Page 40 of Highlander's Rebellious Affair
“My Lady,” the girl yelled as she fell, and Hope groaned. The sharp pain reverberated through her shoulder, and tears stung her eyes. “Are ye all right?” she asked again and rushed to Hope’s side to help her to her feet.
“I am,” Hope stammered, and allowed the girl help her up. She looked around her, and tried to see further ahead, but she couldn’t. The valley seemed endless, and she wondered if they had gone in the right direction.How far off can the village be?
Hope whimpered, and dropped to the ground to sit, and the girl sat beside her. “I dinnae think I can go any further,” she said in a weak voice. “I dinnae think my legs will move.”
The girl looked around them, then dropped to sit beside Hope. “If we stay here, then we get caught. I am sure the men are searchin’ for us now, and if we dinnae get away from here, all of this will be for nothin’.”
“Dinnae worry, I willnae let them take ye or hurt ye,” Hope replied, and swallowed. She had to fight to stay alive, and fight to see Ian again, because she knew he would be searching for her. “Ian will find us,” she murmured and closed her eyes.
Please, Ian, please find me.
Hope sat in silence with the servant, and after a while, she stood up. It was almost dawn, and once it was bright, they would be able to see clearly. But the night was freezing, and she didn’t know how long they would stay out in the open. She tried to push back the fearsome thoughts creeping into her mind, thoughts of the guards finding them, or wild animals getting to them first.
To take her mind off her worries, she decided to talk. “How long have ye worked for Laird Cowan?” She asked.
The girl gave her a sad smile, and Hope waited for her reply. “I dinnae always work for him,” she replied. “My faither worked for the Laird before him, his brother, and he was good to us.”
“He was a guard in the Castle?”
“Nay, he was a goldsmith.”
Hope’s heart thundered in her chest when the girl replied, and she swallowed again.Could this be the daughter of the goldsmith Ian was desperately trying to find? What if this servant held the key to the proof they needed against Lyall?
Her breath hitched in her throat, and her pulse sky rocketed. “He worked for the Laird for a long time, until he died. When he died, the new Laird felt he was of no use, and kicked him out of our workshop in the village so another goldsmith could take over. My faither wanted to protect me, so he begged that the Laird take me in as one of his servants instead of keepin’ me on the streets with him.”
“I’m so sorry,” Hope whispered as she heard the girl’s voice crack, as she started to sob.
“I havenae seen him in five years.”
She felt sorry for the girl, so she reached out and placed her hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle pat to offer some comfort. Hope wanted to ask if she knew her father’s whereabouts, but she didn’t want the girl to know she was interested in who her father was yet, so she stayed put.
When I find Ian, we will talk about it, and figure it out together.
Her mind wandered to Ian then, and a slow smile crept up her lips as she thought of him. She missed his smile, and the warmth of his embrace. Her throat tightened as she wondered if she would ever see him again. She didn’t want to think about it, but the thought kept coming.
Hope fell asleep soon, and opened her eyes when she felt someone tug her arm gently. Her gaze met with the girl’s frightened ones, and she sat up instantly. “We have to go,” the girl murmured in a hushed tone. “Guards are searchin’ for us, we have to run.”
Hope sprang up to her feet, and took her hands. It was bright, and she could see ahead of her now. “Which direction do we go?”
“The village is far off but straight ahead. I remember these valleys from when I rode into the village with my faither. That cottage where we were was our home.”
Hope nodded, and allowed her lead the way. Together, they ran down the valley, and she hoped they would find rescue soon.
* * *
Hope was panting when they stopped and she bent over, placing her hands on her knees so she could catch her breath.
“I dinnae ken yer name,” she said to the girl when she could catch her breath again.
“Gretchen,” she replied and swallowed. “We have to continue, we are almost there.”
“I have a place we can go to for help,” Hope told her as they continued their journey. She knew the guards would catch up with them any minute now, and they had to hurry, so she maintained a firm grip on Gretchen’s hand as they ran.
In minutes they had reached the village, and Hope took the path that led to Callum’s house, hoping she would find Ian there, and if not him anyone else. Her aunt would be in the cottage definitely.
Relief flooded her as they ran some more, and she saw the chimney of the cottage producing smoke far ahead. “We’re almost there,” she breathed out and closed her eyes for a minute. She was exhausted, and it felt like she would faint any minute, but adrenaline kept her going and pushing.
When they got to the cottage, Gretchen suddenly stopped her from walking toward it, and dragged her, pushing her to hide among the short shrubs surrounding Callum’s yard. Hope gasped and her eyes widened.
