Highland beast, p.13
Highland Beast, page 13
“Perhaps we brothers should go to the library to discuss this…issue,” Gideon said.
Both ladies frowned. “If it affects the whole clan, we should be part of the discussion,” Ella said. Guilt tugged at Bàs. He would be responsible if any of his brothers died in a war he started.
“And Rhona is in the library letting the children pick out books to take back to Varrich,” Cait said, her mutinous gaze on Gideon.
Joshua dropped his arms, sitting at the table. “Well, our youngest brother is ready to lead our clan in the war he started.”
“I did not say that,” Bàs said. Joshua was such an arse, and even more so when Kára wasn’t around.
Ella walked over to join Shana. “Which is deserved, from what Ivy has told me. Erskine Oliphant is a monster.” Ella looked to Cain. “He may not have branded his wife, but he abused her every month when her courses came, proving she wasn’t pregnant.”
Cain swore under his breath.
Gideon looked to Shana. “Mistress, ye need to know that Erskine Oliphant has accused ye of being a witch. He’s sent word to King James that ye took his son and sacrificed him to Satan, then stole his rightful wife away, and that the Sinclairs are harboring the two of ye.”
“A witch?” Bàs said, his fists pounding one on top of the other.
“Erskine is crafty, using an accusation of witchcraft to gain the king’s attention.” Cain held Mary casually over one shoulder, his frown fierce as he looked out at the group. “King James wages war on sorcery, hanging or burning those accused without proper investigation. He thinks witches prevented his young bride, Anne of Denmark, from crossing the North Sea to reach him. ’Tis said he’s writing a book describing witches and how to find them.”
Gideon held up a parchment. “And he’s found a woman who swears she heard Shana Drummond chanting and saw her take the bairn, wrapping it tightly and running away with him into the woods.”
They all turned toward Shana. She crossed her arms. “I’ve never chanted anything, but I did take Edward away at Ivy’s insistence that Erskine would kill him because he’d been told the child isn’t his.” Her gaze moved from Cain to Gideon. “My sister’s only crime is that she tried to find a way to stop her monthly beatings by getting herself with child with another man.”
“Who is Edward’s father?” Cait asked and sat at the table opposite Joshua. “And where is he? He should be helping your sister, not abandoning her and his son.”
Shana glanced toward the stairs as if worried her sister would hear. “His name is Liam Ross.”
Bàs shook his head when Cain looked his way. “I haven’t heard of him.”
“Nor I,” Gideon said. “But the Oliphant Clan is large.”
Shana exhaled long. “She stopped seeing him as soon as she knew she was pregnant, trying to distance herself from him to protect him.” Shana cupped her cheeks as if reliving Ivy’s explanation. “When Ivy’s friend told her Erskine knew he wasn’t the father, Ivy begged Liam to leave the village.”
“Without her?” Joshua asked, his words snapping. “He’s a coward then.” For someone who wasn’t the judge of the clan, Joshua was quick to disapprove.
Shana clutched her hands before her. “She convinced Liam that his leaving would protect her and the babe, that she could convince Erskine the babe was his.”
Silence in the hall was broken only by Mary fussing to be let down to practice her new skill of walking. Ella took her, holding her wee hands, guiding her as she toddled. “Perhaps something should…happen to Erskine Oliphant,” Ella said, glancing at Cain.
Cain let out a small growl. “Ye are not sneaking over there in the middle of the night to assassinate him.”
“Ye aren’t either,” Gideon said, pointing to Cait, who had opened her mouth. “No matter how well ye climb.”
Cait gave him a playful glare. “I was going to suggest we women pay the Oliphant Village a visit,” Cait said. “See what the wives say about the chief, if there are others who would like to see a new chief in his place. What type of support Erskine has and if any of them really believe Ivy’s sister to be a witch.”
“Nay,” Gideon and Cain said at once.
“A woman heavy with child would hardly be seen as a threat,” Joshua’s wife, Kára, said, walking out from the alcove, her stomach protruding. She had one hand pressing on her lower back and one holding her unbreeched son on her hip. “I could waddle in there and back out without a single guard paying me any attention.” She looked at Joshua with a broad smile.
Joshua jumped up to go to his wife. He scooped Adam from her and escorted her to the table. “Ye can go,” he said.
Kára’s brows rose in surprise, and Joshua kissed her on the mouth.
He threw his arm around her shoulders, locking her to his side. “But I will be there with ye every step of the way. Waddling in and out.”
She snorted. “Now that won’t attract attention at all.”
Bàs glanced at Shana. Reddish hair around her shoulders and the freckles across her smooth-looking skin painted a perfect resemblance to a Highland fairy he’d seen depicted in one of Gideon’s books. Could a witch hunter see her otherworldly beauty as evil, her freckles as witch’s spots?
Distress in Shana’s features twisted Bàs’s gut. “What do ye think, Shana?” he asked. In his years of silence, he’d learned the importance of listening, not only to words but to inflections and postures. The way Shana stood, her back straight, her face tight and pale, there were things inside her, ideas swirling about.
“Ye have firsthand knowledge of the village of Wick and the castle,” Bàs said. “And of Erskine.”
Shana tipped her chin upward, and he noticed how much taller she was to his sisters by marriage. She crossed her arms, holding tightly to her elbows. “Ivy and I will not be responsible for civil war, pitting the Sinclair Clan against the crown.” She shook her head. “We will take Edward and leave here on our own, without aid from the Sinclairs.”
Bàs’s chest squeezed, making his voice rough. “I will not have ye sacrifice yourselves to the wolves. I’ll go with ye.”
“We Sinclair brothers are the Four Horsemen,” Joshua said, frowning. “Not three. Ye cannot go.”
Incredulity tightened Bàs’s face. “Ye’re reported dead on Orkney. We’re already three.”
Joshua, Adam draped over one arm, threw his unburdened arm wide. “No one believes a dandy Stewart killed me. Only James believes that shite.” The bairn kicked and laughed as he tried to reach his toes peeking out from his long infant gown.
“Keep the foul words inside around the babes,” Ella said.
Bàs stared hard at Joshua. “Then James will also believe that Shana and her sister are under the protection of the Horseman of Death. I will carry them away where they will be safe.”
Joshua pointed at Bàs, his brows high. “Ye aren’t turning your foking back on this clan for…” His gaze slid to Shana.
Kára, anticipating the trouble Joshua’s tongue could cause, snatched Adam from Joshua’s arm. The bairn had been the only thing holding Bàs back. He took two strides toward his arse of a brother, his fist pulling back. Crack!
Pain burst in his knuckles as they collided with Joshua’s hard jaw, throwing him backward. Joshua didn’t fall, but he did stumble, either from the impact or the surprise. Bàs had never struck any of them before. He saved all his fury for battle. Even his executions were performed without emotion.
“Bàs?!” Hannah yelled from the doorway as she strode into the hall, pushing her hood back off her head. “You’re fighting with Joshua? What’s going on?” Her gaze slid about the people standing with wide eyes. Even Cain seemed stunned where he stood behind Joshua as if Bàs had performed some trick of magic.
Bàs kept his fists before him as he watched Joshua, judging whether he would come at him. The surprise on his older brother’s features as he rubbed his chin turned dark, his nostrils flaring under dark, pinched brows. He charged forward, and Bàs’s heart stopped as Shana jumped before him.
…
Shana closed her eyes, waiting for the impact of a charging bull. “Stop!” she yelled.
“Stop!”
“Stad!”
“Bloody hell!”
One and two-word exclamations filled the hall, punctuated by one of the babes crying out at the sudden frenzy. Before Shana could open her eyes, steely arms grabbed her, pulling her off the floor and swinging her behind him. She opened her eyes as her feet touched down. “Shana!” Bàs stood, staring her in the face. “Ye could have been killed.”
Her heart pounded with the truth of his words, making her voice breathless. “Rather I die than be responsible for tearing this clan apart.”
Joshua’s hard words came from behind Bàs, air funneling in and out of his nose so hard she could hear it. “If I’d killed ye, lass, there’d be no saving this clan.”
Her breath came quickly as she stared up into Bàs’s tortured face. He’d already lived a life of pain, and she couldn’t add more. “We will be fine,” she said to him. “Ivy and I will go south to our childhood town.”
“Nay,” Bàs said, shaking his head.
Keenan stepped up beside her. “I’ll take them, keep them safe.”
Instead of looking appeased or relieved, Bàs’s face hardened even more as he turned it to his warrior. “Ye will not. If Shana leaves, I will take her.”
Keenan exhaled, and he nodded once slowly, stepping back. There was nothing but respect and wariness in the warrior’s expression.
“No one is going anywhere right now,” Ella Sinclair called out. Hannah had taken Mary from her, and Ella walked around the large form of Bàs and took Shana’s arm. She patted it. “They are rough and rowdy lads sometimes.” She glanced at Bàs. “Although I’ve never seen Bàs violent outside battle.” She tugged Shana along toward the stairs. “Let’s check on Ivy and Edward. She was asking for you earlier.”
Shana looked over her shoulder where Bàs watched her. Kára blotted some blood from Joshua’s lip while he stood with his hands fisted. Hannah had ahold of Bàs’s arm as if to stop him from running after Shana. Cain and Gideon stared after her, their faces tight with concern. Concern that their brother was willing to leave their clan for her after they’d only just met? How could he consider it? How could she allow the idea to take root in her, chasing away the chill of worry?
She took a deep breath as she climbed the steps behind Ella. “He feels guilty he was sent to execute me,” Shana said. “That he may have done so without question if he hadn’t met me and Edward first. ’Tis why he’s acting protective now.”
Ella stopped, leaning against the spiral staircase to look down at her. “Bàs doesn’t let us into his thoughts and feelings. He’s remained apart and quiet for the two years I’ve been here, and Cain says he’s been like that for a long time. When his father started making him kill and people showed their fear of him.” She gave Shana an odd smile, her arched brows bending. “’Tis nice to see him reacting.” Her smile turned into a sly grin. “And ’tis always a good day to see Joshua knocked around a bit.” She started to walk again. “’Tis good for him. He’s got his father’s temper.”
“Does Bàs have his mother’s then?” Shana asked as they continued up to the landing.
“I was a child and an enemy to the Sinclairs when Alice Sinclair died, but from what I have heard, the woman had a generous heart and could calm the fury right out of her husband. The day she died, George Sinclair lost his mind to grief. Everyone around him took the brunt of his anguish, most of all his sons.”
“Most of all Bàs?” Shana asked. “Because she died giving birth to him?”
They’d stopped outside the bedroom Ivy was using, and Ella met her gaze. “Yes, I fear so. Bàs hasn’t forgiven himself for living when she died giving him life.”
Shana’s heart felt sick. She touched Ella’s arm, squeezing it gently. “I’m certain that Alice Sinclair doesn’t blame him, and given what you’ve said, she likely would have given her life for her babe. I know I would have for my babe.”
Had Shana said too much? Her past wasn’t exactly a secret, but she didn’t talk about it without reason. Before Ella could ask her anything, Shana pushed into the room. The sight of Edward nursing against Ivy loosened the heartache she felt, and she smiled. “I’m so happy to see you well,” Shana said, going over to the bed.
Ivy had lighter hair than Shana, and more delicate features, taking after their mother. She smiled up at her sister. “Thanks to you helping me with the birth and…afterward.” Her smile faltered at mention of being thrown from the childbirth bed into the dungeon.
Ivy glanced around Shana to Ella. “And thanks to you for breaking us out of that terrible place.”
Ella smiled, nodding. “I’ll leave you two and go see if Joshua’s getting his arse kicked. Just because Bàs is quiet doesn’t mean he’s easily beat. In fact, I think he’s the biggest of all four of them,” she whispered as if Cain might overhear.
The door shut, and Ivy frowned at Shana. “What’s going on between the brothers?” She carefully lifted Edward up over her shoulder, patting his back.
Shana sat at the edge of the bed. “Erskine has accused me of witchcraft and killing Edward to satisfy Satan or some such nonsense.”
Ivy’s eyes opened wide. “Do the Sinclairs believe you’re a witch?”
“I don’t think so, but Erskine’s sent his accusations to Edinburgh, and King James is apparently vicious in his hunt for witches.”
“He thinks Edward is dead?” Ivy asked. The babe released a burp, and her sister switched him to her other breast.
“Yes.”
“We could leave here then,” Ivy said. “Take my babe and run.”
Shana nodded and leaned forward to squeeze her sister’s arm. “We need to get you strong enough first.” She took a full breath, glancing toward the door. “Then the two of us and Edward will leave.”
Chapter Eleven
“[I will] faithfully and diligently exercise the said office according to such cunning and knowledge as God has given me. [I will] ‘not suffer a labouring woman to name any than the true father of the child’ nor ‘allow any woman to give birth in secret.’ [I will have] ‘two or three other honest women present,’ who, along with the midwife, could demand to know the name of the child’s father, to report to the magistrate.
Earliest known midwifery oath,
Eleanor Pead, 1567
“Hitting Joshua,” Hannah said, shaking her head as she poured a diluted tincture over the broken skin on Bàs’s knuckles. His sister had taken care of him like a mother since he could remember, always hiding any of his weaknesses or illnesses from their father, who would’ve railed against Bàs if he’d known. Hannah had nursed away the coughs he’d seemed prone to and had treated all his cuts and scrapes so they wouldn’t get tainted.
They sat in the Great Hall together near the hearth where the morning’s fire had burned down to coals. Cain stood at the table peering over Gideon’s shoulder as he composed a letter to King James. Hannah dabbed at the dried blood. “You know Joshua’s head is as hard as a boulder,” she said.
Bàs had grown up with Joshua and his irksome comments, but when he’d insinuated that Shana wasn’t worth him leaving the clan, something had snapped inside Bàs. He didn’t say anything but let Hannah apply a balm over the cuts and bruises.
She glanced up at him even though her head was bowed. “You like her, Shana Drummond.”
“She’s innocent of Erskine’s slander, and her sister is in dire need of help, too.”
Hannah looked back at his knuckles, taking a strip of clean cloth to bind them even though Bàs didn’t think they needed it. “She’s bonny with all those freckles and fiery hair,” Hannah said. “I’ve never seen the like. And she’s terribly brave to help her sister, going back for her after getting her son to safety. Noble and brave.”
Bàs’s chest felt tight, and he had to swallow past the boulder in his throat before he could reply. “And I almost beheaded her.” His voice was soft, but Hannah straightened, meeting his gaze.
“But you didn’t.”
“But I could have.”
She shook her head, reaching forward to squeeze his arm. “But you didn’t. You saved her. You have nothing for which to chastise yourself, Bàs.”
He met her familiar gaze. “Have I killed other innocents? Because I didn’t know their stories and didn’t ask?”
She squeezed tighter, her lips in a thin line, but she didn’t answer.
The door slammed open in the entry, and a villager rushed inside. His head turned this way and that and then he ran over to Cain. “Mistresses Hilda and Harriett are helping John Mackay’s wife at Varrich in her birthing and my Liza has spilled her waters. Someone said the lass ye rescued from the Oliphants is a midwife.”
Bàs stood. “Aye, Shana’s a midwife.”
John clutched his hands before him, pumping them as if in desperate prayer. “Please get her. Liza says she’s going to die with this bairn. ’Tis her seventh. Says she’s too old.” He shook his head. “I can’t carry on without her.”
“I’ll send her right down,” Hannah said, hurrying toward the steps.
Gideon handed the man a small cup of whisky, looking a bit pale himself. His wife was pregnant for the first time, and they all had been told how mad their father went when he lost his wife.
The men stood around silently, each lost in their thoughts.
If I’d killed Shana, would I be responsible for John’s wife dying, too? Bàs rubbed his jaw at the ache under his clipped beard.
“I’m here.” Shana’s call preceded her brisk walk forward, setting things in motion. She wore a clean gown of soft green wool, her thick hair plaited to fall over one shoulder. There was no panic in her face. Only a fierce determination.
