She grabbed his face between her hands, supplicating.
“Ye ken that a’ canna’ gae wi’ ye, Mhairie. Ma’ duty lies wi’ the Prince. A’ canna’ let him doon. A’ wouldna’ be able te’ face ma’ ain sel’ if a’ did.”
She sighed, resigned, knowing full well he would return, just as her father and brothers had done.
“I have something te’ tell ye afore a’ gae awa’, Robby.”
“Speak te’ me, ma’ Mhairie, open yer heart while there is still time,” he begged, holding her close, his heart ready to break.
Tears filled her eyes and she clung to him, burying her head into the front of his vest. “A’m wi’ child, Rob. A’m carrying yer bairn.”
Wonder and joy overwhelmed him and he drew back, gazing down at her in awe, his hand moving to her belly, happiness piercing his misery like a shaft of bright light. But this was quickly replaced by the realization of his double loss.
“Och, ma’ darling, ma’ very ain Mhairie. When all this is fore’ by and better days come, ye’ll return to me and take up yer place as ma’ lady, and our bairn as ma’ rightful heir. But Mhairie—” His voice took on a sudden urgency as he glanced through the rising mist at the tiny boat reaching the shore and saw Captain MacPherson alight. With a sigh he faced bleak reality and opened his sporran, taking out a folded letter. “If a’ canna’ reach ye…If when ye return a’ should be in hiding, or worse. Ye must gae te’ Jamie and read what’s in this letter. A’ve told him what te’ do, and ye can trust him as ye would yer ain brother. And, ma’ beloved wife, tell our bairn—” The words caught in his throat. “Tell the bairn how close a’ hold ye both within ma’ heart. Keep the marriage papers and this letter safe and close te’ ye. They are the proof that ma’ son is ma’ rightful heir.” He handed her the letter carefully.
“Yer son?” She took it, slipping it silently into her bosom, then gazed up at him, a tremulous smile on her tearstained face.
“Aye, ye’ll see. ’Twill be a boy, as old Granny Bissett predicted our first born would be. And a fine one at that.” He held her close, his lips lingering on hers, his hand caressing her belly as he etched her in his heart forever.
Then it was time. He kissed her, bidding his love a last long farewell, tears welling in his eyes as she climbed weeping into the small rowing boat that slipped silently away from the shore, the captain anxious to set sail before the day broke.
Rob gazed out to sea, anger and rage battling as his eyes locked with hers for as far as they could reach. As the ship set sail, he watched the vessel head into the wind, carrying aboard his heart and soul, following her trajectory to the open sea, until she was nothing but a dot bobbing on the frothy swell on the horizon.
“’Tis time te’ gang awa’, Rob.” It was only then he realized Jamie was standing next to him, silently sharing his grief. He cast one last look at the choppy gray waters, his soul desolate as he turned on his heel, kilt swinging in the wind, and walked with Jamie to where the horses neighed restlessly, their nostrils flaring. Hamish handed him the bridle.
“Awa’ wi’ ye, Rob, afore German Geordie’s lads awake. ’Tis a lazy lot they are but, nevertheless, ’tis wiser to be on the safe side.”
“Aye, ’twould be foolish te’ die at the end of a rope instead of meeting ma’ maker at the point of a sword,” he answered, hoisting himself into the saddle.
“Och, I’ve nae fear fer ye, Rob. Ye’ll be back anon. Yer time’s not sae nigh as ye think. Are ye sure of what yer doing?” Jamie asked doubtfully.
Rob donned his blue bonnet, the eagle feather placed at a cocky angle, and straightened his shoulders proudly. “As sure as any man can be when his duty and his sovereign are calling,” he replied with a smile.
“Then sae be it. God speed te’ ye both.”
On Tuesday the fifteenth of April, they crossed the Spey River and headed toward Culloden where Murray had set up his camp. Rob arrived with a sinking heart, for all he’d seen for the last few miles were exhausted Highlanders lying strewn by the wayside, their eyes hollow with hunger and despair.
As he stood at the entrance of Murray’s quarters, the war pipes ringing in his ears, and saw the drawn faces of the earl and his men seated glum around the table, his heart sank.
He stopped before entering, filled with sudden foreboding, and gazed up at the heavy clouds of defeat bearing down upon them.
Then, with a heavy heart, he stepped inside and took his seat, the bleak countenances around the table telling their own tragic tales. Each man knew what destiny lay before him. Savage anguish pierced Rob’s heart as the harrowing truth sank in and the hope he’d harbored of one day being reunited with his beloved wife and child withered.
A never-ending death knell would ring throughout the Highlands. Blood would pour as never before in all of Highland history, and Scotland, his beloved homeland, would be changed forever.
1
Midlothian, Scotland
1999
By the time he’d missed his third pheasant, Jack Buchanan was in a foul mood. It did not improve when, instead of falling to the ground with a satisfying thud, the last bird fluttered into the gray Scottish sky, unscathed.
He lowered the shotgun, irritated. Pheasants did not fly away. They fell obediently, just as junior executives and the other members of his entourage jumped into action when they were supposed to.
He entered the glen briskly, realizing he was having a bad day. He knew to expect it, for this particular day was always bad. Each year he thought he’d get the better of the pain that still rose to the surface, as boldly now as it had then, and every year it got the better of him. He cocked the gun in preparation, willing his mind to concentrate fully on the task at hand. The next bird would not escape him.
He didn’t have long to wait before catching sight of his prey, and he aimed carefully before slowly squeezing the trigger.
A split second later he stood frozen to the spot, his gut clenched, cold sweat breaking out under the heavy shooting jacket. He’d just missed a figure who’d walked straight into his line of fire.
Missed, by an inch of fate.
Thank God for the reactions he’d learned years ago that enabled him to deviate the shot, sending it ripping into a tree trunk a few degrees to the right.
“Are you okay?” he shouted anxiously, trying to make out who it was. There was a moment’s silence followed by the echo of his own voice. Horrified, he slung the shotgun through his arm, the dogs following close to heel. Bracken crackled noisily under his boots as he strode quickly toward a tall slender woman standing motionless among the trees, her ashen face surrounded by long chestnut hair.
“Are you all right?” he asked, eyeing her anxiously. Slowly tension gave vent to annoyance as he realized she was unhurt. “Don’t you know it’s not safe to walk in the woods in the middle of the shooting season?” he asked accusingly.
“Hey! Wait just one minute. You nearly killed me,” she exclaimed, suddenly coming to life
