Reed ran like the wind, fleeing for his life as the flames of war burned all around him. The acrid stench of smoke filled his nostrils as the black tendrils of smoke billowed up into the air.
His heart about beat from his chest. He didn’t stop and turn around until he was far from the church where he and his brothers had tried to hide from Edward and his soldiers.
Tears filled his eyes and he looked back to the church, wanting to go to his brothers’ aid, but he was too frightened to move. Not only were there English soldiers pillaging and burning East Lothian and the coast, but he’d seen pirates inside the holy walls as well.
Their Uncle Malcolm had told them to seek sanctuary inside the chapel. But pirates and bloody English soldiers didn’t seem to adhere to the rules of the church when war was involved.
Along with Rook and Rowen, he’d set out to kill the king. The man who’d ordered them killed at birth because of his fear of triplets and the superstitions that went along with them was now going to kill them after all.
“Rook! Rowen!” he cried out, barely able to see through his tears. He’d managed to escape from a soldier’s grip. His brothers had told him to run and not look back. He needed to help them, but he didn’t know how. He was naught but a twelve-year-old boy and was up against the English army as well as cutthroat pirates.
“Get to safety, ye fool,” a passerby called out, driving a cart full of Scots toward the Highlands. “Hop on the cart and come with us,” said the man, only slowing down slightly.
“But my brathairs are in the church! I need to help them.” He pointed to the church, now engulfed in flames.
“If they’re in there, they’re already dead. The soldiers are headed this way. Now come with us to the Highlands or stay here and die with yer brathairs, but we’ll no’ tarry any longer.”
He looked at the faces of the women and children in the cart. They were dirty, bruised and bleeding. A boy about his age waved his arm, urging Reed to hurry. A man with an arrow stuck in his leg was being tended to by a woman with a bairn in one arm.
He’d heard Ross say he was going to the Highlands with Malcolm. Reed would find him and, together, they would come back to get his brothers. The cart headed away, disappearing into the smoke. He coughed and choked and looked back to the church once more. It was surrounded by soldiers, still pillaging the land. The flames shot out of the roof, engulfing the entire monastery. If his brothers had managed to escape, it would be a miracle.
He would avenge Edward by himself if he had to, but someday the man would pay for what he did to him and his brothers. He turned around and ran through the smoke, hopping onto the back of the cart as it headed toward the Highlands.
Feelings of abandonment filled his being and it wasn’t that he felt abandoned by his real parents. Nay. This time he’d abandoned his brothers, and he’d never forgive himself for not going back and trying to save them.
“Reed! Wake up!” It sounded like Maggie calling out to him. He looked through the smoke but couldn’t see her. He should have gone to her clan’s camp and tried to help her as well. He felt like dying because he’d just abandoned everyone he’d ever loved.
“Reed, wake up! There’s a fire.” He felt someone shaking his body and opened his eyes to see the smoke-filled room. At first, he thought he was still dreaming, until he saw Maggie’s naked body and her tear-stained face next to the bed. Fear shone in her eyes. “The bird must have knocked over the candle. The door is locked and I can’t find the key. Wake up and help me!”
He shot off the bed and started choking as soon as he stood up. He heard Thor crying out and, through the smoke, he saw the bird’s shadow as it flew out the small, open window in the room. It was too small for a person to escape. He had to extinguish the fire and open the door if they were going to survive.
“Get down on the ground, Maggie, where ye can breathe.” He crawled back to the bed and ripped off the blanket, then proceeded to use it to hit the flames. It was no good. Even if he put out the blaze, they were trapped inside and would die from the smoke. He heard Maggie coughing and choking.
Crawling toward the chest by the door, he tried to find the key. But it was too smoky and hot. He felt as if he were burning in the fires of Hell. God was punishing him because he’d abandoned those that needed him in a dire situation. He might have let down his brothers, but he wouldn’t abandon Maggie. He finally found the chest and ripped open the top drawer, fumbling for the key. He found it, but dropped it, and cursed aloud.
“Damn it, no’ now!”
“Reed,” came Maggie’s weak voice from behind him. “We’re goin’ to . . . die.”
“Nay! We willna die. I promise.” In frustration, he reached for the door. When his hands were on the latch, he pulled with all his might, letting out a shout of aggravation. “Aaaaaah!” he screamed, throwing his weight against the door and once again pulling as hard as he could. His effort paid off when, all of a sudden, the door swung inward and he fell to the ground.
A blast of fresh air rushed in along with men carrying buckets of water. They doused the fire easily. It took a minute for the air to clear enough to see who they were.
“What the hell is going on in my cabin?” Muck threw down the bucket and put his hands on his hips. Lucky was with him, and so were Storm and Ross.
“Maggie, cover yerself,” Reed called out, seeing her take his plaid from the bed and hold it in front of her naked body.
“Maggie? What are you doing?” Duff stood in the open doorway with Hawke. His eyes opened wide when he saw his sister. It was morning and the sun’s rays filled the little cabin, making her very visible.
“It’s all right, Duff. I’m not hurt,” she said, coughing, holding the plaid in front of her, making her way to the door.
Reed jumped up, stark naked, not caring about his appearance. He pulled Maggie against him and kissed her atop the head.
“Did you – couple with Reed?” asked the boy, sounding so disappointed in his sister.
Reed’s heart ached. There was no denying their act when everyone could see the evidence as plain as day.
“I did,” said Maggie, hanging her head and looking at the ground. Reed would not let her be shamed and called a whore for what they’d done. But there was nothing he could do to get them out of this mess. Nothing but one thing. He had to try.
“It’s all right, lad, she did nothin’ wrong,” Reed said. Maggie still hung her head in shame.
“Nothing wrong?” spat Muck. “You rogered the girl and now no one is going to want to marry her.”
“That’s no’ true,” said Reed. “The fact of the matter is, we only coupled because we’d agreed to get married.”
“Married?” Maggie looked up in confusion.
“Right,” laughed Lucky. “And I’m the king of England.”
“When are ye goin’ to get married?” asked Ross.
“Today,” he said, looking at Maggie and nodding. “If Father Pherson is still here, we had hoped to ask him to marry us right away.”
“Is this true, Maggie?” This time it was Storm asking the question. “Are ye and Reed gettin’ married even though ye are betrothed to the English baron?”
She took a moment to answer. Reed held his breath hoping she wouldn’t say no. If she did, her life would change drastically, and it wouldn’t be for the better.
“Yes.” She stared into Reed’s eyes, looking as if she were in a trance. She nodded slowly. “Reed and I are going to get married.”
“What are you two goin’ to tell the baron about the broken betrothal?” asked Storm.
“It hasn’t been broken,” said Ross. “I made a betrothal for my son to marry Maggie Gordon when they were just children. I had an alliance with her father. So this is the only betrothal that needs to be honored.”
“But he’s not even your son,” spat Muck, making Reed want to strangle the man with his bare hands.
“Reed is my son,” said Ross nodding his head. “Mayhap no’ by blood, but he has always been my son, as well as his brathairs. I saved them from the king when he wanted them dead. Annalyse and I raised them as our boys. I will always be more of a father to them than that bloody, murderous king.”
“Then get dressed,” said Storm, stepping out into the sunlight. “I’ll tell Father Pherson to be ready and we’ll have the weddin’ right now.”
“Now?” asked Maggie. Reed shot her a warning glance to keep quiet and shook his head.
“It’s all right, Maggie.” Taking her hand in his, he whispered so only she could hear him. “It’s the only way. I want to be a good influence on yer brathair.” Then he spoke loud enough for the rest to hear. “Tell the others to prepare a feast. Nothin’ but the best for my weddin’. And have Old Callum serve up lots of his Mountain Magic. Today is the beginnin’ of a new life of two people who have more than once now risen from the ashes. We will all celebrate a weddin’ that was always meant to be.”
* * *
An hour later, Maggie had been bathed, dressed, and her hair brushed and braided by the women of the MacKeefe Clan. She was ready for the wedding.
“This is such a surprise,” said Wren, watching as her twelve-year-old daughter wove sprigs of heather into the braid at the back of Maggie’s head. “I thought you’d be marrying the baron.”
“So did I.” Maggie didn’t know what to say. It had all happened so suddenly and she’d yet had the time to think things through.
“I thought Reed said you two had talked about it already. You don’t seem sure.”
“Everything just happened so quickly. I’m still a little shaken about the fire. Forgive me.”
“Lark, you and other women see to the rest of the wedding preparations,” said Wren. “I want to talk to Maggie alone.”
“Aye, Mathair.” Lark motioned to the others and they all left the hovel.
Maggie wasn’t sure what Wren wanted to talk to her about and it made her feel uneasy. “I see your daughter speaks like a Scot even though you are English,” she said.
“Aye. I let my children speak and act however they want. Storm is an important figure in their life, being chieftain. I like that they chose to follow his way of life. How will you and Reed be raising your children?”
“I – I don’t know,” she said. “We haven’t discussed it.”
“I have the feeling you are just as surprised by this wedding as the rest of us.” Wren sat down on a stool next to Maggie. “Is there anything you’d like to talk about before you’re married?”
“Like what?” she asked, wringing her hands on her lap. “I think I already know all about the marriage bed.” She giggled nervously.
“Do you want to marry Reed?” asked Wren, reaching out and laying her hand over Maggie’s.
“Of course I do. Why would you ask such a thing?”
“Because you don’t seem certain.”
“Is it that noticeable?”
“A blind person could see it.” Wren smiled. “And I should know since I was once blind.”
“You were?” she asked, trying to change the subject. “Tell me about it.”
“Nay. Not now.” Wren stood up and continued to fix Maggie’s hair. “This is an important day, Maggie. Would you be marrying Reed if you two hadn’t been betrothed by your fathers when you were children?”
“I’m not sure.” She played with her fingers. “I suppose so. But I’m not sure if it’s the best thing for my brother.”
“Your brother?” Wren’s hands stopped. “What does he have to do with your marriage?”
“I raised him from a baby after my parents and siblings were killed during Burnt Candlemas.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Duff is the only one who matters. I’ll marry whoever will be a better influence on him and who can give the boy a better life. Reed is reckless and a raider. The baron is more stable. He can help Duff to, hopefully, someday be a knight.”
“Then ye’d better marry the baron, lassie,” came a male voice from the doorway.
She looked up in surprise to see Reed standing there. She hadn’t known he was there or that he’d been listening to their conversation.
“Reed! How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to ken that I made a mistake beddin’ ye last night.”
“I think I’ll wait outside for you.” Wren started to leave, but Maggie’s hand shot out to still her.
“Nay. Please stay.”
“Dinna ye want to be alone with me?” asked Reed. “Mayhap ye’re afraid of me, or is it that ye think I’ll take ye against yer will?”
“I didn’t say that,” she protested.
“Ye asked me to make love to ye, or have ye forgotten? Perhaps ye are the one who is the bad influence, no’ me.”
“I really think I should wait outside,” Wren said.
“Nay.” Maggie stopped her once again. “I’ve made my decision.”
“Well, what is it?” spat Reed.
“I’ll marry you, Reed. Just like our fathers planned when they made the alliance.”
“What are ye goin’ to tell the baron?”
“We’ll just explain to him that we were betrothed all this time and didn’t know it. Hopefully, Rowen will help to convince him not to take drastic measures.”
“It was Rowen who betrothed ye to the baron in the first place. This is all his fault.”
“Maggie, the priest is ready,” said Duff, running up to the cottage door with Hawke. “Storm says to hurry because it looks like rain.”
“Then I guess we’d better go.” Maggie stood and straightened her gown. It was one of Wren’s English gowns since hers had been burned in the fire.
Wren rushed past her, taking Duff and Hawke with her.
“Ye dinna have to do this, Maggie,” said Reed.
“Aye, we should. We’re betrothed. It’s only right.”
“I ken ye dinna want to marry me because I canna give yer brathair all the baron has promised. No’ that he’s goin’ to keep his promise, even if ye believe he will.”
“That sounds like a comment from a man who is jealous. Now, I said I’d marry you. So let’s do it before it rains.”
Reed stepped aside as Maggie headed out the door to the center of the camp where everyone gathered around for the ceremony. The sky looked threatening above them. Reed figured it was fitting since it matched Maggie’s mood.
He’d done the only thing possible to keep Maggie from embarrassment and from ruining her life forever. They’d had a fun, carefree moment with a little too much Mountain Magic yesterday. Now they would pay for it for the rest of their lives. Hell, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be married either, but one thing he did know was that Maggie was the only girl who had ever taken his heart.
He’d marry her and he’d work hard to make her happy. He’d show her that he could be a better influence on her little brother than any bloody Englishman could ever be. He’d also find a way to bring in money to take care of his family. And someday, when a child was born from their union, he’d make sure to raise the baby as a proud Highlander. Aye, he’d do this to prove a point, even if Maggie didn’t love him. He’d make her sorry she ever doubted this union in the first place.