Page 3 of Highlander's Escaped Prisoner
“Father, I am safe.” Nessa looked into his eyes, which were the same stormy blue as her own, and gave him a reassuring smile. “I have fifty guards around me, and I have been very well-schooled in the use of weapons! I have the fastest and most powerful horse for miles around. How much better protected could I be, for heaven’s sake?” She spoke in tones ofdeep exasperation. “You cannot keep me trapped in the castle forever.”
“I know, I know,” the laird replied. “You are a young woman, and you must have some freedom. I know this, but I cannot help thinking of your uncle Gerald. He was young too when he was killed, and he also thought he was safe.”
“The man who killed him is in prison, Father,” she pointed out. “He can do me no harm.”
“Bryce Blair knocked my brother off his horse,” he said bitterly, “and he rode over him while he was lying on the ground. Lying on theground,Nessa—utterly helpless!” He thumped his fist on the table. “But the tragedy is that he did not die at once. Do you know how long it took him to die, Nessa? Three days! Three days of absolute agony. If God had not forbidden us to kill, I would have put him out of his misery myself rather than watch him suffer like that. It was a mercy when he died. We are allowed to kill animals in pain, Daughter, so why not people? It is much kinder.”
Nessa had heard the story of her uncle’s death so often that she could almost repeat it word for word, but she tolerated it again and again because she loved her father so much. She had known and loved Gerald Guthrie too, but she had been only thirteen when he died, and his passing had meant much less to her. She tried to change the subject. “Father, you know the horse breeder Graham McKnight?”
Roy nodded.
“He has a new foal that I am interested in,” she informed him. “Can we go to see him tomorrow? And I need new silk to make a dress for my friend Moira’s wedding.”
Her father sighed. “I will come with you, and you may order the silk, Nessa.” He smiled at her. “Any more requests?”
Nessa took a deep breath. “May I go out on patrol with—”
“No!” The single word was like a hammer blow and was accompanied by a thump from the flat of her father’s hand on the table. “Absolutely not! The edges of this estate are dangerous. Not only are there members of the Blair clan around, but there are bandits too. You will do as I say and stay here.”
Nessa stood silent for a moment, glaring at him, then she turned on her heel and marched out, furious.
2
Nessa wandered around the castle for a while, trying to calm down. She felt as though her father was trying to wrap her in lambswool, but he could not protect her from everything. The outside world was a dangerous place whether you were male or female, young or old. Eventually, having climbed all the way up to the turrets and almost down to the dungeons, she went back to her own room, where she found Maudie sitting by the fire mending one of Nessa’s chemises. She flopped into a chair and growled in frustration.
Maudie put down her sewing. “What happened?” she asked with a sigh, although she knew the answer already.
“My father,” Nessa grumbled. “He will not let me out of his sight.”
“Well, ye’re out o’ his sight now,” Maudie said reasonably, laughing softly.
“I want to go on patrol with the guards.” Nessa got up and began to pace the room. “What is the use of knowing how to useweapons if I am not allowed to use them?”
“Ye are goin’ tae wear a hole in the carpet, lass,” Maudie remarked. “There is nay talkin’ tae ye when ye are in a mood like this.” She shook her head and picked up her sewing again. “Weapons like swords an’ bows are for big strong men, no’ wee lassies like you. Come back when ye have somethin’ sensible tae say.”
Bloody hell!Nessa thought mutinously.What is wrong with everyone today?
She marched downstairs to the section of the courtyard that was reserved for military training and immediately picked out her betrothed, Logan Crosbie. He was in the middle of a wrestling match; he had pinned an opponent to the ground and was sitting astride him, with his hands on his adversary’s shoulders.
However, the bout was not going all his way since Nessa could see by the massive hands of his opponent, which were gripping Logan’s upper arms, that he was slowly being pushed upward. After a few more moments, the other man managed to twist suddenly and flip Logan onto his back, reversing their positions. They were a match in strength and speed, and it was only when Logan managed to butt his head against his opponent’s that he was able to push him away and win the bout.
Both men lay gasping with exertion on the floor for a few moments before Logan stood up and helped the other man to his feet. They grinned at each other.
“Good fight, Robbie,” Logan said in admiration. “I thought you had me beaten for a minute!”
“I will next time!” Robbie McPhail, a big, redheaded stag of a man, clapped him on the back and laughed. “Ye dinnae beat bigRobbie twice!”
“Aye, we’ll see about that!” Logan laughed, waving to him as he walked away.
Nessa liked looking at Logan. Like her, he was fair, with reddish-blond hair and light gray eyes. He was neither tall nor short, but he was well-built, sturdy, and strong, and she had never seen him bested in a wrestling match, except by Bryce Blair. However, he could not wield a sword as well as she could, and he could certainly not shoot a bow with the same deadly accuracy. Nessa did not exactly love him, but then she had not been brought up to expect love when she married. As long as he treated her kindly, and she liked him well enough, she thought that they could have a happy enough life.
His skin was gleaming with sweat as he reached for a towel to wipe himself down, and Nessa gazed at his muscles enviously. Sometimes she wished she were as strong as a man.
“Very impressive,” she observed as she walked toward him. “But I thought for a moment that you were going to lose.”
He puffed out his chest and laughed. “I would never lose when you are watching me, Nessa,” he said fondly. “You inspire me.” His pale eyes crinkled appealingly as he smiled at her. “I must wash. I cannot kiss you smelling like this!” He picked up a bucket of water and poured it over his head.
Nessa knew it would be freezing and that he had only done it to impress her, but she was used to Logan’s ways now. They had long since passed the days when either had to show off to the other, but Maudie had told her it was something men always tried to do anyway.
