Read Online Highland Legends 04 - Captive Highlander by Connie C. Scharon - Free Book Online

tossed all night trying to decide whether to involve Keith further
in her treacherous plan. In the morning, she tutored Tessa and Jamie in reading
and writing. By late afternoon, her fear took over and she went looking for
Keith. Katie’s initial search had proved futile. Deciding to try the stable,
she walked outside and made her way through the windy courtyard.
    The sun hid behind gray scattered
clouds and an occasional gust of the ever-moving Highland air blew her hair.
Soon the large stone barn loomed ahead. Her father’s stables were extensive. He
had some of the best stock in Highlands. As she entered the barn, the smell of
fresh cut hay teased her nostrils. The horses stirred as she went by each stall.
Their large, shiny eyes gazed out at her. Katie stopped short when she got to
the empty stall where Keith’s horse should be. She spied her father’s stable
master at the far end of the barn. “Elam, I need Keith. Where is he?” she
asked. “His horse is gone.”
    The stableman shrugged. “I dinna
ken what he is about, Milady. He left early this morning. Keith said Rannoch
sent him on a mission. He wasna sure when he would return.”
    Now what? Keith already warned
her some of the men seemed pleased with Rannoch’s rule. She didn’t know whom
else she could trust. Immediately her brother and sisters came to mind. Jamie
would come to her aid, but he was very young and she feared what Rannoch would
do to him if things went awry. If Ian spoke the truth, Jamie might already be
marked for death.
    Brianna blushed scarlet every
time Rannoch looked her way. Katie feared Brianna’s feelings would make her
disbelieve the true story, and little Tessa was just a child.
    Drawing a deep breath, Katie
decided to ask Rannoch when he expected Keith to return. Perchance she could
glean some information from him. First, she would see her father. Sorcha’s
comments gave Katie hope he might be able to tell her something despite his
infirmity.
    She made her way out of the
bailey and headed back to the manse. Katie reached her father’s chamber and
paused at the door. Every time she entered, she pictured it in happier days.
Nothing moved or changed in the chamber since her mother’s death eight years
ago. Katie thought her father acted as if he expected his wife to walk back in
and once again join him in their quiet, nicely-appointed suite. The one
exception was Sorcha’s medicine corner. Now that Katie knew what poisons were
concocted there, the very thought of it turned her stomach. She’d like to smash
all the vials, but such action would reveal her knowledge of Rannoch and
Sorcha’s plot.
    Drawing a deep breath, she walked
in. The smell of Sorcha’s poison potions hovered in the room. Was the stench
yet another way the Irish healer kept Brian Blackburn separated from the world?
Her father lay alone and unattended. He did not move or show any sign he knew
she visited. Katie sent a prayer heavenward and crossed herself. Memories of
happier times assailed her when her gaze flew to her mother’s loom. As a young
girl, she spent hours trying to learn the art of intricate stitchery. It became
a useless endeavor. Katie did not share Lady Katherine Blackburn’s talent for
needlework. It did not stop her mother from being endlessly patient in her
attempt to impart the skill.
    A moan drew her attention to the
bed. Moving closer, she looked down at her father. His still body pulled at her
heart strings. A stand near the bed held a basin of water and a cloth. Sorcha
must have just left. Taking up the cool, wet rag, she wiped it against his
brow. “I need you, Da,” she whispered. “Please try to open your eyes.”
    For awhile she thought him
unaware to her presence. As she continued to speak to him in soft tones, she
could see him begin to stir. Ever hopeful, she kept up her efforts until he
rewarded her with a flutter of his eyelids.
    “Da, can you hear me?” He opened
his eyes. Now what? “Can you blink?” Katie watched his