My Daring Highlander (21 page)

Seona slowly opened the door, went in
and closed it behind her. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” Still fully dressed except
for her shoes, Aunt Patience reclined in bed, her swollen ankle
elevated on two pillows.

Seona could not miss her aunt’s
ominous glare or her lowered brows. Had Fraser told someone he’d
discovered her and Keegan last night? Had gossip spread? She braced
herself for the worst. “You wished to see me?”

“Indeed. I will tell it to you
straight, lassie. Your father will beat you if you are carrying
Keegan MacKay’s bastard.”

A slap could not have surprised Seona
more. She gasped. “What? I am not!”

“You’d best hope not. I saw the two of
you all cozy and romantic on that terrace.” She motioned toward her
window.

Saints!
Seona had not realized the window looked out over
the terrace and gardens. Nor had she known her aunt was up here,
spying. She’d left her at a table in the garden. MacMillan must
have carried her up here while Seona was talking to Isobel and
enjoying the views.

“I saw the flowers he brought you,”
Patience said, her lip lifting as if in disgust.

How dare she think what Seona and
Keegan shared was disgusting? To Seona, ’twas the most beautiful
and deeply meaningful thing on earth. Mayhap her aunt was jealous
because MacMillan hadn’t brought her flowers.

“If he hasn’t seduced you yet, I’m
sure ’tis not for lack of trying. I told you he was a
rogue.”

“He has not seduced me.” ’Twas the
truth, and Seona had no problem saying it. “Nor is he a rogue.” She
had not seen Keegan so much as look at another woman during the
months she had known him. That realization riveted her. Every time
she had seen him, his attention had been on her or on his duties.
Could he be that devoted to her? Her eyes burned.

“He is not good enough for you,” her
aunt said. “What kind of life would you have?”

A happy one.
Moisture welled in her eyes.

“The only home he could provide would
be a small cottage,” Patience muttered.

That wouldn’t be so bad, if Seona
could be with Keegan. And if she could bring her sister with
her.

Seona blinked hard, fighting back the
tears. “A fine castle isn’t always the most important
thing.”

“Indeed?” Her aunt’s gaze grew
sharper. “Do you not need warm shelter, food and drink? Do you not
need the safety of a castle and walls in the event of an
attack?”

“Of course.” Seona had not considered
where they might live if she married Keegan. Dunnakeil was a huge
castle. ’Haps Dirk and Isobel would not mind if they lived there,
too. After all, Keegan and Dirk were close family, and Keegan was
tanist.

“There is no way in hades your father
will allow you to marry him, so don’t even imagine it.”

“I’m well aware.” Seona ground her
teeth and stared at the ceiling, for none of this was news to her.
Besides, her aunt didn’t need to know Seona was imagining what it
would be like to marry Keegan. But he had not made it known whether
he wished to marry her. Mayhap he thought it just as impossible as
she did.

“Stay away from him,” her aunt warned.
“He is naught but a guard.”

Fury built within Seona’s chest, but
she drew in a deep breath to dispel it. “He is Chief Dirk’s
tanist.”

“Do you think that will matter to your
father?”

Seona shrugged. Of course it wouldn’t.
Her father was like a stone monolith when it came to sentiment.
“What about the guard you have been spending so much time with?”
Seona asked, her heart rate speeding up with her bold
words.

Her aunt narrowed her eyes until they
were like sharp blades. “My ankle is near broken and he is but
helping me get about. Besides, how dare you question me and my
actions?”

“You are a lady, just as I am,” Seona
pointed out innocently. “What about your reputation?”

“I am a widow,” her aunt snapped. “Not
a virgin. There is a vast difference.”

“I doubt my father would approve,
either way.”

“Are you threatening me?” her aunt
demanded through clenched teeth.

“Nay,” Seona said mildly,
lifting her brows into what she hoped was a pleasant expression.
She was tired of obeying her grouchy, snobbish, hypocritical aunt
and ready to give her a taste of her own bitter medicine. Seona’s
father provided financial support to her aunt. That was why she’d
agreed to be Seona’s companion and chaperone during this journey.
What would her father do if he knew his sister was
interested
in a guard,
someone he would see as far beneath her? Would he cut off her
funds?

“You’d best watch yourself, lassie.”
Patience pointed a finger straight at Seona. “I will tell your
father everything. You ken how he is when angered.”

Indeed, she did. She well remembered
his red-faced tirades, his arms flying about, his big hands hurling
objects. And worst of all, those same meaty hands slapping her face
so hard the imprint of his fingers left a red mark for two days.
Seona had to get her sister away from him. Was Talia well? Had he
abused her already? Seona’s heart thudded with sudden
concern.

“Are you listening to me?” Patience
asked.

“Aye. You would enjoy watching him
strike me again, would you not?”

“Of course not! I don’t enjoy it. But
it would be nothing less than you deserve in this case. Dallying
with a bodyguard.”

“I am not dallying.” At
least she hoped that wasn’t what it was called. ’Twas true Keegan
had touched her in scandalous ways, but he had not taken her
virtue. She was immensely grateful for that now. Although at the
time, she hadn’t been. She’d wanted something she couldn’t name.
She’d craved for Keegan to claim her in every way and make her a
woman.
His
woman
and his wife.

“The way he always watches you with
lust in his eyes tells me loud and clear that he wishes to bed
you,” Patience said.

Seona’s face burned, but she ignored
it. Aye, she hoped Keegan did wish to bed her. ’Twas her fondest
desire.

“Your father will find the man he
wishes you to marry, and it won’t be Keegan.”

Clearly her aunt loved naught more
than rubbing salt into her wound. She was a woman too; how could
she not understand Seona’s feelings? If only Patience could
visualize how much better Seona’s life would be if she could marry
Keegan instead of some old barbarous ogre mayhap she wouldn’t be so
harsh. Her aunt was a widow, aye, but Seona knew naught about her
marriage, for her husband had died when Seona was a small child.
“What was your marriage like?”

Patience sent her a severe frown. “My
marriage is none of your concern. That was fifteen years ago. We
are talking about you.”

“I was merely curious,” Seona said in
a benign tone. “Although your marriage was brief, I wondered if it
was a pleasant experience.”

“Nay. ’Twas not. But I know not any
woman who has had an enjoyable marriage. ’Tis a part of life. You
must grow accustomed to it.”

There was something very wrong with
that. People in her society married for money, property, alliances
and prestige. Not for love. Never for love. But if love could enter
into it, wouldn’t the marriages be more happy and enjoyable?
Wouldn’t life be worth living?

Isobel had told her that her parents
had loved one another, despite their arranged marriage. And ’twas
abundantly clear that Isobel and Dirk loved one another. She often
caught them whispering and giving each other affectionate smiles at
dinner. A few times at Dunnakeil, she’d accidentally seen them
kissing passionately in a stairwell or an out of the way
place.

“’
Tis obvious Lady Isobel
has a happy marriage,” Seona pointed out.

“Hmph.” Patience glowered. “The way
that marriage came about was highly unusual and bordering on
scandalous. Dirk stole her from the MacLeod.”

Seona shrugged. “Everyone is happy
with the outcome. And the MacLeod did not seem to mind so
much.”

“Well, it matters not. Don’t expect
the same thing yourself. You should be angry that Isobel stole Dirk
from you.”

Seona frowned. Was her aunt insane?
“She didn’t steal Dirk from me. I was never betrothed to
Dirk.”

“You were betrothed to the next MacKay
chief, and who is that? Dirk.”

Seona shook her head. “I was betrothed
to Aiden. He was chief for a brief time before Dirk
arrived.”

“’
Tis a tangled mess, and
your father will not be happy about it. The MacKays broke the
contract.”

Seona was glad, for she’d never wanted
to marry Aiden or Dirk. And especially not Haldane. The way the
dirty little knave used to stare at her all the time made her skin
crawl. Nay, their cousin, Keegan was the only MacKay to catch her
attention and steal her heart.

“If Keegan has taken your virginity,
your father will kill him. You ken this is true,” Patience said.
“I’m certain you remember what happened to the unsuitable young man
you danced with last year—MacSween’s youngest brother. Your father
had him beaten.”

“I remember.” And she’d felt horribly
guilty for agreeing to the dance.

“What you may not know is that young
MacSween met an unfortunate end not long after that,” her aunt
said.

“What?” The sensation of ice cold
water washed over Seona. “Someone killed him?”

“Aye. It happened in Inverness. He was
stabbed and robbed.”

Waves of horror and disbelief crashing
over her, Seona could scarce breathe. “Did Father order this done?”
She forced the words out.

“No one would say for certain, but
there was a rumor among the men that MacSween had kissed you and
tried to force himself on you.”

Outrage burned through her. “That is
not true! We danced and that was all.”

“Well, you know how men are; they like
to boast. Once a story gets started, it becomes
exaggerated.”

Seona paced, tears stinging her eyes.
What in heaven’s name? Had her father really done this? She’d never
known her aunt to lie. In truth, her father was violent and brutal,
and more than capable of ordering someone killed.

“Keegan is tasked with taking us home,
once I’m well enough to travel,” Patience said. “You ken your
father has far more men than the MacKay guards who are traveling
with us. He could easily have Keegan killed.”

The image of the bruised and battered
MacSween man appeared in her mind and blended with Keegan’s
handsome and precious face. If her father killed Keegan, she would
not want to live. She loved Keegan more than life itself. She would
gladly endure a lifetime of unhappiness and beatings if that meant
Keegan lived a full life, too, even if he was far away from
her.

She imagined what might happen—when
Keegan saw he was being attacked, he would draw his sword. But he
would be outnumbered by her father’s men, and they’d all have
swords and dirks, too. He wouldn’t be able to fight them
all.

They’d kill him.

Her throat closed up and tears flooded
her eyes. She had to stop spending time with Keegan and make it
clear to him any connection they’d shared was now over.

Chapter Sixteen

Keegan rode with the MacKenzies and
seven of the MacKay guards through the village and to the edge of
the small wood near Loch Long. They dismounted, leaving the horses
with three grooms, and moved quietly through the trees. Fraser had
told him the stags had been spotted early that morn, halfway up a
mountain, above the tree line, gorging on the fresh spring
growth.

All was silent in the wood, except for
the whispering shuffle of their feet on the wet leaves. Several of
them, including Keegan, carried a bow and arrows. Though he was no
archer, he was a fairly good shot.

Cyrus and Dermott led the way, Keegan,
Fraser and others behind them. Keegan wished Dirk could’ve joined
them, but he wasn’t recovered enough yet. Rebbie had stayed behind
to keep him company.

Abruptly, Cyrus halted,
holding up his hand for silence. Keegan stopped just shy of running
into him. Had he seen a deer? Keegan squinted into the dimness of
the forest. In the distance, something darted from one tree to
another.
Plaid?
’Twas not a deer at all, but a man.

“Who the devil is that?” Dermott
whispered.

Cyrus pulled his sword from the
scabbard at his side. “Let’s go find out.”

Several of the men drew their swords,
while others nocked arrows into the bows they carried. Keegan chose
his sword since he was far more experienced with it. The lot of
them advanced, trying to keep even quieter than before.

Keegan saw naught but tree bark and
leaves for several minutes. Abruptly, the man abandoned his hiding
place behind a thick tree trunk and sprinted deeper into the
wood.

Cyrus and Dermott increased their
pace. Keegan and the other men followed suit. Shouts and yells
echoed through the trees up ahead.