My Highland Home

MHH Chapter 25

Watching his men trade blows, Colin assessed their prowess with a keen eye, calling instructions as he watched the fight progress. Time had changed the way highlanders fought. No longer were they allowed to brandish weapons openly, especially their favoured claymores. Many of the men wore rough plain trews in accordance with the Act of Proscription, the banning of highland dress, but highlanders were a crafty lot and often managed to subtly incorporate small highland touches to their new wardrobes. Even the clan system was beginning to buckle underneath the oppressive fist of the English. He might be the McLaren chieftain, but his leadership of his clan was much different from that of his own father's. Colin's mouth pulled into a grimace of distaste, now he was expected to act like one of the titled English dandies. Grunting to himself, as Jamie landed an effective blow to Robbie's ribs; he supposed it could be worse. His people had been relatively unaffected by the "Improvements" and he hoped they would continue to be so.

His thoughts and the fight before him were interrupted by shouts from the other side of the bailey. The most recent critique for Robbie forgotten, he turned and strode toward the commotion as a high wailing rose above the raised voices that had gathered near the gatehouse. Breaking into a run as he recognized that wail, his blue eyes searched for his daughter. It was hard to forget the sound of that cry as it had woke him many a night after Jinty's birth.

As he neared the crowd, people drew back and finally he breathed a bit easier as he saw Jinty. Her hair was falling out of the braid on one side and leaves and twigs were caught among the tresses. Her little face bore several red scratches, her dress was filthy and torn in a few places and she was missing both of her shoes. As soon as she spotted him, she was locked against his leg like a limpet. Her tears soaked threw his trews in an instant and she was wailing and jabbering in such a way it was impossible to make out her words. Petting her hair away from her face and making soothing sounds to calm her, Colin's gaze lifted and began to search for Kenzie. Kenzie would know what upset his daughter so. As he searched for her face a heavy weight began to form in his belly. Gavin's mother clutched him tight to her breast as she too tried to calm her boy.

What the bloody hell was going on? Why were the children upset so and just where the hell was his wife? Just short of blurting those two all important questions, Gavin managed to extract himself from his mother's bosom, face red as though he'd been near suffocated and marched up to Colin. The boy wouldn't meet his gaze and large tears pooled in his eyes before running down his cheeks.

"They got Lady Kenzie!" Colin gaped at the young boy who managed to get that garbled sentence out before he broke into a wail. Gavin's mother once again gathered him into her arms and that was the last distinguishable thing Colin could make out. There were many more questions he wanted to ask the child, but Colin was aware that he'd be unlikely to get any meaningful details as upset as he was. Feeling his daughter's hands tugging at the leg of his trews, he unconsciously lifted her into his arms and fought the panic he felt churning in his belly.

His thoughts were frantic for several long moments while the gaggle of people that had gathered looked on. Some of them seemed genuinely concerned and several viewed him with open pity. Wife stealing wasn't an altogether uncommon Scottish tradition, just like reiving and ransoming; however the tales of men whose wives were stolen never seemed to end happily. In fact, there were very few that he could remember in which a husband attempted to retrieve his wife. Most Highland men were too proud to take back a wife that had been used by another man, whether she'd been willing or not. Feeling a cold chill spread down his back, Colin turned away from the small crowd and roared for Meg.

The last thing he'd wanted to do was to leave Jinty while she was in such a state, but Colin knew that she was in Meg's capable hands. Gathering the few arms that he dared, he ordered four of his best men to accompany him to the abduction site. By horse the ride took minutes once out of the gate, the path worn well down by Kenzie's daily walk. Dismounting from his horse, Colin stared at the ground and angrily wished that it would tell him its secrets. Instead, he stood by numbly as one of his men carefully examined the small clearing.

"Two horses Laird, men's prints next to 'em." Colin regarded Ross coolly, but the other man was too busy reading the markings in the dirt to pay him any mind. "Here be the wee ones prints. Looks as though they were tusslin' here before they hie off into the brush just there." The urge to shout at the man to make haste was clamped carefully between his teeth. Ross was the best tracker at hand and the matter was delicate enough that Colin wanted to be absolutely sure in which direction he should search, time was precious. "This looks to be where your Lady perched while lookin' after the bairns."

Ross stepped carefully around the clearing and then disappeared into the woods, Colin followed along woodenly, watching the man's face cloud with confusion as he backtracked and then retraced his steps before lifting his head and with parts awe and surprise evident in his voice, made his final announcement. "Her Ladyship placed herself between the children and the two strangers. She fought with one of them up there before she ran opposite the children to this path. One of them chased her down with a horse and she struggled with him on the ground before her tracks disappear. The horse's hooves say that one is carryin' an extra rider and their ridin' like hell for McDowell lands."

Colin's nearly colourless blue eyes focused in the direction of his land that bordered with the McDowell's. It mattered not that he knew his lands better than the strangers, the time he would waste gathering more of his men and preparing a rescue party would see them safely across the border into his enemy's territory. Trying to swallow past the fist sized lump in his throat, he shoved Tavis' comforting hand from his shoulder and hoarsely ordered his men back to the keep. Retrieving his bride was going to be a massive undertaking and he wasn't sure if he could rally enough of his men to support such an enterprise.

"She's a fighter Laird." Tavis' statement was simple Colin knew, but it was one that brought a small measure of comfort and at the same time assured Colin that he'd have Tavis' support. This time when Tavis laid his hand on Colin's shoulder, he accepted the gesture. "I know she is..." Colin's sentence drifted off, unable to add his unspoken fear lest he inspire it to become true.