Magnus left Lady Fraser standing in a huff and found a chambermaid to give him directions.
He reached her door when hell broke loose below stairs.
"Where'd that lad take ma daughter? What did ye do to her?" Bellowed Laird Fraser.
"He's carried her upstairs. He said he's touched her."
The Fraser barely spared his wife a look.
"Dinna fash. He didna touch her in any way I wouldnae. I want to ken why he thought he could."
"Fraser, mayhap ye should be thankful the lad was nearby and had the wherewithal to check her and bring her back here." Laird Sinclair spoke up. "Ma son has her best interest at heart. He wasna compromising her. He was trying to be sure she lives. Mayhap worrying aboot yer daughter would be better than harping aboot ma son."
Laird Fraser's face turned a shade of plum that had more than one person wondering if he would have apoplexy. He turned and stormed up the stairs with his wife closely in tow.
Magnus opened the door to Deirdre's chamber and laid her on the bed. He used pillows to prop her on her side to avoid more pressure on her head injury. Once he made her as comfortable as he could, he covered her with a plaid, stocked the fire, and closed the window dressing enough to dim the light. Magnus paced waiting for the healer. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the chamber door slammed open.
"What are ye doing in here alone with ma daughter?"
Magnus looked at Laird Fraser with a mixture of surprise and anger.
"Do ye really think I'm here to molest yer unconscious daughter?" Magnus felt the heat rising in his neck and into his face. "Dinna ye dare insinuate I did aught wrong. The door was partially open, and I amnae touching her. I am fed up with being accused. What is wrong with ye that ye arenae more worried aboot the lass?"
"Dinna tell me what I should or shouldnae be doing, ye upstart."
"Fraser, I am fed up with yer blaming ma son when all he has done is care for yer daughter. It was that damn side saddle that harmed her and yer lack of concern for her."
Laird Sinclair came to stand by his son and wrapped his arm around Magnus’s shoulder. He looked into the young face that so closely resembled his own nearly two score years ago. Magnus looked at his father and saw only pride and support. He breathed a silent sigh of relief.
The healer walked in and looked at the giant angry men and the dour-faced woman. She bustled in and immediately began to run her hands over Deirdre just as Magnus had.
"Who propped the lass with the pillows?"
All eyes turned to Magnus.
"Ma laird and lady, be grateful that he did. He kept the pressure off her injury. Other than the knot on her head, she is unharmed as far as her bones. I will need to examine her further." She looked pointedly at the men.
Laird Sinclair squeezed his son's shoulder and nodded towards the door. Once in the passageway, his siblings came towards them. All four, Callum, Alexander, Tavish, and Mairghread, had been on the hunt and heard the hue and cry go up. They saw Magnus tearing across the open expanse between the woods and the keep. They, along with their father, had hurried to catch up.
"How does she fair?" asked an anxious Mairghread.
"She seems better than expected. A goose egg on the back of her head, but naught more serious."
"It was good that ye were with her, but I thought ye rode out with us."
"Aye, as did I," Laird Sinclair interjected.
"Da, I promised Deir, I mean Deirdre, that I would ride with her since neither of us was pleased aboot her using that shite saddle."
"Sidesaddle," Tavish piped in.
Magnus scowled and gave him a pointed look that had his older brother taking a step back.
"She's lucky she doesnae have a broken back or worse, dead," Callum stated the obvious. Alexander elbowed his brother as Magnus's face went white as a sheet then red as a cherry and then back to ghostly white all in a matter of seconds.
Magnus turned and walked back to Deirdre's door where he leaned against the adjacent wall.
"Son, ye canna stand there. It isnae proper. Come to the Great Hall and have a rest. I'm sure they will let us ken how the lass fairs."
Magnus adopted the stance that all four brothers learned from their father, feet planted apart and arms crossed. At eight and ten, he was already the largest of the giants that were the male Sinclairs. While he was only ever so slightly taller than Tavish, a hairsbreadth really, he was the same height as Callum and Alexander; however, he outweighed them each by two stones. He had the broadest torso and the widest arms and legs. He was a veritable mountain who made his unusually large older brothers look like hills.
Mairghread, who was slim and barely came to the center of any of their chests, walked to Magnus and rested her hands on his arms.
"I'll stay with ye, Maggie," she whispered, using her childhood nickname for him. She and Magnus were the closest in age and shared a bond that had changed over the past couple of years but was still unbreakable. Magnus nodded his head relieved that his sister, who knew him better than anyone, who knew the true nature of his relationship with Deirdre, would stay with him.
Laird Sinclair gave Mairghread and Magnus a long look before herding his other three children to the stairs and down to the Great Hall.
Once they were alone, Mairghread wrapped her arms around her brother, and he sank into her embrace. Since their mother died a few years prior, the brothers and sister relied heavily on one another and their father for emotional support, but Magnus and Mairghread always sought each other first.
"What if she dies, Mair? What if she lives but isnae the same? Canna be as she was before?"
"Wheesht. We will cross that bridge only if we must come to it."
"But neither Father nor Laird Fraser would ever let me marry her if she is permanently hurt."
"Ye would marry her even if she wasnae able to do things for herself or if she wasnae quite right in the head?"
Magnus ground his teeth so hard they could both hear it.
"All the more reason. Ye didna see or hear how her parents reacted to her injuries. I will take better care of her than either of them."
"But ye're awfully young to take on such a burden. What if ye decide ye--"
"Dinna," barked Magnus. "Dinna ye even dare call her a burden or tell me I amnae old enough to ken ma own mind. That lass will be ma wife one day, and God help whoever stands in the way."
Mairghread simply nodded and once again held her brother. She felt the shudders pass through him as she stroked her hand on his head and back over and over and hummed the tune their mother had used whenever they needed soothing as young children.
"Wheest, Magnus. It'll all come right," Mairghread whispered as Magnus composed himself. She looked into his red-rimmed eyes and took his hand. She guided him to sit on the floor and kept his massive hand in her tiny one until the chamber door opened.
Both Magnus and Mairghread clearly heard Deirdre calling Magnus's name, but the door shut tightly behind Lady Fraser and the healer. Magnus scrambled to his feet and attempted to reach for the door.
"Just what do ye think ye are doing?" Lady Fraser snapped.
"She's awake and calling for me. Ye've left her alone in there." He could hear crying from where he stood.
"Ye think that matters? Ye are mistaken if ye think ye will see her. Ye Sinclairs believe ye can always get what ye want. Ye're naught more than overreaching upstarts ever since yer father married that Sutherland chit."
Mairghread gasped and stepped between her brother and the woman standing before them. She wanted to do her bodily harm too, but she knew Magnus would do nothing with her in the way because he would not risk his sister's safety.
"Lady Fraser, I can see ye are overwrought with all that's happened. It's been a trying afternoon. I would be happy to stay with Lady Deirdre while everyone else settles in the Great Hall."
"Overwrought. That's what ye think."
Mairghread pressed her shoulders back and lifted her chin as she looked the old
er woman in the eye.
"What I think is that the king is partial to both me and Lady Deirdre, and I'm sure he would nae want to hear either or both of us are distressed."
Magnus bit his top lip to keep from smiling. He nodded and made his way to the stairs wondering what Lady Fraser could have against both the Sinclairs and the Sutherlands.
The night sky was black when Magnus crept from the chamber he shared with Tavish. He made his way down a flight of stairs and along the passageway to Deirdre's chamber. When he arrived, he pressed his ear against the door and heard nothing coming from the other side. He tested the handle and, discovering it was unlocked, pressed it open. There was a lit fire and a lone candle burning beside her bed. He pushed the door closed and walked to her bedside. He stroked hair back from her forehead and swallowed the lump forming in the back of his throat.
"Och mo chridhe, I failed ye. I swore to keep ye safe, and I didna. I dinna ken what I will do if I lose ye," he whispered.
"Am I going somewhere," came a raspy reply. Deirdre's eyes fluttered open.
Magnus felt like Atlas finally putting down his burden. His heart ached with relief.
"Magnus, are ye well? Ye dinna look it."
"It frightened me that ye wouldnae wake, then I heard ye calling for me and yer mother wouldnae let me see ye, then ye were sleeping so peacefully just now," he shrugged. "I was afraid for ye."
"Ye afraid of aught? I doubt that."
"Of course, I was afraid. I love ye. I canna imagine ever seeing aught worse than ye falling from that horse. Ye didna move once while I raced back here."
"Ye love me?" she said with a mischievous smile.
"Aye," he perched on the edge of the bed. "Ye ken these arenae words I just say, Deir. I mean them nae matter what happens to either of us. I wouldnae ever say them to a woman without meaning them. I wouldnae cheapen them."
"I love ye, too, Magnus. Always and forever."
Magnus leaned forward and breathed in her apple scent.
"Always and forever," he whispered before their lips met in a brief albeit tender kiss.
"I ken I shouldnae be in here, but I couldnae stand ye being alone."
Deirdre patted the open space next to her, and Magnus looked between the spot and Deirdre several times before moving around the bed. He had not worn his boots to soften his steps, so he only had to remove the top belt that held all his dirks and sporran. He would not risk being found in anything less. He laid down, and Deirdre angled herself, so he could spoon her. She looked back over her shoulder.
"I wish it could be like this every night, mo chridhe."
"One day soon, mo ghaol."
Magnus stroked her head until they both drifted off.
The early rays of morning were about to peek over the horizon when Magnus came awake to the sound of the door handle moving. He rolled from the bed and grabbed his belt before moving behind the door. It opened, and the healer walked in. As if sensing Magnus, she paused then peered around the door. She said nothing but gave him a knowing look and a nod of the head before standing aside. Magnus slipped from the room.
Magnus attempted to see Deirdre again each day for the next two but was always turned away. He sneaked to her room each night but was careful not to sleep so soundly, leaving before the healer came in. Frustrated with his limited time, he could only catch Deirdre's eyes briefly as both families left for their own lands.
~~~
Magnus realized that while he was scanning the room and watching Deirdre his mind wondered for far longer than he suspected. Servants cleared the meal and the tables were being pushed aside. He had been daydreaming through at least five courses. His heart ached from the memories of that hunting trip, and he looked for Deirdre once more needing a moment's confirmation that she was hale and hearty.
He saw her standing with her cousin, but none of the other ladies would come close. Instead, they spoke behind their hands and gave none too subtle glances in her direction. Magnus looked around and noticed many lascivious stares from the young men. He felt his heart speed up and the blood pound in his temples not only from possessiveness but indignation on Deirdre's part.
The music began to play, and Magnus pushed himself from the wall. He tried to make his way to Deirdre before any other man could, but despite his size, the now moving throng made it impossible before someone else asked her to dance. Magnus watched in silent irritation as a man whose hands were far too low on her back and held her far too close whisked Deirdre into a dance. He suffered through two more dances with different brazen partners before he and Deirdre managed, through mutual effort, to maneuver themselves together.
"I didna want to dance with them," Deirdre said anxiously.
Magnus held her just as close as the other men had though, he longed to hold his wife fully against his body. He drew small circles on her back with his thumb.
"Wheest, eun beag. I ken. I dinna like it but I ken. It isnae yer fault. If aught, the fault lies with me now and back then."
Deirdre squeezed his arm and hand as hard as she could.
"Dinna ever say that, mo fhuamhaire. Ye always gave me a choice, and I chose ye. I wish I had been strong enough to defy ma parents."
Magnus sighed. He had time to think about the past a great deal while waiting for the king.
"Deir, I dinna ken if it would have made a difference back then. I ken now ma da would have supported me, but I dinna think I would have believed that back then. I would have had us on the run. Ye've had a better, safer life with yer parents."
"Safer mayhap, but better definitely nae. How can ye say we were better off apart? That was seven years of pining and missing ye. Of thinking ye'd moved on, and I hadnae any desire to do the same. Magnus, we could have had a family by now. Ma parents stole that from me. From ye. From us. And why? For political gain. They didna think a marriage to ye and living in the north was advantageous enough. I didna understand another reason until only a year ago when I overheard ma mother speaking to ma aunt. Yer uncle Hamish spurned ma mother. She never got over the perceived slight, and since he's a Sutherland, her hate extended to the Sinclairs because of yer mother being a Sutherland originally. It is all so twisted and convoluted, but they didna think ye were good enough."
Deirdre was nearly in tears by the time she explained or rather confirmed, what Magnus already suspected.
"Deir, I never wanted us apart. That isnae what I meant. I was too young, too, to stand up for us. I didna ken how, and then time went by, and I couldna find ye. I thought ye were rejecting me though I kept sending the missives. Part of me felt there wasna any hope and another refused to give up."
Magnus gave her waist a squeeze as the song drew to an end.
"Ye are mine, and I am now in a position to see that through. Ken that I willna be sent away again. I will do aught I have to to keep ye."
Magnus's heated look made Deirdre's insides turn to gravy. She could only nod before one reel after another forced them apart. They partnered only as the dances dictated. They forced Magnus to watch her dance with three other men before she could disentangle herself from the dancers. Magnus noticed none of the women that worked their way in front of him, requiring him to dance or otherwise cause a scene. He nodded and murmured periodically as conversation required, but his eyes never left Deirdre, and each woman left with a harrumph.
Magnus was just about to attempt getting Deirdre's attention to slip out, but he heard the grating sound of Lord Archibald's voice.
"I understand we have several Highlanders at court. We should be more welcoming of our northern brothers. Perhaps they could show us the sword dance."
Magnus wanted to grumble. He did not want to linger in the overheated gathering hall or put on a spectacle for Lowlanders who only wanted to laugh at men they thought were barbaric.
As other Highlanders begrudgingly moved to the center of the chamber, eyes began to shift to him. There was no blending into the crowd. He scanned the group and found Uncle Hamish. The men looked aro
und since none could wear their swords so close to the king in such a confined space.
Hay signaled, and a troop of men brought in old and rusted swords clearly left to rot in the armory. They were several grunts and angry glares turned to Hay. There were several heads shaken, and some even began to move away until the queen clapped and encouraged the audience to join in. Forced to comply, the Highlanders arranged the provided swords.
Magnus and Uncle Hamish partnered first, and family rivalry got the better of them. Only the fact that the other sets of partners finished their round forced them to stop. Magnus leaped and kicked his way through six more energetic rounds until he was dripping with sweat, and his knees and feet ached. The final round came down to Magnus and a Mackay who he knew was serving as a spy within the MacDonnell household. The two men began the complicated and intricate steps. Magnus quickly saw that the man was as skilled as he, and if it were not for Hay, the Frasers, and Deirdre being in the crowd, he might have been willing to concede. He pushed the speed and forced his body to jump higher. He knew his opponent was flagging just like him, but he pushed until the side of his opponent's boot glanced the blade of one sword. The sword vibrated only slightly but enough for the Mackay's honor to demand he concede.
Magnus grasped the other man's forearm and shook as he wiped his soaked forehead and hair on the sleeve of his leine. He caught the look of hate and malice on Hay's face before seeing Laird Fraser's look of surprise and disgruntlement as the laird marched over to Hay. Magnus watched a heated exchange between the men that had Fraser shaking his head then looking in Magnus's direction. Both men glared at him before others joined them and ended their tete-a-tete.
He scanned over the tops of most heads and spotted Deirdre, but before he could catch her eye, he was called to the king and queen's table. Several rounds of congratulations and a reminder of the hunt made Magnus long to escape. When he was finally free, he searched the area but could not spot Deirdre's blond spiral curls. He looked around and saw that Hay and Fraser were still engaged in conversation, but Lady Fraser was also not in sight.
His Highland Pledge (The Clan Sinclair Book 4) Page 11