Captivating A Highland Warrior (Steamy Scottish Historical Romance)

by Maddie MacKenna

  The ball last night had given him confirmation of one thing, though. Marion didn’t despise him, not anymore, that is. She had smiled wholeheartedly and her eyes had sparkled. Not the way they did before, with temper and flashing lightning but rather with a warm fire.

  But she could have just been excited about the ball and the wedding. Maybe it didn’t have anything to do with him.

  “I trust ye’re right, to a degree,” he finally said.

  Jack got back to shoeing his horse and neither of them spoke for a while.

  “When are the MacDheorsa family comin’ fer a visit?” Jack suddenly asked.

  “They havenae sent a word yet,” Fionnghall replied.

  “Well… at least ye have until they come to make a decision. One way or the other,” Jack said, but this didn’t ease the feeling in Fionnghall’s chest one bit.

  * * *

  Marion and Deirdre had made themselves comfortable in the library early in the day following the wedding. They were both sitting beside each other on the couch, looking over the records and matching all last names they came across to the list they already had.

  They wanted to expand the list as long as possible with all M-starting last names they could find. This way, their upcoming trip to Ridgemoore would hopefully be more fruitful.

  “Mr. Archibald was most genteel, a great dancer, and he has an estate the next town over, so he is respected. But, I am not sure if I prefer him over Mr. Bath. After all, he is the one with good looks and young features. However, he was a tad dull, to be honest, talkin’ about dogs most of the time. I wonder if he has ever opened a poetry book or written a love letter…” Deirdre said, comparing two of her beaus to each other from last night.

  “From where I was standing, it looked like Mr. Kelman was quite taken by you,” Marion teased and poked her side.

  “Mr. Kelman! Me word! He sure was very forthcomin’, but dear Lord, he is so boring and not very pleasant to look at,” Deirdre laughed. “But enough about me, I saw ye dancin’ with me brother.” Deirdre winked and poked her back.

  Marion blushed.

  “Ah! I told ye! Ye like him, don’t ye?” she stopped what she was doing and turned to Marion.

  “He… he is tolerable,” Marion said but didn’t raise her eyes from the book she was now very immersed in.

  “Tolerable? It’s me, Marion, be truthful. Dae ye like him?” Deirdre pressured.

  Marion pressed her lips together into a tight line and furrowed her brows. She had barely admitted it to herself, so she wasn’t sure if she was quite ready to say anything out loud to anyone.

  But she didn’t even need to. Deirdre’s relentless presence around her in the past weeks had made them close enough that she was able to read everything she needed from Marion’s expression.

  “I knew it. This makes me so happy, Marion! Ye could become me sister!”

  “Deirdre! Even if I did like him, which I never admitted, mind you—he is still engaged, is he not?” Marion said and wrote down another name on the list.

  “Ah, details,” she brushed off her comment.

  The door opened and the Laird joined them in the library. He greeted both of them and took a seat at his normal spot next to the window.

  “Perfect timin’, me dear brother. We are plannin’ the trip to Ridgemoore. Jack promised he will come with us. Is it all right if we take the coach tomorrow?” Deirdre asked the Laird.

  “I see no problem there,” he said. He added, “I believe I will be joinin’ ye on the trip. There is some business fer me in Ridgemoore.”

  Marion’s heart leaped and she pressed her eyes down and looked at the list. She had secretly been hoping that the Laird would join them on the trip, but she never thought he actually would.

  “Great, everythin’ is set. We will depart at dawn,” Deirdre decided.

  * * *

  The sun wasn’t even up yet, but Marion, Deirdre, Jack, and the Laird were already in the coach on the way to Ridgemoore. It was going to be a clear day—there were no clouds in the sky and the shy rays of the sun were peeking behind the horizon.

  Marion yawned and blinked profusely, trying to shake the tiredness out of her eyes. Deirdre was half-asleep next to her and Jack was snoring across from them, leaning his head against the side of the coach. The Laird seemed to be the only one who was fully awake. He was reading a small book that looked like it had been read a thousand times before.

  The travel was going to take a few hours, but Marion didn’t mind that at all. She had been waiting to spend some time with the Laird in the coach, so they could talk—even if Deirdre and Jack were going to be present as well.

  “Laird Gille Chriost, where do you think we should start? Since you have been in Ridgemoore before, I’m certain you could point us in the right direction,” Marion asked.

  The Laird put the book down and directed the look of his deeply warm eyes to Marion and smiled.

  “I would suggest startin’ at the public house and talkin’ with the bartender. The town is too big fer ye to try and talk to everyone in one day. But ye’d be surprised about the things bartenders know,” he replied and smiled crookedly.

  “The public house?” Marion asked, surprised.

  The Laird’s smile spread across his face and it was a little bit mocking this time.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “It… it wouldn’t be appropriate. For two women to go into a public house. Even with a man present,” Marion said and glanced at Jack, who was still snoring. Deirdre had fallen asleep as well, and didn’t hear a word of the conversation.

  “What wouldn’t be appropriate, exactly?” the Laird asked, clearly amused.

  Marion opened her mouth as to reply, but she wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t really have any arguments that would hold up. She had ridden through the country, alone, in a men’s saddle. She had abandoned her parents without saying a word. Disgraced her family, stolen… the list went on and on. And ever since her arrival, she had only stepped her foot in a church once.

  “I get your point,” Marion said and turned her head away. Irritation rose up in her chest, but the smile the Laird gave her for her reaction wiped it all away in an instance.

  Marion had never been in a public house before. After all, it was not a suitable place for a Lady. She was a little bit surprised that the Laird would let Deirdre step into such a place—but she guessed that Jack’s presence would be the reason for such freedom, so she didn’t press the situation.

  “Laird, I was wondering something. Something you said last night,” Marion continued. She really wanted to keep the conversation going as long as they had the time. It wasn’t like she had many chances to get to spend time alone with him.

  The Laird raised his eyebrows and looked at her expectantly.

  “When you asked if I were happy at Gille Chriost… What did you mean exactly?”

  The Laird seemed somewhat bothered by the question. He crossed his arms and pursed his lips. The look on his face was wondering, more than angry or defensive.

  He took a deep breath.

  “I wanted to make sure ye felt at home. That everythin’ was to yer satisfaction,” he finally said.

  Marion nodded, but she felt like the Laird wasn’t completely honest with his answer. He opened his book again and kept on reading, so Marion decided to stay silent. At least for a while.

  She couldn’t help but look at his statuesque face from underneath her lashes every now and then. He had the kind of face that one liked to look at. She was so immersed in the details of his face that she didn’t notice how long she had been staring at him.

  The Laird turned his deep dark brown eyes to Marion’s. She quickly batted her eyelids and looked away. Her heart leaped into a race and she felt her cheeks blush. Carefully, she peeked at him again. He was now staring into Marion’s face, the book long forgotten. He smiled faintly, and Marion smiled back.

  He was only a few feet away, far enough that Marion couldn’t touch him.
But she could feel the energy in the air and it made everything else disappear from around her. He was very magnetic.

  She turned her eyes back to the window, looking outside. The Laird opened his book again, crossed his legs and shot a glance at Marion once more. She couldn’t help but turn her head away. His eyes were so piercing and he was able to speak with his eyes without saying a word.

  Deirdre and Jack slept for a long time. When the coach turned to a smaller, uneven road, Deirdre suddenly woke up. Jack didn’t budge.

  “How long have I been asleep?” she asked, still groggy from her long sleep.

  Marion smiled and smoothed the stray hairs from Deirdre’s bun.

  “Pretty much the entire morning,” Marion said.

  The sun was up now and it was filtering through the leaves. The day was getting warmer by the minute and birds were chirping outside. All Marion could hear now was the hooves of the two horses hitting the soft ground. Even Jack had stopped snoring, though he was still fast asleep. The coach was slowly pulling through a path in the middle of a forest and Marion peeked her head out of the window.

  “It’s not goin’ to be much longer,” the Laird said, as he saw Marion cover up a big yawn.

  “I don’t mind the ride,” Marion replied and smiled. The Laird responded with a sweet smile and Marion’s heart fluttered again.

  And very soon, Marion started hearing people outside the coach. A few people walked past their carriage, carrying baskets and talking with each other.

  The further they went, the more people Marion spotted through the window. After a few minutes, the horses’ hooves started hitting stone streets and Marion could see store windows and houses passing by. They must have arrived at the town.

  Jack woke up as well and stretched.

  “Jack, great to have ye join us,” the Laird teased and Jack grinned. “I was thinkin’ of leavin’ ye at the public house,” he continued.

  “We will take it from there,” Jack agreed.

  “Brother, we’re goin’ to the public house? How is that appropriate fer us?” Deirdre asked, looking confused.

  “Jack will be with ye, ye will be just fine,” he said. He leaned out of the window and asked the driver to pull up at the public house.

  The coach halted and Marion stepped out of the coach, Deirdre and Jack following her. Marion immediately took a small turn around to take in the look of the town.

  All the streets here were pebbles and Marion saw carriages going up and down the street, pulled by different kinds of horses: sturdy ones, tall ones, white ones and even spotty ones. She heard the chatter of people who were greeting each other on the street and saw farmers selling vegetables, fruits, and grains. There were sheep for sale, pigs, chickens, and even a few horses.

  She had never seen a town as big and lively, not even in England. The small towns she had visited before with her mother were just regular country villages. This town was something completely different.

  “Good Lord,” Marion exhaled.

  The public house was right in front of them, a cozy-looking wooden house with flower pots on both sides of the door.

  “I will see ye when it gets dark,” the Laird said and the coach pulled out of view.

  Jack opened the door into the public house and Marion stepped in. She was pleasantly surprised, as this pub wasn’t at all like she had imagined. It wasn’t dark or gloomy, but the exact opposite.

  There was a long bar counter on the far side of the pub. The room was filled with wooden tables and there were a few older men sitting at a table in the far back corner. Otherwise, the room was empty and quiet.

  Jack walked over to the counter. A gray-haired old man with a thick, bushy beard and watery-looking eyes was standing behind the counter cleaning mugs. He lifted his head as he saw Jack approaching.

  “Jack! Long time! Where have ye been? How are ye?” he said with a wide smile as he shook his hand.

  “Bart, it has been a while. I am well, but how are ye and how is yer wonderful wife? Is she at the market still, sellin’ barley?”

  “She sure is, she sure is. Nothin’ has changed much around here. But who have ye brought with ye?” the bartender asked and looked curiously at Deirdre and Marion, who were standing quietly behind Jack.

  “This is Miss MacIosag, the Laird’s sister, and this lass is Lady Marion Bewforest from England,” Jack introduced them. “Lady Marion is actually the reason why we’re here,” he continued and pulled over a stool to sit on.

  Jack went on to tell Marion’s story and the reason for their trip. The bartender listened quietly while he was cleaning the counter with an old rag.

  “I see, I see,” he finally said. “Why don’t ye let me see the list?”

  Marion stepped forward and handed him the list. He looked at it carefully and Marion crossed her fingers. They had come a long way and she was hoping they would get at least one lead, so she would know where to head next. She had heard “no” so many times over the past weeks she had started wondering if people were capable of saying anything else.

  “Jack, I daenae recognize any of these names, but maybe one of me customers might,” he finally said, and a little tingle of hope lit up in Marion’s chest.

  “Would ye mind if we occupied one of yer tables until the evening? We are in no hurry, but Lady Marion has come a long way and if one of yer customer kens somethin’, it would help tremendously,” Jack said.

  The bartender nodded.

  “Sure, sure, take a seat, all of ye. I’ll get ye some breakfast,” he said and disappeared into the kitchen that was located behind the bar.

  Jack smiled his crooked smile.

  “Get comfortable,” he nodded towards a table that was close to a window by the wall. The table was close enough to the bar that they could get up and meet any possible leads, but far enough away that the girls wouldn’t be the first thing people saw as they entered.

  It was going to be a long day.

  * * *

  They had been sitting at the table for hours. Their breakfast was long gone and Jack was now enjoying a beer. Deirdre and Marion had only spoken with a few customers, but two of them had been able to give them a lead. They had marked up two names on the list, McDougal and Morris. Today had been better than any of the days at Gille Chriost.

  “Jack, would you tell me something?” Marion asked him.

  “As long as it is within me rights to talk about,” he grinned and sipped on his beer. He was without a doubt getting tipsy.

  “Why did you… demand, that I go with you to Gille Chriost when you saw me?” Marion asked. She had been wondering this for a while, but never wanted to bring it up. She hadn’t been quite sure about Jack’s character before. After today, she was sure that he was quite harmless and he had a good heart.

  “Which answer dae ye want, the truth or the lie?” he asked, chuckling at his own joke.

  Deirdre slapped him playfully on the hand.

  “Ey, watch the beer, young lass,” Jack said, pretending to be offended.

  “The truth, please,” Marion said and looked at Jack with inspective eyes.

  “Ah, I didnae want to leave ye on yer own. There are bad Highlanders out there and ye were just lucky to come across us. Had to be a bit rough on ye, didnae I? If I had given ye a choice, ye wouldnae have come. And possibly would be in a bit of a pickle right now,” Jack said and gulped down the rest of his beer.

  “Did I nae tell ye that me brother and Jack both have such big hearts?” Deirdre said lovingly.

  “Watch it, lass,” Jack said.

  It was now dark outside and they were waiting for the coach to pull up. Marion was getting tired and Deirdre looked like she was ready for more sleep.

  The public house had been filled over the day and now almost every table was full. Marion noticed that the morning crowd was different from the evening crowd. Now, the people in the pub seemed a bit rougher around the edges and Marion wasn’t bothered at all that they would have to leave soon.

&n
bsp; Before Marion had finished her thought, she saw two familiar horses pulling up in front of the house.

  “Ah, that’s us,” Jack said and they all got up.

  The Laird opened the coach door and let Deirdre and Jack into the coach. Jack sat opposite to the Laird. Deirdre quickly turned around and winked at Marion—and then took a seat next to Jack, leaving the seat next to the Laird open.

  Marion’s mouth fell open with astonishment. She quickly closed it and climbed in, sitting next to the Laird. She tried her best to stay as far away from him as possible, but it wasn’t really possible in such a small space.