“Choose? Bah,” John snorted, then realized his error when Blair’s family tree flashed through his mind.
“I see you’re regretting mocking me. You know the Sutherlands and Sinclairs marry for love, and even the Rosses do it from time to time. There isn’t anyone in the Highlands who doesn’t know my mother and father chose one another. My father and grandfather were ready to kill one another over their clans’ feud until Mama insisted she would marry Da. So, Lord of the Isles, are you mocking me, the Earl of Sutherland, the Earl of Sinclair, or the Earl of Ross? Or is it all of us?” Blair’s eyebrow rose, and she turned her most imperious glare on John. Hardi shifted, his arousal proving uncomfortable as his sporran pressed against it. The only consolation to the pain was that it hid his rampant cockstand.
“Bluidy hell, mon,” John turned to Hardi. “Call off your she-wolf.”
Hardi sat back and shook his head. “If ye canna swim, dinna jump into the sea.”
“Can you not control your wife?” John glowered.
Hardi eased forward so slowly that it built the sense of intimidation, and it amazed Blair to see one of the most arrogant men she knew look like he was ready to pish himself. “Ma wife is more intelligent and quick-witted than any mon I ken. Just because she makes yer bollocks shrivel doesnae mean she needs controlling. She’s ma wife, nae some animal. Perhaps if men werenae so intimidated by her, they wouldnae hide behind me. I ken I’m a large mon, but I canna shield everyone daft enough to have a go at ma wife.”
“You won’t have many friends if your wife doesn’t curb her tongue,” John snarled.
“Ye mean ye willna be ma friend. If that’s the case, then ye dinna need to leave yer clan at ma keep. Ye can find another clan to let ye into Lochaber. But considering ye dinna care for yer distant cousins, the MacDonnells of Glengarry and the MacDonnells of Keppoch, they arenae an option. Mayhap the Macleans will give ye a slice of their land. But that willna do ye much good since the Camerons are still the largest clan in the region.” Hardi steepled his fingers. “Besides, I rather like ma wife’s friends better. The Sinclairs, the Mackays, the Rosses, the MacLeods of Lewis and Assynt, the Grants, the Gordons, the Munros, and dinna forget her own family, the Sutherlands. And I believe she has vera influential godparents. Ye visited their home just a sennight ago.”
John huffed as he tried to conjure some rejoinder, but nothing came to him, so he settled for glaring. Blair remained silent, but John opted to goad her when he couldn’t think of anything to say to Hardi.
“Suddenly quiet, Blair? Mayhap your husband has better control of you than I thought.”
“I am Lady Cameron. I never gave you permission to address me by my given name. I saw no reason to say aught more. You dug yourself into a deep enough grave, and Laird Cameron didn’t appear to need help to fling the dirt over you. But since you don’t know when to cease, let me be abundantly clear. You may rule the Hebrides—except for the mighty MacLeods of Lewis—my family-by-marriage—and the MacLeods of Skye. But my family is connected to every powerful clan in the Highlands by blood, by marriage, or by alliance. You hold sway in Lochaber because they allow it. Who do you think any Highland laird will choose? One of their own or a mon from a tiny island?”
John MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, looked at the newlyweds and shook his head. “Heaven help anyone who truly is foolish enough to cross you two. Their heads will be on pikes with their entrails decorating your gates.”
They quit the solar and moved to the Great Hall, where the midday meal was about to begin. John left immediately following the meal. Hardi led Blair up to the battlements to watch the MacDonald entourage ride away. The vantage point allowed them to see for miles in every direction. If John turned toward Tor or toward the Camerons’ enemies, he rode far out of his way to do so.
“Blair, it’s time for ye to come home,” Hardi said as they stood, arm in arm.
Thirty-Eight
After Blair and Hardi quit the battlements, they returned to Blair’s chamber. She lifted her few kirtles from the pegs on the wall and folded them along with her chemises before placing them in her small chest. She finished packing in less than ten minutes. When she finished, the couple sat on the foot of the bed.
“Are ye sure this is the right time, Hardi?” Blair asked.
“John of Islay will blather aboot us being wed to anyone who’ll listen. Now that it isnae a secret, I dinna want word getting back to ma clan that I’m hiding ye. We already talked aboot why that willna do us any good. I trust Artair less than I did before. I dinna think he’s the mastermind behind this plot, but I’m unconvinced he isnae a part of it. He didna want to give me his warriors, which makes me wonder what his role is. He’s right that it’ll take longer without so many men as laborers, but the wall didna bother him before today. Besides, he kens lending me warriors is part of the terms of his guardianship. That’s one thing ma uncle did explain.”
“How will ye account for where I’ve been and why I didna arrive with ye from court?”
“With the truth. Ye went to Inverlochy because it wasna appropriate for ye to stay at Tor before we wed. We chose to handfast instead.”
“And ye think nay one will question that?” Blair countered.
“Let them,” Hardi shrugged. “A handfast is as good as a marriage in the Highlands. They dinna have a choice.”
“And if yer council wants ye to repudiate me in favor of the Macquarie or Donald lasses?”
“Then they will find themselves within an inch of their lives if they push too hard. Ye’re ma wife, Blair. I am their laird. If they canna accept that, then they can vote me out. Otherwise, they will do as I command. And the first command is to acknowledge ye as ma wife. Permanently.” Hardi’s tone brooked no disagreement, and Blair wasn’t looking to start one. She slid her hand into Hardi’s and leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Is there aught else I should ken before I arrive?” Blair wondered.
“Do ye mean, do I have a leman waiting for me to return to her side? Are there women in the village that think I’ll be bedding them again? Nay, there arenae.”
Blair sat up and looked at Hardi. “I wasna thinking of that until now. I meant are there problems with the servants? Will yer cook and housekeeper welcome me or challenge me? Do I need to worry that yer clan will be angry at me because we wed? That’s what I was thinking aboot. But now I’d like more of an answer to what ye said.”
“I didna want ye to worry that there would be any uncomfortable scenes. After what ye told me aboot Mairghread, Siùsan, and Cairren’s experiences, I wanted to reassure ye. I was a veritable monk for months before I went to court. The last thing I was thinking aboot was bedding women. First, it was losing ma family and recovering from the last battle. Then it was trying to learn how to be laird. I havenae been with anyone in close to a year, Blair. Mayhap I should have told ye that before.”
Blair shook her head. “Ye dinna owe me an explanation of what ye did before ye started courting me. Neither of us kenned we would meet again. And either way, ye’re a mon who had a life to live before me.”
“Thank ye for understanding.” Hardi took hold of both of Blair’s hands, kissing her knuckles. He gazed into the whisky-brown eyes he looked forward to staring into for a lifetime. “I should have also told ye that ye pulled me out of the bleakest time in ma life. Ma grief was eating me alive, but ye gave me purpose both as a student and as a suitor. The pain of losing ma family may never go away completely, but ye make each day worth waking up to.”
Blair wrapped her hand around his neck and kissed the side closer to her. She kissed along his jaw until he dipped his head to bring their mouths together. Hardi wrapped his arms around Blair as their kiss continued, languid and tender. When they sat back, Blair saw the moisture in Hardi’s eyes, but the hollowness that had been there weeks ago no longer haunted him. She saw hope instead. “I love ye, Hardwin.”
“Och, Blair, I love ye.” They kissed again before Hardi carried her chest below
stairs. They said their farewells, and Blair noticed Robena had returned to her warmer nature. Blair wasn’t sure if it was because the woman regretted Blair was leaving or if she was eager to have her gone. Artair said little more than goodbye to Blair, keeping any pearls of wisdom to himself. Blair and Hardi waited in the bailey as their guards gathered their belongings with little notice, then they rode out together.
Blair swept her eyes over the bailey of her new home. She wondered if they rang the bells every time Hardi returned, even after a brief time away, or if it was because she accompanied him. Watching the Camerons gather near their horses distracted Blair, so she was unprepared for Hardi to reach up for her. She braced her hands on his shoulders as he slid her down the length of his body.
“It will be an early night, lass,” Hardi whispered before kissing her jaw just beneath her ear. He took her hand in his, surprising her as they walked toward the keep’s steps. When they stood at the top, he turned toward the gathered clan members. “I present to ye ma wife, Lady Blair Cameron. Before we married, she was Lady Blair Sutherland. Many of ye will remember that Dougal and I spent six years fostering under Laird Sutherland, ma father-by-marriage. I’ve kenned ma wife since we were little more than weans. It was with great fortune that we met again while I was at court. As a new laird with matters still unsettled with our neighbors, I admit I was hesitant to bring Lady Cameron to Tor, so she has been staying at Inverlochy. Now that I am confident of her safety here, I am glad to have ma wife finally beside me. If ye’ve wondered where I’ve been slipping off to, now ye ken.”
Hardi and Blair looked out at the crowd of stunned faces, who gawked at them as if they’d sprouted extra heads and wings. But the initial shock wore off, and the clan cheered to their happiness and to her arrival. Blair realized the Camerons were eager to have a lady of the clan, so she didn’t doubt her welcome would be warm. Hardi released her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her body against his side. The position was endearing, but it was also unequivocally clear that Hardi cared for the woman he married.
“So there is nay misunderstanding, I speak this before ye all. Lady Cameron is ma equal and ma partner in everything. Ye will afford her the respect nae only due her position but as the woman I love. Her word is final. Dinna come to me if ye dinna like it. If I am away, Lady Cameron leads in ma stead. I look to ma wife for council and guidance, and she will be a part of any decisions that effect this clan. Ye will soon realize that I amnae the only lucky one. She is the lady of the clan that we need, that we deserve, and that we want.” Hardi smiled down at Blair and pressed a soft, brief kiss to her lips. The affection and tenderness were clear to all who watched. Before leading her inside, he whispered. “I only had the strength to say all of that because ye are with me. That’s more than I’ve said at one time since I became laird. I love ye and welcome ye home, Blair.”
“I love ye, Hardi. I am proud to be by yer side. Now show me ma new home, please.” Blair grinned.
They entered the keep, finding an older woman with deep wrinkles lining her face. She was thin as a rail but carried an air of authority. She wore a smile, but Blair understood she was being assessed. Blair stepped away from Hardi and went to stand before the woman. She dipped a shallow curtsy in respect for the older woman.
“Are ye Mordag?” Blair asked. The woman blinked several times, surprised to hear Blair’s brogue.
“Aye, ma lady. I am.” Mordag answered, wary of the young woman before her.
“Laird Cameron has praised ye many times for taking on the duties of chatelaine. I’ve been here but a moment, but I can already see ye do a fine job. None of the candles have dried wax, the fireplaces are clean, the rushes are fresh, the tables shine. Will ye help me settle in as chatelaine, please?” Blair spoke the truth, but she also understood the woman had probably been the housekeeper at Tor Castle since before Hardi’s parents were born. She might not want to have the duties of a chatelaine, but undoubtedly Morag had a way of running the keep. Blair wasn’t interested in changing what worked.
“I would be honored, ma lady,” Mordag smiled. “Ye have the look of yer mother. She visited here many years ago.”
“I did, too, Mordag. It was when Dougal and Hardi began their fostering. Ma parents, brother, sister, and I came to meet them.” Blair leaned forward and whispered. “Mama was afraid Dougal and Hardi would be frightened leaving home. She didna want them to make the journey with just guards. She wanted them to ken we welcomed them.”
“Nay one has called Laird Cameron ‘Hardi’ since he was a lad. It warms ma heart that ye do, ma lady.” Mordag chuckled when Blair looked aghast. She hadn’t realized she’d spoken of the laird so informally. “Ye love him. He needs that after all he’s endured. I welcome ye for that alone, ma lady.”
“Thank ye,” Blair said as she straightened. “That means a great deal to me. And I do love Laird Cameron vera much.”
“We will serve the evening meal in an hour, would ye care for a bath, ma lady?” Mordag offered.
Blair nearly clapped at the suggestion She’d bathed regularly at Inverlochy, but once she handfasted with Hardi—and everyone knew they’d consummated their marriage--the servants treated her as an inconvenience. More than once the water arrived tepid. Blair sensed Mordag wouldn’t stand for such.
“I will show ye our chamber, mo chridhe,” Hardi murmured as he stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around Blair’s waist. “Dismiss yer maid. One of the servants can show her to her own quarters. If they didna expect us to appear for the evening meal, I’d request that Mordag send up a tray.”
“Mayhap tomorrow eve,” Blair whispered. She turned in Hardi’s arms. “I willna hide how I feel for ye, but neither will I flaunt it. I need yer people to take me seriously and respect me because I ken what I’m doing, nay because their laird likes to play with his bride.”
“But the laird does like to play with his bride,” Hardi rumbled against her ear. “I can think of many places I’d like to play.”
“That wasna what I meant!” Blair gasped.
“I kenned what ye meant. And if we dinna get to our chamber soon, the entire clan will ken what I meant.”
“Hardi,” Blair hissed.
“Blair,” Hardi mimicked.
“I’m serious. I need them to ken that I am more than just a pretty bauble ye brought back from court because ye desire me.”
“Blair, it will take this clan all of five minutes this eve to realize that. Ye are the bonniest woman I ken, but ye have a look aboot ye that tells how intelligent and serious ye are. Nay one will be fool enough to underestimate ye.”
Blair didn’t argue, but she was unconvinced. She’d seen the group of older men gathered to the side of the keep’s steps, and she noticed them as they gathered by the fireplace in the Great Hall. It didn’t take a leap to know they were on the clan’s council, and none looked as though they took her seriously. Their looks weren’t inappropriate. But they looked at her more like a child they would humor.
She set aside her worry when Hardi showed her their chamber. There was an enormous tub set before the fire. She glanced at Hardi and knew it must have been one of the few things he requested when he became laird. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and long legs. He wouldn’t have fit in a normal tub. As she glanced back at the tub as servants poured steaming water into it, Hardi reassured her there was room enough for two if they sat close together. They were nearly late to the evening meal.
Thirty-Nine
“Lady Cameron, our laird mentioned meeting ye at court. What caused that coincidence?” A man who introduced himself as Niall asked as the evening meal began.
“I served Her Majesty as a lady-in-waiting for three years, so Stirling Castle has been ma home these past years. Ma brother and I were returning from a ride when we discovered Laird Cameron in the bailey. We spent a couple of days together before ma brother had to return to Dunrobin,” Blair answered. She wouldn’t offer any more information than they asked. She
felt uneasy around the clan council, but she was uncertain whether it was fear and animosity borne of her desire to protect Hardi or if it was genuine dislike.
“That must have been a grand adventure,” Paul commented. Blair remembered Hardi mentioning him as one of the few men Hardi considered trusting. When she wasn’t forthcoming, he posed it as a question. “Did ye think it was a grand adventure?”
“Rarely. It was exciting when ma sister, Lady MacLeod of Lewis, and I first arrived, but being at court means constant noise, constant changing one’s wardrobe, and constant crowds of people. I missed the open land and fresh air of Sutherland. Being on Cameron territory suits me much better. And I dinna have to hide ma burr.”
“Ye didna enjoy being a lady-in-waiting,” Paul responded. To Blair’s ears it sounded more like an accusation than an observation.
“It was more enjoyable when ma sister was still there, and it was vera enjoyable when Lachlan visited,” Blair hedged.
“I’m certain once ye found Laird Cameron many things at court became more enjoyable,” Niall chimed in.
“Niall—” Hardi warned. He hadn’t missed the double entendre, and neither had Blair. She bumped his ankle with her foot under the table.
“It was most pleasant to reminisce aboot how Laird Cameron used to put toads in ma boots, and how I left a garter snake in his chest. It died before it did its job. We recalled how fond ma father is of Laird Cameron. He still speaks vera highly of the Cameron.” Blair found it tedious having to use her husband’s title every time she spoke of him, especially when he sat beside her. “It was vera enjoyable to have a childhood friend visiting at court.”
“It doesnae appear as though ye are still childhood friends, ma lady,” Osgar noted. He appeared very close in age to Hardi.
A Saint at the Highland Court: A Friends to Lovers Highlander Romance (The Highland Ladies Book 6) Page 24