The Master Of Strathburn by Amy Rose Bennett Read Free Book Online Page A

reached out to squeeze Jessie’s hand. ‘Now, here’s what ye should do, lass. Ye must write yer father a note telling him that word has come from yer cousin, begging ye to come and stay at once, to help with the wee ones. I shall keep the note an’ give it to yer father when he gets back, so he willna fash himself aboot yer whereabouts.’
    ‘What shall I tell Lord and Lady Strathburn?’ The earl’s good opinion really mattered to Jessie. She did not wish to put him out and have it reflect on her father’s good standing.
    ‘I will tell them the same story, so dinna worry,’ replied Mrs MacMillan, patting her arm. ‘The post arrived in Grantown-on-Spey earlier today so they should believe ye aboot yer cousin sending word. Yer father canna be blamed if ye need to attend to a family crisis. The earl wouldna countenance tha’.’
    Tears of relief and gratitude filled Jessie’s eyes. ‘I canna thank you enough.’
    Mrs MacMillan pulled a handkerchief from her apron and offered it to Jessie. ‘’Tis nothing, m’lass. Nothing at all. Now, the only obstacle we have to overcome is how to get ye to Edinburgh.’
    Jessie frowned. ‘I dinna think it would be wise for me to ride all tha’ way by myself. It is well over one hundred miles.’
    Mrs MacMillan nodded. ‘The public coach from Inverness passes by the Strathspey Inn in Grantown-on-Spey, two days from now. At noon. It only goes by once a month an’ it is verra slow. But respectable folk use it. Why, even Mrs MacIntosh, the kirkman’s wife, has travelled to Edinburgh on it, to visit her sister. And I would be happy to help ye with the money for the fare.’
    Jessie smiled. ‘No, that willna be necessary, dear Mrs MacMillan. You are too kind. I have a wee bit o’ money set aside. But the question is,’ she sighed heavily, ‘what shall I do between now an’ when the coach leaves? I still need to avoid Mr Grant. If I stay here, or even at the inn in Kilburn or Grantown, I am certain he will find me.’
    ‘Aye. And he wouldna think twice aboot forcing himself on ye, even at an inn. You need to disappear.’ Mrs MacMillan’s brow dipped into a deep furrow as she thought a little longer. Then a mischievous smile creased her ruddy face. ‘I ken just the place, m’lass. Some place he willna look at all.’

Chapter Three
    Jessie paused beneath a Scots pine on a sharp ridge and wiped a trickle of perspiration from her brow. She’d been walking and climbing for over an hour, and aside from needing to catch her breath, she wanted to get her bearings before continuing on. The loch and the castle lay in the wide glen far below her. If she hadn’t known any better, she would have thought it was a scene from a fairy-tale, rather than the setting for the nightmare Simon had planned.
    But she wouldn’t stay at Lochrose to become Simon’s unwilling doxy. She’d much rather scale mountains and traverse lonely upland moors any day.
    Glancing upwards along the ridgeline, Jessie could just make out the path leading to the isolated glen that was her ultimate destination. She prayed Mrs MacMillan was correct in surmising that Simon wouldn’t think to search for her at Lord Strathburn’s hunting lodge. Two nights—tonight and tomorrow—were all that Jessie had to brave alone before she made her way to Grantown-on-Spey on the other side of the range.
    A solitary cloud passed across the midday sun and a chill breeze pulled at the loose curls that had already escaped Jessie’s braid. It was time to press on. The weather still held relatively fair, but up here, the elements could change in the space of a moment. Jessie knew that the sooner she reached the shelter of the hunting lodge, the better. As she only had her wren-brown woollen gown and travelling cloak to wear, she really didn’t want them to get ruined if she could help it.
    Gathering her resolve, Jessie hitched her leather satchel higher on her shoulder before carefully negotiating the ridgeline and scaling