He looked embarrassed by the praise, but accepted it. “My maither taught me to cook.”
The other men laughed at the confession and clapped him on the back. “And we thank her for it,” Culloden replied.
“We’ll be off to bed,” Oidche announced and grabbed Malmuira by the hand. She saw him wink at the men.
She could only imagine what the men thought they were off to do. Oidche grabbed both their bed rolls and walked far enough away that they were out of earshot of the other men. He threw out their bedrolls on the dirt, one right on top of the other.
“No need for us to share a bed tonight.” Malmuira felt keenly aware that the men were not that far away and worried that they were going to come over there and see them alone. Even though they were married, she feared they would tease her. She wanted them to respect her.
“Yer week isn't over,” Oidche reminded her sternly.
She sighed in resignation and lay down on the blanket. It was nice to have the bedroll on top of the other. It made a nice cushion against the ground. Oidche lay behind her and pressed his body up against her. He curled his shape around hers and put his arm around her waist. She fit perfectly in the contour of his body. All at once she felt secure and safe, even out on the Scottish plain.
“Ah like how warm ye are,” Oidche said quietly in her ear. He kissed her cheek, her jaw and then her neck before laying his head down. She snuggled down into his body and fell asleep within moments.
Malmuira woke with a pain in her side. She tried to shift to make herself comfortable, only to realize that Oidche’s arm had been resting on the same spot all night long. His arm weighed down on her, creating a cramp she couldn’t get rid of. It was nigh on impossible to move it from around her waist.
She elbowed him in the ribs, keeping herself from digging in too hard.
“Oof. What was that fer?” He responded in a sleepy voice.
“Ah can’t get yer arm off. It’s crushing me.”
He chuckled and removed his arm from her side, resting it on her hip instead. He nibbled the back of her ear. His warm breath tickled the sensitive skin. “How’d ye sleep?”
“Ah slept well,” she responded. She tried to keep the catch out of her voice, but his body around her and his tongue caressing her ear made her ache for something she wasn’t ready to admit to. She shuddered unintentionally.
“Getting aroused, lass?” His husky voice stimulated her even more than the physical attention.
“Umm…” She stumbled over her thoughts. Words eluded her and she sighed.
His laugh was quiet and light. He slid his hand up from her hip to her chest. Then he traced his fingers back down to her thigh. His lips flitted lightly down her neck.
Someone not far away cleared their throat loudly and both Oidche and Malmuira jumped in alarm. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’re headed out.” Kyle looked embarrassed, but right before he turned away, he winked at Oidche.
She and Oidche jumped up. Malmuira kept her eyes on the ground.
“No need to be embarrassed, lass. We’re wed, remember?”
Malmuira nodded. “Aye, wedded, but not consummated.”
“Wedded nonetheless. And judging by yer reaction, both’ll be true soon enough.”
She felt her cheeks warm, but didn’t reply.
It didn’t take long to load up the horses and begin their journey again. Oidche chose to ride in the back of the line next to Malmuira. This morning, the horses were still worn out from the long run yesterday. They moved at a brisk walk.
Malmuira pulled her mount to a halt. Oidche followed suit and looked at her, waiting.
“Ah want to tell ye something about my maither, if ye don’t mind.” Oidche began the conversation as if they had been talking for hours. He must have had this on his mind for a while.
“Aye, ah want to know everything about ye.” It felt good to Malmuira to have Oidche want to tell her something without any prompting.
“Ye have to promise not to repeat what ah tell ye. Not to my faither or to anyone else.”
Malmuira nodded. “Ah wouldn’t dare.”
Oidche seemed content with her response. “My faither says my maither died of the plague, but it’s not true. The way she died was shameful to my faither and also made him feel like he was at fault.”
Malmuira remained silent, wanting Oidche to proceed at his own pace.
“She took her own life. She lost a bairn and it hit her hard.”
They continued for a moment in silence, side by side, each swaying in time to the rhythm of their horse’s walk.
“My faither blamed himself for her death. Said he should have noticed how sad she was. It is his greatest regret. No amount of consoling him helped. He felt as though he had murdered her himself. A grief worse than the death of yer wife.”
“My faither blamed himself as well,” Malmuira whispered after a moment of silence.
“For what?”
“After my sister Siusan was born, my maither bled too much. She passed after naming Siusan. My faither was beside himself with grief and said it was his fault. That he had been happy she was with child and that she was far too stricken in years to have another bairn. Ah raised my sister myself while he grieved. Ah didn’t know how to help him. He came out of it, but it took time. Yer sister actually helped.”
“Lara?” he asked. “How did Lara help him?”
“She had a daughter. Brightened him right up.”
“Ah’ve never met my niece. Ah’ll be glad to meet her. And to see my sister again. It’s been ten years now since ah saw her.”
“Aye, she’s a precious child. But far too spoiled by my faither. She and Siusan will be friends, ah’m sure.”
“Ah bet ye’d have beautiful bairns,” he commented, looking her up and down.
“Thank ye.” She urged her horse on at a faster pace, leaving the conversation with Oidche behind.
Chapter 6
The day wore on longer than was comfortable, but she didn’t want to appear weak in front of the men by asking for a break. They rode well into evening with few breaks. Once the sun was setting they found a sheltered space to stay for the night near a small loch.
Kyle built the fire and cooked up some supper while everyone else lay flat on the ground, worn out from the long day’s ride. The air had started to cool again by the time the stew was ready. Taters and carrots simmered in a broth of water and herbs. Kyle had thrown in some salted meat for good measure.
“Kyle, how do ye cook such good food with so little?” Malmuira gulped the soup down. She wanted to savor the food, but she felt so famished that she couldn’t. She ended up choking on her last gulp and gasped for air.
Kyle slapped her back a few times until she stopped coughing. “Slow down, lass. It ain’t that good, ye know. Ye’re just hungry from riding all day. Always makes the food taste better.”
Culloden laughed, “Maybe that’s why his food tastes so good. Ah’m always hungry.”
“Keep talking like that and ye won’t get any tomorrow night,” Kyle threatened.
Culloden smiled and took another gulp of the stew. He almost always had a smile on his face. Malmuira had a hard time picturing what he would look like with a frown.
“The trade agreements will be held soon. We need to make sure we get there in time, lads.” Eaunrig had a serious tone in his voice that immediately sobered the conversation. Eaunrig was the exact opposite of Culloden. His mouth never moved from a serious expression.
“We’ll get there in time, Eaunrig, don’t fret. The Buchanons said they’d wait for us before opening talks with the McLeod clan. They’ll be good on their word. We best discuss tactics before we get there, though,” Kyle said.
Malmuira listened intently to their talks, curious at the workings of peace. Most of her life had been spent at war. She had heard strategy meetings from her father’s talks about how to best kill a large group of warriors, how to defend their keep and where to place defense. Any talks of trade with neig
hboring clans had to be met with utmost precision and planning. Their trade caravans were often assaulted by the Murray clan. It had taken many weeks of discussion with her father before she had felt safe enough around the Murrays to even consider marrying into their clan.
“The McLeods have a lot of options when it comes to trade. They are on good terms with a couple other clans and have a sum of warriors large enough to defend themselves easily. But the Buchanons have less options. Albeit more than the Murray clan, but their location makes it difficult for trades with a fair amount of clans. They would be more open to fair trade than the McLeods would be with us.” Culloden finished his stew in between sentences.
Eaunrig furrowed his thick brows down over his eyes in what looked like contemplation. “The McLeods also know that we’ve been at war nigh on ten years now. It’s likely they will use that to their advantage. Open trade routes with the Buchanons that were not in place before our treaty. If they can find a way to end our peace between the Murrays and Buchanons, they most likely would take it. They will not benefit from our clans being at peace.”
Kyle had been quiet for a while, but spoke slowly from his reclined position against a rock. His feet were near the fire and the firelight danced across his features. His appearance seemed to change with every flicker of the flames. “We need to appear to be better’n the McLeods on at least one commodity. We all know the Buchanons have many resources and Malmuira’s faither’s no fool. He kept the clan fed during war time whereas we have struggled. Ah’m sure he also realizes we need these trade routes to help ensure peace. Ye never war with yer allies.”
Up until this point, Malmuira had kept herself quiet, but she interjected now. Her voice was quiet and unsure at first, but her confidence grew with every word. “Ye’ll need to be honest with my faither. He respects a man who’s honest. Ah can tell ye that he wants peace just as much as ye. He’ll do anything to keep the peace, short of starving the clan. Just tell him why the trade agreement is so important. Tell him what resources ye have to trade and what ye are in need of. He is a reasonable man and wise beyond his years.”
The men listened to her while she spoke. They silently digested her words. Eaunrig was the first to speak up. “Makes me skittish to think we’d be at his mercy. Ah don’t like us being so forward.”
Kyle jumped in immediately. “Ah’ve not ever seen honesty doing anything but good. Malmuira knows her faither and ah think it best we heed her advice. ‘Tis sound advice anyhow. We can try to play the game and hope to win, or we can just talk to him like family and hope it works. Remember his daughter is part of our clan now and Lara was part of our clan, as well. We have ties that’ll bind us together.”
Sitting close to Malmuira, Oidche put his arm around her shoulder. She felt comfortable and warm near him. She laid her head on his shoulder and stared into the firelight. Culloden added a few branches to the fire.
Oidche had been quiet, but finally spoke. “We’ll listen to Malmuira’s advice. If all else fails, we can still play the game with the McLeods, but ah think her faither will listen if we are up front about our intentions at peace.”
His word was final and the other men accepted it without any objections. Oidche spoke on behalf of the clan chief, and the men respected him enough to trust what he said. They sat around the fire for a while longer. Kyle passed around a flask of whiskey while they stared into the fire. Culloden must have had more whiskey than the others and sang a song of glorious battle. After a while the other men joined in. The night echoed with songs of love lost and battles won.
Malmuira drifted off to sleep with her head laid against Oidche’s shoulder. He woke her late into the night and whispered in her ear, “Let’s go to bed.”
Oidche took Malmuira by the hand and helped her stand, hoisting their bed rolls under each arm. She followed him over near the loch. She could hear the frogs chirping in the distance and the faint splashes of fish eating insects off the surface of the lake. The night air was cool, but felt wonderful against her skin.
Oidche set down the bed rolls and began to remove his shirt.
“What’re ye doing?” Malmuira asked him with an edge of panic. The other men weren’t far off and it was certain that if they came this way, they would notice if they were naked.
“Going for a swim,” he announced. “Care to join me?”
“It’s improper. The other men’ll see me.”
“Nah, they wouldn’t dare come over here. They know ah’d beat ‘em if they did. Ah can best any of them in a brawl.” He had a mischievous smile on his face. “Join me, please. The water’ll feel good on yer legs. They have to be sore from riding so much.”
She was very sore from riding and the cool water would soothe her tired muscles. She loved swimming in the loch at home, but if she did swim with him she would have to get undressed. Her clothes wouldn’t dry fast enough for their ride tomorrow.
In response, she unbuttoned her dress and removed her shoes and stockings. She stood before him in her underthings. He had removed all of his clothing appeared in all his masculine glory. At first she looked away from him, startled at his boldness. She couldn’t help it however when her eyes were drawn back to him. She looked him up and down. He was a beautiful man.
He had seen her looking, but didn’t tease her about it. Instead he moved in closer to her. “Take it off lass,” he commanded her.
She considered arguing with him, but thought better of it. She removed the remaining clothing. Naked before Oidche made her feel vulnerable. The moon was at half light, but still outlined the contours of her body.
Oidhche sucked in a quick breath and looked her up and down. “Ye’re beautiful,” he commented. She could tell he was aroused and looked away, unsure what to say.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the loch. The water was icy cold and she hesitated at the point when it got to the middle of her calves.
“Come on, lass. Ye’ll adjust,” he encouraged.
“It’s freezin’ though.” It might be best to just stay in the shallows.
Oidche caught her off guard. He swept her up in his arms and dashed for the center of the loch. She squealed, then laughed. When the cold water surrounded her she felt as though she couldn’t quite catch her breath. Oidche set her down. Malmuira was much shorter than Oidche that the water hit her just under her chin, but stopped below his shoulders. She laughed out loud.
“That wasn’t fair, Oidche. The water is so cold.” She could barely get out the words through the chatter in her teeth.
“Ye’ll get used to the cold.” He approached her and lifted her with little effort and pulled her body in close to his. Malmuira felt a thrill ripple through her as she felt their skin pressed together. She put her arms around his neck and quickly kissed his lips. He pecked her on the cheek then swept her legs out from under her, catching her by the neck before she slipped under the water.
She wanted to get him back and hoped to get him to fall under the water. She hooked her leg around his, but instead of sweeping immediately, she stretched her waist up so her chest was out of the water. It distracted him, just as she thought it would be. With his attention focused on her breasts, she took that moment to sweep his legs and push down hard on his head. He emerged from the water with a heavy belly laugh and Malmuira soon joined in. He splashed her and she returned the favor, missing him in the process.
He threw his arms around her in a hug. “Ye’re fun, Mal.”
“It’s nice to hear ye use my short name. My sister calls me that.”
“Do ye mind?”
“Ah like it. Use it.”
He gave her a goodnight kiss. “Come to bed, lass. We need the rest.”
“Aye, ah’m beat.”
They dripped their way over to the bedroll, using their clothes to pat dry, and cuddled up in the blanket. They kept each other warm through the night.
They reached the keep a day before negotiations were due to begin. She felt a thrill of excitement when she could se
e the keep in the distance. That excitement grew the closer they got to her home.
After they had arrived, Malmuira showed the men to the stables and asked the stable boy to fetch water for each horse. A maidservant came out with skins of water and informed them that supper would be held in the hall.
“Yer clan seems hospitable, ah’ll give ye that,” Culloden mentioned on their way out of the stable.
“Aye, hospitality is important to my faither.” A note of pride imbued her voice.
“Ah wasn’t aware of that when the Buchanons were killing my brothers.” Eaunrig’s voice was low and angry.
Malmuira didn’t know how to respond to his accusations. There had been deaths on both sides that were painful for every family involved.
“Hush, Eaunrig,” Oidche reprimanded. “We’re here for treaty talks, not to inflame the other side. They lost their brothers too.”
Malmuira took Oidche’s hand in hers. The comfort from his touch helped her focus on the task at hand. She needed these men to make a good impression on her father. He appreciated a good first impression and respected honest, hardworking men. As she had just spent time on the road with each of them, Malmuira knew them to be good men, but her father would need to see it for himself.
When they entered the hall, she would be expected to stay by Oidche’s side, but she couldn’t help what happened. She spied Siusan seated by her father and sprinted through the hall, grabbed her up in her arms and threw her above her head.
Siusan giggled and squealed in glee. “Mally! Mally! Ah’ve missed ye.”
Malmuira kissed her chubby cheeks and held her close, in a tight embrace. “Ah’ve missed ye too, Siusan.” Her bouncy curls tickled Malmuira’s nose and she spun her around once more before realizing that all eyes were on her. Oidche had a bemused grin on his face and her father looked nostalgic.
“Sorry. My emotions got the better of me.” She tucked her hair behind one ear and rejoined Oidche’s side, but kept Siusan on one hip.
Her father stood and walked towards the group of men, extending his hand in greeting.
Given to the Highlander (Highlander Bride Series Book 1) Page 6