A Hint of Rapture Read Online Free PDF Page B

a woman loves a man, or was her feeling
merely the bond of friendship formed in childhood? Now she would never know.
    She had accepted that she and Dougald would marry one
day because it was the wish of her father, who had seen in his young kinsman a
fine match for his strong-minded daughter. She had never thought to question
his decision, for he was the only person whose word she had always obeyed.
    Now she would never wed. She had sworn as much on the
night she learned of Dougald's fate. The man who had earned her father's
blessing was cold in his grave, and she would have no other. She would devote
her life to her people, and when the time came to choose an heir for the estate
she would find someone worthy to take her place from among her kinsmen.
    How ironic, Madeleine thought bitterly. If her father
had survived Culloden and been tried for treason, his estate and title would
have been forfeited to the Crown upon his execution. It was only because he had
died on the battlefield that the family estate still belonged to her. She was
permitted to keep her land because as mistress of Farraline and a mere woman,
she was considered harmless, no threat to the government. If they only knew . .
.
    "I said 'tis a noble thing ye do, Maddie,"
Glenis said, "and 'tis proud I am of ye." She bent her head and
pressed her furrowed cheek against Madeleine's shoulder. "Yer da would be
proud of ye, and yer dear mama. I'll not bother ye further with my fears, if
only ye promise not to take any heedless chances." Her voice quivered and
broke, while hot tears dampened Madeleine's sleeve. "If anything ever
happened to ye, I'd have no one left."
    "Please dinna worry," Madeleine said gently.
"Nothing will happen to me, ye'll see. And if it will make ye happy, I
promise I winna raid any redcoats unless I'm sure 'twill go as planned. Fair
enough?"
    Sniffling and nodding her head, Glenis fumbled in her
apron pocket for a handkerchief.
    "Besides, Glenis dear, only the five clansmen who
ride with me know what we do. And ye, of course."
    "I'll never betray ye, lass!" Glenis
exclaimed fiercely, wiping away her tears. "I'll take yer secret to my
grave—"
    "Shhh, Glenis," Madeleine calmed her. "
'Twas not my thought that ye'd betray me, and nor will the others. We're bound
by a pledge of silence, sealed in blood. The people simply accept the food as
God's blessing and ask no questions. They would never betray our cause. I
believe that with all my heart."
    "Och, very well, lass," Glenis said, loudly
blowing her nose several times. "Ye'll hear no more from me. But if ye
dinna mind, I'll keep ye doubly in my prayers, just for good measure."
    Madeleine laughed, planting a kiss on Glenis's damp
cheek. She glanced across the kitchen at the massive fireplace with its raised
hearth, where a large black kettle hung above the peat fire. Steam rose from
the bubbling contents, and a delicious aroma wafted through the room.
"What's in the pot?" she asked, her stomach growling hungrily.
    "Cock-a-leekie stew," Glenis replied, her
brown eyes twinkling again, her plucky spirit revived. "Yer favorite. I
had a notion ye'd be ridin' out tonight, and I'll not have ye goin' on yer way
without a good hot meal in yer belly. There's smoked herring, too, and fresh
bannocks. I'll pack ye and yer men a hamper full for the journey. How long will
ye be gone, lass?"
    "Two days."
    Glenis opened her mouth to protest, but she quickly
shut it. "I hope ye'll have room for the apple pudding I baked ye," she
said instead.
    Madeleine sat down at the kitchen table. "Aye,
Glenis, if ye think my figure winna be the worse for it," she replied
playfully.
    Glenis ladled a hearty portion of stew into a bowl and
returned to the table. "Ye have nothing to fear on that score, lass. Ye're
as sleek and slim as a colt." She set the bowl before Madeleine. "Now
eat. I'll fetch ye some bannocks."
    Madeleine savored the chunks of chicken and leeks in a
thick broth laced with herbs, the warm oatcakes spread with