Chapter 2
Fenella had brought the carriage to the village that day, since the monthly market was taking place and she and Eleanor needed to carry their purchases back with them.
Usually the two friends, both experienced riders, would have come on horseback, but not today.
It was a stroke of good luck that they had decided to buy cloth, sewing supplies and some new clothes, all of which were too heavy and bulky to be carried on a horse.
They made space by instructing the driver to load their new possessions onto the roof of the vehicle and tucked Laura, who was now holding the baby, into a corner of the comfortable padded seat.
Fenella produced a travelling blanket and draped it over them, then sat back and surveyed her with satisfaction.
“You are safe now,” she said softly, looking into the little face of the baby cradled in Laura’s arms with a tender smile.
Her eyes travelled over him for a moment, marking the shape of his features, the long dark eyelashes, the colour of his eyes.
The more she studied him, the more she could see a resemblance to Nicholas.
But was she seeing what she wanted to see?
Believing what someone else had told her and trying to make it true?
Was this young woman lying? She sighed inwardly.
Whatever the truth was, the baby was completely innocent and deserved their protection, as did its mother.
Fenella had never had children of her own, and the sight of the little being, so vulnerable and helpless, filled her with a sudden fierce protectiveness she had never experienced before.
Of course, she had been a de facto mother to Kenneth Grant, the Laird of Cairnlochan, but not until he was almost a teenager and mostly able to fend for himself.
This was an altogether different emotion, one which she found distinctly unsettling because it made her realise how much had been missing from her life.
She would have to talk it over with her best friend, and she thanked the stars that they had been reunited after a long while.
Even after such a short time, a mere six months, she could not imagine her life without Eleanor; they might not be blood relations, they were sisters in spirit.
The coach began to roll towards the castle and the baby started to grizzle.
Thinking the rocking motion of the carriage was unsettling him, Laura cradled him more tightly in her arms, making soft soothing noises that she hoped would calm him.
However, her efforts were in vain as he began to thrash and wail even more loudly, and his cries were so heartbreaking that they brought tears to her eyes.
“Try feeding him, dear,” Fenella suggested. “Don’t be modest, we’re all women here!” She laughed, but it was a nervous, uncertain sound.
Laura felt the panic rise in her chest. This was something that had not occurred to her; she had not given birth to this child and had no milk to feed him with.
What was she to do? How could she not have thought of that?
She could not let him starve. Reluctantly, she realised that she would have to tell the truth and put the baby into the hands of someone who was more capable of taking care of him than she was.
But then what would happen to her? Would she be returned to the inn and the cruelty of Crowley’s men?
Or even worse, be locked in a dungeon for lying?
However, she was saved from having to do so by Eleanor, who leaned over to look carefully at the child in Laura’s arms. Being the mother of two children herself, she was sensitive to the needs of a new baby, and of course she knew the signs of a hungry infant when she saw one.
“Are you having trouble feeding him?” she asked, looking into Laura’s tearful eyes. “Do you not have enough milk?”
Laura felt a huge surge of relief and nodded, unable to speak as the tears that had been threatening to fall began to roll down her cheeks.
“I had the same trouble when I gave birth to my daughter,” Eleanor said, frowning.
“But there is a woman at the castle who I’m sure will help us.
She had a baby of her own and I think she will consent to being a wet nurse.
Please do not worry, Laura. You have been through a terrifying ordeal and that can have a terrible effect on your body, but we will not let anything bad happen to the poor child. You have my word.”
“And mine,” Fenella said soothingly. “We will soon be home and we will take care of you to the best of our ability. You have just been through a terrible experience, Laura, but you can stop worrying now. You are safe with us.”
“Thank you both so much.” Laura felt a warm surge of gratitude as she looked at two of the kindest people she had ever met.
“The lady who served at the inn was helping me, but—” She tailed off as the baby began to scream so loudly that her words became completely inaudible.
‘Mairi, I am so sorry I cannot feed him myself, but I promise you I will not let any harm come to him while I am alive to stop it. He is in good hands, I wish you could be with him.’
Eleanor leaned over and gently took the baby out of Laura’s arms then put her forefinger in his mouth so that he could suckle on it. “Hopefully this will keep him happy for a wee while,” she said hopefully, although the expression on her face looked doubtful.
Laura tried not to breathe a huge sigh of relief. She had been terrified for a few moments, because although the infant was not her own, she already felt a deep tenderness towards him, something which astonished her.
Eleanor’s trick worked for a short while, but the baby soon realised that he was receiving no food at all and began to weep sorely again.
Laura felt utterly wretched: there was nothing she could do, and her deep distress must have shown plainly on her face.
Fenella took her hand. “Not long now, Laura,” she said gently. Laura nodded, but she was unable to take her eyes off the poor little face that was now red with weeping.
However, when she managed to look away from the baby for a second to peer out of the carriage window, Laura saw Nicholas riding alongside them, his green eyes glaring at her balefully. She looked away quickly, but his gaze was so fixed and forceful that she could almost feel it touching her.
It seemed like an eternity, but they reached the castle at last and rumbled over the cobbled entrance into the courtyard. Laura had never seen such a vast, magnificent and utterly intimidating building before, and looked around her with awe, a little afraid of its sheer size.
Eleanor had been watching her fearful face, and leaned over to pat her hand. “Don’t worry,” she said kindly. “You will be fine, my dear. Nella and I will look after you both.”
“Thank you,” Laura said gratefully, but in truth she was not reassured.
She looked out and saw Nicholas dismounting from his horse and she cowered backwards as she realised that he was coming to speak to her.
Fenella had given the baby back to her, and she was helpless to avoid this huge intimidating warrior.
A groom was about to help them out of the carriage, but before he could do so, Nicholas stepped between them.
“Let me,” he said gruffly, raising his hand. Laura murmured a word of thanks and allowed him to gently help her step down while cradling the infant in the crook of her arm.
He looked down at both of them and opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment a deep male voice called out.
“Where have you been?” A dark blond, ruggedly handsome man was walking towards them with a fast, purposeful stride. He was as tall as Nicholas and had an air of command. Now he wore a questioning frown on his face.
Laura’s heart sank as she watched the man’s dark eyes sweep over her and the baby. Clearly this was a person of great authority, and this was borne out by the sight of every guard he walked past standing to attention and saluting him.
‘This must be the Laird,’ she thought, with an inward sigh.
Laura had not expected him to look so striking, but his looks were the least of her concerns now.
She tensed, ready to be marched out of the castle without ceremony.
The thought of being tossed out of the castle grounds into the wild Scottish countryside was not an appealing one, but she consoled herself with the fact that the baby would be looked after.
At least she hoped so. Would Nicholas Munro accept his responsibility as the child’s father?
Another positive circumstance sprang into her mind; she would be free of Crowley’s men.
Her valise had been rescued from the inn and she still had enough money to survive for a few more weeks, so she was not utterly helpless.
However, Laura had realised that the small but rugged country of Scotland was not a forgiving place.
Even in late summer it was cold at night, and she was not looking forward to sleeping under the stars.
In winter it would be unbearable, she realised.
All this flashed through Laura’s mind as she waited for the big man to stop in front of them, and she braced herself for whatever hostile words he was about to address her with. However, although he gave her a swift, hard glance, he turned to look at Fenella and Eleanor.
With his hands on his hips, his feet planted wide apart, he looked enormous and extremely intimidating. Laura swallowed nervously, her heart thudding.
“Why did you two go out alone?” he demanded. “Do you not know how dangerous it is out there?”
However, instead of being frightened, the two older women laughed, and Fenella gave the man a playful punch on the shoulder. “We could not resist going to the market, nephew,” Eleanor answered. “The silk merchant from Edinburgh was there today and we are both sorely in need of new ball gowns.”
“And Nicholas would not let us go out without him,” Fenella added. “He even brought two other guards with him, so we were well protected. Stop fretting, Kenneth!”
Kenneth turned a threatening glare on Nicholas. “I’ll deal with you later,” he growled, before turning his attention to Laura and the baby. He studied them for a moment, and his regard softened a little as he took in the tiny, round, innocent face of the infant before his intense gaze met her eyes.
“I don’t believe we have been introduced,” he said. “I am Laird Kenneth Grant, master of Cairnlochan Castle.” He bowed briefly and was about to say more, but Fenella spoke first.
“Kenny, this is Laura,” she told him, and her expression had suddenly changed to one of concern.
“We managed to rescue her and her son from the clutches of Crowley’s men.
They were chasing her through the marketplace and Nick—” She looked at the Captain of the Guard with an appreciative smile—“Rescued them. I don’t know what would have happened to them if he had not stepped in. You are a hero, my Captain.”
Nicholas looked awkward, but merely inclined his head and thanked Fenella.
However, Kenneth was staring at him suspiciously.
He and Nicholas Munro had been friends for a very long time, and he could sense that something was not quite right about the situation between him and the young woman he had apparently rescued.
A surge of pure rage rose within him as he thought of how callous and cruel a man had to be to pick on a woman and a tiny helpless baby.
Yet something was bothering Nicholas; he was staring at the newborn infant with a strange, troubled expression on his face, one that Kenneth had never seen before.
“There is something you are not telling me, Nick,” he said, stepping forward to put his hands on his shoulder. “What is it?”
“Apparently I am a father,” he replied, nodding towards the baby. “And this is my son.”
Kenneth’s mouth fell open in astonishment as he stared first at Nicholas, then at the baby in Laura’s arms. His friend had a well-deserved reputation for flirtation and seduction but had always assured him that he had taken all the necessary precautions to make sure that no consequences would ensue from his adventures.
Clearly he had not taken enough of them!