A Very Highland Holiday - Kathryn Le Veque Page 0,19
but it also served as a prison. Some dark things had happened within the walls of the old building.
Rafe stepped forward, greeting James amiably.
“I knew you would be coming here,” he said. “The English dead were buried here, so it was a natural assumption. I came ahead of you. I thought I would help you look for your brother.”
James had been on the road for almost three days. The snows hadn’t returned, but the roads themselves had been in bad shape. More than that, he’d taken it slowly for Gaira’s sake. Standing behind James, she was bundled up in one of his coats against the icy weather.
Hearing Rafe’s explanation, James’ surprise turned to confusion.
“Y-You thought to…?” he repeated. “B-But why should you do that? Although I appreciate your initiative, my brother’s fate is not your concern. Surely you have better things you could be doing.”
Rafe shook his head, motioning him and Gaira into the church, which wasn’t much warmer than it was outside, but at least it was out of the elements.
“I told you that I am a healer,” he said. “This is where I am meant to be at the moment. I came ahead and made some inquiries about Johnathan de Lohr and I believe I found someone who can help you.”
James’ features registered shock. “Y-You did?” he said. “H-Here?”
Rafe nodded. “As I said, the English were brought here after the battle,” he said. “Wounded, prisoners, and dead. All of them were brought here. The battlefield is quite close, in fact. You passed it on your way into town.”
James scratched his head, turning to look out into the churchyard as if to see the battlefield beyond. A chill ran over him. “I-I was not aware.”
“It is true,” Rafe said. “But I spoke to a priest at length here when I arrived. He told me that the British army brought the dead and wounded here and then executed the Jacobite prisoners. If you look into the southeast corner of the churchyard, you will see a mass grave.”
James was starting to pale, his breathing deepening when he realized what Rafe was telling him. “M-My brother is in a mass grave?” he clarified. “I-Is that what you are saying?”
Rafe held up a finger, begging patience. “Wait,” he said. “Let me find the priest who knows. I shall return quickly.”
With that, he wandered off into the dim church, leaving James standing in the entry, feeling as if he’d just been kicked in the gut. He caught movement out of the corners of his eyes, knowing it was Gaira but afraid to look at her.
Afraid he might break down if he did.
He hadn’t come this far to discover his brother’s remains were jumbled up with a bunch of strangers.
“I’d heard the same thing,” Gaira said softly, putting a gentle hand on his arm. “I dinna want tae tell ye. I dunna know it for certain, but word travels. We had heard the English executed prisoners here and buried their dead.”
“B-But they wouldn’t have buried them with the prisoners.”
“Nay.”
“D-Does that mean all of the English are in a mass grave, then?”
“Perhaps the priests can tell ye the truth.”
Her voice was soft, lilting. Comforting. Funny how he couldn’t remember when she hadn’t been around him somehow – beside him, in front of him, behind him. The past three days with Gaira had been some of the most unusual and important of his young life. As she stood next to him, he put a big arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him.
He drew strength from her.
In fact, she had become so much more to him than a woman who had read his letters and it had all started with this journey. Gaira had been an ideal traveling companion – never complaining, keeping up a steady stream of conversation to make the travel pass more pleasantly. The days had been long and the nights has been… interesting.
Though James had kept his promise and had behaved like a gentleman, by the second night, they were far too comfortable sleeping in the same room with each other. The first night they’d stopped at an inn, which had been full because of a large family traveling south. Their horses crowded the livery and they even had a carriage that had been parked in the yard. James had managed to negotiate a small bed in the servants’ quarters for Gaira, but he ended up sleeping on the bench of the coach because there simply wasn’t any other place.