Rumors Among the Heather (20 page)

“So ye ken where I’m
taking ye. ’Tis the only place both of ye’ll be safe. He’ll be
there to protect ye.”

Julie began to
struggle with her ropes. She tried frantically to talk through her
gag, but the only sounds were unintelligible garble.

Ribble shook his head
and said, “Ye’re just wearing yerself out. Ye’re a smart lass. I’ll
get ye there any way I can, and if that means landing ye another
facer, then I’ll do it. I don’t like hitting a lady, but these are
desperate times.”

True to his word, they
once more started their descent. Halfway down the face of the
cliff, he stopped and began to inch his way across. He squeezed
both of them between two rocks which jutted out from the face of
the cliff, and swung down into a sheltered passageway.

They stepped into
total darkness, and Julie felt herself being lowered. Her feet
touched the hard floor of the cave. Next, Ribble propped her up
against a wall and untied her hands, leaving her feet for last.
When her feet and hands were free, he rubbed them until her
circulation returned. Julie let out an involuntary sigh of
relief.

“Who goes there?”
Matthew’s voice came from deep in the darkness of the cave.

“It’s me, Ribble,”
Ribble answered gruffly.

“Who else is with
you?"

Ribble made his way
past the entrance of the cave and to the candles. He lit one and
held it up. The flame from the one small candle seemed to flood the
cave with light.

“Why the devil did you
bring her here? I want no more to do with Hamilton’s mistress,”
Matthew snarled at her, but his words did not hurt Julie half as
much as the icicles of reproach she spied in his eyes.

She shuddered
physically from the cold icy stare. It stung that he could have so
little faith in her. Julie fought back on instinct. “Fine words
coming from the mouth of a paragon of virtue. I’m nobody’s
mistress, not yours…not anybody’s. By the heavens, I swear if I
were a man, I’d not rest until the ground soaked up your blood, and
the crows picked at your liver.”

Ribble started to
speak, but Julie motioned for him to be quiet.

“If not for your
henchman, I’d have been miles away from this place…and you! He
knocked me out and tied me up. I’m here only because I had no
choice in the matter. As soon as I can get away, I will.” Julie
punched holes in the air with her pointed finger.

Just as quickly as her
anger came, it abated. When she calmed down, she saw Matthew’s
swollen eyes and the bruises on his handsome face. Her heart ached
to touch him, feel his pain, and tell him how much she cared. But
she would only be rebuked. She turned away, disheartened.

Nonplussed, Matthew
took in her appearance for the first time. She looked like an
orphan fighting over the last crumb of bread, with her feet planted
stubbornly apart and her fists clenched. He did not expect her to
retaliate in kind. He wanted to hurt her with words as she hurt him
when he first realized she had betrayed him. He wanted her to feel
remorse, to beg his forgiveness. Unexpectedly, her words cut him
like a knife. She had no right to be angry with him. He had been
the one wronged, not her. Did she hate him so much?

I should be immune to
her after her treachery. After all that has happened, she still has
the power to hurt me. Why does she disturb me more than ever?

Ribble tugged on his
arm and guided Matthew outside. “I had no choice, my lord. Dressed
like a lad, she was. Said she was going some place, but she
wouldnae tell me where. Said she wasn’t too sure herself. I
couldnae let her go, and I had no other place to bring her. After
all, she saved your life. She got the key for us from under
Hamilton’s nose.”

“Saved my life? That’s
rich! She’s the reason I’m in this bloody fix in the first place.
You don’t mean to tell me a leopard can change his spots, do
you?”

“Ye’re wrong, my lord.
If I had time, I’d explain, but right now I’ve got to get back to
the castle. They think I have been fishing, but if I don’t get back
with a good catch, I could be the one with a noose around his
neck.” Ribble turned and left quickly.

Matthew watched him
until he disappeared from sight. He took a deep breath and went
back into the cave.

Instead of finding a
caged lion in the corner ready to do battle, he found Julie curled
up on the floor with clenched fists, sound asleep. Effortlessly, he
picked her up and stood there holding her in his arms. Reluctantly,
he laid her on the pallet and covered her with his blanket.
Wrestling with his emotions, he went to the entrance of the cave
and stood guard. He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss away
the awful words they had thrown at each other and erase the last
few days. He ran the gamut from supreme hate to total forgiveness,
yet there were so many questions he needed answered. His heart
hardened at the thought of the beatings he received in prison, and
the way Hamilton pawed at her on the beach.

Why do I let her
torment me so? I can’t get the thoughts of Hamilton touching her
out of my mind. He put his filthy hands on her. I’ll go insane if I
keep thinking about the lovemaking we shared. The passion was real,
I know it was, and it was my right alone, not Hamilton’s.

Another love affair
ended. The time has come for me to realize there is no such thing
as love and to accept it. I’ll take my pleasure where I find it
from this day forward and blast the consequences.

Matthew continued to
stare coldly out into the night while Julie slept peacefully. A
stiff wind blew from the north, bringing with it rain. He pulled
his greatcoat tighter around his shoulders and moved farther back
into the shadows of the rocks. He did not want to go back into the
cave, to be near her—to hate and love her at the same time was too
much to bear. His forbidden need of her exacted a heavy toll. The
violence of his emotions carried a chill through his body.

He remembered their
lovemaking and felt familiar feelings stir within him. Suddenly the
clouds burst and poured forth their burden of freezing rain. The
onslaught drove him farther inside. He tried to assume a position
of indifference while he waited for her to wake. Instead his
resolve weakened moments after he saw her sleeping peacefully. His
body longed to lie beside her, to feel her warmth. His mind told
him nothing would ever be the same again.

* * *

Julie opened her eyes
to darkness and wondered if it was still night. She stiffened when
she heard someone breathing in the darkness. Angrily, she
remembered Ribble and the cave. She prayed Ribble stood in the
darkness and not Matthew.

“Who’s there?” With
her heart in her throat, she listened for a reply but none came.
The sound of a candle being lit broke the silence a moment before
Matthew spoke.

“If you don’t mind, I
would like to lie down. I have kept the night watch. As soon as the
storm stops, it’ll be your turn to keep the day watch. Stay low and
in the shadows. If you see anything that looks like redcoats, wake
me immediately.”

His words might have
been delivered by a stranger.

Rebuffed and stung
into silence by the coldness of his voice, Julie quickly stood up
from the pallet and moved to the entrance of the cave. She looked
out at the gray, angry skies and felt a kinship with them. A
chilling wind tore at Julie, making it necessary to pick up
Matthew’s discarded greatcoat and wrap it around her in order to
keep warm.

I can still smell
his scent. It’s almost more than I can bear. If only I could throw
off his coat along with my love and run through the rain into
th
e sea.
If only my mind would forget how much I love
him.

Frustrated, she
snuggled deeper into the coat and stared unseeing out onto the
bleak seascape. Hours passed until the day began to wane, and she
wondered if Matthew would wake up any time soon.

The storm still raged
when her unwilling cave mate built a small cooking fire near the
back wall of the cave using dry kindling, which gave off little
smoke. As soon as the kettle boiled for tea, he put the fire out.
He walked over to Julie and handed her a cup.

She looked up into his
icy blue eyes and took the cup. The warmth of the cup surprised
her. She half expected it to be as cold as his stare. Julie
searched his arctic eyes in vain for any hint of forgiveness or
warmth.

He’ll never believe I
had nothing to do with his capture or Geoffrey. ’Tis plain he hates
me. What am I to do?

Bitterly, she shook
her head and wrapped her fingers around the hot tin. The warmth
felt good, but the icy particles around her heart threatened to
strangle her.

By early afternoon,
the rain slowed to a drizzle. Julie stared across the ocean.
Suddenly, something caught her eye. Fear gripped her when she saw a
small boat gliding into the cove below. She strained her eyes to
see who the people were. She caught a flash of red before a black
cape closed over the shoulders of the lone man on deck. Petrified,
she watched him take a spy glass and begin to scan the cliffs above
him.

Quickly, Julie
flattened herself against the rock beneath her feet and then
crouched and crawled back into the cave. She made her way to where
Matthew rested once more and began to shake him.

“Matthew, wake up!
Redcoats below!”

Matthew shook the
sleep from his eyes and moved unsteadily to his feet. With the
broadsword in his hand, he crossed quickly to the entrance of the
cave. Cautiously, he stepped beside the entrance and peered out to
get a better view. They both strained to hear what the captain
said.

“Men, you will search
in every cave and cranny. We know he’s here. I want him in chains
before nightfall,” the captain ordered. His men began to row toward
the shore.

Pressed against the
wall of the cave, Matthew waited in ambush to do battle with the
first Sassenach who entered. They heard the scraping as the
soldiers climbed over the rocks. Julie could hear her own heart
beating furiously. Sweat began to bead up on her forehead and run
down her face.

Matthew’s hand went
across her chest protectively when they heard a man getting nearer.
Her whole body tensed. She dared not breathe. Two more steps and he
would be at the entrance to the cave. Matthew raised his sword
ready to strike.

From somewhere below,
they heard someone shout. “Ahoy! There he goes. After him, men!
There’s a bonus in it for the man who brings him back. Dead or
alive!” Men began scurrying up the face of the cliff. Julie and
Mathew watched breathlessly when a redcoat passed the entrance to
the cave and scrambled up the side after a lone runner.

A soldier called out
somewhere above them, “Over there. Quickly, men, there’s a man
coming out of one of the caves. He’s running toward those woods to
the right. Don’t let him get to the woods. After him!”

Julie and Matthew
stayed near the entrance for over two hours, muscles tensed with
dread. When the soldiers did not return, the little boat weighed
anchor and headed toward the castle landing.

They both took a deep
breath at the same time. Until now, they had scarcely dared to
breathe.

Julie looked into his
eyes, and her thoughts froze. She tried to move, but she felt weak.
His touch drained her of any energy to fight him. Half-heartedly
she tried to turn away, but his hand came up her arm and around her
shoulders and pulled her into his embrace.

Gently, he began to
rock her back and forth, and the tenderness she felt for him
flooded her body. She buried her face against the corded muscles of
his chest, and she heard his heart beating wildly. His hand grasped
her chin and tilted it up as his mouth came down to claim her lips.
Matthew’s tongue sent shivers of desire coursing through her very
being. When he let her go, he left her lips scorched from his
fire.

Julie did not know if
he loved her, and for the time being it did not seem to matter, but
in the back of her mind, she knew it would later. Her mind whirled.
She felt her treacherous body yield completely to him. Every nerve
ached for his touch. As the fire grew fiercer and their passion
demanded more, she wanted the sensual intimacy as much as the air
she breathed. She felt her body arching up, drawing him closer
until their bodies melded into one.

They were both caught
in a whirlwind of emotions. Gently, he picked her up and carried
her over to the pallet where he slipped the shirt over her head,
and his trembling fingers undid the binding across her chest. Free
of their bondage, his hands cupped her breasts. Quickly, he removed
her breeches.

Julie reached for him
and pulled him toward her. She needed his closeness, to feel his
skin against her skin. He whispered her name, and she felt his need
of her. Her hand touched his face. “Matthew…” Julie breathed his
name as they joined together gently. Sweet torture mounted by leaps
and bounds. Julie’s body met his with equal fervor. She felt the
need to feel a lifetime at this moment, forever climbing higher and
higher. Suddenly, her being seemed to explode. She was not aware of
anything but the earth-shaking ripples of delight inside her own
body. Matthew fell against her, and they both rolled onto their
sides, still locked in a lovers’ embrace. She did not want to let
go. If she did, they would be enemies again. Their temporary truce
would be over.

At last, he moved from
her. They both lay quietly. Silently, Julie felt her tears trace a
path down her cheeks like molten lava. She quickly dressed and
moved back to the entrance of the cave while Matthew lay sleeping
peacefully on the pallet.

Julie’s tortured
thoughts mocked her.
Lord, I’m such a fool. Why couldn’t I have
resisted him? I have to find a way out of here, or I’ll go
mad
.