James consumed her in the most pleasant way. She wanted to taste him as well and stroked her tongue over his. He withdrew and gazed into her eyes with a furrowed brow.
Escaping his stare was as impossible as moving her limbs. Her body and her mind wanted two different things from this man. When he was near, she wanted him closer and when he kissed her, she yearned for something more. The problem was, when he touched her, thinking was impossible. She would gain no ground with this man while stirred like this. The fog parted from her brain as the noise from the gathered guests below broke through.
“I think we’ve kept our guests waiting long enough,” he said with surprising calm as he stepped away from her. She took in his expression. There was no flush to his skin as she suspected hers betrayed. The earlier heat in his eyes was replaced with a narrowed gaze. Threads of disappointment weaved into her heart. He wasn’t affected as she was. In fact, he seemed almost annoyed.
If that’s the way he would behave, then she would too. “Aye, my lord, I believe we have.” She raised her chin and walked away from him. Her disappointment increased when he did not take her elbow, instead fell into step behind her.
The distance to the hall was just long enough for her to compose herself, she’d taken in a lot today and it wasn’t over yet. She clenched her fists open and closed at her sides as she pushed the MacIntosh’s skilled lips from her mind.
Entering from the side, they moved to the large fireplace and hearth that was the focal point of the room. The guests had all gathered and the room fell quiet as she turned to face the greatest responsibility in her short life. She drew a deep breath.
“Thank you for joining us here. I’ll come straight to the point. Raiders are on the move. We’ve no idea if they’re the same ones from last harvest or not, but we’ve decided to break the festivities early.
“Dinner will be served this evening as planned although inside instead of out in the back gardens. If any of you wish to return to your homes this evening, we understand, however, I advise against travel after dark. The choice is yours, but know you are safe here. These walls have always provided adequate protection from raiders. His lordship and I both feel it best to err on the side of caution. If these are the same men as before….well, I don’t need to remind anyone of the brutality to which they are capable.”
She waited. At any moment the outburst would come. Men and women facing them rumbled among themselves and before long, the pitch arose and the din in the room became almost unbearable. James stepped in at the perfect time.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please.” His voice carried over everyone else’s and did wild things to her insides once again. “If you’ve any questions, please ask, but one at a time. I received an urgent message this afternoon from my steward. The raiders were spotted by one of my scouts. As we speak, a larger party is on their way to track them. I’ve also sent word to the King’s Guard who are encamped not far from here and I’m sure will join the search as soon as word reaches them. For tonight, unless you must, I suggest you stay here. This is where you are safest.”
His encouragement was enough for everyone except three couples who opted to leave straight away. Their journey was a short one and they agreed to travel together. One by one the guests left the hall leaving her and James alone. She drew a steadying breath.
“Thank you.” She was grateful to him for keeping everyone calm. She didn’t know what she’d have done if people had panicked and become hysterical. “Do you believe we’re safe here?”
James turned her to face him.
“I do, or else I wouldn’t leave.”
He was leaving?
“Calum and I will intercept my scouts on their way to report to the Guard.”
She would be damned if she’d let herself feel any more disappointment. She swallowed the lump rising in her throat. She wanted his arms around her again.
“If they’re determined enough, they could do considerable harm here, couldn’t they?” Perhaps she could steer her traitorous thoughts to a more necessary topic.
“I’m leaving some of my men here to assist with security. You will be perfectly safe as long as you remain within the castle keep.” Here was her protector again.
She didn’t know if she was grateful to him or not for evading her question. She drew another deep breath. She opened her mouth to say something, anything to him, but his fingers stroked her palm again and she couldn’t think.
“I’m sorry I cannot join you for dinner. I expect you’ll be even more ravishing than you have all day. Then again, it’s best if you don’t tempt me further.” He drew his brows together. “I’ll return by midday tomorrow, I promise.”
His scent, along with the memory of his body pressed against her remained long after he left. Despising him grew more difficult by the hour.
Chapter Seven
“Ah, there you are. Are you ready?” James asked.
Calum was in the stable with the horses prepared. Father Addison stood beside him, both looked grave. “I think we should stay here, James. I have a bad feeling. Something isn’t right.”
Calum had been having bad feelings his entire life. Sometimes they were legitimate, but more often than not they amounted to nothing. Still, on this occasion, he would have to concur; a great deal did not add up at the moment.
“I have a feeling too, Brother. If someone doesn’t challenge these raiders they’ll have us hiding under our beds before long. I’ll not yield without a fight. Are you coming with me or not?” James removed his short dagger from his boot and shoved it in his belt. Calum followed suit and mounted his horse.
“I’m coming. Father, be safe.”
“Godspeed your swift return,” Father Addison said. “The horses sense an evil presence this night m’lords.”
The man looked mortified, yet James could not tell him how little danger he was in if MacKay and his clansmen risked their cover for some reason. Still, the sun had set and dusk approached like a dark omen. Silvery twilight cast an eerie impression over the horizon and Arion fidgeted beneath him.
“Father, surely God is on our side,” Calum said.
“I have blessed you and will pray for you, m’lords. Now I must see to Lady Aileana, for I am certain she is as worried as I.”
The priest scurried off before James could offer even a little reassurance.
“What are your thoughts?” Calum asked. “Can Fergus be this daft?”
“I can’t imagine even an oaf like Fergus MacKay would expose himself now. My fear is the others have come back and are working a larger radius. Pray brother, pray Fergus is merely idle,” James said.
Of the two options he posed, he’d take a bored Fergus MacKay any day.
Gwen entered the stable with two satchels of provisions. Her smile lingered on Calum. Interesting.
“You may have to play heroes tonight, but you don’t have to do so on an empty stomach,” she said and passed one to James first. “For you, my lord. My lady insists upon it.”
James nodded, and left the stable. Calum followed moments later. They ate the roast pheasant and bread in silence and he was grateful for the momentary respite to gather his thoughts. Try as he might, they reverted back to a yellow-haired lass whose hold on him grew with each passing second. The scene in the garden still sent dark thoughts into his already rattled frame of mind.
She’d planned a rendezvous right under his nose and played innocent about it. She let him kiss her, and kissed him back. Those were not the actions of a young woman in love with someone else. She was either well skilled in the art of seduction or—well the alternative wasn’t likely considering her actions regarding the cousin to date. The kiss should have revealed her true feelings, instead, it left him with more questions. In any case, his scout’s report provided an escape from the woman and her confounding behaviour.
He tried hard to shake her from his thoughts, but her desire-hazed eyes kept intruding. God how he loved feeling her body pressed against him when she yielded. T
he stirring in his loins, when their tongues touched, told him he had better retreat else he’d have carried her off to his bed. This woman would have him on his knees, and as weak as a boy, if he weren’t careful. He had to regain his wits over this lass, and soon too if he were to get the information he needed regarding the cousin. God help them both if he were to surrender to his growing desire.
She was all contradiction. Virgin. Seductress. Leader, too? She did what Chattan said she would - effectively handle the affairs of the estate - and he couldn’t have been more surprised. In no time she had determined the correct course of action. He’d not seen any fear in her eyes. She was all strength and confidence. This young woman operated as though she’d been chief all along. James shook his head. Too many questions and no answers.
With a grimace he shoved the empty satchel back into the saddle’s side pouch and steeled himself to the immediate task of locating the raiders. The rising full moon allowed them to find the main road leading toward Moy Hall with ease. The road was wide and he knew it well.
“May I make an observation?” Calum asked.
“No.” He was in no mood for idle chit chat.
Calum laughed. “Well, I’ll damned well make it anyway.”
“Of course you will.”
“I’ve been speaking with the lady’s maid—”
“The heretic?”
“She’s not what you think, Brother. She’s a wise-woman, a healer.”
“You may want to take what that woman says lightly. I expect she’s as superstitious as the priest.”
“Regardless, they both have the lady’s best interest at heart. I’ve learned some interesting things about them”
James stopped his horse. “Was this before or after you lay with her?”
“What?”
“Did she bewitch you into her bed so she could fill your head with nonsense?”
Calum stopped his horse. “You are way out of line! I have not bedded her and I believe she offers genuine concern regarding her lady’s feelings toward the cousin.”
“The cousin? What did she say about him?” Perhaps the woman would serve useful after all.
“Oh so now I have your attention?” Calum chuckled. “I wonder if you feel more for Lady Aileana than you care to admit. I’ve seen the way you look at her, like she is some extraordinary delight meant for you alone.”
James shrugged, not willing to let Calum see the full extent of his musings regarding the lady. “You may share your information or we ride in silence. It is of no matter to me.”
James waited. His brother’s jesting was tiresome.
“The cousin is ill-favoured by the maid, the priest, the steward and—”
“And?”
“— especially by Iain Chattan.”
“And the maid is certain of this?” Ill-favoured? That would explain Father Addison’s visit and his plea.
“Quite. The lady would never hear any caution offered against the man and so the maid suffered her concerns in silence. She admits she protects Lady Aileana in her own way based on her beliefs that power lies in nature versus one almighty God.”
“That kind of talk could land you both in the stocks, you realize.”
“Aye, I do.”
“Speak of it to no one, and keep your head.”
This information was intriguing. Why would the lady hold the cousin in such high regard if everyone around her did not? Did they think they protected her? Why not warn her and arm her against foolish passion?
“Did the maid know why the man was so ill-favoured?”
“She said he is cruel, but did not expand on it.”
“Cruel? Many men can appear cruel when their actions are misunderstood. And you accept this at face value?”
“She was convincing,” he said, grinning.
Perhaps this was why Chattan wanted the arrangement solidified in writing including both their seals. Did the cousin pose some threat? Was it not cruel to blind the lass from such intentions? Who was more cruel? There were only two possibilities. Either Chattan wanted a more lucrative match for his niece, or the cousin was as bad as the maid thought. In both scenarios, Chattan made a choice for her benefit. And either way, James was the favoured solution. Perhaps he should feel honoured by the faith placed in him. Perhaps. While this information was enlightening, it still did not speak to the true nature of Aileana’s feelings for Gawain Chattan.
About an hour into their journey, he caught sight of movement up ahead. He signaled Calum to dismount and they moved to the side of the road. They pulled their horses into the dense brush. He froze when a blade bit into his back.
“Make a move and you die.” A gravelly voice growled into his ear.
“What do you want?” James asked.
“Don’t ask questions and you may live longer.”
He couldn’t see his attacker, but he could tell that he was matched in strength. Cooperating was his best option—for now.
James calculated the man behind him was taller than he; the arm reaching around him, holding a blade to his throat, reached down instead of up. James’s wrists were twisted and secured behind his back and a sack was placed over his head. The man shoved him back onto the road. Another pair of hands removed James’s weapons: his short dagger tucked into his belt, a longer dagger strapped to his calf, and his broad sword sheathed at his hip.
His blood rose to the surface fuelling his outrage, but if he were to find an advantage he must keep his wits. Many footsteps shuffled around him. Some grunting indicated Calum’s struggle.
Christ, don’t fight back, Brother.
He replayed his abductor’s voice in his head. Not one he recognized, but the man could have masked it. At least his throat hadn’t been slit outright. Highwaymen then. They could be bargained with. A simple ransom request would do it, yet the men did nothing to rid him of his purse.
Instead, he was bound and gagged and thrown into a cart which was towed along the rugged, bumpy road. He couldn’t be certain, but they seemed to have turned around and so in that case would be travelling back toward Chattan Castle. He made an attempt to loosen his bindings with no success. These men knew what they were about. During the attack, no one except his abductor spoke. There was no hesitation—this was no random act.
Soon afterward, the horse and cart came to a halt. The canvases were thrown off and they were hauled out, dragged a few feet, and thrust forward.
The sacks covering their heads were removed just before a wooden frame of a door slammed shut, clanging chains arranged, and a padlock clicked into place. James squinted to identify his captors but to no avail. He focused on his surroundings and the predicament they found themselves in. They were in a makeshift wooden prison. The posts were about twelve feet high and lashed together with rope and the door well secured. The cage was well built.
James moved to Calum to remove his ropes and gag. They turned back to back and fingered the ropes at their wrists. Though tied tight, they took little time to release. James shoved the ropes aside and pulled off his gag.
“They must have confidence in this structure,” he whispered. “They had to know we’d help each other with our bindings. Although, even if we could get out of here, I have no idea where we are. Except—”
He surveyed every inch of their outdoor cell. It was solid with four corner posts, which were about two feet in diameter, and appeared secured underground making them immovable.
“Calum, there’s hope. Look at the crofter’s dwelling they entered.” He watched Calum’s face in the moonlight as he squinted until realization dawned. “It’s where we left Fergus. We’re still on our own land.”
He watched some men come back out, but he couldn’t make out if Fergus was among them. Where were they headed? What the hell was going on?
He deduced there were more than four men inside based on the number who came out over the next few hours to relieve themselves.
As he and Calum sat as prisoners, it gave him a chance to rationalize the
ir predicament. He was still on his own damned land and the cottage he was imprisoned near was the same one he’d given to Fergus Mackay and his men as a safe haven the previous winter. Fergus’s involvement made him seethe. His guts burned. What the hell did the man think he was doing?
“James, why did Fergus abduct us?” Calum asked. “After risking our neck for him, this is his repayment?”
“I’m as baffled as you are,” James said.
He recalled how they’d met. Both had been tracking the beasts responsible for the MacKenzie attack. James and Calum learned that the MacKay and his clan were framed that day. With a bounty on their heads and the king away from Linlithgow for the winter months, Fergus was safer out of sight until James could address his Majesty in person. Only then could he convince King James of Fergus’s innocence. Thus far, everything had gone rather smooth. He would address the matter during his upcoming visit to Linlithgow Palace.
“Why now, with a possible pardon so close, would that daft oaf pull a stunt like this? Did the man court death for sport?” Calum asked.
From what James knew of him, he was an honourable sort, if somewhat unrefined, but loyal nonetheless. He couldn’t believe Fergus would repay his protection all these months with such lunacy. No, there had to be some other explanation.
“I have no answer for you, Calum.”
After a long while, a lone rider entered the clearing in front of the cottage. He dismounted and glanced in their direction before entering. He was smaller built than the others. James guessed correct - someone else wanted him in this prison and he shuddered at the thought that it just might be a Cameron. Maybe Fergus was blackmailed into capturing him, his own family threatened. That would explain a lot.
Bound to the Highlander (The Highland Chiefs Series) Page 8