Page 50 of Savage Kilted Highlander

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

When they reached the stables, Bane was as glad as he could be in the circumstances to find his horse there, comfortably settled in a stall, munching on fresh hay. The animal whickered as his master stroked him and whispered soft words of greeting. Content to bed down for the night beside his faithful friend, Bane entered the stall and collapsed onto the deep bed of straw provided, emotionally exhausted and aching all over.

Tav brought him some fresh water, which he drank down eagerly, not having realized how parched his throat was. It was icy cold, soothing and refreshing, and after he had drunk his fill, he started to feel a little more human.

“Christ almighty, ye got off lightly there all right,” Tav said with clear disbelief, hunkering down by his side.

“Aye, I thought I’d be spending the night in the dungeons and then swingin’ from a gibbet in the mornin’,” Bane admitted.

“Aye, me too. It was that lass of yers what swung it,” Tav remarked with a look of admiration. “She has a fire in her, that one. I’ve never kent anyone who dared speak tae the laird like that.”

“Aye, she’s small, but she’s full of courage,” Bane said quietly, hiding the pain he felt at loosing Constance for good.

“She must think a lot of ye tae defend ye like that. I suppose ye won her over with yer charm while ye were abductin’ her, eh?” Tav laughed, shaking his head.

“Somethin’ like that.” Bane leant his battered head back carefully against the wooden wall of the stall. He found he did not mind talking to his brother, but the anger he felt towards him still simmered beneath the surface. “I’m still waitin’ fer ye tae give me a proper explanation fer nae tellin’ us where ye went, why, and where ye were” he said. “I’ve spent the last year trying tae track ye down.”

Tav looked at him with deep regret. “Believe me, Bane, I cannae feel sorrier fer it than I already do. ’Tis all me fault what’s happened tae ye. If I’d only had the guts tae write tae ye, ye wouldnae have dreamed up such a foolish scheme tae save me. Jaysus, I nearly had a heart-attack when I saw the laird’s daughter peepin’ out from behind that tree. I thought I must be seein’ things. Then all hell let loose.”

Bane frowned, though it hurt him to do so. “Ye havenae answered me, Tav. I can see ye’ve changed. Ye’re nae the same braither who raised me. Despite what ye said back there, I still dinnae understand what’s changed ye so much. And why ye left.”

Tav rubbed his forehead and let out a sigh filled with pain and confusion. “Aye, I told ye, I’m nae the same man as I was before. And the trouble is, I dinnae like the man I’ve become. Ye see, the laird disnae ken all the truth. When he came across me and saw me fightin’ off Armstrong and his men, it wasnae because they were tryin’ tae abduct me. They were tryin’ tae stop me leavin’.”

“Ye mean ye were workin’ fer this Armstrong?” Bane asked, even more confused.

“Aye. And Laird Kerr’s right, Armstrong is a wicked, cruel man. I did things in his employ that made me sick tae me stomach, but I still did them and took his gold. The day the laird found me, we were on our way back from a mission. I’ll nae go intae details. ’Tis somethin’ I wish I could erase from me mind. Anyway, after that day, I just couldnae dae it anymore. I told Armstrong what I thought and that I was leavin’. He wasnae happy, and a fight broke out. If Laird Kerr and his men hadnae come along, I’d be dead. Instead, I was dead lucky.”

“Christ, Tav, how did ye get mixed up with man like that?” Bane asked, horrified.

“Money. Is that nae always the reason men dae foolish things? The forge wasnae doin’ so well, and I was worried about the future. I had the idea that if I could go away fer a while and make a nice little nest egg workin’ as a fighter for hire, then come back, I could put it all intae the business. Only I got in with the wrong feller.”

“And then ye found yersel’ on the wrong end of a choice from Laird Kerr it seems.”

“Aye, I owed him me life. What could I dae but tae agree tae fight for him? But at least with him, I wasnae in fear fer me life half the time. He’s a hard man, but fair. He’s naethin’ like Armstrong, that’s fer sure.” He rubbed his chin wearily, his eyes sorrowful. “The truth is, Bane, I feel like I’ve lost me soul. I’ve been goin’ through the motions of livin’, but in reality, I’m a dead man walkin’.

“And however much ale I drink of an evenin’, I just cannae seem tae reconcile the old Tav with the new one. I always tried tae set ye and Fia a good example, and I ken I’ve let ye both down badly. But what with all I’ve done, I dinnae feel worthy of either of ye anymore.”

His shame and regret were so obvious, Bane’s heart softened a little towards him as he started to get a glimpse of the torment Tav had endured.

“Well, it seems we’ve both done things we regret,” he said finally. “Ye must be hungry. I’ll go and get ye somethin’ tae eat, Braither. Stay where ye are. I’ll nae be gone long.”

“Thanks,” Bane replied as Tav hurried away. When he was alone, his thoughts returned to Constance. He considered just slipping away quietly during the night without saying goodbye to her. He was sure that was what her father wanted. But the continuing ache in his chest would not let him do it, not without saying goodbye.

I’ll wait and see if she comes tonight. If she disnae come, then I’ll go.

After Tav took Bane away, although Constance now understood he was lucky to be alive, she was still angry with her father for banishing him to the stables and worried about his injuries going untreated. Though she knew little about such things, she did know that a blow to the head could cause a concussion. And a concussion was very serious.

As soon as the door had closed behind Tav and Bane, she turned to her father and said, “He’s been badly hurt, and he could have concussion. He needs to see a physician at once.”

“We dinnae have physician, but we have a healer here at the castle,” Agnes said in her soft voice with the lilting Scottish burr, which Constance had learned to adore in Bane. Agnes looked appealingly at their father. “Can ye nae let the healer go and see him, Faither, just tae put Constance’s mind at rest?”

The laird frowned, and Constance was sure he was about to refuse. She was pleasantly surprised when, after a moment, he nodded and said, “Very well. Ye can ask the healer tae go and see him, but in the stables. He’s nae allowed in the castle.”

“Thank you, Father,” Constance replied, grateful to him but mostly to her sister for winning the compromise.

“Thank ye, Faither,” Agnes said at exactly the same time. The two girls looked at each other and laughed delightedly, squeezing each other’s hands.

Their father stood looking at them, his habitual stern expression unusually benign, as if he could not quite believe he had his twin daughters together under his roof at last. He rubbed the corner of his eyes and cleared his throat before remarking, “Well, Agnes, ye and Constance have a lot of catchin’ up tae dae, and I have some work tae be gettin’ on with. Would ye like tae arrange some chambers near yer own fer yer sister?”