"Greetings," she said proudly in an exact duplication of Sin's words when he had gone out to meet his king, "Henry Plantagenet, King of England. I am Caledonia, wife of Sin MacAllister, leader of the Clan MacNeely, and I have come to reclaim my husband from your custody."
The knights laughed at her. But Sin didn't. His love for her washed over him, and if he could, he would run to her and show her just how much he did love her at this moment.
Callie arched a queenly brow as Henry, too, laughed. "What is the meaning of this?" the king asked.
The tendrils of her coppery hair rustled with the breeze. "The meaning of this? It's actually simple. Either you release my husband to me or none of you will make it back to England intact."
Henry scoffed arrogantly at her threat. "And what can a simple girl do?"
Callie smiled coldly. "I was told, by my father, of St. Mary of Aragon who single-handedly brought down an entire Saracen army with nothing more than her faith in God. He also spoke of an ancient Celtic queen named Boudicca who brought Rome to her knees and burned London to the ground. He oft said that a woman was far more deadly as an enemy than a man, because men lead with their heads and women with their hearts. You can argue and win against another's head, but never against her heart."
Henry feigned a yawn as if her words bored him. "We've no time for this, woman. Now leave us."
"Perhaps I am not making my position clear." She gave a sharp whistle. The very forest around them came alive as man after man moved to stand in a circle around them.
A smile broke across Sin's face as he recognized the men.
There had to be seven score Highlanders of both the MacNeely and the MacAllister clans who stood ready to defend him.
Never in his life had he hoped to see one man stand by him—let alone an entire army of them.
He smiled as he saw his brothers standing with Dermot to the left of Callie.
A youth of ten-and-five ran to Callie, who handed him her banner. "As you can see, you are quite outnumbered. If you don't release my husband, then you will leave me no choice save to make your eldest son a very happy man this evening when he learns he is now king in your stead."
Henry's face went red in anger as he blustered at her audacity. It wasn't often anyone got the better of him, and Sin knew no woman had ever flummoxed him before. Not even Eleanor.
"You are willing to declare war for him?" Henry asked indignantly.
She didn't hesitate with her response. "I am. Are you?"
Sin closed his eyes as he heard the most precious words of his life. She who believed in nothing but peace was willing to fight for him. He could die happily knowing that.
Still, he couldn't let her do this. Henry would not rest until he buried her and her clan. A king's reputation was all he had, and if Henry lost face…
"Callie," Sin said, waiting until her gaze met his. "Thank you, but you can't do this. You can't start a war over me. I'm not worth the cost."
"You are worth everything to me."
He couldn't breathe as he heard those precious words. Dear saints, how he wanted to hold her and kiss those ripe lips that tasted of heaven. "For those feelings you hold, I thank God. But you must think through this. Look at the faces around you. They are your family."
"As are you."
Sin turned to see Fraser standing with his sword ready a few feet away from him. When the man spoke, Sin was stunned by his words. "You are a MacNeely and no one takes one of us without taking us all."
"Aye!" the roar of the clan was deafening.
"And you're a MacAllister," Lochlan added. "Born, bred and raised."
Tears welled in Sin's eyes. He'd never expected anything like this. Never.
"We will not be held hostage," Henry roared, then called for his men to stand ready.
The tension of the moment stretched out.
All of a sudden, Ewan shoved Dermot forward.
The boy stumbled, then regained his feet. He glared at Ewan, who was looking about innocently as if trying to find whoever had pushed him.
Straightening his clothes, Dermot walked slowly toward Henry.
"Dermot," Callie shouted, "get back here."
"Nay, sister," he said without looking back. He kept his gaze locked on Henry as if afraid to look anywhere else lest he lose his courage. " 'Tis time I quit hiding behind others and took responsibility for myself."
Dermot stopped before Henry. "I am the Raider you seek. It was I who led my men against you."
By the look on Henry's face, Sin knew his thoughts. It was quite a blow to learn he had been thwarted all this time by a half-grown child. "You're just a boy."
Dermot nodded. "And a foolish one at that. Still, I can't allow an innocent man to die for me."
Henry was flabbergasted. "Are we to honestly believe a child led an army?"
Sin loudly cleared his throat.
Henry shifted in his saddle as he recalled all the battles Sin had fought and won in his name while less than two years older than Dermot.
Henry glanced at Sin, then returned his attention to Dermot. "Well, that explains why Sin wouldn't name you. He never could stand for a boy to suffer." Henry gestured toward Sin's direction. "Release the earl."
"Sire," Sin said as one of the guards cut the ropes on his wrists, "you know I can't let you kill him."
Henry bristled as if greatly offended by those words. "We are not so callous a king nor man that we would stoop to slay a child. Dear God, imagine the embarrassment if word ever got out that a mere child perpetrated such." Henry glanced around to his score of guards. "If any of you breathe a word of this, we shall have your tongues."
The guards gulped audibly.
Henry drew himself up and looked back at Dermot. "But he cannot be left to roam the countryside freely."
"What are you proposing?" Callie asked, moving closer to her brother.
"That he remain under royal custody until he is a score-and-five in age."
Both Callie's and Dermot's faces blanched.
"Simon?" Sin called, knowing of only one way he would agree to Henry's terms. He rubbed the circulation back into his hands as he walked slowly toward his wife.
What he really wanted to do was run, but even though the crowd was less tense than before, the men around him were still wary and ready to battle, and he didn't want anyone to mistake his intentions. "Think you Draven would welcome a new squire into his home?"
A slow smile spread across Simon's face. "Aye, he would."
Sin nodded in acknowledgment, then turned to face Henry. "Is that agreeable to you, Sire?"
"Aye," Henry said, his eyes filled with relief. "I believe Lord Draven would be quite capable of whipping the boy into shape. And you, Lady Laird, do you find that acceptable?"
Callie smiled. "I do indeed, Majesty."
"Draven?" Dermot asked. "Who is this man?"
Sin stopped in front of his wife and cupped her face in his hands as he stared into those lush green eyes. "He's brother to Simon and a friend of mine." He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs as he dropped his gaze to her lips.
Callie trembled at the look on Sin's face. His eyes were filled with such love and gratitude for her.
She'd been terrified every moment of his capture that they wouldn't get to him in time or that Henry would force them to battle.
Now that he stood before her, she felt as if she were the luckiest woman ever born.
She stood up on her tiptoes and leaned toward him.
He took her invitation. Crushing her to him, he kissed her hard and passionately.
A deafening cheer sounded from those gathered.
Callie surrendered her weight to her husband as joy burst through her. He was safe and they had their peace.
Sin savored the taste and feel of her lips. He didn't care if time stopped at this moment. All that mattered was the love he felt for his wife.
And the fact that at long last, he had a home and a people who accepted him.
His brother
s and Simon gathered around as he reluctantly pulled back from Callie's lips.
Henry dismounted and moved toward them. His eyes amused, he measured Callie with his gaze. "You are a brazen woman, Lairdess. Think you we were rash in marrying you to such a pigheaded man?"
"Nay, Sire. For that I thank you."
Henry turned to Dermot and shook his head. "The Raider, eh? We see potential in you, boy. Come and let us tell you a story about a man called Malek in Ölüm."
Sin cringed as he watched Henry and Dermot walk off. So, it appeared his friend had found another generation to warp in his image. He would have to have a long talk with Henry.
But first he had a more important need to see to.
Ewan grabbed him from behind and picked him up in a ferocious hug. "Thank God you're alive. I thought I'd have to be tearing me some English hides and skinning me one young Scots buck."
For once Sin didn't protest his brother's bearish affection. "Aye, I saw the hand you gave poor Dermot. He's lucky you didn't break his leg."
"Me?" Ewan gasped. "I'm innocent."
Lochlan and Braden removed Ewan from him.
"Sin MacAllister?" Lochlan said. "I wasn't sure if I should laugh or curse when I heard you announce that." His eyes grew serious. "It's been a long time coming, my braither. Welcome home."
His brothers drew back to give him a moment with his wife.
Sin pulled her close and just reveled in the feel of her in his arms. "Thank you, Callie," he breathed.
"There's no need to thank me. You didn't really think I would let the king kill the man I love, did you?"
He took her hand in his and stared at the ring he had given her. His heart pounding at her words, he held it to his heart. "I love you, Callie ingen Neil, Lairdess of the MacNeelys and wife of a man who is so unworthy of you that he swears he will spend the rest of his life trying to show you just how much you mean to him."
She smiled at that. "There's no need to try, Sin. All I have to do is look into your eyes and I know." She kissed him deeply, then pulled him toward his horse. "Now come, husband, and let me take you home."
Sin closed his eyes at her words. For the first time in his life, he truly had a home.
* * *
Epilogue
« ^
Christmastide
A few months later
The great hall was warm in spite of the freezing snow outside and it was packed with MacNeelys who had come for the annual Christmas celebration Callie had warned him about. Music filled the hall as people sang, and Jamie ran about the hall with the rest of the clan's children.
Sin sat at the lord's table beside his wife, holding her hand as he stared at the merriment around him. He'd never expected to have a Christmas like this.
Even Dermot was there with Simon. Because of the season, Draven had procured permission from Henry to let the boy visit with them in Scotland so long as he remained under Simon's constant supervision. Draven would have come as well, but neither he nor Emily had wanted to risk exposing their infant son to the harsh climate of the Scottish Highlands. But in the spring, they would bring Dermot and their new babe for another visit.
"Should we send someone out to look for your brothers?" Callie asked.
Sin shook his head. "I am sure they are fine. No doubt the weather has slowed them a bit, but I expect them to join us at any time."
Callie watched her husband watch her people. He'd become so relaxed these months past. Gone was the harsh, guarded man, and in his place was someone she learned to love more with every passing day.
She covered their joined hands with her other and just reveled in the feel of his strength in her palm.
The doors opened, ushering in a torrent of swirling snow and six bundled figures. By the height of three of them, she knew it must be her brothers-in-law.
Before she could rise to greet them, one of the shorter visitors threw back her cowl and revealed a beautiful older woman with striking black hair. Callie would have thought nothing of it had she not felt her husband go tense.
She looked to see hatred in his eyes as he stared at the small woman. Instantly she knew who this woman was. Aisleen.
Why would his stepmother come here?
The men removed their cloaks and Callie recognized Braden's wife, Maggie, and their infant daughter, Ada, who was snuggled in her mother's arms, as well as Kieran's son, Connor.
All of them stayed in the foyer, tense, as Aisleen moved forward.
Sin couldn't breathe or move as he watched his stepmother approach. His head rang with all the insults she'd ever dealt him.
Aisleen looked first to Callie and offered her a smile, then she turned her gaze to Sin and the smile faded.
They sat in total stillness as they held each other's full attention. For the first time in his life, he saw something other than hatred in her eyes. Strangely enough, he saw guilt and remorse.
Aisleen drew a ragged breath. "Well," she said quietly. "This is even more awkward than I had thought it would be. So let me say my piece and then you can have the satisfaction of seeing me thrown out of your hall."
Her words stunned him so much that he couldn't have responded to them had he wanted to.
"I was very wrong in the way I treated you, lad. I won't even try to make excuses for it. But I was a very young lass and heartbroken. More than that, I was a fool to blame a child for something not his fault."
She gave him a tender look that surprised and stunned him. "I know you don't believe this, but many a night I have lain awake wishing I could have done things differently where you were concerned."
"You owe me nothing, my lady," Sin said.
"Aye, but I do. When you were burned and staying with us, I wanted to tell you then how I felt, but every time I tried, I turned coward." She placed the wrapped gift in her hands on the table before them. "Merry Christmas to you both, and congratulations on your marriage." She smiled at Callie. "I hope you'll be giving him all the love I should have."
Then she turned and headed for the door.
Sin watched her walk away, his feelings tangled and confused. His wife reached for the present and opened it.
"Sin?"
He looked from his stepmother to the MacAllister banner in his wife's hands and his heart lurched.
Instead of four swords, it now held five. And in Callie's hand was the small note card that was embellished with Aisleen's crisp, clear script: For Sin MacAllister.
He looked to his brothers and Maggie, who watched him expectantly as their mother crossed the room.
"Aisleen," he said before he could stop himself.
She stopped and turned back to face him.
Sin left the table and went to stand before her. "I learned a long time ago to forget my past. Granted, there have been times when that was easier said than done, but I am not one to dwell on old hurts. You are welcome in my hall, my lady."
Tears filled her eyes as she stared at him. "You'll never know how much I wish I had shared your compassion. I am sure many are the times you'd wished I had said those words to you."
Sin said nothing. He had no idea what to say.
Then she did the most unexpected thing of all. Aisleen reached out and hugged him.
Sin stood frozen in shock.
She patted his back, then released him. Looking up at him, she wrinkled her nose and did something no one ever had before…
She reached up and straightened his hair and clothes like a mother worried about her son's appearance. "There," she said, patting his arm. "I didn't mean to muss you up."
Sin laughed as his brothers, wife and Maggie joined them. Servants brought drinks for the family and they adjourned back to the table, where they dined in pleasant company and love.
Hours later, when everyone was fed and well sated, the servants distributed the gifts.
Sin gratefully took the one from Callie. It wasn't very large and when he opened it, he frowned.
"I must have Ada's by mistake," he said, noting the t
iny white baby shoes.
He started to hand them to Maggie, but Callie stopped him. "Now, I know what a generous man you are, Sin MacAllister, but don't be giving those away when we'll be needing them come summer."
His jaw went slack as his mind made sense of her words. "You're with child?"
Biting her lip, she nodded.
Sin shouted in joy as he pulled her into his lap, then quickly apologized for it. "I didn't hurt you or the baby, did I?"
She laughed at him. "Nay, love. I'm sure if he's anything like his father, he's quite indestructible."
Lochlan stood with a cup of wine in his hand. "To Callie and Sin. May this be the first of many little treasures to come."
Sin drank to the toast, then handed his cup to his wife and watched as she drank from it. "You know, my lady, they say drinking wine from a man's cup is a good way to find yourself carrying his child."
She kissed him gently on the lips. "I'm afraid we're too late for that."
"Oh, for God's sake," Simon said, placing his hand over Jamie's eyes. "Would you two please adjourn upstairs? Every time I turn around I find the two of you locked together, and I just got my stomach settled."
Sin laughed at that. "Och now, we can't be having Simon's stomach upset while there's food to be had, now, can we?"
Callie shook her head, but her smile interrupted the serious gesture.
"Very well then, good night, my family. Sleep well and we shall see you in the morning." Sin stood, then swung her up in his arms and carried her toward the stairs.
Behind him, he could hear his brothers wagering.
"Five marks they don't appear until late morning," Ewan said.
"Ten for noon," Lochlan joined.
"She's pregnant," Braden said. "I'll wager ten for early morning."
A soft, feminine laugh rang out. "Men," Maggie said. "Aisleen, what say you? My money is on late afternoon."
"Aye. Most definitely."
* * *
* * *
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