* * *
How much time had passed she knew not, for she woke to the quiet of night outside the tent. Pushing the layers of wool off her, she sat up and stretched her arms and back. With a care to be quiet, Arabella found the end of the useless tangle of her hair and freed it. With her fingers, she combed through the length of it and wrestled it back into something that resembled a braid.
The indrawn breath echoed across the air as she raised her arms and tossed it. Gazing into the dark and shadowed corner of the small dwelling where the sound originated, she watched as a large form moved closer.
‘Did I wake you?’ he asked. Brodie.
‘Nay,’ she said with a shake of her head. ‘How long have you been sitting there?’
He shrugged his massive shoulders. ‘Since I finished seeing to matters I needed to handle. And after I’d eaten,’ he said, pointing to a bundle next to the pallet. ‘Some for you.’
Refusal was on her lips until her stomach answered for her. A few chunks of bread, some pieces of cheese and meat and water had not been enough for her over the days of their journey. She’d noticed that both Brodie and Rob had given her the larger portions so it had not been their aim to starve her. She reached for the bundle and unwrapped it, finding some type of roasted fowl, more cheese and bread within. It took little time to finish the food and drink some of the ale he then offered her.
‘I have questions,’ she said. When he grunted but did not refuse, she continued. ‘I want to know what you expect to accomplish by kidnapping me? Was it to stop the wedding?’ That made her think of another question. ‘Why would you want to stop the wedding?’
He reached out his hand and placed his fingers against her mouth then, shocking her with the intimate touch. Arabella drew back but remained silent then.
‘The less you know, the safer you may be, lady.’
‘Why?’ she asked, before he pressed his finger again to her lips.
‘If you know not, Caelan cannot force it from you,’ he said, his deep voice tinged with sadness or something like it. She moved out of his reach and shook her head.
‘Caelan would never...’
‘Hurt you?’ he interrupted. ‘Harm the ones you love? I fear you have not seen the true man that Caelan is. He would do both of those things without hesitation or remorse, lady.’ He pushed to his feet, towering above her.
‘But Caelan was not the man who harmed one I loved, was he?’
Though she needed to say it, his eyes darkened to the colour of night in an instant and she knew the moment the words of accusation left her mouth that it was the wrong thing to say. His hands clenched into fists and his jaw tightened as she watched.
‘Nay, he was not,’ he forced out.
He walked out without another word, leaving her in the darkened tent alone. She scrambled to her feet and trailed him out of the tent. This might be her chance to escape and she did not want to miss it.
So, why did she want to run to him and take back her accusation? She stopped just outside and watched as he walked away without even looking back. Instead of running in the other direction, she grabbed up her gown and followed him. With each moment and each step, she waited for someone to stop her or catch her again. Arabella ducked behind some trees when he slowed and then skirted several tents and huts to stay just a few paces away.
Then he stopped and she realised he’d reached the edge of a cliff. For several minutes Brodie stood staring off into the darkness without moving. The winds shifted and spiralled around her, reminding her that she’d left without any cloak or blanket to protect her from the biting cold of the night and high mountain air.
‘Go back to Margaret’s tent, Arabella,’ he ordered without looking back.
She left him there and did as he said. Arabella did not doubt that he would force her back. Her folly was, as she turned and discovered, in believing that she could have escaped. Not only was Rob watching her, but several other armed men, as well. Without a word, she retraced her path back to the tent where she’d been held. Rob held back the canvas flag so she could enter.
Arabella still wanted answers, more so now that his reaction puzzled her. Witnesses had called him guilty. He could not dispute their claims. Yet, he did not accept the blame or responsibility for her brother’s death. It was there, in the tone of voice when he responded to her question. He admitted the deed, but did not accept it.
Since it was clear he meant to hold her until some purpose of his was achieved, she would have time to discover the truth. And she would.
Chapter Eight
For the first time in his life, Brodie felt helpless.
Even on the day he faced the accusation that would change his life for ever, he had not felt this helpless. When the words of exile were spoken, he knew he could survive on his own. He knew their lands better than any of them. He knew his own abilities and weaknesses. He would survive.
Then, as the first few trickled or were sent out of the keep and village and found their way to him, he remained confident in his plan to survive without kith or kin. The growing number of exiled Mackintoshes who joined him and brought him information about Caelan’s plans and activities added to his burden, but helped him in so many ways. When the winter came, they would survive because of their numbers, not in spite of them.
Work continued on the caves and they would be their shelter when the snows came. He regretted that they’d turned to reiving for some of their supplies and needs, but they did as they had to until they could reclaim their clan.
And they would. Brodie had been gathering information and proof to use against Caelan and it was only a matter of time before he was ready to implement his plan. Arabella’s kidnapping gave him the time he needed.
