Grant Clan 06 - My Desperate Highlander (4 page)

Her green eyes crinkled. “Farce? Is that what you call it?”

“One of many things I would call it. Farce, mistake, grave threat to your well-being. Is that enough for a start?” He grinned at her, hoping to see her smile in return.

She did not. “Will you tell my father those things?” she said softly. “He will be furious with me, and he is near death so I do not wish to upset him.” She played with the crumbs of her oatcake before raising her gaze to his.

Micheil frowned. It was not the request of a selfish girl, and the fact that her first concern was for her father made him think more of her. He just hoped the Drummond chieftain was forgiving. “That statement is not something I would expect to hear from a spoiled lass,” he murmured.

“It is as I told you,” she said, though there was not much fire in her voice at the moment. She sounded lost instead. “Father has allowed me to do things most females do not, but he never had a son. I was his son.”

“And you love your sire.” He peered at her, staring at her hair, wishing he could run his fingers through the red silky strands of it.

“Aye.” She swiped at a tear sliding down her cheek. “Verra much. I love him and I don’t want him to leave me.”

“Are you sure you want to head to Edinburgh and not home?” He chugged another swish of ale, then handed her the skein.

“Aye, I’m sure. I need to go to Edinburgh first. ‘Tis the only way he’ll forgive me…” She nodded her head in satisfaction.

“If you bring home a lad?”

Diana stared at Micheil. “I must bring home a husband. I have no choice if I wish to be welcomed back.”

Several hours later, Diana heaved a sigh of relief as Micheil slowed his horse and cantered off the path in search of a clearing. She had needs, after all. The man had to know that.

Once he helped her to dismount, he said, “We are almost in Edinburgh, so what are your plans?”

“To find my knight, of course.” She ran to the stream for some fresh water to wash her face and hands. There had not been much rain lately, so the road was quite dusty. Thankfully, she was still dressed in her lad’s clothing and had not ruined the one wool gown she had brought.

“And where are we to find this knight?” He yelled so she could hear him. “You said your mother told you about him, but do you know where he resides? What’s his name?”

She turned to stare at him, flummoxed. “How would I know my knight’s name?”

“You have not met him yet?” Micheil’s eyes widened.

“Of course not. If we had met, we would already be wed.” She gave him her back as she leaned over the stream again. Was he daft? That was their entire purpose, to find a knight for her to wed. She had to find the man her mother had seen in her dream. Her mother had been steadfast in predicting she would marry in Edinburgh.

She jumped and turned back in time to see Micheil’s hand slap his forehead before he said, “Your mother didn’t have someone in mind? So we are here to
find
your husband, and you would like a knight?” His voice echoed in a low timbre that made her almost afraid of him.

“Aye, doesn’t every lass?” She was confused by his change in nature. This had been the plan all along, hadn’t it? Or had she led him to believe differently?

“I would not know. I am not a lass now, am I?” He took a deep breath before he continued. “And where do you propose we find your knight?” His gaze narrowed, and she turned away, not liking the glare he was sending her way.

She lifted her chin. “I must have an English knight. My beloved mother was English. I have not met any Scots that are knights yet, but I will accept an Englishmen, so long as he has been knighted. I am sure such a man would be acceptable to my father. Perhaps we should go to the royal castle. If the king is in residence at present, I expect there will be parties and minstrels galore. I am sure to find a knight there. As soon as he realizes the land that will come to him as part of my dowry, I am sure he will be agreeable.”

She scowled as she thought through her plan. It would be difficult, but now that she had come this far, she was sure to find her knight. Her beloved mama had told her a knight was her destiny as far back as she could remember, and that she would marry in Edinburgh. Why could he not see her reasoning? And now that she had lost her mama, she wanted someone to protect and support her, someone who would always be there for her. Her knight.

Micheil buried his face in his hands. “Why did you not mention this wee fact before? You could at least have mentioned it to Alex, who has actually been to the English Court before. And why must your betrothed be English anyway? Diana, do you truly believe an Englishman will be more willing to leave his country and marry you than a Scottish lad? Does it not make sense to find a husband closer to your home? Just by number alone, I expect we’ll meet many more Scotsmen than Englishmen. We are in Edinburgh, for heaven’s sake. You’re Scottish! Do you not think your clan would be more accepting of a Scot?”

She stared at the clouds above and pondered Micheil’s suggestion. Aye, it would be easier if she found a Scottish husband, and her clan would be more accepting. But she knew of no Scottish knights. Had her memory failed her? Had her mother said she would marry a knight or did she just tell her of tales of knights? There had been so many stories of the tourneys. Her beloved mother’s bedtime stories suddenly muddled together. Had she said if her husband was Scottish or English? Perhaps Micheil was right and her memories were wrong. Her head rested in her hands, hoping to bring clarity to the issue, especially because it was so important.

She pictured herself sitting in a tented box during a tournament, dressed in her most beautiful blue gown. Her knight would ride over to the tent to accept her scarf as a favor on the end of his lance, and she would lean down to tie it on the tip, blushing as he stared at her. Her handsome knight—blond, he would be blond—would bend over to bestow a kiss upon her cheek, but she would be forced to turn away for propriety’s sake. The disappointment in his face would be evident to all who sat with her under the tent, protected from the heat of the sun. Then he would ride off, her scarf fluttering in the wind, but not before swearing his undying love…

“Diana?”

Micheil’s voice brought her back to the present. “What?”

“We left quickly. What clothes do you have to attract a knight? Did you manage to squeeze any of your best gowns into the satchel?”

“Err…nay. I have but one wool gown, far from my best.” She drummed her fingers on her lips. “Someone in Edinburgh will no doubt be willing to assist us in our plight. There are markets and cloth weavers aplenty in this city. Surely one of them could make me an appropriate gown. Micheil, I am sure I can get the most beautiful gown in all of the land here in Edinburgh. There must be numerous tailors in such a place.”

“I suggest we do it quietly. We do not wish to draw attention to our quest. If Baron Gow is as intent on getting his hands on you as I think he is, he will send guards to look for you.”

Diana played with her plaited hair. “You are right. We must be careful. Is there not anyone in your family who is nearby?”

“Actually, there is. My father has a sister in Edinburgh. She lost her husband, but she still resides here in a small home. Once I determine exactly where she is, we can at least stay there until we have a better plan.” He scowled at her. “Why must you lassies be so besotted with dreams? Sometimes the best lad for you is the closest one to you.” He lifted his water skin to his mouth.

Diana gasped and covered her mouth in surprise. He could not be suggesting what she thought he was suggesting, could he? “You do not mean yourself, pray tell, do you?”

Micheil choked on his water. “Nay, I do not mean me. I have no intention of marrying. But there must have been some nice lads near Drummond land. Why have you not chosen one of them? Life would have been much easier for you, and you would be with your dying father now.”

Diana blinked back her tears. “Because, I must find my knight. We were meant to be together. ‘Tis what my mama told me, that I am destined to marry in Edinburgh. Do you not believe in destiny?”

“Hellfire, nay.” He paced in a circle. “But we will try to find my aunt all the same.”

Diana ran over and hugged him, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Micheil. You will not regret it, I promise.”

***

The next evening, they were seated in the dining hall of the home belonging to Micheil’s Aunt Elspeth. She was a lovely lady who had not remarried after losing her husband a few years ago. Elspeth did have two married daughters who had left behind a few gowns that Diana could wear, though they needed to be adjusted a wee bit.

Micheil had sent half of the Grant guards Alex had sent with him to search for any sign of Baron Gow’s men. The other half would stay near Elspeth’s stables and assist him when necessary. He tried to deal with the men without being conspicuous, and Diana had not suspected their presence yet. Satisfied to have found his beloved aunt so quickly, he began to have a bit of hope that Diana’s quest might succeed. Perhaps his aunt could assist them.

Aunt Elspeth’s home had three sleeping chambers, a good size hall with a large hearth, plus the kitchens in the back. A large table with benches sat at one end while a circle of chairs sat in front of the hearth. Her cook had come up with a lovely meal for them, and they sat down to enjoy the small feast. He could not hold back a smile as he watched Diana and Aunt Elspeth. His aunt dearly loved to chatter, and he could recall many times when his father would ask her to stop.

She smiled at Diana and clasped her hand before the meal started. “The king is in residence at present, so you have arrived at the perfect time. In fact, I hear they will be opening the portcullis tomorrow and entertaining in the courtyard in the inner bailey. A large wedding is about to take place between an English cousin of the king’s with a large dowry and an English knight, a young blond lad who is reputed to be the most handsome in all the land. The wedding is not for a sennight at least, but the king has invited them to wed here with a lavish ceremony. Many English knights will be visiting for the occasion.”

“Wonderful, Aunt Elspeth. ‘Tis my goal to find a husband, and an English knight is perfect.” Diana smiled.

Micheil scowled at the smug look Diana tossed his way when Aunt Elspeth mentioned the knights.

Aunt Elspeth continued, her excitement bubbling over. “If you wish, I will go to the castle with you tomorrow, that is, if we can alter the pale green gown in time, though I don’t have many servants to help.

“Aye, my lady, I would be happy to help sew any part that needs adjusting. Micheil and I would love to go with you, wouldn’t we, Micheil?” Diana gazed at him from the corner of her eye, clearly hoping he would play along.

He grunted. Why the hell not? He might as well attend just to see if he could prevent the lass from making a complete fool of herself. She was overzealous and needed to be brought down a tad.

“Was that an aye or a nay?” Diana tugged on the sleeve of his tunic.

“Aye, I’ll go along. I am quite sure you will need someone to protect you from the wolves.” His jaw clenched at the thought of some fool grabbing her, using her naivety against her.

“What wolves? There will be no animals present, will there, my lady?”

Micheil stood up and walked away, hiding his reaction to her comment. She was even more naïve than he’d guessed. Intelligent as she was, she was highly ignorant of the ways of men. How could he hope to protect such an innocent?

Elspeth chuckled. “Overzealous lads are often referred to as wolves. My nephew does not want you falling prey to their tricks.”

“Tricks?”

“Never mind, Diana. You do not need to know.” Micheil’s hands covered his face in exasperation.

“I think she does, Micheil,” Elspeth said. “I think she needs to be aware of how men can take advantage of an innocent lass.”

His hand fell to his sides. “I’ll protect her,” he barked. Hellfire, he was not about to let her out of his sight. What had caused this miserable feeling in his gut? It was uncharacteristic of him, so he puzzled over the cause of his foulness.

“Micheil, is something bothering you? You don’t seem verra agreeable.” Aunt Elspeth smiled at him, a sympathetic expression on her face.

Micheil shook his head. What could be bothering him? He was searching for the impossible, Diana of Drummond’s perfect mate—who, based on everything she’d said, had to be a blond-haired English knight. And his blood still boiled at the insult she had thrown his way when she rejected the thought of him pursuing her hand. What was wrong with
him
? Granted he wasn’t interested in tying himself down to only one woman, but she hadn’t needed to be so crass and candid about her feelings for him. Anyway, a Ramsay was far better than any English knight she could hope to find.

His scowl threatened to become a permanent fixture.

Well, perhaps she would realize the folly of her ways the next day, when her dream knight failed to appear. She would undoubtedly be heartbroken, but Micheil had a gift for taking good care of lasses. He always knew how to make them smile. Somehow, he thought Diana’s disappointment would require special skill on his part.

***

The next day was a flurry of activity as all the women in the house used their needles to alter the gown and matching mantle to fit Diana. When she was finally ready to go, she stared at her reflection in the looking glass, unable to believe it was her.

The over gown was a pale green, with a dark green undergown. The neckline was square and she wore a gold belt around her hips. Her red hair fell in waves down her back that had taken forever to arrange properly since it was often wild and unkempt. Once she was satisfied with what she saw, Micheil settled her mantle over her shoulders and they walked out into the night, not far from the revelry that had already started at the castle.

It was just a short distance, so they had decided to walk. The closer they came to the castle, the louder the music became, and the more butterflies took flight in Diana’s stomach. As soon as the festivities came into view, she stopped, drinking in the ambience of the festivities, the flutes and fiddles calling to her like sirens on the high sea.

This would be her night, she was sure of it. The dancing torchlights promised an eve to remember. All of a sudden, Micheil’s pace increased.

“Micheil, what is it?”

“Keep going. We are being followed.” He glanced over his shoulder as he propelled her toward the castle and throngs of people.

“What are you talking about?” She glanced over her shoulder and noticed two unsavory characters behind them. “Do you think it’s his men?” She struggled to keep up with Micheil.

“Aye, could be. We need to get there quickly.” Micheil took her elbow and escorted her into the castle bailey, through a crowd of dancers and minstrels, ladies and lassies busy flirting with any lad in sight. They had left Elspeth behind because she had not felt up to traveling with them. Since no one knew them, Diana was not worried about her reputation. This was one of the rare times that she was grateful her sire had kept her hidden. Aye, her name had been out there for suitors, but few had seen her. Micheil would protect her—of that, she had the utmost confidence. She sighed, searching the courtyard for any sign of her knight. He would be here, he had to be.