“Do I have to?” Abi asked desperately. “Can I not just stay here? I will sleep on the floor.”
“Abi.” Leana’s voice was gentle. “Ye wid never be able to sleep on thon flair, lass. Ye arenae used tae sich hardships, an’ anyway, yer paw will be worried about ye.”
“Pfft!” Abi’s voice sounded bitter. “He should have thought of that before he made me so angry!”
“A’ the same, we should get ye back.” Leana hugged Abi and kissed her hair.
“I wish Father would fall in love with you,” Abi murmured. “Then you could get married and he would be kind.”
Leana was silent for a moment. At last she said, “That is never gaunnae happen, hen, so get that right oot yer heid. I am a peasant an’ he is a laird. It can never be.”
“Then can I make your cottage bigger and come and live with you?” Abi was desperate.
“Naw, Abi,” Leana answered. “We wid lose oor land.”
“I never thought of that,” Abi sighed. “Oh Leana, whatever I do is wrong. Please help me.”
“I will help ye, but ye must gae hame first.” Leana looked sad as she gazed at the girl who had become a little sister to her. “If I could talk tae the Laird, wid that help?”
Abi threw her arms around Leana’s neck. “Yes, yes it would, Leana! He likes you so much.”
“I dinnae think so, hen,” Leana said doubtfully. “But I will dae my best.”
Suddenly she frowned, and jumped up. There was screaming in the distance and she could also hear the sound of raucous laughter, horses neighing, and hoofbeats. It sounded as if all hell had broken loose.
Cautiously, she looked over the windowsill and saw something she had never imagined in her worst nightmares. The nearest farmhouse was burning; its thatch was ablaze, with flames leaping into the sky, choking smoke blowing in all directions, fanned by the stiff breeze from the sea.
Beyond that she could see another home on fire, and as she watched she saw people trying to run, but they were being herded like sheep by men on horseback who were forcing them into their barn.
“Bandits!” Leana shouted, then she drove home the heavy wooden bolt on the door, and took the poker from the fire and stuck it into the flame, where it quickly became red hot. She did the same with the tongs and gave them to Abi, but she instructed Joe to stay in bed. He could be of no use at a time like this.
“Be quiet as ye can an’ maybe they will think there is naebody here. If they get in, Abi, dinnae say ye’re the Laird’s lass, or they might want tae haud ye tae ransom.”
Then, for some inexplicable reason, Leana took some nettles from the bunch she had gathered and rubbed them over her and her father’s head, neck, and arms, then she encouraged Abi to do the same. She did so without a moment's hesitation, inwardly thinking that Leana had gone mad. There were tears of pure terror running down her cheeks.
They all crouched down, making themselves as small as they could, and waited tensely.
Then they heard hoofbeats approaching and the noise of loud, uncouth drunken conversation and laughter.
“Whit’s in here Calum?” a rough, gravelly voice asked. It was slurred with drink and Leana knew exactly the kind of man it belonged to. She shuddered and prayed for deliverance.
“It looks as if naebody’s at hame Lonnie,” came another voice, slightly higher in pitch but no less revolting.
“Aye there is, ya eejit!” came a third voice, which sounded very drunk indeed. “There’s smoke comin’ oot the chimney!”
Leana groaned. Damping down the fire was the one thing she had forgotten to do. She could feel Abi trembling with fear beside her.
We will not be taken without a fight!she thought. She did not say it aloud for fear of scaring Abi, who was terrified enough.
“Get ready tae jump,” she hissed, as heavy blows from booted feet began to splinter the bolt of the door. Eventually, with a tearing, rending sound that hurt their ears, the bolt gave way. Leana roared, then leaped out, snarling and brandishing the poker. She caught one bandit across the cheek and he fell to the ground, clutching it, before she tackled another, who suffered the same fate across the neck.
However, he did not go down, and he managed to wrest the poker out of her hand and twist her arm behind her back. She screamed in pain till the bandit, who was fat and drunk, but very strong, put a hand over her mouth. She bit his fingers and received a firm slap for her pains, but he let go of her arm and she ran for one of their horses so that she could summon help. She could not ride, but she would have to do her best to hang on.
Meanwhile, Joe, who had got out of bed and tried his feeble best to do his part, had been knocked down before he could strike a blow, and was lying in front of the broken cottage door. However, Leana saw him struggle to his feet before he was forced inside again.
She was almost at the bandit’s horse when she heard the scream. Two of the outlaws were holding Abi by the arms, and Leana knew that she could not leave her. She was well aware of what men like this did to women, and she knew that if she stayed they would rape her too, but she would not let her friend suffer alone.
“Which ane o’ you is the chief?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from trembling.
