Read Online Amanda Scott by Highland Treasure - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Highland Treasure
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send you to Shian?”
“She said it was the laird’s duty tae look after us,” Chuff said. He came to a sudden halt, drew Pinkie close behind him, and cupped a hand to one ear. Then, lowering his voice to a murmur, he said, “There’s men and horses below, mistress.”
Mary heard the murmur of voices, and then a dog barked, but she could see no sign of them, for the forest was thick. Leathery green and yellowing bracken covered the ground, and despite the seasonal lack of leaves on the deciduous trees, thick conifers mixed amongst them allowed little daylight to filter through. The children appeared to be following a deer trail.
She said quietly to Chuff, “We have been walking toward the loch shore, have we not?” When he nodded, she said, “Those may well be more of Black Duncan’s men. You will recall that I thought it odd for him to have only three men with him, since he usually travels with many more. I wonder if any of them saw us when we crossed the open hillside to reach the woods.”
“It willna matter,” Chuff said. “They canna ken which way we turned.”
She gazed around thoughtfully. This part of the forest was too thick for any party of men on horseback to follow them. “The laird must be looking for us by now,” she said. “Odd that he hasn’t called up Black Duncan’s men to help him.”
“Why would Black Duncan care where ye went?”
A bubble of laughter formed as she said, “You are quite right, Chuff. I am of no importance to him. I had been thinking that he dislikes me and thus would not pass up an opportunity to do me harm, but you put the matter in perspective.”
“I did?”
Pinkie’s eyes widened. “He did?”
“He did indeed,” Mary said, reaching out to feel the little girl’s cold cheeks. “We must keep moving, so we can stay warm, and so we’ll not worry about Black Duncan. He is more likely to demand that the laird attend to his wants before he will allow him to chase after me, so we shall make haste while we can.”
They made their way along the hillside, keeping to the trees until they were well past the party of horsemen. Then, in the interest of covering as much ground as fast as they could, and hoping their pursuers, whoever they might be, would search first along the road to Loch Linnhe, Mary urged the children to the hilltop above the forest. Though the trees grew sparse, bracken and heather still covered the ground. Although the thick fernlike bracken hampered their progress at times, they still were able to make better time than in the forest, and at last, Mary saw that the shoreline of Loch Creran lay well behind them. They were above the narrowing river glen.
She kept her charges near the crest of the hillside. Although someone with a keen eye riding along the trail by the river might see them, greater danger existed in the fact that their pursuers might overtake them if she and the children followed the river trail themselves. The higher they climbed, the more rugged the terrain grew, but she knew the territory now. She had often walked these hills with her cousins and Bardie Gillonie.
“I dinna ken this place,” Chuff said an hour later, as they made their way across a barren granite outcropping.
“We are nearing the hill pass into Glen Duror,” Mary told him. “I am very proud of you both. I have not heard a word of complaint from either of you, and we have come very far for such short legs.”
“My legs are not short,” Chuff said indignantly. “They are just right.”
“Mine, too,” Pinkie said, looking down at them.
“So they are,” Mary agreed, chuckling. “Forgive me, both of you.”
They eyed her curiously, as if they did not know what to expect next.
“You know,” she said, “we have been in such a hurry, and we’ve been concentrating all this while on walking, so we have not talked much. This place is protected from the wind, and it’s sunny at the moment, so I think we can perhaps sit down for a few minutes now
“She said it was the laird’s duty tae look after us,” Chuff said. He came to a sudden halt, drew Pinkie close behind him, and cupped a hand to one ear. Then, lowering his voice to a murmur, he said, “There’s men and horses below, mistress.”
Mary heard the murmur of voices, and then a dog barked, but she could see no sign of them, for the forest was thick. Leathery green and yellowing bracken covered the ground, and despite the seasonal lack of leaves on the deciduous trees, thick conifers mixed amongst them allowed little daylight to filter through. The children appeared to be following a deer trail.
She said quietly to Chuff, “We have been walking toward the loch shore, have we not?” When he nodded, she said, “Those may well be more of Black Duncan’s men. You will recall that I thought it odd for him to have only three men with him, since he usually travels with many more. I wonder if any of them saw us when we crossed the open hillside to reach the woods.”
“It willna matter,” Chuff said. “They canna ken which way we turned.”
She gazed around thoughtfully. This part of the forest was too thick for any party of men on horseback to follow them. “The laird must be looking for us by now,” she said. “Odd that he hasn’t called up Black Duncan’s men to help him.”
“Why would Black Duncan care where ye went?”
A bubble of laughter formed as she said, “You are quite right, Chuff. I am of no importance to him. I had been thinking that he dislikes me and thus would not pass up an opportunity to do me harm, but you put the matter in perspective.”
“I did?”
Pinkie’s eyes widened. “He did?”
“He did indeed,” Mary said, reaching out to feel the little girl’s cold cheeks. “We must keep moving, so we can stay warm, and so we’ll not worry about Black Duncan. He is more likely to demand that the laird attend to his wants before he will allow him to chase after me, so we shall make haste while we can.”
They made their way along the hillside, keeping to the trees until they were well past the party of horsemen. Then, in the interest of covering as much ground as fast as they could, and hoping their pursuers, whoever they might be, would search first along the road to Loch Linnhe, Mary urged the children to the hilltop above the forest. Though the trees grew sparse, bracken and heather still covered the ground. Although the thick fernlike bracken hampered their progress at times, they still were able to make better time than in the forest, and at last, Mary saw that the shoreline of Loch Creran lay well behind them. They were above the narrowing river glen.
She kept her charges near the crest of the hillside. Although someone with a keen eye riding along the trail by the river might see them, greater danger existed in the fact that their pursuers might overtake them if she and the children followed the river trail themselves. The higher they climbed, the more rugged the terrain grew, but she knew the territory now. She had often walked these hills with her cousins and Bardie Gillonie.
“I dinna ken this place,” Chuff said an hour later, as they made their way across a barren granite outcropping.
“We are nearing the hill pass into Glen Duror,” Mary told him. “I am very proud of you both. I have not heard a word of complaint from either of you, and we have come very far for such short legs.”
“My legs are not short,” Chuff said indignantly. “They are just right.”
“Mine, too,” Pinkie said, looking down at them.
“So they are,” Mary agreed, chuckling. “Forgive me, both of you.”
They eyed her curiously, as if they did not know what to expect next.
“You know,” she said, “we have been in such a hurry, and we’ve been concentrating all this while on walking, so we have not talked much. This place is protected from the wind, and it’s sunny at the moment, so I think we can perhaps sit down for a few minutes now
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