by Mary Wine
“If I were set against ye, Connor, I’d have let ye toss away the only chance ye had to reclaim yer sister.”
Connor stopped, standing in place while his men waited silently to see what would happen. “How does stealing my wife bring Vanora closer to being back on Lindsey land?”
“Brina isna yer wife, and once she is, the Douglas will never allow yer sister to step one foot outside the fortress she’s living in until she is wed. The only thing that will force them to bring her out is the threat of ye marrying Brina.”
Connor cursed. “Which is why ye brought her here.”
“That’s right.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake!” Brina snarled from behind everyone. “Ye could have told me that. It wasna necessary to hit me on the head. I would have helped to bring Vanora home.”
“No, you will nae, Brina.” Connor turned so quickly, his kilt flared out, but he couldn’t maintain his anger when their eyes met. His expression revealed just how happy he was to see her, and it blew heat over the flicker of warmth that had been slowly dying inside her chest. “It is a matter for men. I wish ye back in Birch Stone, where I know ye are safe.”
“I am no’ a child, and I am nae helpless.”
Connor frowned at her, but Quinton raised one dark eyebrow behind him. Then a large hand appeared on Quinton’s shoulder, and he turned to face Robert Chattan.
“Did ye hit me daughter?”
Robert didn’t wait for a reply. He sent his fist toward Quinton’s jaw, and the sound echoed throughout the chamber as Quinton staggered beneath the strength of it. Her father didn’t follow his victim but stood in the opposite doorway while rubbing his hand.
“Brina, lass, come here.”
She was already stepping forward when Connor stepped beside her and clamped his hand around her forearm to keep her next to him.
“No’ yet, Chattan. I want yer word on the match. I’ll have Brina for my wife.”
“One of my daughters is going to the church. I’ve given me word on it.” Robert Chattan was completely exasperated now, his voice making it clear that he was not going to be denied.
“One has.”
Brina watched as a man wearing the McLeod tartan stepped up.
“It seems that yer middle daughter has a true calling to serve the church. It’s a right unkind thing to send me a wife who has a true calling, Chattan.”
Robert Chattan remained silent for a long moment while Roan McLeod glared at him.
“She never spoke to me about it until the trouble started.” Her father looked toward her and Connor, studying them. “I’ll admit that my pride was stung enough to make me deaf to anything Kaie said.”
“If ye’re ready to discuss alternatives, Robert, I’m ready to ask for yer blessing to wed Brina.”
Brina bit back a gasp when Connor Lindsey, laird of the Lindsey, suddenly lowered himself to one knee in front of Robert Chattan. It was a custom older than anyone knew, but one that she was stunned to see him observing. Her father reached out and touched him gently on the head, bestowing his blessing. She stepped across the space between them and joined Connor, shivering when she felt her father’s fingers on her head.
“Ye have my blessing, Lindsey. May yer marriage be a long one. Brina, be happy and know that I wish that for ye with all me heart.”
***
“What do ye mean, woman?”
Connor was shaking with his frustration, but Brina refused to allow that to distract her from her purpose.
“I mean that Quinton Cameron was correct; once we marry, you shall never see yer sister. We must wait.”
Connor was so quiet that conversation floated in from the outer room where everyone had withdrawn so that she and Connor might have a moment of privacy. It was still difficult to believe that he was there, so close that she could reach out and touch him. Brina didn’t realize that she was in fact lifting her hand until Connor’s gaze moved to see what she was doing. He closed the distance between them, then captured her hand in his larger one and carried it to his lips for a kiss that sent a shiver down her body.
“I swear I still want to beat Quinton Cameron near to death for taking ye away from the security of my land.”
“But yer sister—”
He framed her face between his hands, his eyes a piercing blue. “Ye will leave that matter to me, Brina. I cannae bear the thought of ye risking yerself. I thought my heart would tear apart when I realized ye had been taken.”
He smothered her next protest with a kiss that rejuvenated her soul. She hadn’t realized how dry her lips had become until she felt his mouth against hers. She reached for him, wrapping her hands around his nape, and felt her fingers tremble as they touched his warm skin. She drew in a deep breath to once again fill her senses with the smell of his skin and pressed closer to him so that she might feel the beat of his heart.
A thump from the doorway broke the moment, and she heard Connor smothering a word beneath his breath, which made her giggle.
“We’ll have to wait to get to the buggering.”
He growled and slid one hand down to rest on the curve of her bottom.
“Careful, lass. A husband has the right to spank his wife.”
She broke away from his embrace because the conversation in the other room was becoming louder.
“Then I suppose it is a good thing that I do nae plan to wed ye just yet.”
Connor glared at her. “Ye’ll wed me before sunset.”
“I agree.” Her father spoke from the doorway. “Ye shall leave the matter of politics to the men, Brina.”
“But what of Connor’s sister?”
Robert Chattan drew a stiff breath. “I believe we should go and challenge the lieutenant general for her now.”
“Agreed.”
Brina followed the men, but Connor stopped her at the main entry doors to Quinton Cameron’s rooms.
“Ye will stay here, Brina.”
Her father turned and nodded in agreement.
She felt the yoke of the male-dominated society press down on her shoulders such as she never had before. They turned and continued on their way, and she couldn’t help but admire seeing so many clan plaids together. Too often they fought, and she discovered herself agreeing with Quinton.
Scotland needed its Highlanders united.
***
“Well now. I was told that there were four of ye out there waiting on me, but seeing it is still a bit of a shock.”
Archibald Douglas sat wearing true velvet cloth while Connor, Roan, Quinton, and Robert all lowered their heads. His eyes were narrowed as he watched each laird show deference to his position of lieutenant general.
“I’ve come—”
“I know why ye’re here, Lindsey.” The earl snapped his fingers, and one of the tapestries hanging on the wall behind him moved. “And I assure ye that I do have what ye want, but it will nae be yers easily, on that ye may depend.”
He gestured with his fingers, and a young girl stepped forward. She wore only a simple pair of robes, and her hair was braided and covered with a length of Douglas plaid.
“I think she looks very fetching in Douglas colors.”
Connor had to suppress the urge to kill. He had never been a man given to murdering, but he understood now how it might happen in a flash of unexpected circumstances. The surprise of seeing his sister was enough to make his palm itch for the pommel of his sword.
“She is a Lindsey.”
Vanora shifted her attention toward him, and her eyes were the same blue as his own, but he saw her worrying her lower lip, and she looked back toward the earl without saying a word.
“She is a female who knows her place, exactly the way the Douglas like their brides. Silent and dutiful.”
“She’s too young to wed.”
Robert, Roan, and Quint
on stepped up to support his position. The earl considered them for a long moment.
“Agreed. But I am not the one who took her. If the Lindsey are nae strong enough to hold on to their own, they will suffer losses.”
“Yer kin rode in under a banner of peace. I thought that was only a ploy used by the English.”
Connor’s words earned him a snarl from the earl. Archibald sat forward, his face darkening with his rising temper.
“Careful, Lindsey. Ye stand to lose even more if I’m of the mind to take everything ye came here for. Ye rode through my gate this time, and I do nae have to allow ye to leave with anything if it does nae please me.”
Connor shrugged. “True enough if ye want it to be known that the Douglas are intent on no’ dealing fairly with the other clans.”
It was a bold thing to say; one that might even cost him his life if the earl was in the mood to send him to the executioner. Connor walked across the room and stood in front of his sister. Her face still held the edge of childhood and a sprinkling of freckles. She smiled for him but raised a hand to cover her lips before any sound escaped.
“I am yer brother, Vanora, and ye were never promised to anyone.”
Her eyes widened, and shock filled them. Connor turned back toward the earl.
“Very pretty, but it does nae change the fact that she is nae in yer control.”
There was a calculating look in the earl’s eyes that promised Connor a steep price for what he wanted.
Archibald turned to survey the other men in the room. It was clear that he wasn’t pleased to see so many clans standing behind the Lindsey claim.
“Ye may have yer sister back if ye relinquish yer alliance with the Chattan.”
Robert stepped forward. “That arrangement is set, and the banns read already.”
“The banns were read on yer older daughter, who is nae the daughter Lindsey here wants to wed now.” Archibald looked at Quinton. “Scotland needs its clans united beneath the crown, no’ becoming too powerful by making alliances that do nae favor the king. So ye may have yer sister, because I know that ye shall arrange a match for her that will bring ye an alliance, or ye may have the Chattan bride Quinton stole from ye, but ye will no’ have both.”
“Vanora is my sister. She belongs on Lindsey land.”
“She would no’ be the only bride sent to live among her intended groom’s kin in order to ensure that the wedding takes place and peace continues.” The earl pointed at them all. “With Vanora wed to a Douglas, there will be an incentive for all of you to keep the peace. And if ye claim yer sister back, I’ll have the Chattan girl taken and wed to my cousin for the same purpose.”
The earl sat back against the padded chair and smiled smugly. “Ye shall no’ have two alliances, Connor Lindsey. Choose one.”
***
“May that bastard rot in hell.”
Connor was talking to the empty room. He paced in a circle while he heard his friends conversing in the other chamber. But he stopped when he saw the sleeve still lying on the long table. It captured his attention because it seemed odd to have only part of a shirt lying about.
“I hope it fits.”
Brina emerged from the kitchen, worrying her lower lip with her teeth.
Exactly as Vanora had done…
“Tell me what happened. This uncertainty is eating me alive.”
Brina watched his lips twitch up, only for a moment before he nodded.
“Douglas plays as good a game as I do when it comes to forming alliances. He told me I could have one with yer father or one through having my sister returned so that I might direct where she weds.”
It was almost too horrible to grasp, but Brina felt the truth of it burning into her. No clan would give up the advantage; that was as Scottish as heather.
“She’s here, so close I can touch her and yet still too far away.” He shook his head. “I’ve no’ set eyes on Vanora since she was taken, and that was five years ago.”
Brina sucked in a harsh breath because there was pain in his eyes, and it tore at her too much to ignore.
“Take her. I’ll go to the abbey.” Simple words, but they felt like dry wood chips as she forced them out. Tears stung the corners of her eyes, but she refused to allow them to fall. “Ye must reclaim yer blood.”
“I cannae live without ye, Brina. Do nae ye know that yet?” He closed the distance between them and caught the tears that escaped from her eyes with his hands, smoothing them away while she shivered with the effort it had cost her to ask to be sent away.
“I would have ye happy, Connor, for I swear ye have given me such joy that I cannae bear to think of ye being discontented because of me.” Brina could see water sparkling on her eyelashes as she looked up at his eyes. It might be her last moment with him forever, and she needed to memorize every detail to keep her heart from shriveling into dry nothingness. “I love ye, Connor, and I’m telling ye to choose yer sister.”
“I didna kneel in front of yer father only to walk away from ye, Brina.”
She whimpered, the sound escaping from her lips because dignity had long since been abandoned. All the customs and rules of behaviors had not prepared her for this moment when it felt like her very next breath hung on the decision that he would make.
“We are going to wed.” He smoothed another tear aside. “And do nae be arguing with me any further, hellcat, for I’ve knelt in front of yer father now and received his blessing, when I’ll tell ye straight that I never hit my knee in front of him for the match with yer sister.”
A sob escaped from her chest, but it was somehow a happy sound, and his lips twitched up in response.
“The contract with yer sister was just a negotiation, lass. I knelt beside ye today because I love ye enough to crave yer happiness with our union.”
Love—it was a word that many defined as a symptom of insanity or an unbalanced mind. Brina embraced it, reaching for the man who she couldn’t face life without.
He kissed her, and she held him close, moving her mouth beneath his. Her clothing was too much separation to bear, and she eagerly shed it as he did the same. They didn’t care where their clothing fell, only took time enough to make sure his plaid was tossed onto a table instead of allowed to puddle on the floor.
The bed was much smaller, but that allowed her to be closer to her lover. They touched and kissed and took solace in each other’s embrace.
In each other’s love.
***
Connor slept, but he was not resting like he had been the last time she had left him in bed. Brina could see the skin drawn tight around his lips, and dark circles beneath his eyes told her why he was sleeping at all.
She didn’t have the luxury of fatigue to keep her mind from drifting off into blissful oblivion.
She’s here, and yet she might as well be across the country, for all the good it does me…
“If ye cannae sleep, Brina, let us be on the road.”
She turned her head to discover Connor watching her. He reached out and stroked her cheek. “It does me good to see ye still in bed beside me when I wake.”
He smiled, but the expression did not quite make it all the way to his eyes. A sadness remained there that tore at her heart. In the distance, a church bell rang, and she suddenly thought of an idea.
“Where would the Douglas keep Vanora here at the palace?”
Connor frowned, every hint of sleep gone from his face. “Why do ye want to know?”
“Because maybe it is a matter for a woman after all.”
“Brina—”
She sat up, and Connor followed her, shaking the bed with how fast he moved.
“Listen to me, Connor. Everyone will have heard how ye stole me away from the church by now.” Her mind was whirling with ideas, and she felt as though she could not form them into words fast enough. C
onfidence was growing inside her, brighter and stronger with every breath.
“Aye…”
She clasped her hands together. “So if I were to go to where Vanora is, wearing an undyed robe of the church, they might allow her to leave with me, thinking that I am returning to the church. I doubt many have heard that we knelt for my father’s blessing. Scandal always moves faster than joyous news.”
“That’s a fact.” He shook his head. “I cannae have ye take such a risk, Brina.”
She glared at him, frustration rising up inside her to a pitch impossible to ignore.
“And why nae? I do nae want to look back on the one moment that I was so close to her and did nothing.”
He grabbed her hands and lifted them up to kiss each one. Pain showed on his face for the first time, and it sent tears into her eyes.
“I love ye for saying that, but I refuse to see ye risk yerself, Brina.”
“Oh, bugger ye, Connor Lindsey.” His eyes opened wide in shock. “I love ye too much to no’ try.”
She climbed out of the bed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “After all, ye’re the one who called me a hellcat. Well, I believe we should put it to the test. Get yer men, and I shall get a nun’s robe from the church while dawn is still breaking. Everyone will think I’ve run away from ye. I am no’ as helpless as other women. I know how to hunt and ride astride. More importantly, I have been raised to depend upon myself instead of being looked after by the men around me. If I fail, ye can blame the fact that I was raised to expect no’ to have a husband to master me for my disobedient behavior.”
“If ye fail, Douglas will have ye as well, Brina, and I will nae risk that.”
She smiled, feeling victory within her grasp. “If he did that, he would upset the balance he is trying to say exists between the Douglas and the other clans. He cannae take us both without risking rebellion.”
He suddenly stiffened. “It might work.” He climbed from the bed, uncaring of the fact that he wasn’t wearing a stitch. “I detest it, but I do believe it just might work.”
Connor looked toward the window and the pink stain of dawn beginning to illuminate it.