Page 42 of The Highlander's Inconvenient Wife
“That’s when MacAdair attacked the castle and took Joan,” Jasper finished explaining to the group what had happened up until Avery and Darragh had arrived. “We were taken completely by surprise.”
“I ken MacAdair,” Darragh said with a frown. “I daenae think he would have attacked without provocation. An’ the fact that he did so after ye let his men go free doesnae make any sense either. There must be another reason that none of us are seein’.”
Martha poured them each a mug of ale as they sat around the table in the dining hall. She’d remained quiet after admitting she’d had a hand in not sending the letter to Darragh and Avery. Jasper knew he’d need to reassure her that the events were not her fault, but he needed to focus on finding Joan first. There would be plenty of time for formalities once she was safely back at his castle.
“How did he know that Joan was even here?” Avery asked as she placed her mug of ale between her hands, moving it slowly back and forth without taking a sip. She seemed just as tired and stunned as Martha did.
“That’s what I don’t understand either,” Martha spoke up for the very first time. “The lass never even left the castle while she was here. He couldn’t have known that she was here unless someone told him,” she frowned and shook her head as she sat beside Avery with the Jug of ale in her hands. The bags under her eyes were evidence of the toll the situation was taking on her. Anyone could see that she’d grown attached to the girl in the short time that Joan had been at the castle.
“I took her to the cliff overlooking the meadow,” Jasper spoke up when everyone remained quiet. “MacAdair found her there on the cliff, but I daenae think that was the only reason. He must have had another reason for being there in the first place.”
“What on earth were ye doin’ on the cliff?” Martha tilted her head to the side as she looked up and studied her son’s face.
Sighing, Jasper ran his hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair. “She said that she wanted to drink whiskey in a meadow like a real Scotsman. It was her last wish a’fore Avery an’ Darragh came to fetch her.”
“Oh my God,” Avery lifted her hands to her mouth in shock as she gasped.
“What’s the matter?” Darragh shifted closer to her, his brow creasing with a concerned frown.
“They are telling the truth, Darragh,” she eventually said after lowering her hands down to her lap. “That was a conversation that Joan and I had back in London,” she said almost tearfully. “I told her to stay away from whiskey; it was nasty stuff that Scotsmen drank in meadows,” she paused and looked at the people sitting around the table before looking at her husband. “No offense meant; this was a conversation we had before I fell in love with you,” she hurriedly explained.
Darragh shook his head with his eyes shut as the feintest of smiles tugged at the corner of his lips. It was clear to Jasper that the mountain of a laird loved his wife more than words could say. His heart ached for Joan and all the things that he’d been wanting to say to her over the past few days but never quite got the chance to utter.
“None taken dear,” Martha shook her head and waved the idea away with her hand. “Whisky is nasty stuff; I cannae stand the stuff meself. I’m always tellin’ the lads that ale is better for yer bones.”
Giving her a grateful smile, Avery looked back down at her hands that lay limply in her lap. “She had said that if she ever met a Scottish man she could trust, she would ask him to drink whisky in a meadow with her.” She raised her head and looked Jasper in the eye with an intense gaze. “The fact that she asked you to do that with her means a lot.”
Jasper held her gaze as a million thoughts ran through his mind.
Perhaps Joan feels the same way about me as I do about her.
It warmed his heart to know that she trusted him enough to fulfil a dream of hers. He made a vow to always take her to the meadow with whisky for the rest of his life.
“We have to come up with a plan to get her back,” Darragh’s voice broke into his thoughts. “MacAdair willnae harm her; ye can be reassured of that. He is a good man; perhaps the whole misunderstanding can be cleared up if I go an’ talk to him. He’s negotiated peace talks with me in the past, an’ it always went well.”
“I can have the horses saddled an’ ready in less than an hour,” Jasper said as he placed his hands on the table and stood, using his knees to push his chair back. The wood scraped across the stone floor, filling the already tense air.
“I think it may be best if we allow things to cool down a bit a’fore we go chargin’ in,” Darragh advised. “We should sit here an’ come up with a plan that will allow us to approach the situation with utmost caution. The last thin’ ye want is a war on yer hands; ye will want to avoid that at all costs.”
“I think he’s right,” Martha stood and placed her hand on his arm. “If Darragh kens the laird, he will know how best to handle the situation. I think we should take his advice.” she held his gaze for a moment. “For Joan’s sake, it’s best to get her back without makin’ the situation worse than it already is. Ye’ve kept the best interests of the clan all these years, I trust ye will do the same now.”
Jasper pursed his lips as he fought against the urge to do things the way he had always done them before. Yet there was something different now; things had changed. The situation couldn’t be handled with force, not when Joan’s life was at stake. He needed to ensure that he acted in a manner that would keep her safe.
“What did ye have in mind?” he asked and sat back down.
There was a time to act and a time to listen. If listening was what would get Joan back in the safest and fastest manner, listening is what he would do.
* * *
“What are you doing here?” Joan asked with her mouth hanging open as she turned to see Edwin Grandison at the other end of the clearing. He was wearing a powder blue suit with a top hat and cane. She always hated the way he tried to stand out. He looked ridiculous to her at balls when he dressed in a manner that suggested he wanted to outshine the rest of the men.
“I have come for you, my sweet,” he explained as he took a few steps forward, straightening his cufflinks with an arrogant smirk. “I enlisted the help of the kind laird here when your friends proved to be just as barbaric as the rest of Scotland.” He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he spoke.
Joan felt as if he had slapped her through the face with his sudden appearance. She couldn’t believe the audacity of the man to invade her privacy like this. “You went to Darragh and Avery?”
“Oh, yes,” he conceded as he placed his hands behind his back with a cheerful smile that made her sick to her stomach. “It was all too easy to track down your friends after you left London.” He thrust his nose in the air while chuckling.
MacAdair frowned. Joan could tell that he was having second thoughts about helping Edwin, but then again, the baron did come across as charming the first time that she had met him. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that she realized how arrogant and forceful he was. He seemed to be able to fool people into thinking he was genuine, a skill that had evidently been worked on MacAdair.
