Her Highland Devil (Scottish Highlander Romance) Read online

  “What matter is it, that cannae wait?” Lachlan asked Rory. He wasn’t quite pleased that his merriment had been interrupted.

  “My Lord, ye seemed tae have forgotten that ye sent me on a mission tae find yer son a lass.”

  At this, Lachlan brightened up. “Aye. I assume ye have more good news?”

  Rory smiled, and from the bag in his hand, he rolled out some parchment papers which he presented to the chief one after the other. Each contained the paintings of each woman he thought would be presentable to the chief.

  When Lachlan saw the first picture, he asked, “What a fine lass. What clan does she belong tae?” He asked.

  “Kincaid, my Lord.”

  Lachlan rolled up the paper immediately, looking fully displeased.

  Rory was confused.

  “My Lord, is anything the matter?”

  ‘The Kincaid have a long history of insurgency. They cannae be trusted. Nae when my son and Malcolm are still at logger heads. Next.”

  Rory handed him another. When he saw the next picture. He observed it for a while, shook his head and asked for another. This he did until Rory had no parchment left.

  “My Lord, is there something wrong with all the women?” Rory asked.

  “Everything. When are my sons coming back?” He asked his advisor.

  “They will be back in two days, my Lord,” Rory replied.

  “Then we have nae time tae waste,” he faced the servant.

  “This is the moment we have been waiting for, my Lord,” Rory said excitedly. “Dae I send a word out tae yer sons tae take Hawkshire on their way?”

  “No,” Lachlan said sharply. “Ye shall dae nae such thing. I will take Hawkshire myself.”

  Rory looked surprised. “My Lord, but yer health. Ye are nae as strong as ye used tae be.”

  “I know that, but the enemies dae nae know this. Prepare for a siege as well,”

  “Very well, my Lord.”

  Rory had his doubts but kept them to himself. He hoped the Laird would not suffer fatal injuries on the battlefield. Callum would definitely blame him for his part in his death.

  Chapter 3

  It was a beautiful evening; the sun was just setting. Lady Gabriella and her maid were taking a walk in the town. Gabby had never been someone who enjoyed taking these walks in elegant evening gowns, instead, she preferred being in secluded areas, listening to beautiful love stories or telling them. Another thing she enjoyed so well was running in the woods with Ronnie but that day, she had other plans.

  Even though Gabby had never actually made friends with her peers, she had always known that a day would come when she might need to be friendly with them, just to get what she needed. Such a day was that day. She knew where the lot of them would usually sit; it was at Johnson’s park, either to gossip, to read, or to make friends. Many people went there for picnics. That was where they were headed.

  “Are you sure they will welcome us, my lady?” Sophie asked as they got closer to the park.

  “I am certain of it,” Gabby replied. “I am the earl’s daughter. Everyone wants to be my friend.”

  Sophie turned to look at her but said nothing. She hoped her position meant something.

  When they finally got to the park, Gabby was happy that it was just the way she had expected. There were ladies sitting in two’s and threes in their muslin gowns and hand gloves, fanning themselves ridiculously in the evening heat. Some were sitting by the stream, others were standing under the tree while some were just passing away the time on the grass.

  “So, who do you wish to speak to among them, my lady?” Sophie asked.

  Gabby looked around. She had come here for the one purpose, to learn about the Highlanders. There was just something interesting about those people that she wanted to know about. She kept looking around, hoping to see a familiar face, but she found none. At that moment, she wished she had listened to her mother who had always asked her to try and make friends when she was younger.

  “So, what do we do now, my lady?” Asked Sophie.

  Gabby shrugged, she was disappointed. “I think we should go home.”

  Sophie looked surprised. “Are you certain that you can find no one that looks familiar?”

  “Yes, Sophie. I didn’t quite imagine that it would be as difficult as this.”

  “If it isn’t the lady Gabriella,” said a voice behind them.

  The two ladies turned around and Gabby was surprised and relieved to see a familiar face, although they were not those she expected. Hannah and Becky were the two daughters of Lord Jefferson, a Viscount in Hawkshire. Viscountess Elizabeth Jefferson, who was the mother of the twins, had always been one of the unspoken matches for Lady Dianne when it came to fashion and social events. Gabby could recall that the last time the Viscountess was at her mother’s tea gathering, she had announced Hannah’s upcoming wedding.

  “Hello, to you too, Hannah and Becky,” Gabby said politely. She was amazed as to how quickly she had remembered their names even though they never quite got along.

  “Whatever brought you out of the castle must be something important,” Becky stated, giggling with her sister.

  “Oh, yes, you can say that again,” Gabby replied, forcing a smile. “I heard you are tying the knot soon, Hannah,” she said to the older of the two. “Congratulations.”

  Hannah smiled. “Thank you, Gabby. But how come I never got any of your letters?”

  Gabby was confused.

  “Letters?”

  “Yes, I mean, clearly, you knew I would be getting married soon and I got many letters congratulating me in advance. It is rather strange that you heard, but your letter seems to be missing.”

  “Oh!” Gabby said as she realized what she meant. “I apologize, I have been rather busy with other things.”

  “Oh! That should be interesting,” replied Hannah. “Do tell me what it is that is keeping you so occupied. Could it be the stories you are busy telling everyone that cares to listen?” Hannah asked, exchanging a knowing look with Becky and they both chuckled.

  Gabby knew they were mocking her, but she wasn’t going to let that rattle her.

  “Oh! I see you heard. How interesting. Well, you know me so well.”

  “But, come to think of it,” continued Hannah. “Why are you here?”

  “Perhaps, she thinks she will be so lucky to get herself a proper suitor before the king decides to force one upon her,” Becky replied, and the two sisters laughed.

  Gabby also laughed. That is the best way to handle this, she thought.

  “Oh, I never knew you were this intelligent Becky. Pray tell, what it takes to capture a man’s heart, especially, a Highlander’s.”

  At this, the two sisters stopped smiling and they exchanged looks again.

  “What did you say?” Hannah asked.

  “Exactly what you heard,” replied Gabby. “I would like to know everything there is to know about the Highlanders. I suppose you know one or two things, right? Since you are so intelligent, or could I be mistaken?”

  Hannah whispered into Becky’s ear and then faced Gabby with a mischievous grin.

  “Of course, what do you want to know about them?” She asked.

  “Anything you know will be helpful,” Gabby replied.

  Becky stepped forward. “The barbaric Highlanders reside in the mountains of Scotland. They are widely known for their ruthless warriors and their frightful ways.”

  “That is not all,” Hannah put in. “It was even said that these barbarians take their oatmeal with human blood and they elicit bloodbaths at every battle.”

  “Yes,” Becky continued. “They teach their young ones to eat the hearts of their enemies raw and to murder their siblings.”

  Gabby could not believe everything she just heard. She could feel the fear creeping through her as she listened to their words.

  “But that is not even all,” Becky said. “There is one they call the Devil.”

  “The Devil?” Gabby inquire
d.

  “Yes. He kills for fun, and word is that any Englishman he sets his eyes on is doomed for death. He cracks skulls with bare hands and eats flesh for lunch.”

  After this, the two sisters burst into laughter. Gabby snapped out of her shock.

  “Have you been lying to me?” She asked, hoping they would at least attest to that.

  The sisters exchanged looks. “No, we haven’t. You can ask your mother when you get home,” Hannah said. “We should be on our way, sister,” she said to Becky and together, they walked away.

  Gabby was quiet for a while as she watched them leave.

  “You can’t really believe everything they said, can you?” Sophie asked.

  “As a matter of fact, dear Sophie, I am frightened to my bones with everything I just heard.”

  ***

  Gabby did go to ask her mother more about the Highlander. She said more than she would normally say. Gabby felt responsibility begin to weigh on her as her mother treated her as a woman for the first time. She used the opportunity to ask for everything she ever wondered about. While she pressed her mother, her father walked in.

  Dianne heaved a sigh of relief as she saw her husband, but she waited a while before going to embrace him, allowing Gabby to throw herself into his arms. Finally, the three pulled away.

  “Why don’t you excuse your mother and me…” said the Earl.

  “No, my Lord. Let her stay, she needs to start learning certain things. She is about to be a woman.”

  Dianne could see the surprised look on both Gabby’s face and her husband’s face, but the Earl shrugged and the three took a seat.

  “So, will the king be helping us?” Gabby asked almost immediately.

  “I am afraid, not. I did everything I could do but it was of no use.”

  Dianne’s heart sank.

  Gabby was not surprised when she heard this. She had a feeling that this would happen.

  “So, what does that mean?” she asked, looking from both her mother to her father.

  “That means we have to protect ourselves and hope that the Highlanders do not strike anytime soon. At the same time, we need to hasten up with the wedding.”

  At the mention of her wedding, Gabby sighed and stood up. “I will leave you two alone, I am certain that you have lots to talk about which I do not want to be part of.”

  With this, she walked out of the room.

  “What did I miss when I was gone?” the Earl finally asked the countess when they were alone.

  Dianne stood up. “You missed the hardest part.”

  “How did she take the matter about Ronnie?” The Earl asked further.

  Dianne shrugged. “At first, she was angry, as expected. Then she succumbed. Now she is angrier and more nervous. I think she hates me.”

  The Earl stood up and moved closer to her, holding her by the shoulder. “Do not think that, Dianne. She is only confused.”

  “She is even angrier that I am just telling her these things and she had to find out some things for herself. Where have we gone wrong?”

  The Earl sighed and held her hands. “We didn’t go wrong, darling. We did the right thing. She knows that what we are doing is in her best interest, but you know that she is exactly like you. She is dogged just like you and would choose to believe what she wants to believe even if she knows the truth.”

  This made both of them exchange a knowing look as they burst into a tempered laughter.

  “So, what would happen if the Highlanders decide to strike?” Dianne asked eventually.

  “We will do everything that is necessary to protect our people. But I am certain that they would not strike any time soon,” said the Earl.

  “Are you so certain of it?”

  “Yes, but nonetheless, we must hasten preparations for the wedding.”

  “Why wouldn’t the king listen to you this last time?”

  The Earl shrugged. “His mind has been poisoned against me. All the time I spent away, I didn’t see him until yesterday.”

  Dianne sighed. “This is not fair, after everything you did for him.”

  “The men that surround him are only looking out for themselves…”

  “He is a selfish bastard. I wonder how old he was during the last war with the Highlanders. If he had not become a man then, didn’t he hear of it in the stories?”

  “Do not talk like that, Dianne. The walls have ears.”

  “I do not care about the walls or its ears.”

  The Earl sighed and embraced his wife. “We shall be alright, I promise.”

  ***

  When the carriage came to a halt, Gabby looked out through the window and was surprised that they were in the woods. Ronnie had brought them to the same place they had always spent time. The same place he had taught her how to hunt rabbits.

  Out of surprise she glanced back at him. “I thought we were going to some other place.”

  He smiled and climbed out of the carriage while helping her out. “I understand that the marriage arrangement is making things awkward for you and I thought I should make everything better. Nothing has changed, except of course, the fact that we are to be wed. We are still going to be best friends and I want you to trust me as your partner.”

  Gabby smiled as she heard that. She didn’t realize he could be this thoughtful.

  “I must say I’m impressed, Ronnie. Thank you very much for doing this.”

  He smiled and hand in hand, they went to their usual spot at the foot of a tree. The footman who had come with them brought along a basket which he placed close to where they were seated.

  “My parents think there will be a war. Everyone has been saying it in hushed voices. As a matter of fact, if there is going to be a war, we are likely going to be the first target.”

  Ronnie burst into laughter. “Now, why would you think that?”

  “Because we are close to the border.”

  “You must not speak of such. We are very small compared to places like Hampshire and Lottingburgh. If there is going to be a war at all, such places would be the greater target…”

  Gabby couldn’t believe that he was saying this. “But you do know that the reason why we are betrothed is because of this war.”

  “Well, you can think that, but I believe it is because our parents know better.”

  Gabby was beginning to get irritated, especially since he was now holding her hand and taking it to his lips. “Now, what do you say? Shall we spoil this evening because of a war which may or may not have anything to do with us or should we make a good use of the time we have together.”

  She inhaled with a forceful smile. “Whatever you say.”

  “Daily, I look forward to the day when you shall become mine forever…”

  She was getting tired of having this conversation with him, especially since both of them were not on the same page, yet. He had said they could be the way they used to be but clearly, things have changed.

  “So… we are to have our first kiss today.”

  Gabby had never imagined that her first kiss would start with a discussion or with a preparation for it. As far as she was concerned, it was supposed to be at the right moment, with the right person. Still she needed to go ahead with it. After all, she was about to be permanently wed to him.

  “Oh yes, of course,” she managed to sound excited. She had to be, it was one thing that should get her excited despite everything.

  His gaze was steadily fixed on her and softly, he placed a hand against her cheek.

  Gabby could feel her heart beat very fast as he bent closer to her until their lips were inches apart. When she felt his breath on her lips, she closed her eyes. Their lips touched for a brief moment. She allowed him to kiss her, more out of curiosity than desire. His lips were soft against hers. Still, when the kiss became something more and his tongue began to probe for entrance, she gasped and pulled away with an indelicate shove.

  “You hesitate?” he asked, looking a bit surprised. “Is it not what you h
ave always wanted?”

  Gabby wished she could say no, but she lied. “Of course, it is.”

  “You lied,” he said deliberately. Of course, Gabby knew she could never lie to him. He knew her too well. She could see the disappointment in his face.

  “I only hesitated because it was getting deeper,” she managed to say. “I still feel it is inappropriate. I apologize.”