Tartans and Trysts by Victoria Roberts

Author:Victoria Roberts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Victoria Roberts
Published: 2016-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Threads of light lingered in the sky and then faded away like dying embers. The beauty of the sunset only heightened Doughall’s worry about Mistress Gunn. If she was in danger with the Gunn, he needed to know. Darkness would fall in an hour, and he was running out of time. He waited patiently in the brush for any sign of her, any glimpse to see that she was well. After their last encounter, he didn’t think she’d be brave enough to meet him at the loch again.

Leaving his mount tied to a tree, Doughall proceeded on foot through the forest. If Ceana was right, Mistress Gunn should be returning from her evening jaunt to the stream. No sooner did the thought cross his mind when to his right, a lone horse walked along the dirt path without a rider. As he made his way closer, he recognized the animal as belonging to Mistress Gunn.

With a quick glance over his shoulder, he stepped into the clearing and grabbed her mount by the reins. He couldn’t chance being spotted by Gunn guards. Hastily, he swung his leg over the horse and rode away from the castle. Following the trail, he came to a mountain stream as his eyes darted back and forth.

White water rushed over giant rocks, and the smell of pine overwhelmed his senses. The only sounds were the stream and the small stones that crushed under the weight of the mare. There was a clear path along the water, and he searched the bank for any trace of Mistress Gunn. When he glanced up, he saw a woman curled up in a tight ball in the grass a few yards away.

Doughall closed the distance between them.

“Mistress Gunn!” He dismounted and ran to her side. When he rolled her onto her back and she didn’t respond, he tapped her cheek. “Mistress Gunn.”

“Doughall?”

“Aye.”

She held her hand to her head. “I fell from my mount.”

“I know. I found her. A bheil thu ceart gu leòr?” Are you all right?

“I have nae been myself. I’ve been having spells of dizziness and nausea.”

“That does nae surprise me, lass. Ye’ve been under a great deal of stress.”

Grabbing his arm for support, she sat up. “What are ye doing here? If my father’s men find ye—”

“I wanted to make certain ye were well.” He gave her an easy smile. As she attempted to pull herself to her feet, he placed his arm around her waist to assist her. “Does your father suspect that ye’ve spoken to the MacKay?”

Her gentle laugh tinkled through the air. “I’m in enough trouble with my father without him suspecting me of speaking with the MacKay. I assure ye.”

Doughall gestured to a rock. “Do ye want to sit?”

She shook her head. “Nay. I need to return to the castle.”

“Then I’ll make haste. Luthais took his leave early this morn.”

“I pray that he finds Anna and brings her home.” She placed her hand on his arm and spoke imploringly. “I know Luthais and Ceana doona trust me, but ye must believe that I told ye the truth about Anna’s whereabouts.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.