They looked to Simon, whose platter was almost cleared of food. "What?" he asked innocently.
"What are we to do now?" Callie asked.
Simon shrugged and finished his food.
Emily set the platters aside and thought the matter through for several minutes. "My maid Alys once told me that if you flash a little ankle, a man will follow you anywhere."
Simon snorted. "Trust me, 'twould take more than an ankle to dislodge those two."
Emily loosened the top laces of her gown. Simon discreetly turned his back while she went closer to the men. "You know, Callie, 'tis rather warm out tonight. Perhaps I should dampen my kirtle until it's sodden and hangs transparent against my skin."
Draven stumbled at her words.
"Is that what you English do when you're warm?" Callie asked as she joined her. "At home we merely remove our plaids and walk about… bare."
Sin snapped his head toward her.
Callie fingered the pin on her shoulder. "It only takes unfastening one brooch to remove the entire thing."
Draven growled and rushed Sin, catching him about the middle and knocking him back.
Sin roared and attacked full force.
Emily sighed as they continued their battle. "I think we only made it worse."
They turned to look at Simon, who was now poking around the other two platters and eating the food from them.
"What?" he asked again as he realized he held their full attention.
Emily put her hands on her hips. "Is there truly nothing you can do?"
Simon dropped the food in his hand and straightened. "Should I do this, then I want both of you to promise me you will grab your husbands before I am gelded."
"We will," they promised in unison.
"You had better."
Straightening his tunic with a tug, Simon moved closer until he stood just a little way from the other two men. "Draven," he said, his voice falsetto. "What a big, strong warrior you are. Why, it makes my heart pound the way you move. You're such a great hero."
Sin laughed out loud.
Draven merely growled again.
Simon turned his attention away from his brother. "And Sin, such a great big, tough knight you are. Why, I just don't know if I can stand here and watch you. It makes me all jittery."
Sin laughed no longer.
Simon turned to look at Callie and Emily. "Ladies, while the men play with each other's swords, what say you we adjourn inside and Emily can show me all about damp kirtles and Cal—"
Before he could finish the sentence, Draven and Sin charged him.
Sin caught him about the neck at the same time Draven caught his waist. Together they lifted him from his feet and tossed him into a water trough.
No doubt they would have done more damage had Callie and Emily not run forward to grab them.
Callie pulled Sin's helm from his head and kissed him quickly before he could get away.
Sin froze at the taste of his wife's cool lips against his hot mouth.
He was weary beyond simple endurance, and sweating, yet she didn't seem to notice the stench of him.
She pulled back and gave him a smile. "Tell me honestly, are you not famished, my lord?"
Aye, he was. He starved for her in a way that was truly terrifying.
Draven made a disgusted noise, distracting him. "I'll go in when Sin cedes defeat."
"You'll go inside right now," his wife said, "or you'll be sleeping in the stable this night."
Sin opened his mouth to taunt Draven but was stopped by Callie's hand on his lips. "One word from you and you shall join him."
Simon's laughter rang out as he dripped his way toward them. "Who would have ever thought the two greatest knights in England could be laid low by simple maids?"
Both men growled and would have seized Simon had their wives not taken their arms.
"Boys," Emily said, her voice stern. "Would you please behave and go inside to eat? You've done quite enough damage to poor Simon and to each other for one night."
"Yea," Simon said, wringing his shirt. "Besides, I know not why you're angry at me. You two get to go to bed with these two beautiful ladies, while I get to cuddle my pillow."
Emily patted his wet arm. "Poor Simon, ever abused. We shall have to find a wife for you, isn't that right, Callie?"
"Aye, we shall."
Callie could swear she saw a look of panic cross Simon's face.
They went inside to eat while Simon headed up to his room to dry off.
After the men had finished eating, Callie took Sin to their room, where she could help him remove his armor.
"You must be terribly sore," she said, noting the bruises and red marks on his flesh. Luckily, there were no wounds.
Sin scoffed. " 'Twas friendly exercise. I am fine."
"Friendly? Well then, I pray I never see you fight in earnest." She meant that, too. Though it had irritated her, his skill had been beyond measure. She'd never seen two men fight better than they had.
"Here," she said, urging him to sit on a stool so that she could rub his shoulders and arms.
Sin sat down. He couldn't fathom what she wanted until her soft, gentle hands began kneading his shoulders and neck. He moaned at the pleasure of it. No one had ever done such a thing for him before.
Chills exploded across his flesh as she ran her hands over his biceps, squeezing them as she went. His groin tightened and burned, stretching against his chausses, aching for possession of her.
Her touch was heaven, and more chills spread over his skin as he felt her breath against his flesh. Saints above, how he wanted her. Just one taste of her succulent flesh. One precious moment in her arms.
Callie swallowed at the hard feel of Sin's muscles under her hands. She'd done this countless times for her father, uncle and brother, and yet, with Sin, touching his skin made her mouth dry. Made her legs weak and her breasts tingle. A hot stab of desire sliced her middle as she throbbed for him.
The feel of his strength, of his hardness, was more than she could stand.
A knock sounded on the door.
"Enter."
A maid came in leading a brigade of servants with a tub and buckets of steaming water. "Lady Emily said his lordship would be needing a bath."
Callie smiled at the thoughtfulness.
Once the tub was filled, she stepped back for her husband to rise.
Sin didn't move. He stared at the tub as images whirled through his mind. Callie wet and dripping, straddling his hips as he eased his aching loins.
Aye, he could just imagine her breasts shining in the light, her lips smiling at him as he pleasured her.
"Are you not going to bathe?" she asked.
It wasn't until he removed his chausses that Callie realized she hadn't really seen him naked on her wedding night. Or if she had, she had no memory of it.
She swallowed at the bare beauty of him. Of his body, so lithe and powerful. He was magnificent.
Sin made himself sit in the tub, but what he really wanted to do was take his wife into his arms and make love to her for the rest of the night.
And it was the one thing he couldn't do.
He had no intention of staying in Scotland. Ever. And he refused to take a chance on getting her with child. He would never be his father. Never take his pleasure, then leave a woman to tend a child of his.
To hate and despise his child.
To his dismay, she took the cloth from his hands and lathered it. Sin ground his teeth as he hardened even more. "I can do that myself."
"I know you can. But I wish to do this for you."
He would never understand her kindness, but then she thought them to be married. Only he knew the truth of their wedding night.
"Why are you so accepting of me as your husband?"
She set her soap aside. "My grandmother was Irish and she had a saying: Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I canna change."
She placed one hand against his shoulder as she started w
ashing his back. "For whatever reason, you and I have been joined. I could fight you and hate you, but in the end it would change nothing. It would only make both our lives miserable. From what I have seen, you are a good man. So, I prefer to make peace for both our sakes, and to hope that maybe you can make my clan understand that the English settlers are inevitable. And that we can live harmoniously with one another."
Her words brought an unexpected pain to his heart. "So, you have no real care for me." The words were out before he could stop them.
She stilled her hand and moved forward so that she could meet his gaze. "I barely know you, Sin." Her earnest gaze bored into him until a light of humor lightened it. "Still, I like what I have seen." She returned to washing his back. "Except for tonight. I think you let your pride get the better of your common sense."
He smiled at that. Indeed he had.
"And I do care for you."
Her words startled him, and yet he understood her meaning. "As you would any stranger."
"Yea and nay. I daresay, I wouldn't scrub the back of a man I didn't know."
He grinned at that. "I should hope not."
She picked up a bucket to rinse his back. He sighed as the warm water slid over his flesh.
Callie set the bucket aside and returned to sit beside him. "I want to get to know you, Sin. I think knowing you would be a most wondrous thing."
He looked away as he took the cloth and started bathing his leg. "Truly, there is nothing about me worth knowing."
She caught his face in her hand and turned him until her gaze held his. "What did they do to you, to make you withdraw so far into yourself?"
Sin didn't answer. He couldn't. He'd spent the whole of his life trying to bury those memories. Trying never to look to the past for anything. He just existed. It was all he knew.
She heaved a weary breath. "You've left me again, haven't you? I can always tell. Your eyes turn dull, cold."
She rose to her feet. "Very well, I shall leave you in peace. But know this: One day I am going to find the heart you have buried away from the world."
"And what would you do with it if you found it?"
"I would hold it safe and keep it from the hurt that has shriveled it."
Said heart pounded at her words. "My lady, that organ knows nothing of love. It knows nothing of kindness. Even if you did find it, I assure you, it would be quite worthless to you."
"Perhaps or perhaps not. Either way, I intend to find out."
Her strength never ceased to amaze him.
She moved toward the bed and pulled her gown over her head. Sin's entire body burned at the sight of her naked form. Worse, she gifted him with a lush view of her backside as she climbed into bed.
In that moment, 'twas all he could do not to join her. All he could do not to run to the bed, roll her to her back and partake of the feast that was her body.
His tongue burned from want of her lips, her breasts. It would be pure bliss to have her wrap her body around his. Pure bliss to be her husband this night.
But he couldn't do it. She was accepting of him now, but things would change when he got her home. Her Highland brethren would never tolerate an English knight in their midst.
Not even his brother's clan had been able to do that. He'd stayed with the MacAllisters for a brief time after Braden and Maggie's wedding while his burns had healed. And though all had been coolly cordial, he had still seen the way the servants and villagers had shied away from him. The way no one wanted to spend more than a fleeting moment in his presence.
Even his stepmother, Aisleen, had been very coldly polite to him during his stay. Not once had she been able to meet his gaze. Of course, her cold aloofness was a vast improvement over the contempt and repulsion she'd shown him in his youth. Still, he had refused to stay where he was unwelcome.
He had to do that enough at Henry's court.
Sin looked back at the bed where his wife waited, his stomach hurting. No one had ever welcomed him before Caledonia.
She would give herself to him if he asked it.
And he wanted to ask. So much so that he burned with the yearning.
Don't do this to her or to you. Leave, Sin.
No good could come of tasting heaven when he couldn't stay in it. He'd learned that early in life. Memories of happiness only stuck the barb in deeper.
And he had been barbed enough.
Callie held her breath in nervous anticipation as she heard her husband leave the tub. He would come to her now, she was sure of it.
While the men had been fighting outside, Emily had told her much about how hard Draven had fought against the love Emily had offered him.
She took courage in hoping that if Emily had bent her stubborn husband to accept her, perhaps there was a chance for her and Sin as well.
Perhaps.
At least she thought that until she heard Sin walk across the floor and out the door.
Stung, she rolled over to make sure she had heard correctly.
Aye, she had. Her husband was nowhere to be found.
Grinding her teeth in frustration, she lay there and let the pain of rejection wash over her.
Very well, then, if he didn't want her, so be it. She wasn't going to lie around and ache like this. She had made her offer. He had rejected it.
He had no use for her. Fine. She would be home in a few days and then she could do as he did and just pretend he didn't exist. Fine. Wonderful.
If that was what he wanted, she would give it to him.
And yet, even as her anger spoke loudly in her head, there was a tiny part of her that wanted the kind of marriage her parents had shared. The kind of marriage Morna had had with Callie's father. The kind Emily shared with Draven. One of love and respect.
"I know not what to do," she breathed. But inside she did. She would have to continue the fight for his heart.
She only hoped he didn't fight her with the same determination he'd shown with Draven. If he did, then she would have no hope whatsoever of winning.
* * *
Chapter 9
« ^ »
They left early the next morning. Callie barely had time to say good-bye to Emily and Draven before Sin whisked the four of them back on the road to Scotland.
The next few days were eventless and marked only by her husband's reluctance to acknowledge her presence in any way.
By the time they reached the border of the MacNeely lands, she was ready to strangle him. But the sight of her home eclipsed every bit of her irritation at her husband.
She was home! Spurring her horse, she raced ahead of the others.
Sin caught up to her and pulled her to a stop.
"What is it you do?" she asked.
"We're being watched."
She frowned at his words. "By whom?"
He didn't answer. "Simon, put the boy on your horse and stand ready to get him and Callie to safety."
Simon obeyed without question.
No sooner had Simon placed Jamie before him than a cry went up through the forest. Callie's heart hammered as two score men surged out of the trees to surround them. But it wasn't fear that made her heart race. It was joy. She knew these Highlanders. Knew and loved each and every one of their blessed faces.
Faster than she could blink, Sin dismounted to stand before her horse and unsheathed his sword, ready to take them all on. Her heart swelled at the sight. He might have been cold toward her the last few days, but he was still willing to fight and protect her. It was a good sign.
"Release the lass and lad or die!"
Sin took a step forward.
"Aster, please," Callie said, trying to diffuse the passionate nature of her kinsmen. "They have returned me."
Aster's gray hair was a bit shaggy and his face had new wrinkles to it. He looked at Sin and Simon skeptically. "Are you sure, turtledove?"
"Aye." She wanted desperately to tell them who Sin was, but thought better of it. Let them meet as friends and then she would deliver what was
sure to be a cutting blow to her uncle.
Aster signaled the men to sheath their weapons. "Then it appears I owe you an apology, English."
Without speaking, Sin sheathed his sword and returned to his horse. Callie noticed the rigid way he sat. This was the Sin she had met on the turret stairs. A man of suspicion and danger.
Her own family held the same guarded nature. No one, not even Dermot, greeted her openly. All of them eyed Simon and Sin, ready to grab swords at any provocation.
"Uncle Aster, Uncle Aster," Jamie shouted excitedly, "Lord Sin married Callie and he disarmed her, too."
She cringed at Jamie's words. Especially when Aster cut a killing glare at the two knights. "And just which one of ye be this Lord Sin."
"I am."
The air between the two men was rife with antagonism.
"We were married a week past, in accordance with the Church," she said, hoping to allay some of the tension.
Aster became even colder than before. "Were you forced to it, lass?"
She saw the look in Sin's eyes, but he said nothing. He expected her to betray him, to leave him at the mercy of her kinsmen. "Nay, Uncle. I married him willingly."
"Are you mad?" Dermot snarled. His green eyes snapped with fury as the wind tugged at his long, dark brown hair. "To be bringing a Sassenach here? Where's your head, woman?"
"My head is fine, Dermot MacNeely, and I don't be needing to hear it from the likes of you. Sin is my husband and you're honor-bound to show him respect."
Dermot spat on the ground. "I'll die before I show respect to any S—" His sentence stopped as a dagger whizzed past his face, narrowly missing him.
Sin eyed him harshly. "Call me that one more time, boy, and you will die for it."
Dermot unsheathed his sword, but before he could ride forward, Tarn grabbed his horse. "Calm down, lad. Your sister's home. Let's let Aster and Callie sort this through."
The look on Dermot's face should have splintered her husband into oblivion. Sin appeared immune to the hostility and yet something told her he wasn't.
Everyone's mood was subdued as Aster led them back to her family's castle. If not for Jamie's rapid chatter, the ride would have been in complete silence.
As soon as they entered the hall, Jamie's mother came running toward them. Morna was a beautiful, slender woman with long, dark brown hair the same shade as Dermot's. Her kind blue eyes were filled with joy at the sight of them.
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