“We were just…passing through the area. My…grandparents and…I. I didn’t realize we were…trespassing.” Gusty did not sound at all like herself. Her voice had grown husky and breathless at his nearness.
“To where do you travel, my little selkie?”
“My name is…Augusta. I am no selkie…and I am on my way to be…married.”
“Married?” He roared his question, nearly parting her hair with the force of his breath. He gave her a good shake as if to gain her attention. “You are betrothed? To whom?”
“To a chieftain of a very powerful clan. Or so my grandparents tell me.”
His sudden anger at the announcement brought her instantly out of her lustful stupor and she decided a little lie would not be out of place under the circumstances. She could use all the help she could get right now. She realized just how precarious her position was as she glanced around at the deserted seashore. The sun had dropped behind the treetops and the beach looked different, more sinister in the lengthening shadows. Maybe if this man thought she was truly engaged to someone else, he would honor her commitment and leave her alone. Alone with the embarrassment of what she had just done. Wasn’t this the age of chivalry?
“Pray you are speaking of me, selkie. For you will wed no other.”
His hands moved down her back to cup her bare bottom and she found herself lifted off her feet to have her very naked body crushed against his massive, granite-hard chest. Her arms moved up and around his neck as her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, the most intimate part of her pressed tightly over the hard bulge of his erection. But even as she worried about the vulnerability of her position, his outrageous claim brought on a burning anger. No man told her what to do.
“Now just a minute, buddy. Just back off.” She pushed against him helplessly. “You have no right to tell me who I will or will not marry.”
“I am the Sutherland and while you are on my land, my word is law. I claimed you months ago, lass, and what I claim…” He paused as his gaze dropped to her naked breasts. “I keep.”
Gusty wanted to argue that she didn’t remember the moment when he had claimed her as his own. But to do so would have meant telling another lie. His every word from their first meeting was engraved forever in her brain and each night in her dreams he had repeated them again and again. But the best part of her dream was the kiss that had sealed his declaration.
“I see you remember that night as well as I do.” His silver eyes grew intense and his grip on her increased. “Never again… You will never disappear from me as you did then.”
Alexander set her back on her feet, still keeping one arm about her waist. She watched as he worked at his plaid until he managed to rip a strip of the sturdy fabric from the hem. When that was accomplished, he proceeded to bind her right wrist to his left. He gently took her hand in his and raised it to his lips and kissed it.
“You are truly bound to me now. We are pledged. From this moment on, you are my wife and I am your husband,” he stated loudly.
“My husband!” She bellowed. “Why you…!”
She opened her mouth to let loose a string of the most vilely creative oaths she had heard since her return but he clamped his large hand over her mouth, effectively shutting her up. She glared up at him in a vain effort to intimidate him with a scathing stare but he wasn’t even looking in her direction. He had turned his head to look over her shoulder. Gusty followed his gaze.
“It is done then?” He called out to someone who had stepped out of the shadows of the trees that bordered the beach.
Her eyes widened as Hagen moved toward them from the tree line.
“Aye, Sutherland. It is done. She belongs to you now—for a year and a day. But remember, if by the end of that time she has not conceived, she is free to leave.”
Alexander nodded.
“Grandfather, what is going on?”
“Handfasting is a common tradition many young people adopt when there is no priest available to bless a marriage. I remember Maeve telling you of such a practice. You only have to call him ‘husband’ in front of a witness and you are the same as married. The ceremony is accepted by both the king and the church.”
Swamped with anger Gusty did remember that particular conversation. She had made a crack about how she would never be foolish enough to find herself in such a situation. But now? Now she found she had been tricked. Shocked that her beloved mentor could betray her in such a way, she stopped listening to his explanation. She wrapped her arms about herself, freezing in the cold ocean breeze as he droned on. It was not until she heard him mention the possibility of her having a baby that she began to listen again.
“If by the end of the allotted time you do not get her with child, she is free to return to us. No argument, no war. That is the only way I will agree to this.”
Hagen turned his attention back to her and sadness showed in his eyes.
He’s not happy with the situation. So why was he doing this?
“This tradition has been a means for a couple to wed without a priest’s blessing but understand, lass. The ritual sets a time limit. If the woman conceives by the end of a year and one day, the couple says their vows in the presence of a priest. Do not conceive and the common-law marriage ends, similar to a divorce but without the paperwork.”
“Oh no…no…no!” She pulled at her bound wrist, trying to put some distance between her and the large Highlander claiming to be her husband. “What have you done?”
The question left her mouth in a roar. She could not believe her grandfather had just given her to a barbarian with no consideration to her sensibilities. Gusty had always considered herself to be a quiet, reserved woman. Some even suggested she was the most even-tempered person they had ever met. But as she stood between these two men and listened to them, she swallowed hard as tears threatened to fall. If she weakened, she would throw herself into her grandfather’s arms and beg him to take her home. But the callous way in which he had informed the Scottish laird that he now owned her—for a year and day, no less—left her numb. Anger was the only emotion she had left to use as a weapon.
“I have put up with a lot in the last few months.” Her voice cracked with emotion. The tears she fought to hold back spilled down her cheeks and she swiped at them furiously. “I will not let this happen. I refuse to let this happen. My life is just beginning to make sense to me and I refuse to stand here and let two barbarians from the Scottish boonies dictate my future. I will not—”
Gusty broke. Unable to finish her tirade, she dissolved into a fit of sobbing, weeping uncontrollably all over the muscular chest of the Sutherland laird. His warm, strong arms drew her close and held her quaking body gently as she wept herself dry.
Above her head, Alexander Sutherland looked at the old man who had brought Augusta Sinclair into his life. A silent understanding passed between them. With no need for words, they nodded at each other. A moment later, the older man faded back into the trees and disappeared. Gusty still had her face buried against his chest and she shuddered in his arms. He held her close. A precious treasure had been entrusted into his care and he would guard her with his life.
“Easy, love.” He whispered in her hair, holding her as she cried.
* * * * *
The hour had grown quite late by the time Gusty pulled herself together. She tried to ease off his lap but he tightened his arms around her.
“Stay. There is no need to hurry.”
Alexander was not ready to give up the soft body he had held as Gusty sobbed out her anger and fears until only a shuddering hiccup escaped her. The time had given him an opportunity to think. A boyhood memory came to mind as he’d held his new bride and listened to her weep. A memory of another time and place, long ago, and a pair of children who’d played together and wept together over childish insults. He was a boy when his true love had been stolen away before he could say goodbye. She also had black hair and golden-brown eyes. And she’d depended on him to take c
are of her. Alexander glanced down at the woman resting so trustingly in his arms.
“There once was a boy…” The words slipped from his lips before he could call them back and he paused.
“Was he you?” she whispered.
“Aye.”
At his answer she relaxed back into his arms with a sigh. A half-smile tugged at his lips and he continued his tale.
“He found a wee lass sitting on a large rock just above the swirling, surging foam of the incoming tide. She swayed from side to side, a small forlorn figure, lost in her secret misery. Her lovely wee face lifted stoically in the force of the brisk sea breeze, wet with tears that flow in great torrents from her eyes as she wept brokenheartedly.
“’What is it, lassie?’ the lad asked. ‘Why are you so sad?’”
Gusty turned to look up at him and Alexander paused in his story to brush his lips against her forehead.
“His quiet-spoken words startled her from her solemn reverie. Her movement stilled and a deep sigh escaped her lips as she slowly turned to look at the boy she had befriended only weeks ago. She quickly swiped the tears from her cheeks.
“‘How long have you been watching me?’ she asked indignantly, her voice cracking with emotion. Turning her face away from him, she scrubbed at her eyes with the hem of her tunic.
“’Long enough to know something has upset you greatly.’”
“‘That just shows how much you know.’ Her voice wobbled in her denial. ‘Do not fash yourself; I am just a little sad today.’
“He barely caught her words as she turned away. He sighed heavily as he stared down at the small lass with her hunched shoulders and her chin drooping to her chest. Without warning, the boy reached for her and lifted her into his arms and carried her to a rock shelter up the beach. There he sat down, holding her small shivering body on his lap. He gathered her close to his chest with his bony arms wrapped around her to keep her warm. Being older by a good six years and nearly a grown man, he felt it his duty to deal with whatever foolishness brought his little lassie to this plight.
“’Tell me. What is wrong, lassie?’ he whispered against her ear. ‘I will do my best to make it right for you.’ At his words, she turned her sorrowful face to give him a tremulous smile.
“‘We are friends, are we not, laird? And we always will be?’
“’Of course. We have sworn it.’
“Since the boy had first discovered the wee lass at the seashore, they had become close and she came to depend on him whenever she needed a friend. He was someone to whom she could tell all her whimsical dreams and on occasion she dampened his broad shoulder with her despised tears.
“That day she had stolen away from the small cottage hidden deep within the coastal forest to make her way to the seashore. Usually her grandparents brought her and her brother down the little-used path to the beach where they searched for seashells and flotsam the tide washed ashore. Rarely did she find the opportunity to escape the keen eye of her grandmother. But that day she rebelled against the isolation. She rebelled against the rule set up for her protection, forbidden contact beyond her own small family, warned to hide if anyone happened by. The freedom for even a short while felt wonderful, or so she thought until the wee lass ran into the stranger. Frightened, she ran from him. He called out to her but she hid behind an outcropping of rocks and studied him for some time before he managed to coax her out of her hiding place.
“They were two innocents who found comfort in each other’s company. Neither of their families knew of the friendship that came about with their fortuitous first meeting. The boy knew from the start just how dangerous such an association could be. Nevertheless, at every chance offered he sneaked away from his father’s keep to cross the border and meet her at their favorite place.”
Gusty turned to look up at him and Alexander brushed his lips against her forehead.
“What happened?” she whispered.
“Well you see,” Alexander continued, “The children had become fast friends from the first time they discovered each other on the lonely seashore. They became closer than friends—totally devoted to each other. She had become to depend on the tall, slender lad. In return the boy became her protector and the time they spent together helped soothe his bruised heart and soul. He had a hard home life and his father often behaved in a brutish manner. Theirs was a rare friendship, which bloomed under extraordinary circumstances. A true twist of Fate brought them together in that time and place.
“They spent the long summer in each other’s company, exploring the seashore, swimming upon occasion, laughing at the outrageous tales they made up.”
Alexander paused for so long Gusty stirred in his arms.
“What happened to them, to…you?”
“Aye. It was a good summer that year. Unfortunately it had to end. She came that day to say she would not be seeing him anymore. Their time together was over. Tears filled her eyes as she said the words. ’I am going away,’ she told him. Her voice trembled as she raised her head, biting her bottom lip to keep it from quivering.
“His muscles under her small hands tensed and he tightened his hold on her. Shocked and angry he struggled to control his emotions. He wanted to cry out in protest. This could not be!”
Gusty pressed her face into his shoulder and Alexander tightened his grip on her. He continued his story.
“’Where will you go?’ the boy asked her, trying to stay calm even though he wanted to shout out his denial.
“‘My grandparents say it is no longer safe for us to stay here,’ she told him.
“’No! You cannot leave me! I will not allow it!’ The boy shouted.”
At Gusty’s startled expression, Alexander realized just how passionate he sounded and he flushed. Moderating his tone, he went on.
“The boy needed to know more. ‘Where will they take you, my little selkie?’ he asked her.
“You see they never learned each other’s names during their friendship. It was too dangerous, the wee lass had insisted, so they only knew each other as selkie and laird.”
The tightness in Alexander’s throat made his voice hoarse and several moments passed before he could continue with his tale.
“The boy denied she could leave him, they had become a part of each other. But she told him it must be so. Danger was coming for her and nothing could be done. Her tears nearly tore his heart to pieces.”
Again Alexander paused to swallow hard.
“He had never felt so helpless. ‘I will not let them take you from me!’ he declared. ‘You are mine!’ They decided to run away together.
“‘What of your father? He will beat you if he finds us.’
“Even though the lass feared for his safety if he ran away from his father, the boy would not change his mind. They would go. They would be together forever. He promised her.
“It pleased him that she cared about him. He puffed out his chest and boasted, ‘What my father does to me matters not. I will take you north to my aunt. We will live with her. She will help me take care of you. You will be safe with us.’ The lad nodded at his decision and took her small hand, lifted it to his lips and kissed it gallantly.”
Alexander look down to find Gusty smiling up at him.
“’You are mine, little selkie. I don’t care what anyone says. I will not stand by and let them take you from me. I could not live if I never saw you again. We are best friends, you and I,’ the boy declared most gallantly. To which the wee lass replied, ‘I will return one day. I swear it.’ But the boy was afraid. For the first time in his young life he felt real fear. No matter the trouble he had gotten into with his father, he had never really been afraid until he was faced with losing her.
“So the wee lass agreed, afraid of losing him also. They made their plans and then he was so bold as to kiss her on the cheek as they parted. ‘I will wait for you,’ he whispered and then she disappeared into the trees.”
“And did he wait for her?” Gusty asked.
&nbs
p; “Aye. I have been waiting ever since for you, my selkie, to return to me.”
Chapter Seven
“Stop, Augusta.”
Gusty scooted off his lap, a high blush on her cheeks. She put a hand to her head and moved as far as she could from Alexander before the strip of cloth binding their wrists stopped her. She glanced around, eyes wide.
“My clothes,” she said. “I left them at the bottom of the path to the beach.”
“You will not be needing them.”
“How can you say that? I am naked here!” She turned to face him, her voice rising.
Alexander swept his gaze over the shapely curves of her nude body. Beneath his tunic he grew hard at the sight of her standing before him so bold and beautiful. Claiming her as his lost love was a gamble but he wanted to assure her she had not handfasted with a complete stranger. He was a Highland laird after all. Her laird.
“Alexander? Is it true? That we once knew each other?”
He glanced up at the uncertainty in her voice. She looked pale but there was a hint of expectation in her eyes as she studied his face. And something more, something needy. As he perused her, her tongue flicked out to wet her bottom lip. The gesture drew a low moan and his body jerked with want. He understood what it was like to want to believe in something. The set of her shoulders softened and she leaned into him.
“Aye, Augusta. We once knew each other. You were…are my little selkie. My childhood sweetheart.”
He watched her closely to determine how his words affected her. She shook her head.
“I find it hard to believe. And yet I want to believe. I don’t remember. My childhood memories are fuzzy, unclear. We travelled from town to town, lived in a different house every year or so. Everything just blended together after a while.”
“I looked for you. I searched the forest and the villages for miles around. No one remembered seeing you or your grandparents and brother. It was as if you had disappeared from the face of the Earth. Where did you go?”
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