Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Dusk settled over
the land, lengthening the shadows and carrying the chill of night
on the air.
Slumped in the saddle, Lindsey lifted her
hood and drew her cloak tightly around her to ward off the
cold.
Jamie’s voice came from directly behind her,
startling her. “We will stop for the night and make camp by the
river.”
“Nay. I would return to my father’s camp. He
will need to see me if he is to be reassured that I am
unharmed.”
Jamie’s tone left no room for discussion. “A
darkened wood leaves many places for a villain to hide, my lady. We
will stop in that clearing ahead, where I can keep watch until
light.”
When they reached the place, Lindsey slid
from the saddle and led her horse to the bank of the river.
Kneeling, she scooped the water into her hands and drank
gratefully.
By the time she had tethered her horse, Jamie
had gathered enough logs for a fire. Soon the air was filled with
mouth-watering aromas as meat sizzled and snapped over the
fire.
“I see that a soldier in service to the queen
learns to do many things for himself.”
“Aye. If he desires a full stomach and a dry
bed.”
“Then I think perhaps my brothers should
consider soldiering, for they have learned to do little for
themselves. They expect the servants to see to their needs.”
“Your brothers were most apt pupils, my lady,
when they knew your life was at stake.”
“I am glad. Though I regret that I put them
through such fear.” Lindsey’s smile faded. She grew silent.
Jamie and Lindsey reclined on opposite sides
of the fire, eating their fill.
From the corner of her eye Lindsey saw a
slight movement in the woods. Her hand went to her dirk at her
waist. But her look of alarm became a smile of surprise when she
spotted the hound watching her. Tearing off a strip of meat, she
tossed it some distance away, then turned her attention to her own
meal. Within a few minutes she became aware that the animal was
stalking closer. When Wolf snatched up the meat, she threw a second
piece. Again the hound crept close and took the meat.
Lindsey found herself admiring the great,
shaggy beast. His coat, though tangled, was sleek and glossy. His
wary eyes gleamed with a look of danger. There was a nobility in
this wild creature that oddly touched her, reminding her of the man
who sat across from her.
She tossed a third scrap, closer this time,
and was saddened when the hound darted away, melting into the
shadows of the forest. All further attempts to draw him out of
hiding were fruitless.
Jamie watched in silence. When at last he
spoke there was a trace of a smile in his tone. “I warn you. Wolf
has no need of humans.”
“But he took the meat I offered him.”
“Aye. So long as it was free. But when you
set the price too high, he refused.”
“What price?”
“The price of his freedom. Do not think to
pet him and tame him, my lady, in exchange for a little food. He
can catch all the game he needs in these forests. Like all the
Highland creatures, he prefers to remain wild and free.”
Aye, wild and free. Again she was reminded of
the Heartless MacDonald. “But do not even the wild creatures crave
affection and companionship?”
Jamie glanced at her over the rim of his
tankard. “Perhaps. But not all creatures find what they crave.”
Lindsey was silent for long moments before
asking, “How can he be wild if he follows you across this
land?”
Jamie’s tone was pensive. “I was kind to him.
He does not forget that. But he knows he can retain his freedom. I
ask nothing of him.”
“Nor will I,” she said solemnly.
Jamie noted with a smile that she
nevertheless scattered the remains of her dinner in the grass
before rolling herself into her cloak.
Within minutes she was asleep.
Jamie drew his cloak around him and leaned
his back against the trunk of a tree. The night would be long, for
he intended to allow himself little sleep. But waking or sleeping,
he knew his thoughts would be of the woman who shared his camp.
* * *
As was his custom, Jamie woke quickly before
the dawn light had even streaked the eastern sky. He lay very
still, allowing his gaze to scan the camp. The first thing to
arrest his attention was the lass, asleep on the far side of the
fire. Though her sleep had been disturbed several times during the
night by the demons that plagued her, she was now sleeping
peacefully. That fact brought him a measure of comfort.
He was surprised to see the hound lying
nearby. And even more surprised to note that the animal was not
asleep. Though Wolf’s head rested on his paws, his ears were
attuned to the sounds of the forest; his eyes stared warily into
the distance.
Jamie gave a low chuckle. Wolf, having sensed
that Jamie was asleep, had assumed the role of Lindsey’s protector.
Now the animal, sensing something amiss, turned its head and stared
fully at Jamie. Then, without a backward glance, Wolf sauntered
across the clearing and slipped into the forest. As if, Jamie
thought with a smile, the creature had decided that Lindsey was now
safely delivered into another’s keeping.
The slight rustling awoke Lindsey. She sat
up, for the moment disoriented, and Jamie saw the trace of fear in
her eyes until she caught sight of him.
“Are you rested, my lady?”
“Aye.”
Lindsey discreetly gathered the remnants of
her torn bodice together. She turned her gaze toward the inviting
waters of the river.
He stood abruptly. “The horses need time to
forage before we begin the journey to your father’s camp. I will
leave you alone, my lady.”
To give her some privacy, he led the horses
some distance away. But though he busied himself with mundane
chores, his gaze strayed often to the river, bathed with the golden
glow of morning sun.
Alone, Lindsey removed her clothes and
examined her torn and muddied gown. With great care she washed her
garments until the stains had been removed, then spread them on low
branches to dry.
She took several tentative steps into the
river. The cool water felt wonderful against her flesh. She rubbed
vigorously at the blood that caked her skin, eager to remove all
traces of her ordeal. As she moved deeper into the river, the water
lapped at her breasts. With a little sigh she plunged beneath the
waves and came up sputtering and laughing. How wonderful it felt to
be cool and clean and free of all restraint. With strong strokes
she swam the width of the river and back.
A trill of feminine laughter echoed on the
breeze. Distracted, Jamie turned toward the river. The sight that
greeted him nearly took his breath away. Lindsey moved slowly
through the shallows toward shore. A halo of golden light seemed to
surround her. She was a shimmering, ethereal figure. Her hair,
gleaming red and gold in the morning light, fanned out around her
like a glistening veil. Her skin was as pale as the ghostly mists
that danced across the lochs in the Highlands.
He knew he should turn away, for she trusted
him to grant her the privacy she desired. But he could not. With a
tightness in his throat he studied her as she stepped lightly from
the water. He drank in the sight of high, firm breasts, tiny waist,
softly rounded hips. She was perfection. And the sight of her left
him shaken.
He watched as she slipped on her delicate
chemise. As she tied the ribbons that held it, he found that his
hands were curled into fists at his sides. The thought of untying
those ribbons, of removing the lacy bit of fabric from her, had his
pulse racing.
She slipped white, frothy petticoats over her
head and smoothed them down over her hips, and again he was swept
by a stab of desire so raw, so swift, it left him trembling. If he
were less a man, he would give in to the need to go to her. But his
nobler virtue would not permit it. She was Douglas Gordon’s
virginal daughter. He would return her as he had found her.
She lifted her gown from its place in the sun
and suddenly knelt in the grass, examining it closely. With his
hands firmly clenched by his sides, Jamie forced himself to turn
away. He would go below stream and take a plunge in the cool river.
Hopefully the cooling water would have the desired effect.
* * *
Lindsey examined her gown. Though much of the
blood had been washed away, there was no way to mend the torn and
tattered bodice. She knew that the sight of it would cause her
father much grief. But there was nothing to be done about it. She
had neither needle nor thread. She would simply have to hide inside
her cloak until she could exchange this gown for one in her
trunks.
Pulling the gown over her head, she smoothed
it down and gathered the torn bodice into a semblance of modesty.
Over this she pulled on her cloak.
There was nothing to be done with the tangles
in her hair. Running her fingers through the damp strands, she
tossed her head, sending her hair cascading in waves down her
back.
When Lindsey returned to the fire, Jamie had
prepared a hot meal. He looked up and noted that the color was back
in her cheeks. Her limp was much less pronounced, and her cloak was
draped modestly around her.
All her precautions, he realized, were for
naught. He would never be able to forget the sight of her as she
emerged from the river. The body she kept so cleverly concealed
from his sight was already clearly imprinted on his mind. An image
that would torment him forever more.
Lindsey noted the beads of moisture that
glinted in Jamie’s hair. As he handed her a tankard, she inhaled
the clean, fresh scent of river water.
For the first few moments they broke their
fast in awkward silence. It was Jamie who finally spoke.
“Your father will be much concerned.”
“Aye.” Lindsey kept her gaze averted, trying
not to stare at the wide expanse of Jamie’s shoulders.
“If we do not return soon, he will no doubt
send riders to fetch us.”
“Aye.” She glanced up, then, seeing his gaze
fully upon her, lowered her gaze to the ground.