The Shadow 0f Her Smile (Highlander Heroes Book 3) Read online

  “You said there was an exterior entrance?”

  “Yes, and you are more than welcome to use that,” said the lady. They reached what Ada assumed was the area directly beneath the tower, entering the room through an arched doorway. Anice pointed to a door across the room. “We might need to have Torren open it the first time. It’s rarely used and likely stiff.” She picked up her skirts and mounted the stairs, which were narrow and attached to the outer wall. A second floor showed only the storage of some things and Anice kept walking up. Upon the third floor, there was a landing and another arched wooden door. This one opened easily at Anice’s insistence and revealed to Ada, as she’d been told, a very pretty room with a timber ceiling and two glass-less windows. Anice took a moment to lift the furs away from the openings, bringing light into the space. The room itself, while the floor and walls were only more of the same stone, was made cozy with a beautiful carved wooden bed, topped with a delicate embroidered cover with flowers of green and blue and gold. A small table and chair and chest were the only other furniture, but the walls were covered in tapestries of burgundy and gold and there were three rugs of fur upon the floor.

  “This is lovely, and I thank you for your kindness,” Ada said. “But this feels—am I putting someone out of their chamber?”

  “Not at all,” she was quickly assured. “It belonged to my husband’s mother and she has left us.” Anice turned from the window then and rubbed her hands idly over her belly.

  “Is Torren your husband?”

  Anice shook her head, her coming smile wry but lovely. “Torren is my keeper.”

  Ada did not know what that meant.

  Anice waved off her own silliness. “Pardon me. No, the Kincaid is my husband. Torren is the captain of the Kincaid army, though in truth he seems to think he’s in charge of only me. May I ask where you come from? Or what you were doing in the forest?”

  While she did seem very nice, Ada wasn’t sure how much she wanted to divulge about her own circumstances. “My family is in Newburgh. It became...impossible for me to stay there.” She chewed the inside of her cheek for a second before adding, “I had hoped to find refuge in a cloister, but only made it as far as the cottage when the winter came. Haven’t been able to get myself back on the road again, I guess.”

  Anice nodded. Ada was sure she’d have liked to ask more questions but kindly refrained from doing so.

  “I won’t stay long,” she promised. “I won’t intrude any more than I—”

  Anice rushed forward. “You intrude not at all. We have, or Torren did, and I apologize. He is overprotective of Stonehaven.”

  “Of you,” Ada guessed.

  This was acknowledged with a small grin.

  Ada wondered briefly how that felt, to be so well protected, to be so valued and loved. She guessed it felt as this woman looked, happy and healthy and whole. She sighed.

  “Now, what do you need?” Her host asked. “A lie-down before supper? A bath in the garder robe? Have you possessions that should be fetched from the cottage?”

  Ada shook her head. “I-I haven’t anything I need, that is, I haven’t any possessions, really. But might what little I’ve collected remain at the cottage for when I depart?”

  “Of course,” Anice assured her. “Mayhap you and I will walk back there one day and look things over, pack them up, just so that no other stumbles upon the cottage and decides to make use of your things.”

  Ada had a thought. “Would that man, Torren, allow you to walk that far?”

  She giggled wonderfully. “Possibly, no. Certainly not without him, or a very large armed retinue, but it can be done. All right, so we need then to outfit you. The laird’s mother left some things when she departed. I fear my own gowns would be too short for you. You are wonderfully tall.”

  “Why are you being so kind to me?”

  Anice frowned, though managed to look still angelic and sweet. “Why would I not?” She stepped closer still, took Ada’s hands in hers. Ada flinched, hoped it went unnoticed by this woman. “You’ve been through something, Ada. I won’t insult you by pretending I don’t see the evidence of it. You should never suffer so again. You are welcome here for as long as you need or like.”

  Something warm and unfamiliar churned inside her. She didn’t dare name it; to do so was to give it hope. But she smiled back at the woman, who squeezed her hands before releasing them to thread her arm through Ada’s. “However, you will have to suffer my attendance at your bath. Stonehaven is wonderful, but it is a decidedly male domain, with so few females in attendance.”

  Chapter Four

  Over the next few weeks, Ada began to think less and less about leaving, about striking out on her own again. Stonehaven was wonderful, as was every person who resided within. She’d met Lady Anice’s husband, Gregor Kincaid, that very first evening, at dinner. He was incredibly handsome and doted on his wife. And Anice left no doubt in any onlooker's mind that she adored him in return. Her eyes fairly lit up when he entered the room or came anywhere near her.

  Anice had kindly shared many pieces of wardrobe with her, so Ada felt a little more human, more so than she had since leaving Newburgh. By the end of the first week at Stonehaven, she felt confident enough to leave off trying so hard to conceal her face. Most all had seen it by now, and their initial shock had worn a bit. They stared less and less, and Ada appreciated this. She had mentioned to Anice on the first day that maybe she should wear a wimple, it would at least cover her neck, leaving only the scars upon her face visible.

  “Ada, whatever your tale, your scars are like Gregor’s I presume—bravely fought and honorably achieved. You should not be ashamed of them. They mark you not as a victim, but as a survivor. Embrace them. You are stronger, more remarkable for them.”

  Ada accepted this and did learn, slowly and around certain people, to at least be somewhat less self-conscious about her disfigurement.

  Very quickly, she discovered that the beach behind Stonehaven was absolutely her favorite spot in all the world. There were stone steps, along the steep cliff behind the castle that would take a person from the rear yard directly down onto the beach, but Ada did not care for those; they were too narrow and too high, and she feared the wind of the North Sea would blow her right off them. And, thankfully, Torren, would absolutely not allow Anice to navigate those treacherous steps, or even look at them. Anice instead led her out through the arched tunnel and down the slope at the front of the castle. At the bottom of the hill, they turned sharply right and took the foot path until the packed earth turned to bone-white sand and the trees opened up to reveal a wide but shallow expanse of beach. Ada stared with awe at the dark blue water slapping against the shore, breathed deeply of the salty air, and watched with some delight as Will bounded ahead of them, charging directly into the surf.

  Facing the beach from the back of the castle, Ada saw that further to the right, the cliff on which the house sat jutted out into the water, so that the sandy beach ended at that point. To the left, a cairn of rocks stood as tall as Torren and reached almost to the water. Anice explained that around that pile of rocks, there was another beach, wider but more shallow; at night, Anice had said, when the tide rolled in, it was not possible to get around the ancient cairn, so she usually only visited it during the day. “But not today, when Torren is here,” Anice had whispered to her.

  “What are you allowed to do?” Ada teased her, but again was imbued with a sense of envy for Anice Kincaid being so well loved and cared for.

  “Not much,” Anice said and made a face, “and likely even less as my time draws nearer.”

  “Mayhap he’ll transfer his overprotective bent onto your child and you’ll be allowed more freedom.”

  Anice’s charming dimples appeared as she smiled at this. “That, dear Ada, is my hope.”

  Kinnon was with them today, as they were once again at the beach. Ada liked the lad very much. He was kindly and unaffected, curious about so many things, and always so good natured
. And Will had really taken to him. They cavorted now, Kinnon splashing the wolf pup every time Will darted by him in the surf. Ada laughed as Will chomped at the low waves with his teeth. She was again becoming accustomed to the sound of her own laughter, though she knew it was huskier, as was her voice, since Dornoch.

  “I want to put my feet in the water,” she said suddenly, Will’s enthusiasm raising her own interest.

  Anice turned from watching the wolf and Kinnon. “It’ll be cold, but oh so refreshing. Leave your shoes here.”

  Ada sat in the sand, and lifted the bottom of her borrowed blue gown, taking only a moment to unlace her soft leather shoes. “Oh, but my hose...”

  Anice waved off this concern with a crafty little smile. “I went barefoot here for almost the entire summer last year,” she admitted, a wistful note in her voice. “You can absolutely remove your hose and garters without lifting your skirts and no one will be the wiser.” She glanced up and around. “Torren and Kinnon cannot see—I’d join you myself if I could reach around this belly to untie my own shoes.”

  Ada needed no more enticement. She had never walked in the sea. She doffed her hose and garters and rolled them up and tucked them into her discarded shoes. “Anice, come here,” she said and came onto her knees. “I’ll untie your shoes.”

  Her friend’s eyes lit up and she obeyed, standing before Ada, her hand on her shoulder while Ada removed her shoes and then her hose and garters as well, hiding them just as she had her own. Ada stood and Anice took her hand and they dashed down to where the waves lightly crashed in, lifting their skirts as the water rolled over their bare feet.

  Ada dug her feet into the sand, squishing it between her toes, letting the receding wave pull it all away. The water was indeed very cold, but it was a remarkable feeling. Anice cried out with joy, and swung Ada’s hand high as they darted away from a larger incoming wave. This alerted Torren of their nearness, of their presence in the water. He turned and his frown was immediate. He started shouting something straight away, though the words were lost for the noise at the surf. He walked towards them, frowning and hollering.

  Ada and Anice laughed and giggled.

  “I’m not sure what poor Torren is going to do when I actually have to birth the babe,” Anice called as Will skimmed by them, still biting at the waves.

  “He’ll be standing just outside the door, scolding you to not push too hard, nor feel any pain.”

  “Now that’s enough of that!” He ordered now.

  They could hear him but only laughed more. Anice kicked up her foot, splashing water at the big man as he closed in on them. He rolled his eyes but refrained from returning the gesture. Ada could see that he very much wanted his dear Anice to have fun, but that he just worried too much. He hovered close then and allowed them to play yet more in the ankle high surf.

  Ada lifted her arms and spun around, tipping her head back to let the sun warm her face. Oh, but this was exhilarating. And it was joyful.

  She was truly happy here at Stonehaven.

  JAMIE MACKENNA FOLLOWED Gregor Kincaid down to the beach behind the majestic Stonehaven keep. He’d been here last fall, when they’d hidden William Wallace down here, after they’d accidentally recovered Anice from kidnappers. He’d returned several times since. He liked being at Stonehaven, liked the Kincaid’s lass and the people of Stoney. He considered it so much less lonely than his own Aviemore, in which he’d barely resided in years. For so long, he’d been a faithful companion to William Wallace, but unlike Gregor and even their friend, Conall MacGregor, Jamie hadn’t anything—anyone—to draw him back home. He liked the sea, liked the air down at the beach here, which smelled of salt and sand and never of blood and sweat.

  “She’s already here,” Gregor said beside him. They’d come looking for Anice, as Jamie could not pass through without giving a proper greeting to the lass. “Ada’s with her.”

  “Who is Ada?” There were so few women at Stonehaven, Jamie thought he knew all of them.

  “We are no exactly sure. Torren found her making use of a shack in the forest,” Gregor answered cryptically. “Be warned, Jamie: Ada’s face is scarred, rather gruesomely. Dinna stare, lest you suffer Anice’s wrath.”

  “Where did she get the scars?” Only scars he’d ever seen had come from battle.

  “She’s no said. Anice said were no to pry.”

  Jamie nodded, looking out toward the water. He saw the Kincaid’s woman standing with a few other people. With her short blonde hair and growing belly, she was easy to distinguish. He recognized the Kincaid captain, Torren, and another Kincaid tartan-ed soldier. Jamie knew that if Gregor himself was not with the lass, Torren would be. He wondered if Anice ever just wanted to be alone, as he knew full well the lass was rarely, if ever, left unattended.

  The little group stood within the water, Torren giving no mind to his boots in the surf, keeping close to the Kincaid lady.

  The woman named Ada stood with her back to them as they neared. She was taller than Anice by several inches and slim, with long and shiny dark hair, was all Jamie could see. Anice was speaking but broke off as she said something to Ada, seeing her husband and Jamie.

  She smiled beautifully.

  Jamie heard Torren admonish, “No running, lass.”

  There was no need for her to run. Gregor jogged toward her the last dozen feet, scooping her up in his arms just at the water’s edge. Jamie frowned, watching their happy reunion. They’d been separated for three days, by his reckoning, not three months.

  When Gregor released his wife, she turned to Jamie. “You, sir, have been too long gone from Stonehaven.”

  “What I’d tell you about the sir, lass?” He accepted her hug, even patted her back lightly, having never touched an expectant woman before. In his peripheral, he was aware that the woman, Ada, kept her face averted—because of her scars, he guessed, but had no sure knowledge of this.

  Gregor pulled Anice away from the water and the entire small party followed suit, standing just out of reach of the highest climbing wave.

  “Will!” Kincaid’s soldier called suddenly, moving away from the group, walking toward the keep. Jamie turned to see the pasty-faced lad chasing down a huge beast. His eyes widened, realizing the animal was possibly part wolf, and widened more when he realized the wolf was named Will. The lad—Kinnon, if Jamie recalled correctly—gave a whistle and the wolf lifted his head and charged at him, tail wagging.

  Anice laughed behind him and Jamie turned to her. There’d been no wolf when last he’d visited Stonehaven. The woman named Ada was watching Kinnon and the wolf as well, showing her profile to him.

  Jamie forgot to breathe for a moment.

  “Ada, call him off,” Kinnon hollered with a loud chuckle, while the pup had his huge paws on the lad’s shoulders and was licking his face.

  “Will! Come, you big oaf!” She called. Several of those watching laughed at Kinnon’s predicament and the wolf’s playfulness. But her voice held no lightness, was scratchy.

  An elbow dug into Jamie’s rib. Gregor was next to him, frowning at Jamie for his rude gawking.

  He couldn’t not stare. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It couldn’t be....

  Yet, he knew that face. A shadow of this face had haunted his dreams for more than a year.

  “Ada, you must meet Jamie,” Anice said, when the wolf had left Kinnon alone and the circle turned away from watching.

  He was still staring at her, despite Gregor’s hard elbow.

  Soft hazel eyes turned to him just for a second. Her very small and thin smile vanished. She didn’t recognize him. She was only now shy, afraid to be the object of any attention, he imagined. She stared only at his chest. He could not look away.

  “Jamie MacKenna, this is Ada Moncriefe.”

  She knew his name. He wasn’t sure how, but she now knew who he was. Her eyes jerked back to his. Her lips parted.

  Their gaping at each other could not have gone unnoticed—did not, as told by the keen sil
ence around them.

  Jamie opened his mouth to speak, but no words came forth.

  She clenched her teeth, as announced by the tremor in her lips and the tightening of her neck, the skin of which showed a distinct and puckered red and white line from left to right, disappearing into her hair.

  “The wolf’s name is Will?” He didn’t know why those were the first words he said to her.

  She said nothing, did not answer. Finally, with a shake of her head and quick grimace to Anice, she skirted around the group and darted away, stumbling until she yanked up her skirts and bolted from the beach. Jamie was shown a glimpse of bare feet and slim ankles as she ran away.

  Those that remained turned stupefied gazes onto Jamie.

  He took in Anice’s confusion and the heavy frowns of Gregor and Torren.

  “You and Ada have met,” Anice said unnecessarily.

  How did he explain it, though? He kept his gaze on Anice, would not look away from the censure in her eyes. How could he tell her that all those scars were because of him?

  It was the lass to whom he owed the explanation. Ada. With a foul obscenity, he pivoted and chased after her.

  ADA CURSED THE TEARS that fell. She could not comprehend that these people, who had been so kind to her for so many weeks, were friendly with that devil! It was beyond her understanding. My God, how could Anice embrace him? And smile at him!

  She heard her name called. Please, no! She ran faster, out of the sand, onto the flattened grass of the worn path around the side of the keep.

  “Wait!” He called again.

  He was closer. Why did Anice let him follow her?

  Ada kept going, heartened when she heard Will barking. He was not far away. Ada chanced a glance behind. The man had stopped, unable to get around Will, who’d come between him and Ada. His snarl was mean now, as Ada had never heard it.

  She stopped, breathless, and stared at him, while more than twenty feet separated them. On one side, trees flanked the narrow path to and from the beach; the other side was only a tall jagged cliff of rock, on which Stonehaven sat at the top.