Page 21 of Highlander’s Quest of Desire

Chapter Eight

Elspeth was having the time of her life, and she suspected Willow felt the same. True, there were no comforts of home. She had to do most tasks herself because she felt Bruce was too weak for them, but she thrived doing them. Collecting wood, building fires, finding edible mushrooms and fruits, buying meat and bread from passing villages - it was everything and more than she had imagined.

The people in the villages they passed assumed they were husband and wife. Elspeth didn't think to disabuse them of their assumptions. If they were presumed to be husband and wife on their way home after consulting quack English doctors for Bruce's illness, all the better. No one should know the truth of their identity. It would be disastrous if they found out. Bruce was improving day by day, but he was still too weak to take on a troop of English soldiers on his own.

Elspeth didn't dwell on the small thrill she got every time someone called her Bruce's wife. Bruce was handsome, but more than that he was noble and driven by a sense of destiny. When he was busy thinking about his secret mission, a bright aura seemed to glow about him, casting him in a beautiful light. Elspeth had often caught herself staring at him.

Bruce did strange things to her. When their hands brushed, or when she tended to his wounds, shock waves of lightning coursed through her body. She desperately wanted him to trust her with his secret so she could help him, but Bruce was determined to go on this mission alone.

What they needed were allies, but Bruce, stubborn, bad-tempered, infuriating Bruce, refused to consider it. It was the fourth day of their journey, yet he still refused to tell her where they were going and why.

Elspeth wondered about all of these things as she rode into town. Bruce had made camp near Loch Lomond. It would be foolish to come into town with an English garrison stationed on Conic Hill. The Hill looked down upon the small town like a foreboding shadow. Elspeth observed that the people here were happy and prosperous, despite the English soldiers. They reminded her of her people at Blair castle. She wondered what they were doing and hoped they weren't worried about her too much.

Elspeth stopped at the apothecary first. She replenished her stock of St. Paul's Potion, cloves, and lavender oil and bought dittany for Bruce's wound. It was no longer infected, but the skin needed healing. Dittany would aid the process.

Next, she stopped at the baker's. The smell of fresh buns made her head spin. They had traveled the past day without stopping anywhere to collect food. The towns had been bigger, but the presence of English forces and spies had been a deterrent.

Elspeth was very hungry. She bought four loaves and bit into one immediately.

"Starving?" the lady selling bread asked.

Elspeth's mouth was full, so she nodded, smiling, her cheeks bulging.

"Ye donnae seem poor," the lady remarked. "Yer clothes are nice enough. So, why are ye starving?"

Elspeth swallowed. "I was very tired yesterday and slept before supper," she lied.

"Are ye staying at the inn down the road?"

Elspeth wondered if the woman was generally nosy or if she was collecting information for someone else. One could never be too careful these days. English spies were everywhere. Some Scotsmen had placed their faith in the English and actively betrayed their own to curry favor.

"Nae. We're just passing through."

"Ah," the baker said. "How many are ye? I only ask to see if four loaves would be enough."

"Tis just me and my husband."

"Where are ye headed?"

"Oban," Elspeth said. Technically this wasn't a lie. She had no idea where they were headed, so Oban was as likely a place as any.

"Ye have family there?" she asked.

Elspeth paid for the loaves; her appetite was suddenly gone. "Aye," she lied. "Thank ye for the loaves."

"Safe journey!" the lady waved her off.

Elspeth walked out at a leisurely pace to avoid raising suspicion, but she observed the baker from the periphery of her vision. As suspected, no sooner had Elspeth walked away from the shop, the woman went out.

She was spooked. Should she finish her errands in the town or rush back to Bruce? Considering her options, Elspeth walked around the town, hoping for inspiration. She bought more provisions as their stores were nearly depleted.

While she was buying a side of cured beef, she saw the baker standing in a shadowed doorway. Elspeth was instantly on high alert.

"You!" Someone tapped her from behind. She turned to see three English soldiers glowering down at her. "Where are ye from?"

"Oban," she said quickly, trying to make her tone as even as possible. If they suspected her of lies or deceit, God only knew what would happen. "Is something the matter?"

"Who are you traveling with?" the soldier asked. He had dark eyes, black as coals. They were disconcerting to look into.