Page 36 of Highlander's Secret Heiress
Alyth hardly had a chance to look around before she found the point of a stiletto at her throat. It was an uncommon weapon, and the man wielding it was dark and appeared foreign. Perhaps Laird Robertson was now recruiting guards from far away—was he so desperate?
She was still gripping her sword, but realised that one false move could cost her her life; all it would take was a tiny thrust from the needle-like weapon the soldier in front of her was holding.
She was completely outnumbered, and the Robertson men had grasped the advantage of surprise with alacrity, rendering her helpless. Alyth was forced to lower her sword and was quickly disarmed by the cool, professional soldiers.
Desperately, she looked back to see if there was any help coming from Lachlan at Leithmuir, but of course, there was none. She was not visible from the castle any more, and even ifshe had been, Alyth doubted he would have interfered anyway. Why should he risk his men’s lives to save an enemy? It might have started another war, and that was the last thing he wanted.
Alyth looked into the face of the senior officer, who had piercing, pale blue eyes that gave her the impression that he was made of ice. He whipped the sword out of her hand and held it up in front of him to study it before giving it to one of the other men.
“Good blade,” he said, before turning back to Alyth. “Give me your name.”
The question was phrased as a demand, and was utterly disrespectful, but she was in no position to protest. “Alyth MacAdams,” she replied, looking the man up and down scornfully, squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin to look down her nose at him.
“I thought so.” The man gave her a thin, evil-looking smile. “It is a very good thing for you that I have orders tae take ye alive an’ unharmed, Mistress, for ye have caused our Laird a lot o’ grief.”
Alyth felt enormously relieved at this news, but she was also terrified. She was going back to Laird Robertson, but what did he intend to do with her? She knew the answer to that, of course. He would marry her, even if he had to drag her into the church kicking and screaming.
If that is his intention,she thought,then he has a fight on his hands because I would rather be dead than have to see that monster every day!
She thought of Lachlan again. Was it only a few hours ago that they had been tangled in passion? Already it seemed so far away, and now she was riding to a fate that was probably going to be worse than death.
16
Alyth was surrounded so closely by the Robertson men on the way back to her family’s castle that there was no chance of escape. They made swift time on the short trip, keeping their horses at a swift canter, and soon they were within sight of the massive building.
She had always felt immense pride when she looked at Cairnloch Castle. If she had been an enemy, she would have turned away from it at first sight. It had not been built for beauty; it looked like what it was—a towering fortress meant to intimidate, threaten, and finally crush any enemy that dared approach it. Its outside curtain walls were twenty feet high, with crenellations and loopholes for archers to aim and fire at invaders, and inside it had a massive keep, the most fortified part of the castle.
This was a circular tower with no windows, which was surrounded by overlapping layers of turrets that climbed to a height of a few hundred feet and gave a panoramic view over the countryside. The castle had no moat, merely a deep ditch with upward-pointing sharpened stakes in the earth that would impale any man or horse who trod on them. Alyth had seen thecastle many times, of course; she had lived in it for years, but it never ceased to amaze her.
She wondered hopefully if there was any possibility that Lachlan had changed his mind. If he had, would he even be able to reach her? Her heart sank; she knew who she was going to meet now. Laird Robertson was the last person on earth she wanted to see or speak to. She decided to try to put on as calm and cool a façade as she could muster.
The party of guards, with Alyth in the centre, rode over the drawbridge and into the courtyard, and Alyth was surprised to see a few men in Robertson livery mixed amongst the MacAdams. However, the two families were allies, and she realised that there were a lot of other things they would be sharing too.
Including me,she thought, with a pang of dread. As she had expected, she was marched towards the Laird’s study, his most private place where they would not be overheard by anyone. There were two guards standing outside the door, one on either side, but they were Robertson men.
What on earth is going on?she thought. Had Laird Robertson taken over the castle and moved his men inside it? Alyth screwed up her face in horror. She despised Robertson with every fibre of her being.
The door opened, but when Alyth was led inside she almost fainted with shock because the first person she saw was her father, sitting on a chair beside Laird Robertson and looking pale, dispirited, and sick.
As she met his eyes, he dropped his gaze to his hands, which he was twisting in his lap; they were so bony that they looked almost like claws. He looked almost as thin as Robertson, since he had lost pounds of weight. Although it was only a short while since she had seen him, his whole face was sagging, and lookeddeeply lined and wrinkled, as if he had grown years older instead of months.
Despite her resolution to stay calm, Alyth gave a gasp of shock as anger surged through her like a hot jet of flame.
“Da!” she cried. “What is he doing here? You must order this man away, now.” She flung her hand out to point to Laird Robertson, who had risen to his feet and was smiling at her, a smug, triumphant expression which disgusted and repulsed her.
For a split second, Alyth felt like spitting on him, but knew that it would do her no good; she was surrounded by his men, trapped and helpless. She could expect nothing from her father, since he looked thoroughly cowed.
Laird MacAdams looked up and nodded. “We are allies, Alyth. Ye know that.” Then, he dropped his gaze to the floor.
Alyth was speechless, and stood looking dumbly at her father as he continued to avoid her eyes. She wanted to shake him, but Laird Robertson’s guards were outside, and they were much stronger than she was. She stood motionless, trying to compose herself, until Laird Robertson came strolling over to her.
“It is so good to see you, Alyth,” he drawled, with a leering smile. He looked her up and down several times, letting his gaze linger on every part of her until Alyth felt filthy. “I must say, I have never seen a woman wearing breeches before. They look very fetching, they outline your curves beautifully.”
He smiled again, letting his eyes linger on her breasts. Alyth wanted to cross her arms over them, but did not want to give the loathsome creature the satisfaction of knowing he had upset her.
He walked around her, and Alyth felt his gaze on her, stinging as if someone was burning her with a flame.
Any more of this and I am going to be sick,she thought disgustedly.
