Rumors Among the Heather (21 page)

The rain continued to
come down in a chilling drizzle. When Matthew awoke, he made a fire
and boiled some water for their tea. They ate the last of the
cheese and bread in silence. Matthew took the next watch, still
without speaking to her. Julie left him at the entrance and lay
down on the pallet. She shut her eyes, but sleep eluded her. It was
early morning before slumber claimed her.

* * *

The sound of voices
awakened Julie.

“Ye’ll soon be able to
leave, I’m a-thinkin’. The redcoats are more concerned with finding
Prince Charlie than ye at this point. The regiment has orders to
move ten miles north o’ here.”

“I’ll rest easier when
he’s on his way back to France. We can’t let Cumberland capture
him, Ribble. That would tear out the heart and soul of every
Scotsman,” Matthew said with emotion.

“I think we may be in
for a wee bit of luck on that front,” Ribble said with a hint of
mischief in his voice.

“How’s that?”

“Ye remember young
Roderick Mackenzie? A handsome lad and brave to boot. Well, if
ye’ll remember, he bore a striking resemblance to the prince. Like
everyone else, he’s been running and hiding in yon hills, but the
bloody English finally ran him to ground. He gave a good accountin’
of himself until they struck him to the ground. He heard the
soldiers talking among themselves as his life’s blood flowed out on
the ground. It seems some of them thought he was the prince. Roddy
was always a quick thinker, yes sir. Even in the throes of death,
he yells out, ‘Villains, ye have slain your prince.’ So they cut
off his head and sent it to London. When it gets there, they’ll
find out their mistake, but in the meantime the hunt has been
called off, and the prince is waitin’ to board a ship for France.”
Ribble sat back and let the joke on the English sink in.

“I’m sorry to hear
that. Roddy was a good man and a good highlander. The ultimate
sacrifices have been made by many and all for naught. I’d like to
see that ‘Butcher’ Cumberland’s face when he realizes his mistake,”
Matthew spat out.

“Aye, twould be
somethin’ to be a fly on the wall about now,” Ribble said with a
chuckle.

Julie spoke up. “Is it
safe for us to leave? When they find their mistake, there’ll be
more troops than ever looking for the prince. And us.”

“It’s why I came
today. In two days’ time, a ship’ll be waiting off the northwestern
coast of the island. I’ll be here to take ye out to it. The asking
price is two thousand in gold apiece. If ye’re agreeable, I’ll get
the money ready.”

“We’ve no choice. We
have to get out of here. We were almost discovered yesterday,”
Matthew stated.

All through the day,
Matthew and Ribble had their heads together discussing plans for
their escape. Julie searched the sea in front of her for her own
escape.

If we do escape to
France, what will I do? I can’t continue to live on Matthew’s
whims. I don’t know how quickly he will try to get rid of me once
we’re in France. There no one knows us, and he will have no reason
to keep up the pretense of our marriage. I would have to look out
for myself again. I must be gone before then. Something will
present itself. It has to.

Idly, she watched the
tide go out and marveled at how far out it went. She was a good
swimmer, but she doubted if she could swim the distance to the
mainland in the cold Atlantic. If only she could get hold of a
boat. She watched a sea gull swoop down and land on the beach in
front of the cliff.

Julie searched the sea
before she stretched out on her stomach and pulled with her hands
along the cave’s wall until she reached the edge of the cliff. She
had always thought the sea battered this part of the island even at
low tide, but to her surprise, the beach was expansive—going on as
far as the eye could see. Slowly, she slid back into the shadows of
her look out. She glanced back inside the cave. Matthew and Ribble
were still talking, oblivious to her.

Tomorrow would be her
last chance. She needed to leave before the ship came for them, or
she would have no say in her future. As soon as Matthew was asleep
and the tide receded, she intended to climb down the face of the
cliff to the beach and make her way to where Ribble kept the boats.
Once there, she could steal one and sail to the mainland as she had
many times before.

Even if the soldiers
were watching the island through a spyglass, they would not suspect
a boy on the beach or in a boat.

When darkness came,
Ribble left and they were alone. The moment proved awkward for both
of them. More than once Julie tried to speak, but each time she
did, Matthew gave her a look of loathing. She longed to tell him of
the love in her heart and make things right between them, but she
could not bring herself to speak when he so plainly hated the sound
of her voice. Exhausted, she fell asleep on the pallet while
Matthew watched the night sea.

Matthew watched Julie
more than he did the sea. Every time he looked at her, it almost
took his breath away. He saw her beauty, but he thought he saw
something more. He thought he saw love in her eyes.

His mind sought the
memory of them making love. The fire in her eyes, the glow of her
skin, and the way she made him feel. He turned back to the sea. Her
image almost drove him over the edge. His tortured mind relived the
sensual aroma of her perfume. Unbidden, another image passed
through his mind of Hamilton with his arm around her waist.

He had watched her
when they ate their supper after Ribble left. He looked away when
she tried to talk to him.
I can’t let her speak. If I do, she
might confess her part in betraying me. Worst of all, she might say
the reason was Geoffrey Hamilton. I only know one thing for sure,
when I hear the velvet tones of her voice, I’ll believe anything
she says. If I do that, I might as well surrender to the king and
save His Majesty all the trouble of hunting me.

He shook his head and
refused to think, to feel, or remember. Perhaps it would be for the
best if the king’s men were advancing. He would welcome the fight
and the release from this unrelenting tension consuming him
whenever she came near. Yes, it would be best to forget everything
that had happened between them. Matthew gazed once more out into
the night sky.

* * *

Julie slept
restlessly. She tossed and turned and finally woke at sunrise. She
prepared their morning tea and handed Matthew a cup and a piece of
bread with smoked meat. They again ate in silence, neither daring
to speak but creating more of a tension by their silence than any
potential words.

She watched the tide
go out, and then looked at Matthew. To her horror, his eyes were
wide open. Any other time he would have been sound asleep.
Nervously, she waited for what seemed like hours. The tide had
started coming back in to shore. She could wait no longer.
Worriedly, she looked back at him again and heard the soft sound of
snoring.

She gathered her
things together in a sack and silently walked back to the entrance
of the cave. She looked at Matthew one last time. She wanted to
etch his face in her memory, so she would never forget anything
about him.

Julie picked her way
carefully until she was halfway down the cliff. She tried to stay
in the shadows as much as possible so no one would be able to see
from which direction she came, but she was now at an impasse. The
only solution would be to climb higher and then come down on
another ledge, but she would be in full view. She looked around and
did not see anyone. She would have to take a chance. There was no
other way.

When she did find her
way down, she found something she had not counted on. Water covered
the beach. The sheltered cove where Matthew had landed was filled
with water, even at low tide. She could go around to the other
side, but that meant more time lost. She decided to jump in and
swim out until she could reach the beach.

Julie took off her
shoes and put them in her sack. She secured the sack to her rope
belt and tied the remainder of the rope in a loop, before placing
it across her shoulders, and then jumped into the icy water. The
strong current made it hard for her to gain any distance. Fighting
the current and the cold water sapped her quickly.

Finally, she glimpsed
a sandy strip ahead of her. With the last ounce of strength she
possessed, she swam furiously toward shore. She would get almost
close enough to stand up, and the current would pull her back in
its tow. On her fourth attempt, she grabbed for a rock and pulled
herself up. She regained her breath long enough to make one more
attempt at reaching shore. This time she made it.

She rose slowly and
began to walk unsteadily but with determination until her legs
regained their strength. She knew she had to hurry. The waves of
the incoming tide were lapping at her bare feet. At last, she
rounded the point and saw a long stretch of beach. She heaved a
sigh of relief when she realized she was safe, for the time
being.

She talked to herself
as she walked along.
You still have to be careful not to be
seen. Slow down, take a deep breath. Just stay behind the sand
dunes and follow the trail.
You’ll be all right.
The
lengthening shadows told her it was the middle of the afternoon,
and she guessed Matthew would be waking up about this time. He
would not miss her at first. He had no reason to think she would be
gone. He would wait before he looked for her, but would not be able
to leave the cave until nightfall, and by dusk, she would be on the
mainland.

In the distance, she
heard the bell ring for high tea. She knew everyone would be inside
the castle. This would be her best chance to take a boat. She drew
closer to where the boats were kept and watched for several minutes
before she came out of hiding. Her heart beat frantically inside
her chest when she began pushing one out to sea. When she finally
pushed her boat into enough water to make it float, she threw
herself in and began to row. Once out to sea, she hoisted the sail,
felt the breeze fill it, and headed toward the mainland.

She prayed her journey
would be swift and without incident, but not long after she set
sail, the king’s navy bore down on her taking the joy from her
sails. They came close enough to her skiff to see into it. When
they were satisfied it contained only a small boy, they continued
on their way. The sailors yelled and waved as they passed her
pitching boat. Julie fought to keep from being capsized. The longer
she struggled with the boat the more they laughed.

Julie prayed.
God,
please don’t let me capsize. If they stop to pick me up dripping
wet, they’ll find out I’m not a boy
.

With difficulty, she
lowered the sail until the ship passed. Only after the ship was
some distance ahead did Julie manage to get her craft under
control. A close call indeed, but she survived, and her spirits
brightened.

Once ashore, she
stepped onto the sand and secured the boat to the dock. She cast
one last look toward the island and wondered what Matthew was doing
or thinking.

Will he miss me, or
does he care? Have I done the right thing?

For one brief moment,
regret touched her heart, but her mind told her she made the right
choice, the only decision she could make. She put her damp shoes on
and started to wander toward the village. Julie stopped long enough
to purchase more supplies and continued on with her cap set at a
rakish angle. She could not help but swagger a bit just as she saw
boys do on market day when a pretty girl strolled by with her
basket full of produce. Her spirits started to soar. If she could
just make it through town, she would be on her way.

Her steps light and
freedom at her fingertips, Julie picked up her pace as she passed
shops and little white houses with neatly trimmed hedges before
reaching the outskirts of Gairloch. Zest for this new twist in her
life held her in good stead until she came to a crossroads. Should
she turn left, right, or…continue straight ahead? There was
evidence of a signpost at one time, but it had long since
decayed.

Julie realized she had
taken the difficulty of this journey too lightly. She could not
think of which way to turn. At Wintersea and at the Castle, her
world had been small. Suddenly, she awoke to the world around her
and the vastness of what lay ahead. In for a penny, in for a pound.
Julie took the road going east, hoping it led to the right
trackway. She had a vague notion of her destination and east seemed
to fit her sense of direction.

On the map, Stonehaven
lay south of Aberdeen on the east coast of Scotland. If she could
get there, it would be a simple matter to find Stonehaven. After
all, Aberdeen was a large city and should be easy to find.

Once out of town and
away from houses and people, she soon found herself alone in the
middle of a wilderness. There were no more green hills with sheep
grazing contentedly or children playing happily. She shivered when
she looked toward the barren, bleak mountains in the distance and
saw nothing else in between. There were the occasional clumps of
trees huddled together like terrified sheep, but mostly heather and
gorse carpeted the landscape as far as the eye could see.

The shadows of
darkness began to close in around Julie, and she realized the cold
night would not be far away. She squinted into the fading light,
searching for a place to spend the night. She had money but what
good would it do her now? She had little food and only the
oversized jacket she wore for warmth.

With the last rays of
the sun for her guide, she left the trackway and crossed a field,
heading for a patch of trees on the far side. There she found a
large fir and crawled under its protective branches and made her
bed in the soft needles at its feet. Still the ground felt hard as
stone, but it would not matter for surely sleep would overtake her
exhausted body and soul.