The Trouble with Highlanders

by Mary Wine

  “It was a matter of little importance. Be careful ye do nae encourage me to make demands of ye whenever something displeases me. Better that I retain enough of me wits to know the difference between sense and foolishness.”

  Daphne moved closer to the fire, letting the heat fill the long dressing robe Isla had produced for her to wear once her dress was unlaced and hung in the wardrobe. She laughed softly, gaining a raised eyebrow from Norris.

  “I was noticing how easily I have become accustomed to being undressed in yer presence.” The words felt wicked on her tongue, but she laughed again. “Father Peter is sure to have something horrible to say about it.”

  “A situation easily remedied by yer remaining here, where Father Peter can nae demand yer attention.”

  It was mad the way his words made hope flare up inside her. She hadn’t realized just how frightened she was until he put her mind at ease.

  Norris cursed softly behind her. “So that’s what the bitch said to ye.”

  Daphne jerked her attention around toward him. “I said naught.”

  He’d unbuttoned his doublet and tossed it over the back of a chair. His collar was open, making him look rakish, but he shook his head. “What I saw in yer eyes, ’tis the truth that I did nae recognize it.”

  Confusion held her in its grip as he closed the distance between them. He cupped her chin and stared into her eyes.

  “Never once, even when I pulled ye out of Morrell Comyn’s clutches, have I seen fear in yer eyes. Until tonight.” He held her chin when she would have turned away. “That bitch threatened ye.”

  It wasn’t a question, and she couldn’t hide her emotions. She never had been able to mask her true feelings with him. “It does nae matter. I’ve made me choices and understand ye are nae bound to me.”

  He slid his hand up her face, and tenderness filled his green eyes. “I am surely bound to ye, Daphne, and God forgive me, but I am happy to see ye fear to be parted from me, for I do nae think I can bear having ye leave me. I swear I will never wed Sandra Fraser.”

  He sealed her mouth with his, the kiss slow and deep. She reached for him, desperate to feel him pressed against her. Nothing else mattered. Nothing at all.

  ***

  Something woke Daphne. She opened her eyes and stared at the canopy stretched out above Norris’s bed. His arm was draped over her chest, one large hand cupping her breast. The air was still cold, the fire reduced to ashes long ago. Only the barest amount of light teased the horizon. She should go back to sleep, but her belly ached. It was dull but persistent, and when she shifted her legs, she realized her thighs were wet.

  She sat up, staring in horror at the soiled sheet. It was a terrible waste of such fine cloth. Even in the dark, she could see the stain. Norris jerked, jumping to his feet in a motion that betrayed just how powerful his body was.

  “What is it?” He turned his head, clearly listening for the bells, but only the morning birds could be heard.

  “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to wake ye.”

  He sat down and rolled his shoulders. “Ye may wake me early anytime, lass. I am sure we shall find something to do with the time.”

  “Nae.” She pushed against him when he tried to pull her close. He settled for pressing a kiss against her neck and growling softly against her hair.

  “We can nae, Norris.”

  He caught her hand and carried it to his member. The flesh was hard and hot in spite of the coolness of the morning air.

  “We surely can…”

  “I’m bleeding, and I’ve ruined yer fine sheets.” She stood up, going to the garderobe to fetch a linen. Tears pricked her eyes, but she forbade herself to cry. It was a prayer answered. The very thing she had desired. She should be happy. Yet she sniffled.

  “Here now, Daphne… do nae be so distraught.”

  Norris scooped her up and carried her back to bed. He tossed the soiled sheet aside, spreading the top one over the mattress.

  “I’ll ruin that one too,” she warned.

  “I do nae care.”

  He pulled the bedding back over them and wrapped his body around hers. “I am nae giving up even a moment of me time with ye. Me duties may own me during the daylight hours, but the sun has nae risen, so I am free to be yer disciple.”

  He was warm and welcoming, folding her against him. With the dawn yet to break, it was simple to be tempted back into slumber where she didn’t have to worry. For the moment, Norris was hers. Perhaps the last moment. But hers nonetheless.

  ***

  Sandra Fraser was furious.

  And she always extracted vengeance on those who crossed her. Oh, it would be a bit harder this time, because Norris was the heir to an earldom, but she enjoyed a good challenge. He would pay for the way he’d brushed her aside. She tapped her lower lip with one slim finger and grinned. It really wasn’t much of a challenge after all. His bitch whore was the way to get to him. After she dealt a blow to Daphne MacLeod, the man would learn to fear her wrath for sure.

  Casting a look about, she made sure no one was following her. She made her way toward the chamber her brother had been given for the night. His men allowed her through the door once they recognized her, but her brother frowned over the shoulder of the maid he had in bed with him. He sent the girl toward the door with a flick of his fingers. Her eyes turned red and she sniffled, but neither Sandra nor her brother spared her even a morsel of pity. She gathered up her clothing and fled.

  “Dearest sister…” Bari Fraser muttered. “Why aren’t ye in Norris Sutherland’s bed?”

  “Because he’s smitten by Daphne MacLeod,” she snapped. “Which is why ye must ride out at first light.”

  Bari contemplated her for a moment. “Ye have a plan?”

  Sandra smiled. “I do indeed, but ye need to be gone for it to be effective.”

  Sandra moved to the table where Bari’s men had left his things. What she sought was the secretary’s box that was guarded every moment it wasn’t in her brother’s keeping. She flipped it open without asking for permission. She shifted the paper aside and pressed on a section of the box most didn’t know was there. It released what looked like the bottom of the box to reveal a secret compartment.

  “We’ll be hung if that counterfeit seal is ever discovered,” her brother remarked from behind her. “Lord Home does nae suffer those who impersonate the king or his royal seal.” He planted his hand down in the middle of the parchment she was making ready to write on. “I’ll nae have ye risking me neck without good reason.”

  Sandra offered him a smug smile. “Just a simple letter summoning Norris to Edinburgh. We’ll pay some peasant to deliver it once we’re away.”

  Bari pressed her. “What will that gain us?”

  Sandra tried to brush his hand aside, but her brother refused to move.

  “Ye will receive a similar letter. Norris is good friends with Broen MacNicols and will likely seek out Deigh Tower tomorrow night. I need him away from his slut so I can slip into his bed and bloody the sheets. I expect ye to be properly outraged when I am discovered with me lover.” She looked up and fluttered her eyelashes. “Won’t it be quite the coincidence that we shall also be there? The MacNicols have no reason to deny us shelter tonight.”

  “The man is pure Highlander. Slipping into his bed will nae be simple,” Bari cautioned.

  “Leave the task of slipping a potion into his drink up to me.” She pulled the stopper out of the ink well and dipped the quill into it. “I am much better at it than ye.”

  Bari lifted his hand and walked across the chamber. “Ye are at that. Mother taught ye her craft very well. Along with how to forge another’s hand script. I will miss ye when ye are wed.”

  “Me clan will always come first, and once I have two sons to secure me place, Norris Sutherland will be of no f
urther use to us. I’ll bury him and be a merry widow, me sons securing me place.” Sandra began to pen the letter.

  Bari poured himself a goblet full of expensive French wine. He admired it before draining it. His sister concentrated on her work, looking from time to time at the letter from Lord Home he kept in his secretary’s box. When she finished, she pulled a signet seal from the secret compartment. It was the mirror image of Lord Home’s. The man who had made it was such an artist, it had been a shame to have to slit his throat, but it was the only way to ensure he never spoke of the matter.

  Sandra heated some wax and let it pool on the folded letter. When it was ready, she pressed the seal into it.

  “Perfect,” she announced. “Or at least it will be once I have Norris Sutherland for me husband.”

  “He’ll likely refuse to wed ye, even if ye mange to soil his sheets and cry debauchery. Ye would nae be the first virgin he’s disgraced.”

  Sandra replaced the seal in the box and closed the secret compartment. “I have considered that.” She stood up and offered her brother a sweet smile. “It is the only reason I didn’t poison his father’s cup last night. That old man might be useful in forcing his son to honor me.”

  She reached up and pulled one of her hair ornaments free. With a delicate motion of her fingers, she opened one of the flowers to revel a compartment full of powder.

  “Grandfather didn’t much approve of our father bringing home an Italian wife from his campaigns, but I truly enjoy the gifts she passed on to me.” Sandra shared a smile with her brother. “Now, enough wine, Brother. I have an earl to catch before ye shall have all the Sutherland retainers at yer command.”

  ***

  “Are ye happy to see them gone?” Norris asked.

  Daphne jumped, earning a chuckle from Norris. He turned her back around and looked over her shoulder at the sight of Bari Fraser and his sister riding away from Dunrobin.

  “I am,” he confessed softly against her ear. “It will give me much more time to spend with ye.”

  He’d wrapped his arms around her, and she took a moment to stroke his hand, savoring the feeling of being able to touch him. But she couldn’t pretend any longer that their time wasn’t limited.

  “Until yer father finds ye another bride.” She sighed. “But that is as it should be. Ye should send me home now.”

  Her voice cracked, and tears threatened to slide down her cheeks. She tried to disengage herself from his embrace, but he held her close, his face buried in her hair.

  “Is that what ye wish, Daphne? To leave me?”

  “Nae.” The denial simply slipped out before any rational thought might intercede. “But it is the right thing to do. I believe Asgree is correct about my being too thin. But I am gaining weight now, and I can nae take me own happiness at the expense of branding a child illegitimate. If it were only meself, I would stay as long as ye would have me near ye.”

  His arms tightened, and she heard him pull in a deep breath. His body shook. It was a tiny tremor but one that was unmistakable.

  “I would have ye near me and more, lass, for I believe I love ye.” He squeezed her once more before releasing her. She turned, shocked by his words but delighted beyond any feeling she’d ever known. He cupped her face, and his green eyes were full of affection.

  “Forgive me for all but kidnapping ye, Daphne. I could nae make meself leave ye behind. Ye are a part of me.”

  “I told ye nae… only because I can nae take me happiness at the expense of the children I might bear ye.”

  Norris kissed her and then released her. “Another reason I adore ye, Daphne. I did nae think I could find meself thankful for Sandra Fraser’s visit, and yet, I am, for it has shown me just what a gem ye are.” His expression tightened. “And it has proven I have failed to take action, as well.” He reached up and tugged on the corner of his bonnet. Her eyes widened at the respectful gesture.

  Norris winked at her. “I have a matter to attend to, lass. Excuse me.”

  The moment he was gone, Isla squealed with delight. She danced across the solar, her skirts kicking up with her excitement.

  “He’s gone to tell his father he plans to wed ye!” Isla announced unceremoniously.

  “Ye should nae say a thing like that, when he did not say such was his intention,” Daphne admonished, but her tone lacked any true reprimand.

  Because she was too full of joy. He loved her. If she heard nothing else her entire life, those three words were enough.

  ***

  “She is nae with child,” Lytge Sutherland stated firmly from behind his desk. “Why are ye so set to wed her now that it’s proven she’s nae breeding?” The earl pointed a thick finger toward Gahan. “Ye should leave before ye get the notion to wed some penniless female because yer heart goes soft for her.”

  Norris leaned on the front of table, fighting to maintain his control. “Ye mean like the affection ye felt for his mother?”

  “I still wed the bride me father contracted me to,” Lytge insisted.

  “And ye were so fond of each other, I was the only child from yer union,” Norris remarked. “Do ye truly wish such a fate upon me, Father? I mean ye no disrespect, for I love ye, but Daphne MacLeod holds me heart, and I would see our children born legitimate.”

  Something flickered in Lytge’s eyes for a moment, but it vanished before Norris identified it. For just a moment, he felt a tingle of suspicion chilling his neck. His father lifted his hand and waved it.

  “Ye speak the truth, sure enough. Yer mother and I never agreed upon much, but I had hoped for more warmth in our marriage. It is possible, but fate was nae so kind to me.”

  “Love is different from affection, Father, and ye understand what I am talking about.”

  The earl glanced toward Gahan. His eyes grew misty. “I loved yer mother, it is true, but I never asked to wed her.”

  “Only because ye already had a wife,” Norris argued.

  “One who came with an impressive dowry,” Lytge insisted.

  “I earn ye plenty with me managing skills. Sutherland is not poor.”

  Someone knocked on the door, earning a growl from Norris.

  “Enter!” Lytge bellowed.

  The man who entered was thin. He pulled his bonnet off his head and bowed while holding up a letter. Gahan took it and scanned the seal.

  “Lord Home,” he announced gravely.

  “Fine. Fine. Give the messenger something for his trouble,” Lytge said.

  Norris reached into the open box in front of his father and pulled out a few pieces of silver. The messenger’s eyes lit up when Norris dropped the coins into his waiting palm. The man bobbed his head several times and backed out the door. From the table, Norris heard the parchment crinkling when his father unrolled it. His temper strained, but his personal matter would have to wait while his father read the message from Lord Home. The man was more of a king than the boy wearing Scotland’s crown.

  “Ye’ve been summoned to Court, to swear yer allegiance, Norris.”

  “Getting a sword put through me side at Sauchieburn was nae proof enough of me support?” Norris snapped while Gahan growled. They’d both nearly lost their lives five times over when the young king’s supporters clashed with his royal father’s forces.

  “Apparently nae,” Lytge groused. “And I am nae too pleased to have him summoning ye with winter creeping down from the north. But ye must go. He is the king, and without a king, we’d spend all our time fighting off the nearby clans.”

  Norris suddenly straightened and offered his father a bow. “Then I’ll make sure I’m gone within the hour.” His father frowned, but Norris didn’t give him a chance to voice his suspicions.

  Gahan caught up to Norris in the hallway. “In a bit of a hurry, are nae ye?”

  Norris offered his
half brother a smug grin. “Of course. Fate has handed me the solution to me dilemma.”

  Gahan frowned. “Ye plan to seek permission from the king to wed fair Daphne?”

  “Aye.” Norris felt more relieved than he’d thought he might ever be. “The young king is pious and full of regret for the part he played in his father’s death, for in spite of the fact that his father was a blackguard of the worst sort, the young king takes the commandments to heart.”

  “I hear the king is set to wear a chain against his skin during lent as penitence,” Gahan remarked.

  “Aye.” Norris stopped before they crossed the doorway into the yard and leaned closer to his sibling. “The king will agree it is me duty to wed Daphne, for it was I who seduced her away from Broen and the match her father had made.”

  “I seem to recall her being a willing partner in that.”

  Norris inclined his head. “A fact she has never disputed, but I trust the king will be happy to give me his blessing when I tell him how it has troubled me. So much so that I went to fetch her.”

  “Ye did that sure enough,” Gahan agreed.

  “So now, I’m off to ask a king to bless me marriage and tell me father it would please him to see the deed done,” Norris said, “all in the interest of following the Holy Book.”

  “Ye mean all in the interest of making sure ye do nae need to worry about having a shrew such as Sandra Fraser for a wife.”

  “That is simply a coincidence,” Norris said softly.

  “A bloody nice one.”

  Norris smirked and slapped his brother on the shoulder. “Is nae it? And here I’ve always been lectured on the wrath of heaven being unleashed upon me for me sinful ways.”

  Aye, he was arrogant, but he was also the happiest man on earth. And that was a fact.

  ***

  “Enough, Norris.”

  He growled playfully at her, refusing to release her until he’d kissed her once more. It was a slow parting, one that made her long for just another moment in his embrace.