Chapter Six
’Tis my duty.
The words resounded in her ears as Megan awoke from her nap and shifted in Gregory’s arms. Just what she’d always wanted to be.
Someone’s duty. When she was told it was her duty to marry Robert Sinclair, she was angry.
Lasses who didn’t have a “duty” were able to marry the man of their choice. Someone to love and love her in return.
Robert turned out to be not a bad husband, but she never felt the connection between them that she had hoped to have in her marriage.
Then, with no bairns appearing, she couldn’t help but wonder if Robert was annoyed having done his “duty”.
’Twas never a conversation between them.
She was not sure if he didn’t want to speak about it or thought she didn’t want to.
By the time it had appeared to be an actual problem, Robert was dead and she was being told again what her “duty” was.
This time she had two duties. She was not sure what she thought of Gregory Makenzie, simply because there had been no time. So far, he seemed to be considerate of her, which eased her concerns somewhat.
He was also strong, handsome, and apparently honorable. But again, in his mind, this was his duty.
The other choice (not that she actually had one) was no choice at all. She’d rather to have broken her neck in a fall from the tree than climb into the marriage bed with The Gunn.
She sat up when she saw her and Gregory break from the group and go in a different direction than the other warriors. “Why are we splitting up?”
He looked down at her and she felt something in her middle shift. A warm, strange feeling.
“My men and I had a plan that if those after ye got close enough to us, we would split up. We have a decoy with the other group which we hope will delay them for a while.”
“Decoy?”
He grinned. “Aye. While ye slept we took yer cloak from yer satchel and gave it to one of the warriors to wear. We’re hoping they are fooled long enough for us to get away from them. Also our route is not well known and it should take them time to figure it out.”
“How long will it take for us to arrive at Castle Leod?”
Gregory shrugged. “’Tis hard to say. The other way would have been four or five days. This way will add another one or possibly two to our trip depending on how the weather holds out. We still have a bit of summer left, but there is always rain to delay us if the ground gets too sloppy.”
Suddenly aware of how cuddled up she was to Gregory, she shifted. The man brought out strange feelings in her body and she didn’t have the energy to examine them now.
*
After a few minutes, Gregory asked, “What was yer job in the keep?”
They’d been so busy arguing with the Sinclair, and then being thrown out of the castle, resulting in him rescuing Megan from their hold, that they hadn’t spent any time learning about each other.
Her eyes lit up, which told him that part of her life there was satisfying.
“I helped the chatelaine quite a bit when the old laird was alive. Then after he died and Anthony pushed Robert out of his laird’s position, he relegated me to working in the kitchen with the other maids.”
That was certainly not an answer he would have expected. Didn’t Robert step in and remove his wife from kitchen duties?
“Did ye like working in the kitchen?”
She shrugged. “’Twasn’t so verra hard. I got to ken a few of the maids and made a few friends.”
“If ye had yer choice, what job would ye like at Castle Leod?”
Megan smiled. “I’m sure Lady Mackenzie would decide on that, but if I was given a choice, I would love to do healing. ’Tis what I did at my home with my mam before she passed away and then I was married off to Robert.”
“Castle Leod is quite large and it seems the warriors—especially the newer ones—are always getting injured. I’m sure Emma could use yer help.”
“She is yer healer now?”
“Aye. A sweet lass. Ye would like her.”
A few minutes passed, and then Gregory asked again, “Were ye happy in yer marriage?”
He didn’t know why but felt himself tensing as he waited for her answer.
She offered him a soft smile. “Is any marriage happy?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I doona ken since it has ne’er been my wish to marry.”
She snorted. “But here ye are dragging me to yer clan to marry me.” She looked up at him. “As yer duty.”
He had a feeling he hadn’t said the right thing and needed to figure out how to answer the lass without making it seem that he had no liking or desire for her.
He did. Her golden red hair cascading down her back, deep green eyes and enough curves to keep a man happy would certainly be a lass to desire.
But did he like her? Would he want her as a wife if he didn’t have the duty to marry her?
He didn’t really know her. That was the reason for asking questions.
She was quite evasive in her answers, which he found troubling.
“I would be lying to ye lass if I said nay, I’m not here because of duty since we both ken that is the verra reason I showed up at the Sinclair castle.” He stopped for a moment and added, “Ye have to allow that marriage was never something I planned on.”
She lifted her chin and stared him right in the eye, even with the horse going at a clip. “Then why did ye agree to the pledge to marry each other’s widows? Did ye no’ take it seriously?”
Gregory stiffened at her charge. “We were young lads; neither one of us expected to die until we were of an old age. In fact, I ne’er thought about fulfilling the duty”—he cringed at using that word—“because Robert was such a good warrior that I thought he would definitely live longer than me.”
She stared at him for a moment and then shook her head. “What a surprise for ye.” She turned and left him wondering if their conversation had been good or bad for whatever relationship they were headed toward.
Gregory thought they’d traveled a fair distance considering the horse carried both of them. They’d been quiet since the conversation earlier. Not one to banter back and forth with a lass—or anyone for that matter—he had no problem with the silence.
The sun was beginning to set and except for some dried meat he had on him, they’d had nothing to sustain them besides that and water.
Megan looked like she was about to collapse. He knew he should not have pushed them so far, but since he was the only one protecting the lass, he preferred not to encounter the Gunn or the Sinclair men.
“We’ll stop for the night now.”
She sighed and looked up at him. “Thank ye. Verra, verra much.”
What was it about the lass that made him feel guilty? As if she was suffering and he allowed it. Another strike for marriage. He knew nothing about providing a woman comfort, talking to her, saying the right things.
If he intended to fulfill his vow, he had to learn all of that. The last thing he wanted to do was make the lass miserable for the rest of her life.
He knew he was the better choice for her to marry, but when one considered who the other choice was, it was not really a compliment to him.
*
Megan slid off the horse into Gregory’s arms. His strong, muscular arms. Even after hours of riding, he appeared as if he could go for another few hours.
Not her. She was so grateful when they stopped that she almost cried. She knew just by the short time they’d been traveling that Gregory Mackenzie knew very little about women. She imagined him staring at her with wide eyes if she broke down and cried.
“Why doona ye gather some sticks and we will start a fire. While ye’er doing that, I’ll see what I can find for our meal.”
Megan nodded and began her chore as he walked off with his bow and arrow as well as his dirk strapped to his leg. She was so tired it seemed as though she was the horse that had carried them part of the night and all day.
She’d been so busy thinking about the past few years and what she was headed to now, that she never paid attention to their travels.
The area they were in was best called a deer path. The dappled fading sunlight on the leaves was beautiful. The air was now getting cooler, and soon autumn would turn into colder air and the Highland snow of winter. She shivered at the thought.
As she gathered sticks for their fire, small animals scurried about, maybe looking for something for their suppers. She had plenty of wood, but had no idea how to turn it into a fire. She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing to have her cloak back.
The sound of thrashing in the wooded area caught her attention. Gregory moved aside some branches and walked toward her.
“I’m sorry I dinna start a fire, but I’m afraid I doona ken how to do it without a flint.”
Gregory dropped three rabbits at her feet and withdrew a flint from his pouch and tossed it to her.
She caught it and started the fire as he cut the rabbits and skinned them.
Megan pushed the wood around with a stick. “I have a question for ye.”
He continued with his cutting. “What?”
“Are ye truly trying to save me, or win a contest against Robert’s uncle?”
Never looking up he said, “Both.”