Highland Vengeance (16 page)

“
I promise I will take the
beating from our laird. Broderick, can we reach the Sutherlands
before sundown?”

“
Yes m’lady, if we hurry,”
he answered.

“
Then go! Have everyone
ready. We leave immediately,” she yelled.

It did not take long for the clan to
gather their supplies and ready themselves for they already had
been planning to leave early the next day. Olivia went to her
cottage and as soon as the door closed behind her, she fell to her
knees and began to sob. Olivia was never the crying type of woman
and she had prided herself on that. In fact, the last time the
countess shed a tear seemed like an eternity ago. Now, Olivia
poured her emotions out in a way she was not familiar with. The
young woman prayed to God with faith and with fury.

“
Lord you cannot do this to
me. I will not allow it. You can’t give me the greatest blessing of
my life and then snatch it away from me. You will keep him safe
until I can reach him. Please Lord, please, I need him. I love
him,” she said with her heart pounding in her chest.

Olivia heard a knock at her door and
she quickly stood to compose herself before answering it. She
opened the door to see Agnes standing there with Broderick’s plaid
that Camden had given her.

“
They are here m’lady. The
plaids are in the wagon that arrived not too long ago from the
weaver. They are beautiful m’lady,” the old woman said.

The laird’s wife rushed to see the
plaids that had been replicated after Broderick’s family colors and
when she saw them, Olivia thought Agnes had understated their
beauty. The plaids were much more than that and the meaning behind
them made Olivia weepy again. The countess had to tell herself not
to cry. Now everyone would remove their different plaids and they
would truly be united as Broderick’s clan.

She hurried to find Broderick and
showed him the new plaids. He was just as astonished and Olivia
could have sworn the giant man was about to cry. Broderick went
into Olivia’s cottage and came back out with the Sinclair plaid
folded to give to Olivia. Broderick wore his family’s plaid and
then called everyone together. The new laird officially dubbed them
the Kincaid clan and gave everyone a new plaid. The men bowed to
Broderick after they donned his colors.

“
Together we are united as a
family and together we will fight for Laird Sinclair. We will right
this injustice and defeat the McKay clan!” He yelled.

The crowd cheered for the new laird
before them and they all vowed to help Laird Sinclair and his
people. They left the village and headed north towards the
Sutherlands border. Broderick led the way with Olivia to his right.
Travis was carefully placed in a wagon with blankets for the
journey. Olivia insisted he rest until all the stab wounds that she
had stitched up were healed. Travis’s escort of men would have to
take a longer route through the terrain that would allow a wagon to
pass through.

Just after nightfall, the group of
newly trained warriors had reached the Sutherlands territory.
Broderick rode to the holding to speak with their laird and explain
what happened. The new laird also sent men to the Drummond clan and
the Macleod clan so that they were aware of all that had
transpired. These clans would join together in this fight and with
their help, they would greatly outnumber the McKay men.

It was a cold windy night and Olivia
had a hard time trying to fall asleep. Everyone else was tired and
she could hear the heavy breathing as the men in the clan slept on
the ground not too far from her. Thoughts of Camden raced through
Olivia’s mind and she prayed again to God that he would survive.
The countess shivered as the cold reached her bones and Olivia knew
she would not be able to sleep without having her husband’s arms
around her.

Broderick could hear Olivia’s teeth
chattering in the chilly night. The warrior decided dealing with
the wrath of Camden was worth keeping her warm. Broderick moved
next to her and wrapped his large arms around Olivia. She instantly
welcomed his warmth and curled to chest. He rested his chin against
her head and sighed noisily.

“
M’lady, Laird Sinclair will
surely kill me for this but your trembling is keeping me awake,” he
teased.

“
Broderick I assure you that
Camden will be more than grateful to you for keeping me alive with
your warmth. But, just in case, maybe we shouldn’t tell him about
this,” she laughed softly.

“
Thank you kindly m’lady,
and may ask how your wound is healing?”

“
It is fine Broderick, thank
you for your concern but remember if you tell anyone, I will keep
my promise,” she said with a smile.

The countess would never admit that the
deep cut in her side burned like hell and riding on her horse had
only made the pain worse. With the winter frost covering the land,
Olivia was able to sleep comfortably in the arms of the large
soldier. She dreamed of Camden and the children they would have
together in the future. As the morning sun began to warm the chilly
air, Broderick moved himself away from Olivia to make sure that no
one would speculate any transgressions.

Laird Sutherland had come to where
everyone was camped for the night. His men brought warm bread and
drinks for Broderick’s new clan. Olivia introduced herself to the
laird and she immediately liked the man. He was Travis’s uncle and
she could easily see the resemblance.

“
Lady Sinclair, Broderick
tells me that ye plan to lead this army into battle. It is not
common for a woman to do such a thing ye know,” Laird Sutherland
said in a thick brogue.

“
I hear that a lot Laird
Sutherland. It may not be common anywhere but I promise you that I
would not endanger my husband’s life and the lives of these
honorable men just to fulfill a fantasy of mine. I am more than
capable to go to battle and I am grateful for your help to fight
alongside of us,” she insisted.

Laird Sutherland chuckled deeply. “My
nephew was correct. Ye have fire in ye blood for sure m’lady. I
thank ye for savin’ his life.”

“
Travis has made it here
then? I would like to see him before we leave. Would that be
possible?” She said anxiously.

“
Aye, he is here and he
wants to see ye too,” the laird replied.

Olivia smiled hearing the news that
Travis had arrived safely to his family’s clan. She would not need
to worry about him now as they left for the Sinclair holding. Laird
Sutherland held his breath as the beautiful woman entranced him
with her smile. My God, he thought, Laird Sinclair had to be the
luckiest bastard alive to have exquisiteness like that for his
wife.

After seeing to Travis and demanding
that he stay behind, Olivia called her men to gather round. Her men
consisted of Liam, Stephan, Keith and Calum because they were the
only ones that wore the Sinclair plaid now. Broderick gathered his
clan and Olivia smiled at him as he took authority over the Kincaid
clan. With everyone prepared, the massive group led by Olivia and
her guard, headed to the Sinclair holding.

As they rode, Liam gave Olivia more
details about the Sinclair clan and he told her in further detail
what happened after the wedding night. He explained how Camden
carried the guilt of not being there to protect his
clan.

“
It was not his fault. Will
the Sinclairs hold him responsible?” She wondered.

“
Nay m’lady. He protested
the marriage to the McKay woman from the beginning. He was so
grateful that Maggie was not there to be harmed that night but now
he must be devastated knowing she is gone,” Stephan
replied.

“
Oh no, Maggie!” Olivia
cried out.

Chapter Eight

“
What is it m’lady?” Liam
asked.

“
Her body. Ian was supposed
to send his men to bring her body home but they were the ones that
took Camden. We have to get her body back to the Sinclair land. We
have too!” She said frantically.

“
It may be too late for that
m’lady,” Liam answered.

“
No! Stephan you know where
she was, correct?” She asked.

“
Yes m’lady.”

“
Then go. Bring her body to
the Sinclair holding. Please, she is all our laird has left,”
Olivia begged.

“
I won’t leave your side
m’lady. Not with you going into battle,” Stephan vowed.

“
Stephan, don’t make me
curse at you. Just obey my orders please. Tell Broderick where you
are going and take a few of his men with you. Now go and not
another word from you,” she said with power.

“
Yes, m’lady,” Stephan
answered sounding defeated.

Olivia smiled at Liam and he returned
her smirk knowing that she was truly in charge. The laird’s wife
felt the rush of control flowing through her body and it
strengthened her being deep inside. Olivia knew she needed to lead
these men to victory and she had to save her husband.

Last night, as she dreamed of her
future with Camden, she had a brief flash of Brenton in her mind.
The words he had spoken to her replayed in her mind repeatedly. The
baron told Olivia that her fire and spirit were supreme to any
other woman. Brenton also said that she was born to do great
things. Now, as Olivia rode into unfamiliar territory without
knowing what lay ahead of her, the proud woman knew this was what
she had been born to do.

Olivia continued to pray to God above
for wisdom and insight as they rode higher into the steep terrain.
The closer they got to the Sinclair border the colder the air
seemed to be. The countess wondered just how high Camden’s land was
and if they were getting close. The sky was beginning to darken and
Olivia noticed the clouds were heavy above them.

“
Liam, are we getting close
to the Sinclair border?” She asked.

“
M’lady we have been on the
Sinclair land for quite some time now. We need to join with the
Drummond and Macleod clans before we go into the Sinclair Castle.
We will have set camp soon for it looks to snow tonight,” the first
in command answered.

“
Let Broderick and Laird
Sutherland know to prepare a camp for the night. Are we very close
to the holding? I am getting impatient and I anxious to find my
husband,” she worried.

Keith answered her. “M’lady word has
been sent to the other clans and we will meet them in the morning.
By noon, we will be killing MacKay men and saving the Sinclairs,”
he said with enthusiasm.

“
How far is it from Camden’s
land to where Malcolm is? I am sure Malcolm is waiting for my
husband’s guard to try to rescue him. The longer we wait, I fear
the worse off he will be,” Olivia asked with worry.

“
It is another day’s ride
m’lady. We will secure the Sinclair clan and then we will leave as
soon as possible to help our laird,” Calum replied.

The men quickly began to set up
makeshift tents to protect them from the coming snowfall. Broderick
set a small tent up for Olivia near the fire to help keep her warm.
She quickly climbed in and buried herself in her husband’s plaid
for warmth. Olivia would not confess to anyone that she was growing
weary and feared that she was becoming ill. Her stomach and face
were severely bruised from the blows she had received from Ian and
her body ached all over. Olivia worried most about the wound in her
side. The countess had rubbed the stitched up gash with a salve of
medical herbs and prayed to God that it would heal soon.

The night moved on and Olivia laid
there in the dark listening to the soft sound of the snow falling
outside her tent. Somehow, as if she could hear him calling to her,
Olivia knew Camden was thinking of her. She longed to hear his
voice and yearned to feel his touch. Olivia was burning inside with
the need of having Camden by her side.

Long ago, she would have chided herself
for letting feelings of the heart interfere with the impending
battle but now, thoughts of Camden all but consumed her. Olivia had
always been strong and could fight with the toughest of warriors.
The only insecurity she had was the emotion of love between a man
and a woman. Now, Olivia had recklessly abandoned her fears of love
and plunged fully and completely into the depth of it.

In the distant night, Camden’s body
trembled from the cold damp air around him. His head pounded with
pain and the warrior knew the wounds they had given him were
bleeding. While battling the eight men that attacked him, Laird
Sinclair was struck over the head with a rock and it knocked him
out cold. He was then tied up and taken to the MacKay holding where
Malcolm was waiting for him. Upon his arrival, Camden was tossed to
the ground and then welcomed with Malcolm’s fist.

After finishing the brutal beating of
Laird Sinclair, Malcolm ordered his men to put him in a cell deep
below the crumbling castle. He had been starved of food since his
capture but Camden would not let his energy diminish. When the
guards were gone, Camden exercised to keep his muscles strong and
his blood warm. The warrior knew to play the weak prisoner when
around his captors but he wanted to remain strong for when planned
his escape. Three times Camden had been brought before Malcolm and
three times, Camden denied the orders Malcolm tried to force upon
him.