“One and a half moons, Da. Ye dinna want a seven moon grandson, do ye? Make us wait any longer, and that’s what ye may just get.”
“Mairghread!” Tristan almost chocked on his tongue. He struggled to breathe. He looked at the five Sinclair men and was convinced this was the day he would die.
“I canna believe ye just said that. Laird Sinclair, Callum, Tavish, Alexander, Magnus, I havenae compromised Mairghread.” He threw his hands in the air in an act of surrender. “I willna. I promised her, and I promise to ye now, she will remain an innocent and intact until the day we wed.”
“Ye speak as though I amnae even here anymore. I am a woman grown, and I ken ma own mind. Ma maidenhead is mine and mine alone to give. I dinna need anyone to make that choice for me. I have made ma choice, Da. I’m prepared to live with the outcomes. Are ye, Da?”
Mairghread finished with her fists on her hips. She glared at each man. Her brothers kept shifting their weight from one foot to another. Nothing about a conversation on their sister’s virginity made them comfortable.
Liam Sinclair looked at Tristan. Tristan looked in part like was he proud of Mairghread, but he also looked horrified.
Poor mon looks like he’s aboot to expire. The lass becomes her mother more and more each day. I ken she will do this just to force ma hand. Better to marry her off now as a maiden than later in disgrace.
“Vera well. Ye can wed in six sennights.”
With that he welcomed her with open arms. He was taken aback by how tightly his little girl squeezed.
“Thank ye, Da,” she whispered. “I love ye. I always have, and I always will. I ken ye’re trying to do what’s best for me. Tristan is what’s best.” Mairghread rested her cheek on her father’s chest, closed her eyes, and sighed.
Chapter Fourteen
T
he next three sennights flew by as Tristan and Mairghread kept themselves so busy that they fell into bed exhausted each night. It helped them to make it to each Sunday when the priest read the banns at Mass. Once the third Sunday passed, both felt like time slowed almost to a stop. Both became impatient again. They had the right to wed now but had three more sennights before the day they would become man and wife.
Now that they were betrothed, they became more open about their fondness for each other. When they began holding hands while walking the bailey, it surprised no one. They smiled and waved as they watched their laird with a woman who seemed to suit him so well. They liked Mairghread and looked forward to once again having a lady who cared about the clan.
One sunny morning, the couple was making their way to the storerooms to check how the stores of grain looked. The autumn harvests would begin in a few weeks, and they needed to check the old grain for weevils before it was stored separately from the new crops. Ainsley, the five-year-old daughter of the miller, greeted them just in front of her father’s workshop.
“Laird Tristy, are ye gonna marry Lady Margged?” Her five-year-old vocabulary could not quite get either of their names right. “Ye’re holding hands. Does that mean ye love her? Will ye be having bairns soon?” The little girl’s rapid-fire questions made them both laugh, and Mairghread’s cheeks pinkened.
Tristan looked at Mairghread, and her pretty blush made his heart speed up.
If only it were as simple as holding hands made bairns. I would have had her with child within a week. We would have married over a moon ago.
“Aye, Ainsley. I love Lady Mairghread vera much. We are getting married in a few sennights.”
“Ma mama says Laird Sinclair better make sure ye marry sharpish before Lady Margged has a bairn on the wrong side of the blanket. I dinna ken how a bairn can come out on the wrong side of the blanket. I dinna think bairns have blankets.”
Mairghread’s cheeks were flaming red. She was positive she was radiating heat. She was certain she would scorch anything she came too close to, but she knelt so she was eye level with Ainsley.
“That’s just a saying, poppet. I willna be having any bairns so soon. Ye can remind yer mama that I must marry Laird Tristan before I can start trying to have a bairn. It doesnae happen the other way around in ma kin. Can ye remember that?”
“Aye, Lady Margged.” With that she turned and ran to her mother who was hanging out the wash near their croft which was attached to the workshop.
“Mama, Mama! Lady Margged says she must marry Laird Tristy before she can start getting bairns. Nay one has to worry aboot a bairn’s blanket being on the wrong side.”
Mairghread was unsure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. Everyone within the bailey most likely heard Ainsley’s proclamation. Tristan wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple.
“Ye handled that well. If holding hands makes bairns, then I wonder what kissing can do.”
Mairghread swatted at Tristan’s chest. She could not help but giggle a little. She tried for a serious face.
“Ye arenae funny. I dinna want yer clan to wonder if ye’re marrying a woman with loose morals. I dinna want anyone considering or saying that it’s chicken’s blood on the sheet. Perhaps people shouldnae see us spending so much time together.”
“Is that what ye really want, little flame? I only want to spend more time with ye.”
“Ye’re the brawest mon I’ve ever seen, and I love ye. Of course, I dinna want to spend less time with ye. But mayhap discretion would be best. I donna want to harm yer position by having people gossiping that I’m unchaste. I dinna want anyone wondering if ye’re the only mon I’ve been with.”
“Lass, ma clan has gotten to ken ye. They ken the kind of woman ye are. Dinna worry over this. If people considered ye a light skirt, they wouldnae welcome ye in their homes. Ye ken people like to have a wee bit of gossip. This is just something for them to speculate on. Ye’ll see, mo ghràidh. There is naught to fash aboot.”
Mairghread was not so sure, but she let the matter rest as she did not want this to the cause of their first argument. Instead, she inched ahead of him and looked over her shoulder.
“I’ll race ye back to the keep. The loser must fetch the winner a pint of ale and pilfer one of Cook’s sweet tarts.”
With that, she took off. Mairghread ran around people and hopped over anything in her way. Tristan’s footsteps told her he was catching up with her as she weaved through the crowd, her tinkling laughter filling the air.
Tristan followed behind, amazed at how fast his intended was. He gave up trying to draw his eyes away from her swaying hips as she jumped over one obstacle after another. He had almost gained on her when out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a larger boulder tumbling over the side of the wall. He charged forward, attempting to push her out of the way.
“Mairg--!” His scream died on his lips as he watched in horror as the boulder fell through the air towards her head.
Mairghread sensed more that saw something was wrong. She looked to her left and spotted the large rock falling towards her. As she tried to swerve to her right, she became wrapped up in her skirts as something rolled under her feet. She did not have time to glance down or to the side as a crushing weight knocked her to the ground. She landed hard, the air knocked out of her. As she tried to catch her breath, she realized that whatever landed on her was also moving. She craned her neck around to look over her shoulder. Tristan lay on top of her with sweat rolling down his pale face.
“Mair! Are ye well? Are ye hurt? Answer me!”
Mairghread tried to push her shoulders up to wedge some space between her and the ground, but Tristan’s weight was too much.
“Squashing me,” she squeaked.
Tristan rolled off to the side but pulled her along with him. Once she was free of his weight, she sucked in huge heaving breaths. She looked around, her landing on the boulder that had landed just inches from them. In fact, the large rock pinned a corner of Tristan’s plaid under it. She looked at Tristan again and burst into sobs.
“Are ye hurt? Will ye nae answer me? You’re frightening me, little flame.�
�
Trembling, she shook her head. “I am well, but that boulder just barely missed ye. Ye could have been killed. I dinna ken what I would do if ye were harmed saving me.” She buried her head in his chest. “I love ye, I love ye, I love ye,” she whispered over and over.
Tristan’s heart swelled with pride and love. It moved him that her mind went to him ahead of her own safety, and he felt choked up by the depth of her love that she expressed as she clung to him. He ran his hands over her trembling body to reassure himself that she was all right. Once he was sure that she was hale, he shifted their weight and scooped her up. It was only then he noticed the crowd they had drawn. She burrowed her face in his neck and peppered it with small kisses as she wrapped her arms around his neck. It was not until the crowd began to applaud that she looked up. She, too, had not noticed the attention they were receiving. Tristan nodded his head and carried her into the keep.
Laird Sinclair was just running down the stairs as they entered the Great Hall.
“What the bluidy hell happened to ma daughter?” he bellowed.
“Da, I am well. Naught happened to me.”
“Tis nae what I heard. What I heard is that a boulder nearly crushed ye. That Tristan saved ye by pushing ye away just in the nick of time.”
“Laird Sinclair, I would take Mairghread to her chamber and then speak with you in ma solar.”
“Nay.”
Both men looked at Mairghread after her calm refusal.
“Ye willna dump me in ma chamber and leave me there while ye both discuss what happened. I ken someone pushed that boulder, and I ken that someone aimed it at me. I amnae dim nor daft. Ye willna send me to ma chamber like a wean.”
Both men looked at her, then at each other, and then back to her. Tristan changed course and walked to his solar. Once inside, he settled in a chair before the fire. He arranged Mairghread in his lap. He glared at the Sinclair, daring him to object, but the Sinclair nodded. He had already resigned himself to the knowledge that Tristan now had rights to his daughter and that her affections had shifted from him to her soon-to-be husband.
Mairghread leaned her head against Tristan’s broad shoulder and breathed in his scent. His arms wrapped protectively around her calmed her, grounding her enough to sit up and glance between two of the men who loved her most.
“Someone doesnae want me here. They dinna want me to marry Tristan.”
“Lass, ye canna ken that for sure, but I agree that it is mighty suspicious that a boulder should fall from the wall as ye pass. Lad, is there anyone ye can come up with who might want to do ma daughter harm?”
Tristan looked at the older man. It had been years since anyone had dared to call him a lad, but he saw only concern and affection for him and Mairghread in the older man’s eyes. He felt accepted, but at the same time, the weight of the responsibility of caring for and protecting Mairghread became even more real.
“I canna say for sure, but I bet we both ken there are at least two people who would prefer we nae wed.”
“Do ye believe yer brother has returned? There is nay way Sorcha has the strength to push that boulder herself. Either way it had to be a mon, yer brother or a mon Sorcha convinced to do her bidding. It hurts to ken someone hates me so much that they would have me done away with.” Mairghread’s voice trailed off.
“Lass, I want ye to have at least two guards with ye at all times along with either one of yer brothers or Tristan or me. Nay, make that three guards. I want all sides of ye protected.”
“But, Da—” She did not get to finish before Tristan interrupted.
“I agree with yer da. I want a man on all sides of ye if ye leave the Great Hall. Someone is to check any room or chamber before ye enter, and I am posting a guard outside ye chamber at night.”
“So, I am to be a prisoner even though I didna do aught wrong?”
“Ye are to be safe!” Tristan did not realize he had yelled until he noticed the red rise in her cheeks. He leaned forward to kiss her, but she offered him her cheek. “I love ye more than aught, and I will do any and everything to protect ye. Until I ken ye are out of danger, I willna budge on this. Dinna test me on this, Mairghread, because I willna back down.”
Mairghread looked long and hard at Tristan and recognized not only anger at the situation and love for her, but fear for her, too. She relented and leaned in for his kiss. It started as a chaste brush of the lips but, as always, soon turned heated. They forgot they were not alone in the solar. A deep clearing of the throat drew them apart.
Mairghread leaned to whisper in Tristan’s ear, “Now we willna have any time alone together.” With that, she scooted off his lap and walked over to her father. She leaned over to wrap her arms around her father and kissed his cheek.
“I am well, Da, I promise. I love ye, too.”
The Sinclair rose from his chair and pulled her into his embrace. He remembered holding her as a bairn when her brothers teased her or she fell while chasing after them. He remembered the little girl that she was as he held the woman she had become.
Chapter Fifteen
O
ver the next couple of days, Mairghread settled into yet another routine as guards and her brothers or Tristan followed her. She resented the inconvenience of having to ensure there were always four warriors with her. It was only the knowledge that they did it out of love that kept her from losing her temper. Along with the guard came the restriction that she was not permitted to leave the castle walls, she was not to travel to the village, and that they discouraged her from even going outside.
By the third day, Mairghread was getting restless. She had done all the sewing she had which included finishing her wedding dress. She had checked the inventory and reviewed the accounts twice. She assisted with all the meals and even helped the servants change the linens in the chambers. She was bored. For her, boredom led to mischief. She began making the beds in such a manner that her brothers and Tristan could not crawl under the sheets without ripping the sheets or pulling the bedding apart. She hid her father’s leines and spare plaids.
After a week of tricks and pranks, Tristan relented.
“Mo creach, I ken ye are bored and frustrated. What say ye we go for a ride and then a picnic outside the walls today? I will take ye to our spot at the loch.”
“Tristan, can we really? Oh yea, please.”
“Aye, vera well. Go put on yer riding boots and meet me in the bailey.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes but was still only able to brush her lips against his chin.
“Thank ye, mo chridhe. I will be ready in just a moment.” With that, she bounded up the stairs taking two at a time.
There was no helping Tristan as he watched her with a smile and a shake his head. Lovesick fool, I am. I’d do aught to make that lass happy.
Tristan stopped by to the kitchens to pick up the picnic basket he had requested and moved out to the stables to retrieve their horses which he had already ordered saddled. It seemed like only seconds later that Mairghread appeared with her hair tied back and arisaid wrapped around her. They mounted up and headed towards the gates. Mairghread looked behind and was shocked that they seemed to leave the keep alone. Her eyes looked around the bailey and then scanned the horizon in front of her.
“Aye, we are alone for today. I willna take ye far from the keep but just far enough to have some privacy.”
“Tristan, ye’re sure it is safe for us to do this?”
“I wouldnae bring yer out here if I didna ken I can protect ye.”
“Nay, it isnae that I think ye canna protect me. I ken ye can better than anyone else. I dinna want to tempt fate though.” She shivered even though the breeze was light and warm. Something did not seem right about leaving the keep after all the effort Tristan and her family put forth over the past week to keep her inside the walls and well-guarded. She did not know how to describe it, but she had a sense that something was not as it seemed or as it should be. They cantered
for several minutes then she reined in.
“Tristan, I dinna want to go out after all. Nae without guards. If something does go wrong, I dinna want ye harmed or killed because ye alone are guarding me. Please, will ye either take me back or have guards follow us.”
Tristan was stunned by what he was hearing. After a week of her mischief and attempts to evade her guards, now that he was giving her the opportunity for the freedom she clearly craved, she did not want to go. His frustration was mounting, but as he looked at her and watched her eyes constantly scanning the horizon, he sensed her building fear. It was almost a panic.
“Mo chridhe, if guards would make ye feel better, then I shall have some join us. Wait here.” He spun his horse around and trotted back to the gates. Just as he entered the bailey, all hell broke loose.
Mairghread was unprepared for her horse jolting beneath her and then seeming to slip from under her. She screamed as she looked down at the arrow protruding from her horse’s flank. Firelight began to fall, and she pulled loose of the stirrup to fall clear of the heavy animal. She looked up as she fell backwards, and she watched more arrows fly overhead as they soared towards the men on the battlements surveying the surrounding area. She landed hard on her back, and all the air whooshed from her lungs. Before she understood that they were being attacked, three horsemen galloped toward her. She tried to roll over and scramble to her feet, but she still struggled to draw a full breath. One man leaned forward and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her across his lap. The other two men rode at his sides. All three used their shields to protect them from the arrows that were now raining down from the battlements.
“NAY! Ye might hit her!” Mairghread did not miss Tristan’s bellow from behind her. She saw him giving chase but could do nothing to pry loose from her captor. She watched as the ground was eaten up by the galloping hooves, and she realized that if she broke loose, the horses would trample her in the fall. She could not get away by trying to remove his hold on her. Instead, she threw her leg over the side of the horse to sit astride. Her movement distracted her captor long enough for her to draw the sgian dubh from her boot. With little forethought, she twisted her head to peek over her shoulder as she drew her arm up. Not so much as a second thought crossed her mind as she plunged the knife into the neck of the man who held her. He bellowed and released her to grab the knife from his neck. She threw her head back as hard as she could and smashed it into his face. His grip loosened on the reins, and she seized the opportunity to twist as much as possible to push his from the horse. He lurched sideways and began to fall. He grabbed onto her skirts as he went. However, his foot was stuck in the stirrup, and he did not fall clear of the horse. Rather he was being dragged along the ground. Mairghread risked being pulled off the horse, too, as the man still had a hold of her skirts. She brought her foot down as hard as she could on his wrist, breaking his grasp. She righted herself on the horse and grabbed what she could of the reins. The horse continued to gallop despite all the movement on its back. The fight spooked it, and it seemed to have no intention of stopping despite Mairghread pulling on the reins. The other two men pulled ahead during the scuffle, but the one on the left looked backed to check on his companions. His startled expression morphed into rage. Mairghread gasped when she recognized the man’s face.
Heroes of Honor: Historical Romance Collection Page 86