Historical Hearts Romance Collection

by Sophia Wilson

  ***

  They were both subdued the next morning as they readied for the final day’s ride.

  Heading west again, they rode out of Stirling and through the Highlands. It was a vast and bereft land, thought Lily. But beautiful. Crags and bogs abounded, and they galloped past lochs and glens, skirting the Grampian Mountains. Their destination was an isle off the west coast. It was where Colloness Castle – and her bridegroom – awaited.

  Lily felt sadder, the closer that they got. She watched Douglas riding ahead of her. What a beautiful man he was. She couldn’t help but watch his legs just below his kilt, where they guided the horse. Long, lithe and muscular. His long, raven black hair flew in the wind. Watching him, she was overwhelmed with a feeling that she couldn’t name. All she knew was that she wanted him around her, all the time. The thought that they would have to separate soon filled her with dread.

  Douglas was spurring his horse on, as if galloping could clear his head of the cobweb of thoughts clouding it. He didn’t want to hand her over. It was as simple as that. He had been watching her all morning – her shapely body beneath the dress, the way the wind swept her black curls around her face as she rode. He kept picturing her green eyes, laughing. How could he do it? Hand her over- not just to any other man, but to his brother. Richard, the bastard. Especially as he knew how she would be treated.

  Eventually, they got to the coastline, where the ferry was awaiting them.

  He helped her off the horse, and for a moment she looked up at him.

  The ferry ride was short. In the darkening light, Lily could make out the silhouette of the castle in the distance. It stood forlorn and somehow sinister against the bruised color of the sky, surrounded by water.

  Her new home.

  Lily should have been beside herself with joy. She was about to make one of the most advantageous marriages in all of Scotland. She was marrying a great laird. She would be lady of all this – the castle, the isle, and all the lands hereabout. She would be dripping in jewels, and wear the finest dresses.

  She turned to Douglas. He had been staring at her, from the other end of the ferry.

  Why then, was she so full of dread?

  Chapter Four

  “Ach now, my lady! Your bath is drawn. Time to rise and shine.”

  The voice slowly penetrated Lily’s consciousness. No, she thought. Rolling over, she punched her pillow. Maybe if I ignore the voice, it will go away.

  “Now, now, my lady. No time to tarry. The laird wants you downstairs soon, ye ken.”

  Lily slowly sat up. She had thought the voice was of her beloved nursemaid, Mairi. But of course, it wasn’t. Mairi had been left behind in Aberdeen. Every day that she awoke in this God forsaken place, she forgot. The voice was of her new maid, Aila.

  She was near one month at Colloness Castle, and she still couldn’t get used to the changes.

  After they had arrived at the Castle, Douglas had taken her straight to the laird. Or tried to. The damned blaggard had kept her waiting for three hours, while she struggled to stay awake after her long journey. Eventually he had condescended to come down the stairs and greet her.

  He had swept into the room briskly.

  “McGregor! Pour me a dram.”

  His man had done so. Richard had stood looking at her over his whiskey glass. She hadn’t known whether to speak or not. The silence had stretched on.

  “You are a little thing,” he said eventually. Did she hear a note of contempt in his voice?

  She bristled. “Aye,” she spat back. “What of it?”

  Richard laughed slowly. “Ach, the little cat spits.” He put down his glass. “All to the better. I like a woman with a bit of fire in her belly.” He raised his eyes to a portrait of a woman hanging on a wall near the fire. “Elspeth never had any. A mouse. Easily caught and crushed.”

  Lily raised her eyes to the portrait. It showed a fair woman with hooded pale blue eyes, dressed in the Highland fashion and wearing the Stewart tartan. The woman looked sad.

  “A fine way to speak of your dear departed wife!” Lily raised her chin as she spoke. She was trembling slightly, but she’d be damned if she’d let him see how he frightened her.

  Richard walked slowly toward her. She backed up in her seat.

  “I speak as I see it. Elspeth was a weak woman. All she could talk of was her headaches and her vapors. Five years married to the wretch, and no sign of breeding until the last.”

  He turned to her now, and his small dark eyes seemed to pierce her soul. It was like the devil himself had turned his gaze on her!

  “But it won’t be like that with you, will it, my bonnie? I have a feeling you will be a breeder, despite your small frame.” His eyes raked over her. “And a spirit! What fun!” He laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound.

  “You talk badly of your good wife, yet she gave you a child.”

  “A child?” He turned to her, puzzled. “Oh, you mean the girl in the nursery? Five years she waited ….and when she finally did it, it was a girl!” He turned and spat into the fire. “A laird needs a tribe of fine sons! Daughters are useless!” His eyes glittered dangerously.

  “So, my dear. Prepare to do your work in my bed. I will have my sons, by God!”

  Lily recoiled in distress. Dear God, I am to be married to this bastard? A man who will treat me like a brood mare. A man who won’t even acknowledge his own child. A man who speaks of his late wife like she was a piece of manure to be scraped from his boot. God help me!

  He had turned and walked out of the room that day. And thank the Lord, she had barely seen him since. He travelled a lot, apparently, overseeing his lands. But she still felt uncomfortable here.

  The castle was soulless. Dim and drab, the laird barely kept it lit, so she couldn’t see much even in the daytime. The servants were all subdued, like they had been cowered into submission. She didn’t hear the roars of laughter and ribaldry like she had at Aberdeen. Instead, they went about their work with heads bowed.

  And there was an air of neglect to it. Paintings and tapestries were dusty. The rooms themselves, though richly furnished, looked forlorn. Her own mother would have been appalled. Lady Catherine, for all her faults, was a proud housekeeper. It seemed that the late Elspeth, former lady of this Castle, had not had either the desire or the wherewithal to put a woman’s touch on it.

  “Come now! Into the bath with you!” Aila’s voice punctured her musings.

  Sighing, Lily slowly got out of the bed. Enough rumination. It did her no good. This was her life now, and she’d better get used to it. But what did the laird want with her today? A shiver went through Lily as she lowered herself into the warm bath.

  ***

  It was worse than she thought it would be.

  She had dressed, breakfasted, and entered the main hall. The laird was indeed there. And so was her father, Henry, the Laird of Aberdeen, and her brother, Neil McEwan. And there was someone else, sitting in the far seat.

  Douglas.

  Her heart dropped to the floor. She hadn’t seen him in over a week, not since their last meeting at the stables. Don’t think of that now, she told herself fiercely. But the combination of the four men, all looking at her expectantly, caused her legs to shake.

  “Ah, our Lily! How lovely you are looking, lassie. Positively blooming.” Her father came over and planted a dry kiss on her forehead.

  “Father. Neil.” She acknowledged both with a nod of her head. “I trust you had a safe journey?”

  Her father yawned. “Damned long time in the saddle. I fear I have a blister on my bum!” He laughed humorlessly. “But necessary. Time to get to business, and set the terms and conditions of your wedding, Lily!”

  Her brother, Neil, was assessing her quietly. “You look different.”

  “She looks like a lassie in love, as she should! Her wedding day approaches.” Her father smiled magnanimously.

  Neil raised an eyebrow, and pointedly looked from Lily to Richard, who was watching them
all with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Lily felt her face flushing.

  “Indeed. A lassie in love. Good to see, sister, how you have taken to your intended.” Neil didn’t look convinced. His cold brown eyes were calculating, as always.

  Lily tried to ignore him. Neil knew her feelings about this marriage. What was the point he was trying to make? Did he know something?

  A cold shiver ran through her. She was sure they hadn’t been seen, but Neil was looking at her so suspiciously.

  Richard broke the stalemate. “Good to see you are all enjoying your family reunion, but may I remind everyone that I am a busy man? McEwan, let’s get to work.”

  Her father and Neil jumped to his command. They all settled at the long table to work out her dowry and wedding day. With a heavy heart, Lily sat to join them.

  But not before she locked eyes with Douglas. He stared at her with such longing and sadness in his eyes, that Lily felt her own prickle in response.

  For it was Douglas, not her intended husband, that had brought the flush of love to Lily’s visage that Neil had noticed.

  God help me, she thought. I love Douglas.

  Chapter Five

  They had tried to fight it.

  After he had delivered her to the laird, Lily had not seen Douglas for a few days. She was disappointed, but then resolved. It was better this way. She had been growing very fond of him, and was it appropriate when he was her husband-to-be’s brother? She tried to stop her thoughts turning toward him. Tried to stop remembering the feel of him, when she had fallen against him in the woods.

  She had been supping alone in the great dining hall one night. She felt alone, and bereft. She would have preferred to have sat with the servants at the table in the kitchen and eat, but Aila wouldn’t hear of it.

  “Dine with the servants? Not on your life, my lady! The laird would tan my hide, if he heard of it.”

  And so, she was forced to sit at one end of this long, lonely table. She didn’t know where the laird was. He hadn’t dined with her yet. He might be away, or maybe he was having his supper on a tray in his room. Who knew? Who cared? She was grateful not to have his foul company.

  But she was lonely, nonetheless. It was a far cry from the social dining hall at Aberdeen, where her family and various visitors supped and drank the night away, telling stories and listening to pipers.

  And then, suddenly, Douglas was there. A vision in his kilt. He had just washed his long raven hair, and it glinted slightly in the candlelight.

  Lily dropped her fork. “I didn’t expect to see you!”

  Douglas smiled slightly. “You are all alone. Has that blaggard of a brother of mine deserted you already?” He shook his head angrily. “May I join you, Lily?”

  “Aye.” She didn’t think she could utter anything more. Her venison stuck in her throat at the sight of him.

  They had dined together. It had seemed natural, and right. He had entertained her with stories of his travels, in Scotland and England. He had made her laugh.

  She had been laughing at his tale of the day when he had thrown the smithy in the horse’s trough for being drunk on the job, when he suddenly reached out and caressed her face. His fingers were long and smooth. Lily felt like he had trailed fire down her face.

  She couldn’t breathe. His eyes bore into hers.

  “Will you meet me at the stables tonight? There’s something I must say to you.” He looked over his shoulder. “I cannot do it here.”

  Wordlessly, she nodded her head.

  ***

  Douglas was crouched at the edge of the stables. Every whinny from the horses made him start.

  It was a dark, moonless night. He could see the fog of his breath every time he exhaled. What had come over him, to suggest she meet him here, at night, unchaperoned? You know what came over you, he told himself. Lust.

  The truth was, he had not been able to stop thinking of Lily since he had delivered her to his brother. Delivered her like a lamb to the slaughter house, he thought bitterly.

  She had entered his dreams, so that he woke each morning hard and breathless. Visions of her long black curls wrapped around him, her pale skin burning with his kisses…

  He saw a small figure at the entrance. He strained to see in the dark.

  “Lily? Is that you?”

  “Aye”.

  He led her further into the stables. It was warmer, but he was also wary of anybody seeing them.

  She took off the scarf that she had wrapped around her head, so that her hair shone like fire in the muted light.

  “Well, Douglas? What was so important that you couldn’t talk to me of it at the table?”

  “I just want to know…how he is treating you.” He had balled his fists as he spoke of his brother.

  Lily shrugged. “I haven’t seen him much, ye ken. But he has talked of his poor departed wife as though he hated her. And he doesn’t seem to care much for his child, either!” She shuddered. “He is a cruel man; I feel it in my bones.”

  Douglas shrugged helplessly. What was there to say? It was all true. And she was about to marry him, sleep in his bed, touch him with those hands, kiss him with that mouth…

  He couldn’t bare it. Roughly, he grabbed her, pulling her closer to him.

  They kissed. Her lips felt like coming home. He pulled her closer, deepening it.

  Her mouth opened underneath his. Excitement gripped him tighter. He felt for her breast underneath her shawl, and found it. She moaned softly as he gently kneaded it. His other hand grabbed her behind, pulling up her dress as he did.

  Lily broke away, breathing ragged. “We mustn’t. Oh, Lord, what have we done?”

  Douglas was breathing heavily, too. “Lily, I know that we shouldn’t but I cannot help it. All I dream of is you.” He reached out to her again.

  Lily shook her head. “No, Douglas! Tis dangerous. I am about to wed your brother…”

  “That bastard!”

  “Aye, that bastard. Who also happens to be laird of this land. I am myself a laird’s daughter. This cannot happen!”

  They stood looking at each other.

  “You mustn’t talk to me again, not like this. If we are together, we must act like we are brother and sister! For the love of God, Douglas, you must see the sense in what I’m saying.”

  Slowly, Douglas nodded. “Aye. Of course.”

  She wrapped the scarf around her head again. “I have to go now.”

  And she had fled into the night.

  ***

  They had tried to keep away from each other. But it was like asking the moon to exist in the night sky without the stars.

  They had met two more times in the stables. Both times, they had kissed until they were breathless. The second time, Douglas had asked her to lie in the hay with him.

  “I cannot.” She shook her head. “You know I cannot. They will have someone come into the room on the wedding night, after….to see if I bled…” She looked down, her face burning.

  Douglas had managed to forget that she was going to be sleeping with his brother. That she was going to wed him. That she was intended for another man.

  He swore under his breath.

  “I cannot let you do this!” He set his jaw.

  “I must. You know that! I am not simply a serving girl promising to marry a smithy and breaking her word!” She looked down. “It is about money, and power. No one cares about how I feel, or what I want.” She burst into tears.

  He held her in his arms. “Hush, hush. You mustn’t weep. I cannot bare it. I love you.”

  She looked at him in astonishment. “You love me?”

  He felt a lump in his throat. “Aye. I love you with all my heart and soul, lass.”

  She felt like the sun had just burst through a dark cloud. “I love you, too!”

  She loved him. He loved her. And she was about to marry his brother. How had she gotten herself into this mess?

  Chapter Six

  “May I be excused?” Lily could
barely look at her father as he signed away her life.

  Her father glanced up at her. “Of course, my dear. You are only here under formality, anyway. The men can take care of it!” Her father, brother and her intended all guffawed.

  Of course. The men always took care of everything. With an indrawn breath, Lily got up from the table and walked to the door.

  She shouldn’t have done it. But she couldn’t resist.

  She looked back at Douglas. He was staring at her longingly. Their eyes met.

  And then she became aware of another set of eyes upon her. Her brother, Neil’s. He looked back and forth between Lily and Douglas. Realization dawned in his eyes.

  She fled.

  How could she have been so stupid? She berated herself as she ran up the stairs to her chamber. Neil was like a snake, waiting and watching its prey until it was time to strike. He had always been like this with her – watching her, waiting for her to slip up, and then offering her misdeeds to their parents on a platter. It gave him joy.

  Calm down, she told herself. He knows nothing. He knows nothing!

  Dread covered her like a dark cloak on a misty day.

  ***

  The fresh air was doing her good.

  Unable to be cooped up in the castle for a second longer, Lily had decided to go for a walk. It was a dark, drizzly day. Aila had been concerned.

  “A walk? By yourself?” She peered out one of the windows. “Well, you’ll need your cloak, and better shoes than what you have on! But not far, mind. The weather can turn very quickly in these parts. Stick to the main path, and come back if the rain starts up.”

  Lily had eventually managed to escape the maid with promises of returning soon. She didn’t care about the rain. It was refreshing. It seemed to clear her mind.

  She had reached the edge of the isle. It wasn’t big, so it hadn’t taken her long. She stared into the waters surrounding her. They seemed to turn from silver to blue as quick as she could look. In the distance, a mountain loomed on the mainland, its peak covered in snow. A pair of golden eagles hovered far up in the sky, gliding and swooping.