Highlander Medieval 06 - Her Highland Hero (26 page)

“Nay. I still believe, as I did then, that it is more personal. Likely one of your seven suitors. Tell me about them.”

“I only know that Lord
Neville, Erickson, and Hammersfield, who had been discussing my mother and me in an infuriatingly irritating way, had been given permission to court me.”

“Also Lord Fenton was no longer allowed to because you broke his nose, and you finally told your da you feared Fenton would retaliate if you were to wed him.”

“Aye.”

“And Lord Wynfield.”

“He is way too old.”

“Aye, but he was given permission to court you.” Marcus finished his boar and began to eat a wedge of cheese.

“Aye.” She sipped some of her mead.

“That is four. Who else is left?”

“Three unnamed suitors. I do not know.”

“Your da wouldna tell you?”

He seemed surprised and irritated, but she smiled. “Nay, I did not wish to know. I told my father I would marry only you.”

Marcus smiled, then he frowned. “So three others. Can you guess as to who they were?”

“Mayhap the two knights who had earned manors for their service to the king. But I do not know that for certain. Sir Edward is one, and Sir Thornton, the other.”

“Then we must discover from your da who the other three suitors are for certain.”

“What if it
was
John? Only instead, he had you ambushed rather than showing up to fight you.” She finished off her bread and looked up at Marcus and frowned.

“He had not been to Torrent Castle recently, had he?”

“Nay.” She hated that they still didn’t know anything more about it.

“Lord Wynfield would know, would he not? He is your da’s advisor. He probably even recommended who should court you as far as the benefit it would be to your da and his name.”

“Aye. After we celebrate, we must speak with him.”

“I had other plans in mind. As long as you are feeling all right,” Marcus quickly added.

“I so appreciate how considerate you are of how I feel, Highlander. But I am half Highland lass,” she reminded him, tickled by his concern.

He chuckled and leaned over to kiss her, but when she took hold of his arm and responded in a manner highly improper for an earl’s daughter, he deepened it, plunging his tongue in her mouth, and pulled her closer. She adored him for being all that he was. She didn’t even realize how quiet the great hall had become until they broke off the kiss and everyone started cheering.

Marcus raised his tankard and grinned.

Amused at his very male response, she felt the heat rise all over her skin again. She would have to remember that despite how noisy the great hall was and as much fun as everyone was having, many were watching their laird and his new bride to see how they behaved during the proceedings. It might not be as formal as with the English, but the Highlanders were very much like her courtiers at home. Everyone would talk for months about this eve, she suspected.

She loved it here and loved the people so far, but she was already missing her own staff, Mary, Jane, and her father. She now knew what it must have been like for her mother when she had moved so far away from home and left her people behind to live with Isobel’s father and his people. It wasn’t the same as going for a visit. This was her new way of life.

Isobel could see how important it had been for Mary to stay with her mother through the years. At least her mother had Marcus to visit with, and keep her informed of what was happening back home. Isobel wouldn’t have that luxury. Though she could write to her father. But it wasn’t the same.

“Can we go home to see my father from time to time?” she asked Marcus.

He looked down at her so tenderly, she blinked back tears.

“Lass, are you already homesick?”

“Nay, well, once I get to know the people and Mary is here, and I learn what I need to do, I am sure I will be busy enough and feel more settled.”

“I will talk your da into coming here for the wedding and bringing Mary with him. Is there anyone else you would like to have join you here?”

“Nay. I love Jane dearly, but she is a knight’s daughter and has her heart set on marrying a knight. I think if she came here she would be homesick and wish to return to Torrent Castle.”

“You will make friends here, of that I have no doubt.”

“Aye.” She sighed.

“I canna allow you to travel anywhere until we have this matter cleared up concerning who killed your escort and tried to murder me.”

“Aye.”

He took her hand and kissed it. “But I will do everything in my power to make you feel at home.”

She nodded.

“Even encourage Oona and Crevan to have pups.”

She laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder, prizing him for everything he was to her.

“Are you tired?” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“A little, but I am enjoying the revelry. If we go to bed now, all the noise would keep us awake.”

He smiled down at her. “That is not all.”

“Are you ready again?”

He laughed out loud. “Aye. With you? Always.”

If it hadn’t been for wanting more than anything to take his wife to bed to ravish her again, and then sleep with her, until they wished to make love again, Marcus would take Lord Wynfield aside and ask him just who else had been given Lord Pembroke’s permission to court Isobel. Marcus wouldn’t discount Lord Fenton either, whose name had been stricken from the list because of the childhood incident.

Lord Wynfield looked done in, most likely from the injury to his leg. And Isobel, despite her saying she wished to stay up later, was leaning so heavily against his shoulder, he knew she was about to fall asleep. He couldn’t have that.

He was certain that once she was with child, and was settled in with her new family, she would be happy.

Marcus motioned to Rob and when he joined him, Isobel didn’t even straighten, and he knew then she was asleep. “Rob, see that Lord Wynfield is taken to a room and that a maid cares for his injury. I dinna want the man dying on us.”

“Aye.” Rob looked down at the lass. “You have worn her out.”

“I hadna intended to this early. Ask Duff to see if he can…well, encourage Oona and Crevan to have some pups.” As if anyone needed to encourage them when she was ready to mate.

Smiling, Rob raised his brows, then glanced from Isobel back to Marcus and whispered, “She isna already homesick, is she?”

“Some, I am afraid. We will have to keep her busy so that she feels she is important to the clan and is enjoying her home here.”

“Aye. I will spread the word.” Then Rob grinned. “But I dinna have to tell you how you can ensure she doesna wish to leave here.”

Before Marcus could say a word to his cousin, Rob stalked off to give the order to move Lord Wynfield to a chamber. Marcus carefully rose from his chair, keeping hold of Isobel’s shoulders without waking her. As soon as he stood, he lifted her in his arms and said, “As you can see, ‘tis time for my bride and me to be abed. Feel free to continue to celebrate without me.” Then he glanced at Finbar. “Cousin, you are in charge.”

Finbar grinned and saluted him with his tankard.

Marcus carried Isobel off to bed. This time, instead of cheers, everyone was respectful and quiet, as if they feared waking the lass. He couldn’t have appreciated his clansmen more.

When he reached his chamber, he found a servant had lighted the tallow candles inside, then he shut the door behind him and deposited Isobel gently on the bed. He stripped off his clothes first before he removed hers, wishing they could have made love before they fell asleep. But after the long day they’d had, the riding, fighting, and her swimming in the loch in her gowns, she was worn out. She needn’t worry about the half of her that was English. They were just as hardy as the Highlanders, and Isobel proved that time and again.

Marcus removed Isobel’s clothes, admired her beauty, wishing again that she had not fallen asleep, then doused the candles, and climbed into bed. Isobel immediately curled up against him. He loved the intimacy between them, her soft, warm, naked body pressed against his. In the short time they’d been together, he couldn’t imagine them ever being apart again.

Was she awake enough to want him to make love to her? He was ready.

“Lass…”

“I have been thinking,” she said sleepily against his chest.

He sighed and caressed her hair. She was not thinking of what he was thinking of, he was certain.

“Aye, lass.” He knew what it was about, too. Once he had safely escorted her here, he had been going over in his mind all that had happened before—who could have ambushed them. The same man? Or were two different ones involved?

“The night of the dance, my father gave the order to Lord Wynfield to have him send you away.” She caressed his chest with her fingertips, which was not conducive to his thinking about them being waylaid.

“Aye. What if Lord Wynfield had it in mind that, since he was one of your suitors, he would have me eliminated because he knew you wished to wed me and no other man? Even if your da had made you marry him, you would have resented Lord Wynfield and still loved me. Unless I was dead.”

“I still would have loved you with all my heart until the end of my days.”

“Aye, lass, and I you.”

“There is a problem with that notion. He was not one of my suitors when you left that night. I spoke with my father after you were gone and it was not until he told me that Lord Fenton had asked to court me and I explained to him about the past, that my father took him off the list. Then he said he would add Lord Wynfield. But the baron would not have known that right away.”

“True. And Lord Fenton could not have known your da had decided against him courting you either, not for some time.”

“Aye.”

“Why did Lord Wynfield wait ten days before he sent you from Torrent Castle to stay with King Henry’s court?” Marcus asked. “Why that day? Not earlier? Or later? What was the delay? Your da said he would never have sent you there. So why did Lord Wynfield believe you would be safer there?”

“Who would have known I was leaving?”

“Your staff.”

“Aye.”

“They could have talked to someone in the village and the word was spread to someone else. Someone who made arrangements to kill your escort.”

“But if one of my suitors had thought to do that then how could he have convinced me to marry him?”

“He wouldna have been with his men. Just like he wasna with those who attempted to murder me. What if he was trying to stop you from going to King Henry’s court?”

“Because he would suspect King Henry would choose a husband for me and my suitor would not have a chance.”

“Aye. If your escort was murdered, you would be forced to return to the castle. You were only an hour’s ride from there. He most likely would have believed you would have done so, not run off in a different direction. His men would have left you alone then, but secretly ensured your safety as you traveled back to the keep.”

“Except that you arrived instead and killed off his men. Too bad he had not been with them.”

“Aye. Which is why I believe it was the same man who had his men, or paid for mercenaries, to kill me. He hasna the courage to fight me. Maybe he even had a bargain with—”

“John. Oh my God, aye. What if one of my suitors tried to have you killed? But it did not work out the way he had intended. Then he speaks with John, saying if he takes me off his hands, he would make it worth his while. But, wait, then my suitor would not obtain the title and property.”

“Maybe he didna want the title and property as much as he wanted you. John said that you have a substantial dowry also. Once everyone believed your da was dead, your suitor knew John was his last chance at obtaining your hand in marriage. Your suitor would have no likelihood at that point to actually take over the earldom. Unless, of course, you had a son, and John happened to die without issue.”

“Aye. My suitor probably did not know that John murdered my father, only that the deed was done. Unless he was in on my father’s killing. I suspect he was not, because before that happened, he still had a chance to wed me and receive the title, property, me, and my dowry.”

“Which means we still need to learn who your other suitors were. John was incensed that Lord Wynfield had sent you away. At first, I thought it was because he had worried about your safety.”

“What if John already had someone in mind to marry me off to?”

“What if it wasna even one of your suitors.”

She took a deep breath. “I had not considered that.”

“You said you had trouble with some of your suitors. That they had made disparaging remarks about you and your mother. What was that about?”

“Aye, the next morn after the dance, I was with Mary and Sir Travon and I wished to ride. My father had tasked him to follow me everywhere. Or another knight that Lord Wynfield would choose.”

“Sir Travon has always had a fondness for you. I can see it in the way he looks at you, not as a dutiful and loyal knight to your da, but something more…personal.”

“Aye, I am certain he would have wished to have been numbered among my suitors, but my father would not have permitted him to. But I do not think he would have had anything to do with having his fellow knights murdered. He is good friends with many.”

“He did pledge his loyalty on the battlefield to me when we were through fighting Laren’s men.”

“He did?”

“Aye. He handed you up to me when you were unconscious after your swim in the loch. It was as if at that point, he had conceded I had won the battle with the English and had earned the prize.”

She poked him in the chest. “I am not a prize to be had.”

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her. “You are the greatest treasure, lass. So you said that your suitors had said something disagreeable—”

“Aye. Lord Hammersfield said that I had been wanton when I danced with you and said that I was like my mother. Or some such thing. He thought that they should use a firmer hand with me, and not be so polite. He had fisted his hands and was filled with rage that I would defend my mother and he was dying to say something to me, but watched his tongue while the other men stood as witnesses. Lord Neville said that you had forced yourself on me. He is a sneaky one. When the other men began to talk about trouble with the Scots at the border, which is what they believed when Cantrell, one of my father’s servants, gave Lord Wynfield the news that you had been injured—though we did not know it at the time—Lord Neville tried to convince me to dance with him. Lord Erickson remarked that the way I had thrown myself at you, he believed I was no longer a virgin. He is easily provoked and has a fiery temper.”