When a Laird Loves a Lady (Highlander Vows: Entangled Hearts Book 1) (15 page)

When the horse suddenly stopped,
she was surprised to realize they had arrived at the MacLean’s hold. She stared
at the enormous castle, and her jaw dropped. A mountain rose in the sky behind
a mammoth mound of stones, and the castle seemed to stretch into the blue with
the mountains. To one side was a great cliff, and on the other a jagged rock
covered in green moss seemed to grow toward the sea.

Iain lifted her up and off the
horse before she could protest that she could manage on her own.

Archibald dismounted his own horse
and stepped toward them. “Alex is down by the sea.” The man looked away from
Iain and to her. “Do ye want to take her to meet him now, or will it just be
us? It will determine the path we take to get to him.”

Iain shook his head. “She can await
me in my chamber.”

Marion wanted to smack her
husband—hard. She was going to need to pay another indulgence for that sinful
thought, but really, how was she supposed to help it?

“Laird.” Angus spoke up. “Perhaps
ye should present Marion te—”

“Nay,” Iain said, cutting off
Angus’s words.

Marion silently prayed he’d say
nothing else. It was humiliating, and Iain clearly did not consider her worthy
of meeting his friend.

Iain took her by the elbow. “I’m
sure ye want to clean up before meeting Alex.”

She forced herself to nod, and she
struggled not to narrow her eyes at him. “Of course. I wouldn’t want to shame
you,
my
lord
.”

Iain frowned at her, then addressed
Archibald. “Is there a clanswoman about who can show Marion to the bedchambers
and bring her fresh water?”

Archibald’s answer was a loud,
long, shrill whistle.

Within a minute, a young woman came
stomping down the castle steps, her flaming-red hair flowing behind her in the
wind. No one spoke as she progressed down the steep stairwell, but a few of the
men whistled at her. When she got to the last step, she set her hands on her
hips and gave the men an icy stare that silenced all of them. Marion was
instantly envious. She wanted to learn that look.

The woman tossed her long red hair
over her shoulders as she walked toward them. “I’ve told ye a hundred times nae
to whistle at me, Archibald. If ye want me, cart your arse up the stairs and
fetch me. I’m nae a dog, but a woman.”

Archibald grinned. “I ken well ye’re
a woman, Bridgette. Shall I show ye?”

She snorted. “Nae unless ye want to
make yerself seem a fool.”

Laughter erupted from the men,
except a scowling Archibald, as Bridgette swept her gaze over Iain’s small
party. She paused on Marion—who she acknowledged with a raised eyebrow—and then
Iain, at whom she batted her eyelashes. “Well, well, if it is nae the MacLeod.
Did I nae tell ye the last time I saw ye that one day ye would be begging me to
marry ye. Have ye come to beg, then? I’m afraid the line is long.”

“Aye,” said a man standing directly
behind Marion. “I’m in it.”

“As am I,” another man said.

“Me as well,” replied a third man
whom Marion couldn’t see, nor did she care if she could. The only person whose
reaction she cared about was Iain’s. He’d told her he’d not been attracted to a
woman since his wife had died, but maybe now that his lust had been awakened,
he’d desire many other women. Her stomach twisted. The idea made her feel ill.
If Iain was untrue to her, she’d leave, even though she had nowhere to go.
She’d figure it out somehow.

A smile tugged at Iain’s lips, and
Marion’s heart jerked. Was that a flirtatious smile? He rubbed a hand across
his stubble. “I see yer brother has nae made progress taming ye.”

She snickered. “Did ye think he
would?”

“For his sake, I’d hoped. I ken
well what a trouble-seeking sibling is like, as I have three of my own.”

“Since ye mentioned yer siblings…”
Bridgette batted her eyes. “How is Lachlan?”

“Still nae the man for ye.”

“Is that because ye want to be the
man for me, Iain?” Bridgette stepped very close to Iain and drew her hand down
his chest. Marion stiffened. She really didn’t want to act unladylike in front
of a bunch of strangers, but her temper was rising, which truly was something
that did not happen often. She didn’t even really have a temper. Except for
when she was near Iain.
He
brought it out in her. And now
Bridgette
did,
too
.
It must be full-blooded Scottish people in general. Marion quirked
her mouth. But not Angus. He’d lived in England so long he acted more English
than Scottish. And not Neil. And really not Rory Mac, either, though he did
like to tease.

Iain moved Bridgette’s hand from
his chest and finally turned to acknowledge Marion. It was all she could do not
to glare at him for ignoring her for so long. “This is my wife.”

Marion stepped forward as Archibald
said, “She’s called ‘the MacLeod’s wife.’”

That did it!

“My name is Marion,” she growled
through gritted teeth.

Iain gave her an amused look, but
Bridgette’s gaze rounded in surprise before she frowned. “Truly I’m stunned ye
married again, and a Sassenach at that. I dunnae understand men one bit.”

Iain suddenly looked very
uncomfortable. “She’s half-English, half-Scottish. She’s the MacDonald’s niece.
And I married to gain David’s freedom.”

His words were like a blow to
Marion’s gut. It was one thing for her to know he would never love her, but did
he really need to announce how he felt to everyone? Her cheeks heated with
searing embarrassment.

She straightened her spine, lifted
her chin, and caught Bridgette’s eye. “And my only choice was to marry him or
be forced to marry a malicious knight intent on overthrowing my king.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she
saw Iain frown at her, and she heard the men murmuring around her, but
Bridgette’s hearty laughter and the woman linking her arm through Marion’s,
captured her full attention.

“I like her,” Bridgette announced
to all the men standing there looking confounded. Bridgette stared at her. “I
like ye. And I never like other women. Come, then.”
Bridgette
tugged
on Marion’s arm. “I’ll get ye a bath drawn and a decent gown for supper.” The
woman eyed Iain with a smirk. “Is she sharing yer chamber, per yer odd custom,
or shall I give her one of her own?”

“Give her a chamber next to mine if
it’s nae too much trouble.”

“It’s nae any trouble, but the
castle is cold and the night will be long,” Bridgette said in a teasing voice.

“I ken,” Iain said dully. His gaze
flicked to Marion. “Stay in the chamber until I come to fetch ye for supper.”

She curled her hands into fists.
“Stay in the chamber?” she sputtered, disbelieving how he had ordered her
so—and in front of others.

“Aye,” he replied.

She opened her mouth to tell him
no, but Bridgette gave a sharp shake of her head. Marion frowned. Maybe
Bridgette knew something Marion did not. She clamped her jaw shut and forced a
nod as
Bridgette
guided
her up the stairs.

Marion had never been so humiliated
or felt so unwanted in all her life, and that meant a great deal seeing as how
her father had made it perfectly clear that he had only tolerated her because
of the match she could one day make. As she picked her way carefully up the
steep steps, she thought of all the foul curses she knew her husband deserved
to have hurled upon his head, and then she determined how many indulgences she
owed.

She gasped when she realized her
tally was ten. She needed more coin and she needed to learn more curses. The
man was a heartless beast who deserved more than ten sinful thoughts, no matter
how poor it made her.

Iain followed Archibald, Angus, and Rory Mac down a
long steep path toward the sea. Neil had gone with the MacLean men to see their
healer and then find a place to rest. Iain had purposely slowed his pace as the
men talked ahead of him. He listened to the steady sound of his feet against
the
steps
,
the hum of the water in the distance, and the underlying whistle of the wind
blowing into his face.

If the occasional sound of a man’s
voice didn’t invade his thoughts, he would have forgotten they were there. All
he could see in his mind were Marion’s hips gently swaying as she departed with
Bridgette. She was going to drive him to madness with the seductive way her
body moved. Did she mean to entice him? With the pinched look that had come
over her when he’d told Bridgette to give Marion her own chamber, he half
wondered if she had wanted to sleep with him in his bed.

The very thought of holding her
again made him throb with need. If she wanted to be in his bed tonight, and she
wasn’t too sore, he certainly would oblige. He’d have to find time to get her
alone and try to figure out how she felt, as well as to explain that he’d not
meant to reveal that he’d only married her to secure David’s freedom.
Bridgette’s comment about him marrying again had filled him with guilt, and
he’d blurted it out, which was unforgivable and mindless. Marion had haunted
his dreams last night instead of Catriona, and he woke today consumed by
thoughts of his new bride. Her bright smile and quick wit. Her bravery in her
desire to defend him and the strange way she thought to give coin to the church
to reduce the consequences of his sins.

He liked it, and her, very much. So
much it bothered him. He’d sworn never to forget Catriona. He couldn’t allow
Marion to do that, yet she was his wife now. Before he could think on the
matter any further, they arrived at the water. Alex stood with his back to
them, but he turned at their approach, his hearing sharp as ever.

A broad smile spread over his face
when he saw Iain. “MacLeod! Rory Mac!” Alex strode toward them and clasped Rory
Mac on the shoulder and then did the same to Iain. “I was nae expecting ye but
am glad ye’re here. I could use yer counsel.”

Iain quickly presented Angus and
then asked, “For what do ye need our counsel?”

A distinctly wary look came over
Alex, and he slanted his gaze toward Archibald and Angus, who had stepped aside
when Alex had approached them. “We can talk about my problem in a minute. What
brings ye to my home?”

“I am coming back from England and
needed to warn ye of something.”

“England?” Alex said, his face
pinching. “Why would ye want to go there?”

“I did nae want to but was
compelled to do so. David sent word that he needed my help.”

Alex nodded. “In being returned to
Scotland? I am guessing that’s why ye were summoned.”

“It was. He asked me to take a wife
to aid in the cause of getting King Edward to speak of David’s release.”

“A wife? Ye took a wife?” Alex
asked with a significant lifting of his brows.

Iain nodded.

“From which clan?”

“She’s English. Well, partly. She’s
the daughter of Baron de Lacy, but she’s the niece of the MacDonald.”

Astonishment wiped the smile from
Alex’s lips. “A devil’s bargain, then?”

Iain heard Angus shifting behind
him, as if readying to lunge for the MacLean. Iain didn’t like referring to
Marion as part of a devil’s bargain, but neither did he want to discuss his
wife in front of Archibald. “Something like that,” he replied.

Alex turned abruptly toward
Archibald. “Why are ye all still standing here? Do ye nae have training with
the men that can be started without me? Must I be there to oversee ye, Archibald?
If I must, then ye nay longer shall be on the council.”

Iain had not expected the news of
Archibald’s status, given the younger man’s troubles with taking orders in the
past, but considering that Archibald was Alex’s only male relative, Iain
understood that Alex wanted to ready Archibald to become laird if Alex died.
Iain surveyed Archibald for his reaction. Typical of a reckless man, he was
openly scowling rather than controlling his reaction.

“Ye ken ye dunnae, Alex,” Archibald
snapped. “I thought ye may have need of me here.”

“I dunnae—”

“Ye may,” Iain interrupted. “Who’s
yer best tracker?”

“Of man or beast?” Alex asked.

“Man,” Iain replied, not bothering
to hide the worry he felt.

Alex tilted his head toward
Archibald. “He is.”

“Then send him out now with some
men to verify that the area around yer castle is safe.”

Alex cocked up an eyebrow. “And who
would dare enter my lands who’s nae welcome?”

“Froste,” Iain replied, knowing he
need not explain who Froste was because Alex knew of the knight from
tournaments, as well.

“Froste? Why?” Alex inquired, his
voice tight now.

“I’ll explain it all to ye, but I’d
feel better if ye sent out a scouting party presently.” Iain eyed Archibald,
knowing he needed to at least explain exactly who might be coming and what they
would want. “Froste and his men’s surcoats are adorned with snakes, and there
may be other knights with them—Baron de Lacy’s. His men wear a fire-breathing
dragon. They’ll be coming for my wife.”

Archibald’s eyes widened. “I
thought ye said ye married her to foster David’s freedom?”

“I did. I married her by decree of
King Edward.”

Archibald scowled. “Then why—”

“That’s enough questions,” Alex thundered.
“It’s nae for ye to ken. Report to me about the scouting when ye’re finished.”

“Aye,
laird
,” Archibald
growled and stomped off.

Iain caught Rory Mac’s eye. “Ye ken
what to do?”

“Mind Marion and keep her safe,”
the Scot replied with a wink.

“I’ll be doing that, as well,”
Angus added, his voice daring Iain to argue.

A smile tugged at Iain’s lips. In
truth, he was pleased to have both men watching his wife. “I see ye’ve nae
forgot the way of highland life, Angus.”

Angus snorted. “That’s the way of
life everywhere, laird. More so in England than here. There’s nae many men a
body can trust in an English household. I barely slept some nights once my lady
grew te be such a comely lass. I worried some foolish knight would nae control
himself when faced with her beauty and take liberties.”

The very idea of another man
touching Marion made Iain’s blood heat. “Does the baron nae have control of his
men?”

Angus stared at Iain for a long
moment and then gave him a look as if the answer was simple. “Can ye say for
certain that no man in yer entire clan would dare te take liberties with Marion
once they behold her?”

Iain felt himself stiffen. “I would
kill any man, including all three of my brothers, who dared to touch my wife in
any way other than to defend her, greet her, or guide her,”
Iain
stated
.

“That did nae answer my question,
but yer words make me happy,” Angus said with a small smile.

“I trust all my men,” Iain added.
“They are honorable and faithful to me.”

“Aye.” Angus nodded. “I imagine ye
earned their dedication by treating them fairly. Baron de Lacy kinnae claim the
same.” Angus spit toward the ground. “Service through fear and greed is
different from service through respect and a sense of family from a clan, ye
ken?”

“I do,” Iain replied, even more
aware now of how lonely Marion’s life must have been in such a home. She’d been
fortunate to have Angus. “Set yerself outside her door and go where she goes.”
Iain looked between Angus and Rory Mac. “Ken?”

Rory Mac gave Iain a smug look. “I
ken ye so well that ye did nae even have to give the order.”

“I ken, as well,” Angus
interrupted. “I’ve been shadowing Marion long afore ye took her te wife, laird.
No rudeness intended.”

“Am I to take it,” Alex said from
beside Iain, “that ye are nae displeased with having to marry the Sassenach?”

“I was,” Iain responded.

Alex chuckled as Iain faced him.
“And now?”

“And now I’m nae,”
he
growled
.

Alex raised his eyebrows. “I can
see ye dunnae wish to discuss it. All I shall say is that I’m glad ye are
finally burying yer dead wife.”

The words, similar to Rory Mac’s
earlier ones, had Iain clenching his teeth against his sudden ire. He motioned
for Rory Mac and Angus to leave, and the men exchanged a knowing look that Iain
did not miss. They understood he was angry, which irritated him even more. He
didn’t like people guessing his emotions.

Once Iain and Alex were alone, Iain
said, “I’ve nae forgotten Catriona. Marion kinnae take her place.”

“No one said ye should forget her.
Nor do I think yer new wife could take the place of yer old one. Now, enough on
the subject. Tell me the whole tale of de Lacy, yer wife, Froste, King Edward,
and David.”

Iain quickly relayed how Edward
thought Froste and de Lacy were plotting to overthrow him, and how Edward
refused to even speak of releasing David until he acquired a Scottish laird
with a powerful army to marry Marion. Iain relayed that he was certain King
Edward also suspected nothing would stop the men from trying for the throne,
but he had bought himself a distraction, time, and had effectively forced Iain
to become his ally in the hope of finally getting David returned to Scotland
where the King of Scots belonged.

Alex nodded. “And so the
distraction Edward created is working thus far.”

“Aye,” Iain said grimly. “It
appears so. Now that ye ken all, tell me of yer woes.”

Alex blew out a frustrated breath.
“Bridgette refused an offer of marriage from the Campbell’s son. I wanted her
to accept as it would have helped bring peace, but she did nae feel compelled.”

“And ye did nae make her accept?”
Iain asked, confounded. He was glad he had brothers. Though they stirred plenty
of mischief, they’d never endanger a peace treaty simply because they didn’t
wish to marry a woman.

“I did nae,” Alex responded, his
words stiff. “I vowed to my mother on her deathbed that I would nae force
Bridgette to marry any man she did nae love.” Alex stared hard at Iain. “I
kinnae tell ye how many times I’ve wished I never consented to that, but when
ye look at yer dying mother, it’s verra hard to deny her anything. So I
consented, thinking it would likely never be a problem. But Bridgette wishes to
marry for love,” Alex groused. “She dunnae seem to care what her foolish desire
did to the possibility of peace. I explained to her that marriage is about
duty, nae foolish fantasies.”

Iain nodded to show his agreement,
but his marriage to Catriona had been more than duty. In the beginning, he’d
married her because he felt obligated to watch over her. She’d come to him
after her father had announced that he was going to marry her to Gowan
MacDonald, Marion’s uncle, and Iain had not been able to let the fragile girl
he had known for years be chained to a man known for his temper and
deceitfulness. Catriona had confessed her love to Iain, and he knew his time to
marry was coming, so he’d married her. Yet love had grown from duty. And now
he’d wed Marion out of duty. Passion was there for certain, but the other
emotion? He could not allow it again. It was a foolish fantasy, as Alex had
claimed.

He sensed Alex staring at him.
“Sorry. What did Bridgette say when ye told her that?”

“Only men who have never been in
love spout such drivel.” He offered Iain a disgruntled look. “And she said I
was a cold Scot.” Iain was surprised when Alex’s scowl turned to a grin. “I
don’t mind that part so much.”

“Aye,” Iain replied without hesitation
as he scratched at his stubble and thought about how nice it would be to wash
off in the sea. That idea spawned another, one of Marion naked and soaking in a
tub. He’d never bathed that way himself. His father had always said such a
thing was for women and weak men, and it had stuck with him, but the idea of climbing
into a pool of warm water where Marion reclined with rivulets sluicing over her
skin and him rubbing soap over her soft breasts and tight stomach made his
blood hum. He’d never last a night without touching his wife. And once he
touched her, he’d have to take her, he wanted her that much. It was a gnawing,
growing hunger.

Alex coughed loudly. Iain snapped
his gaze to his longtime friend. “I was—”

“Thinking about yer new wife by the
lusty look on yer face.”

Iain grinned. He couldn’t help it,
but a grin was not an omission, and he’d rather cut off a finger than admit
he’d been lost in a fantasy about bathing with his wife. Alex would annoy him
about it until death took the man and silenced him. He needed to draw his
friend’s attention away from him and Marion, especially when he was so confused
about his new wife.

“Bridgette is sweet tempered as ever,
I see,” Iain jested.