His Highland Surprise
The Clan Sinclair Book 5
Celeste Barclay
Book Title Copyright © 2019 by Celeste Barclay. All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Cover designed by Lisa Messegee, www.thewritedesigner.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Celeste Barclay
Visit my website at www.celestebarclay.com
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: Jan 2019
Celeste Barclay Publishing
ISBN-13 ooo-0-0000000-1-2
This book is dedicated to the authors who inspired me to write my first book and then my first series. Their storytelling awoke a passion in me, and their guidance helped bring my stories alive.
~Happy reading~
Celeste
A very special thank you to Patty Prather MacFarlane
for sharing her original Gaelic wedding blessing adapted and recited
by Laird Liam Sinclair.
The Clan Sinclair
Book 0 Their Highland Beginning, Prequel Novella
Liam Sinclair and Kyla Sutherland
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Prolific Works
Book 1 His Highland Lass
Mairghread Sinclair and Tristan Mackay
Book 2 His Bonnie Highland Temptation
Callum Sinclair and Siùsan Mackenzie
Book 3 His Highland Prize
Alexander Sinclair and Brighde Kerr
Book 4 His Highland Pledge
Magnus Sinclair and Deirdre Fraser
Book 5 His Highland Surprise
Tavish Sinclair and Ceit Comyn
The Clan Sinclair
Liam Sinclair m. Kyla Sutherland
b. Callum Sinclair m. Siùsan Mackenzie (SH-IY-oo-san)
b. Thormud Seamus Magnus Sinclair (TOR-mood SHAY-mus)
b. Rose Kyla Sinclair
b. Alexander Sinclair m. Brighde Kerr (BREE-ju KAIR)
b. Saoirse Sinead Sinclair (SEER-sha shi-NAYD)
b. Tavish Sinclair m. Ceit Siobhan Eithne Comyn (KAIT-ch En-ya CUM-in)
b. Magnus Sinclair m. Deirdre Fraser (DEER-dreh FRA-zer)
b. Mairghread Sinclair m. Tristan Mackay (Mah-GAID)
b. “Wee” Liam Brodie Mackay
Chapter One
Tavish Sinclair stood frozen in the Great Hall of his clan's keep as he listened to his father.
"Ye canna be serious!" He realized his voice was quiet as he spoke to Laird Liam Sinclair, but in his head, it was a roar. "I dinna need a wife. I dinna want a wife."
Tavish's body was so still he looked like a statue carved from marble, his expression like a death mask.
He canna mean it. I simply flirted one too many times with the elder man's daughter, Isabella. I will stay away and then this nonsense will pass.
"It isnae aboot Isabella or any of the local lasses ye ken so well. The king has decreed that I must make a match between our clans. Ye are the older of ma two unmarried sons. The duty falls to ye."
"But Magnus is already at court."
He recognized he sounded petulant, but Tavish Sinclair was a confirmed bachelor. He never intended to settle down with one woman. The Sinclair men, once their oath made, never were unfaithful to their wives. He refused to make that traditional vow, so instead he avoided marriage like it were a fire sweeping through hay.
"Aye, Magnus is at court. And taking far longer than expected. I worry something befell him. The king's message was rather cryptic on that front. I would have ye go to court and see that yer brother fares well, and while there, ye can meet the lass. Ye ken I will force none of ye into an unhappy marriage. I ask only that ye meet her. See if ye suit."
Tavish nodded his head. Three of his siblings, Callum, Alexander, and Mairghread, had all made unexpected love matches. Somewhere deep, in a place locked away he did not want to explore, he understood he longed for the same.
Bah! That is sentimental blather. I dinna need or want anyone.
"Ye'll leave at first light. I would have ye travel with more coin than usual. If yer brother is in trouble, ye may need to grease palms."
The finality in his father's voice made it clear the discussion, no, conversation was over.
"Vera well, Da." Tavish sounded like a man sentenced to the gallows.
Liam Sinclair stepped forward and wrapped his son of a score and a half in a tight embrace.
"They arenae all the same. Nae all leave us too soon." He whispered in his son's ear.
Tavish swallowed the lump in his throat as he nodded and returned his father's hug.
The Sinclairs were an unusual clan in many ways. Laird Sinclair would see his children do their duty to the clan through marriage, but he would never curse any to a miserable life. He ensured that his three married children made a love match. His own marriage had been arranged, but his father chose a bride he suspected was well-suited to Liam. Liam and Kyla Sutherland developed an undying devotion that was the model by which their children grew up. Even years after her death, Laird Sinclair remained faithful to his wife. All Sinclair men were faithful to their wives. Not only was it a matter of honor, it was beyond their imagination to do something so cruel as to be unfaithful to their wives. They also openly expressed their affection for one another. The children lost their mother when they most needed her love, their adolescence. Laird Sinclair stepped forward and assumed the role of both father and mother. He saw his own pain reflected in his children, and doing so, he drew them closer. None left to foster, but rather stayed to build the Sinclair clan into the indisputable force to be reckoned with in the most northern Highlands.
The men stepped apart, and Liam Sinclair clapped his son on the shoulder. Tavish made his way to his chamber and looked around. Tavish realized the next time he saw the room, it might be with a wife in tow. He shook his head. He had never brought a woman to his chamber. It was not the done thing. The one and only time one of his brothers had, it all but ruined Callum's chance for a happy marriage. He considered going out to get sotted just as Callum had the night before his betrothed arrived, perceiving a noose tightening just at Tavish did now. He also considered finding a wench to bed, again much like Callum had with his devious mistress. The idea did not hold its usual appeal.
Going soft already. Bluidy hell. I should be enjoying the company of women every night between here and court. It'll be ma last chance. I ken Da willna force me, but the king will. I'm as good as betrothed which means I'm as good as married. Wenching is nae what I want the lass to hear aboot me before getting to ken me. Shite! It's bad enough that there will be at least one woman at court I've bedded. That mess is inevitable and will be bluidy uncomfortable. Perhaps this lass willna be around. I dinna ken her, but I do ken nay bride deserves reminding of her groom's past. I learned that well enough with seeing what happened to Mairghread and Siùsan. History has a way of repeating itself. I may as well start as I mean to go on.
Chapter Two
Tavish walked into the Great Hall of the royal court and looked around. He never relaxed when he was here. Even a night spent in pleasurable pursuits never made him comfortable. He was a
large Highlander among the machinations of Lowland politicians and courtiers.
He was not bothered by standing out. Between his height and his clothing, he was a veritable raven among doves. At close to six and a half feet tall, he was the shortest of the four Sinclair brothers but only by a hair's breadth. His younger brother, Magnus, who he searched for now, was the largest of them all. Magnus had the broadest shoulders and widest frame, but Callum, their middle brother Alexander, and Tavish were not to be underestimated. When together, in their most comfortable stance of feet planted hip width apart and arms crossed, there were few who would consider challenging any or all the Sinclair men.
Tavish's plaid, or rather his refusal to don anything other than his leine and plaid, also made him an irregularity at court. His plaid was of comfort to him since he was forced to leave his claymore locked in his chamber.
Looking around, Tavish scanned the crowd again but did not find Magnus. He already checked at his brother's chamber which was next door to his in the suite assigned to their family.
His gaze alighted on a young woman he first saw three days earlier when he arrived and now stood outside the circle of young women gathered near the dais. She was not the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but she held an allure that caught and kept Tavish’s attention for longer than it should have. The women, ladies-in-waiting by their youth, were looking in his direction and none too discreetly whispering behind their hands. He wanted to groan aloud when he spotted, even from a distance, a woman he deduced was Mary Kerr. His sister's by marriage half-sister. The Kerrs and the trouble they caused with the Sinclairs was one reason Magnus came to court. Magnus meant to resolve conflicts that arose between the Sinclairs and the Gunns, the Kerrs, and the de Soules after his brothers' marriages to women he adored but whose families grievously mistreated them.
Tavish altered his course and sought the king, but he was not at the dais. Tavish spent the last three days trying to gain an audience with the king but was steadfastly denied. The guards refused to allow him to wait in the antechamber outside the Privy Council.
The evening meal was yet to begin, so he left to find Magnus. As he prowled the halls of the castle, he recognized a deep brogue.
“Uncle Hamish! Uncle Hamish, slow down.”
Tavish jogged towards his uncle and saw the surprise on his face when he recognized Tavish moving towards him.
“Uncle Hamish, what the devil is going on? I arrived at court three days ago. The king is refusing me an audience, and no one will tell me where Magnus is. I asked for ye, but they told me ye were away. I havenae seen anyone I ken.”
Tavish allowed his uncle to pull him into an empty chamber and waited while his uncle scanned the room to ensure their privacy.
“Ye brother has found himself in the king’s dungeon.”
A chill followed by burning fire swept through Tavish as he stared at Hamish.
“Aye. Do ye remember Deirdre Fraser?”
Tavish’s eyes narrowed, his feet spread apart, and his arms crossed.
“How could I nae? The lass broke Magnus’s heart. He’s nae been the same since she left him. Dinna tell me she got him thrown in there. The bitch.” Tavish was ready to leave. He did not want to remember anything else about the darkest time in his brother’s life short of when their mother died.
“I wouldnae let yer brother hear ye speak like that aboot his wife. The last mon to insult her is having his hand seen to by a healer after having a dirk stuck in it.”
Tavish was not sure he caught what his uncle said.
“Wife? Auld mon, I think ye have a tale to tell and dinna dither aboot. Ye best explain this sharpish.”
The two overly large men found seats on a settee not designed for one Highlander let alone two. It groaned in protest as they sought a comfortable position.
“Ye brother found her soon after his arrival. He had nay idea she was at court. It seems he’s been sending her missives only to have them returned. He never kenned where she was as she’s been, or was, a lady-in-waiting and traveled with the court. Her father intercepted the missives and never told her aboot them.
“Magnus saw her leave the Great Hall pursued by a mon. He witnessed the mon push her through the door, so he followed. He prevented this mon, Lord Archibald Hay, from raping her. This is the mon her father arranged for her to marry. I dinna ken all the details, but somewhere between rescuing her and their running away together, they reconciled. Word of their previous relationship,” Hamish looked at him, “flew aboot like snow in a blizzard. Deirdre was disgraced and dismissed from the queen’s court. Her parents and Hay moved everything along, so they could remove her from court and presumably hide her at one of his keeps. She and Magnus fled. No one noticed their disappearance until that evening when her mother went to fetch her for the wedding. Needless to say, holy hell broke loose as her father and Hay organized search parties. The other lairds and I rode out to make sure Magnus came back alive. We arrived nae an hour past. Tavish, they took yer brother to the dungeon.”
Tavish nodded his head throughout his uncle’s tale. It did not shock him to learn of his brother’s actions. Regardless of Deirdre’s meaning to his brother, Magnus nor any other Sinclair brother, would overlook a woman being harmed. While they never spoke of it, Tavish was aware Magnus still considered himself a married man. He might drink with his brothers and even carouse a bit, but he never indulged in other women. Tavish had teased him on more than one occasion, calling him a monk.
Hearing of these secret letters stung. He had not known about them and realizing his brother had kept such a secret from him was a wound that cut deep. Magnus and Mairghread were inseparable as young children because they were closest in age. Callum and Alexander were only a few months further apart than Magnus and Mairghread. This left Tavish squarely in the middle. He was left out more than once during their childhood, but as the brothers grew into adults and dedicated their time to the lists, he and Magnus naturally partnered first. Of his brothers, he would have said he was closest to Magnus. When traveling, it was always with Magnus that he shared a chamber. Learning his brother had not trusted him wounded more than just pride.
He didna think he could trust me. He thought I would tease him or tell others. That ruddy well hurts to realize. Am I that great a disappointment? Do others think I canna be mature enough to be told something in confidence?
Tavish forced himself to focus on the story his uncle continued to tell.
“I assume that their reconciliation involved them considering themselves still married?”
“Ye would have the right of that.”
“Then I dinna ken how the king doesnae see that there couldnae be a betrothal with another mon. Does the king ken aboot their handfast all those years ago?”
“Aye, but he doesnae take it seriously.”
The door to the chamber opened, and a page summoned them to the king’s Privy Council chamber.
Aboot bluidy time.
“Tavish, I am pleased to see ye at court. What brings ye here?”
Tavish looked at the king and tried to keep from snarling. Both men understood why Tavish was there. As he looked around the chamber filled with courtiers, his upper lip curled. He forced his face to smooth into the diplomatic mask he accepted he had to wear, but the mutual disgust was palpable between the Highlander and the Lowlanders who surrounded him and his uncle.
“Sire, thank ye for the welcome. Ma father sent me to check on Magnus. He has been gone longer than expected. We didna ken he found his wife after all this time.”
The chamber abruptly fell silent, and it appeared its occupants collectively held their breath. The king studied Tavish for a long moment before responding.
“I am not sure I understand your meaning.”
“Magnus’s wife. Deirdre. Yer Majesty, do ye nae remember that Magnus and Deirdre handfasted when the MacLeods hosted the Gathering? They slipped off, seems to be a habit I see now, and handfasted. The entire keep was in an uproar when n
either were found. They came back into the bailey like two cats that had gotten into the cream. Well, at least one cat in the cream.” Tavish laughed but sobered when no one else joined him. “Before Magnus and Deirdre could find ma father to tell him, Laird Fraser found them and yanked her from Magnus’s arms. He yelled for his family and clan to pack because they were leaving. Magnus sought me and ma brothers out at the mead tent. We were, uh, being entertained. By the time he could pull us away, word was already swirling around the camp that the Frasers had left. Magnus was beside himself. He did nae say over six words at a time for over a year. Apparently, he kept sending missives to the lass, but someone sent them back. From what I understand, he wasna able to find her for the entire seven years they were apart.”
Tavish’s glare landed on Laird Fraser, and he refused to look away as he continued.
“It would seem Deirdre’s father purposely kept her location a secret from Magnus to force their handfast to run out. Except they already consummated their handfast. She has always been his wife since neither repudiated the other. Laird Fraser stole ma brother’s wife and kept her a veritable prisoner within yer court, Sire.”
Tavish smirked as he watched Laird Fraser’s face move through the shades of red until it was scarlet.
Dinna assume ye can get away with harming ma brother twice. Now I ken what ye did, I will make ye pay doubly.
“Tavish, you lay quite a heavy claim at my feet. There seems to be more to this tale of woe than I ever realized. When Lady Deirdre petitioned both me and the queen to return to your brother, we thought her to just be a love-struck lass who would outgrow her infatuation. It was at her parents’ insistence that they kept her whereabouts from your family. They believed if they had no correspondence, she would move on. When she stopped speaking of the matter, the queen and I thought she no longer held a tendre for Magnus.”
His Highland Surprise (The Clan Sinclair Book 1) Page 1