Highland Vengeance (5 page)

“
But Laird, an English
bride?” Liam asked incredulously.

“
Was there no other way
then?” Broderick asked his laird.

“
This is easier than I
expected,” Camden said to his men. “I would gladly marry a little
English girl in order to take back what is mine.”

“
Aye laird, this is going to
be easier for us, we aren’t the ones that are gettin’ married,”
Broderick smiled.

The rest of the men enjoyed the
amusement at Camden’s expense.

“
Broderick, you are coming
with me to speak with the men who live in this English territory. I
will need to gain their loyalty and trust. The rest of you will
wait here for word from the king to find out when I can retrieve my
new wife,” Camden said with a hint of laughter as it finally sank
in, what seemed so humorous to his men.

Again, the men laughed out with their
thunderous voices at the thought of Camden getting married to a
little timid English girl. The following morning, Camden and
Broderick hurried to the Highland area that had no real laird.
Since this area had been given to the English king from King James
III many years ago, all that had taken place there was constant
fighting. Weak men continued to try to take the position as laird
but always failed in doing so and the more powerful men never could
gain anyone’s trust, so it remained a lawless land.

As the two large men crossed the border
into the English territory, they wondered why King James the III
had given it to the English anyway. It was a remote area and there
wasn’t much land that seemed useful. The entire area had massive
mountains with very few valleys in between for farming. The North
Sea was the area’s east border and it bordered the clan Mackenzie
to the west. Camden wasn’t sure where the north border was but the
southern edge seemed to stretch across the tips of several Highland
clans’ borders.

Camden and Broderick found the first
group of nomads that lived in this land and as they approached, all
of them quickly disappeared from view. The closer they got to the
small village, the more it looked like a camp. There were more
tents than actual cottages built. They jumped from their horses and
then Broderick quickly tied their mounts to a nearby
tree.

“
Who is the leader here?”
Camden called out.

There was no response from the hiding
people. Those that had seen the Highland warriors coming were
obviously afraid of them.

“
We mean no harm, we wish to
speak to all of you, please,” Camden said in a louder
voice.

Slowly, some of the men started to come
out from the tent walls and surrounding forest area. Camden
realized they were not going to come any closer and he would to
have to talk to them from a distance.

“
I asked the question, who
is the leader here, to see if any of you truly know. I am here to
tell you who your leader is,” Camden stated.

He had them listening now. More men
came out and they moved closer to the two large men. The
dysfunctional clan wondered if this was another challenge to
declare laird because if that were so, the two men would surely win
against all of them.

“
Do any of you know who owns
this land rightfully?” He paused. “I didn’t think so. It is a young
English girl, she is your leader.”

There were murmurs and whispers among
the men and a few of shouted “nay” out loud.

“
It is the truth. When King
James gave it to the English, it was given to a young countess
there as an inheritance. Have you ever wondered why the English
have done nothing with this land? The girl probably does not even
know it belongs to her. However, it will not belong to her much
longer. It will belong to me. I plan to marry the English girl and
therefore this will become my land. I am Laird Camden Sinclair and
when I return, you will all declare your fidelity to me or die,”
Camden ordered.

“
Aye my laird speaks the
truth. Move about this land and tell all those around to be waiting
here when we return. We will train you to fight and be the Highland
warriors you were born to be,” Broderick shouted to the few dozen
men.

The crowd seemed stunned for a moment
and then they burst into cheers for the two men before them. Camden
watched their shouts of approval and he felt as if they had been
children without a father and now someone had come to claim them.
He actually wanted to help these men find the confidence that ran
through their Highland blood. Camden could feel deep down inside
that his plan was going to work. He would be able to take back the
Sinclair land and bring vengeance to the MacKay clan.

Camden had ridden into England with his
men as soon as they had received word that King Henry had agreed to
the marriage. Within a few days, they reached their destination of
King Henry’s court and the men made camp just outside the walls of
the city. Camden had washed in the nearby river before bed that
night. He took his time in the frigid water while he thought of his
retaliation.

The next morning the Highland laird
brought Liam and Broderick with him to greet the king. As the men
walked through the mass of peasants before they reached the castle,
everyone seemed to move, clearing a pathway for them. The gigantic
men were dressed in their usual manner except now they wore a tunic
to cover their bare chests and Camden could not understand why
everyone stared openly at them.

As they were escorted into the large
castle to meet the king of England, Camden became curious about his
future bride. He wondered if the girl would be as small as all the
English women appeared to be. Only a few of the men came to
Camden’s shoulders and they must all fear the sun, for every one of
them were pasty white in color.

A herald announced to the king of
Camden’s arrival as they entered the elaborate keep. He looked
around and saw the elegant castle was much grander than that of the
Scottish king. The warriors made their way to the throne where King
Henry VII sat with his young son Prince Henry VIII next to him.
Camden was surprised at the sight of the king because he seemed to
be large in stature, unlike most of his people.

“
Welcome Laird Sinclair, I
am anxious to meet the Highland legend that has come to claim his
bride,” King Henry said.

Camden bowed slightly, as did Broderick
and Liam, to show respect for the king that he needed on his
side.

“
I know nothing of being a
legend Your Majesty but I am here to marry the owner of the
Highland territory,” Camden said honestly.

The king chuckled and his young son
joined in his laughter. The Highlanders wondered what was so
amusing to the royalty.

“
It seems you greatly wish
to rule this land and you are willing to do so at any cost. Do you
know anything of your bride to be?” The king asked.

“
I only know she is a young
countess that was raised in an abbey. Does she even know that she
is the true owner of this land, Your Majesty?” Camden
answered.

“
Ah, she does not know of
this inheritance but her older brother who is the Royal Duke of
Lansington, is aware and he has been made known of this
arrangement. In fact, he asked me to give you a message. He said to
tell you exactly, “she never stays where you put her,” the king
said smiling.

Camden wondered what her brother meant
by the comment but it did not really matter for he was prepared to
take the girl no matter what.

He then asked the king. “How quickly
can the ceremony take place?”

Chapter Three

Olivia wrung her hands together while
she paced nervously back and forth in the guest quarters of the
king’s castle. The king himself had summoned the young woman to
come to the royal court and now she prayed silently to God that
there were no plans to find a gentleman suitor for her. Olivia had
never met her father’s cousin, King Henry but she knew her second
cousin, Prince Henry very well and she was afraid he had put the
notion in his father’s head that it was time for her to be courted
by men.

She had dreaded this day for a long
time and now Olivia could not hide behind her older brother’s
promise. She remembered the first few months she lived at the
convent when she was only eleven years of age. The young countess
learned to obey the nuns in the abbey very quickly or she faced the
consequences. Of course, none of them would dare raise a hand to a
royal child but the glares Olivia received were a much more severe
punishment. Sometimes she wished they would just whip her instead
of making her feel so guilty.

The countess fought hard with the nuns
over going barefoot but her battle was quickly lost. She also had
to keep her hair pulled back and braided while she attended her
lessons. After being there for one month, Garrison had come to the
abbey to visit his little sister. The duke was surprised in the
change of her behavior in such a short time. Olivia explained to
her brother that if she obeyed the nuns, she was rewarded with free
time outside to explore the forest surrounding the abbey. This was
pure bliss for the countess after being kept in the dark and dreary
buildings all day.

Every time Garrison visited his sister,
she seemed to be taking more pleasure in her new home. As she grew
older, Olivia learned to act prim and proper for the nuns and then
strip to barely anything while she climbed the trees and hunted
with her bow and arrows. She continued to ride her horse daily as
instructed but always under the close watch of the stable master.
No one knew of course, the things Olivia did beyond the walls of
the abbey.

Over time, the sisters at the convent
had grown to love Olivia and all that she was. After helping the
nuns with their monthly ledgers, she had noticed that a certain
merchant was taking great advantage of them. The next time he came
to the abbey, was also the last time he came. Olivia was fearless
as she chided the large man for stealing from God and everyone
watching thought the man was about to cry by the time she was done.
As he turned to leave the beautiful young woman added, “I hope you
burn in hell” to her speech. At that moment, Olivia gained a
reputation among the sisters as the spirited one.

When she had been at the abbey for over
four years, the countess noticed that most of the young girls her
age were being married off. Olivia knew it was common for girls to
have a husband and a child by the time they turned sixteen but that
was the last thing Olivia wanted. When Garrison made a trip to see
her after she had turned fifteen, the young girl feared he was
coming to wed her off too. When Olivia told her brother that she
never wanted to leave the abbey, the duke promised that she could
stay until her nineteenth birthday.

Now here she was, at the king’s court,
just after she had turned nineteen. Olivia always hoped that if she
did have to marry someday, that it would be to Brenton. Each time
Garrison would bring Olivia home for a visit, she saw the baron and
he seemed to get even more handsome, if that were possible. Over
the years, the countess became frustrated that Brenton had not
noticed her and that he still called her “baby girl” every time
they were together.

Her young love for the baron changed a
few months ago when she had confessed her tender feelings to
Brenton and he did not return them. At first, Olivia was crushed
when she realized that her youth was spent dreaming of a man that
did not want her. Sitting in her brother’s library, with tears
streaming down her face, Brenton said something that changed how
Olivia felt about him. He did have feelings for her too but Brenton
knew that he could never tame the passion within her. The baron
told her that she was born to do great things and he could never
marry her and watch her fiery spirit burn out.

Olivia knew at that moment Brenton was
right. She had remembered telling her brother when she was a mere
child that she never wanted to be just a wife and gossip with the
other noblemen’s wives. As the countess continued to wait to speak
with the king, her mind was reeling with ways to escape the
desperate situation. Maybe she could make it to Lansington Castle
where her brother and his new wife Ella lived, she thought. Olivia
decided if she could hide, she would not be forced to be courted by
all the self-centered aristocrats. She truly hated being around the
noblemen with their high and mighty attitudes. Olivia wondered if
Garrison knew King Henry had commanded her to come to court. She
thought surely if he did know, the duke would stop this impending
disaster.

As Olivia lost herself in thought,
there was a loud knock at the door and the king’s steward entered
with several women following behind. They were all carrying things
and then another man entered and brought in a beautiful
cream-colored gown. The dress was everything one would expect a
royal countess to wear when she was to greet her king.

“
M’lady, you are to be ready
in one hour’s time and then you will be presented to His Majesty.
There are twelve women here to help you dress properly and
everything you could need has been provided. His Majesty is anxious
to see you,” the steward smiled.

“
I am anxious to see him as
well,” she said briskly.

“
Of course you are m’lady.
Also Prince Henry gives his warmest welcome.”