“He’ll hurt you, too, Maddie, only far worse.” He released her so suddenly that she toppled back onto the blanket. She scrambled to her feet, rubbing her arms. Her flesh stung where he’d gripped her. Tears smarted her eyes and rolled unchecked down her pale cheeks.
At the sight of her tears Garrett rose beside her, heaving a ragged sigh. His expression was no longer hard. His eyes desperately searched her own.
“I’m sorry, Madeleine,” he apologized. “Forgive me. I only want you to understand the seriousness of General Hawley’s threat.” He reached out to her, but she darted away. “I don’t want to see anything happen to you—”
“Liar!” Madeleine spat, her wet eyes flashing. She panted, straining hard to catch her breath. Was this the danger Garrett had spoken of to Sergeant Fletcher? she wondered crazily. Surely it wasn’t true! The picture he painted was so brutal, so horrible that she could not think rationally.
“What have they promised ye for telling these lies, for threatening me with the lives of my kinsmen, innocent women and children?” she asked challengingly.
“Not lies, Madeleine. It’s the truth, I swear it. You must believe me.”
She glared at him, clenching her fists. “I can see what ye’ve been doing, Captain Garrett Marshall, with yer gentlemanly ways and fine compliments! Ply the Scots wench with wine, give her a kiss or two, and if ye’re lucky, maybe she’ll believe yer flattery and maybe,” she hissed, “the Highland lass will fall into yer arms, perhaps even yer bed, and tell ye anything ye need to know. If that doesna work, threaten the stubborn wench with lies. She’ll surely come ‘round, either way, and ye’ll have yer brigand in a flash!”
She advanced on him, the pent-up fury of the past months overwhelming her completely. “What’s yer reward for such lies and deceit?” she shrieked. “The rank of major? A pot of gold?”
The next thing Madeleine knew she was striking him with her fists, pounding his broad chest as hard as she could. He stood there a moment and allowed her to beat on him, until at last he grabbed her wrists with one hand and yanked her arms behind her back.
She struggled and kicked, but he held her so tightly she could hardly move. Finally she went limp in his arms, exhausted, her tears coming in a fresh flood.
Garrett held her as she wept miserably, her head against his chest, her slim body wracked by a storm of emotion. He tenderly stroked her hair until her sobs quieted. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
“My reward is simple, Madeleine. I cannot bear to see Strathherrick become another Culloden. I’ll never forget that day as long as I live, and it is the same for my commander, Colonel Wolfe. It was his idea to send me here, to use peaceful means to find Black Jack. You may find it hard to believe, but there are those of us who abhor what has been done to the Highlands.”
Stunned, she looked up at him through dimmed eyes. “So ye were there, at Culloden.”
“Yes,” he answered quietly, a shadow passing across his face. “All of us aren’t butchers, Maddie, despite what you may think. After the battle some of us tried to stop the slaughter—”
“Ye said so during yer fever,” she interrupted, using her palm to smudge away her tears. “Ye cried out such terrible things. ‘Twas my plan to ask ye about it once ye were on yer feet again.”
He swallowed hard, his voice catching. “Yes, it was terrible, like living through hell on earth. A madness seized our soldiers; it was a bloody frenzy. Cumberland told us he had intercepted a letter from the Jacobites saying they’d offer no quarter to the wounded if they won the battle, so our troops were ordered to do the same.”
“‘Twas a lie! My father would never have done such a thing, nor would my kinsmen!”
“I know, Madeleine. I know. But the damage was done. Once the massacre was started, there was no stopping it. There was nothing I could do.”
She felt his body tremble as he held her, his face etched with pain.
“Just as the battle ended, a Highlander not far from me fell with a gaping stomach wound,” he said tonelessly. “When I heard Cumberland’s order to take no prisoners, I ran to the man, hoping to drag him safely from the field. I wasn’t fast enough. I had barely given him a sip of brandy to ease his pain when another officer shoved me aside and shot the Highlander through the heart.” His voice fell to a hoarse whisper. “My uniform, my hands, were soaked in his blood. Dammit, the man was already dying!”
Madeleine blinked, startled to see unshed tears glistening in Garrett’s eyes. She felt her throat tighten painfully, and she looked away, overwhelmed by his emotion.
She would never have thought to hear such a story from a redcoat. It shook her long-held belief that all Englishmen were murderers and the devil’s spawn. Garrett seemed all too human, with feelings and a deep sense of right and wrong. Perhaps that was even harder for her to bear.
Such knowledge battered the defenses she had built up within herself, the hatred and distrust that had already been weakened by the intimate moments they had shared. Despite her accusations, she could not deny the stirring power Garrett held over her.
“Madeleine.”
She glanced up, meeting his eyes. His gaze was somber, piercing into her own.
“As mistress of Farraline, you can help me,” he said, his voice throbbing with intensity. “I would like nothing more than for the Frasers of Strathherrick to live in peace…for you to live in peace, among your people. I ask only that you consider what I’ve said. Please. Please weigh everything carefully. It’s been a terrible shock for you, but it is God’s truth. Just remember, I’ve only got three weeks.”
Madeleine dropped her gaze as he finally released her. Her mind was spinning and her thoughts and emotions were raging a furious battle. She sensed he was telling the truth, yet she could not bring herself to believe it. She needed time to think.
“I want to go home,” she said, turning away. She heard him sigh heavily. His voice was weary, resigned.
“Very well.”
While Garrett gathered up the refuse from their meal, she walked to her mare and mounted. She did not wait for him. She flicked the reins, and the mare galloped up the hill.
