Reckless Scotland: A Scottish Medieval Romance Bundle

by Victoria Vane

  Then the ill-timed arrival of Geoffrey Longford had merely hastened an already doomed situation. Damned right, remorse and disgrace swamped his every waking moment.

  ’Twas why he toiled as hard as he did, trying to right a mere fraction of the wrongs he’d permitted to happen to his clan. He simply wished to leave Connor with a legacy worth having when his brother assumed leadership over the clan. ’Twas no doubt in his mind, Connor was far better suited for the position.

  “As for Mairi…” Connor said.

  Aaron’s gaze darted to his brother and he almost cursed aloud. Every damned time he heard the name, something inside him jolted to attention.

  “You can pretend all you wish, but ’tis as plain as the light of dawn to me. I know you feel something for Mairi, if not love her.”

  He’d no notion of what he felt for Mairi, but what was the point either way? After what he’d done to her and her kin, he was ashamed to face the woman. Of course, now that the threat of her brother loomed over his and Connor’s heads, what was he to say to her? Had he not worsened matters by insulting and injuring the woman within moments of seeing her again? But, Saints, the sight of her had taken his breath away.

  “Connor, I…” He paused, stumbling over the words. Why could he not drag a simple apology from his lips? Each time an opportunity arose to prove he was not a complete arse, he jammed his boot in his mouth.

  “You do not have to apologize to me.” Connor eased down on the edge of the bed and shrugged. “I brought her here in the hopes she might awaken something in you. Mayhap, even give you the shove you need to take control of our clan. You are laird of this clan. ’Tis your birthright, Aaron.”

  He scoffed at the word. Laird? A sheep was more suitable to assume the mantle of laird than him. ’Twas why he retreated to the solar after a long day spent toiling hard with repairs around the holding. He’d no desire to meet the accusing—or worse—defeated stares of the MacRaes in the great hall each eve.

  Tucking his arms behind his back, he resumed pacing the room. Nay, he was unfit to accept the lairdship. Connor, on the other hand, would more than suit. ’Twas an eventuality he’d prepared for. At least, until MacGregor arrived, seeking vengeance. After his encounter with Mairi in his bedchamber, the lass just might enjoy his demise.

  Saints, why the devil had he not guarded his tongue around Connor? ’Twas his own damned fault for revealing too much to the lad.

  Pausing before the hearth, he muttered, “What am I to do with her?” He cast a glance over his shoulder. “She cannot remain here, Connor.”

  “Where is she to go?” Connor flapped an arm toward the furs tucked into the window slit. “I hardly think she can travel anywhere in this mess until the storm eases. ’Twas a feat managing the pass in this weather. No doubt, ’tis damned near impossible now that the wind and snow have worsened.”

  “Well, you should’ve thought of that before you stole her away,” he accused.

  “I did no such thing.”

  Aaron turned his back on the hearth, spearing his brother with a dubious stare.

  “I vow I did not,” his brother insisted. “She agreed to leave with me.”

  He tilted his head and lifted a brow. “Under what conditions?”

  Connor had the good grace to duck his head.

  Saints, what now?

  Aaron prompted, “Speak, Connor. I’ll find out sooner or later.”

  “Mayhap, I might’ve told her you suffered with fever,” his brother mumbled. “And mayhap, I might’ve mentioned something about a deathbed.”

  He closed his eyes. “Tell me you did no such thing.”

  “Well, I could.” Connor shrugged. “But then, it would be a falsehood.”

  Aaron dropped his head back and opened his eyes to peer at the rafters overhead. Somehow, the ridiculous situation worsened the more he dragged out of his kin.

  “Damn it, Connor. How could you?”

  The young man sat mute, inspecting the stone floor at his feet.

  “She must return to her family. I’ve no notion how, but she cannot remain here a moment longer. What of the beach pass?”

  Connor blinked at him as if he’d grown a second head. “Would you try it this time of year given the present conditions?”

  Absolutely not. If the cliff passage was difficult to travel, then the narrowed bluff footpath along the beach’s rock wall would be sheer madness to attempt. He spat out yet another sound curse. “Well, what the devil am I to do with her?”

  “Treat her as a welcome guest?” his brother suggested with a smirk.

  “I do not want her here,” he snarled. “What of her brother when he arrives? You know the man shall come for her. He’s more than likely on his blasted way as we speak. What should I tell him when he arrives and demands my head on a pike?”

  “’Twas a misunderstanding.”

  “Aye, that shall go over exceedingly well with the great bull of a man. I’m pleased you can jest about this. ’Tis no laughing matter, Connor. Do you have any notion of the trouble you’ve brought to our door?”

  Connor opened his mouth to speak but a heavy-handed bang on the door rang out. Seizing ahold of the interruption, the young man called out, “Enter.”

  The door swung open and Niall’s hulking form filled the entrance. A scowl darkened his somber features. If Aaron had not grown up with the man, he might’ve admitted Niall’s countenance and demeanor bordered on downright threatening. Mayhap, Aaron should let him face MacGregor.

  “You’re needed in the stables,” Niall rumbled out in a gruff tone.

  Aaron frowned. “Why? What’s amiss?”

  “Your guest is plotting her swift departure. She’s enlisted Kate’s aid. They’re on their way to the stables. I assume for the lady to steal a horse.”

  “For the love of God.” Aaron hung his head in exasperation. The entire eve had been naught but a horrible, muddled tangle of shite. “No matter what, do not let her leave, Niall.”

  “Thought as much.” Niall rolled his eyes. “I’ll see to the matter.”

  Saints have mercy on his soul. What the devil else could go amiss? “I’ll follow in a few moments.”

  Nodding, Niall lumbered away but Aaron called after his friend. “Take caution, she’s rather fond of kicking.”

  *

  MAIRI FOLLOWED THE lithe maid from Aaron’s chamber. She paused for a moment as shouts reached from the opposite end of the corridor before rushing ahead to keep pace with Kate. The pair of them remained as silent as the grave as they stalked down the darkened main stairway.

  Once they reached the main floor, her step faltered when she spotted the two guards posted at the main doors who’d burst into Aaron’s bedchamber with Connor. Nearly groaning aloud, she’d forgotten the pair stood guard beside the entrance to the keep. Wary, she reached for the back of Kate’s gown, drawing her attention.

  The blonde murmured over her shoulder, “No worries, my lady. I shall handle this.”

  Unconcerned, Kate continued down the stairs to the ground level, reaching for the discarded furs Connor had left near the alcove at the entrance. The two men exchanged quick glances but otherwise remained silent. Holding her breath, Mairi hastily accepted the bundle of furs the maid passed over to don against the winter weather. After they’d wrapped themselves from head to toe, Kate stood in front of the two guards and lifted her chin in a challenge, which Mairi had not expected of the small, meek woman.

  One of the men lifted a brow and opened his mouth to speak, but Kate raised a hand, halting the soldier before he muttered a sound.

  “Not now, Alain. Please, stand aside.” Despite her show of courage, Kate’s cheeks flushed pink, her distress evident in the heavy rise and fall of her chest.

  The two men tossed quick looks at each other. With a reluctant shrug, Alain unbarred the entry and opened the door, waving them through with an exasperated sigh.

  As soon as the doors opened, the full force of winter smacked Mairi in the face. Blusterin
g gusts permeated the thick pelts covering her and chilled her straight to the bone. She gritted her teeth against the fierce, biting wind.

  Kate peeked at her askance. “My lady, I do not think this is such a prudent notion.”

  Aye, well, neither did Mairi, but what choice did she have?

  “Makes no difference.” Shivering, she tucked the furs closer around her head and neck. “I must leave, Kate.”

  The maid’s brow furrowed, but she nodded in understanding. Without a word, the woman toed her way down the icy steps and sank down in the ankle-deep snow. Kate peered over her shoulder for Mairi to follow. She hunched deeper in the furs and ducked her chin to her chest, descending the slick steps as carefully as the maid. Trailing behind the other woman, she trudged through the amassing snow while her entire body trembled.

  Though she was loath to admit defeat, the thought of traveling in such conditions unsettled her. Not to mention, traversing that godforsaken cliff passage again. But, what choice did she have?

  How could she remain here with concern for her kin’s welfare pressing on her? Toss in Connor’s deception and Aaron’s harsh greeting, and she could not bear to remain a moment longer.

  Saints, she’d have to rely on sheer stubbornness, since that was the only thing guiding her feet through the freezing snow at present.

  Once she and Kate reached the shelter of the stables, Mairi helped the other woman battle the gales to secure the doors. Leaning against the planks of wood, she heaved a deep breath when they’d managed the difficult task.

  Outside, the wind howled in eerie displeasure and pushed against the timber structure. Horses whinnied and snorted in their stalls, restless with the arrival of the winter storm. Throughout the stables, a lone lantern flickered, the firelight dancing against the groaning walls. She stepped forward and bumped into Kate, who stood frozen in place.

  The maid stared straight ahead into a dim patch of shadows across the interior. Bemused, Mairi followed the other woman’s gaze. Cloaked in darkness, Niall, the fur-covered giant who’d taken Connor’s horse, stood yards away. With his long legs braced apart and thick arms crossed, the man wore a rather daunting scowl—one that quite possibly rivaled her brother’s.

  She nudged Kate to speak but the woman remained as silent as the grave, rooted to the earth beneath her feet. Somewhere between the keep and the stables, the small woman’s boldness had deserted her. Under the weight of Niall’s stare, Kate practically shivered in her buckskin boots.

  Not as easily deterred, Mairi crossed her arms, mirroring the big man’s stance, and met his penetrating glower. What Niall did not know about her was she’d grown accustomed to outwaiting her brother’s intimidating gaze. She could stand there until dawn if necessary.

  With a shake of his head, Niall yielded first. “I’m disappointed in you, Katherine.”

  Kate’s pink cheeks burned a deep crimson. Fidgeting in place, she swallowed audibly before stammering out, “I-I…I’m sorry, Niall.”

  Mairi frowned at the man’s gentle scolding. Peering between the pair, she noted how Niall’s gray eyes softened when he looked at the maid, while Kate floundered uncomfortably under his scrutiny. ’Twas evident to Mairi something existed between the pair, some innocent spark that neither had explored.

  “What are the two of you doing out here?” His deep voice rumbled through the quiet stable interior. “Especially in this weather. The pair of you’ll catch your deaths.”

  Taking mercy on Kate, Mairi stepped forward. “She only did as I asked. Nay, demanded is more like.” Dropping her hands at her sides, she paced closer and attempted a genuine appeal. “I must leave this place. Your laird does not want me here, nor do I have a wish to remain. Please, Niall, all I ask is the use of a horse so that I might return home before my family loses their minds with worry.”

  “My lady…” Niall’s red brows furrowed with concern. “You cannot go anywhere in this mess.”

  After everything that had occurred, she was not above begging. “Please, Niall. I cannot remain.”

  Uncrossing his arms, he paused long enough to consider her words. After long moments, he huffed a tired sigh. “My lady, I vow I shall deliver you home myself…but just not this eve. ’Tis too dangerous to travel in this weather.”

  Niall’s earnest words, coupled with his sympathetic gaze, almost brought tears to Mairi’s eyes. She swallowed back the swell of emotion residing in her throat. Before she managed to drag an argument from her mouth, the stable doors banged open behind her, startling the life out of her. Annoyed, she spun around to face an enraged Aaron MacRae.

  “Hell,” she muttered.

  Chapter Five

  IF NOT FOR his piss poor mood, Aaron might’ve laughed at her mumbled curse. Instead, he glared at the woman. “You must’ve hit your head harder than I imagined if you think I’d let you leave in a blasted snowstorm.”

  Her beautiful, blue eyes narrowed in anger. She lifted her chin in a direct challenge, a reaction that hardly surprised him.

  She bit out, “I refuse to stay here a moment longer.”

  With a measured step forward, he sneered. “Oh, and where shall you go?”

  “Home,” she spat out.

  He lifted a brow. “Just how do you plan to get there in this weather?”

  “On a horse, it would seem.” Color bloomed in her pale cheeks.

  He could not help but goad her. “One of my horses, you mean?”

  Weariness wavered into the glittering anger of her gaze. No doubt, the day’s jaunt with Connor had exhausted her. Add the freezing cold and their unappealing encounter in his bedchamber, and she had to stand on the precipice of her breaking point. Hell, he’d not contended with a fraction of what she’d endured throughout the day, and his fraying restraint teetered since she’d kneed him in the cods.

  “Why should you care?” Her frustration bubbled over into outrage. “You do not want me here at all!”

  His stomach lurched with the shouted remark. ’Twas true, he did not want her there, but not for the reasons she might’ve imagined.

  “Lady Mairi,” Connor, who’d followed Aaron into the stables, spoke up over his brother’s shoulder.

  Mairi transferred her heated glower to his brother. “Do not speak to me, Connor. I shall never forgive you for your deception.” She accused, “How could you allow me to think he was dying?”

  Kate’s eyes rounded and she lifted a hand to cover her parted mouth.

  His brother moved closer, undoubtedly searching for any manner possible to excuse his actions. Unfortunately for the lad, no amount of reasoning would justify his deception.

  “You would’ve never agreed to accompany me,” he said.

  “Of course, I would not have,” she snarled, moving in Connor’s direct path. “Did you even consider the strife you’ve caused me? Or my family?” She shoved at his chest. “My kin are probably out in this accursed weather searching for me as we speak. What of them? Did you give a shred of thought to their welfare?”

  Distress crumpled her comely features while tears swam in her expressive eyes.

  Bothered by her words, Connor rubbed the back of his neck. “Lady Mairi, I never meant to endanger you or your family. I merely wished…I’d hoped…Saints, forgive me, please.”

  A sob tore from her throat and she spun on her heel, darting to the nearest stall to lean against the gate.

  Christ, her distress tore at Aaron’s heart. He’d no wish to remain within close range of the woman any more than he welcomed a skin flaying, but the lass had borne enough for one day.

  “Everyone leave. Now,” he demanded of the others.

  With her chin tucked to her chest, Mairi shuffled to join Connor, Niall, and Kate, but Aaron grabbed her upper arm. Despite the layers of clothing and pelts covering the woman, the slight feel of her sent a jolt through his hand. “Not you.”

  Her wide, red-rimmed gaze shot to his. “What? Why?”

  He muttered, “One moment is all I ask.”

&
nbsp; “Aaron,” Connor warned.

  He glanced over his shoulder where his brother lingered with Niall and Kate at the stable entrance. “Later, Connor. Make sure Kate gets inside safely, Niall.” When Connor hesitated to leave him alone with Mairi, he raised his brows to accentuate the single word. “Go.”

  As soon as the three stepped outside, and his brother and Niall secured the doors against the wind, he faced the woman he’d tried to forget in the last year.

  Biting her lower lip, she stared at the closed entrance, while he absorbed the sight of her. Between the fresh odors of horseflesh, fodder and hay, the unique scent of Mairi pervaded the air and drifted up his nostrils. Akin to the woman herself, the bold, sweet aroma slipped in his head.

  When she refused to look at him, he strung together enough words to mumble, “I did not mean the words I spoke in haste to you earlier.”

  ’Twas then she met his gaze, snaring him with her enthralling, light blue eyes. “Why did you say them?”

  Without a ready answer, he floundered for an excuse, but his overtaxed mind betrayed him. “’Tis just…”

  How could he explain that seeing her again, the sudden influx of unwanted feelings, bombarded him all at once and sent him reeling over the edge toward resentment. Not that he resented her but rather the future they could never have. Her appearance merely served as a harsh reminder. Aye, he’d lashed out at her in anger, misplaced or not. Between his momentary shock and the painful kick to his bollocks, his weary mind responded in defense.

  “’Twas unexpected,” she supplied in a quiet murmur and ducked her head.

  Unexpected? More like staggering disbelief. He echoed, “Aye, unexpected.”

  He studied the furs and cloth blocking her hair from his view. He longed for naught more than to sweep away the covering and run his fingers through her shining raven tresses, to pull her into his embrace and steal a kiss from those pursed, pink lips. Saints, she shoved him closer to madness. With a hard shake, he thrust aside his ridiculous desires.