Gifts of Desire (38 page)

             
“Ach, we manage
d just fine before
you
came.
  In truth we only let
you
help out so as not to hurt
your
feelings.”

             
Fiona was teasing her, and
Ella
smiled.

             
Fiona grinned back
and disappeared
back
into the kitchens.
  In truth, Ella had been a tremendous help these past weeks.  She had a quick mind and many talents.  It seemed there was nothing she couldn’t do.

             
Ella
started towards the still room
to find herbs for a tisane
,
but in truth she felt fine now that she was away from the kitchens
.
  She decided to go for a walk instead, perhaps
the fresh air would clear her head
.  She had felt a little queasy this morning as well, and then there was yesterday when cook had been frying onions…  She stopped dead in her tracks, and her stomach did a
slow and painful
flip. 
No, it couldn’t be…
 
S
he forced herself to keep walking and took a deep breath.  Her heart was beating too fast as she tried to count back the days and the numbers kept slipping from her head
as she grew more and more frantic
. 
S
he had been here more th
an
two
month
s, nearly three, and she hadn’t bled since a week or two after she arrived
.
 
No,
Ceann
is certain he can’t
father
a child. 
Very certain. 
It must be something else,
probably
no more than
all I’ve been through these past weeks
. 

             
Ella
slowly
managed to calm herself, but her mind remained uneasy.  What would happen to her if she was… with child?  What would Esme think?  And
Ceann
, he had vowed never to marry, would she have to raise
the bairn
alone? 
She shook herself,
there’s no sense worrying over something that is probably just your own imagination
, Ella
.
  You are not with child.

             
Looking up
at the sound of approaching voices
, she saw Mairi
and her brother
headed across the bailey
, Mairi
with a basket
on her arm
, no doubt going to the village.  She ran to catch up to her, looking for a
ny
distraction from the
uneasy
thoughts tumbling inside her head.

             
Ceann
went to the kitchen
after morning practice
, expecting to find
Ella
there.  She was always helping Fiona or someone; in fact, he couldn’
t remember
her
ever
sit
ting
idle
since her arrival at Tulloch
.  He smiled
to himself, his heart beating
faster in anticipation of
seeing her. 
God, but I have it bad!
 
He stood in the doorway and looked in, but she wasn’t there.  Fiona saw him there, no doubt looking disappointed.

             
“If
you
’r
e
looking for
Ella
, she
went out for a walk.  She didn’t
feel well this morning.”  She gave
Ceann
a
speculative
look
, eyeing him from head to toe
.  “Or yesterday morning either
…
”

             
Fear tightened his chest.  He suddenly had to see for himself that she was alright.
  Turning away, he called over his shoulder,
“Thank
you
, Fiona.”

             
He found
Ella
in the village with Mairi and Colin, where Mairi
had just finished her shopping, and Colin was carrying her now overflowing basket.
  He came up behind them and cut
Ella
off from the
other two
, motioning Mairi and Colin to continue on.  He studied her face for a moment.  She looked a bit pale, perhaps, but fine otherwise. 

             
He took her by the arms. 
“Are
you
well
Ella
?  Fiona said…”

             
“I’m fine now.” 
She smiled at him, and his chest tightened.
  “Did
you
need something,
Ceann
?”

             
He gave her a devilish smile. 
“Aye.”

             
“
T
iugainn comhla rium
.” 
C
ome with me
.
He took her hand, and led her away from the village, through a copse of trees, and into a small clearing covered with lush green grass.  She looked up at him, and seeing the predatory intent
dark
in his eyes, she laughed and ran from him
, teasing
.  He smiled and gave chase, catching her before she’d even reached the trees on the other side.  He lowered her to the ground and sprawled on top of her, trapping her with his body.
  Looking down at her, his face changed before her eyes, until it held a look of fierce possession.
  “I warned you never to run from me.”
 

             
She sucked in a breath, overcome by his sudden intensity.

             
“
You
’
r
e
mine,
Ella
”, he bit out.  “No
other man will ever have
you
. 
You
won’t ever leave
me, becau
se I will find
you
and bring
you
back, whether
you
like it or no.”

             
She stared up at him, emotions
coiling tightly
in
her
chest
.  She had won.
  Finally won.
  She grasped his hair and pulled him down for a fierce kiss. 

             
“And you are mine.  All mine!  To do with as I please.” 

             
He went wild then, like a beast that had been caged for far too long. 
He kissed her, all the while pulling at her clothes, hiking her skirts up to her waist.

“I need to be inside
you
, right now”, he said between ragged breaths.

             
He pushed his plaid aside, and thrust into her with a groan.  She gave the moment to him, as her legs wrapped around his hips to take him deeper.  She knew his need was deeper than the needs of the flesh, and she needed, too.  He clasped her body to his as he took her hard and fast, at last rising up with
a growl as his body shuddered against hers.  He collapsed against her, and she could feel the
slow, heavy
thud of his heart against her chest.

             
“Thank
you
”, he said.

             
“Thank
you
?”

             
“Aye”.

             
He smiled at her, a real smile that reached his eyes and melted her heart.

             
“
You’re
welcome”, she teased, studying his face.  She knew,
knew
, that
he cared for her,
and
that he was still too afraid to hope for happiness. 
Mine
, he had said.  It was so very true.

             
He kissed her agai
n, slowly and deeply.  “Will
you
stay with me,
Ella
?
  At Tulloch?
” he asked. 

             
She looked up at him, uncertainty on her face.  He
still
didn’t offer her marriage.  She understood the reasons he thought he had, but that didn’t change
the truth that she wanted
more.  She suddenly remembered her illness that
morning, the possibility…
no, it was too much to even think about.  Instead she wrapped her arms around him.

             
“I will stay, for now.”

             
He shoo
k his head.  “No
,
you
will stay forever.”
  His sensuous lips turned up in a wicked grin.  “And now that I have you at my mercy, I think I will spend the rest of the afternoon pleasuring you until you beg me to stop.”

Rossmoor

             
Hugh stalked into the study, where his father sat at his large, ornate desk, papers spread in front of him.  Ross held up his hand to silence his son while he finished writing a missive, and Hugh sulked impatiently.  Ceann was going to have everything, and he would be left with nothing, save Rossmoor, a small manor
with little wealth or land.  It was not e
nough
.  It was not fair!  He should be Laird, as his father had promised, but now
she
was at Tulloch.  They had had her, and she escaped. 
Escaped
!  A mere lass!  His fury boiled and threatened to spill over.  She was the girl in the
legend
,
the laird’s one true mate,
he kn
ew it with a deadly certainty.  S
omething had to be done before things became far more complicated.
  Before his own destiny slipped through his fingers!

             
His father finished writing and looked up at him.  “Aye?  What is it now Hugh?”

             
“
She
is back at Tulloch, back with
him
.  Do
you
have a plan
to fix this, Father?  I won’t
stand by and s
ee him steal everything that
you
promised would be mine!”
             

             
Lord Ross
looked up at his son
, “Aye,
I have a plan.  Of course I have a plan.”  He rubbed his hand over his chin, and leaned back slightly in the chair.  “H
e
has much pride,
our
Ceann does.
 
He keeps his own counsel and holds honor above all else. 
We will use that honor against him. 
He will never keep
the lass
if he thinks for an instant she has betrayed him.
  He will send her away, and then it will be a simple matter to hunt her down and be done with it all.
” 

             
He selected a parchment from the pile on his desk, and handed it to Hugh
with a snug look
.
  “Find someone to deliver this missive to
the
Lady Ella.  B
e sure that
Tulloch
intercepts it
,
and
that he is
suspicious
enough to read it.
  B
e absolutely c
ertain he doesn’t
suspect it came from Rossmoor.
”
 

             
Understanding dawned in Hugh’s eyes, and the coldness of his smile rivaled that of his father.

***

             
Ceann
took a break from
reviewing the
accounts
scattered on his desk and stood
to stretch
.
Looking towards the window,
he happened to see a lone messenger enter the gates, escorted by one of his
guardsmen.
  Glad for an
y
excuse to put off his work, he went to the hall
to see what it was about
. 
The messenger
was a lad of no more than sixteen years, and he looked rather nervous.