Free A Hint of Rapture by Miriam Minger Page A

this baffling attraction.
    "Perhaps we could sit in the drawing room while we
discuss a few matters, rather than stand here in the hall. Or we could stroll
outside. The sun is about to set and it's a lovely summer evening."
    "I'll not sit down nor walk in any garden with the
likes of ye," Madeleine said evenly, raising her chin. "Ye'll kindly
answer my question, Captain Marshall. Why are ye turning my home into a . . . a
bunkhouse?'
    "Very well." Garrett gestured to the soldier,
who was still standing stiffly to one side. The man quickly gathered up the
bedding and hurried past them. Only when he disappeared down the hallway did
Garrett speak again. His expression sobered.
    "I'll be brief, Mistress Fraser. Your manor house
will be serving as headquarters and billeting for myself and my men for an
indefinite period of time."
    "Billeting?"
    "Yes. We've been ordered by our chief commander,
General Henry Hawley, to occupy Strathherrick."
    Madeleine started. She had heard of Butcher
Cumberland's bastard brother. His cruelty had far surpassed the duke's at
Culloden. If this man was one of his officers, surely he was cut from the same
maggot-infested cloth. "For what purpose, captain, if I might ask?"
    Garrett did not readily reply. He could not tell her
the truth because it might jeopardize his mission.
    If she knew anything about Black Jack, she could
possibly warn the outlaw of their intent to capture him. No doubt the bastard
would flee into the mountains at the first whiff of trouble. Then all would be
lost, for himself and the people of Strathherrick. Perhaps if he could ever
trust her, it might be different, but for now . . .
    "Our purpose is simple," he lied. "We've
been stationed in this valley to keep the peace."
    She stared at him incredulously. "Keep the peace?
Surely 'tis a jest, Captain Marshall," she scoffed. "Since when have
ye redcoats been interested in anything more than cruel slaughter, the rape of
innocent women and young girls, and the burning of homes and the stealing of
cattle?"
    Garrett's jaw tightened. He could not contradict her,
even if he had wanted to. There was truth in her words, demonstrated time and
again these past months. Yet he hated being lumped with the rest of his
overzealous, and often unscrupulous, compatriots.
    Obviously he and his men would have to prove that they
meant no harm to the Highlanders of Strathherrick. This would be a peaceful
occupation, just as he had discussed with Colonel Wolfe. Better to establish
such a tone from the start.
    "No, it is not a jest," he replied quietly.
"We're here to ensure the welfare of those Highlanders who abide by the
new laws. The English laws. But I agree with you wholeheartedly, Mistress
Fraser. Too many innocents have been punished unjustly for the sake of a few
troublemakers."
    Madeleine was taken aback. Such words from an
Englishman? If she did not know better, she might have considered his statement
to be some sort of an apology. Yet smooth words only made her more suspicious
of him.
    "What troublemakers doe mean, captain?" she
asked tightly, a vision of her father flashing before her. "Do ye refer to
the brave clansmen who fought and died for the rightful heir to the throne of
Great Britain, King James? Or perhaps ye mean the ones who've escaped the noose
and yer filthy gaols, only to be hunted mercilessly in their own homeland by
the lot of ye bloodthirsty cowards."
    Garrett felt a quickening of anger, but quelled it. He
knew she was baiting him. He would not give her the satisfaction of justifying
her preconceptions about all English officers. He decided a half truth was
better than none.
    "I admire bravery in any man, friend or foe,"
he said. "I'll not speak ill of those who fight for their beliefs. The
troublemakers are the thieves and outlaws who now prey on the Englishmen and
Scotsmen loyal to King George. Whether they commit their crimes for profit or
revenge, the outcome is the same. It is the innocent people who will suffer and
bear