Chapter 6

Home At Last

The coach came to a stop. Holly looked out the window at the majestic castle before her. It was not the most beautiful castle she had ever seen, but it was sitting atop a hill, and it was grand. Large stone walls rose to protect the keep within, and two towers, one on either side of the drawbridge, gave a view of the surrounding area.

Holly had never thought she would be thinking about castles in such a way and had never considered any fortifications at Gallacher Castle, but the revelation about Fraser had her wondering if they would come under siege. MacPherson Castle looked formidable.

She stared up at the large fluttering flags atop the two tall towers. A stag reared up before a silver sword. The background was pale green.

Ragnall didn’t wait for someone to open the coach door for him. He got out and headed straight toward the man striding toward the coach, not waiting for Holly or offering her his hand. She easily heard them conversing. They were not quiet, and she got the impression there were few secrets amongst Clan MacPherson.

“That blackguard,” the man hissed.

“I didn’t see him,” Ragnall said, “but I am utterly certain he was behind it. Took down five of his men—they are in the cart.”

“Ye brought them back with ye?”

“Aye, to be buried. I couldnae leave them on the side of the road.”

“Ye dinnae look great,” the man pointed out.

“I can assure ye that most of the blood isnae mine. And Holly did a braw job of patchin’ me up.”

The man conversing with the Laird looked toward the coach, and he didn’t look pleasant. Holly wanted to shrink back out of view, but she held her ground until he looked back at Ragnall.

“Ye should visit the healer,” the man suggested.

“I will. Any news on this end?” Ragnall asked.

“Nay,” the man replied. “We received yer two messengers, and they informed me about the fight. It seems to me that they thought they might take me by surprise, but Fraser was obviously nae expectin’ to take ye down easily, or else he would have joined the fight. Seems just like him. He held back and let his men die before he fled like the coward he is. He tried to get ye with an arrow?”

“Aye. Either he or his other bowman got me in the arm. They tried again a few times, but I wasnae worried. He thought he might get lucky, but he needs more than luck to take me down. What have ye ordered?”

“There’s nay point goin’ back to where ye were attacked—they’ll be long gone by now. It concerns me they ambushed ye on the road. I tried to tell ye to have the weddin’ here.”

“I’m still alive,” Ragnall pointed out.

“Alive and makin’ me job as difficult as possible. I ken there’s nae a traitor in our clan, but I’m checkin’ anyway. And I ken some people in Clan Gallacher who might ken if someone said the wrong thing to the wrong person. It doesnae make sense for their clan to plan this, but everyone has somethin’ to gain. I’ve sent men to the neighborin’ towns closest to where ye were attacked. If they planned this, they must have holed up somewhere aforehand.”

“Good man.” Ragnall clapped the man on the shoulder. “He keeps stickin’ his head out, and one of these days, I’m goin’ to sever it from his body.”

“I ken ye will,” the man agreed. “I’m glad ye returned to us safe.”

Ragnall smiled as he clapped the man on the shoulder again, and then he turned to the coach. “Holly! There’s someone I want ye to meet. Come out here,” he called.

Holly had been mostly fine when it was just her and the Laird in the coach, but this was different. She had hoped to stay in Gallacher Castle after the wedding to face him on home ground with the support of her family, but that had been taken from her. Now, she had to face Clan MacPherson on her husband’s home ground, with all his people around him. She had never felt more out of place.

She held her head as high as she could, feigning confidence, and stepped out of the coach.

This is me home now, and I’m married to the Laird, so I had better start actin’ like it.

Holly walked toward the two men, trying to project the image that she belonged there. She almost faltered when she looked to the side and saw the bodies of the defeated men being unloaded from the cart. She hated fighting, even though she understood its necessity. She could grasp two men coming to blows over something important to both of them, but she could not understand the futility of a man going to war and fighting for something he might not believe in, all because his leader told him to.

“Holly, this is Eric Thomson, me man-at-arms,” Ragnall said. “He’s me closest ally and the man responsible for keepin’ us all safe.”

“Then ye have yer work cut out for ye,” Holly noted. She immediately regretted saying that. “I mean, it’s a pleasure to meet ye, Eric.”

“Aye, ye too, Me Lady,” Eric replied.

Eric was a large man, slightly bigger than the Laird and only slightly less commanding and intimidating. She felt safe knowing that he was responsible for protecting the clan alongside her husband, but she could not help but notice the note of disdain in his voice when he addressed her.

“Good, ye have both met. I need a bath afore I go visit the healer, or she might nae be able to find me wounds. Eric, I want ye to show Holly to her room and ensure she is protected until I am done,” Ragnall instructed.

“Aye, Me Laird,” Eric replied.

Ragnall did not waste any time and strode into the castle, leaving Holly alone with Eric. She had lost her only ally—if the Laird could be considered an ally. She had not felt fully comfortable with him on the ride to his castle, but she felt a lot more uncomfortable now.

“Come on,” Eric ordered. “The sun is settin’.”

Holly didn’t know if the man-at-arms said it because it was dangerous to be outside the castle walls after dark or because he needed to say something. She followed him anyway, almost running to keep up with his pace.

Eric was stocky and wide, an almost literal brick wall on the battlefield, but he looked awkward when he moved quickly. He might swing a sword mightily and could cleave a man in two, but he was not an agile fighter. Still, he must have an agile mind if he were in charge of castle security.

“The weddin’ should have happened here,” he muttered as they walked.

Holly didn’t know how to reply to that, so she remained silent. That seemed to annoy him more.

“I would have kept him safe here,” he added, a little louder.

She noticed that he mentioned keeping her husband safe and not her.

“The security at Gallacher Castle is substandard at best, and I warned him of the potential danger on the ride back here,” Eric moaned. “He wanted to take three men instead of the dozen I suggested, but the Laird gets what he wants.”

“He took care of himself just fine,” Holly muttered.

“What was that, lass?”

Holly wanted to remind him that she was the Lady of the castle and not a lass, but she didn’t feel like she was. She had antagonized him multiple times already and now hoped to get to her room without more incidents.

“A wounded arm is nothin’ to laugh at,” Eric huffed.

“Laugh at?” Holly spat, unable to keep quiet. “I was worried he was dead. I have never been so scared in me life, and I dinnae ken why ye want to blame me for this. I never asked for the weddin’ to be held at me faither’s castle, and I didnae even ken who Fraser was until after the fight, when the Laird told me. So, is the Laird nae to go anywhere now for fear of being attacked? He wasnae attacked at Gallacher Castle, so we must have done somethin’ right. Anyway, he’s home safe and sound, so ye have little to complain about.”

Eric grabbed her arm and held it tight. “I have a lot to complain about and even more to worry about. Ye dinnae ken anythin’, do ye? Ragnall is good at keepin’ himself alive, but I’m good at keepin’ him alive too, and I wish to continue keepin’ him alive. Now, I have to keep ye alive, too.”

“Me?” Holly asked. “I dinnae?—”

She didn’t get to finish her thought. Eric opened the door with his free hand and pushed her into the room.

“Yer belongings will be brought up, and a maid will stop by later to get ye anythin’ ye need. Stay in here until I’m sure there is nay danger, all right?”

Holly didn’t have anything left in her to argue with the man. She kept her calm and used the last of her energy to nod.

That was good enough for Eric, and he closed the door. She thought he might lock it, but he didn’t. Holly listened to his retreating footsteps, and when he was far enough away, she burst into tears.

She could not see much with the tears in her eyes, but she found her way to the bed and flopped down onto it. She was married to a man she feared, and he had almost been killed on the way home. She was sure the man who wanted to kill him might want to kill her, too, and all because Ragnall had wiped out an entire clan.

She was away from her family and would not see her sisters for weeks, maybe months. However long the Laird made her wait. She had only met two people from Clan MacPherson so far: her husband and his man-at-arms, and they both disliked her. One considered her a means to produce an heir, and the other considered her to be in the way and responsible for things that were not her fault.

Holly wept because of it all. She did not know her place in the world anymore, and she did not know if she ever would.

Her tears had dried up by the time a knock souded at the door and the servants brought in her belongings. It did little to lift her mood.

The room was not hers. It was nice enough, but it did not feel like home. The only small mercy was that it was a room for her and her alone. She had not thought much about where she would sleep, but she was glad not to have to share a bed with Ragnall. She would share a bed with him, but only on occasion, to perform her marital duties.

Holly paced the room, trying to calm herself. Oil lamps flickered on the wall, illuminating the furniture in the room. A large hearth was built in one wall, but it was not cold enough for a fire. The large four-poster bed was much larger, more luxurious, and more ornate than her bed back home, but she did not find enjoyment in that.

The room was furnished to hold all her belongings and much more, and the walls had been decorated with paintings and small tapestries. She had to admit that whoever had picked them out had done so with consideration. She could not pinpoint what it was about the landscapes, but they helped to calm her.

Holly went to the window and looked out into the darkness. There was enough light to see the large forest beyond the castle walls, and to the right were a couple of houses with lights flickering in the windows—the edge of a village.

Is there danger out there, waitin’ for me?

The knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and she remembered what day it was. It had felt like days since she had wed, but it was only that morning. Holly took a deep breath and readied herself. She only had to get through it and might not have to repeat the act.

She wiped her eyes in case there were any tears and plastered on her most pleasant smile, then she went to the door and opened it.

She was glad to see a young maid there and not the Laird.

“Me Lady, I’ve been sent to see if ye need anythin’. Food or water or anythin’ else,” the maid said.

Holly did not feel like eating anything, and there had been water in the room when she arrived.

“Nay,” she replied. “Where is the Laird?”

“He’s in the lower hall, Me Lady. He told me to inform ye that ye should get some rest.”

“Fine,” Holly uttered with some relief.

She tried not to smile as she said goodnight to the maid and closed the door. She returned to the bed and flopped onto it again, enjoying the soft sheets much more this time.

Enjoy this time! Ye dinnae ken what tomorrow holds!