a brave lass and ‘tis proud I am of what you’ve been about these past months. Aye, I know of your cause. When I heard rumors of a fearless brigand in Strathherrick, I knew ‘twas you.

You’ve your father’s courage and loyalty to Clan Fraser, God rest him forever, and your own caring heart. With your mother’s fine beauty, you’re quite the lassie indeed. I only ask you to be wary around these redcoats. Never before has such a hateful scourge set upon our beloved Highlands. God be with you, Maddie.

Simon Fraser

Madeleine’s hands dropped into her lap. “Great-grandfather’s tunnel!” she said incredulously.

“Aye, he must have gotten clean away, otherwise we’d surely have heard the ruckus,” Glenis stated matter-of-factly. “I wonder how he managed to elude the guard downstairs, ‘tis all.” She shrugged, her wrinkled face breaking into a grin. “Och, they call him Simon the Fox with good reason,” she said, chuckling.

Madeleine would have joined in her laughter if she hadn’t been so astonished. She ripped the letter into small pieces after a final perusal and handed the bits to Glenis. “Will ye see that this is burned in the kitchen hearth? We dinna want to risk it falling into the wrong hands.”

“Aye, lass,” Glenis agreed, sobering.

Madeleine heaved a small sigh as she rose from the bed. “It seems there’s nothing more for me to do here. All’s well, Glenis, just as ye said.”

“Is it, Maddie?”

She looked down at Glenis, noting the anxious lines etched deeply into the old woman’s face. “Aye, as far as our Lord Lovat is concerned,” she answered gravely.

“I wasna referrin’ to Simon Fraser,” Glenis said softly. She met Madeleine’s eyes, but there was no judgment reflected in her perceptive gaze. “Was the captain gentle with ye, hinny?”

Startled, Madeleine felt a sudden rush of shame. She thought to deny it, but decided it made no difference, not now. “How did ye know?”

“I’ve raised ye since ye were a wee bairn, Maddie. There’s not much that escapes yer Glenis Simpson.” She stood up stiffly and cupped Madeleine’s chin. “Ye havna given him more than yer maidenhead, have ye? Yer heart, mayhap? I’d think ‘twould only make it harder for ye, caring for the man who’ll see ye to prison.”

“No! I dinna care for him! How could ye say such a thing, Glenis?” Madeleine exclaimed defensively. “I only went to his bed to protect Lord Lovat.” She bit her tongue, knowing that was half a lie, but she could not bear for Glenis to know the selfish truth.

“Have ye told him yet about Black Jack?”

“Aye, last night.”

Glenis sharply drew in her breath but said nothing, her dark eyes full of pain.

“He knows I will help him find the brigand, that’s all,” Madeleine continued carefully. “He doesna know ‘tis me, not yet. He’ll only discover that tonight, out on the moor.”

“But how—”

“Glenis, I dinna have the time to tell ye all the details right now,” she cut her off gently, clasping Glenis’s worn hands. “Later we’ll talk. Garrett is expecting to find me in his room, expecting to hear how I’m going to lead him to Black Jack. I must go.” She kissed her on the cheek, then abruptly turned and left the room.

Now ye must think only of what lies ahead, Madeleine told herself firmly, choking back the hard lump in her throat. She squared her slender shoulders as she walked determinedly down the hall.

First she had to explain to Garrett where he and his soldiers would find Black Jack, then she had to visit her kinsmen in Farraline. They had to know why they would not be riding with her tonight, why they would never ride for her cause again. And if Garrett asked her where she was going, she would simply tell him she had to take more of Glenis’s herbal medicine to the kinswoman who was in childbed.

She heard the clatter of china teacups on a tray and knew Garrett was already back in his room. She felt strangely calm, considering that she was about to sign her own death warrant.

Once Garrett knew where to find Black Jack, her fate was all but sealed.