Healing the Tormented Highlander: A Steamy Scottish Historical Romance Novel Page 15

  Andrew nodded.

  “Consider it done, Laird. I will keep watch over Miss Morvell whenever she leaves the castle. Have nay fear,” he said.

  “Ye are a good and loyal man, Andrew Macready. Now, go to yer patrol. I will ride back to Mhaol Chalium and see that Miss Morvell is safe,” Raghnall said.

  The Captain of the guard rallied the soldiers for their patrol and they rode off along the track out of the village. Raghnall paused a moment, looking around at the peasants gathered nervously.

  “What are we to dae if these men return, Laird?” one of them asked.

  “Bar yer doors at night, daenae welcome strangers to this village, and if any come askin’ again for Miss Morvell then ye are to run at once to Mhaol Chalium and seek me out, dae ye understand?” Raghnall said, and the villagers nodded.

  “Aye, Laird,” they replied, and Raghnall mounted his horse and sped off at a gallop along the track towards the castle.

  His mind was racing with thoughts of conspiracy and treachery.

  But what is it about her that is of such interest to these strangers?

  Raghnall was racking his brain for reason why anyone should wish to hurt the pretty, young lass from below the border.

  But then I daenae ken her. Nae really. I ken nothin’ of her. She may have told me a pack of lies as to her true origins. She may nae even be a healer at all.

  The doubt was now firmly fixed in his mind.

  There was no reason that he could think of as to why anyone should wish to harm Ceana. She had claimed no enemies and had come from a peaceful life on the borders. She had brought with her no treachery, no reputation or demands. She was simply Ceana Morvell, a healer with whom Raghnall had fallen in love.

  There must be some secret, somethin’ that she is keepin’ from me. Why else would mysterious strangers be so intent upon findin’ her?

  As he approached the castle, the guards on the gatehouse seemed surprised to see him riding alone. But at his hail, they opened the gates and he charged inside, calling out for Ceana and looking anxiously around him.

  “Where is Miss Morvell?” he asked one of the soldiers, but just as he did so a voice answered him from behind.

  “She is in the infirmary, Raghnall. Ye seem anxious to speak with her,” his mother said, standing at the top of the steps leading to the door of the keep.

  “Mother, I …” Raghnall began, but he stopped himself as he was about to speak, wondering if in fact it was prudent to inform Ceana, or anyone of the situation in the village.

  “I have her dryin’ herbs. There is nay one in need of attention today, nay injuries to see to, so instead we mix ointments and remedies. I thought ye were ridin’ out to the northern road beyond the village. Where are the soldiers? Where is Andrew Macready?” his mother asked.

  Nay one need ken about the men upon the road.

  Raghnall stood as his mother fixed him with a questioning look.

  “I wanted to see her,” he replied, blushing a little, “She is …” his mother rolled her eyes in exasperation.

  “And meanwhile neglect yer duties to yer clan folk, Raghnall,” his mother said.

  “I am nae twelve years old, Mother. I can dae as I wish,” Raghnall said, hurrying past her into the keep.

  His mother made no reply and Raghnall made his way past the Great Hall and up the stairs towards the infirmary. He had resolved not to mention the strangers in the village to Ceana.

  It would only scare her.

  He was still wondering just who these men were and what they wanted with Ceana.

  As he entered the infirmary he found her humming to herself, weighing out herbs and grinding them in a mortar with a pestle.

  “Oh, Raghnall, ye quite startled me,” she said, looking up at him and smiling.

  “Are ye all right, lass?” he said, trying his best not to display his agitation.

  “Aye, why wouldnae I be? I am quite happy here in the infirmary,” she said, looking at him in bemusement.

  “I … I see,” he replied.

  “I thought ye were ridin’ out to the north this afternoon?” she asked, still looking at him in puzzlement.

  “Aye, well. I wanted to come back and see ye,” he replied, smiling at her. “Just to check that all was well.”

  “All is well, yer mother was bein’ quite pleasant to me this afternoon. We mixed a new remedy for burns, though I hope I will nae have to try it soon,” Ceana replied, sounding awfully content.

  “That is good, lass,” Raghnall replied, but as he looked at her, that strange sense of mystery came over him and he wondered once more just what she was hiding.

  What lies behind yer eyes, lass, what secret dae ye keep?

  And entirely oblivious to his wonderings, Ceana began to hum to herself, as though in Raghnall she had found complete contentment.

  Chapter 17

  Ceana was wary of setting foot outside the castle, but amidst its walls and behind the strong sturdy gates she felt quite safe, especially with Raghnall at her side.

  The sense of guilt and shame she had felt at their spending the night together was now quite gone. She had reasoned to herself that in matters of love such things were not unusual. She had fallen in love with Raghnall and she knew that his feelings for her were the same.

  She was happiest with him at her side or amidst the peace of the infirmary, where she continued to practice her healing arts. But in the days which followed her assault by the mysterious stranger in the hooded cloak, she had noticed a change come over Raghnall.

  Three times she had caught him looking at her with a strange expression. It was almost as though he were searching her, looking for something deep within her soul. His look unnerved her, yet when she asked him what was wrong, he denied that anything was.

  “I am just a wee bit tired, lass. That is all,” he would reply, smiling at her and returning to his business.

  She had noticed that he was absent from the castle and that he was often in hushed conversation with Andrew Macready. The Captain of the guard also gave her strange and searching looks and Ceana wondered if perhaps she had done something wrong.

  There was a tense atmosphere about the castle, as though some threat or doom hung over them all. At night, extra guards were placed upon the ramparts and daily the patrols rode out east and west, north and south. The castle felt like an island amid a storm, battered on every side by unknown forces.

  All the while, Ceana went about her duties and kept to her promise. The key was kept secret, the key was safe. For Ceana had trusted no one with knowledge of it, not even Raghnall himself.

  “Ye are doin’ it again, Raghnall,” Ceana said, as they sat at dinner.

  “Doin’ what, lass? I am just eatin’ my dinner,” he said, shaking his head.

  “But ye were lookin’ at me just then, ‘tis the fourth time I have seen ye look at me like that,” she said, a puzzled look upon her face.

  “And why wouldnae I want to look at a lass so beautiful as ye?” he asked and Ceana blushed.

  “There are a dozen lasses in this castle far more beautiful than I,” Ceana replied. “Why me?”

  Raghnall paused for a moment and smiled.

  “Ye are different, Ceana. We have shared far more than many. Ye have made me so very happy since yer arrival, ye have filled my days with far more excitement than I am used to,” he replied.

  And yet he looks at me as though I am some mystery to him.

  “Then perhaps I shall start lookin’ at ye with the same gaze,” she replied and he laughed.

  “Ye may look at me all ye wish. Will ye have a little more claret?” he asked, offering her the bottle.

  “Nay, I must keep a clear head. Poor wee Samuel Macready is in the infirmary. He took a nasty bump to the head earlier today, climbin’ in the apple tree which grows in the courtyard,” she replied.

  “Andrew’s boy? He’ll be a soldier one day, that lad. A brave wee thing,” Raghnall replied.

  “Aye, and until then it will be I and yer mother patchin’ up his wounds. He is lucky none of the bones are broken,” she replied.

  “Until then? Does that mean ye intend to stay here with us?” Raghnall asked and Ceana blushed.

  “I … well …” she said, not having given the future much thought.

  There is nay where else to go. But what of the key, what of my grandmother?

  She had quickly become comfortable at Mhaol Chalium. It almost felt like home, though not quite. Home would always be her grandmother’s cottage, though Ceana had no idea whether she would ever return there, or see her grandmother again.

  It was a burden to keep such a secret and one she doubted she could keep her whole life long. Besides, surely one day she would discover the secret of the key. Her grandmother had given her it for some definite purpose and despite the mystery surrounding it, that purpose would surely one day be revealed.

  “Dae say yes, lass. Ye and I have shared too much, there is somethin’ here between us, somethin’ that cannae be cast aside as a flight of fancy,” Raghnall replied.

  “I … I will stay, aye. There is nay where else I would rather be,” she replied and he nodded.

  “And that makes me glad, lass, to hear ye say that. For where else is there for ye to go? This is yer home now, with me, and I want us to have nay secrets, nay cause for dispute. I love ye, Ceana. I have come to realise that now and I promise that I shall love ye always,” he said.

  What should she say? To make such a declaration was surely wrong, given the object hanging around her neck. She did love him, truly she did, but to stay there at his side would surely be a betrayal of her grandmother. But she could not ignore the feelings of her heart. For it was telling her to say the words which had become imprinted upon it, to tell him how she felt for him.

  “I love ye,” she said, her reply sounding far from how she meant it to, but knowing that she would soon betray him for the love she had for her grandmother and smiling at him she rose from the table. “I am feelin’ quite tired now and I must check on wee Samuel. He will spend the night in the infirmary, but yer mother will check on him, too.”

  He looked at her strangely, as though he expected something more. But she had no more to give him, for her heart was not only filled with love but also sorrow. Sorrow as to what she soon would do.

  “Good … goodnight, lass. Are ye sure ye all right? There is nothin’ on yer mind?” he said, but she shook her head.

  “I dae love ye, Raghnall. But I must go now,” she said and he nodded, albeit reluctantly.

  “Tomorrow I must ride out west. Ye may accompany me if ye wish,” he said and Ceana nodded.

  “I would like that,” she replied and bidding him goodnight she left the Great Hall.

  The castle was dark now for the hour was late and the passageways were lit by flaming torches and candles, casting their shadows on the walls. Ceana wrapped her shawl tightly around her, for despite it being summertime there was something of a chill in the air.

  The infirmary was dark when she entered and she took a candle from her pocket, lighting it from one in a bracket by the door and making her way inside. She had spent enough hours amidst the work benches to know her way around, even in the dark.

  There were several beds opposite and on one she could see the outline of Samuel Macready, lying on his back. At the sound of her entering he had stirred, rolling over in his sleep and murmuring.

  “Samuel, ‘tis only I, Ceana. Are ye all right? Lady Catriona will check on ye in the night,” Ceana said.

  “Aye, but my head hurts,” he replied.

  “Ye had a nasty bump on it. ‘Tis nae surprisin’ that it hurts. I am sure we can find somethin’ to soothe it with, though,” she replied, pausing by one of the workbenches.

  As she did so, the door behind her banged shut and she jumped, letting out a cry of surprise.

  “What is it?” Samuel cried, but Ceana just laughed.

  “‘Tis me bein’ foolish, Samuel. ‘Tis just a draught causin’ the door to bang. Here now, let me see what I have here,” Ceana said, feeling silly for her fear.

  She searched through the bottles of potions and ointments, before pulling out a little one she knew as a balm to soothe an aching head. She brought it to Samuel’s side, smiling at him in the candlelight. He had a nasty bruise to his right temple and she dabbed some of the soothing remedy to his head.

  “It feels cold,” he said.

  “Aye, it will soothe it. Ye may apply a little more yerself in the night if ye feel ye need it. And if Lady Catriona asks, then tell her that I said it was all right to dae so,” Ceana said, placing her hand gently on the boy’s head.

  “Where did ye learn all these things from?” Samuel asked and Ceana smiled.

  “From a very special person,” she replied. “Now then, Samuel Macready, ‘tis time that ye went to sleep and time that I did, too. I shall come to check on ye in the mornin’ and if the swellin’ on yer head has gone down, then I shall take ye back to yer mother and father,” Ceana replied. Taking up the candle, she made her way back out into the passageway, closing the door gently behind her.

  I cannae believe I was startled by a draught.

  She smiled at the thought that in her youth she would happily run through a darkened forest without so much as a care in the world.

  The castle was quiet now and it seemed that everyone had gone to their rest. No sounds came from below and no servants hurried about their tasks. Ceana walked along the now darkened corridors, holding up her candle as she went.

  I wish I could stay here.

  Ceana knew that one day she would have to leave.

  Outside her chambers, she paused and thought of Raghnall above. He would be resting now, in his comfortable chambers, and she pictured herself in his arms, safe and secure from the dangers which surrounded her.

  I am safe here with him.

  She opened the door, holding the candle aloft.

  But what she saw next sent a wave of horror running through her and she could not help but let out a piercing scream at the sight she now beheld.

  Raghnall was resting in his chambers. He had been at dinner with Andrew and the other men and was now sitting beside the fire alone, except for his dogs. They were his faithful companions and had settled themselves down to sleep for the night.

  “I will be asleep soon myself,” he said out loud, letting out a yawn and crossing over to the window.

  There was a draught coming from outside and he pulled the drapes down, shutting out the night sky. He was tired and ready to sleep, but his mind was filled with thoughts of Ceana. He could not rid himself of her pretty face, not that he wished to, either.

  “And I should like to have her here with me now,” he thought to himself, smiling, as his desires rose.

  It was just as he was about to climb into bed that he heard it. A piercing scream through the night. It caused him to jump, as the dogs looked up from their place by the fire and barked.

  “Quiet,” he said, listening intently through the gloom.

  Then it came again, unmistakably that of Ceana. Rushing from his chambers, Raghnall ran to her rescue, alarmed at the thought of what he might find.

  Her chambers, usually so ordered and neat, were in disarray. They had been ransacked, the furniture smashed and upturned.

  The drapes at the window were ripped down and the straw stuffing of her mattress had been pulled out and scattered across the floor. Ashes from the fire had been thrown around and the blankets which she had left neatly folded on the bed were strewn upon the floor.

  What … what is this?

  But, as she stepped across the threshold, she let out another scream. The light from the candle illuminated the walls, which were covered in all manner of symbols. Holding the candle aloft she looked at them in disbelief, every surface covered in scrawls, etchings and pictures, painted in red and black.

  Ceana could not believe what she was seeing and she recoiled in horror. She recognized the symbols, some of them at least, for she had looked at them every single day since escaping from her grandmother’s cottage. They were the same as those which adorned the key, which hung around her neck. Others she had seen in books belonging to her grandmother, mysterious symbols which Ceana knew not the meaning of.

  What is all this? Who has done this?

  A fresh wave of terror was going through her at the thought that whoever was responsible may still be there.

  She wheeled around and as she did so she let out a scream, dropping the candle and plunging the room into darkness. There, in the corridor, was a figure, hurrying towards her and as she screamed they clutched at her, arms around her, as she struggled to get free.