Chapter 13
T ara left under the protection of guards at Gordon’s insistence. They escorted her to the borders of Abernathy territory, and then they could go no farther. Tara continued riding. She had been given directions by Gordon. He told her to keep to the road and pointed out various settlements she could run to in case trouble found her. He also told her to stop for nothing, even if people seemed in need.
His voice had trembled with fear, and she could tell that it was difficult for him to let her go like this. He was so used to being in control that anything that fell outside his purview was hard for him to handle. She promised him that she would be safe. She didn’t plan on dying today.
However, as she left the protection of the guards, she did feel vulnerable. The air was a little colder, the world a little more open. The shadows seemed to taunt her, and, occasionally, she swore she saw golden eyes peering at her from obscured places. She trotted down the road, geeing the horse to ride at a good clip. It wasn’t long before familiar sights appeared, as she had traveled this way before.
The gray skies of the Highlands rolled by, and the pale sun glowed, like a lantern held behind a thin curtain. A gentle breeze drifted past her, making her shudder a little. She kept her eyes peeled, watching either side of the road just in case anyone was lurking there.
She feared that Gordon might have been right to be worried. Ken could have been lurking nearby and would strike as soon as he saw her, taking her as his prisoner, perhaps even seeking to make her his wife. She shuddered at the thought, although he would be a fool for doing so because not only would he invite the wrath of her sisters, but also of Gordon.
While the Abernathy Clan kept themselves away from the political developments of the Highlands, she could not imagine Gordon sitting by while another man held her captive. Her heart fluttered at the thought of him coming crashing into Ken’s hideaway, raging with his sword, ready to cut down anyone who stood in between them.
Tara did not worship violence at all, but there was something thrilling about the idea of a warrior fighting against the forces of evil for her.
Thankfully, none of that had to pass, as Tara did not encounter any enemies during her travels. When the familiar Keep came into view, she breathed a sigh of relief. There were more guards patrolling the outskirts of the territory, but they all recognized her and nodded, welcoming her back.
Tara quickened the pace of the horse, eking out the last burst of energy before hitching it at the stables and dismounting, rushing towards the Keep to find her sisters. However, on the way she ran into Shea and Gillian, who wore smug glances and laughed at each other.
“Ye hae been gone a while, Tara. Did ye get lost? I never really thought ye would take me seriously. It was just a story,” Shea’s words were lost to a laugh.
Tara narrowed her eyes, but didn’t really want to waste time with them.
“I was nae lost at all. In fact, I encountered a Laird whose son was ill. I was taken intae the clan and made a guest of honor while I treated the boy. I think I made quite a good impression. Hae ye ever treated the family of a Laird?” Tara countered, and her words quickly silenced the laugh.
“Ye didnae,” Shea asked in disbelief. “Which laird? Which clan?”
Now it was Tara’s turn to look smug. “I’m afraid I dinnae hae time tae talk about that. I hae pressing matters that require my attention.”
It was strange to think that a request by Shea had led her to Gordon. If Shea hadn’t asked her to check on her cousin, then Tara might never have met the Laird or Keith, and she couldn’t imagine her life without them. They had made such an indelible mark upon her, and she was determined to see them again.
It was already hurting to be away from them. The ache in her heart was a deep one, and she wasn’t sure it would pass until she was in Gordon’s arms once again. Her healer’s pouch was slung over her shoulder, but it did not contain anything that would soothe this kind of anguish.
She hadn’t been prepared for it to hurt quite this much.
She walked away from the two girls. Shea slapped Gillian on the arm and muttered something to her, but Tara didn’t much care. There were more important things than petty rivalries. Shea and Gillian could snipe and tease her all they wanted, but they would never be able to deny that she was a talented healer, and now she had been out in the world to prove it.
Tara ran into the Keep and asked a maid where Caroline was located. She was told that Caroline and Allan were in the main hall. When Tara reached the doors, she found two guards stationed either side. The Keep was crawling with them, and it filled her with fear. The threat had clearly not passed.
The guards allowed her to enter. Caroline was sitting at a table with Allan balanced on the surface.
“Caroline,” Tara called out.
Caroline whipped her head around and smiled with relief. She whisked Allan into the air and rushed towards Tara. The two sisters embraced tightly. Caroline was close to tears. Allan reached out towards Tara and smiled happily, as though nothing was wrong at all. Tara envied him somewhat. He was too young to know all the dangers of the world.
“What happened tae ye? Where hae ye been? I was sae worried. It’s nae like ye tae disappear without a trace.”
“Dinnae mind all that,” Tara replied. “I heard about what happened here. Are ye safe? What’s gaeing on?”
The two women returned to a table. A maid came up to them shortly after this and served some tea and pastries. Tara tucked in, not realizing how hungry she was until the food was placed in front of her. Caroline held Allan on her lap. He kept reaching out for the pastries. Caroline indulged him by tearing a small piece of and letting him eat it, although more of it ended up on his clothes and the floor than it did in his mouth. Caroline lifted her gaze to the ceiling and let out a heavy breath, recent events having taken a clear toll on her.
“It all happened sae quickly. There was a commotion in the Keep and the guards were called. A fire hae been set near Allan’s room, and sae everyone was on alert. A letter was left under our bedroom door threatening Allan’s wellbeing, but it was just a ruse. While everyone was distracted elsewhere in the castle, they smuggled our uncle out of the dungeon.”
Tara felt her heart sink. “Nae,” she gasped.
“Aye,” Caroline nodded reluctantly. “I feel sae foolish.” She clenched her free hand into a fist. “I should hae known that something like this would happen. I should hae known that Ken would hae shown his ugly face around here again. He could nae leave the clan. He was just biding his time.”
“Ye cannae blame yerself. There hae nae been a peep from him for the last two years, and naebody gave any evidence of seeing him. How were we tae know?”
Caroline sighed and pressed her fingers against her temple. “Ye are right. It’s just… We hae all been sae worried. And now that uncle and Ken are back taegether again, we know they must be plotting against the clan. Their anger hae been festering for two years, and none of us are safe.” As she said this, she wrapped her arm more tightly around Allan, keeping him as close as possible.
“Naething bad is gaeing tae happen. We hae all these guards and these thick walls. Ken and Gorram cannae hurt us any longer,” Tara reassured her.
“I hope ye are right. I hae missed ye, Tara. Ye always offer wise counsel. It hae been difficult the past few days. I hae barely hae any sleep.” Caroline’s head grew heavy.
Tara’s heart swelled with pity for her sister. She couldn’t help but feel guilty herself, given how she had been absent. But she started to think of a way she could help Caroline.
“Tell me where hae ye been?” Caroline asked again.
Home . The answer came to Tara by instinct, but she kept it to herself.
Her mind ran back to the events of the previous night. She recalled the feeling of being held in Gordon’s arms all night long, of waking up to find him beside her, his lips parted, snoring softly. Nestling her head against his chest made her feel safe, and his strong arms were like shields, ensuring that nobody could harm her.
But his kisses were sweet and longing, reaching deep inside her and taking hold of her heart. They hadn’t done anything more than kiss though, although the feelings that ran through her soul were so intense it felt as though she had already given herself to him fully. Her heart raced, wishing that Gordon was there, beside her, his arms around her waist, his lips never straying far from her neck.
“There is time for all that later. Let me help ye. I can look after Allan for ye while ye get some rest.”
“I cannae leave him,” Caroline replied.
Tara was reminded of Gordon’s devotion to Keith.
“Aye, ye can because I am here tae help,” she said with a sweet smile.
Caroline looked relieved and her full tiredness became revealed. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were shadows beneath them. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
“Perhaps that would be nice,” she admitted.
“Where are Nessa and Ryan?” Tara asked.
“Out patrolling with Hamish. Ryan is furious, of course. They’re questioning anyone who might know something about Ken’s whereabouts, and anyone who looks suspicious. Ryan is afraid that Ken hae help from someone in the Keep,” Caroline informed, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
“Surely nae,” Tara gasped.
Caroline shrugged and shook her head. “Who knows anymore? I cannae think straight. This hae all been a blur, but I’m glad ye are home, and when I wake I want tae know exactly what happened tae ye. Oh, and if ye need tae gae anywhere, a guard will escort ye. Ryan hae ordered that we shall never be left alone.”
“I understand,” Tara nodded.
Caroline hugged Allan and kissed him on his cheeks and forehead, which made him squirm. He let out a little cry and Caroline told him not to fuss. She handed Allan to Tara, and then disappeared to her chambers.
Every so often, the most restorative thing was a good rest. Tara turned Allan towards her and bounced him upon her knee. He smiled, and she hugged him, knowing that he had come so close to being taken.
The fact that the whole thing was a ruse was perhaps more worrying. It meant that Ken had taken care to plan this, and it wasn’t an assault made on a whim. It made her wonder what they were plotting next, although her mind did not work in such a nefarious way.
Tara tried to put things out of her mind as she played with Allan. She allowed him to mash his fingers into the pastry and play with an empty mug. He bashed it against the table and waved it in the air as though it were a hammer.
“Ye are gaeing tae be just like yer Da,” she whispered.
Allan smiled at this, although she wasn’t entirely sure he understood the whole meaning of her words. Once she had finished eating, she led him by the hand and walked out of the chamber. Immediately, a guard fell into step behind her, a watchful gaze scouring every inch of the Keep.
Tara took Allan outside to the garden and led him through the flowers. He reached out to all of them, but she warned him that some of them would hurt him because of their thorns. It was more prudent to look from afar, although she did occasionally bring safe flowers towards him and let him stroke and pluck the petals. He was intrigued by all the vivid colors and the different scents. Sometimes when she brought a flower to his nose, he sneezed, and looked incredibly shocked whenever this happened. Tara stifled a laugh.
Although Allan wasn’t her child, she felt a kinship towards him and a fierce sense of protection. She felt better for being able to hold him in her arms, rather than being so far away, although it was difficult to be apart from Gordon.
As they walked through the garden, she noticed something that tugged at her heart. The gardens were made up of plants that could be found all across the Highlands, but in the distance she spotted a small cluster of yellow flowers, the symbol of the Abernathy Clan.
Her heart swelled, and she wished that distances did not have to be so great. If Gordon were with her, she was certain he could have helped. Perhaps she could… No, she dismissed the notion that she might ask Gordon for help. Their mess was not in Gordon’s responsibility. The Abernathy kept themselves out of others’ business, and it would have been unfair of her to ask him. Besides, he was hardly going to ride into battle when his son was still recovering from illness.
“Ye hae nae idea what’s gaeing on, dae ye?” she asked as Allan followed the path of a butterfly that flew out of his reach. “Life is sae simple for ye. It was simple for me tae, once upon a time, but eventually, it gets complicated for all of us. I am nae sure when exactly it happens, but it will happen for ye tae,” Tara explained softly as she watched Allan enjoying the world.
It was a pleasant sight to witness, and it made her think about Keith, who longed to take her exploring around Abernathy territory. The bond between father and son was a strong one, as it was between mother and son. Tara envied Caroline immensely, and she began to think about her own future. She would like a child of her own one day, a baby that she could hold in her arms and watch grow before her eyes, but that raised more questions.
If she went back to Gordon, would he want the same thing? He had a child already, but was one enough for him? If it was, did that mean that they had no future together?
She pushed the thoughts aside, wondering if she was being selfish thinking about her own future when her family was in danger. They had to deal with Gorram and Ken first. The last time Gorram had been free, a terrible fire had spread through the Keep in an effort to kill Tara and her sisters. They had only barely escaped with their lives, and peace had only lasted for two years.
This was always going to be the case as long as Gorram and Ken remained free. They were not the type of men to take their freedom and retreat to the far reaches of the Highlands to live out their lives in peace. No, they wanted what had been taken from them, and they were going to hurt as many people as they could in the process. They would even hurt Allan.
Tara called Allan back to her side and hugged him tightly. She glanced over her shoulder. The guard was still close by. Even though she knew that nothing was going to happen to her here, she still felt afraid, and was possessed by the sudden urge to retreat inside. However, before she did so, Elaine walked up to her.
“Tara, I heard that ye returned. It seems ye hae been on a wee adventure. Shea mentioned something about a Laird. She claims ye are making it up, but I dinnae see a reason why ye would dae a thing like that,” Elaine said with a kind smile.
Tara gathered Allan up in her arms and turned to her instructor.
“Shea is the one who makes things up. And aye, I did help a Laird. His son was ill from a mysterious disease. I dinnae hae much information tae gae on, but I prepared some remedies and thankfully one of them worked. I wrote it down.”
Tara produced the notes she had written. She had left some of them with Gordon, in case he needed to make the medicine again, and a copy for herself. She had also brought her makeshift journal with her. Elaine took the pages and nodded.
“This is impressive. I must say I am glad tae see ye taking initiative. There is much tae be learned from studying, but even more tae be learned from daeing. Ye make us proud. I look forward tae hearing more about it, but I see ye hae ye hands full at the moment.” She nodded towards a squirming Allan.
Tara chuckled a little and thanked Elaine, before returning in to the castle, where she waited for Nessa to return. She walked Allan through a hallway where tapestries were hanging. He was intrigued by them all, while Tara’s mind was on other things. There was still much to be discussed, and Tara now had an extra incentive to resolve the matter; as the sooner Ken and Gorram were dealt with, the sooner she could return to Gordon.