“Please don’t,” she interrupted gently. “Iappreciate your offer, though. But I cannot ask for theiracceptance. I have to earn it.”
Tess pushed past the two brothers and slowlycontinued toward the village. She had thought the greatest test ofher courage would be facing her mother. But this was muchharder.
She took one last look at the abandoned farm.Suddenly, there seemed to be so much more at stake.
A moment later, she heard the hooves of theMacpherson horses behind her. She turned in her saddle and foundColin and James riding right behind her. Tess took strength fromColin’s reassuring nod.
At the crest of a hill beyond the glen, shereined her mare again to a halt. At the bottom of a long gentleslope, beside a broad creek, lay a partially ruined tower house.Stretching out from what had once been a stone curtain wall, acluster of fifty or so cottages formed a village on both sides ofthe water. On this side of the brook, at some distance from theouter line of huts, an orchard of fruit trees ran in neat rows upthe hillside, and a small herd of the shaggy, red cattle grazed inopen pastureland. On the other side of the valley, she could seegood-sized flocks of sheep and newborn lambs.
“That is Ravenie to your right.”
At James’s announcement, Tess looked pastthe village. There, Ravenie Castle loomed proudly on the highground overlooking the countryside. From this distance, she couldsee no sign of the fire, no indication that there ever was anydamage.
Tess looked back at the fields and at thebriskly running stream and, finally, at the village. “You say theLindsay chieftain once lived at the tower house?”
“Aye. They call it the Tower. The castleitself is only as old as your father would have been. I believeyour grandfather built it.”
The happy shrieks of children drew Tess’sgaze back to the huts, and the edges of her mouth turned up in asmile as she watched a dozen, small, barefooted urchins running inplayful pursuit of a dog. She wondered if in her own childhood, shehad been allowed to come and play in the village.
Tess’s attention turned to the groups of menand women who seemed to have stopped the planting they were doing.They were all staring up the hill in their direction.
“They won’t be afraid of Macpherson men,will they?” she asked James, suddenly concerned.
“Macphersons have never raided these landsbefore. And in times of hardship, many Lindsay crofters havetraveled west and taken shelter among our people. There is noreason for them to be fearful now.”
But some of the Lindsays seemed definitelyagitated, Tess thought. She watched as a number of them startedquickly down toward the village.
She led her horse through the groves offruit trees that lined the steep hillside. The rest of the groupfollowed behind her. Breaking out of the trees into one of theupper pastures, Tess reined in her mount and called a greeting tohalf a dozen workers who were watching the riders approach.
None raised a hand in welcome. None called agreeting. And the Macphersons were not the object of these people’shard stares. Tess was.
She swallowed the painful knot of disappointmentthat was threatening to choke her and rode slowly past the silentthrong.
“Perhaps we should go to the castle first,” Jamessuggested.
“She has to face this. ‘Tis best that she do itnow,” Colin said in answer to his brother. But Tess could havespoke them, as well. She was glad that he understood.
As they approached the village, she could see morepeople coming down from the fields to the edge of the path.Regardless of whether they were man or women or a child, theirexpressions were the same…and they were far from friendly. Anarrowshot from the edge of the stream, as dozens of onlookerswatched, Tess climbed down from her horse.
Colin and James reined their steeds inbeside her. She handed the reins to James. The rest of theMacphersons were lined up behind their leaders.
“I would like to walk from here alone.”
Colin instantly opened his mouth to object,but then closed it without a word.
“I just ask for a little time,” she saidsoftly, reaching up and taking his hand. “This is all part of whatI have to face…alone.”
He nodded, but his fingers held on to hersfor an extended moment before he finally let her go.
Tess turned to face her destiny.
Straight ahead, she could see that thenarrow road that led to the ruined tower house was crowded withpeople. Tess took a deep breath and stepped toward the eerilysilent assembly.
The same children that had been runninghappily before now moved to stand beside their elders. Tess lookeddown at the bare feet and dirty faces, at the rags that they woreas clothes. This close, she saw other things, as well. The look ofhunger was pronounced in some faces. There was illness in others.There was also curiosity and caution and even despair.
She looked hard at the poor condition of thecottages…and she knew. What she saw here was so different from whatshe’d seen at Benmore Castle. These people had clearly been ignoredand neglected by those who had promised to protect them. For toolong the people themselves had been abandoned.
As Tess approached the first line of cottages, ascrawny dog of black and tan approached, hackles up and growling inobvious nervousness. Without retreating a step, Tess held out herhand, palm flat, welcoming the animal and his scrutiny. After amoment of sniffing, the dog wagged his tail and retired to hisowner with the air of a victorious warrior.
