Ava was still sleeping when Ness rose the next morning. She’d been so exhausted from the journey that she’d fallen asleep directly after dinner. If he had his way, she’d sleep for the entire day, but he’d seen the anger in her eyes, and he knew her stubborn streak. As soon as she woke up, she’d throw herself into whatever idea had formed in that hard head of hers.
Before she woke up, he needed to deal with Cormac. His men reported that Cormac had done nothing to try and unseat Ness while he was gone, so at least that was something. Tired of the tension simmering between them, Ness decided to try and do something about it. They both wanted the same thing, so why were they at odds with each other?
Cormac was already in the fields tilling the dirt. Pausing at the fence, Ness took a deep breath. “I have it on good authority that rotating the fields every two years is best. I think if we plant our crops again this year in all the fields, we will continue to have the same problems. I think we should let half the fields rest and only plant the other half.”
Snorting, Cormac looked up and glared at him. “Back from yer mysterious sabbatical and filled with idiotic ideas,” he muttered. “I guess I will have to be the one to tell ye that we willna survive on half a rotation of crops.”
Back indeed. Ness still couldn't prove that Cormac hadn't sent a spy after them, but there was something in the man's face that put him on edge. What if he already knew that Ava was the King's cousin? At what lengths would he go to take over the Fenton clan?
“We are going to widen the roads for trade…”
“Without crops, we have nothing to trade and no money to purchase,” Cormac roared as he threw down his garden hoe and whirled around. “Ye let yer uncle ruin us, and now ye want us starving to death!”
Ness didn’t back down as the large man took a threatening step toward him. “I married while I was gone. She comes with a dowry which means that for another season, we can afford to let half of our fields rest. Cormac, I am here to bury the hatchet. We have been fighting for two years when we want the same thing. We want the Fentons to see glory again, and we can have it.”
“Ye want the Fentons to see glory. I just want to make sure that our houses arena crumbling to the ground and we have food on the table. I want to make sure that we have protection and arena kept prisoner by a tyrant,” he growled. “Ye want us to believe that ye are nothing like yer uncle. I think that ye are worse. Ye just sat by to let it happen, and now you’re prepared to become the hero and make it all better.”
Ness’s body tightened with anger. He hated that this was the perception of him. This was his home. He grew up here, but he felt like a stranger now. “I am just trying to make things right. It would be easier if I had yer support.”
“Ye will have my support when ye have earned it,” Cormac hissed. Shaking his head, spat at Ness’s feet. “Cannae wait to see how yer wife reacts when she sees the extent of yer home.”
She had already seen it, and she didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave. In his eyes, that made her more of a Fenton than anyone else here.
Knowing that he wasn’t going to get anywhere with Cormac, he left the man to toiling the land and headed to the keep. Even when he was younger, he was never welcome here. Ness expected that Errol had planned to beget a male heir and generally ignored Ness, even when he was orphaned. It wasn’t until Ness was twenty that Errol finally claimed him as his closest male kin and named him heir.
Ness had been traveling ever since, and Errol had tried to destroy the clan one stone at a time. Terrifyingly enough, the Fentons were still calling for justice for Errol’s death, but while gossip flew, only a few knew what really happened to Errol, and as far as Ness was concerned, justice had already been served.
It wasn’t until he was named laird that he took his first steps into the massive Fenton keep. That night, the roof started to leak. The strange thing was that it wasn’t raining that night. A few stranger accidents occurred.
Then his room caught on fire with him still inside.
The incidents stopped when Ness moved into the cottage. He told everyone it was so they could make repairs to the keep, but the accidents stopped, and the message was clear. Someone thought he didn’t belong in the Fenton keep.
Ness had a feeling he knew who that someone was, but he was still determined to make peace with Cormac.
The door opened, and Ava walked out with a smile. “I hope ye arena upset. I wanted to take a look at the extent of the damage myself. I adore the cottage, but yer place is here.”
“I agree, but the keep isna safe,” Ness said softly. “I doona want ye in there unless there is someone with ye.”
“If the floor collapses under me, I doona think that having someone with me is going to help me,” she pointed out logically. How could Ness tell her that the floor wasn’t likely to collapse without help from someone else without striking fear into her heart? This life was going to be hard enough on her. He didn’t want her to be terrified.
“If the floor collapses under ye, then someone will be there to notify me. And by someone, I mean one of my men. Preferably one that I trust.” He breathed a quiet sigh of relief when she walked out of the keep toward him. “I wanted ye to rest today.”
“I am a little sore, but I am not about to waste a day that I can spend on the ground rather than on a horse.” She skipped in a circle to prove her point. “I should warn ye that a woman entered the cottage this morning. She was quite pretty and seemed right at home near yer bed, so I may have told her that I was yer wife.”
Spark of jealousy. Ness had to admit that he liked that. “I imagine that was my cook and housekeeper, Mary. She is comfortable around my bed because she cleans. She may have been a little thorny because I have asked her to keep the lasses away from me.”
“Well, that will be my job now.” Sucking in her lower lip, she looked at him bashfully. “Are ye angry?”
“Nay. I have already told someone that I wed. ’Tis only a matter of time before everyone knows.”
“Good. I would hate to make things more difficult for ye on my first day. If ye doona mind, I’d like to spend the day walking around and introducing myself. Do I require an escort for that?”
“Aye,” Ness said immediately. Her face fell, and he gritted his teeth. It was obvious what was running through her head. “I am not trying to restrict ye, Ava. I just want to keep ye safe. Ye may go where ye wish and speak to who ye wish, but ye are unfamiliar with this land, and people may not take too kindly to ye introducing yerself as their mistress.”
Nodding, she took a step to the cottage and faltered. “Ye were not there when I woke up this morning.”
“I had someone that I needed to speak with. Did ye eat?”
“I havena. It was a small cottage with Diana in the kitchen, so I decided to explore the keep while she worked.”
“Then eat some breakfast, and I will get ye an escort. I may not see ye before dinner this evening.”
She nodded. “I understand. Ye are busy. I will see ye this evening.” Quickly, she rose up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer and pressed her against his body.
“Ness!” She looked around furtively.
“Ye are my wife, and ye are getting ready to tell my people that ye are my wife. When ye kiss me, I expect it to be something like this.” Lowering his head, he pressed his lips to hers. When she opened automatically for him, he groaned in satisfaction and took full advantage as his tongue swept it. Every time he tasted her, he was stunned by her sweetness. Warm, eager, and so innocent, yet it was enough to make him unsteady. When he broke the kiss, he wanted to pick her up and take her back in the cottage and lay her down on their bed and cover her until she was moaning his name.
As he released her, she stumbled back and stared at him. “I think maybe ’tis safer if I just doona kiss ye at all.”
“We will see about that,” he growled with a smile. “Doona tire yerself out, Ava. I a
m going to want to finish this tonight.”
“I am counting on it.”
15
It was the thought of spending an evening with Ness that kept the smile on her face despite hours of sharp tongues and cold shoulders as she tried to introduce herself to everyone.
“Doona take it personally,” Nicholas advised her as they walked to the next cottage. “They have had a few difficult years.”
“It seems to me that they are making things more difficult by not supporting their laird,” Ava said grumpily. “I realize that Errol was a monster, but everything that Ness has done is for them!” She couldn’t believe their attitude.
“Ness has expected that it would take time, but I fear he is losing faith and patience. Ye have to understand that he doesna have much of a connection with any of these people. Errol was a smart man. Cruel, but brilliant. He didna want Ness to usurp him, so he had Ness travel frequently. That way he never inspired a rebellion or even saw what was really happening.”
Poor Ness. No wonder he was struggling. It sounded like Errol’s mastermind plan was working even after death. “Ye and Seth and Idris are his friends. How did that happen?”
“We grew up together. The four orphans. ’Twas because of our relationship with Ness that we were often posted in outlying villages to protect them. Errol kept us as far away from the keep as possible. When he became laird, he arranged our positions and made us his closest guards. There were some problems with the other men with that.”
Unbelievable. “Because they were loyal to Errol?”
“Because he rewarded them for looking the other way. Ness doesna. I doona trust any of them to protect him which is why one of us is with Ness whenever possible and why one of us will be with ye.”
Picking up her skirts, Ava started to follow Nicholas to the next field to try and introduce herself to another family. “That doesna explain why they are upset with him. Anyone who gets to know Ness would understand that he isna like Errol.”
“How do ye know?” Nicholas asked quietly. “Ye only met him a couple of weeks ago, and he has much to prove to the cousin of the King.”
Narrowing her eyes, she stopped short and glared at him. “I thought ye were his friend, and now ye want to put doubt in my mind?!”
“There isna a single bone in my body that doubts Ness, but ye are going to face fierce opposition. Ye chose to come here, Ava. I need to know that ye can withstand everything that comes yer way. There is no betrayal that Ness will feel more severely than one that comes from someone he loves.”
Despite the graveness of the situation, Ava couldn’t help but feel her cheeks warmed. Did he truly think that Ness might love her? It certainly felt that way at night when he held her close, but she was terrified to entertain those kinds of thoughts. It was one thing to think that she and Ness could have the kind of marriage where they were partners, but it was another to think that she might love him.
Or that he might love her.
“Ye have nothing to worry about, Nicholas. I know Ness’s heart, and I wouldna betray it for anything.” They followed the dusty path to another small thatched cottage, and she took a deep breath before she plastered on a big smile and knocked on the door.
It was opened by an elderly woman with a severely drawn face and long stringy grey hair. She took a long look at Ava, sliding her gaze up and down, before the frown on her face deepened. “Well? What do ye want, lass? I havena got all day.”
“Ava,” Nicholas said in a low voice. “This is Miriam. She is our healer.”
“Too old for that nonsense, lad. Now I just grow herbs for the potions. ’Tis my daughter Mary who does all the real work.”
“Ness’s cook?” Ava asked without thinking.
Miriam fixated her cold gaze on her. “And who would ye be to know the woman cooking for our laird?”
At least she didn’t say so-called laird. “Actually, that is why I am here. I am going door-to-door to introduce myself. My name is Ava. I am Ness’s new wife.”
After a pregnant pause, Miriam burst out laughing. “Is that what he thought these ignorant fools needed? A mistress? A stranger coming to them when our daughters were waiting for him to choose one of them while he foolheartedly said that marriage was the last thing on his mind? Either he has been lying to us or there is something mighty sweet between those thighs!”
“Miriam,” Nicholas said sharply. “Some respect.”
“Pah!” Waving her hands, she opened the door wider and jerked her head to indicate for them to enter. “I am too old to respect others, and I am not here to make things easier for anyone. Come. I need to sit. My back has been aching all morning.”
The old woman was strange, but at least she was willing to talk. That was all Ava needed even if Nicholas seemed uncomfortable.
“It wasna a choice Ness made lightly,” Ava said carefully as she took a seat at the small square table in the brightly lit kitchen. She and Ness had rehearsed the vague introduction she was to make to the people. “I come with a dowry.”
“Of course ye do. Well, I suppose ’tis too much to hope that at least one laird in my lifetime be happy. Errol was the spawn of the underworld, but I had my hopes for Ness. He could be a good laird, and every good man needs a good woman.”
Had she just been insulted? “I am a good woman.”
Suddenly, Miriam reached out and grabbed her hands. The old woman was faster than she looked. “Hands smooth as satin and clean. I bet if I were to strip ye naked, I wouldna find a single scar on ye. Ye have no idea what it means to work, so how are ye going to be a good wife for a man who must do thrice the work to earn the respect he deserves?” She paused suddenly and ran a single finger down Ava’s palm.
A shiver went down her spine. “What are ye doing?”
“Hush, child,” Miriam commanded as she stared at Ava’s palm before releasing it suddenly. “I suppose soon enough we will see what ye are made of. Go on, now. I have things I must do today. Consider yerself introduced. I hope ye were not hoping for a warm welcome for ye will not find one here.”
“Now hold on!” Ava would not be so easily dismissed even as she rose from her chair. “Ye like Ness. I can tell. Why are ye not helping him?”
Miriam smirked. “There was nothing that I could do to shape Ness’s destiny. We are a stubborn clan, and it will take a mighty storm to get them to change their minds about him. He may succeed if he survives. Why do ye think I sent my Mary to cook for him? I feel better with a healer close to him.”
“That is very kind of ye. Why do ye…”
“No more questions,” Miriam interrupted. “’Tis time for my nap.”
“Nap?”
“Aye. I am an old woman, and I doona have time to entertain ye. Now off with ye.”
Blinking, Ava turned to Nicholas, but he was already halfway out the door. “I really did think that being a mistress might be a little different,” she muttered to herself.
Miriam snorted. “That is yer first mistake, child. The Fenton highlands are wild. It won’t be royal blood that brings them to heel.”
Gasping, Ava whipped her head around, but the woman was already retreating into another room and closed the door.
“She knows who I am,” Ava said after Nicholas pulled her outside. “How could she possibly know that?”
“For the same reason that nobody messes with Miriam, no matter what she says.” He nodded his head grimly. “That woman is a witch.”
A witch? Ava started to laugh when a shadow crossed over them, and Nicholas stiffened and reached for the sword by his side. “Cormac,” he growled in a low warning. “State yer business.”
Turning her head, she looked at the man who appeared to be Ness’s age. His rusty red hair, pulled back at the nape of his neck, gleamed under the setting sun, and there was something odd about his eyes. Maybe it was the hatred that sparked in them. “I heard the new missus was making her rounds, and I wanted to introduce myself.”
Eager to make a good impression
, Ava stretched out her hand to the new man. Nicholas hissed, but Ava ignored him. She was there to spread love and goodwill. “Cormac, is it? I am Ava, Ness’s new wife.”
“Ava, is it?” With a taunting smile, he clasped her hand and brought it up to his lips. “And how did ye come to be our laird’s husband? Are yer parents connected to him somehow?”
Heeding Ness’s warning that she keep her true kin a secret, she smiled brightly at him. “I fear that I have no knowledge of how the arrangement came to be. I do as I am told.”
As Nicholas snorted behind her back, she turned her head and glared at him. When she turned back, she tried to be pleasant again. “I am told that there is mistrust among my husband’s people. Tell me, what do ye think is the root of the problem, and how can we heal this rift?”
“Mistrust. Rift. Is that how Ness had described the present to ye?” His smile widened and turned mocking. “I wonder if he picked ye because of yer naivety. Easy to control. Or maybe 'tis because ye are an easy lay. Ready to spread yer legs for any man in that tavern? Awfully free with yer kisses.”
What in the world was he talking about? How could he know what had happened in the tavern? Unless Ness or one of his men had said something?
"I was told that yer skin was soft as silk," Cormac suddenly whispered. "And that nothing is sweeter than listening to ye pant in fear."
Suddenly, his hands reached out and gripped her shoulders tightly, and Ava gasped. “The man who was following me. He works for ye." Although she was terrified, she tried not to let it show. "Ye doona scare me. Ye think that if Ness is gone, that ye can be laird? Ye think that they will follow ye?”
“Unhand her,” Nicholas bellowed and pointed his sword at Ness. “Manhandling yer laird’s wife has fatal consequences Cormac. I could run ye through right now.”
Cormac only continued to smile as he unhandled Ava, and a cold chill ran through her. “My apologies,” he said as he bowed. “I only meant to warn the lady of what she might face if she still hopes to woo the clan. I wish ye well.”
Highlander's Untamed Lass (Highlander's Seductive Lasses Book 3) Page 10