For Love of a Laird (Irvines of Drum Book 1)

by Mia Pride

  “Lizzie…” Robert’s blue eyes melted her insides and he leaned in closer to her, placing his forehead against hers. It felt as if her heart would explode in her chest, being so close to Robert and knowing he felt the same way about her. “I love ye. I am sorry I ever made ye feel like I didnae want ye. And I am sorry I insulted yer honor. I am a bloody fool.”

  “Love makes fools of us all, does it not?” she whispered, then giggled, feeling happiness flow through her in a way she had never felt before.

  “Mayhap. I ken I am a fool for ye. That much is certain. I have never been so miserable in all my life, believing ye would never be mine. I am too bloody happy to be overly angry at Reginald. But I vow, we shall get answers.”

  “Matilda was in on it. She would never hurt me. Something tells me we were set up,” Elizabeth sighed and placed her hand on his arm.

  Sitting down next to her, Robert scooped her up quickly and placed her in his lap, causing her to squeal and wrap her arms around his neck. “Set up, ye say?” His face was so close to hers and she wondered, hoped, prayed that he would kiss her.

  “Aye. It was our belief that we couldnae be together that brought us together in the end, is it not? They kenned we would be drawn to one another through our pain. Tilda is a mischievous lass, but I have never been on the other end of one of her schemes until now. Though I am embarrassed for having fallen into their web, right now, I cannae be angry.”

  Robert’s strong arms wrapped tighter around her waist and she felt something hard digging into her backside. She was certain of what it was and blushed wildly. “I shall never be angry again for the rest of my days if I can hold ye like this every night.”

  Did a swarm of butterflies just hatch within her belly? She felt as if she might float away. She had come here to birth a foal, had been so angry at Robert in the beginning. Now, she was in his lap with no shift beneath her dress, listening to him confess his love. “What are ye saying, Robert?”

  “Elizabeth, I cannae ever lose ye again. I love ye more than I ever thought I could love a woman. Ye are kind. Instead of making an enemy of Mary, ye made her a friend. Ye are hard-working and loyal. Ye came here a stranger and embraced our people. Everyone respects ye. Ye are intelligent and selfless, giving of yer time to visit the horses and help them foal. I have never met a more remarkable woman in my entire life. And, ye are more beautiful than any lass I have or will ever meet. Will ye marry me? I will make certain we have a true clergyman, I vow it.”

  Laughing, Elizabeth nuzzled closer and kissed him on the cheek. “Aye! I will marry ye, Robert Irvine. Ye were always meant to be my love. I was a foolish lass to ever believe otherwise.”

  “And I was a foolish man. Mayhap we can be foolish together.” Robert chuckled softly then slowly leaned in, bringing his lips closer to hers. Heart pounding and breath quickening, Elizabeth licked her lips and closed her eyes, leaning in to press her mouth softly against his in what would be her first real kiss in her entire life.

  When they connected, she felt that same spark of energy she had felt every time their hands had touched, yet it was deeper and more profound, like she finally found where she belonged. His lips were soft and firm and when he deepened the kiss, she allowed him to take control. Waves of excitement flowed through her body, finally being in Robert’s strong embrace, knowing he could forgive her for her mistakes and still want to marry her.

  When his tongue pressed against her lips, begging for entry, she opened her mouth slightly and reveled in the feel of him. Her tongue slowly danced with his, causing shivers of desire to run through her body as a moan escaped her lips.

  Pulling away slightly, Robert pressed his forehead to hers once more and sighed. “I have wanted to do that since the first moment I saw ye arrive on yer horse.”

  “I have wanted to do that since the first time ye spoke to me,” she confessed, feeling herself turn flush from her admission. “I have never kissed a man like that before.”

  “I am pleased to be yer first in all things. But, we shouldnae tarry here. Finlay will be back and it is getting late. Besides, we need to find Reginald and Matilda. I need some answers and if they arenae to my liking, I will bloody my brother for the trouble he has caused.

  His eyes darkened as he stood, bringing her up with him. Bending over, he picked up her ruined shift from the stack of hay and bunched it up in his palm. “I ken ye are angry, as am I. But, before ye resort to bloodying anyone, may I attempt to get answers my own way?”

  “How do ye plan on doing that?” he asked, looking down at her and making her shiver all over once more. His eyes looked at her with such emotion, so much love and respect that she wondered how she had never noticed it before.

  “I think they both deserve a wee bit of scheming in return, aye? Matilda has been up to all sorts of trouble for years. This time, she has gone too far and I plan to find out why she made a fool of me, and I ken just how to do it.”

  Robert stepped closer to kiss her lips softly, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “Ye are a devious one. I will leave it to ye, if ye allow me to handle Reginald.”

  “I believe ’tis time for us to teach them a lesson about messing with the lives of others,” Elizabeth said with a smirk and wrapped her arms around Robert’s neck, kissing him once more before she set off to find her plotting maid.

  Sneaking into the keep through the kitchens, Elizabeth hoped to make it to the tower stairs before being seen by any passersby. She was certain she had hay bits in her hair and she felt odd without her shift on. Though she had done nothing wrong, she felt as if she was a wee lass sneaking into the home before her parents caught her.

  “Ye look like ye are up to no good.”

  Turning around, Elizabeth spotted Mary in the corner of the kitchen nibbling on bits of leftover bread from the feast. The staff had mostly retired for the night and it was otherwise pitch black aside from a few sconces flickering on the wall. Sighing in relief to find her friend, Elizabeth smiled and walked over to her. “As are ye, sneaking around the kitchens in the middle of the night. Shameful.”

  Swallowing her last bite, Mary squinted her eyes and looked Elizabeth up and down. “Ye look happier than ye have since ye arrived at Drum, and it isnae a coincidence that it happened on the same night ye have hay in yer hair.” Crossing her arms, she waited for Elizabeth to respond.

  “I was helping Aina foal, ’tis all.”

  “’Tis all, my round arse,” Mary laughed. “Ye are up to something. I ken it.”

  Sighing, Elizabeth looked around to make sure nobody was near, then pulled her friend even further into the shadows. “If I tell ye, do ye promise not to tell anyone?”

  “That ye were cuckolding yer husband with his brother?” Only Mary could say such a thing and not sound at all reproving.

  “That is the verra thing, Mary. Reginald isnae my husband. I dinnae ken why, but Matilda and Reginald had the blacksmith’s father, Ewan, stand in as a clergyman for our vows.”

  “So, ye arenae married?”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “But I will be. As soon as we found out, Robert asked me to marry him. He loves me, Mary!”

  Rolling her eyes and shoving more bread in her mouth, Mary spit out a few crumbs as she tried to speak with a full mouth. “Ye are the only person in the castle who would be surprised by that.”

  “I think I was so determined to avoid being hurt that all I did was hurt myself more. I am a foolish woman.”

  “But now ye can make it right. As for me, I have a bairn on the way and nobody.” Mary rubbed her belly and sighed, but at least she did not burst into tears as she tended to do. Elizabeth knew they needed to find a husband for Mary soon, but she had no idea who.

  “Ye have me and Robert and Reginald. We are yer family now. That bairn will be a cousin to my children someday.” Squeezing Mary’s hand, she smiled and clutched her pearl rosary. “I vow we will find ye a good husband. But for now, I have answers to pull out of Matilda and I plan on mak
ing her feel what it is like on the other end of her schemes.”

  Shoving the last piece of bread in her mouth, Mary wiped the crumbs on her surcoat and smirked. “I willnae miss this. I am coming with ye.”

  Together, they walked up the tower stares while Elizabeth filled Mary in on all she knew and how she planned to discover more. When they reached her chamber door, Elizabeth pinched her cheeks to redden them, then rubbed her eyes to make it look as if she had been crying. Opening the door quickly, she heard Matilda squeak in fright as she sat on the edge of the bed wringing her hands nervously.

  “There ye are. I have been wondering where ye were. Ye have been gone a long while. I sent Reginald to find ye in the stables and ye were all gone. He said Finlay was with the new foal, and said ye had left a wee bit ago. Where have ye been?”

  Inwardly, Elizabeth smirked. This was the perfect set up for her plan and, she was relieved that she and Robert had left before Reginald had spotted them and ruined her fun. Keeping a frown on her face and rubbing her eyes, she felt Mary standing beside her, holding her hand in mock support and she squeezed back. “I am a terrible, awful, sinful woman!” Elizabeth wailed and collapsed on the floor, clutching her pearl rosary with one hand and covering her face with the other. Mary rubbed her back and Elizabeth had to do her best to cover her smile. She was not as skilled a schemer as Matilda, but she was determined to get answers.

  “What happened?” Matilda asked and dropped to her knees beside Elizabeth, touching her leg.

  “I have done the verra worst thing a woman can do, Tilda. The verra worst. I will surely burn in hell for what I have done. I will be shunned!”

  “Nothing ye could ever do would be so bad, Lizzie. Tell me. Did ye… kill someone?”

  A real gasp escaped Elizabeth and she looked at her friend, crinkling her brow. “Are ye mad? I would never!”

  “Well, good. Then whatever ye have done cannae be so bad.”

  “It is! I vow I have done something wicked, and yet I cannae regret it, which only makes me more wicked!”

  “What have ye done, then?”

  “I… I fell in love with my husband’s brother! I tried, Tilda. But, I cannae help it.” Elizabeth lowered her head once more and pretended to sob into her hands once more, hoping she was being convincing.

  “Lizzie… I ken ye love Robert. Everyone kens it. Ye cannae help how ye feel, only what ye do about those feelings.”

  “That’s just it! I have… done something about those feelings!”

  Looking up, she was impressed to see Matilda turning white as blood drained from her face. “Oh, Lizzie… did ye…”

  “Aye! He confessed his love for me and we just… couldnae help it! And now I have lain with my husband’s brother and the guilt will surely destroy me and I will never be forgiven for my heinous sin!”

  Matilda went silent while Mary rubbed her back and she continued her performance, hoping it was enough to get her companion to admit the truth and explain herself. If not, her plan would backfire, her friend always believing she was an adulteress when, in reality, she was still a maiden.

  “Lizzie… I… I must tell ye something. Something I swear I did only for ye, because ye were too stubborn to face the truth and I had hoped that it would make ye see how ye truly felt. Ye arenae an adulterer because—”

  “Because I am not truly married to Reginald.” Elizabeth cleared her throat and stood up slowly, calmly, keeping her features as stone-like as possible, crossing her arms. “I already ken, Tilda. I met Father Ewan, who is only father to the blacksmith, not a clergyman. Robert was with me. We ken what ye and Reginald have done, but we cannae ken why ye would do such a thing.” Anger warred inside. She wanted to shout and rage at her friend, but she needed to know what happened and still, despite it all, trusted Tilda enough to believe that she had meant well.

  Sighing, Tilda lowered her shoulders in defeat once she was standing before Elizabeth and nodded. “Aye. I am relieved ye ken. ’Tis been awful lying to ye. I am sorry. Ye were threatening to run away and I couldnae allow it. I had to keep ye here and if ye were too bloody stubborn to marry the man ye loved, I made sure ye stayed here until ye figured yerself out. ’Tis not my fault ye are a stubborn woman, Elizabeth Keith.” Now Matilda was crossing her arms and straightening her back, ready to defend her honor in a way that made Elizabeth bite back a chuckle of amusement.

  “What did ye think was truly going to come of this. Tilda?”

  “Exactly what has come of it, ye ridiculous woman! I had hoped that being married to Reginald and being around Robert, realizing ye loved the man and being unable to be with him, would open yer eyes to what ye could have had! And, ye can! Ye arenae married. Only, I didnae think ye had it in ye to sleep with yer husband’s brother. Never did I expect ye to find out this way and torture yerself. I am sorry, Lizzie.”

  Mary giggled beside Elizabeth and they looked at each other smugly. “Come now, Tilda. I am still a maiden I wouldnae do such a thing. Yer plan did work, as underhanded as it was. I have been miserable and ’tis only been a matter of days. I would never have survived this for a lifetime.”

  “Oh, well thank the heavens for that. It worked. Reginald only agreed because he also kens his brother loves ye and wanted to drive Robert mad with jealousy.”

  “It was an awful trick, Tilda.”

  “It was awful of ye to put me in the position to have to do so, threatening to leave Irvine land unattended. Ye are a daft woman when ye are so stubborn. Is loving a man really so bad?”

  “Nay. It is wonderful! And as soon as we discovered the truth, Robert asked me to marry him! We will have to plan it soon, before our clan leaves for Keith lands once more. William will be thrilled.”

  “William will likely attempt to kill Reginald. That isnae something he will be thrilled about. Lizzie, ye have made a mess of things. The entire castle will be scandalized.”

  “I care not anymore. I was untouched by both brothers, I vow. I was never truly married to Reginald. I am certain all will be confused, but we shall clear it up and move on. I will nay longer live without Robert.”

  “I am sorry I caused ye pain. I love ye dearly, Lizzie. I hope ye ken I did this for love of ye, as Reg did this for love of Robert.”

  Sighing, Elizabeth took Matilda’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “I do ken that, aye. I only care about moving forward now. All will be well, for me now anyway. I wouldnae want to be Reginald right now.”

  “Robert may verra well box his ears,” Mary nodded. “These Irvine brothers are kenned for that.”

  “Oh, nay, I dinnae think Robert will do such a thing. Reginald was only trying to help,” Matilda said. “Let us go to sleep. ’Tis been a long night. On the morrow, we will sort everything out.”

  Elizabeth hesitated, pondering why Matilda seemed so defensive of Reginald, but decided Matilda was correct. She was happier than she ever remembered being in her life and was ready for this day to be over, so she may wake up in the morn, clear this mess up and make plans to marry the only man she should have ever married in the first place.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Spotting Reginald on the way up the tower stairs, Robert sped his pace to catch up to his scheming brother, wondering where he was heading. He was much too pleased with how the night had ended to be over-angry, but he still was determined to get answers and give his brother what he deserved.

  “There ye are, Brother. Just the man I’ve been looking for.” Turning slowly on the stairs, Reginald looked down at Robert who was only a few steps below him and gave him his usual lazy smile.

  “Have ye? It seems ye have done nothing but avoid me the last few days and scowl. Here ye are, seeking me out and even with a grin upon yer face. Did yer visit with Marta go that well?” Reginald waggled his brows suggestively and Robert smiled, stepping up a few more stairs to bring himself level with his brother.

  “Nay, alas I havenae spoken with her since the meal, but I did run into Ewan from the village.”

 
“Oh, aye?” Reginald kept a straight face, but Robert knew his brother well enough to detect his underlying guilt. Mayhap it was the twitch of his upper lip or the way his eyes shifted to the side for a split second before looking back, but Robert had been able to see through Reginald his entire life.

  “Aye. I was quite surprised when Elizabeth called him Father. Even more surprised when she said he was the clergyman who conducted yer marriage ceremony.” Robert popped his knuckles, a clear sign that his mood was growing sour. Aye, he was elated to finally have Elizabeth for his own, but he would have married her today had it not been for Reginald’s meddling.

  “Ah.”

  “Is that all ye have to say? How about ye explain to me why ye stole my bride from me just to fake a marriage, Reginald? Before I box yer ears and kick yer arse!” Now he was angry. Being face to face with his brother and his smug grin, remembering the way he spoke of his Elizabeth, lying that they had made love. The thought made his stomach churn and his right arm pulled back as his fist clenched and flew toward his brother’s nose of its own volition.

  Grunting from the sudden and unexpected impact, Reginald stumbled back and up a few more steps to the second floor, holding his nose as blood dripped out. “Are ye mad?”

  “Aye, I am mad and right pissed off. Ye meddled in my life and risked losing an alliance! All for what? Another of yer games? Elizabeth isnae a game!” Robert roared and walked up to his brother again, wishing more than anything to plant another fist into his face, but holding back. He needed answers and wouldn’t get them if Reginald was unconscious or toothless.