Adam paced in front of the long oak dining table at Galbury Castle, where his family sat eating the evening meal. He was too agitated to sit and eat after his day with the English. This lot was even worse than the typical travelers.

“I am finished. I refuse to lead them tomorrow,” he said, his mouth in a set line. Finlay looked somewhat defeated, having been the one to agree to this, while the rest of them looked sympathetic, though all were at a loss.

“It canna be that bad, Adam, can it?” asked Kyla.

“It must be, for Adam to be complainin’,” Peggy answered for him. “He’s usually the most level-headed of all of you.”

“That’s not fair, Peg,” said Roderick with a grin. “Give your brothers a bit more credit than that.”

She rolled her eyes at him, and Adam sat down heavily. Clearly, his family did not understand the extent to which the tourists were affecting their people.

“They were rude to Molly and Jack and the family.”

“What?” Finlay’s head snapped around at that.

“They made comments that were not for the ears of women, let alone Molly herself,” he said softly. “I canna abide by that.”

“No, we cannot,” Kyla said strongly. “I’ll see to it. This was my doing, bringing them here originally.”

“Kyla—” Finlay began.

“I will come with you tomorrow, Adam,” she said, cutting off her husband. “Should any of them have any additional comments, they shall leave, and they can take their coin with them. It’s not worth it.”

Duncan nodded his approval from the head of the table.

“We invite them here to keep our people fed,” he said. “But if their spirit is broken, none of that matters anymore.”

They all soberly returned to their meals, reflecting on what was to come the next day.

* * *

As it turned out, Adam was accompanied by not only Kyla but Finlay as well for the day ahead, and he appreciated how seriously they were taking the threat these English posed. It was not quite like the days of old when they had fought for their land, as their country was now well under English rule, but what they held onto was their pride and their identity as Highlanders, and they would let no one, not even those who paid for use of their lands, take that away.

Today they had all dressed in their McDougall tartan, not to please the tourists, but rather to hold true to who they were. They rode up to Darfield Keep, the three of them abreast. When they arrived, Rory had already assembled the English in the yard, all of them now mounted and ready to depart. Kyla greeted her brother, and they stood a united front, as if ready to do battle.

“You are all in for a great treat today,” said Rory to the men before him. “For my sister will be one of your guides. She is well renowned for her prowess on a horse, by men and women alike, and knows the MacTavish lands better than any. Now come, follow us to the gaming section of the property. We would ask that you please only hunt within those fenced confines, and stay together to keep from shooting one another.”

Trenton, a portly man with the huge jowls, seemed to lead the travelers. He rode forward to join them as they left the yard.

“I have a favor to ask,” he said, sidling his horse in between Adam and Finlay. “I have promised these men a fine hunt today — it is why they accompanied me on this journey. You will ensure that hunt is successful, will you not?”

“I’m not sure what ye mean by that,” said Adam, feigning ignorance. “The success of the hunt depends on the skill of your men and a good bit of luck.”

“Yes, but you can assist in the luck bit of it, can you not?”

“No,” Finlay answered frostily, “We cannot.”

“I think he means stalking,” Rory said in Adam’s ear from his other side. “You know, herding all the animals in toward them so they have ample game to shoot?”

“I know what he is referring to,” Adam said to Rory through gritted teeth so the abominable man couldn’t hear. “We just don’t agree with it, which ye well know. Hunting is a sport between man and beast. It’s cheating to tip the scales in favor of one over the other.”

“Well they did pay for it—”

“No,” Adam said, shaking his head. They had discussed this before, when previous groups had visited and requested the same. Finlay and Kyla had been adamant that it would never be done on their land, and Adam agreed with them.

The man wasn’t pleased, but Rory soon placated him.

“Not to worry, Trenton,” he said. “There is plenty of game in these woodlands, and your men will be well pleased, as many have been before you. You shall see in due time.”

“There had better be,” he said with a sideways glare. “It was what I was promised when deciding to come up here. If not for the game, there is not much draw to this land, you do know that?”

They didn’t respond and the man reined in his horse to join his acquaintances behind them. As Adam turned to watch him go, he caught a glimpse of color in the back of the group of about ten men riding with them. It was an unusual color for a gentleman’s cloak, a blue that blended with the sky behind. He eased back from his family to get a better look and cursed when he saw the face of the wearer.

“I’ll be right back,” he said to them. “Continue on.”

“What’s wrong?” Finlay asked, concerned.

“It’s the girl,” he responded. “It seems she has joined us. I’ll not have her cause danger for the group, nor for herself. I’ll accompany her back to Darfield and meet you at the outskirts of the woods.”

“She can stay,” Kyla said. “For what reason should a woman not join? I have accompanied you on many a hunt.”

“’Tis different,” said Adam. “This one’s not like you.”

“And what do you mean by that?” she asked, raising an eyebrow nearly up to the line of her blonde hair.

“I only mean that she’s a delicate kind, not used to any sort of physical exertion. She nearly couldna complete the hike yesterday.”

“Yet she managed to bring herself to join us today,” said Kyla with a shrug. “In addition, she’s on horseback today. She’ll be fine.”

“I’m not sure,” he hedged, but Kyla gave him a look that told him not to argue with her. He sighed and turned to look behind him. At the very least, the girl was keeping up — so far.

“Fine, but I will have a word with her,” he said.

“Be nice,” she replied.

“Who do you think I am, Finlay?” he said with a wink as he rode away.

* * *

Rebecca felt exhilaration course through her as her horse caught up with the hunters in front of her. Upon descending the stairs for breakfast that morning, she had seen the men file out of the hall to claim mounts for the hunt. One look below at the women remaining at the table, and the thought of joining them all day in the most dull and dreary conversation filled her with dread. She had decided at the last instant to join in the hunt, and one of the stable hands had helped her find a horse shortly after the rest of them left. True, her horse might not be as strong or as swift as the rest of them, having been one of the last remaining, but it was steady and sure, and she felt they would get along just fine.

She did have to admit that her body was stiff and sore from the physical exertion the day before, which she was quite unused to. And yet, it made her feel like she had accomplished something, had actually put herself to some use, even if it was simply exploring. If there was anything that really smarted, and had kept her awake the night before, it was the shame that filled her thinking of the words her father and his acquaintances had spoken regarding the Highlanders. What must they think of them? she thought. It certainly brought a bad name to the English, and she was determined to do all she could to make amends.

When her horse joined the hunting party, she tried to remain as far behind as possible, out of sight from her father, from Vincent, and from the McDougall Highlander who had shown such disdain for them the day before. She did not want to be discovered until they were well away from the keep, too far away for her to be sent back.

Despite her concern at being caught, she was awed by the landscapes that surrounded her. She had been awestruck by the views yesterday on their hike, and today was no different. The beauty of the rolling green hills was apparent, and she was fascinated by how the landscape changed as they rode, from the cliffs near the lake to now the green of the woodland they were fast approaching.

The day was hot once again, but they had left early enough that they would be well shaded by the trees once the sun reached its peak.

So intent was she on her surroundings that she gave out a squeal of surprise when she heard a voice suddenly in her ear.

“What do you think you are doing?” the deep, steady voice asked her, and she turned to find her eyes met by the dark stare of the man from yesterday — Adam, as she recalled.

“I am joining the hunt,” she said, trying to seem as if she belonged.

“Do you really think that is wise?” he asked. “These men all have guns. You could very easily get yourself shot and killed.”

“I do hope you realize I am smarter than that,” she said with an eye roll. “What do you take me for? I shall stay with the rest of the hunting party, not to worry. I will not even wield a weapon of my own. Rather, I came for the entertainment.”

“I see,” he said, though it didn’t look like he actually did understand what she was telling him. “Stay within the trees and close to the group once we start to hunt. Dinna get too close to the open air or you may blend in.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your dress — ’tis the color of the sky.”

“How romantic of you,” she said, breaking into a wide grin, seeing an opening to have him warm up to her slightly. “Have you always such a way with words?”

He sighed as he eyed her. “Did you bring any attire with you rather than these extravagant dresses?”

“I shall have you know these are some of the finest walking and riding dresses London has to offer,” she said.

He would take his plaid any day over the layers of ridiculous fabrics the English wore, but he shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever you say, lass. Now, you will be careful?”

“I will,” she agreed, and as he rode away to take over the lead of the party, she felt rather lonely once more.