Lass' Valor (The Pith Trilogy) (16 page)

“You
are one of the bravest men I know. Kate won’t need riches, just a man who will
honor her and protect her. Is that not what you pledged today?”

“Aye,
but I’m thinking she’s going to raise holy hell when she finds out.”

“Too
late now. I should take Bonnie off to bed, and you should take your lass to
bed, too.”

Bonnie
fell asleep on Kate’s lap, and Kate looked as though she’d nod off as well.
Colin approached and lifted his daughter. Brendan stood behind him.

“Come,
Katie, you’re tired, I’ll walk you to your cottage,” Brendan told her.

“Nay,
the last time you did, you almost … Well, I’m certain I can find my own way.”

“You’ll
get lost in the dark. Nay, I’ll make sure you arrive safely.” He didn’t give
her a choice, but pulled her from her chair.

“All
right, very well, Brendan.” Kate couldn’t walk fast enough, but he had no trouble
keeping up with her.

“Katie,
we should discuss what happened at the celebration.”

“What
is there to discuss? I never agreed to anything, Brendan Good night.”

They
had arrived at her cottage, and he released her hand. Kate opened her door, and
then slammed it in his face. He laughed at her display of wit. Unknowingly, she
had just shut out her husband. A feeling of happiness made him smile, and he
grinned, thinking it may take him some time to get back inside that door.

Brendan
was completely miserable. The two days following the celebration, Kate kept her
distance. He decided to give her time to adjust to his family before he shocked
her with the truth. Bonnie kept her busy, and he wasn’t around much, which made
his task easier. Julianna told him that she had just left the hall with Bonnie,
and they went to visit Tess. He relaxed, and ate the remainder of his food.
Colin sat beside him at the table, discussing retaliation plans.

“You
still haven’t found out? What’s taking you so long, Brendan? You said you would
get the name of that churlish-dog.” Colin pounded his fist on the table.

“She’ll
tell me eventually. I haven’t seen her since the celebration,” Brendan
confessed.

Colin
had just taken a large gulp of ale, and at Brendan’s admission, he spit it out.
“What?” He swiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “You have rendered me
speechless, Brendan. Are you telling me that you have not bedded your wife?”

“Damn
it, nay. I haven’t had the heart to tell her we’re married. She probably thinks
we’re betrothed. I’m giving her time to—”

Colin
jeered at him. “We don’t have time for this cosh, Brendan. You need to find out
who the dog is. It’s time you came clean and told her the truth. Damnation,
tell her that you are not betrothed to her, but married. I cannot believe I
agreed to this. She saved my daughter’s life and I owe the woman, look what I
allowed to happen. I am not happy about this at all. You have to tell her the
truth.”

“All
right, Colin, I’ll tell her, and then I’ll get the man’s name. For Christ’s
sake, stop badgering me.” Brendan hadn’t meant to shout his frustration.

Julianna
entered the hall and stopped upon seeing them. She hurried to the table and
gave Colin a kiss before turning to him. “Brendan, I need your help.”

“What’s
amiss, Julianna?”

“Kate’s
cat is in the kitchen, and it’s hissing at everyone. How did it get out again?
I don’t know where Kate is, and Dame Hester won’t be cooking our supper until I
get it out of there. Will you return the animal to her cottage?”

Brendan’s
jaw ground, and he took his seat again. Why didn’t she ask Colin? He was her
husband, damn it all. Besides, he was a trained warrior, not a simpleminded fop
to do such a mundane chore like retrieving a cat from the kitchens. And he was
giving the lass some well-needed space. Now he would have to take the damned
cat to her. He supposed it was his responsibility—the cat did belong to his
wife. He nodded at Julianna and stormed off toward the kitchen.

“There
it is!” Julianna screeched. The furry thing crouched under a wooden table.

“I
see it,” he said testily.

The
cat hissed at them. Dame Hester stood aside, yelling for him to get it.

“You
get it,” he told Julianna.

“Nay,
you. Are you afraid?”

“To
hell with that.” Brendan knelt down, grabbed the cat by its tail and yanked it
out. He held it under its front arms, and heard Julianna and Dame Hester
laughing as he left.

When
he reached her cottage, he stood beside the opened door, and was about to walk
in when he heard his niece’s cry. A small cauldron sat on the blazing fire in
the hearth. Kate stood by it, adding the ingredients needed to make the paste
to soothe the child.

“I’ll
just add a pinch of a yarrow root to ward off infection, and pinch of anis to
soothe the sting. Oh, and a drop of wax to the mix to make it stick to ye. How
did you get stung, lovey?”

Bonnie
whimpered beside her. “That lad, Sean, chased me again.” She wailed, holding
her arm in the air as though it might fall off. “I ran to the tree and didn’t
see it. It hurts, Kate, make it stop.”

“It’ll
take a few moments for the potion to simmer then we’ll make you all better.”
Kate stirred the liquid, which formed into a thick paste. She slopped some into
a small bowl and blew on it to cool it off. After applying the substance to
Bonnie’s arm, she set the bowl aside. “There, how does that feel?”

“Better,
Kate. I knew you could fix me. Sean best not come near me, ‘cause next time
I’ll make him get warts.”

Kate
laughed and petted his niece’s hair.

Brendan
watched silently with a smug smile on his face. Was she a witch? The only
person he knew that used potions was Jinny, and he thought her a witch. Anyone
who could heal with such knowledge was considered such. Jinny brewed potions of
all sorts, and cared for their clan’s illnesses. Many clansmen were leery of
her, but even so, they often sought her when they needed medicinal attention.
Brendan admired her skill, and knew Jinny was just as superstitious as he was.

He
followed his ancestor’s practices to the limit. Luckily, he’d spoken to the
elders and learned what he most wanted to know—details about how they went into
battle. That’s how he learned what symbols to paint on his body, and to put
soil in his boots. Dame Hester had told him that her husband often did so,
because he never wanted his feet to leave his beloved Highland soil. After
hearing that tale, Brendan had taken up the practice and honored Harold’s
habit. He recalled Colin’s strange look, when he’d seen him do it over the
years. His discovery of Katie being a witch comforted him. He set the cat down
and continued to listen.

“If
the boy keeps bothering ye, you can fix it so he won’t.” Kate giggled.

“How
can I do that?” Bonnie asked.

“You
have to ask that after what we did to Lady D?”

Bonnie
laughed with a touch of devilry in her voice. “Nay, I’ll take care of ‘em.
He’ll not bother me after I …”

“Now,
don’t do anything too bad. You know your father won’t be happy about it, and
you don’t want to have to sit in his chair.”

“I
won’t, Kate.”

Kate
gave her an I-don’t-believe-you-look and laughed. “Oh Trixie, there you are. I
thought I left you at the keep.” She petted the cat and began collecting her
herbs from the table.

“Maybe
I’ll put thistles under Shawn’s plaid.”

Bonnie
laughed at Kate’s expression, which made him grin. His niece ran through the
doorway on her way to make plans for the poor lad Sean, and almost knocked him
over. She waved to him, and kept moving. He saw Emma turn the bend ahead, and
she shouted for Bonnie to wait for her. Bonnie’s attendant couldn’t keep up
with her and chased after her. When would the lass ever learn?

Kate
stood beside the doorway, watching his niece run amidst the light rain. Brendan
waited for her to acknowledge him. He filled the space in the doorway, and she
backed up a step. He took his time admiring her pretty face, beautiful hair,
and the clandestine look in her eyes. His body came alive, just standing near
to her.

“Good
afternoon, Katie.”

She
frowned at him, and blocked his entrance. “Benton. What do you want?”

“Lass,
when are you going to give up the farce?”

“What
farce, my lord?”

“Never
mind, may I come in?”

“It
wouldn’t be proper.”

“Aye,
it would.” He pushed the door open wider and shifted her with his arm.

“If
you think just because we’re betrothed—”

He
kissed her quickly, cutting her off. Brendan could feel her looking at him when
he passed by. His tartan didn’t cover much of him, and his soft-brown tunic’s
sleeves were rolled to his biceps. Her eyes moved quickly to a more modest part
of his body, and her face brightened at her own boldness.

Brendan
sat at the table, knowing she gawked at his back. His damned manhood knew, too.
He wanted to talk to her, and didn’t need his sexual longing intruding. Not
only did he wish to talk of their marriage, but he wanted to find out why she’d
been placed in the care of her guardian. Henry should never have allowed Kate
to go to the guardian, but if he hadn’t, Kate wouldn’t have saved his nice and
she might have by now wed the Barclay.

Hadn’t
Robin told him that Tess became more agreeable when he started talking to her?
Aye, he’d give it a try, but his body had other ideas. He shook his head, nay,
he wouldn’t touch her.

“Would
you care for a drink?”

“Aye,
Katie.” A distraction was just what he needed.

She
poured water from a pitcher into a goblet and handed it to him. Brendan looked
down, saw the medallion on the table, and picked it up. His hand covered the
round width of the object, and he studied the emblem, which appeared to be a
spider. The craftsmanship was noteworthy; remarkably the fine hairs of the
spider’s legs could be seen. He looked up to find her regarding him.

“What’s
this?”

“I
don’t know what it is. My father sent it to me.”

“Is
it a memento?”

“Aye,
it reminds me of him.”

He
picked up the parchment and read:
beware the friend with the black heart
.
“What does this mean?” He nodded at the note.

“I
have no idea. I haven’t figured it out yet.” She tried to take it from him, but
he held onto it and turned in his seat.

“Yet?”
He didn’t like the way she emphasized that word.

“What
are you doing here?”

Brendan
decided to let it go for now. He gave a puzzled look to the floor. What was she
up to? He intended to ask what the rope and candles were for, probably for her
conjuration. He couldn’t help smiling at that.

“I
came to see if you wanted to go riding.” When she didn’t answer immediately, he
asked again. “Would ye?”

She
took the medallion and note from him, and placed them back on the table. As she
answered him, she collected the items from the floor. “I’m sure you have more
important things to do than ride with me, Ben.”

Had
he seen the sparkle in her eyes? She dared to toy with him by calling him
another name. “Nay, lass, there’s nothing more important than you.”

She
brightened at his blatant remark. Brendan noticed her blush, his jaw clenching
at her innocent reaction. She affected him, too. He leaned back in the chair
and waited for her answer. Still, she hadn’t given one.

“I’ll
sit here all day, if you don’t go riding with me.” Brendan rose and pulled her
face close to his. His irritation at her calling him another name really irked
him. He gripped her neck, but was careful not to hurt her. But damn it all, if
she wouldn’t call him by his name, he’d start yelling.

“Katie,
I want to hear you say my name.”

“B-Brendan.”

“Aye,
don’t call me by anything else or you’ll be getting a whack on your bonny
bottom.” He warned her in a playful tone.

She
pulled from his grip. “You have no right to treat me so, I don’t answer to ye.”

“Aye,
you do. You’re my wife.”

“I
most certainly am not your wife. King Henry betrothed me to another, and if you
think you can nullify it by telling him you betrothed yourself to me, you are
mistaken. You have no right to order me around.”

As
if he hadn’t heard her, Brendan pulled her through the doorway. Henry would
probably be irritated at Brendan’s interference of his plans, but the king owed
him a favor and besides, it was undisputable now since he’d married her.
Hearing her say that angered him though. Damn it all, he should just tell her
he married her.

“Come,
I want to ride.”

Brendan
led her to the stables by taking her hand. Kate continued to berate him on the
way. He wasn’t about to tell her anything, what with the mood she was in.

“If
you think to take advantage of me because of your speech the other night, I am
not going to fall for it, Brendan. I must tell you that—”

He
stopped, jerking her body to his. “It’s too fine a day to get upset, Katie. Let
us enjoy the ride …” She opened her mouth and was about to say something when
he kissed her. “… in silence.” He continued on to the stables, and noticed it
had stopped raining and the ground all but dried.

“Seeing
the horses reminds me of Ralph. I hope he fares well and is not alone in the
forest. Do you deem someone found him?”

Brendan
nodded, not having the heart to tell her what he really thought. He went about
prepare his horse and a smaller mare for her. Tugging the horses’ reins, he led
them outside. Once they mounted, he led the way to the glen where he often sat
and contemplated his issues. The trees surrounding them provided shade from the
sun high above. He noticed her look toward the cliff, and she gazed at the
sunshine sparkling between the leaves overhead.

Kate
didn’t speak to him during the ride, and he was left to his thoughts. When they
reached the cliff, he dismounted, letting his horse’s reins loose. She stood
beside her horse and wouldn’t go near the edge of the cliff, but she watched
him walk to the very rim.

“Come
here, Katie.”

“Nay,
I’ll stay put, the view is lovely from here.”