Even the air outside the castle feels different.
“It all looks so beautiful, Sebastian,” she said when the man reached her side. “I doubt anything could ruin this.”
She was about to take another turn when she hit a hard body. Instinctively, she reached out for something to keep her from falling but found nothing. Unable to find a suitable support, she widened her eyes and braced herself for impact with the hard ground. Out of nowhere, she felt a set of strong arms pull her back to her feet. She couldn't see her rescuer as she rose but she could hear him grunt with the effort of catching her.
"Miss Hale! Are you all right?" she heard Sebastian cry as she opened her eyes to look at her savior and was stunned. The man in front of her looked like he was sculpted by the Gods. His blue eyes twinkled like the stars in the sky, lending a softer tone to his sharp facial features. Blond curly hair sat on his head in a messy manner and his slightly-tanned skin seemed to radiate a golden glow.
What a beautiful man!
“Are ye all right?” He spoke a distinct dialect.
Could he be one of the Scots?
Joan nodded as he helped her balance back on her feet.
“I haven'ae hurt you, now?” he asked again with obvious concern.
Yes, he is. No Englishman I have heard speaks like that.
“I am fine.” She looked down, pretending to brush her cloak to hide her red face. “I am fine, Sebastian,” she said as she turned to assure her worried chaperone.
“I apologize, lass. I seem to be a wee bit intoxicated,” the Scot apologized.
It was entirely my fault.
Joan nodded at the man and gave him a small curtsey.
“I am Joan. You do not seem to be from these parts judging by the way you speak,” Joan blurted out as Sebastian tried to caution her about talking to strangers with a stern look. I didn't tell him my full name!
“Yeah.” He grinned at her with his hand in his hair. “I am Aidan Wilson, a humble Scottish traveler who has come to see the famous festival. I have seen many faces from me travels, but I must say, I haven'ae seen a lass as beautiful as ye.”
Oh, a gentleman! I thought all Scots were savages.
“Oh, you flatter me,” Joan giggled as Aidan slowly stretched out his hand to grab hers. “I hear Scots aren't very welcome in Haerton. Did you come alone?”
“Nay. I came with a frien’ from Rattray, a town under the great province of Aberdeenshire. He is somewhere around, probably surrounded by women.”
“Let us look for him then.”
“I cannot leave you here,”" Sebastian said as he pulled her away from the Scot.
Joan narrowed her eyes at him, silently begging him to leave her be.
“You have to be within my sight at all times,” Sebastian insisted.
For once, please leave.
“I am able to take care of myself!” Joan retorted.
Sebastian pulled her farther away from the stranger and whispered to her. “You are still a child, Miss. I cannot let you be alone with a stranger who is not from these parts. If I cannot go with you, I will have to take you back to the estate. You will throw a tantrum, as usual, and your father will come to know of our adventure and we will both be punished. You will be locked in an iron cage if he finds out.”
Joan hated how right the man was about her father. She weighed her options and she finally allowed him to come along with them. The Scot was the most interesting man she had met in years, she wasn't going to lose the chance to talk to him, even if it was just for a night.
On the way, she let her curiosity take over and she questioned Aidan about the places he had traveled to. She latched on to his muscular arm as he described every place in detail. Every answer he gave made her only more curious.
“I tell ye Joan, you cannae be satisfied with my descriptions unless you visit these places.”
I imagine you are right.
She quickly hid her disappointment when he pointed out his friend. Joan recognized him to be the debtor at the tavern. He looked average to Joan and he had an air of positivity around him.
“Where did ye run off to?” Aidan asked as he pulled his friend up from his seat.
“Nevermind me, but dae tell me who this is,” Aidan's friend inquired. He looked sober until he opened his mouth. It was obvious he was drunk by the way he spoke. He took a closer look at Joan and his eyes widened. “Miss Hale, daughter of Lord Tyrill?”
He remembered!
“Joan. My name is Joan,” Joan corrected him and he tapped his head in remembrance. She could see the shocked look on Aidan's face as he realized who she was.
“Yea. Joan. I ne'er got a chance to thank ye for saving me at the tavern. Such a heroic thing to dae for a lad like me. She distracted the men at the tavern saw I could flee.”
”Please, do not mention it. I was going to help pay your debt but I was thought to be a spy.”
“Ach, ye are so kind. But it was a lot. Twelve pounds and a couple of shillings.”
“I can afford it.”
“Well since ye've met me friend before,” Aidan paused to slap his friend's hand away from Joan. "I should formally introduce him. This is me friend, Ian McAllister. He is nae like this under normal circumstances. I apologize on his behalf.”
Ian bowed deeply with one hand on his chest and the other sprawled out and Joan laughed. "I must excuse you now," Ian said, looking up from his position and moving away.
“He does seem like a heavy drinker and from what you said, the ladies love him.” Joan said and looked around. “It is awfully late. I wish I did not have to go so you could tell me more about different places,” she said as she took her hand off Aidan’s arm so she could cover her head with the cloak. “Maybe we might run into each other some other time or I could come see you.” Sebastian coughed as if to remind her she couldn't.
“That would be wonderful,” Aidan said. Joan felt her heart melt at the smile in his face when he replied. “I could escort ye home.”
“No need for that, Aidan. I do not wish to bother you.”
“It really is nae a problem for me. It is nae everyday one sees a bonnie lass like ye.”
“If you insist,” Joan said as she tugged at his arm as Sebastian led them toward the Hale mansion. “Rattray sounds wonderful. How many years did you say you worked there?”
“I was around ten summers when I was taken to Rattray. I worked for different masters, mostly lords. It was pleasant in some homes while it wasnae in some others but I stopped working late last summer. I packed me bags and headed out to travel the world.”
“Oh, how I would love to travel to far places and see new faces,” she said, almost in a trance as she imagined a freedom she always wanted.
“Surely ye have taken a trip or two, at least to neighborin' towns.”
“No, I haven't. I mostly just stay in my home. I do not even know the people that live in this town. Everyone I know either lives or works in my father's castle.”
“You seem like you have a spirit of adventure, why dae ye nae come oot more often?”
“Well, my father is extremely protective. He thinks some harm might befall me if I leave the castle. I am lucky to be outside today. Unlike you, I don't have the opportunity to wander freely, which is why I could not tell you who I was when we met,” she said with her head hanging dejectedly.
“I understand. I feel for you, Miss. It must feel so lonely there.”
You cannot imagine.
“It is, Aidan. All I do all day is read. Novels have become my best friends. Everything I know is from the dusty pages of some book or another.”
“On the brighter side, that is a privilege in itself. I am impressed that ye are well read, Miss,” Aidan said with a smile, trying to lift her spirits.
“I guess it is. We are almost at my father's estate. We can take it from here. He shouldn’t see you anywhere near here,” she said, changing the subject. “I do hope to see you tomorrow if I am lucky enough to leave the cas
tle again, Aidan.”
“That quickly, Miss?” Aidan teased her.
“Do you not want to see me?” Joan turned to ask him.
“Of course I dae. I was only teasin’ yer, I wid love to see ye again. If ye are chanced, meet me at the inn at the center of the town morra night.” Joan beamed at him and nodded. She stole a glance at Sebastian to make sure he couldn't hear them.
“I will see you once the sun sets then.”
“I will hold on to that promise, Miss Hale. I dae hope to see ye again. It wis a pleasure meeting ya.” He bowed slightly as he kissed her hand.
Oh!
“The pleasure is all mine, Aidan.” Her face flushed with pleasure.
Chapter 3
The silence of the night was occasionally broken by the croaking of frogs at the bank of the river. Joan sat with her head resting on Aidan's shoulder watching as the fireflies fluttered around them. She was happy to be alone with Aidan at last. Aidan had his cloak around her to block out the cold breeze of the night. Her hand, which had been tightened around his cloak, came up to his face, trying to snatch the piece of straw he had been chewing on but he moved his face away playfully. With her legs dangling below her, she sat on top of a stone bridge that provided a way over the river.
The streets were empty now so there was no one to bother them. The buildings seemed like lonely figures gazing at the river. Joan had her own cloak on so she could walk the streets unnoticed. A breeze blew toward the east, raising Joan's hair over her shoulders. Aidan noticed Joan leaning forward to see the rippling reflection of the moon in the river and she jumped a little as a stone hit the surface of the water. She looked at Aidan who gave a small smile, another stone in hand ready to shoot it into the river.
“How dae ye feel about all of this?” Aidan asked her. “What if ye father find out about yer nightly visits.”
“He won't,” she replied hastily.
Aidan was not satisfied with her answer. He feared what might become of him if they were caught.
Should I have told her that I lied to her about who I was when we met?
Even after he had spun a web of lies and had her wrapped in it, he badly wanted to tell her who he was but he feared what might happen if he got caught, he might become another scapegoat in the hands of the English.
If I tell her that I am the son of the Laird and a warrior, then she'll want to know my business in Haerton. If she knows that I am here to gather information about Haerton's defenses in order to plan an attack, she will have no choice but to expose me. After all, she is the daughter of a lord.
He did not want to let go of his prize. Her eagerness to know all about the world outside the walls she grew up surrounded by, her curiosity, her lust for life, and her desire for adventure greatly excited him. He had wanted to know more about her from the night he laid eyes on her, but time was unfortunately not in his favor.
He was elated when he saw her wandering around the town inn in hopes of finding him. This was the third time she sneaked out for him and he wished he could see her more often.
When I am around her, I feel a peace that I dinnae ken I lacked. How can a person be so pure and full of life?
He came back to feeling her hands on his bicep. His hand was around her waist, pulling her closer to him; they sat silently under the stars that night. Not much was said and it awakened something in him. He could not put a finger on it but he knew he was smitten with his hazel-eyed beauty.
Aidan did not know how she would feel when he finally had to leave. He did not know how he would feel when he had to leave her.
I don't want to leave her but I have no choice. The English are beginning to suspect the reason for my elongated presence amidst them. I have done my duty; I have the information I need. I should have no other business here.
But what about her? My people will attack Haerton and she will be helpless. How will she fare in a war?
“Ye ken, I have to leave in a coupla days.”
“Why?”
“I am a Scottish traveler, Joan. Yer people are not very fond of us Scots. I cannae stay 'ere any longer.” She sat up, peering down at him with her hazel eyes, the moonlight accentuating her pale skin. Aidan was not so happy to see the tears well up in her eyes.
Dinnae cry.
“You cannot go”
“But I—”
“I do not want you to go!” she crossed her arms over her chest, and frowned.
“I daenae want to leave ye either, Miss, but I cannae stay here. I am but a lad who disnae know where he came from or where he will go. I will be taken for a spy, and the Englishmen will happily hang me if anything were to happen between both countries. I speak an’ act like I am a Highlander for I have lived amongst them for all my life, and all that will matter when the war begins.”
“I have only known you for six days and you already want to leave.”
“I fear for me life, Joan,” Aidan said as he played with her hair.
"Is there nothing we can do?" Joan assured him.
He saw the frown embedded on her face and he felt sad that he was the cause of her being upset. “I am sure we will figure something oot. It is getting quite late, I should take ye back to yer home.”
Joan hummed as she got to her feet and Aidan joined her. They walked slowly back to the Hale Estate.
“Where will you go next?”
Back home. The next time I come here will be to destroy it.
“Back to Rattray.”
“Why?”
“I have some matters to attend to before I find somewhere else to go.”
“Where?”
“I daenae know. I go where I am taken.” Aidan pulled her closer to his side.
“What if you come work for my father?”
He suppressed his laughter when he saw her serious face. He saw how desperate she was not to let him go.
She continued, “He will pay you handsomely. You would not have to travel around anymore. He would give you lodgings and money. Then you would not have to leave me.” He chuckled at her rambling. “What have I said that you find funny?”
“Even if I work for yer father, I will still have to leave ye.”
“Why?”
“Look. We are almost at yer home. I shall leave ye here for today,” he said as he stopped. She pulled her cloak over her head. Her hazel eyes were now burning with angry tears and she glared at him. “Please daenae cry.”
“Why do you have to leave!” she sobbed
“Joan, I was a traveler before ye met me, I cannae stop now. I want to ken me roots. I have no memory of my childhood, if I continue with my traveling, surely someone will ken me.” This seemed to calm her down. “I will see ye the day after morra. Take care of yerself,” Aidan said as he brushed stray strands of hair from her face and pressed his lips to her forehead.
I hate to lie, but the truth is not an option.
Her eyes fluttered shut, savoring the moment. She caught a whiff of his smell and smiled when he pulled back. “Goodnight, Miss.”
Joan waved at him as he started to walk back into the town. “Goodnight!” she whispered to him and he raised his hand and gave her a single wave without looking back.
She turned on her heel and happily skipped to where she had tied her curtains and bed covers to make a rope. She climbed back up with much difficulty. She fell into her room and quickly drew in the makeshift rope and pulled it apart. As she was so fatigued, she only removed and hid the cloak and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, her dreams filled with images of a blond man.
The dark room was slightly illuminated by the full moon and the occasional flash of lightning. The sounds of moaning came from the distance. There were people on a bed. The couple was moving in sync with each other.
The woman let out a loud gasp as the man kept up his quick pace. He lifted himself carefully as their rhythm began to slow down, saving the big moment for later. He rested both his arms on the side of her head as he looked down at where their b
odies met. She bit her bottom lip as she wrapped her hands behind his head and pulled him down so she could have access to his soft lips.
He groaned when she let go of his lips and she responded with a loud moan. He was hitting all the right spots and she felt out of control. He pulled her into his arms as he whispered promises in her ear.
She threw her head back and arched her back as he met every thrust while his hands roamed over every curve on her body.
Highlander's Cursed Bride: A Steamy Scottish Historical Romance Novel Page 3