Highlander's Beautiful Lia ( Historical Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance)

by Adamina Young

  Grace rolled her eyes and gave Connor a scornful look. “Connor, ‘tis all about politics and duty with ye. Boring. Alec is married! Where is yer wife! I want to meet my new sister so I can beg her to extend my visit here.”

  “How come ye arena asking me about an extended visit?” Alec asked with a frown.

  “Because ye would say no, and most wives have a way of getting around that.”

  So they hadn’t met Cora yet. Strange. She’d been looking forward to their visit. “There arena enough guards here to keep an eye on ye,” he said blankly. “And this isnae a safe place for the likes of ye, my darling sister.”

  Grace just rolled her eyes. “Doona tell me that ye are going to be just as boring as Connor now that ye are a laird. Where is yer wife? I need some excitement, and I heard that ye married a lying Sassenach thief! She must be interesting!”

  “Grace,” Connor growled. “What did I tell ye? Ye must watch yer tongue while Alec is still finding his hold here.”

  “‘Tis alright.” Alec winked at his little sister. “I think Grace’s reputation is well-known. I’m going to change and find my wife. Dinner should be ready soon. Connor, ye can join us at the hall, but Grace, I want ye to have yer dinner here.”

  “What?” Grace groaned. “Why?”

  Because he still didn’t trust everyone at his table. “Because ye are too young, and this place is too rough. At home, ye have the laird’s protection. Here, my protection may not be enough. Ye can explore tomorrow.”

  Connor narrowed his eyes. “There is dissent in yer clan?”

  He hadn’t told them about the arrow or the brush fire, but he wanted to withhold the information until Connor got a good look at everyone at dinner. He wanted his brother’s honest opinion of the men. To see if any of them had betrayed them.

  “I am still gaining their trust.”

  Connor nodded his head, but Alec knew that his brother understood. Leaving his little hellion of his sister to his older brother, he went in search of Cora.

  To his surprise, he found her in her chambers.

  Packing a valise.

  “Cora,” he said as he tried to squash his growing fear and anger. “Is there some place that ye are planning on going?”

  Her head shot up, and she was pale. Too pale, but she forced a smile. “Alec. I am so glad that you are back. I have decided to take you up on that visit with my family. I was thinking that we could leave tonight, but I suppose it is too late now. So morning then?”

  “Cora.” He stared at her. What was going on inside that head of hers?

  “If you are too busy, then I can make the journey on my own. Perhaps with an escort? A day or two with them should suffice.”

  She looked at him, but he wasn’t even sure that she was seeing him. “Cora. My brother and my sister are here. Ye didnae greet them.”

  “Oh.” She blinked and shook her head. “Yes. Your family. I am so sorry. I must have forgotten. I will rectify that mistake immediately. Let me apologize.”

  As she tried to hurry by him, he grabbed her arm. “What happened, Cora? Why do ye need to see yer family?”

  Tears filled her eyes. “I miss them, that’s all. I just want to know that they are safe.”

  “All right. We will go see them, but we cannae go tomorrow. I promise though, as soon as I am able, we will travel to see them. When it is safe, they can come here. I wilnae keep yer family from ye, lass.”

  She opened her mouth and then closed it and nodded. “I understand. Thank you.”

  Drawing her close, he kissed the top of her head. He had thought it strange that she did not want to see her family, but apparently it had been building until something snapped inside of her today.

  Maybe when she saw her family, she would finally feel whole again.

  20

  Hosting Connor Sinclair and Grace was her first big event since becoming Alec’s wife, and she was already making a mess of it. After receiving Innes’s letter, all logic had fled.

  He’d made it clear that he didn’t need her to give him anything. He planned on taking it. First, taking his revenge out on the Thistles, and then taking Alec’s life, and finally taking her.

  In that order.

  The Thistles. She had to make sure that Lana was alright. She would never forgive herself if Innes got his hands on her.

  Alec. How could she even have thought to ask him to take her to England? He had so much to worry about already, and his family was here. Of course he couldn’t escort her.

  But she would have to go, even if she had to go alone.

  Mary. She would need to speak to Mary. “Alec, I am going to check the kitchens to make sure that everything is fine.”

  As she tried to sneak away, Alec wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “Doona be nervous. My sister loves ye already simply because she believes ye are an ally against her horrible brothers, and Connor will respect ye because of yer support of me. The kitchens are fine, and I will have ye walking into the dining hall with me.”

  Cora frowned as he drew her along. “I noticed you said that your brother would respect me instead of like me,” but then the doors were open, and there was no time for him to answer.

  It was easy to pick out the laird of the Sinclairs. Even if he wasn’t surrounded by Alec’s closest friends, Cora would have been able to see the resemblance. Alec and Connor? Same dark hair, dark eyes, strong jaw and full lips, but it was more than age that separated them. There was a hardness in Connor’s eyes. Strength and power, yes, but pain as well.

  “I do not see your sister,” she whispered.

  “My sister wilnae be joining the clan dinners. Ye will understand why when ye meet her in the morn.”

  Not wanting to seem weak in front of her husband’s brother, she followed him to the head of the table where she dropped into a curtsy. “Laird Sinclair, it is a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for not being here during your arrival.”

  “Lady Cora. Sister.” Connor raised her hand and kissed it. “‘Tis a pleasure to meet ye, and ye doona need to apologize. Being my brother’s wife must be trying yer patience.”

  There was a chuckle of laughter before Alec shook his head and pulled out the chair for Cora. Her tension about Connor eased just a little, but her other problem still weighed heavily on her mind, and even though she tried to keep up with the conversation of dinner, her thoughts drifted. Her fears imprisoned her.

  The hours dragged on, and she finally whispered to Alec, “If it’s all right, I’m feeling a little tired. I think I’ll check on your sister and then go to bed. Will that be all right?”

  To her surprise, he turned his head and brushed his lips against hers. “I am sorry if my family has made ye miss yers. Try not to let my sister convince ye to let her out of the keep. She has an adventurous spirit, but she always finds trouble.”

  Sounds like they would have much in common.

  She said her farewells to Connor and the men and headed to the guest chambers. She’d just started knocking on the door when it flew open, and a young woman grinned at her. “Hello, I am Grace. Ye must be my new sister! A bonnie lass indeed! No wonder my brother was in such a hurry to wed ye!”

  Before Cora could even say hello, Grace had thrown her arms around her and hugged her tightly. There was so much warmth in that hug, and for a moment, Cora remember what it was like with Lana.

  “Welcome, Grace Sinclair,” she laughed. “You are right, I am Cora. It is wonderful to meet you, finally. I am sorry that the wedding was in haste. I would have loved for you to have been there.”

  Grace glanced out the hall before she pulled her in and closed the door. “Ye doona have to pretend with me. I know why ye and Alec really married. Is he being kind to ye? My brothers can be a wee bit dense when it comes to women. I should know. I have seen it.”

  Liking Grace more and more, Cora laughed and walked through the open doorway. While Grace flounced stomach-first on the bed, Cora sat on the chair. “Alec is a good man, and
a good husband. Admittedly, I have not been a good wife, but despite my lies, he has treated me with kindness.”

  “And love?”

  There was hope on Grace’s face, and Cora understood. The young woman loved her brother and wanted them to be happy. “Things are complicated,” Cora said quietly as she thought of how she was about to betray Alec. “He deserves love, Grace, and I know that he’s capable of it, but I don’t think that it’s going to be with me.”

  Narrowing her eyes, Grace slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position. “Ye love him.”

  Tears filled her eyes at the other woman’s observation, but she refused to let them fall. Of course it was obvious that Cora loved Alec. The whole clan probably knew it. Alec probably knew it too. He was fond of her, and he’d promised to be faithful, but he would never love her.

  Especially after tonight.

  “I do love him,” she confessed quietly. “But as I said, things are complicated. I’m more dangerous to Alec than he could have ever imagined.”

  “What the bloody hell do ye mean by that?” Grace demanded, but Cora was already rising. She needed to speak to Mary and Louise before she made her preparations, and then she needed to finish packing.

  “My path was set for me the day that I was born. A gift from the father that I only got to know briefly before he was murdered by my half-brother and his best friend. I thought that being chained in a prison for months was the worst thing that could have happened to me, but if I had known what would have come after the most handsome man I’d ever seen freed me, I would have stayed.”

  “Cora, ye arena making any sense.”

  Smiling, she opened the door and looked back. “You are right. I apologize. I believe that I just need to get some sleep. It was lovely meeting you, Grace.”

  “I will see you in the morning,” Grace said, but Cora was already closing the door. She didn’t have the heart to tell her that she was most likely never going to see her again.

  After she gave herself to Innes, she was never going to see anyone again.

  When she headed up to her chambers, she found Mary and Louise waiting for her. To her horror, she saw that Mary carried her own bag. “You cannot come with me.”

  “Ye wilnae make it to England without me,” Mary responded shortly. “I know Alec has refused to take ye tomorrow, and I know that ye plan on sneaking out tonight. Ye doona know the land. Ye will probably ride in circles all night.”

  Cora knew that she was never going to make it to England alone. “I need you to stay and give me a head start. Let Alec know that I am ill and want to sleep alone. I trust that he will reunite with his brother until the early hours of the morning and won’t check on me until the afternoon.”

  “A head start wilnae help ye get to England,” Louise pointed out.

  “You were going to let me go before.”

  “That is because we didnae care as much about ye as we do now.”

  Oh. Well. That was good to know. “I appreciate the change of attitude, but I need the two of you here to make sure that I get my head start. I will be fine. If things go badly for me, then I need you to tell Alec that I am sorry. They are my family, and so is he, and I wanted to keep them safe.”

  “Cora.” Mary leapt forward and hugged her. “What will ye do if ye find that Innes has already hurt yer family?”

  “I will kill him, and then we do not have to worry about him hurting anyone ever again.”

  21

  All of the men had gone home to their beds or to their women, leaving Alec and Connor alone in the great hall. The mess had been cleared, and Alec started to feel the exhaustion setting in, but he wasn’t quite ready to turn in just yet.

  He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed his brother. “I am glad that yer here,” he acknowledged.

  Connor reached out and gently probed the wound beneath his shirt. “There is always danger in power, but I did not realize how difficult it would be to take over the MacKay clan, nor did I think that there would be a direct attack against ye.”

  “It could have been against Cora. She is the reason that my position here is stable.”

  Connor sat back and sighed. “Aye. The lass from the dungeons, the supposed thief. Duncan’s daughter.”

  “Pledged to Innes Campbell,” Alec whispered. They were sour words in his mouth. If Innes ever got his hands on Cora, Alec would kill him.

  “And yet the King has allowed her to marry ye. ’Tis a blessing.”

  “Not for her. She’s had her choices stolen from her the moment that Duncan entered her life, and I didnae treat her well in the beginning.”

  “Ye love her now?”

  Before he could answer, the doors to the great hall opened, and Grace came rushing inside. Both Alec and Connor stood and bellowed at her at the same time.

  “Stop,” Grace snapped as she rolled her eyes. “Doona waste yer breath. I know ye want to tell me that I should be in my room where it is safe, but I had a most disturbing conversation with Cora. I tried to sleep, but I cannae. I think something is wrong.”

  “Disturbing?” Alec frowned. “What do ye mean?”

  Just then, another woman hurried through the open door. Mary. “Laird Alec. Laird Connor. Lady Grace. I apologize for interrupting. Cora wanted me to let ye know that she has fallen ill, and she will retire in her chambers tonight.”

  “Ill?” Alec was surprised. Cora looked nervous at dinner but not sick. “Is she alright?”

  The blood drained from Mary’s face, but she nodded.

  Grace narrowed her eyes. “I spoke to her less than an hour ago, and she didnae look ill.”

  “’Twas sudden,” the servant said faintly.

  Lying. She was lying.

  “Mary, what is going on? Is Cora alright?” Alec asked.

  When Mary’s eyes filled with tears, Alec’s stomach knotted, and the pleasant buzz from the wine disappeared. He remembered the last time he’d felt like this.

  When Cora had tried to leave him.

  “She is on her way to England,” Alec spat. “Damn her, I told her that I would take her myself. Did she doubt me?”

  “No,” Mary said softly. “She doesn’t doubt ye, but she fears she doesna have the time to wait.”

  “Time? Has someone in her family fallen ill?” No. That didn’t make sense. Her family didn’t even know that she was alive. She wouldn’t have known if someone had fallen ill. “Mary, a letter came through yesterday. A message. It was for ye.”

  “Nay.” Mary shook her head. “I sent and received the messages, but it wasnae meant for me.”

  “Who was the message from?” Alec demanded. “Who?!”

  When Mary didn’t answer immediately, Alec had his answer. “Damnation. After all this time, after she told me that she was hiding nothing else from me, she was still communicating with him.”

  “Him who?” Connor asked.

  “Innes Campbell. Mary, what do ye know?” The servant looked torn, and Alec acknowledged her loyalty, but this wasn’t the time for it. “She wilnae make it to England alone. She isnae strong enough to make it out of the Highlands, let alone find her way through the Lowlands alone, but I need to know what I am up against. She got a letter from Innes and is on her way to her family. Is she running from him or from me?”

  “Neither,” Mary said finally. “Innes has always known who she was. He was there when Seth killed her father. They would have killed her too, but Innes is obsessed with her. Has been from the moment he laid eyes on her. That is why they imprisoned her. When people forgot about the daughter of Duncan, Seth promised Cora to Innes.”

  With a gasp, Grace pressed her hand to her mouth. “She told me that she thought that dungeon was the most horrible time, but Innes has still been torturing her. Threatening her, hasn’t he?”

  “Not just her.” Mary looked at Alec. “He’s claimed to have her sister, Lana, watched and followed. If she told anyone, then he would kill her, and when that arrow came, she feared that it was marked for Alec.
”

  She was protecting him. That sweet little wife who’d been fighting from the moment he laid eyes on her, was protecting him. “The message, Mary, what did it say?”

  “She asked him what he wanted,” Mary sobbed. “She offered to give him anything that he wanted, but he wrote that he didn’t want her to give him anything. He was going to take it. First her family. Then her husband. Then her. She was going to England to check on her family.”

  “Mary, find Jamie and Stephen. Tell them to ride to the Thistles immediately. They are to protect them. Connor, I need ye to stay here and pen a letter to the King. Tell him that Innes was there when Duncan died.”

  “And what are ye going to do?”

  “I know my wife well, and she is a liar,” Alec said grimly. “She isnae going to England. She is going to Innes. The little fool is hoping to sacrifice herself for her family.”

  Grace reached out and slapped Alec. “And for ye, Alec. She loves ye. When ye go to rescue her, ye remember that.”

  She loved him. Seeing the anger in Grace’s eyes, he knew that it was true. Reaching out, he cupped her chin. “Doona worry, little sister. I will. Come. There is no time to lose. Thankfully, Cora doesna know the terrain well. I will probably find her walking around in circles.”

  22

  Back in chains. Wonderful plan, Cora. At least this time, I can sit.

  Testing the bolts against the wall, she glanced at the closed door as it creaked open. Walking into the Campbells’ territory hadn’t been the smartest plan. She’d hoped that she could avoid Innes and appeal directly to his brother, but she’d underestimated his reach. Of course he’d have men who were loyal to him.

  Now she was in chains, and she had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be Mac Campbell walking through the door.

  At first, he didn’t say anything as he walked in. Just smiled triumphantly, as though her walking in to give herself up meant it was his victory. Like terrorizing a woman was a battle that he’d won. “Do ye think that ye giving yerself up means that I will spare yer family? Yer sweet little Lana and that husband who has been rutting between your legs every night?”