Highland Magic (22 page)

* * *

Callum entered the great hall behind Bao and
Daniel. The three warriors had just come from the tilting lists and
were now ready for a bit of ale to quench their thirst. Hot and
sweaty, their damply crimped hair clung close to their heads—the
result of wearing their metal helmets—they nontheless were in high
spirits after the exercise.

They wore only their mail, the plate armor
being reserved for the practices closer to the time of the
joust.

Callum, as was his usual way, since he
preferred doing this particular task himself without the aid of a
servant, went directly to the buttery and brought out a jug of ale
and three cups.

He was halfway across the
chamber when Daniel looked up from his discussion with Bao and
said, “Have you any
uisge
beatha
? I long for a wee draught of the
stuff.”

Callum grinned and whirled around. “Aye,
we’ve plenty,” he said, striding back to the buttery and
disappearing once more behind the screen.

“Think you he has any suspicion of what we
mean to talk to him about?” Bao said in a low voice to Daniel.

Daniel chuckled. “Nay, I believe the poor man
is completely blind to the trial by fire we’re about to give him.
He only thought his toughest contest this day was meeting our
challenge at the lists.”

Grinning behind his fist, Bao nodded. “Aye,
but he has grown quite expert with the lance these past sennights.
Tho’ he was skilled enough when we began, he is now one of the
toughest challengers I’ve ever met on the field.”

“Aye, ‘tis the same for me.” Daniel clapped
his brother on the shoulder. “We’ve taught him well.”

Bao gave Daniel a baleful look. “Aye—and kept
him from trailing in our sister’s footsteps wherever she might go
in the process.”

“Aye, it hasn’t been easy, for Callum is ever
determined to partake of the husbandly rights he has no right to as
yet, but that he’s been forced to abstain from enjoying these past
days.”

“Truly, were it not for Branwenn having asked
us to aid her in her effort to bring a bit of ‘enchantment’ as she
called it, to their wedding night, I would have allowed the man to
do as he would,” Bao said, a look of surprise on his countenance.
“I cannot believe, even as I hear myself say the words, that I, of
all people, would allow such, but ‘tis so plain that he adores the
lass—and she, him—what could be the harm, for they’ll be doing it
soon enough in a few sennights time anyway?”

“Aye, but the lass is a lass,” Daniel said.
“And that means she wants their first night together as husband and
wife to be memorable. If they were still meeting as they had been
and doing—” He pressed the base of his palms over his eyes. “Nay, I
cannot think about what they were doing! It gives me hives.”

This made Bao bellow with laughter.

Daniel lifted his head and gave his brother a
sheepish grin. “Well, anyway, ‘twould not have the ‘enchantment’ of
satisfying a long-felt desire.”

Callum came from behind the screen of the
buttery. It had taken him longer than he’d expected to find the
butler’s new hiding place for the amber liquor. The man was much
too stingy with the stuff, a thing Callum was not used to, as it
flowed rather freely at the Maclean keep. Besides, the butler
should truly know better by now, as Callum had a nose for the stuff
and he could sniff it out no matter how well hidden it was. “What,
pray is so humorous?”

“Oh, naught of import,” Bao said. “Daniel was
just giving me advice about women.”

Under the table, Daniel
kicked Bao in the shin. “Ha!
Me?
Give
you
advice about women? ‘Tis a good jest!” His eyes,
narrowed slits while he looked at his brother, opened wide as he
faced his cousin with an innocent mein. “Nay, ‘twas Bao who was
advising me on the correct stitch when sewing linen—did you know
that he does all his wife’s mending?” Daniel turned his sparkling
grin on his brother once more.
There, get
out of that one
.

Bao smiled. “Aye, and I thought it so
riotously funny that Daniel asked me to show him how to sew the
hole he blew in his braies from the high wind he breaks so often,
as Maryn is weary of doing the task for him.”

Callum guffawed. Clearly, Bao had gotten the
better of Daniel with the last volley, and ‘twas also clear the two
were not going to give him the true subject that had caused so much
mirth. “Well,” he said bringing the flask and glasses to the table,
“let us drink to Daniel’s success with a needle and thread, for it
sounds as if he needs it.”

Daniel’s only answer was a good-natured
grumble.

The three were silent for the next few
moments as they drank down some of the ardent spirits.

“Callum,” Daniel said at last, “Bao and I
have something we wish to speak with you about. Something to do
with Branwenn.”

Callum sat up straight. “Aye? She hasn’t
changed her mind about wedding me, has she?”

“Nay,” Daniel said, shaking his head, “‘tis
naught like that.” He looked at Bao. “We—Bao and I—well, we think
it time we give you a bit of advice.”

Callum’s brows drew together in confusion.
“Advice?”

“Aye,” Bao said, “on being a husband.”

Callum laughed. “Have you forgot? This will
not be the first time I’ve been wed.” He crossed his arms over his
chest, his look smug when he continued, “I think I know quite a bit
about the matter.” He looked at Bao. “Hell, I was wed even before
you were.” Settling back, he looked from one to the other. “Tell
me, what makes the two of you such experts, pray?”

“‘Tis not that we are experts, but that we
have more experience than you with, well, with this type of
union.”

Callum shook his head, one
side of his face drawn up in disbelief. “What type of union? Male
and female?” Now, he was insulted. “I assure you, I know plenty.
Mayhap not more than Bao, him with his ‘love for coin’ credentials,
but I’d wager my right testicle I know more than you,
cousin
.”

Daniel’s visage was filled with challenge. “I
doubt tha—hey! Stop nodding your head, Judas,” he said to Bao.

Bao, though still grinning at his brother,
directed his words to Callum. “Nay, ‘twas not the type of union we
were referring to.” He turned and looked at his cousin. “We are
speaking more of the type of union you will have with Branwenn
compared to the type you had with Lara.” He paused, his eyes
looking directly into Callum’s. “Understand you my meaning
now?”

Callum’s skin actually crawled. He cleared
his throat. “Tell me you do not intend for me to discuss my
feelings for your sister with you. Truly. Tell me.”

‘Twas Daniel’s turn to grin. “Aye, we
do.”

Callum sprung from his stool like a
jack-in-the box. “Nay,” he said as he took a step toward the
entrance.

Bao grabbed him around his upper arm and
halted his forward motion. “Aye. And you will also listen to what
we, your betrothed’s brothers—and co-signers on your wedding
contract—have to say.”

Callum, his heart pounding with dread at the
thought of opening himself wide for these two men to see, tried to
pull away, saying beligerantly, “I’m going to my chamber and
ordering a bath. I’ll see you at supper.”

“Sit down, soldier,” Bao said. ‘Twas his
commander’s voice and there was steel running through it, and steel
in his eye as he continued to look at Callum.

Callum ground his teeth and growled low in
his throat. “Fine.” He sat back down, not too gently, on the stool
he’d recently vacated.

“Good work,” Daniel said, clapping his
brother on the shoulder. He turned to Callum then and said, “You
love our sister, Bao and I both know that.”

Callum squirmed.

“But it is not enough to love the lady, you
must—as Bao and I have both found out—tell your lady”—he turned to
Bao—“what think you? Once a day? Or more?”

Bao opened his mouth to speak but Callum
interrupted. “‘Tis truth, you have no worries on that score. I have
no problem telling Branwenn...umm...ahem...that.” His traitor
cheeks burned hot and he felt a new sheen of sweat break out under
his arms. “Are we done now?”

“Nay, we are not done,” Daniel said, shaking
his head in vexation. “Why do you find this so hard to speak of,
for Christ’s sake? You act as if we are forcing you to reveal your
most humiliating secret.” He sat forward. “You are not embarrassed
that you love my sister, are you? Because, I have to say, that does
not bode well for your chances to wed her, as far as I’m
concerned.” He turned to Bao. “Do you not agree?” He was getting
evil delight in making Callum squirm, he didn’t know why. Well,
mayhap he did. Maryn.

This scared the hell out Callum. “All right!
I love her. I love her so desperately, she’s the only thing I can
think of whenever the two of you give me a quiet moment during the
day between training sessions. She is the reason I breathe, the
reason my heart beats, the reason I want to continue living on this
earth.” He put his elbows on the table and pressed the base of his
palms into his eyes, unknowingly mirroring Daniel’s earlier
movements. “There. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

“Well, not really. But m’thanks for sharing,”
Daniel said, a grin as wide as the Maclean loch on his face as he
gave a thumbs up to his brother.

Callum looked up, his eyes narrowed on Daniel
as he mentally skewered the man with his lance. “Hatred does not
begin to describe the feeling I have for you at this moment.”

Daniel leaned forward and clapped his hand on
Callum’s shoulder. “You’ve passed your trial—does that make you
feel better?”

“Trial? What trial?”

“Why the trial by ordeal we just put you
through.” Daniel sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Now,
I trow, you should not have as much trouble speaking of such ever
again.” He looked at Bao, giving him a conspiratorial grin, “And
that can only be good for our sister, as it took you much too long
to give her the words in the first place.”

“Aye,” Bao said, “we were sure we’d have to
curtail your secret meetings with the lass, so long was it taking
you to speak frankly with her.”

“You knew of our secret meetings?” Callum
croaked, his green eyes as round as a trout’s.

“Oh, aye—”

“But, let us not speak of that, shall we?”
Daniel interjected. “Let us instead speak of the next item on our
list.”

Callum’s heart leapt into his throat. “The
next item...?” he asked weakly.

“Aye, Bao and I just want to make sure that
you are prepared for all eventualities should the Norman decide to
search for her; should the Norman find her.”

Callum relaxed. Finally, talk of war. A right
subject for fighting men such as them.

For the next hour, the two warrior brothers
grilled Callum, forcing him to use every bit of cunning he had to
give them his solution for any situation that they believed might
arise if Gaiallard learned of Branwenn’s whereabouts.

* * *

Miles away and later that day, at the Maclean
holding, Reys and Alyson sat beside the hearth in the great hall
with Jesslyn after supper.

“So you went first to the abbey? You did not
learn of the pirates or the near shipwreck prior to that?”

Reys shrugged. “No, I can only suppose that
‘twas mostly due to the fact that ship made it to its port instead
of being lost at sea.”

“But, what made you decide to search for
Branwenn here? Were the monks believing the lass had survived?”

With a short nod, Reys said, “Aye, they were.
For, you see, one of them saw her holding onto a plank of wood
after she’d been swept overboard, tho’ they could not get to her,
as every man at that time was occupied with saving his own life.
And the place where the pirates attacked is where the sea becomes
narrower, the land not so far away that it would have been
impossible to make it to shore, assuming the tides were right.”

Jesslyn bit her lip, her brows furrowed in
thought. “I believe I ken you now. The monks would surely have
found her, had she landed on their shore, but since they didn’t, it
behooved you to search for her here.”

“Yes.”

“And what of the Norman she was betrothed to?
Has he accepted the break in the contract?”

“Yes, so it seems, for neither I nor my wife
have seen or heard from him since the day of our wedding.”

Alyson’s heart beat a rapid tattoo in her
chest. No, her husband had not heard from her brother, but she had.
Gaiallard had sent several cryptic missives to her now. Threats.
‘Twas not only the reason she’d pleaded with Reys to bring her with
him on this quest, but ‘twas also the reason that she’d been so
avid to learn a means of defending herself, should he make his
presence known. For, this time, she would kill him before
submitting to his perversions. And, if he dared try to harm her
husband—the only man, the only person, who’d ever been her
champion—she would send the entire store from her quiver into
him.

“And...you do not think you will, then?”

Reys gave her an appraising look. “No. I
don’t.” Then: “Know you where my sister is staying?”

Jesslyn brightened. “Aye, I do. She is well
and living at our allies’, the MacGregors’, holding.”

Reys leapt to his feet. “That is good news!”
he shouted.

Alyson sat forward, smiling at her husband’s
joy. She was so very pleased that he had found—or, nearly found—his
sister alive. “Will we travel to the MacGregors then, Reys?” she
asked softly.

“Yes,” he answered and turned to Jesslyn. “I
do not want to delay any longer than I must. I thank you for your
generosity, but we must leave at first light on the morrow.”

Jesslyn nodded, smiling. “I will have the
steward give you the direction.”