Chapter 3

© Copyright 2004 by Sara Keprensk



Annabeth was awake, she was cold and she was miserable. The noises of the night left her feeling strange and frightened. The different snores emanating from the ring of warriors created an eerie atmosphere.

Annabeth was not used to snoring. Her mother had told her that her father used to snore but Annabeth couldn�t remember her father. Now there was only Annabeth, her mother and her older sister.

Annabeth sat up and pulled the thick plaid closer around her. Just thinking about the family that she had left behind was making her teary. It was the first time since the escape that she had had time to think at all. She was glad that she hadn�t thought about it before.

Megan would think that she had deserted her. Annabeth had, of course, but she didn�t want to hurt her older sister. Megan�s emotional state was extremely delicate and Annabeth wanted to cry when she thought of the state her sister would be in and the work that it would put on her mother.

She turned her back on the mocking moon and stared into the darkness, praying for the safety of those that she loved. Megan wouldn�t try to hurt herself or her mother would she?

Annabeth began to cry softly, she should never have left. It had been selfish of her to leave. She hadn�t left any word either, her mother would be frantic with worry. Annabeth had never been so ashamed of herself. The tears slipped down her cheeks more rapidly.

�Beth, are you alright?� Robert sank down to the ground next to her and laid his hand on her arm.

She jumped violently. �I thought you were asleep.� She wiped her tears away with the end of the plaid.

�Nay, I only had my eyes closed. I heard something, probably you sitting up, so I opened them again. I could see that something was wrong. You turned away but not before I had seen your tears.� In his earnestness to comfort her he tried to draw her into his arms.

�I don�t think that that is a good idea,� Annabeth fended him off. �I am still upset with you.�

�I told you earlier, Beth, I don�t want to take advantage of you. I just want to take care of you. Let me help you.� His voice took on a persuasive tone.

�No, I shouldn�t be here. I should be back in England. My mother and my older sister, I didn�t tell them that I would be leaving. They will be upset. I didn�t think of them before, all I could think of was me�and the Baron. I must be the most selfish person that ever lived.� Annabeth sobbed, trying to control herself.

�Nay, you�re not selfish,� Robert did pull her to him then. �I don�t know this Baron but I know that you are scared of him. It was right of you to get away from him if he scares you.�

�But it wasn�t right of me to leave home without leaving a note to tell my family where I was going or that I was alright,� Annabeth mumbled against his chest. �I just thought that if they didn�t know anything there would be no way that they could tell anybody if they were asked. I didn�t stop to think that they would be worried. I will start the journey back first thing tomorrow morning.�

�That would be foolish,� Robert remonstrated. �You would ride straight into the arms of the Baron and probably not see your family anyway. Patrick and Aaron will go to your family. They can alleviate any fears that your family may have for you.�

�You can�t make promises on behalf of your men,� Annabeth protested, snuggling a bit closer despite herself. �They might not wish to go.�

�My men do as I tell them to do. What they wish has nothing to do with it.�

�That doesn�t seem very fair,� Annabeth murmured. �You should, perhaps, think more about your soldiers.�

�There has to be someone in charge, Beth,� Robert protested. �If not there is complete anarchy.�

�I suppose, but it can�t be nice to be at the other end, having to obey all the orders.�

�You don�t know much about obeying orders, do you Beth?� Amusement crept into Robert�s voice as he looked down into the small face that was raised to him.

�I guess I know more about it than you do. My mother never brooked disobedience of any kind. You�re the only person I�ve ever openly defied.� Annabeth informed him haughtily.

�Other than the Baron, you mean?�

�The Baron never told me that I couldn�t run away.�

Robert would have laughed if Annabeth�s voice hadn�t been so serious. She obviously took absolutely everything at face value and not deeper unless it suited her to do so.

�Perhaps he would have done if he had known that you would consider it,� He suggested. �Why did you run away, anyway?�

�I didn�t wish to be married to a man who would beat me regularly for the rest of my life and the only way to avoid it was to run away before the wedding took place.�

�You are betrothed to this Baron?� Robert wasn�t happy with that idea.

�I have been betrothed to the Baron since my fifth year,� Annabeth explained. �He wrangled the promise out of my father before he died that he should marry me on my eighteenth birthday.�

�He is obviously very eager to marry you if he sought your hand all that time ago.�

�He wants to get his slimy hands on the family fortune. It has nothing at all to do with wanting to marry me.�

�I thought that you said that you had an older sister, why did he not want to marry her? Surely that would be more beneficial to him. She would have turned eighteen before you and would surely inherit the fortune.� Robert was puzzled.

�She�s twenty-one but it was obvious very early on that Megan was�different,� Annabeth stiffened slightly and pulled back a bit. �Father thought that it would be more�prudent to leave his fortune to me. He thought that I might be able to manage it better.�

�What is your sister to do now then? If she is�different as you say, will she find it easy getting a husband? Will she be penniless?�

�I have no intention of leaving Megan penniless. I hold the money for her not instead of her,� Annabeth yawned and stirred restlessly in his arms. �That is another reason why I don�t want to marry the Baron, he would take control of the money and Megan wouldn�t get a penny.�

�Tell me about the Baron,� Robert invited. �Would he really beat you if you were married to him?�

�The Baron isn�t that particular. He doesn�t need to be married to me to beat me.�

�You ran away because he beat you, didn�t you?� realisation dawned on Robert. �That�s why your back hurts. I should have guessed. That�s settled it. You are not going anywhere, Patrick and Aaron will go and you shall stay with the rest of us.�

�I really didn�t ought to stay with you, there are no other women in the group. Besides, Patrick told me yesterday that you aren�t heading anywhere in particular, that you are just riding round your land to check up on everything. You could be out here for days and I don�t really want to be out here for days.�

�It�s true that�s what we were doing but now we shall head for the MacAllen holding. That will get rid of your protests about no other women and you will be safe there.� Robert made up his mind quickly.

�He will find me wherever I go,� Annabeth sighed resignedly. �It is only a question of when. Perhaps by the time he finds me I will have had time to get up the strength to deal with him. Perhaps if I sleep well I will have strength.� She hinted broadly.

Robert took the hint and took his arms from around her. He tipped her chin and looked into her eyes.

�Don�t worry about anything, the Lord is in control and he will not fail you.� He dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers.

Annabeth leaned into him and slipped her arms around his neck, savouring his warmth. Men were not a part of her future plan but just for tonight he was her comforter and she would enjoy the brief encounter.

Robert pulled away abruptly, almost causing her to lose her balance. He strode back to his plaid and settled down, turning his back on her. He was shocked at himself for his lack of self-control. He was still scowling when he eventually dropped off to sleep again.

Annabeth lay awake, watching him. His manner puzzled and hurt her. She was sure that he had wanted the kiss. To be sure he had initiated it. But the scowl on his face told her that he was displeased. She realised that he could easily crush her.

�I will not allow him to hurt me,� she vowed quietly. �I won�t let myself get attached to him.� She fell asleep with the words still on her lips.

* * * * * * * *

�You�re asking us to go into England?� Aaron and Patrick were about as enamoured with their task as Annabeth had expected them to be.

�Nay, I�m telling you to go into England,� Robert said severely. �And you are to be civil when you are there. I am sending you two because you have been more agreeable to Lady Annabeth than the others. I want you to show the same courtesy to her mother and sister.�

�You�d better tell us where this Baron of yours lives,� Aaron turned to Annabeth. �If he is upset about your going he might have taken them. If so we�ll need to know who he is and where to find his castle.�

Annabeth blanched; she hadn�t considered that the Baron might take his anger out on her family. She caught hold of Robert�s arm for support, momentarily forgetting her pledge to distance herself from him.

�Baron Fulford,� she said weakly. �You can see his castle from my home. If they have been taken you�ll have to tell the guards that you have been sent to ask questions of Lady Morris and Lady Megan Morris.�

�We�d better start right away,� Patrick told Aaron. �The sooner we go the sooner we�ll get back.�

�One more thing,� Annabeth stopped them. �Please try not to scare Megan too much.�

�Robert told us that your sister is twenty-one,� Aaron raised his eyebrows. �A woman of that age is hardly going to be scared by two men coming to give her news of her sister.�

�Megan is different from other women,� Annabeth chose her words carefully. �She is extremely sensitive and reacts in ways that people don�t expect. Anything that she isn�t used to tends to scare her and she isn�t used to Scottish warriors.�

�Thank-you for telling us,� Aaron inclined his head. �We will try not to startle her. It will be something that we are not used to if she is scared of us.� He bowed slightly and hurried to his horse, taking the reins from Patrick who was waiting impatiently for him.

Annabeth watched them until they were out of sight and then turned away. She almost envied them. She wanted so much to see her mother again�and Megan � dear, sweet, trusting Megan. But she didn�t want to see the Baron again. That was the only thing that kept her from chasing after them and demanding that they take her with them.

Instead she busied herself fussing over Destrier and whispering in his ear.

�You�re taking a lot of care with that horse to say that you won�t be riding him.� Robert observed.

�I thought that perhaps you would let me ride him today as I have promised not to run away from you again.� Annabeth said coolly, determined to put as much distance between them as possible.

�I said that you would be riding with me today and I always keep my word,� Robert said seriously, detaching her hands from Destrier�s mane. �Perhaps I will let you ride by yourself tomorrow.�

�Won�t we have reached your holding by tonight?� Annabeth asked, disappointed, she was weary of travelling and was ready for a good bath and a proper bed. �I thought that we were already on your land.�

�We are on my land now that the MacPhersons have joined our clan. This all used to be MacPherson land but now I�m Laird of this too. Unfortunately my holding is at the opposite end of MacAllen land.� Robert lifted her onto his horse as though she were made of glass.

�Oh.�

Robert mounted behind her and reached round her for the reins. He chuckled and leaned forward slightly to speak into her ear.

�You can relax if you want to, Beth.� He laughed.

Annabeth blushed but remained in the same position, upright and as stiff as she could be. �I am quite comfortable the way that I am, thank-you.�

�I would be more comfortable if you would relax,� Robert retorted. �And so would my horse.� He released his grip on the reins with one hand and slid his arm around her waist, sliding her back until she touched him.

�I will tell you now that I don�t allow anybody to shorten my name.� She said haughtily, wriggling forward as far as his arm would allow, which wasn�t very far at all.

�You didn�t seem to mind last night.�

�I was too weary to say anything last night. Goodness, I was so tired that I cried like a baby. I apologise for that.�

�I have two things to say to you,� Robert�s voice took on a steely quality. �The first thing is that Annabeth is too much of a mouthful so I am going to continue calling you Beth and the second is this I don�t like your mood this morning. You were much friendlier during the night. What�s the problem this morning?�

�Perhaps I grew up overnight.� Annabeth suggested.

�Or perhaps not,� Robert disputed. �You�re acting almost as much like a spoilt child today as you were yesterday. During the night you were�normal.�

�You are the only one who can be blamed for any change in my behaviour,� Annabeth replied. �Anyway, how would you know whether I was normal or not? You don�t even know me.�

�I know you better than you think I do. And what do you mean, I�m to blame for your behaviour? What have I done? If you�re referring to that kiss; you kissed me back, don�t even attempt to deny it.� Robert fumed.

�I�m not denying anything,� Annabeth replied stiffly. �But when you kiss a woman without taking pleasure in it you can expect her behaviour towards you to change.�

�What are you jabbering about?� Robert asked angrily. �When I kissed you��

�I don�t wish to know.� She interrupted.

�But, Beth��

�The subject is closed between us.� Annabeth said firmly.

�You�re a stubborn lass.� Robert goaded his horse into a faster gait. �I�ll make a deal with you. If you go back to behaving the way that you were during the night I won�t kiss you without taking pleasure in it.�

�That�s fair enough.�

�Good. Now relax.� Robert tightened his hold, pulling her gently up against him.

She didn�t relax immediately. Being in such close proximity to Robert disturbed her more than a little. But as they carried on with their journey weariness beset her. She leaned back against Robert and closed her eyes with a sigh.

Robert thought that she had fallen asleep and gently adjusted her position so that he was supporting her completely. She looked so angelic. He smiled, thinking that it was only during the night or when she was asleep that she wasn�t arguing.

He pressed his lips to her forehead and laughed quietly when she wrinkled her nose and tried to wave him away the way that she would an irritating fly.

Annabeth was a bit indignant that he would kiss her under the illusion that she was asleep. She couldn�t find the energy to say anything. Perhaps she would haul him over the coals later, when she was a bit more awake.

She murmured something unintelligible and swatted at him. He didn�t mind. He just caught her hand as soon as she had lowered it, as if to restrain her hitting him again, and kissed her again.

�Leave me alone.� She muttered, butting her head against his chin.

�Just sleep,� He suggested, squeezing her slightly. �I�ll wake you up if you need to be awake. Sleep is just what you need at the moment. When you wake up we�ll be that much nearer to my holding.�

�What about the Baron?� Annabeth mumbled.

�The Baron is not going to get his hands on you,� Robert told her fiercely. �Nor is he going to disturb you. Don�t worry about him. I will take care of everything, just trust me.�

Strangely enough, Annabeth did trust him. She gave the smallest of sighs and buried her face in his plaid. She drifted off into a peaceful sleep, cherishing the feeling of security that settled over her like a warm blanket.


HEY! and don't forget to e-mail Sara Keprensk if you have a comment! She would really like to hear from you.





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