Chapter Eighteen
Helene, come home!
Three words. Nothing more.
Three words—punctuated with an exclamation mark—delivered a directive and the expediency with which the order must be effected.
Three words that could only mean one of two things. Either something had happened to Prudence, or she was . . .
Helene’s eyes snapped shut and cold fear shot up her spine.
Her shoulders curled forward and tightened, hairs lifting along her arms. Trembling hands shook the envelope and parchment.
They fell from her grasp, both fluttering down to lie at her feet.
Black spots littered the edge of her vision and, suddenly light-headed, she swayed.
Lachlan’s hand beneath her elbow steadied her. ‘Are ye all right, lass?’
She fought to quell rising panic, the tightening in her chest, and the feeling of constriction around her throat. No, she wasn’t all right, and her voice failed to say so.
His arm came swiftly around her waist, guiding her to sit down in a plush padded armchair away from the others.
Her onlookers fired forth a volley of questions.
‘What’s happened, Helene?’
‘What news from yer father?’
‘What is it? Ye’ve gone deathly pale.’
Lachlan raised his hand to stave off their advance and any further questions. He knelt on one knee before her and took her hands in his. ‘Helene?’
His voice, soft and calm, was like salve to a wound.
In his eyes she saw, and not for the first time, genuine compassion for her.
She drew in a fortifying breath and pulled herself together, choosing to believe Prudence was well, that her father had finally agreed to bring Prudence home and that he’d accepted Helene’s wish to be her sister’s full-time carer.
Helene had been angling for a plausible excuse to leave Drumocher, and now she had one.
Her father’s brief missive, albeit devoid of detail, provided tangible justification why she must go.
She glanced at the letter and envelope on the floor behind Lachlan, and as if she’d spoken her request aloud, he retrieved them for her.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered. She deftly folded and slid the parchment inside the envelope and spoke so that all might hear her. ‘I must return home. Immediately.’
Agnes crinkled her nose. ‘But why? You were to stay with us for the entire summer.’
‘My father did not say why.’ That, at least, was the truth of it. ‘I can only assume the matter urgent and of a private nature. I apologise to you all for having to leave so soon.’
Lachlan’s brows hitched together in a deep frown as he stood and stepped away from Helene. In his eyes she detected a hint of mistrust. Guilt had her look down at her feet before rising and offering up a tremulous smile in thanking him for having come to her aid.
Without argument, he said, ‘I must oblige yer father’s request and will immediately send word to the garrison to arrange a retinue of the king’s men to escort ye home. I’ll make the journey with ye.’
‘No!’
‘I swore to protect ye, lass, and so I will accompany ye.’
Helene reacted to his sharp tone. ‘What I mean is, it could be days before troops and provisions are rallied and arrive here.’ She held up the envelope.
‘Your servant said the horse and messenger who arrived with this were a lather of sweat. Does that not tell you something of consequence has occurred? Otherwise, my father would not summon me home in so swift a manner.’
Helene grew desperate with every passing second. ‘I’ve not a moment to waste. I must prepare to leave and begin the journey home. Today.’
‘Today?’ Caitrin’s brows almost met her hairline. ‘But, lass, we dinnae have the appropriate conveyance to get ye back to London.’
‘I respectfully thank you for considering my comfort, but I don’t need a carriage.
All I need is a horse and an escort.’ Helene looked beseechingly at Lachlan.
‘If you insist on accompanying me, then surely the fastest route would be on horseback. A horse can travel where a carriage cannot, and I’ve no doubt you know routes and pathways to cut travel time by half. ’
Lady Sutton voiced her protest before Lachlan could answer.
‘Out of the question, lass. Ye’re a young lady!
Ye cannae be traipsing from Scotland to London on a horse and camping beneath the stars at night.
And alone with one man, even if that man is the laird of Drumocher.
Think of yer reputation. Good Lord! Yer father would have our heads for this. ’
Helene gave Lady Sutton a placating smile.
‘With all due respect, how is riding a horse alongside Lachlan any different to having trekked with him on foot to the shielings, where I assimilated with cottars and their way of life? Besides, my father needn’t know what mode of transport conveyed me to him.
All that matters is getting me home by the fastest means possible. ’
‘Helene,’ said Cuthbert. ‘Regardless of the urgent circumstance by which your father calls you home, you must heed all precautionary measures. The Highlands, Lowlands, and south of the border are teeming with lowlifes and miscreants. Lachlan is indeed a force to be reckoned with when it comes to wielding a sword or firing a pistol, and’—his gaze flicked briefly to his cousin—‘he’s lightning-fast with his fists, but a man travelling with a beautiful woman is an invitation to be set upon.
My cousin can hold his own, yet if a band of armed men were to attack, then Lachlan alone could not protect you. ’
Helene had not expected Cuthbert’s concern for her. Or was it all for show, Lachlan’s safety being his one true concern?
‘Well said, brother,’ said Agnes. She made a sweep of her hand, gesturing to Helene’s attire from head to toe. ‘And how could you possibly be comfortable riding side-saddle for days over such rough terrain dressed like that? Imagine the discomfort of it all.’
Helene had the perfect comeback to counter each of their objections. ‘Then I’ll dress like a man, conceal my hair beneath a cap, and ride astride my horse.’
A gasp of feminine outrage vibrated through the air, and Lady Sutton looked set to suffer a conniption fit. ‘Dress like a man?’ Her voice rose even higher. ‘A man?’
Grizel slapped her hands to her cheeks. ‘Oh my! The adventure of it all. I should hate to see ye leave us so soon, Helene, and I do pray nothing untoward has occurred, but I applaud yer initiative. Ye’re a woman of stalwart courage.’
‘That’s kind of you to say so, Grizel, but I’m simply doing what I must.’
Helene stepped forward and gripped Lachlan’s upper arm.
Her gaze bore into his, and in an emotion-choked voice, she said, ‘Please. I beg of you. Say you’ll agree to my suggestion.
My slight build would fool anyone into believing me a young man and not a lass.
I won’t complain about a thing, and I’ll explicitly follow your rules and direction every step of the way.
I swear it. At journey’s end we could slip unnoticed, and under the cover of dark, into my father’s residence.
He would not have summoned me home without a valid reason. ’
Helene held Lachlan’s steady gaze. Mistrust still lingered there. His pensive face and drawn-out silence indicated he would not agree to her request.
Before Helene resigned herself to defeat and disappointment, Prudence screamed in her head.
Get me out of here! The haunting memory of her sister’s white-knuckled fists clutching the bars of a locked asylum cell bolstered Helene’s resolve to make one final plea.
She swallowed and leaned in closer to Lachlan so that his broad chest hid her face from the others.
‘Please,’ she whispered. Only he could hear her. ‘In return, I’ll do anything.’ Her gaze made a sinful sweep of his mouth. ‘Anything you ask of me.’
Hers was a desperate appeal, but was it tempting enough to stir and awaken the scoundrel in the Scot? She lifted her gaze to see his eyes dilate and darken, after which a muscle ticked along his jaw.
With a curt nod, he said, ‘We leave today. As soon as I can arrange it.’
Helene’s shoulders sagged in relief. ‘Thank you.’
‘Nephew!’ Lady Sutton jumped to her feet. ‘Ye cannae be serious.’ She looked aghast at Caitrin. ‘Sister! Will ye not say something?’
‘Aye! I will.’ Caitrin’s chin tilted up. ‘I support my son’s decision. ’Tis nae a rash one, but proactive.’
Elspeth’s mouth fell open. ‘What? Ye consent to Helene dressing like a man and sallying forth to London, alone with Lachlan? ’Tis not the proper thing to do.’
‘Proper?’ Caitrin rose from her chair and stood one inch taller than her twin.
‘Sometimes proper has nae say in happenstance. We women are made of sterner stuff, and the lass has proved herself in as much. She’s up for the journey, and I ken my son will protect and keep her safe.
If the earl’s order is time-sensitive, then I’ll not have him hold the MacLanochs responsible for any delay in his daughter’s return. ’
Lachlan reassured his auntie. ‘Dinnae worry over how this might reflect on ye as Helene’s chaperone. She might have travelled here with ye under the king’s escort, but given the sudden turn of events, she’ll return to London with me. ’Tis my decision, for which I take full responsibility.’
Cuthbert stepped forth. ‘You must allow me to go with you.’
‘Thank ye, but that willnae be necessary. Besides, ye must stay here at Drumocher and look after the family.’
‘Then what can I do to help expedite your preparations for the journey?’
‘Seek out the farrier. He and the groom will need to prepare my horse and one for Helene. Then have a servant gather my councilmen to meet in the great hall in one hour’s time.
Join me there, for I must inform them of my impending absence and that ’tis ye who’ll stand in my stead until I return.
Quarter day is nigh, so ye must oversee the collection of rents. ’
‘Of course,’ said Cuthbert with a nod.