Chapter Fifteen
They were married in a small stone church that sat at the edge of the forest beyond Castle Ross. A harpist played a tune that was unknown to Kenzie, but it was as magical as the man who stood beside her. His best kilt and whitest shirt with the Ross tartan across his shoulders and chest gave him an air of authority, a tall, strong laird beloved by all his people.
He was the best of men and from this day forward, he was hers. Which Kenzie admitted meant that the seventeenth century Scotland would be her home forever, too. Maybe after she spoke to Gwen there was a possibility that she could return home and tell her mother of her choice and say goodbye to both her and her cousin, the current Laird Macleod. She hoped.
Kenzie stood beside Ben and watched as the castle children ran about the keep. Everyone seemed in high spirits that their laird had found a woman he cared for enough to marry. The Nurse exited the castle and brought over Alasdair. Kenzie reached out and took Ben’s boy. He fussed a little in her arms and placing her finger inside his little mouth he settled again.
“Ye have a way with him.” Ben smiled. “I’m glad.”
“I’m not sure where it comes from, because I’ve never been a mother. But I intend to be the very best that I can be.” It was a declaration Kenzie was determined to keep. And maybe they, too, would have a child together. Loving Ben as much as she did, nothing more would please her than to give him a daughter to complete their set.
Ben leaned down and kissed his son’s head before kissing her. Shouts and heckling sounded from the keep and Kenzie laughed, smiling when Ben yelled out for them all to get on with their own celebrations and let him kiss his wife.
“I’m sorry that Gwen and Braxton are not here. I know ye were hoping they would attend.”
“You heard from them?” Kenzie met Ben’s gaze. “They weren’t mad that I’ve decided to stay and marry Black Ben of Castle Ross.?” She laughed when he frowned.
“Nay, they weren’t mad. In fact, they sent their congratulations and well wishes for the day, but with a warning.”
“What warning?” Kenzie didn’t like the sound of that, and with Gwen’s abilities it could mean anything.
“A warning to me to be true and kind to ye or they’ll bring war down on my head.”
Kenzie laughed, relieved to hear it was only familial concern and nothing sinister. “I have complete faith in my choice and in you.”
He kissed her again, deeper this time, and Kenzie pulled back at the sound of shouts outside the castle walls. “What is that?”
Ben pushed her toward the castle doors, and she stumbled. “Get inside, lass. I dinna know what that is.”
“Ben,” she said, going back to him and clasping his arm. “Don’t do anything rash. This isn’t late May, but it’s not far off. It could be those outside the gates mean to do you harm.”
Ben yelled out for his men to arm themselves, and Kenzie watched as the women and children stood about as the men transformed from clansmen enjoying their laird’s wedding day to men about to defend their home and families.
The yelling for Laird Ross to come out and face the foe outside the gates increased and dread pooled in Kenzie’s stomach. She watched as he strode to the stairs to look out over the gates and see who stood outside. The tensing of his body and the quick speech to Bruce, commanding him, no doubt, told Kenzie all she needed to know about how her wedding day would end.
With Ben dead and possibly her, too, since she was still here. She yelled out to the families standing about, their faces drawn and pale with worry. “Everyone, go to the safe places we’ve talked about. Use the exits that will give you best passage and do not, under any circumstances, come back, until you know it’s secure.”
The women within the walls rushed to do as Kenzie bade them, and she, too, did what Ben asked her to. She went into Castle Ross and shut the door on the keep, bolting it closed.
…
A small flicker of relief pumped through Ben, seeing the castle door close behind Kenzie and his boy. Looking down on his keep he saw his clansmen, all of them mayhap a little drunk from the earlier celebrations, but it was nothing that they’d not been before in battle.
Ben stood at the top of the battlements and watched Clan Grant, in particular Evan, the eldest boy and heir who was holding the hilt of his sword like he knew what to do with it. Which Ben had to concede, he probably did. “Are ye looking for a fight, Evan?” Ben yelled down, receiving a glare in return.
“Ye are a disgrace to the Highlands, and ye should not be laird of Castle Ross any longer. We’re here to make sure our nephew is raised away from ye softness toward the fairer sex and yer weak ways with ye clansmen. Ye wife,” Evan said, spitting beside his horse, “is not fit to be the future laird’s mother, and we’ll no stand for it.”
Anger thrummed through Ben at the insult to Kenzie. She was more than fit to fill Aline’s position and was certainly a much better choice than the other Grant daughter, who was nowhere to be seen.
“And I suppose that ye think that your sister Athol makes a better wife for me?” Ben laughed. “I dinna think Aline would have been too happy should I marry her sister and I’ll be choosing my own wife, thank ye very much. I’ll certainly not have a pompous ass like yerself telling me what to do. These are my lands, this is my castle, and I’ll do whatever the hell I like within them. If I wish to be a caring, thoughtful laird toward my people and clansmen, I shall. If ye had any brains in that wee head of yours, ye’d do the same.”
“After today, no one here will be left living nor will the castle be standing. So ye can give us ye bride so we can be rid of her. That is ye only choice, if ye want ye home and people to remain as they are.”
Ben laughed, throwing his head back, wondering where the poor wee man-child got his ideas. He could never let the castle fall to such a fool. Even with the knowledge of what Kenzie had told him, there was no way it could happen. Certainly not in his time. And never to Evan Grant, whom he’d never liked nor considered a threat.
“If ye want a fight today, Evan Grant, let it be between me and yerself. Whoever wins may do what he wishes with the castle and lands. But none of my people are to be hurt, should I fall.”
Evan turned to his father and they conversed for a moment before Evan raised his chin. “Shall I win the bout I can promise ye the people will be unharmed, but I shall rid the world of ye wife, and yerself. Are ye in agreement?”
Ben nodded. “We’re in agreement.” Ben walked from the battlement and beckoned his clansman Bruce over to him. “Have Kenzie and my child pack a small bag and send them to Clan MacLeod. The Grants would never try and take that castle. Send them now, before I head out of the gates, because if there’s one thing Aline taught me about her family, was that they were untrustworthy. I know Kenzie has sent the women and children away from the castle. Make sure no one is left here except the men who are willing and able to fight for their home. Ye understand?”
Bruce nodded. “Aye, of course, Laird, although I think my place is here with ye.” He ran off to do his bidding, and Ben viewed his clansmen, armed and eager to take down Clan Grant. “My good clansmen, it seems the Clan Grant want to ruin my wedding day. The future laird wants to take my son, kill my wife and me because I refused to marry one of their choosing. I will not,” he yelled, raising his sword. His men roared, and Ben smirked. “The mighty Evan Grant wishes to fight one-on-one with me, and I ask ye all to come stand behind me and ensure the fight remains fair. They’re wont to do what they please, should they start to lose, which he will. I need you, my good men, to guarantee that he remains true to his word.”
Ben went and stood at the gates, nodding to his clansmen to open them. With his men behind him, he waited for the wooden doors to open so Evan Grant would, once and for all, be silenced forever.
…
Kenzie watched from one of the upper windows as Ben stood at the gates, his men lifting the heavy wooden pole that kept it locked. He looked formidable, strong, and capable but the underlying knowledge that Ben would die in the fight about to occur left her cold. It was too inconsequential that the Grants had turned against Clan Ross. The fight that was about to begin was written in the history books, and dread lumped in her stomach like lead.
“Wrap up Alasdair and make up some sort of carrying device so I can have my hands free. We need to leave.” Her maid Beth nodded and quickly did as Kenzie asked. Kenzie went about the room and found a little woolen hat for the baby. The air this high up in Scotland was cold, and she didn’t want him becoming ill.
The door burst open, and in the threshold, stood Ben’s clansman Bruce, his closest confidant, which only meant one thing. Ben was worried that today would not turn out to his advantage. “The laird wishes ye to leave, and I’ve come to make sure that happens. If ye will follow me, Kenzie.”
“I’m just organizing Alasdair. I shan’t be long.” The maid carried the boy over to Kenzie and placed him into a hammock-like structure that hung about her neck and was held in place by another piece of cloth that tied about her stomach. The child wasn’t visible unless you looked into the little hammock. Kenzie checked that Alasdair seemed comfortable and slid the little woolen hat over his head. “You should go, too, Beth. The castle could fall to Clan Grant, and I cannot promise ye safety.”
“My mother is alone in the village, mistress. I should like to be with her, if you’re happy with me leaving ye.”
“Go,” Kenzie said, ushering her to the door. She watched as the lass ran down the hall before she headed to her own room, picking up a thick shawl and placing a little dagger into her pocket.
“Are ye ready, Kenzie?”
“Yes,” she said, following Bruce down the hall and toward the stairs. Roars and shouts sounded outside, and tears pricked her eyes. She placed a hand around the baby to try and protect him as much as she could, although if anyone attacked them there would be little she could do with her small dagger.
“This way, Kenzie.” Bruce gestured her toward the bailey wall that had a large green vine growing over it. Pushing a part of it back, a small hidden door was revealed. “Through here.”
The battle spilled into the bailey just as Kenzie went through the door, but leaving didn’t take her view away from what was going on. There were many Grants, far more than she’d realized when Ben had gone out to fight Evan Grant.”
Just as Ben had said, the fight was no longer just between the two of them, but clan against clan. The front door of the castle was kicked in, and as Kenzie slid down the steep hill leading away from the castle, the distinct smell of smoke met her senses. They had lit the castle on fire. So where was Ben?
At the bottom of the hill she turned to look and saw Ben and Evan. Sword clanged against sword, the sounds only broken when one would slip or stumble.
“You must leave, Kenzie, lass. There are horses in the trees just beyond. The laird wants ye at Laird MacLeod’s where he will, God willing,” he said, making a sign of the cross over his chest, “meet ye in a few days.”
An arrow shot out from the trees near where Ben fought with Evan, and like a slow-motion horror movie Kenzie watched as the weapon distracted Ben from the threat directly in front of him.
Evan sliced and then used the sword in a dagger-like fashion, and Ben was struck. He dropped to his knees, clasping his side and the breath in Kenzie’s lungs froze. She heard a woman scream and realized as she ran toward him that it was her.
“Ben,” she said again, skidding to a stop beside him. Evan Grant was walking toward the castle, having completed what he set out to do. To kill the laird of Ross.
“Is it bad? Let me see,” she said.
He lifted his hand to clasp her cheek before dropping to touch his son. “Get to MacLeod land, lass. Ye must leave. Now. Before it’s too late.
“I cannot leave you here.” Out of her peripheral vision she saw Bruce lead two horses from the trees, gesturing her to join him.
“Ye must, lass. Save my boy and yourself.” He paused, meeting her gaze. “I love ye, Kenzie. So much. I’m sorry.”
Kenzie swiped at her tears, leaning down and kissing him quickly. “You’re not going to die here, Ben. I can’t let that happen.”
He chuckled a little, but even Kenzie could tell he was losing a lot of blood. She grabbed her shawl and pressed it against his wound. Hard. “It is I who should be apologizing for what I’m about to do.”
Evan Grant yelled, and Kenzie looked toward the castle to see both him and his father cantering toward her on horses. Never in her life had she ever seen anyone with such determination to exterminate someone. In this case, her, Ben, and Alasdair. Surely, they wouldn’t kill their own grandchild?
“Please, Kenzie. Go. I can’t see ye killed in front of me.”
Kenzie sat Ben up a little, getting behind him and wrapping herself about him as much as she could without squashing Alasdair “I’m sorry Ben, but I won’t.” And with the image of Clan Grant barreling toward them Kenzie started to speak the words that would pull her from this time into her own. The thundering of the horse’s hooves made her words faster, and clasping Ben tighter, the seventeenth century started to dissolve before them. The last thing Kenzie saw was the shocked visages of Evan and the Laird of Grant as they disappeared. As if they never were and never would be again.
They landed inside Druiminn Castle. Since Kenzie had the ability to pick where and when she wanted to land. So to speak. And at Druiminn Castle, her cousin and current laird of the clan would help her with Ben.
With Ben bleeding badly, she ran down the stairs, yelling out for Richard whom she hoped would be home. He met her in the Great Hall. “Kenzie, what is it, lass? You’re as white as a ghost. And…” he said, stepping back and looking at her as if for the first time. “You have a baby strapped to your front.”
“Please, hold off your questions about what I’ve done, and who I’m carrying, and please help me. I have a man upstairs, and he’s bleeding badly.”
Richard frowned, looking up toward the stairs. “Show me.”
They ran up together, the action and all the yelling waking up Alasdair, and yet he seemed happy to lay in her arms while they tended Ben.
Richard helped Ben off the floor in the upstairs room and hoisted him onto the bed. Together they stripped him of his kilt and shirt. The clothing was soaked with blood, and Ben was pale and lethargic. Not a good sign.
“Ring down to the kitchen and have Mrs. Bell phone Dr. Thompson. Tell him to bring his doctor’s bag and that we need discretion, above all else.”
Kenzie ran to the phone, dialed down to the kitchens, and told Mrs. Bell all that her cousin demanded. She then ran into the adjoining bathroom and grabbed some towels and wet a face washer to clean the wound so they could see, without all the blood, how bad it actually was.
By the time she got back to the bed, Ben had slipped into unconsciousness. “Is he going to die?” she asked Richard, fear threatening to cripple her and make her completely useless. She wiped around the wound, which had, thankfully, stopped bleeding and merely oozed a little.
“I’m not sure, lass. He may need to go to a hospital, but since I’m assuming this man would not have any identification, I’m not certain how to get around that.”
It seemed to take hours for the doctor to come, but eventually he arrived. The older man came into the room, accompanied by one of the laird’s employees who shut the door behind them when they left.
“What seems to be the problem?” Dr. Thompson asked, heading toward the bed. He checked Ben’s temperature, frowning a little when he removed the blood-soaked bandage and seeing the gash on his abdomen. “Never mind, I see what the problem is.”
“Thanks for coming out, doctor. We really appreciate it. We’d also appreciate absolute secrecy in regard to your attendance here tonight. Whatever you require in payment for your services, send it directly to me, if you will,” Richard said.
“Well, let me have a look first at this wound. He may not be able to stay here.” He paused, feeling about the wound. “What exactly happened?”
Kenzie met Richard’s eye and receiving a nod from him, she told the doctor the details. She did tweak the story a little bit to exclude that they were actually in the seventeenth century and that it was a clan war that had erupted and ended with Ben being injured. She merely mentioned that they had been at a reenactment battle and the sword was not supposed to be real, but it was.
The look of disbelief from the doctor told Kenzie that her story hadn’t fooled the man one little bit.
“Help me roll him over, so I can check if the sword went right through.” Kenzie and Richard rushed to do as the doctor bade, and she was relieved to see that the sword hadn’t come out the other side. Not that that meant there wasn’t some serious damage done to Ben’s body. He lay as still as death, his skin covered with grime and blood. Not to mention, he cringed in pain whenever they prodded him.
“While I don’t believe any major organs have been injured, I will not know for sure unless you bring him into the hospital to have a CT scan. His pulse is accelerated, and he’s tender across the abdomen. This could all be due to internal bleeding, but until I see the CT scans, I can’t diagnose further.” The doctor threw them both a pointed stare. “What is your decision?”
Kenzie frowned, having not thought of the legalities of helping Ben in her time. To have pulled him from his century had been a knee-jerk reaction when she’d thought she was going to lose him. “Call an ambulance, Richard. Ben must go to the hospital.”
Within a few minutes, the ambulance had arrived and standing out in front of Druiminn castle, Kenzie watched Ben be stretchered into the vehicle before it roared out of the yard and toward Druiminn township.
“Come, I’ll drive you,” Richard said, wrapping his arm about her shoulder. Kenzie welcomed the support and went with him. “Bring the car around, and I’ll meet you here. I just want to check that Alasdair is going to be all right with the staff.”
“Of course,” he said, heading off toward the car garage that had once housed carriages.
Alasdair was asleep in the nursery, a room that was kept clean and tidy at all times since it was shown off to the paying public who came through the estate to see where the current laird, and all those before him, had spent a great deal of their childhood. Seeing the boy asleep and safe in the small cot removed some of the tension haunting her these past hours.
“Thank you for looking after him so well Mrs. Bell. You’ve given him a bath, I see.”
“I did, Kenzie. He was a little dirty and had a minor nappy rash, so I’ve put some cream on his bum that should relieve that until I can get to the store tomorrow.”
“Thank you for doing this. I know you’re not employed here to do this type of work. I really appreciate it.”
“’Tis no problem at all. Ye looked very distressed upon ye arrival, so I’m happy to help.”
“Would it be all right if ye stayed in the castle tonight? I’m going to the hospital with Richard, and we’re unsure what time we’ll be back. If I know you’re here and looking after Alasdair, I’ll be forever grateful.”
“Nay, no thanks needed. I have nothing at home, I can stay here for one night. In fact, ’twould be the first time I’ve ever done such a thing. Quite a privilege.”
Kenzie went up to the older woman and hugged her. “Thank you, again. I’ll call with any updates, but I’m sure Richard, at least, will be back tomorrow to fill you in on what happens.”
“Good luck to ye, lass, and ye man. I do wish him well and good health.”
Kenzie left, biting her lip to try and hold off the tears. She hoped so, but there wasn’t anything more terrifying than seeing a person you love ride off in the back of an ambulance with no idea if he would survive the night.