Highland Knight

by Hannah Howell

"Humph. I am sure ye ken verra weel that ye are."

  "Nay. ‘Tis difficult to tell if one is good at something when one has ne'er done it before.” He yanked off her drying cloth and spread it over the chair.

  "Never?” Avery was so surprised by that confession, she did not protest when he gently pushed her into the chair but just stared up at him when he leaned over her. “Truly?"

  "Truly. ‘Tis just another one of those things I heard about.” He brushed a kiss over her lips. “The women I have kenned in the past were, shall we say, weel traveled. And sometimes nay all that clean. Ah, but ye, my bonny Avery, have only been with one mon—me. And ye are nay only clean, but delicious."

  She shivered with pleasure “And ye gave me mead because?"

  "'Tis said that, if one is just a wee bit drunk, one is more freely amorous, but that heady ending to the loveplay can be verra, verra slow to arrive."

  "Oh, my.” She frowned in confusion when he picked up a small bowl from the table. “Blackberry jam?” The smile he gave her in reply made her eyes widen. “I used honey."

  "Ye are sweet enough, loving. Honey and ye together would probably make my teeth ache. A little tart will be better,” he murmured as he slowly covered her nipples with blackberry jam.

  "I think we may have gone beyond shameless gluttony,” she said shakily, “and plunged right into licentiousness."

  "Licentiousness is a fine word."

  When he bent to touch his mouth to her breasts and began to slowly lick away the blackberry jam, Avery decided that he just might be right about that.

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  Chapter Twenty-One

  The sharp sound of knocking and Leargan's voice were not what Cameron wanted intruding upon his dreams. He snuggled closer to Avery's silky, warm body and felt himself harden with interest. That made him smile. Considering the long hours they had spent making love, he should be more than well sated, he should be glutted. However, if he hooked her lovely leg back over his hip a little, he could probably ease himself into her tight heat—

  "Curse it, Cameron, get your arse out of bed!"

  "Go away, Leargan!” Cameron yelled right back, and he was a little surprised when Avery only muttered a complaint about the noise and went right back to sleep. He had completely exhausted her, he thought proudly.

  "A certain Sir Payton awaits your company in the great hall."

  Every hint of warmth left Cameron's body. He slowly eased himself away from Avery, even as everything inside him demanded he hold onto her. He reminded himself that Katherine was with child and needed a husband. That gave him the strength to get out of bed, although it was a struggle. Duty was banging at the door and he had to obey the call. He was not only Katherine's brother, he was her laird. He had no choice.

  Easing the door open a crack, he told Leargan he would be down in ten minutes. He then went to tend to his morning ablutions, fighting to ignore all the signs of the long, sensuous night he had spent with Avery. To his dismay, by the time he was dressed, she was awake. It was cowardly, but he had hoped just to slip away. After all, what was there to say?

  "Payton is here,” she said as she sat up and brushed her tangled hair off her face.

  "Aye, he waits for me in the great hall,” Cameron replied, clenching his hands against the urge to touch her.

  Avery held the blanket around her as she climbed out of his bed. “Will ye still let me visit with him for a few moments before I leave?"

  "Aye."

  "Good. Thank ye. I will wait for him in my room."

  He watched her walk to the door, the blanket draped around her and trailing slightly on the floor. “Avery?"

  She paused in the doorway but did not turn to look at him. “There really isnae anything to say, is there?"

  "Nay. Nay, I suppose not.” He rubbed his chest, wondering why it felt so tight. “I wish...” He hesitated.

  "Ah, Cameron, so do I, but I do wonder if we wish for the same thing."

  The sound of the door shutting behind her made him jump, even though she had shut it very quietly. He started to look around the room, then forced himself to fix his gaze upon the door to the hall. As he walked toward it, he decided he would get someone to clean the room thoroughly before he had to return to it.

  A group of women were clustered around the door to the great hall, peering inside and sighing. Cameron began to get a very bad feeling as he nudged his way through them. He paused in the doorway and heard their skirts rustle as they all moved so that they could peer around him. And standing next to Leargan, sipping wine and chatting amiably with his cousin, was what they were all sighing over.

  Sir Payton Murray was indeed bonny, Cameron thought with some irritation. He was not particularly tall nor broad of shoulder, but Cameron had no doubt that the man could hold his own in most any fight. What Payton Murray had were the lean, strong lines of a finely bred horse. He was dressed well, and his every move was graceful. He was just as Gillyanne had described him. He also looked very young. Cameron suddenly doubted that Payton was that much older than Avery.

  "Just how old are ye?” Cameron demanded as he strode over to Payton and Leargan.

  "I will be one and twenty in a month,” Payton replied calmly.

  "But, ye have been Sir Payton for several years, havenae ye?"

  "Aye I did a small service for our king when I was but seventeen, and he gave me his spurs."

  "Saved the king's son from drowning,” Leargan cheerfully told Cameron.

  "Of course.” Cameron poured himself some wine from the jug on the table, only to pause in sipping it when he caught a grinning Leargan staring at him. “Ye want to say something, Leargan?"

  "I was just listening for the gagging to start."

  "Ye will have our guest thinking we are all madmen here."

  "Oh, I think ye are doing that weel enough without my help. Sir Payton Murray? Meet our laird, Sir Cameron MacAlpin."

  Cameron returned Payton's brief nod. Leargan was right. He was acting like a lunatic. Somehow he had to pull himself together, to fix his thoughts on one thing and one thing only: the need to get Katherine a father's name for her child.

  "Payton, my darling!"

  A quick glance toward the door revealed Katherine pushing her way through the women, and Cameron looked at Payton. “My sister, Katherine. I believe ye are acquainted with her."

  "Vaguely,” Payton drawled.

  The lad had presence, Cameron decided, and he watched closely as Katherine ran up to Payton. The young man neatly circumvented her attempt to throw herself into his arms. A distinctly sulky look crossed Katherine's face when Payton murmured a polite greeting and briefly kissed her hand. What Cameron did not see was any hint of passion in either of them. If there had been any, it was gone now.

  "Get out of the way. Wheesht, ye would think ye had ne'er seen a redheaded laddie before."

  Katherine muttered a curse at the sound of that voice. “I thought the brat was still abed."

  After giving Katherine a sharp, cold look, Payton turned his attention toward the door. “Gilly, m'love,” he called. “Fight on."

  At that moment Gilly managed to break through the knot of women and stumble into the great hall. “Payton, ye are a bleeding hazard,” she grumbled then ran over to fling herself into her cousin's welcoming arms.

  Payton hugged and kissed her, then set her on her feet and looked her over. “Ye are looking verra fine, brat."

  "Aye.” She winked at him. “My beauty has been undimmed by my many trials and tribulations."

  "Verra true, love. It has only been enhanced."

  "Oh, that was a good one."

  "Thank ye. I do try."

  "I thought ye were leaving,” Katherine said, glaring at Gillyanne.

  "Going to miss me?” Before Katherine could reply, Gillyanne looked at Cameron. “I guess she willnae be inviting me to the wedding. Just when is it to be, anyway?"

  Cameron got the distinct feeling there was more behind Gillyanne's qu
estion than simple curiosity. “A week. Mayhap two."

  "But Cameron,” protested Katherine, “what about my bairn?"

  "What about it? It isnae going anywhere."

  Katherine looked shocked. Payton and Leargan stared into their wine as they obviously tried to compose themselves. Gillyanne fell against him, giggling. Cameron sighed, wrapped his arm around her thin shoulders, and gave her a hug.

  "Why, Cameron,” Gillyanne drawled as she grinned up at him, “I think ye might actually have a sense of humor."

  "I must. I havenae strangled ye yet."

  "Been endearing yourself to everyone as usual, pet?” Payton teased.

  "One or two,” Gillyanne replied. “Where is Avery?"

  "Aye, where is my sister?” Payton asked, looking at Cameron as he placed his goblet on the table.

  There was a hard look in Payton's eyes that impressed Cameron. The youth was bonny with fine, courtly manners, but Cameron suddenly had no doubt that he could be a formidable opponent as well. So far he had not found anything wrong with Sir Payton Murray, and oddly enough, that irritated him just a little.

  "Avery wished a short visit with you ere she left Cairn-moor,” Cameron replied. “She awaits ye in her bedchamber."

  "I will take ye there, Payton,” Gillyanne said, clasping her cousin's hand in hers. “I can collect my things then and bring them down. Ye can tell Avery that I will wait for her down here."

  "It willnae be a long visit, love,” Payton said. “Bowen said he would wait for two hours. One has already passed. Ye ken how your Bowen is when the ones he watches for dinnae show on time."

  "Weel, if the second hour starts to draw to an end, I will go to the gates and tell him that I am fine, to just wait a wee bit longer.” Gillyanne glanced back at Cameron as she and Payton started to walk away. “Bowen is just verra protective of me."

  The moment Payton and Gillyanne were gone, Cameron looked at Leargan. “Just how many Murrays are sitting outside my walls?"

  "Two, three dozen,” Leargan replied. “I would assume we were just subtly told that if the lasses dinnae appear by the time two hours have passed, suspicions will be roused. ‘Twould be best to ensure that doesnae happen."

  "Aye,” agreed Cameron. “The last thing I want is a battle."

  "Really, Cameron, they couldnae take Cairnmoor with so few men,” Katherine said. “There is nay need to worry."

  "I would think ye would prefer it if I didnae slaughter Sir Payton's clansmen until ye are safely wed."

  Katherine's lips tightened into a thin, flat line. “I can see that ye are in an ill humor. I will leave ye to it."

  As Katherine walked out, Cameron moved to the head of the table and flung himself into his chair. He had been awake not much more than an hour, and the day already felt as if it had been far too long. Considering what was to follow, it was undoubtedly only going to get worse.

  Avery sat on her bed staring at her small bag of belongings and trying not to weep. Anne and Therese had stopped to wish her a good journey. They both acted confident that she would not be gone for very long. Avery desperately wished she could share in that certainty; yet at that moment, all she could think of was that Cameron had never given her any words of love. Not once, not even in the heat of passion, had he given her the smallest hint that this was not the ending it appeared to be.

  She looked up when the door opened, and there stood Payton. Her brother's presence was both a pleasure and a pain. She loved Payton dearly and was always glad to see him. Unfortunately, this time his visit signaled the start of her journey home, away from Cameron. Avery found that she was able to smile, however, and she rose to her feet to hug him in greeting.

  "He gave ye a verra fine room,” Payton said, looking around.

  "Nay verra subtle of ye, brother dear,” she murmured.

  Payton grimaced, dragged his fingers through his hair, and asked, “Are ye lovers?"

  "Aye. And ye can take that look of anger from your face. I went willingly into his arms."

  "He didnae seduce ye for revenge?"

  "Oh, in the beginning he did have such a wondrous plan. He was told that ye had raped his sister, and there was no one about save Gillyanne and I to try to tell him different. Not only had we been in France at the time of the supposed crime, but we could hardly be considered unbiased in our opinions."

  "He doesnae believe that any longer."

  "Nay. I am nay sure when his mind changed, but it did. His plans changed for me as weel. He went from wanting to shame me as he felt his sister had been shamed to making it just a matter between the families and on to ... weel"—she blushed—"e'en offering at a particularly awkward moment to leave me my maidenhead.” She blushed even more beneath Payton's steady stare.

  "Wretched lass,” he murmured, and he laughed briefly before growing serious again. “Ye love him."

  "Desperately,” she admitted on a sigh.

  "Yet he sends ye away."

  "I dinnae think he kens any other way to do this. Ere we arrived at Cairnmoor, I am sure he was hesitating; then he saw that Katherine was indeed with child and she was still pointing her finger at you."

  "The child isnae mine."

  "Ye didnae e'en have to say it, Payton. The moment he told me ye had denied the child, I kenned it wasnae yours. And, I kenned there was only one way ye could be so sure it wasnae yours, and that was because ye ne'er bedded Katherine."

  "But your lover thinks I did."

  "Aye and nay. He doubts, Payton. I am certain of it. So is Gillyanne."

  Payton muttered a curse and paced the room for a moment. “Yet he will still force me to marry her."

  "He has a sister, unwed and rounding with child. Cameron may have gotten her to cease claiming ye raped her, forced her to soften her tale to one of seduction and desertion, but she still insists ye are the father of that bairn. What else can he do?"

  "Nothing,” Payton whispered, then he added more firmly, “Nothing at all, and I do understand that. Of course, that understanding is often smothered by my horror of taking that woman as my wife."

  Avery hugged him again “When will he make ye wed her?"

  "In a week, mayhap two. Now why has that made ye look so verra happy?"

  "Because it is proof that he doubts her,” Avery said as she clasped her hands together and pressed them against her breast. “Oh, Payton, he doubts her, and nay just a little. He has given ye time, time in which to prove her the liar she is. Aye, and he has given himself time to do the same. In truth, he has given ye the chance to get free of her."

  "I thought much the same, but I suspect I will be held close within Cairnmoor, so finding the truth could be verra difficult."

  She dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. “Ye will get the truth out of her. I have no doubt about that."

  "I wish I shared your confidence in me."

  "Ye will. Just make sure that ye are nay the only one to hear it or get a name from her. I believe that Cameron will now at least try to bring the other mon before him, to question him. And, what Gillyanne and I have learned will help."

  Payton grinned. “I was sure the two of you would be working hard to ferret out the truth. ‘Tis why ye asked for this visit?"

  "Aye, that and wanting to be sure ye understood why Cameron and I became lovers. ‘Tis no secret at Cairnmoor, so ye were sure to discover the truth. In fact, Katherine will nay doubt fill your ears with it, wishing to shame me and giving nary a thought to the trouble she could cause her brother. I love the mon. I went to his bed willingly. I just wanted to be sure ye understood that."

  "Do ye think that, when matters settle some, Cameron will try to get ye back, to marry you?"

  "I dinnae ken,” she replied softly, taking a moment to swallow the urge to cry. “Everyone else seems to think I will return, but I have had no words of hope from him. No words of love. He desires me and I think he cares for me in his way. He is a mon with scars upon his heart, Payton, and I ken enough of his past to ken why they are th
ere and sympathize. I am just nay sure I got past them. But that cannae matter now. Yours is the most pressing problem."

  "That and the fact that Bowen leads the men. He gave us two hours, and that time is nearly done."

  "Oh, dear. Weel, from wee things Katherine let slip, and from what we coerced out of her maid, ye are looking for a squire. He is bonny, tall, and quite strong. Red hair and brown eyes. He is also poor and has six older brothers.” She saw how thoughtful Payton suddenly looked and she asked, “Do ye ken such a mon?"

  "There is something tickling at the back of my mind. ‘Twill come. ‘Tis certainly enough to start with.” He picked up her bag, took her by the arm, and started out of the room. “And now we must go ere Bowen tries to charge the gates."

  "Gillyanne, if ye dinnae cease staring at me, I will toss the table linen o'er your head,” Cameron grumbled, frowning at the girl seated on his left.

  Gillyanne just laughed. “I will miss ye, Cameron."

  "Odd thing, I think I might be fool enough to miss ye, too."

  "Ah, I hear Payton and Avery. Time to go.” She stood up, leaned over, kissed him on the cheek, and said quietly, “Dinnae brood. Think and listen. ‘Twill all come right in the end, but only if ye set yourself free of the past."

  Leargan moved to stand by Gillyanne, draped his arm around her shoulders, and started walking her to the door. “Ah, lass, if ye were just a wee bit older, and I just a wee bit younger, I wouldnae let ye skip out of here. We would make a fine pair."

  "Flatterer. I would drive ye mad."

  "Aye, but ‘twould surely be a sweet madness.” He kissed her on the cheek and nudged her toward Avery, who had just paused before the doors of the great hall. “And Avery, ye beauty, I shall miss ye, too.” Leargan tugged a shocked Avery into his arms and gave her a resoundingly passionate kiss, which was dimmed only slightly by the sound of something crashing to the floor of the great hall.

  When the kiss ended and Leargan set her away from him, she glanced over his shoulder to see that Cameron was on his feet. A page slipped up behind his glowering laird and set his fallen chair upright again. Avery looked at a grinning Leargan and tsked.