The Highlander's Outlaw Bride (23 page)

Gavin frowned. “I dinnae give ye flowers.”

“Oh. Then whoever—” She searched the room, thinking to catch the eye of the person who had put the flowers at her seat. At last she shrugged. “Well, ’twas well-intentioned, I am sure. Mayhap young Jamie brought them.” Jamie’s shriek of laughter echoed across the room and Brianna smiled to see him romping amid the other children, Tam keeping pace beside him.

“I think I will go up to bed,” she told Gavin, giving his hand a squeeze.

In her chamber, she sat at her dressing table and reached for her hair-brush. Her hand touched not the familiar smooth handle, but a roughened, slender stem. She jerked her hand back, surprised to discover the stem of a rose, its prickly spines removed.

She picked the flower up carefully, studying it from every angle as she twisted it between her fingers. The deep red petals were aglow with health and so fragrant she was surprised she hadn’t noticed it when she entered the room.

Her eyes strayed to the tabletop where the rose had lain. There was a small piece of paper tucked against a lotion pot, and she picked it up.

I am sorry. Conn

She dropped the slip of parchment as though it burned her fingers. Her heart raced and she glanced quickly about the room, wondering if he might still be near. But she was quite alone in the room, and after a moment her heart rate slid back to normal.

I am sorry
.

She read the note again, staring at it where it lay on the table.

Conn
.

She stood, letting the rose slip through her fingers to land next to the note. Slowly, she went through the motions of preparing for bed. Slipping beneath the covers, it was a long time before sleep claimed her.

* * *

Brianna woke to sunlight streaming through her window. She blinked, rubbing her eyes, shocked she’d slept so late. Flinging the covers aside, she scrambled out of bed, splashing water on her face before dragging on breeches and a shirt. Skirts were too clumsy for the way she rode, and today she meant to be alone, amid no more worries or cares other than the best spot to sit beside the burn and breathe.

She hurried down the stairs, noticing the tables stacked at the edge of the room. The morning meal was apparently long past, and she detoured through the kitchen to filch an apple and a piece of bread to still the rumblings of her stomach.

Thank the sweet Virgin my belly is back to normal.
She grinned as she munched her snack on her way to the stable. In high spirits because her morning sickness was apparently at an end, she let Maude stretch her legs as soon as they were out of sight of the hall. The mare’s black mane whipped along Brianna’s cheeks as she rode tight against the dappled neck, her face buried amid the silky strands.

Maude at last began to tire, and Brianna reined her to a walk. They meandered next to a narrow burn, its waters flashing in the sun. After a bit, Brianna dismounted and tied the reins to a nearby bush, allowing Maude to graze. Walking to the crest of a low hill, Brianna sat beneath the sheltering branches of a large tree, looking over the wild lands beyond Wyndham.

A light breeze picked up and she watched the clouds as they rolled across the sky, promising an afternoon shower. Brianna stretched lazily, turning abruptly at the soft whinnies behind her. She gasped, startled to see Embarr standing next to Maude, Conn astride his massive beast, an inscrutable look on his face.

Squaring her shoulders, Brianna stood and walked to Embarr. She gave him a pat of recognition as she swept past his rider without a word.

“Still likes the horse better than me,” Conn remarked.

Brianna didn’t reply, but her step faltered at the sound of his voice. She untied Maude and led her to the burn to drink, hoping Conn would ride away.

She sighed when he didn’t take the hint. Not that she actually imagined he would give up so easily. Nothing seemed easy between them, and she longed to call a truce.

“Why are ye still here? Could ye not go home?” She bit her lip at the querulous tone of her voice.

“I did.”

Lifting an eyebrow, Brianna glanced pointedly around the glen. “This is Wyndham land.”

“I know.” He threw a leg over Embarr’s withers and slid to the ground. “There is nothing at Corfin Castle for me without ye there.” He strode to her side. “Home seems to be wherever ye are.”

Stunned by his response, Brianna didn’t move when he took the reins from her hand and walked Maude forward a couple of steps.

“She is trying her tricks on ye.” With a deft hand, he jerked the saddle’s girth, taking up several inches of slack in its length. Maude gave a whoosh of surprise and flicked her ears.

Brianna frowned. She knew Maude’s tricks well enough. Within a few steps the saddle would have slipped, an extremely dangerous move if she’d taken off at a gallop as she was wont to do. She mumbled her thanks as she retrieved Maude’s reins.

Conn splayed a palm on the mare’s shoulder. “Did ye get my note?”

“Aye.” Her voice softened as she remembered the words on the paper.
I am sorry. Conn.

“I meant it. I am truly sorry. Mostly for causing ye more pain after ye’d begun to trust me.”

Brianna scowled. “’Tis over and done.”

Conn shook his head. “Nae. Not until ye understand why I was late. Ye never allowed me to explain, and I was too tired and wrapped up in my own problems to try to make ye listen.”

“I was upset.”

“Ye were hysterical,” he disagreed.

“I was tired of being taken for granted. Wyndham’s very existence has been my only concern for the past two years, and to find myself with an unwanted marriage, an absent groom, and a child—aye, I was a wee bit distraught.”

Conn’s face registered only slight surprise at her admission she’d known she was with child nearly a month ago when she’d broken their betrothal. There was no need to pretend. Brianna was certain if he thought for a moment the child was Gavin’s he would not have sought her out today.

“I am sorry for the way things have turned out between us. Would ye listen and at least try to understand what happened to make me break my promise?”

Brianna nodded, relieved he did not press her to reconsider their betrothal. She looped Maude’s reins over a low branch and gave Conn her attention.

“Instead of fleeing the castle the day I arrived, Malcolm changed his appearance and stayed behind. He lived as a servant until two days before ye and I were to wed. That night, he poisoned the wine sent to my table.

“Bray and I both were sick. Gillis had verra little of the wine, and Seumas was able to give him something to help his nausea. Malcolm accosted Bray on the stairs as he stumbled to his room, and wounded him. Gillis happened upon them and fought Malcolm off.”

Conn frowned and clenched his teeth, a bleak look shadowing his eyes. Brianna’s hand lifted to smooth the tight line of his jaw, but she stopped before it was more than a mere hint of motion, unsure why it bothered her to see his distress. Conn stepped in a tight circle before he continued his story.

“It took us several days to recover our strength. I thought—briefly—about sending ye word. But I forgot and was consumed with preparations. ’Tis not a good reason, but…” He spread his hands before dropping them to his side.

“We took twenty men to hunt Malcolm and his henchmen down,” he continued. “The trail led deep into the Highlands. We chased him for almost a week, always just a few hours behind him. And then we lost his track.”

He reached for Brianna’s hand, and she allowed him to take it.

“It was already more than a week past the time I had promised ye, but time dinnae mean anything to any of us by then. Right or wrong, there was nothing in our world beyond finding and punishing Malcolm. We decided to go back to Morven and regroup. Three days later, we were close enough to see the smoke from the village.”

He gripped her hand, and she squeezed it back, encouraging him. “That is why I was late, Brianna, why I was less than patient with ye when I came to Wyndham. Malcolm left the village in ruins and barricaded himself in the castle.”

“We received word about Morven.”

“Aye. And the people were glad to receive yer supplies. Ye deserved my thanks that day, not harsh words.”

“I have seen Corfin Castle. It is nearly unassailable. How did ye get Malcolm?”

One corner of Conn’s mouth quirked upward, but there was no humor in his eyes. “Gillis crept in through the Laird’s Stairway one night. It is a hidden escape route for the inhabitants should it ever be needed. Gillis has a knack for blending in—usually to avoid trouble or work—and he managed to enter the castle unchallenged.”

“But how did he open the gates?”

Conn’s jaw clenched and his face darkened. “He fired the castle.”

Brianna’s eyes widened, shocked. “He what?”

“He burned the castle from the inside. By the time the men opened the gates in order to flee the castle, the rest of the small army Malcolm had with him was too involved with putting out the fires to notice him.” Conn shrugged. “A tactical error on their part, but one that benefited us quite well.”

Brianna’s curiosity piqued. “How much did he burn?”

“Enough to require repairs. The clan is currently at work rebuilding the village and restoring the castle.”

She stared at him in silence for a moment, letting his words sink in. His dogged determination to bring Malcolm to justice and the stubbornness that led him to burn his home to achieve his goal astounded her. And proved him to be much like herself. Uncomfortably so.

“I must get back.” She snatched her hand from his and grabbed Maude’s reins. Maude snorted and backed a step, reacting to Brianna’s abrupt move.

“Brianna!” Conn raised his voice, claiming her attention. She cut her gaze to him. “This isnae over between us.”

“I will marry Gavin on Saturday.”

His determined gaze held firm. “That gives me three days to change yer mind.”

Chapter 27

Brianna flung her riding gloves across the room, slamming the door behind her.
I should marry Gavin today and be done with this madness.
Her eyes strayed to the spot on the table where Conn’s note had lain, half-expecting another.
Or should I marry Gavin at all?
She paused to splash cold water on her face, then jerked open the drawer where she’d hidden the note.

I am sorry.

Conn
.

She wished she could believe him. What made him pursue her? He’d said he admired her courage. Did that mean he would allow her freedom to act? Would he ask and honor her opinions once marriage vows were spoken?

He’d obviously enjoyed their coupling that night beside the burn—he’d told her that, too. It was true he had awoken something in her she’d not experienced before. Though there was surely something more? Her insides clenched and heated to remember the intensity of the sensations his touch had ignited. And though she felt comforted and loved with Gavin, he did not curl her toes or set her insides afire. Conn’s touch challenged her to something she did not fully understand.

And there was the bairn. Would Conn still pursue her if he did not know of the bairn? She gripped the back of the chair, sinking onto the cushion. He hadn’t known. Not at first. When he’d walked through the stable door yesterday, he’d come back for her. Only her.

* * *

Brianna laughed as Tam darted into the thicket, in hot pursuit of a leggy rabbit. Her basket swung lightly from one hand as she strode the path to Wyndham village to purchase spices from a merchant there.

Beside her, Rabbie whistled happily. As they approached the last bend in the path before the village, Brianna drew to an abrupt halt. Conn, seated on a fallen log, eyed her steadily. To her surprise, Rabbie saluted him smartly and turned on his heel, leaving her in Conn’s custody. She planted her fists on her hips, a glare for both men. Rabbie’s tune never faltered as he headed back up the trail.

“How on earth did ye convince him I would be safer with ye than him?” she demanded.

Conn shrugged as he rose to his feet. “He is an astute observer of human nature.”

Brianna snorted her opinion on his answer.

“And I bribed him.”

Tam raced out of the woods and shoved his nose hard into Conn’s crotch. With a groan, Conn captured the dog’s muzzle between his hands and gently pushed him away. “Ye are a rare beast, Tam. I understand ye dinnae know yer own strength, but have a care, aye?”

“He takes his job of protecting me seriously.” Brianna tossed a look over her shoulder. “Unlike others I could name.”

Conn quickened his step and drew abreast. “I always have a care for ye, Brianna.”

“My care shouldnae be yer concern.”

“But it is.”

Brianna stopped, whirling to face him. “Why?”

“Why do I care for ye? I have told ye before.”

She tossed her head. “Ye told me I would make ye a good wife. I understand that. I was an excellent wife even when married to Mungo, though he was a deplorable husband. Why would marrying ye be any different?”

“Because I know what is in ye.” He touched fingers to her hair close to her ear. “In here, ye are shrewd, quick-witted and smarter than many men I know. Unlike yer unlamented late husband, this doesnae intimidate me.”