by Reece Butler
Malcolm rested his head on his bent left arm. He used his right to troll his fingers from her thighs over her bottom and up her back to her neck, then back again in a slow loop.
“We are yer husbands and ye are our wife, Kiera,” he said. He dropped his chin to kiss her shoulder. “But I didna wish to speak of ye as a possession. Ye are like a dream to me, only one that is still there when I wake.” Another kiss, this one gentler. “Ye are yerself, and what we need. Ye could have had far greater men as husbands. I hope we are enough for ye.”
She laid her head on Duff’s chest to think that one over. His heart beat was quicker than normal but still regular. Hers had sped up.
Yes, she could have had a husband of more power and wealth, yet she could not imagine any of them caring for her even half as much. The three of them had many challenges ahead. She’d seen little of Kinrowan but the stairs and this chamber where Bessie had chattered while she bathed. Though she’d been Lady MacKenzie of Castle Leod she worried one false step would bring her down. She’d destroyed her name while in her father’s home. She could not do so here. It would be intolerable to be shunned and shamed in her own castle. She would follow Bessie’s guidance, along with Hattie and the other women she’d not yet met. And her husbands, of course.
“If you count wealth and power as being great, then aye, men like that coveted what I could bring them,” she replied. “But they didn’t want me, Kiera.” She rolled her head so her chin rested directly on Duff’s chest. He’d complained about her chin being pointed before so she opened and closed her jaw a few times, grinding it into him. He yelped as expected, his eyes laughing at her.
“None are greater men than you, and most come nowhere near. My father trusts you to be for the MacKenzies. He would not trust those more powerful, and greedy, men.”
“Are ye likely to find contentment with us?” asked Duff.
“If you hush so I can rest, mayhaps.” He patted her bottom in warning. She didn’t really want them to be quiet as she was enjoying their time together and didn’t know when they’d have another. “Tell me of your visit with my father. What did you do?”
“I watched how he acted as Lord MacKenzie,” said Malcolm. “He praised but only where it was deserved. If something was wrong he acted quickly to fix it, not blaming unless it was deserved. The first morning when we all went to train I expected him to stay with the men. Instead he went to the young lads and their wooden practice swords.”
“He left you to prove yourselves.” She snickered. “I saw the bruises on you. Are you likely to get more?”
“It will take some weeks for all the garrison to test us,” said Duff with a groan. “There are dozens of servants, and they all want to have their say.”
“Do they have good ideas?”
“Some of them, aye. Others wish to get their complaints in first, or gain something they may not deserve.”
She could see having the same problem herself. “What do you do?”
“Nod wisely, say ‘I see,’ and that I will think it over.”
Malcolm’s hand stopped, resting on her bottom. “Yer father said to watch the ones who work hard and dinna look to see who is watching. Even better if they do what needs doing afore ye ask for it.”
“You learned much from my father.”
“He is the only laird I’ve seen much of, other than Somerled.”
“Our oldest brother is dour and harsh,” said Duff. “He’s had to be as he took over our clan at sixteen because our father was worse than useless. Luckily Niall, his twin, is easier to be with.”
“Yer father can laugh with his men, flirt with the women, and cuddle a bairn, yet acts with deadly force when he must. I wish to be like that.”
“Bessie said you already showed both sides of being a laird. What did she mean?”
“A woman had brought forward the charge of rape against one of the more prosperous men in the village,” said Duff. “The man said he’d paid her before and expected the same services. She said she’d only accepted coin when her children were starving in the late winter and tried to fight him off. Others heard and came, but ’twas too late.”
“They were witnesses to the act, but not the reason,” said Kiera. She waited to hear what Malcolm had ordered done. It would say so much about him as a laird, a man, and a husband.
“I sentenced him to ten lashes and said he must provide her with enough coin to buy peat for the winter,” said Malcolm. “He would pay double for what he’d taken, but as a fine to help her little ones get through the coming winter.”
Kiera shivered at the thought of the whip. It only happened once. She had scars, though they were light. She never wished to see a whip in use again, though she agreed with the punishment.
“She wouldna have taken the coin otherwise,” she said.
“He complained that a whipping would injure him too much and so would take food from the mouths of his own bairns. His wife just birthed his seventh daughter, which is why he couldn’t demand his marital rights,” said Duff. “His words, not mine. Mistress Hetty said there were whispers he’d done it afore but none came forward, as they, too, had been forced to take money here and there.”
“So all he lost was some coin.”
Duff’s chuckle made her bounce on his chest. “Not at all. Malcolm took the lash to him. He can make a man scream in pain without cutting his back to ribbands. His body was punished yet he could still work.”
“And the woman? Are the villagers angry with her?”
“Nay doubt, but one of yer father’s guards asked if she and her bairns could return to Castle Leod with them. Laird MacKenzie liked that she spoke well, stood up for herself, and didna ask for too much.”
“I carried her wee lassie on my horse most of the way to Castle Leod,” said Malcolm softly. “I’ve not seen many bairns, and she made me think of the babe ye be carrying.”
“You wish for a son, aye?”
“Yer father wishes for a son. I’d like a wee lassie with yer eyes and smile.”
She lifted her head, smiling at the praise.
“See, Duff. I told ye Kiera’s smile lights up the room more than a fire.”
The bolt struck her heart, and she knew.
During the day Malcolm seemed harsh and unyielding. He needed to be. But in here he showed his true self, one that understood why a woman could be forced to act the whore to save her children, and not judge her harshly for it. A man who could carry a little one on his saddle for days and find joy in it was one to love.
She laid her head on Duff’s chest and closed her eyes. She couldn’t tell them, or let them know she loved them both. They’d made it clear they knew nothing of love. What her father and mother had was unusual, though she doubted either of them had ever spoken of it.
She would be the perfect dutiful wife in public. Modest, obedient, and calm. In this chamber she would be as she chose, which was a totally different person. If the three of them could get along well, respecting and caring for one another, it would be enough.
No, it wouldn’t. But it would have to be.
Chapter Nine
“I am glad to have a day of rain to sit and mend.” Bessie sighed in contentment. “’Tis so peaceful here in yer solar. Ye can barely hear the noise of the bailey.”
“’Tis glad I am to sit!” Kiera settled on her padded chair and picked up Malcolm’s old shirt. “I’m wondering if ’twould be best to turn this to another use.” She held up the threadbare garment. “If Malcolm stretched his muscles ’twill rip apart.”
“Yer men have put on muscle.”
“Aye, they had little food at Duncladach.” She thought of her rear and frowned. “I’ve put on weight as well.”
“Aye, I heard Master Duff say so to the laird.” Bessie dimpled. “He says all the stairs are putting an extra curve to yer arse, though he misses the jiggles.”
“Well, there’s enough jiggling here to make them happy.” Kiera lifted her growing breasts, making Bessie smile.
“’Twas such a surprise to see you here, Bessie. I never kenned you’d leave your home.” Kiera paused. “I expect since you’ve never married or had a babe ’twas easier to leave?”
“I left my home as a wee lassie with my mam when Lady Elizabeth Stewart married yer father.” Bessie peered closely at the cloth in her hand. “Mam taught me, so I was often with Lady Elizabeth. After she died...well, yer father was lonely, and I was there...”
Kiera’s jaw dropped. When her mother died she’d been so tied up in her own grief and busy with taking over the household that she’d not noticed much beyond her own work. Bessie ducked her red face.
“The laird kenned ’twas best I leave with ye. He had Lady Silean...” She cleared her throat. “Please, my lady, dinna send me away.”
“Send you away for comforting my father? Never.” She patted the older woman’s hand. “You kenned me when I was a lass. You’re the only one I trust to speak your mind.”
Bessie’s breath shuddered when she exhaled. She wiped the corners of her eyes with her knuckles. “Thank ye, my lady. I was feared of keeping it from ye, and of telling ye.”
They worked for a while. Kiera thought back of what she knew of the woman.
“You never found yourself a husband, nor did you have bairns.”
“The laird was so much a man I wouldn’t settle for less.”
“So when he asked you—”
“Nay, lass. I asked if he wished some comfort. He needed to be held. He, ah, couldna...” She cleared her throat. “Nay with me. Mayhaps there were others after.” She flapped her hand, blushing furiously. “I may be the only grown virgin at Kinrowan.”
“Mayhaps there’s others, just as choosey. You are a prize for the right man, Bessie, if ye wish one. ’Tisna sommat to be ashamed of.” Kiera went back to her work. If she was killed and her husbands were distraught, she would want them to have someone to hold in the night. “I’m glad my father had comfort, no matter what kind.”
“He ne’er wished for another while yer mother was alive, though he did look. I’ve told a good number to cover what might fall out when they bend over!” Bessie, chuckling, looked up from her needlework. “And I’ve told a few here the same about yer MacDougals. When Malcolm got to Castle Leod he said little and, though he looked, he kept his hands to hisself. Duff, now, he would smile and wink, and still does, but ’tis for flirting, not for wanting.” She leaned forward. “Both of them want only ye, my lady. All ken it.” She sniffed in disgust. “Some willna choose to believe it and will get their faces slapped!”
“Bessie! Malcolm and Duff would never slap a woman!”
“Nay, lass, but Mistress Hetty, Cook, and I would!” Bessie gave an abrupt nod in emphasis. “’Twould be an insult to ye, my lady, and to all the female servants. If one tried to seduce yer men she’d be lucky not to be sent down to the village.” Another nod. “Not that yer men would give in. As I told ye, they want ye, and none other.”
Her outrage changed to a look that made Kiera squirm.
“I’ve heard some of what goes on in here, my lady. Or comes off,” she added with a smirk. “They wish to command ye, aye? Have ye on yer knees afore yer laird husband?”
A rush of heat flooded Kiera. “Bessie!”
“’Tis why I willna settle for a weak man.” She fanned her face with her mending. “Somethin’ about a man with fire in his eyes makes this old lass’s heart flutter.” She dropped her voice. “Her heart, and other parts, not that I ken what it feels like.”
Kiera squirmed on her stool, trying to hide her reaction to what they’d recently done. She gave up. “Aye. And when there’s two of them!” She fanned herself, making Bessie chuckle. “Are there any you fancy here at Kinrowan?”
This time it was Bessie who squirmed.
“Aye,” she whispered. “But he willna wish such as me.”
Kiera thought of the senior men. Fergus, the steward training Duff, was too old. Todd, the marshall in charge of anything to do with horses or moving things, was too shy. There was one man who was often with Malcolm. The keeper was in charge of security for the castle and all about. He was a soldier, an older man who was scarred though his back was straight, his eyes keen, and his demeanor commanding. Like many old soldiers, he’d never married.
“Ramsay, the keeper?”
Bessie blushed like a fourteen-year-old wishing for her first kiss. “He looks so strong he could pick me up in one arm though I be padded like full saddlebags on my arse.”
“Pick you up, toss you over his shoulder, and swat those saddlebags to make you kick and squeal,” replied Kiera.
“Aye. As the laird and Master Duff have done more than once to ye.” She sighed. “But he’ll not see me. I’m inside with ye and he’s out with yer men.”
Kiera groaned at the reminder. “I canna wait until St. Michaelmas when we’ll all be outside. I’m praying for good weather. We’ll find a way to get the two of you together.”
“He mayn’t want a thing to do with me. A keeper is a very important man.”
“And so is the lady’s maid to the laird’s wife. He might think you are too high for him.”
Bessie grumbled to herself for a few minutes. “Mayhaps he doesna wish a wife. He has enough family in Kinrowan that if he’d wanted one, he could’ve found one.”
“And mayhaps he kens his family too well. He might wish for a wife who sees him for who he is now and not the lad he used to be.”
“Aye, there is that.” Bessie perked up, humming as she worked.
Kiera decided to talk to Duff to see if Ramsay was interested in a wife. And if so, if he’d even seen Bessie. She’d let on how Bessie was shy. That would no doubt surprise Duff as Bessie had no problem telling the men off to protect her chick. And that got her thinking on something she’d wanted to ask.
“My father said he trained my mother, making her a perfect wife. I wish to be that to Malcolm and Duff.”
Bessie cocked her head to the side. All traces of the shy virgin were gone. “A perfect wife? And what is that?”
“A woman who puts the needs of her husband and her clan first. She is always ready to do what he wishes.” She stopped to think. “No, she does what he wishes afore he thinks of it. And a perfect wife is always pleasant and sweet, eager for the bedchamber.”
Bessie snorted like a horse. “From the sounds I hear coming out of yon chamber ye have no problem with that.”
Kiera’s face heated. “’Tis the main reason of wanting a husband, aye?”
“Or two,” added Bessie.
“My father said my mother was perfect. He loved her very much and didn’t hide it. I would like my husbands to love me, so I have to be perfect, too.”
Bessie set down her mending. “Have ye asked the laird and his brother how they wish their wife to be?”
She shook her head. “Their mother died when they were young. They had a stepmother for a few years, one who was kind to them, but she died as well.” She grimaced. “But they rode with my father for ten days and he told them all about my mother, and Silean. I overheard Duff saying my father believed Elizabeth was the perfect wife for a young laird, and Silean for an older one.”
“’Tis impossible to be perfect,” said Bessie. “I watched ye grow, lass. Ye are nay the type to hold back yer voice or yer temper.”
“My mother did.”
“She was loud when she wished. And yer father liked it.”
“But he said he tamed her to suit himself!”
Bessie choked. Kiera was concerned until she realized the older woman was holding back chuckles.
“What?”
“Aye, yer father said he tamed Elizabeth. And she let him think it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Men need their pride more than women do. And because they control our lives, women must do what they can to train their husbands. ’Tisn’t wrong to guide a man with love and caring so it benefits the family, and the clan.” Bessie’s eyes twinkled. “My own mam told me what yer
father was like when he married Lady Elizabeth. ’Twas a lot like how Laird Malcolm is outside yer chamber. And maybe inside as well.”
“My father spent a fortnight teaching my husband how to be like him,” she said, grumbling. “I think Malcolm wants to control me, and that far more than my father ever did.”
“The laird let ye be far freer than any, so any husband would want a stronger hand on ye. But Lady Elizabeth and yer father oft butted heads. Lady Elizabeth had much schooling and so helped the laird. Yer father canna sign his name but with an X. ’Tis one reason why he let ye learn from that tutor.”
Kiera shrank from the memory of the man. She’d learned a lot, but there was a price. Her back bore the memory if not the marks.
“How can I learn to train my husbands?”
“Ye can ask me to guide ye, as my mam did yers.” The older woman dimpled. “Lady Elizabeth was not a match yer father wished, ye ken.”
That caught Kiera by surprise. “He didna ask for yer?”
“Afore he married her, he said she was a shrew what needed taming. Lady Elizabeth said she wouldna be tamed. My man told her the taming of a shrew, or the training of a husband, can be the same thing. It wouldna matter who thinks they won as long as my lady got what she wished, and that was a caring husband.”
“How?”
“As the man learns to behave in a way that suits his wife, she rewards him. Yer mother would smile sweetly and mayhaps reward him in their chamber. He thought ’twas his doing, and Lady Elizabeth let him.”
Kiera thought it over. She’d been quite the shrew after her disastrous wedding to Bertie and quick widowhood. She’d had nothing to do, and her plans to move to Kinrowan had been destroyed. When her mother died of a fever she’d had to take over. The duties kept her mind and body active. She’d been happy until her father remarried Silean. The thought of years and years of being no one but the unmarried daughter, and doing nothing but spinning and weaving, had driven her to bitterness. That was gone.