Bride From the Sea

by Frances Housden

  Celestina

  Cradled in Niall’s arms as he carried her upstairs with naught but the candle she held to light their way in the dark, Celestina could almost pretend naught terrible had happened to her. Tired, her head rested in the curve of Niall’s broad shoulder. His breath tickled her ear as his deep voice asked, ‘What do we call ye now. When I found ye on the beach I was certain ye said that yer name was Sellie, which seemed to confirm that ye were a Selkie.’

  ‘My name is Celi—really Celestina, very formal; it was my paternal grandmother’s name. My family called me Celi, spelt C-e l-i.’ A sigh shimmered through her, not from an unpleasant memory but one of happiness. ‘I have nae memory of reaching the beach, of how I managed to survive. I have dreams, but they are very confusing. The best part of my adventure was opening my eyes and seeing you.’ She allowed a small smile of triumph to escape. ‘My hero.’ Turning her mouth into his chest she kissed him.

  ‘A hero is the last thing I would have considered myself. When I look back, carrying ye back to the Keep were the most frightening moments of my life. I had nae problem believing ye to be a Selkie and took Aileen’s hand in the moment as gospel. Silk shift in shreds I took to be skin and hair sodden like black seaweed, yet ye were the most beautiful lass I had ever seen. While ye were around me I had nae bother believing in magic, for how else could I—a mere mortal—have congress with one as beautiful as my bonnie Sellie. One look and I fell in love. So now ye ken my weakness. I love ye beyond measure.’

  Celestina knew how Niall felt. It was difficult for ordinary mortals to trust in such delights as she and Niall had found together, not through magic, nor through kismet as the Moors were said to believe in, but simply that God had meant them to be together.

  ‘I have more news for ye, Niall,’ she gave him a secret smile. ‘The McDonall will be hard pressed to moan about ye taking a wife who brought ye nay dowry. The San Miguel still exists, in a battered shape from what I’ve been told, but the cargo is down there in the hold. The storm ran it into what Luis said was a sea cave then left it jammed in the opening when the tide ebbed. Getting the cargo out might be difficult, but ye have plenty of men, and I can show ye where the gold is hidden. Luis had a few doubloons. Two he lost and Fiona found.’

  They were almost at the door to their chamber and Niall chuckled as he wangled the door open with a hip and a toe. ‘Aye, that Fiona has sharp eyes. Too sharp at times,’ he said as they reached the bed. ‘Now let me take yer slippers off, though by the looks of them ye should toss them away.’

  He bent to his task, his head bobbing up above her knees. ‘Is that right, about the cargo?’ he asked but did not mention the gold.

  ‘It is. I’m not sure whether or not water got into the hold, but it was all well packed to keep it dry. The one danger is el Teniente. He is responsible for both the dead men that were found. Luis might have been a third, but he managed to escape. I believe he has been hiding in the Pict house …’ A yawn she could not control silenced the rest of the sentence. ‘Oh, dear.’ She covered her mouth. ‘Jean has been feeding him.’

  ‘I’m not worried about a wee bit of bread and meat as long as he appreciates it and marries her, for I’m certain that’s not all she has been giving him. He can help tomorrow.’

  She yawned again as Niall stood up. ‘As for my wee Celi, ye need to go to bed.’

  Within a few moments he had removed her skirt, bodice and ripped petticoat. He looked at the frayed hem and she waved her bound hand at him.

  ‘We’ll buy ye new petticoats. We can go to Inverness.’ Niall drew the covers back and settled her underneath, tucking them around her like he did for the lasses.

  She blinked as he laid a kiss on her brow, her eyelids heavy. ‘I’ll ride out and make sure Jean and her lad get home safe. Aileen would demand it, and I dinnae want her upset. Also I want to make sure Luis doesn’t go searching out yon lieutenant to warn him.’

  His words invaded the haze forming behind her eyes, and her last thought of the man she loved was that he did not trust easily, and she believed herself fortunate that deceit had not made him cast her off. She knew there was gold involved, but shiny or not, doubloons made a cold bed mate.

  Celestina knew she had slept by the time Niall joined her in bed, for she had dreamed, though mayhap it was her conscience guiding her by repeating the torturous swim from the San Miguel to the shore where Niall found her.

  His skin was cold and smelled of the night air when he slipped in behind her. Needing more, she turned in his arms, burrowing her head under his chin and licking his skin for a taste. ‘Did ye find them?’ she mumbled from under the covers.

  ‘I did, bonnie lass, and we’re all set to leave come morning.’ He snorted. ‘And I also told him off about stealing, warning him how we dealt with thieves in the Northwest. I think he took it in. I ken Jean did, and she has him under her thumb already.’

  Niall dipped his head and nipped her earlobe. ‘But I would rather concentrate on us, and I was thinking that in all the time ye have been at Inverbrevie I dinnae remember ye bleeding.’

  Stupidly, Celestina lifted her hand to look at the binding. ‘Nae, not that kind of blood; I mean yer courses.’ For all they had shared together in that bed, she found herself blushing, embarrassed to realise Niall could see her reaction in the light of the candle on his side table. ‘Ye were a virgin, with naebody to tell ye about what lovemaking can lead to, and when I thought ye were a Selkie, well, I was at a bit of a loss, not being sure how they went on. But nae, yer as human as I am and may be carrying my bairn.’

  She could not say the thought had not entered her mind, but it was more like an event in the future one takes a glimpse of, then puts aside as an impossible wish. ‘What can I say? My mother died when I was thirteen and, though I had bled, it was Rosalina who looked after me and never said any more, especially as my betrothed died. It was a duel. He objected to an insult, as if having an English mother made me unfit. After that, marriage seemed a dream in the far distance and never likely to happen. That is why I have not been counting. We will simply have to wait and see.’

  Niall took her face betwixt his big hands. Every time he did that, she felt small, fragile, precious. He peppered kisses over her brow, cheeks, even the tip of her nose, before he took her lips in a kiss so charged with emotion it melted Celestina’s soul.

  Oh, how she loved him.

  Oh, how he loved her, slow and gentle, generous and thorough until they were bound together, bodies, hearts and minds.

  Later he placed his wide palm on her belly. ‘If there isnae a bairn in there already, I think we might have made one tonight. And it will be a boy.’

  Rolling closer onto her side facing Niall, she teased, ‘I like lasses.’

  He humphed down his nose, as though he could not see the humour in it. ‘Ye already have three lasses, that should be enough for any mother.’

  This time when Celestina fell asleep she was smiling.

  Chapter 23

  Niall

  The party left soon after sunrise this time, with everyone mounted. Celi sat up before Niall while Jean rode behind Luis, clinging harder to his waist than she had to Niall’s the day before. Three of his mercenaries came with them, making a large enough force to frighten the Spanish lieutenant without being liable to warn him.

  Beyond stealing the treasure, Niall reflected, the Spaniard had intended to kill the love of his life—something he’d never thought he would call anyone, but that was Celi. Each time he thought of that brute harming her, the heat of revenge licked through his innards, hardened his muscles and drew up his stones ready for action. The retribution he had taken on Gordon was as naught compared to how much he wanted to crush that lieutenant. Even now, his fists clenched on the reins, and Celi reached out to touch his clenched fingers, to smooth away the tension quivering within him.

  Celi wore a pair of leather trous Aileen had raked out of somewhere in the Keep, for Niall had never seen Flora wear such a garment. Over
the trous she wore a long shift, split at the sides to allow ease of movement. As soon as he saw her, he had recognised that she intended to climb down to the cave with him.

  Aye, he had nae notion of leaving her side on any part of this venture.

  ‘We’re almost there. I can see Jamie.’ Unwilling to leave aught to chance, last night he had sent Jamie ahead during darkness to be their watchman. That his man had hidden his horse among the grove of pines filling a sheltered hollow was obvious because he saw nae sign of it, then his man came trotting up to meet them.

  ‘He’s already down there and in the ship. I’ve been looking down on the cave from the edge of the cliff where it’s easy to watch the auld path. The way down looks a bit treacherous, and there’s a bit of a leap onto the ship, but if yon bastard can do it so can we. God kens what he’s been living on for he’s thin as a rail.’

  ‘Aye, he could be living off the land and making a mull of it, being a sailor.’ Niall turned to Celi, gave her a wide grin and asked, ‘Are ye ready, my bonnie lass?’

  Celi returned his grin, and it struck him right then just how freeing her confession had been for them both. For Celi, there was nae more need for pretence and, as for him, the fear that he might lose her back to the sea had gone. For once in his life, the future felt to be laid out before him, filled with love and happiness. His daughters loved Celi and she them. What more could a man ask for but a son, and his Selkie bride had promised him that.

  He had nae fear of losing the magic. He realised now the magic he had felt wasnae mythic. Yon feelings of enchantment were generated betwixt Celi and him as soon as they came together.

  Niall looked back at his men. ‘Dismount, then hide yer horses in the pine grove. Jean, it’s yer job to keep an eye on the beasts.’ When she opened her mouth on what he recognised would be a protest, he merely lifted an eyebrow to cut it off. The lass wasnae stupid. She owed him and couldn’t deny it. If she wanted Luis to earn a living at Inverbrevie, she would do as he told her.

  ‘Luis.’ Niall waved him over. ‘I want ye to go first since I ken ye must have been back on board. Where else would ye have found yon doubloons, and if ye have a mind to keep them, ye must do as I say.’ The Spanish lad nodded his head, but Niall could see he felt nervous. ‘I’ll be right behind ye, then Celestina. I’ll be carrying one of the ropes in case we need it, but chances are he willnae be too surprised to see ye. It is Celi whau will give him a shock, as she did when ye saw her the first time in the stables.’

  ‘I believed Señorita del Vargas was dead and come back to haunt me.’

  ‘An do ye believe the lieutenant will think aught different? For I don’t. Having her with us could give us an advantage.’

  ‘Me first, then,’ Luis said and strode directly to the head of the path.

  Niall followed, coil of rope over his shoulder and one hand holding Celi’s. At the top of the path, he pulled her close for a swift, hard kiss. ‘Stay right behind me, hand on my belt. I’ll keep ye steady. Often wee stones fall onto the path from yon wind-worn layers in the cliff side.’ He could feel her knuckles pressed against his back, feel their warmth.

  The tide was high, and the caravel’s broken mast pressed into the roof of the cave—a wedge that held it in place for now. Niall supposed that if the lieutenant had had any support they could have towed the San Miguel out with a row boat on the lowering tide.

  Luis poked his head round the corner as he reached the edge of the cave. The Spanish lad took a step back. ‘He has a plank wedged against the ship for climbing aboard.’

  ‘Guid. That will make it a mite easier for us. Nice of the enemy to cooperate.’ He jerked his head toward the ship and said to Luis, ‘Off ye go, lad.’

  They were so close now, and when he looked at Celi, her eyes were sparkling. ‘Well, lass, do ye want me to carry ye over the plank?’

  Her smile was mischievous as she let go of his belt to gather up both ends of her shift and tie them in a knot at the waist. ‘I will go in front of ye; I am well used to being on ships.’

  Niall didnae remind her that so was he, having sailed back and forth between Scotland and France for many years. He was thrilled to watch his love take her courage in her hands and nimbly climb the makeshift gangway onto the San Miguel.

  Halfway there, she glanced back and said, ‘I wonder whether my clothes are safe or are covered in saltwater stains.’

  Nae doubt about it, his Celi was all woman—frocks before gold. He shook his head and followed, wondering what fancy items she would have to show him.

  Celestina

  What must Niall think of her? As soon as Celestina put her feet on the plank, her first thought was for her clothes. She was tired of wearing other people’s castoffs. Certainly she had been proud to dress well, with a certain style, but what else had there been for her with nae husband and nae hope of one nor children of her own.

  Niall spoke first. ‘Well, Luis, where do you think we should start? Last time ye came aboard, what signs of the lieutenant did ye see below?’

  ‘He had been in the hold and also el Capitan’s cabin. That’s where I found the doubloons on the floor.’ Luis gave Celestina a sideways glance as he said that, as if waiting for her reaction, and it occurred to her that he was frightened after seeing the worst of her the day her father died.

  ‘I do not wish to go into the hold.’ Celestina shuddered. ‘There are rats, ye know. There always are.’ She smiled wryly. ‘Unless they escaped the ship with the rest of the crew. I can’t imagine el Teniente managed to murder them all.’

  Niall’s eyes narrowed, looked as lethal and sharp as her brother’s Toledo blade. ‘I’ll leave Jamie with ye, while I search the hold.’ He reached down to his boot and pulled out a skean dhu. ‘Take care not to cut yerself again. … Jamie, ye must keep a guid mind of Celi, ye hear me?’

  ‘I do, Laird.’

  Jamie was the big man who had helped Niall clear out Gordon’s quarters. ‘Come with me.’ Celestina pushed the skean dhu down the back of her trous and walked up the slight incline to enter the door she had last come through with Rosalina hanging off her skirts. Poor Rosalina. Celestina could not have helped her, and none of the others on the deck had given her a thought, had simply watched her fall overboard to be swallowed by the angry sea. Trying to remove the image from her mind, Celestina knew life for her was better than it had ever been.

  The captain’s cabin felt cold and empty—not of furnishings but of people. Drawers had been opened and riffled; leaves of scattered parchment and a log book filled with her father’s neat writing lay on the floor. She turned to Jamie. ‘My cabin is next door,’ she said, looking him up and down. He wasn’t as tall as Niall, but he was what was termed beefy. ‘There is very little room, but nae other entrance but this one.’

  ‘I’ll wait here then.’ He sounded relieved.

  Thankfully, very little appeared to have been disturbed, apart from her jewellery casket. Her mother’s pieces were missing, and she felt sadder about those than any of her own baubles. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Jamie had taken a seat in the captain’s chair. She didn’t blame him. While Niall and she had snuggled together in bed, he had been up all night keeping watch. Jamie was facing the window, looking out at the sea as she quickly dropped to her knees, pulling open the bottom drawer at the head of the bed. It slid completely out onto the deck, and she reached into the back, sighing as she fitted it all back into the hole. This was the drawer holding her undergarments. She drew out some beautiful stays and a pretty lace night rail. She had rolled them together inside a petticoat to disguise them when she heard a bump in the cabin next door and sat back on her heels calling out, ‘Jamie?’

  A shadow filled the doorway and cut across the light from next door.

  ‘Madre de Dios!’ The shadow crossed himself.

  Celestina recognised the voice as el Teniente stepped though the opening, crossing himself as he stared at her, a dazed look in his eyes, as if he could not believe them. Gone was the s
mart Spanish officer. His clothes, dirty, hung on him, and a straggly beard covered his cheeks and chin. ‘I see a drowned woman before me.’

  Celestina stood, taking advantage of his shock. ‘Yet somehow I am not wet.’

  He dived at her, grabbing her arm to drag her through the door. ‘Ye will be. I will send ye back to the sea.’ They passed Jamie, his head leaning forward and scalp bleeding where he had been struck.

  Soon they were outside, darker there because of the cave roof above their heads. She screamed, screamed her lungs out. ‘Niii-aaall.’ The noise echoed around them, coming back, and back, calling Niall’s name again and again.

  There was a mad gleam in the lieutenant’s eyes as he grinned at her. ‘He cannot help. I broke his skull. At least he cannot come back.’

  It was difficult to keep her balance as he yanked her up the steps to the deck at the stern. The wheel that steered the ship had broken off its support, smashed. Probably that was the moment they had lost control of the ship. She could imagine sailors diving off into the sea as the ship raced toward the cliff.

  Her heart, too, raced, and she would have reached for the rail in an attempt to hinder his progress, but she needed a hand free to reach for the skean dhu at her back. Digging her heels in, she leaned backward until she was sliding over the wooden deck toward the stern rail.

  Celestina knew she had only one chance to reach for the skean dhu, and it came the moment he blinked at the light reflecting off the sea. As she pulled the skean dhu free and stopped resisting, the strength behind his pull threw her against him and she struck with the skean dhu.

  El Teniente squealed like a pig and let her go, as that was the arm she had deliberately stabbed. Grabbing at the wound, red blood flowing betwixt his thin fingers, he flung a look at her that was pure evil. ‘I will kill you yet, Señorita Vargas. You will be cursed into hell,’ he screamed and staggered toward her.

  Boots bounded up the steps behind them and she knew it had to be Niall. Her heart slowed its race and began to beat once more. She was safe again.