Page 113 of Claimed Highland Brides

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Fiona woke up to frantic knocking on her door. She sat up, rubbing her eyes as she turned to Daividh. They’d had a late night after seeing Simon and his warriors off, clinging to each other as they tried to forget Jamesina’s pain and feeling guilty for the fact that it was not them.

She shuffled out of bed and went to the door, opening it a crack and surprised to see Jamesina’s lady’s maid looking frantic.

“What is it, Freya?”

She thrust a piece of paper at Fiona. “Jamesina is no in her chambers. I cannae find her anywhere. There seems tae have been a struggle. I dinnae ken⁠—”

“Calm yersel’ Freya and haud yer wheesht so I can read the note.”

She unfolded it, eyes getting wider with every word. Mustering up some self-control she looked up at Freya. “Would ye go and wake the other lassies, Freya? Tell them tae wait for me in the dining hall.”

Freya nodded. “Aye, ma’am. Right away.” She hurried off, seeming relieved to have something to do. As soon as she disappeared, Fiona turned to Daividh.

“Wake up!” she yelled. “Daividh, get up! A terrible thing’s happened. Jamesina has been abducted!”

* * *

Every muscle in her body was screaming as she bounced up and down on the horse. She had tried to stay stoically silent but it was too much. “Please, let me up. I shallnae run. Or at least, untie my hands and legs. Please, sir! Ma’am?”

She could not see the people who were riding along with her. All she knew was that there were multiple horses around her, surrounding her. She felt weak, faint, nauseous. Her level of discomfort was such that she wished that she could faint dead away and escape from her pain. She felt every step the horse took like a knife to her side.

She turned, seeing the small cottage that marked the entrance to Drumacree and heaving a sigh of relief. Once she was in the town, it would be easy to get help. Many people knew her and her family. They would not stand for this mistreatment of her.

To her horror, the group turned onto a tiny path not ten meters before the cottage.

“No! No!” Jamesina could not help her screaming, she was just so frustrated. “Where are ye taking me?”

“Haud yer wheesht!” a male voice growled to her right and a huge black boot came in sight of her face. She was lightheaded from lying upside down and dizzy. She scrunched her eyes shut, praying that something or someone would come to her rescue. She felt strongly that she was in extreme danger even more than the thought of being abducted. Her body was warning her that it could not stand much more and if it was forced to, something bad would happen.

“Please, please, please, let me sit up.” She was crying and begging with no thought of pride or bravery. The alarm bells did not stop ringing and so she did not stop begging.

Suddenly the horses stopped and she heard hurried, irritated footsteps heading her way. She held her breath and almost cried with relief when someone cut the ropes holding her legs and hands together.

“Thank ‘e. Thank ‘e.” She tried to straighten herself up but her limbs had gone dead. The man made an impatient sound and pulled her around like she was a sack of potatoes. She made a protesting sound but was too weak to do much else. He straightened her up on the horse, her legs falling to each side. She tried to sit up but felt quite faint and began to list to the side. Nobody tried to help her as she almost slid right off the horse so she grabbed onto his mane and held on tight, pulling herself upright that way. The horse whinnied and jerked in annoyance, almost breaking loose from the man who held his bridle.

There was a shout of alarm and anger from the men around her and someone slashed a whip across her bosom. She gasped in pain, doubling over. “Ye try tha’ agin and we’ll have the horse pull ye along from behind. Dinnae think ye can play wi’ us Mistress Barton.”

She blinked a few times, looking around to see if she might recognize any of their faces. They all had kerchiefs tied around their mouths and noses, their heads covered with scarves, shawls, and arisaids. Trying to breathe shallowly through the pain, she dropped her head, keeping a hand firmly in the horse’s mane as they resumed their journey.

They seemed to be heading downhill towards a thick copse of trees that sat in a valley between two hills.

Is it a hideout? If they mean tae ransom me I suppose they dinnae want tae go far. Perhaps Daividh will be able tae track me. He’s a good hunter.

But then she remembered that if these men were what was left of the Hunter clan, then they knew that Daividh was a good tracker and would certainly not make it easy for him to follow. A wave of homesickness swept through her as she thought of her warm bed, the keep probably just stirring, fires lit, and food being prepared for breakfast. Her stomach rumbled at the thought even as she felt nauseous.

She’d been ignoring the vomiting that had become part of her morning routine of late, too worried about other things. But now that she thought about it, she remembered that Fiona was the same when she was pregnant with the twins. She stiffened with surprise and wonder.

Is it possible? Could I be…heavy with a bairn?

She didn’t know whether to be happy or miserable at this realization. The hand not holding onto the horse’s mane slipped slowly around her waist, cradling her stomach tenderly.

I wilnae let anything happen tae ye.

She straightened up on the horse, back stiffening, legs tightening around the horse’s flanks, to hold her steady. She still felt lightheaded, sick, and weak, but she refused to let it sway her. She began to pay attention to the path they were on.

I cannae wait tae be rescued. If I get the opportunity, I have tae run.