Page 97 of Defy the Highlander

“If ye dress in something proper, ye can.”

She looked down at the sleeping shift she was wearing. As Brody pulled on his leather breeches and not one but two heavy tunics, she quickly donned the dark green wool that Lady Currie had given her. It was tight around the bust but flowing everywhere else, with sleeves that were long enough to wrap her hands up in. It was warm and comfortable, and Brody took her hand as they headed down into the common room of the bustling tavern.

Given that snow flurries had started again, the tavern was full. People were piling in from outside, finding any space available to stay warm. The hearth was low and wide, and it gave off an enormous amount of heat into the small, stuffy room.

Brody moved for the kitchens. He had been very frugal on their way north, but they’d come down to their last few coins and he was going to have to see about earning more money before they could travel back to Edinburgh and the Ludus Caledonia. Were it just him, he wouldn’t have worried because he could have slept anywhere or eaten whenever the opportunity presented itself, but he wouldn’t do that to Lilia. She had changed his whole perspective on travel.

She had changed his perspective on life.

“Brody?”

He heard his name and it had not come from his wife. Puzzled, not to mention on his guard, he quickly turned to the source and saw three men sitting at a nearby table, looking at him in shock.

He knew their faces.

They were sitting by the kitchens, huddled around a small table with a broken leg, and the moment he recognized them, his eyes widened in astonishment.

“Hamlin?” he gasped. “And Dougal and little Ramsey? Christ, lads, is it really ye?”

Suddenly, Lilia was pushed out of the way by a mob of men rushing her husband. She would have thought they were attacking him except for one thing – they were hugging him instead of producing weapons. They were crowing happily instead of screaming in anger. The one that had called Brody by name was kissing her husband on both cheeks, clearly glad to see him.

And Brody seemed very glad to see them, as well.

“Lads, let me introduce ye to my wife,” Brody said, reaching out to grasp Lilia by the hand. He pulled her against him, tightly. “This is my wife, Lilia. Angel, these are men I hold most dearly. These are my cousins Hamlin, Dougal, and Ramsey McKay. Their fathers are my father’s younger brothers.”

The men looked at Lilia with warmth and curiosity and, truthfully, a good deal of surprise. Hamlin was big and dark, like Brody, while Dougal had bushy red hair. “Little” Ramsey wasn’t so little; he was quite tall and dark, but he was also young. She smiled politely.

“I am very happy tae know ye,” she said.

Brody didn’t even let them reply to her before he was making demands. “What are ye doing here?” he asked. “’Tis a cold winter’s night for ye tae be so far from home.”

The one who had called Brody by name, Hamlin, still wasn’t over the shock of seeing him. He pulled Brody down into an empty chair at their table. Lilia ended up on Brody’s lap because there was no more room.

“We’re heading tae Inverness,” Hamlin said. “The winter has been bad tae the north and we’ve had sickness move through the village. Do ye remember old Keltie?”

Brody nodded quickly. “The apothecary,” he said. “He’s still alive, is he? The man was ancient when I was a lad.”

Hamlin agreed. “That he was,” he said. “Do ye remember how a-feared we were of him? I was afraid tae look at him lest I turn tae stone.”

Brody snorted. “We all were,” he said. “But he’s a knowledgeable man. Is he sending ye intae Inverness?”

Hamlin nodded. “He is,” he said. “We’ve a list of medicines tae purchase tae help the sick. But no more talk of us. Brody, where have ye been, lad? We dinna see ye again after Jedburgh and we thought ye were dead.”

Brody quickly sobered. He knew this would come up when he reached Ledmore, and rightly so, but it seemed that he wasn’t as prepared as he thought he was to answer for his actions. He loved Hamlin like a brother; they’d grown up together. Dougal and Ramsey, too. He didn’t want them to think poorly of him.

He sighed faintly.

“I did what I shouldna have done,” he said quietly. “After the ambush with the Sassenach… I couldna face what I’d done. Ye were there, Hamlin. Ye know what I’m talking about. I couldna return tae Ledmore and face those women and children, knowing I’d killed their sons and fathers and husbands. So… I ran away. I’m ashamed of myself, but that’s what I did.”

Hamlin didn’t seem surprised by the confession. “But it wasna yer fault,” he said quietly. “We all had a hand in the decision. Ye werena alone in it, lad.”

“But I’m the one who disobeyed my da,” Brody said. “All of ye looked tae me as yer commander and I led ye astray. It was stupid and reckless. It was my pride that did it, I suppose. I brought shame on my da and I just couldna face it.”

Hamlin reached out, putting a hand on Brody’s arm. “No one blamed ye,” he said. “Ye never let us tell ye that. Ye disappeared before we could.”

Brody shook his head, unwilling to be forgiven. Not yet, anyway. “I thought it would be best if I left. Hamlin, I never had the chance tae tell ye I was sorry I got yer brother killed. If I could have given my life for his, I would have.”

Hamlin smiled wryly. “Cauley was charging against the Sassenach before ye ever gave the command,” he said. “He would have done it with or without ye, Brody. Ye take too much credit for my brother’s foolishness. Ye’re not tae blame.”