by Carmen Caine
"Aye," Langley agreed. "They're a cowardly lot. But considering they returned, that makes the situation more strange than lucky." He shrugged again. "Think what you like, but you have a spy." He lifted a brow. "Mayhap it's you they want?"
"They had their chance when they abducted Elise. They knew I would pursue them yet didn't lay in wait for me."
Langley grunted. "The pleasures of the flesh are a powerful distraction."
Marcus's jaw tightened.
"Dinna' lose your temper," the young chief said. "'Tis an observation, nothing more."
"An astute observation," Marcus muttered, then added, "Someone who is reporting the comings and goings."
"What they are reporting, I can't say. But 'tis clear they are hunting. I wager it's big game. 'Course, we will fight alongside you."
Marcus smiled to himself. The clans feuded far less in these modern times, giving a restless Highland heart such as Langley's no outlet for its brand of justice.
"You will stay until tomorrow morning and train?" Langley motioned toward the men who tonight sported with whiskey and lasses, but tomorrow would train hard.
"Aye," Marcus replied, the memory of Kyle's report that all was well at Brahan Seer fresh in his mind.
Langley gave an acknowledging nod, then grabbed the bottle and strode toward several men who vied for the attention of two kitchen maids.
Marcus watched him go. A lot of Langley's father Glen lived in the boy. Glen had refused to give up the old ways and he had fought English injustice the only way he knew how: midnight raids. Marcus smiled, remembering the chief's delight in slaughtering the sheep of an offending lord, then leaving the animals on the lord's doorstep. As a young man, Marcus had ridden with him three days from MacFarlene territory on just such a raid. Unfortunately, Glen went on one too many clandestine rendezvous and was felled by a young baron on the English coast. Marcus understood the battle cry that had driven the old chief. However, in their modern age, it was bad business to consider teaching the Sassenach the error of their ways.
Suddenly, Marcus wearied of politics and war. Even wealth and power hadn't exempted the MacGregors from the English disdain for Highlanders. Still, Ryan MacGregor had done well in choosing a woman of courage. Thank God for a good woman. His loins stirred at the thought of another good woman. Desire swept through him, bringing his body to the now-familiar ache.
Marcus left the revelry. He fell into bed, his body hard with the memory of Elise's touch. In his mind's eye, he saw her wrap slim fingers around his shaft. He reached down, his hand closing over hers. She called to him, her song as sweet as that of any Ceasg. He groaned. Slowly, and with great precision, she pulled him into murky depths where willowy shapes tortured his body and held him hostage long into the night.
* * * *
Elise sighed when Winnie shoved the book across the kitchen table toward her.
"Nay," Winnie shook her head, "I canna' do it. I have no brain for it."
"Ridiculous," Elise snorted. "Now, calm yourself. We aren't finished."
"Aye, we're finished." Winnie jumped from her chair and began pacing. "We're finished for good." She rubbed her temples as if to drive the frustration from her mind.
"But you were doing so beautifully. Come," Elise entreated, "sit and rest."
The housekeeper paused, eyes narrowed, but flung herself into the chair, nonetheless.
Elise repressed a smile when Winnie picked up the offending book and glanced in the direction of the fire. "Winnie—"
"Dinna' try to talk me into any more reading." She dropped the book on the table as if horns had sprouted from the cover. "'Tis no use. I haven't the brain for it."
Elise raised a brow. "Surely you're not afraid of a little effort?"
The housekeeper shot her a shrewd look. "Isna' that and you know it."
Elise shrugged. "It's not for me to judge. You will be the one to explain to your friends why you cannot read to them as promised."
"You think you're mighty smart, eh, lass?" She snatched up the book.
Elise leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "The next two lines, please."
"O, woo-would, or I," she began slowly, "had seen the d-ay that tre-tra—" She snorted in frustration.
"Treason," Elise prodded softly.
"—treason thu-s cud—"
"Could," Elise corrected.
"Could sell us, my au-ld grey heed—" Winnie grunted, then repeated with vehemence, "head," then again slowly, "had lien in c-l-ay wi' Bruce and loyal Wallace," she ended with a flourish.
"Excellent. Read half an hour tomorrow and the next day. Then we'll review those pages."
Winnie hesitated.
"Don't worry." Elise smiled. "In no time at all you will have everyone in the village begging you to read for them."
"Well, I don't know about that," Winnie replied, but her nonchalant attitude didn't hide the small smile at the corner of her mouth.
"I do," Elise said with conviction.
"So do I," added a deep voice from the kitchen doorway.
Elise twisted in her chair to stare at Marcus
He lounged against the doorframe. "I believe, milady," he addressed Winnie, but never took his eyes off Elise, "if your teacher has her way, you will never have a moment's peace."
"Nothing will have changed then." Winnie sniffed, then rose.
"No need to go," Elise said too quickly.
"Aye, there is." Winnie gave her a knowing look as she brushed past. "Good night to ye, Marcus," she said on the way out the door.
"You're back," was all Elise could say.
"Aye, love. 'Tis my home, remember?" He pushed off from the doorframe, his gaze holding hers as he walked forward. He stopped by her side.
The embers in the fire crackled, causing her to jump. "The fire needs more wood."
He gave no indication he'd heard, then turned and went to the hearth. Marcus grasped the poker and stoked the fire. "How have things been during my absence?"
"The same." She prayed he didn't read into her answer the fact that every day he had been away she had recalled the look on his face when he'd burst through his men and saw her after she escaped the Campbells, and the whispered words "Never again" when he pressed her close… and the kiss that had followed.
Marcus reached for a log from the pile beside the hearth. He bent to one knee, his kilt falling across the calf of the bent leg. She tried tearing her gaze away. Instead, her attention fixed on the play of muscle in his shoulder as he tossed the log onto the fire. Here was the reason behind his command to move her into the castle. If she were nearer him, how long could she resist his advances? Damn him. He had further hampered her movements. In the three days he'd been gone, she had yet to leave the castle without someone marking her movements. Had he enlisted all MacGregors as spies?
Marcus unexpectedly glanced back over the shoulder she was staring at. Her heart pounded wildly in the moment he studied her. How transparent were her thoughts? He rose. She tensed when he leaned the poker against the wall and turned.
"Elise," he began as he approached, "I handled things badly." He halted before her.
"Well, you were a bit…" She gave him a rueful look. "I haven't been a saint." Her heart lurched at the understatement, then fluttered at the thought of confessing the truth. What would he do if she threw herself into his arms and told all?
Marcus smiled. "No matter." He extended a hand. "Come, love, walk with me."
She stared at his outstretched hand, held steady for her. The gentleness there belied the strength.
"'Tis all right," he coaxed. "I promise not to bite."
Elise looked up at him. "Are you in the habit of making promises you cannot keep?"
He reached for her and she resisted the urge to slap his hand back.
* * * *
Marcus stood behind Elise on a hill overlooking the village. Lights dotted the valley, shining in haloed rings from the cottages. A balmy breeze blew, yet Marcus saw her shiver.
Marcus resisted th
e urge to wrap an arm around her and stepped up beside her, fingers laced behind his back. He turned his attention to the flickering lights below. "What do you think of the Highlands, lass?"
She said nothing for a moment, then, in a quiet voice, "The Highlands are… unusual. Despite all odds, life thrives here." She laughed softly. "At least, the Highland notion of life." She slanted a smile in his direction. Marcus stilled, afraid the spell would dissolve. "Highland life is full and lush." She returned her attention to the valley. "Yet, some would say, like a woman, it changes at a moment's notice, suddenly wild and furious."
Did he detect a sensual note in her voice? Marcus tightened the grip on his emotions. Now wasn't the time to test her. Yet a voice from within asked, If not now, when?
"The rugged wilderness here is frightening," she went on. "Yet, at the same time, it is compelling to the extreme." Elise motioned with her head at the broad expanse before them. "Those hills lure with a beauty uniquely their own. They call to the soul, drawing it into their mystery like…"
Marcus leaned toward her before catching himself. Inhaling a deep breath, he said in a hushed voice, "Like a lover."
She looked at him, her expression open. "Yes, you've captured the heart of it."
Not yet, love, he thought, but soon, very soon. "How did you come to be in Scotland?"
Surprise flickered on her face, but instantly relaxed into the even reply, "Surely you know I was washed ashore when our ship went down in a fire."
"Aye. I mean, why were you in Solway Firth?" Elise frowned, and he added, "Sailing from America to London, you would pass the south of Ireland. To reach Solway Firth you must pass north of Ireland, then head south between Ireland and Scotland. The route would add a week or more to your journey."
Surprise flashed across her face. "A week?"
"Aye."
Her expression clouded and she murmured, "Amelia."
"What?"
She started. "What?"
"Who is Amelia?"
Elise looked out over the valley. "Amelia was my daughter."
"Was—Elise."
She shook her head. "Odd, isn't it? I sail from America for London, am shipwrecked—barely on Scottish soil—and here I am, miles away, in the Highlands."
"Strange, indeed," Marcus murmured, sending up silent thanks for the huge difference in that short distance. "And why come here to Brahan Seer?"
She gave a small laugh. "I had nowhere better to be."
"Are you happy?"
Can you be happy without husband and child?
"Your father has been kind. I liked him the moment I met him."
"What did you think upon first meeting me?" At the startled look on her face, he cursed his foolish curiosity.
"Why, milord," the title fell in teasing accents from her lips and her eyes widened with mock gravity, "I thought you were the fiercest warrior I'd ever had the misfortune to meet."
Marcus blinked, then threw his head back and laughed, for he remembered her assessment of his sword—not to mention his open shirt.
"Sit with me." He took her hand, settled her on the ground, and lowered himself down beside her. Marcus turned his gaze onto her and gave a soft smile. "Tell me about Amelia."
Pain flickered across her features and she lowered her gaze. When, at last, she spoke, her words were flat. "Amelia was six years old and very ill. We were traveling to England to see a specialist. I should have known she wasn't strong enough for the journey—I did know—but I couldn't bear the thought of never again looking upon her sweet face.
"Selfish," she muttered. "When Amelia smiled…" Elise's breath quickened and Marcus tensed, recognizing the anxiety in the sudden rise and fall of her breasts. "The corners of her eyes crinkled and her eyes sparkled as only a child's can." The moon illuminated Elise's face, revealing the part of memory that couldn't be conquered, and a pain that would never wholly die. "She died three days before the fire."
"Three days?" Marcus exclaimed. "Had you not gone by way of Solway Firth—"
"Yes," Elise agreed in a voice far removed from Scotland—from him. "Yes."
"Why take that route?"
She shrugged. "We encountered bad weather and must have been blown off course. I didn't concern myself with the route." The bitterness in her voice said she now counted that a mistake.
Marcus kept to himself the knowledge that a storm couldn't have taken them to Solway Firth had they not been north of Ireland to begin with.
"You can't know what it is to watch your child die." She looked down into her lap where her hands lay clasped. "We could do nothing. When Steven heard of a specialist in England, we set sail immediately. I thank God she died in peace. Facing what came afterwards would have been far worse."
"And the others on the ship?" Marcus asked.
"We traveled on a barque, three-masted. Not a large ship, with only a crew of eleven. Then there was Steven, R-iley and I."
"Riley?" Marcus repeated.
"My husband."
"Who is Steven?"
"My brother." Elise stared out over the valley. "The commotion woke me in the middle of the night. By the time Steven came for me—"
"Steven, not your husband?"
"No. By the time Steven got to my cabin, smoke filled the corridors. He dragged me up on deck. I was sure we wouldn't make it; the corridor was so thick with smoke."
"No chance the ship could be saved?"
"They tried. Flames lapped up from the galley and the sails were ablaze. The wind blew hard. A storm had kicked up and the sails flapped furiously. Oh, how the wind can howl."
"Storms are common in the sound," Marcus said. "What started the fire?"
She grunted, a low but distinctly disgusted sound. "Likely an unattended lamp." She gave a mirthless laugh. "I knew what Steven meant to do. But, damn him, he knew me just as well. He gave me no chance." She looked at Marcus, her gaze burning into him. "Threw me overboard without so much as a by-your-leave."
"Indeed?"
"Damn you, one and all," she said under her breath.
Marcus cleared his throat. "He managed a boat, I take it?"
"What?" she answered on a distracted note. "Oh, yes." All bitterness had vanished from her voice. "I should have warned him, but I never dreamed—" her voice broke and Marcus realized she was weeping.
"Elise, love."
She shook her head, turning away. He sat up and reached for her. She tried to stand but couldn't manage her skirts quickly enough. He hauled her onto his lap and hugged her close.
"I would like to go home," she said into his shirt between quiet tears.
"Love," he whispered, "you are home."
"Amelia was gone," she said as if not having heard him. "But Steven—"
Some minutes passed. At last, her soft cries subsided and Marcus felt her chest expand with a deep breath. "A piece of him died each day with Amelia. When she—" Elise fumbled in her pocket. Marcus calmed the nervous search by placing his hand over hers. She stilled.
Marcus brushed the tears away with a thumb.
"I should have allowed Amelia to die in her own home," Elise said when he'd finished. "Steven would still be here."
"Steven suggested the doctor? He must have been as anxious as you to see her recover."
"Of course," she answered crossly.
"Could you have stopped him?"
"He couldn't have gone without us. Yes. I could have stopped him."
"Somehow, I doubt that."
"He was a determined fool," she cut in, "but had I told him it was best—"
"He would have carried you onto the ship."
"Damnable men," she muttered.
"What of Amelia's father?"
"He did not survive."
That Marcus knew, but he found it strange that Elise's story didn't include her husband. Too painful, he realized, and said, "I'm sorry, lass."
"Fate is strange," she murmured.
"You can't blame yourself for their deaths," Marcus said.
"You would be amazed at what I can do."
Marcus felt a tremor pass through her. He hugged her closer. "Dinna' say more."
"Seems a bit late for that," she remarked in a dry tone.
He sighed. "Lass, you could remain here quiet all night and I wouldna' complain."
She looked up at him. "It is not… common—for a brother and sister, that is—but Steven was my friend. I shall never find that kind of trust again."
His gaze fell on her left hand and the spot where he knew the scar was on her palm's edge. She hadn't escaped the fire completely unharmed. He took the hand, lifted it to his lips and kissed the scar. He placed the hand around his waist, then slid a hand into her hair and tilted her head upward.
"Are ye sure?" he asked.
Her mouth parted with quiet surprise. He had promised himself he wouldn't touch her. Yet his head lowered and his mouth covered hers of its own volition. Elise offered no resistance when he parted her lips with his tongue. He tightened his hold, the fire in him hot. Still, he kept the kiss soft, his tongue thrusting gently in her mouth. She relaxed. His groin tightened and he ended the kiss. He sighed. His only choice now was to take her home or take her there.
Chapter Seven
"Are you sure?"
The memory of Marcus's warm breath brushing her skin as he whispered the question made Elise shiver. She squinted up at thick morning sunlight streaming down between heavy storm clouds. Daylight brought no more clarity than had the sleepless night. She paused at the rock, which marked the halfway point on the hill between Brahan Seer and the village, and sat down. She worked the boot from her left foot.
"Infernal pebbles." She turned the boot upside down and shook the irksome item free.
The pebble hit the stony ground with a click. Elise strained to see it, then, shaking her head, stuck her foot in the boot and tugged. Her heel caught on the heel grip. She tugged harder but to no avail.
"Good Lord." She jumped to her feet.
She stomped her foot on the ground. The heel jammed even harder on the heel grip and her foot turned, tumbling her to the ground. She sat for a moment, surveying the skirts thrown up around her thighs, and sighed. Drawing her knees to her, Elise tugged the skirts down over her legs. She propped an elbow on one knee and placed her chin on the heel of a palm.