Ross had seen her welts and thought her parents beat her. Apparently, that was why he'd rushed her off so abruptly. The man was just such a surprise at times. Truly, he showed her more care and concern than anyone previously in her life. She was so lucky to--
"Very well," Father Gibson said suddenly. "I shall watch you to the stables. But the moment you come out with your horse I am fetching Gilly and Marach and telling them you slipped out while my back was turned and when I looked about for you, I spotted you on horseback in the bailey."
"Thank you," Annabel said, squeezing his hands.
Father Gibson grunted unhappily, and frowned as he walked her to the chapel door leading into the bailey. He caught her arm there and muttered, "Just promise me you shall wait for the men before riding far."
"I promise," she assured him.
"And keep them within sight all the way there," he added.
"Aye." She squeezed his hands again. " 'Twill be all right. I promise."
"I will pray for you," Father Gibson announced.
Recognizing the doubt entering his expression, Annabel simply nodded and slipped out of the chapel, afraid if she waited any longer or said anything else, he would change his mind. She crossed to the stables at a dead run. She was a bit surprised that she made it without being stopped or hearing shouts or the sound of running feet behind her. Even so, she didn't slow but ran straight to the stall holding her mare before even glancing around to see who was about. She was a bit shocked not to have the stable master rushing her way to try to thwart her plan, but the man was nowhere in evidence. In fact, no one was. The stables were empty.
Glad for this good luck, Annabel quickly opened the stall and led her mare out. She glanced around then, relieved when she spotted a stool near the back of the stables. Leading her horse to it, Annabel used it to mount her mare, then clucked her tongue against her cheek and urged the animal to move.
Annabel glanced toward the chapel door as she rode out of the stables. She was just in time to see Father Gibson whirl away and hurry out of sight. Off to warn Marach and Gilly, she knew, and turned her mare toward the barbican and drawbridge, urging her to a run.
The moment she was across the drawbridge, Annabel brought her mare down to a trot, though, and spent as much time looking behind her as ahead. She would move slowly until she spotted the men coming after her, partially because she'd promised Father Gibson she would and preferred not to break a promise. The other reason, however, was that the man had scared her with his worries for her well-being. He was right. She had been lucky so far . . . and she might not be so lucky the next time. Annabel had no desire to sustain another injury or die just to gain an embroiderer.
"I TOLD YE, lad, I've no interest in being clan chief," Fingal said firmly for the fourth time. "I'm an old man. I'm content with me life as it is now without the stress and troubles of being clan chief." "Yer age did no' seem to bother ye when ye tried to make a claim fer the title four years ago," Ross reminded him quietly.
"Aye, well four years is a long time at me age," Fingal said dryly. "The clan needs a strong young warrior to lead it, and I'm no' young anymore. Hell, I wasn't young even four years ago, but every year that passes, me sight wanes a little more and I've more aches and pains to complain about." He shook his head with disgust and then added, " 'Sides, like I told ye after ye killed Derek, I only stepped forward because the whelp was trying to claim ye were too young fer the position." Disgust covered his features. "As if his being four years older made much difference. He may ha'e been four years older in age, but he was still a lad in every other way. Worse yet, he was a coward, ambushin' ye like he did and then sitting back waiting on his supporters to kill ye." He spat on the ground to show his distaste with the tactics, and then continued, "Nay, Ainsley, Eoghann and I had no real interest in the title. We just drank too much one night and decided to muddy the waters by making a claim to it. We were every one o' us happy to step down when ye settled the matter with Derek."
Ross sighed. He believed the blacksmith, but wished he didn't. It would have made things much easier if he were the man behind the attacks on Annabel. He could have resolved the matter right now. However, it looked like he still had work to do.
"Go talk to yer Uncle Eoghann," Fingal suggested. "He'll tell ye the same thing I just did. Too much drink and affront at the whelp's arrogance were the only reasons we stepped up."
Ross nodded and turned to leave the man's hut, but paused abruptly in the doorway when a horse and rider charged past.
"Annabel?" he muttered, staring with amazement and then glancing to the dog that now streaked past after her. Jasper.
"Yer wife, Annabel?" Fingal asked stepping up beside him. Staring after the woman and the horse he commented, "She's a fine rider."
"Nay, she's not," Ross said with a frown. "At least I didn't think she was."
"Well, ye thought wrong, lad," Fingal said with amusement as they watched her jump the mare over a tree stump and bring the beast to a shuddering halt in front of a hut. The stop was so abrupt, the mare reared to achieve it, but Annabel stayed in the saddle. Or not a saddle, Ross realized; she kept her seat on the bare back of the beast.
"Looks like she's going to see Effie," Fingal commented as they watched Annabel slide from the mare's back and hurry to the door of the hut with Jasper on her heels.
Ross grunted and then turned his head to the left as the sound of pounding hooves drew his gaze to Gilly and Marach charging through the village now in hot pursuit. Scowling, he stepped out into the lane and lifted his hand. The two men immediately slowed and had to rein in nearly as sharply as Annabel to avoid running him down. He couldn't help noticing they did it with a little less finesse than his wife, nearly colliding with each other when their horses reared in protest.
"She tricked us," Gilly blurted before he could say anything. The man sounded highly offended. "She said she wanted to confess and then slipped out o' the chapel and snuck off."
"How did she sneak off when ye were no' to leave her side?" Ross asked silkily.
"Well, the priest made us leave the chapel for her confession, didn't he?" Gilly said helplessly. "Made us wait outside the door in the hall, and then she slipped out the door to the bailey."
Ross arched an eyebrow and then turned to Marach to see what he had to say for himself.
The man grimaced and shrugged, his voice admiring when he said, "She's damned clever."
"Aye, she is," Gilly agreed with some admiration of his own. "And she rides a hell of a lot better than we thought too."
Marach nodded. "I do no' think e'en you could ha'e got more speed out o' her horse than she did on the way here, m'laird. And brave?" He shook his head. "She set the mare to jumping over things e'en I would no' have dared to jump did we no' have to do it just to keep her in sight." His gaze slid to the mare now nibbling grass in front of the hut and he shook his head again. "Looks like she's getting to speak to the sewing woman after all."
"The sewing woman?" Ross asked from between gritted teeth. His anger had built with every word out of Gilly and Marach's mouths. He didn't know what angered him more, the fact that his men had failed so spectacularly at keeping Annabel in the keep, the risks she'd taken to get here, or his men's admiration of her for accomplishing it. He wanted to throttle all three of them just then.
"Effie's a damned fine hand with the sewing needle," Fingal murmured helpfully behind him.
"Aye, a sewing woman, that's what she said," Gilly told him, not having heard Fingal, his voice had been so low. "M'lady said as how she wanted to talk to a woman in the village about working at the castle sewing or some such thing," Gilly explained and then added quickly, "We told her right then as to how ye said she wasn't to leave the keep . . . and we were firm on the matter. Weren't we?" he asked, glancing to Marach.
"Firm," Marach agreed, nodding solemnly and then frowned and added. "Then she hurried up to yer bedchamber and locked us out. We told her we were to stay with her at all times, but she said as how she wa
s sure that didn't include while she was bathing."
"Nay, it doesn't," Ross said succinctly.
"I suspected as much," Marach said and Ross was sure he didn't imagine the hint of disappointment in the man's voice at this news. Nor did he imagine the disappointment that flashed across Gilly's face. It seemed his men had gone from moaning over the fact that he was marrying an Englishwoman to admiring her and hoping to get a peek at her in the bath. He didn't really blame them--Annabel was beautiful, but he'd be damned if they were going to see just how beautiful.
"Go back to the castle," Ross said grimly.
The men exchanged a glance and then Gilly asked, "Are ye sure ye don't want us to wait for yer lady wife? We could see her back and--"
"Home!" Ross snapped.
"Aye, m'laird," they murmured together and turned their horses back the way they'd come.
Ross scowled after them until he became aware of Fingal chuckling behind him. Turning, he glowered at the man. "What is so funny?"
"Nothing," Fingal said, shaking his head, but then blurted, "It seems to me I remember a situation not dissimilar to this involving yer sister some time back . . . or mayhap it was yer mother," he added thoughtfully, and then shrugged. "Anyway, one o' them was no' supposed to leave the keep for some reason or other, yet came racing down into the village with MacKay men hot on her trail." He pursed his lips and then commented, "That was a sight to see too."
"Dear God, I've married a lass just like me sister," Ross muttered, closing his eyes at the horror of it all.
"Or yer mother," Fingal offered helpfully and then burst out in a full belly laugh. Ross did not laugh with him.
Chapter 11
"Well, that is fine," Annabel said, beaming with relief at Effie. She could hardly believe it had been so easy. After all the trouble she'd had of late, she'd expected to have to plead and offer the woman the moon and stars to get her to agree to work in the castle. But in the end, Effie had been happy to accept the offer.
"I can start tomorrow, if ye like," Effie said, beaming as well.
"Oh, that would be marvelous," Annabel assured her, getting to her feet and patting her leg for Jasper to follow.
"I'll come up first thing then," Effie announced, sounding happy at the prospect.