“I understand how ye feel. I would feel the same if I were in yer place. However, ma men dinna abuse women. I dinna allow it in ma keep. I canna explain why those two behaved that way, but I assure ye, I will find out.” The effort to say that much left MacDonnell breathless. He fell back into his chair. He could barely see as his eyes continued to swell, but he caught the expression on Sorcha’s face as he said he would investigate his men. The smugness made his gut churn. She had something to do with the incident. Of that he was sure. The woman had entertained him more than once since her arrival, and she knew how to do things to his cock no other woman had, but she was not worth a clan war over. He was also aware that her attention was not undivided. She had been pleasuring Alan along with many of the guardsmen. He stood from his chair and walked to the fireplace. Tristan and Callum watched him.
“But I didna do aught wrong. I was only helping her. That’s why I brought her to safety. I kenned Laird MacDonnell would allow us to care for her, and I assumed Lady Beatris would tell the laird who she was, but Lady Beatris assumed I would tell him. It was just a miscommunication.” Sorcha continued her tears as she reached out to grip Tavish’s hand, but he brushed it away and took a step back.
“Sorcha, those are lies, and ye ken it. Ye told me ye didna ken who the lass was. Lady Beatris said the same. If ye both kenned who she was, ye should have said as much when ye and Thomas walked in. Yer lies are only digging ye deeper.” MacDonnell reached out and grabbed a handful of her hair. He rarely manhandled women, but this one and his former stepmother were about to embroil them in a war. He shook her and leaned over to loudly whisper in her ear.
“If ye would like to come out of this without losing yer head, I suggest ye start telling the truth. Now, Sorcha.”
Sorcha looked around the room filled with large angry men and one bitter old woman. She was forced to accept for the first time ever that her looks and physical charms would not save her. The best she hoped for was to deflect responsibility and blame from herself.
She pointed at Lady Beatris and said, “She and Sir Alan plotted to kidnap Lady Mairghread. Sir Alan claimed they needed her dowry for them to move on. He came to visit me at ma croft one night aboot a fortnight ago, speaking of how he missed me and couldnae live any longer with the lies. He wanted us to be together but couldnae make it happen without the monies from her dowry. He claimed his mother was bleeding him dry with her demands.” She sneered at Lady Beatris and then pouted to the men. “He told me he would wait in the woods with two of his men until he got Lady Mairghread alone. Once he grabbed her, he would take her to a monastery or priory where they’d wed straight away. Lady Beatris agreed to this because she doesnae want to live here anymore but expects to be kept as she is accustomed to living. She’s the one who told Alan to get the stupid chit, but he couldnae even manage that much. I only agreed because Alan loved me and couldnae live without me.”
This declaration only received guffaws and outright laughs from all the men. Lady Beatris sat stewing at the table. She attempted to stand, but Alexander’s hand on her shoulder forced her back into her seat. One glimpse at his glare kept her from rising again. It did not keep her silent, however.
“This whore opens her legs to any mon who can get it up. She was with Tristan and Alan for years. She couldnae accept that neither of ma sons would make her the lady of a keep or even their official leman. Tis why she bribed one of the Mackay guardsmen, one of the men who rode out with Alan, to push the boulder onto Mairghread. She doesnae ken the limits to her charms. When the Sinclair chit didna die, she agreed to help Alan because she didna want to live in that little shack any longer, and she wanted Mairghread to pay for taking Tristan. Alan didna love her any more than Tristan did. And Alan never intended to take Mairghread to a convent. How do ye think Sorcha kenned to be by the river? She told me of a Norse slave trader who frequents this area in autumn. She’s the one who convinced me that once Alan had the dowries and was tired of tupping Mairghread that we should give Mairghread to the Norseman.”
“First of all, I amnae yer son and never was. Second of all, Alan is dead so he willna be getting any dowries from anyone. Thirdly--”
The wailing cry that came from Lady Beatris interrupted Tristan. He realized no one had told Beatris that Alan was dead. He should have known from how calm she had been until now.
“Who killed ma son? Alan! Alan!” she gasped. “Nay. Nae ma Alan!”
“He got himself killed by trying to go after Mairghread in water that was too deep. Had he nae tried to take ma bride for his own gain, he might still be here. Instead, he is awaiting burial because he drowned. He’s strapped to a horse outside.” Tristan struggled but failed to muster any remorse for breaking the news to his former stepmother in such a brutal way. He was completely and totally done with the machinations of both Sorcha and Lady Beatris. He had not known he shared Sorcha with Alan, but he had to admit it had not surprised him. Before Mairghread, he might have experienced jealousy or anger over all the deception and betrayal. Now, he was done with trying to find redeeming qualities to his stepbrother. He was done with all of it. All he wanted was to return to Mairghread’s chamber and check on her. He walked to the door, but before leaving, he turned to MacDonnell.
“Do with either of them as ye want, but if I ever lay eyes on them again, I will kill them on the spot, woman or nae. I willna tolerate anyone threatening ma kin. I am only willing to stay here tonight because Mairghread is in nay shape to travel, or else I wouldnae consider being here another moment.” With that, he slammed the door and made his way above stairs.
He approached Mairghread’s door quietly and opened it slowly. He saw Mairghread was still sleeping, and Magnus was still holding her hand. His shoulders moved with the deep breathing of sleep. Tristan did not have the heart, nor did he see a reason, to wake Magnus. He walked to the empty side of the bed and took off his boots then climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around Mairghread. In her sleep, she shuffled and cuddled into his spooning body. He was asleep before he took his next breath.
Chapter Twenty
M
airghread awoke to a scorching heat coming from her back. She feared she was being suffocated. A heavy weight was draped across her middle and had her pinned to the mattress. She could not figure out where she was or what held her down until she took another breath and smelled Tristan’s musky scent. She turned her head to find him sleeping next to her. He was the oven behind her, and it was his arm that held her snuggling against him. She noticed a weight on the hand further away from Tristan. She looked over to find Magnus’s two large hands holding onto her much smaller one. He sagged against the bed, asleep too. She relaxed back into Tristan’s embrace and enjoyed being in his arms even if one of her brothers was there, too. As her eyes began to drift closed again, she became aware of snores coming from the foot of the bed. Mairghread attempted to sit up but was trapped thanks to Tristan. She tried to lift his arm from her waist, but he synched it tighter. She tried again and pulled her hand free from Magnus to use both to lift Tristan’s arm. This only ended up awakening both as she sat up. She looked at both of them and then strained to peer over the end of the bed as it was still mostly dark in the room, and a few stars still twinkled in the early morning sky. There on the floor in various positions were Mairghread’s three other brothers. Tavish and Alexander laid head to head near the door as guards with Callum at the foot of the bed. All three had their swords lying next to them.
Tristan looked at Mairghread’s bare back and realized she was still naked. He had been so exhausted and so relieved to climb into bed next to her, he had not even noticed that she was bare. He reached out and traced his finger along her spine. He already he planned to marry her that very day, and by that night, he would be able to enjoy this same view any time he wanted. Until then, he would enjoy gazing at her bare back. Mairghread sucked in a breath as his rough finger trailed down her back, and it made her shiver. She did not need to glance back to be certain Tristan
was watching her. He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder.
Magnus watched them and scowled. He was not pleased in the least to wake up to find his naked sister in bed with a man.
“Get yer paw of ma wee sister before I take it off altogether!”
“Magnus, haud yer wheesht before ye wake the others.” Mairghread whispered.
“Too late, lass. We are awake already. Ye didna think ye could move around in a room full of warriors, and we wouldnae awaken.” Tavish grumbled as he sat up. His eyes landed on Tristan sitting entirely too close to his sister. “Get ye bluidy hands off of her, now!”
“Tavish!”
“Aye. Remove yerself from that bed sharpish. Get out of this chamber.” Callum was gripping the foot of the bed so tightly that the wood creaked.
“Callum! Dinna speak to him that way. Dinna any of ye speak to him that way. Ye ken we are betrothed, and that is as good as married. The kirk is the last detail.”
“The most important detail,” growled Alexander.
“I agree. The kirk is the most important detail and a detail that we’ll take care of today.” Tristan did not budge. He draped his arm around Mairghread’s shoulder and looked down at her. “Will ye marry me today? As soon as we get back to the Mackay keep, and yer da is assured ye’re well.”
“Poor Da will be beside himself since he doesnae ken where any of us are.”
“He does. I sent a rider back to the keep yesterday. While ye were in here with Tristan, we were below stairs sorting things out.”
Callum explained that he sent one of Mackay’s men back to the keep, saying they found Mairghread at the MacDonnells', and that while she was well, she needed a night of rest before being ready to travel.
“Ma thanks to ye for doing that.” Tristan rose from the bed and walked around to meet Callum. He stuck out his hand and waited. Callum looked at his hand and then looked at Tristan and then looked at Mairghread before looking at the outstretched hand again. When Tristan did not squirm an inch, Callum grasped his forearm, and they shook. “Now ye can all get out so Mairghread can have a bath brought up to her.”
Tristan walked to the door, stuck his head out, and whispered to someone in the passageway.
When he turned back into the room, the four brothers were in their usual semicircle with arms crossed. Tristan could not help but laugh. These four men were an intimidating sight, but after waking up to find them all guarding their wee sister, he was sure there was a soft spot in all of them.
“Did ye practice this as lads, or do ye nae even ken what ye’re doing?”
“Whatever are ye going on aboot, mon?” Tavish smirked. The four of them understood what Tristan meant but had no intention of answering him.
“It all started when they used to have to line up in front of Da when they were in trouble. He would go down the line and yell at them before tanning their hides when each of them refused to confess. Stubborn lot. As they grew older, Da started taking them out to the lists for their punishments, but they still lined up for their turns. It has just become a natural position for them after all the time they spent in trouble as lads.” Mairghread laughed for the first time since the previous morning. It felt good to laugh, and she could not help continuing to laugh as all five men turned towards her. Tristan crossed the room and climbed back onto the bed. He gathered her into his arms and held her.
“Little flame, it is so good to hear yer laugh. I would listen to it every day for the rest of ma life. Ye havenae given me an answer about whether ye will marry me today.”
Mairghread placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled his head towards her. She kissed him with a sizzling passion that had her brothers clearing their throats and coughing. She was content to ignore them all. When they both separated to catch their breath, she laughed again.
“I think I will marry ye today.”
Chapter Twenty-One
A
fter some further argument, Mairghread put her tiny foot down and said Tristan would remain while she bathed. She compromised and agreed to use the screen to block her from his view. However, as soon as her brothers left, she climbed out of bed and let the sheets drop. She walked over to the screen and moved it back to where it had been. Tristan was surprised she was walking around in front of him bare as the day she was born. She looked at Tristan with mischief in her eyes. She caught the desire and lust in Tristan’s eyes as he watched her move towards him. His hands clenched at his sides as he tried to keep himself from touching her. She reached out and unhooked the broach holding his plaid in place. She put it down on the bed. Next, she unfastened the belt holding his sporran and plaid in place. She caught his plaid as it unraveled from his waist. She laid the belt, sporran, and plaid on the bed next to the broach. Tristan still did not move but his breathing was labored. He watched with awe as she ran her hands under his leine. The sensation of her hands on his skin made him shudder. She smiled as she looked up at him. Her own look of lust and desire replaced the mischief. She lifted his leine as high as possible, but he was far too tall for her to take it off him. She raised one eyebrow in question. Tristan whipped the shirt over his head and threw it on the bed. She raised her arms out to the side but did nothing else. She was daring and willing to make some of the first moves, but she needed Tristan to take part, too. He grasped her hips and pulled her flush to him. He bent over to kiss her, and her arms wrapped around his neck. His arms circled her waist, and he lifted her off the floor. Mairghread wrapped her legs around his waist and reveled in the feeling of his cock throbbing between them. She tilted her hips to make it rub against her slit. She moaned just as he groaned. They looked at each other. They both remembered their time at the loch and how Mairghread had wrapped her legs around his waist just as she did now. Tristan carried her to the tub and stepped in. He eased them to the warm water. It was marvelous on her battered body which was still sore from the day before. This time the moan she made was from the warm water against her aching body. Tristan looked down and noticed for the first time that there were faint bruises beginning to appear around her ribs and on her back.
“Mo ghaol, they hurt ye yesterday. I can see the bruises on ye now.”
“I can feel them, too, but naught is that serious. I was lucky to nae have hurt maself more when I fell from the horse or while I was in the river.”
Tristan had not pressed Mairghread to tell him what happened, but he was still curious. He desperately wanted to learn everything that happened in the time they were apart, but he worried about upsetting her if he asked. Mairghread ran her hands over his chest and then gave his heart a kiss.
“Tristan, I was so frightened when an arrow hit Firelight. I couldnae understand what was happening at first. All of a sudden, I was falling then I hit the ground, knocking the wind out of me. I tried to get up and run back to the keep, but I couldnae catch ma breath. Next thing I kenned, some mon was pulling me onto his horse. We rode with two other men as the arrows flew towards us. I fought with the mon who took me, and I stabbed him with ma sgian dubh. His horse was spooked and wouldnae stop nor turn. I couldnae get away from Alan as the horse ran straight towards him. He grabbed me and forced me onto his horse. Once we entered the forest, he pulled me from the horse and kept his hand over ma mouth. The other mon with Alan took the horses and headed to the west while we moved to the east. I tried to bite him, but he pulled ma hair so hard I saw stars as he dragged me towards the river. I could hear ye and the others as ye got to the woods. I went limp and dropped from his arm. It gave me just enough time to whistle a warning, but Alan put a dirk to ma neck. He didna need to say aught for me to understand his meaning. I was able to whistle once more as we approached the river. I ken one of ma brothers responded, and there was another whistle, but that one didna sound like any of ma brothers.”
She paused there in her story to run her hands over Tristan’s chest and abdomen. It fascinated her how the muscles rippled under her fingers. His stomach was knotted with hard muscle. As her fingers trailed do
wn to the water, his cock bobbed at the surface. She bit her lower lip as she contemplated wrapping her hand around his shaft instead of continuing the story. Tristan pulled her lip free of her teeth and leaned forward to nip it with his teeth. She decided the story would have to wait. She wrapped her hands around his iron rod and began the motion she had already learned he loved. Tristan widened his legs below her, and his hand slipped below the water to find her heat. He brushed his knuckles along her seam and felt more than heard her low moan. He slid two fingers between her nether lips to test her. Even in the tub of warm water, her feminine wetness coated his fingers, signaling she was as ready as he was. He thrust three fingers into her, and her hips jerked forward searching for more. He stroked her with his fingers and used his thumb to rub her pleasure button. She pressed her lips to his and opened her mouth to him. When he slid his tongue into her mouth, she sucked on it with a rhythm that matched their stroking hands. She did not attempt to curb the whimpers and moans that came from her. She rocked her hips faster as she ground her mound against his fingers while he pushed his hips up as he drove his cock into her hand. His free hand found one of her breasts and began to massage it. He pinched her nipple as her insides clenched around his fingers. She tore her mouth from his, and with her free hand, she pressed her other breast up to him. He gladly took her offering as he suckled hard on her breast. She felt herself falling over the edge into her release. She stroked him harder and faster, wanting him to join her in her pleasure. He groaned as his cock pulsed, and his seed leaked from him.
Heroes of Honor: Historical Romance Collection Page 90