Possession of a Highlander

by Madeline Martin

  Marie’s head tilted thoughtfully. “I need to come up with an excuse to explain my absence. I need to get back—”

  “No,” Colin said in a stern voice. “I willna have ye going back to Lindsay. Magda inadvertently exposed yer involvement with us. Ye’ve risked yerself too much already with yer questions all over France about the marquis.” His fear over her loss was still too sharp. Too recent. “When I saw ye were taken, I assumed Lindsay had realized from Magda’s confessions that ye were spying for me. I couldna forgive myself if something happened to ye, Marie.”

  “I can handle myself.” A glint shone in Marie’s eyes, obstinate and hard.

  “I willna have it. Ye willna risk yer safety anymore. My men can take care of Lindsay.”

  She held up her hand. “While I appreciate your concern, I will not have you making my decisions for me. You will not allow me to repay your kindnesses in any other fashion—please let me do this for you.”

  Colin shook his head. “I canna.”

  Her cheeks darkened, and he knew he had offended her.

  “That’s it?” she snapped. “You expect me to turn my back on you and your wife? To go home to France as if none of this ever happened?” Her voice turned shrill.

  “That is exactly what I expect.”

  “You will regret this decision, Colin. You are too stubborn, too determined to complete something on your own.” She snatched her purse off the desk. “I only hope your wife does not pay the price for your arrogance.”

  Before Colin could protest, Marie spun away in a flounce of perfumed silks. The door slammed shut behind her and left him in silence, to feast on sharp words that kept close company with those of his father.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The slanted streets of Edinburgh were slick with the effects of a recent rain, but Brianna did not see the dark clouds. She saw only the light that poured in through the long windows of her rented room and bathed her skirts in its sunny warmth.

  Brianna was legitimate. Officially. Deemed such by the Commissary of Edinburgh and forever recorded in their massive ledger.

  She ran her fingers over the thick parchment, careful not to smear the ink. Her mother’s name could never be cleared from gossip, but Brianna knew the truth.

  The only way her valiant success could be more perfect would be if Colin were at her side. Alas, she knew too well the draw of necessary tasks back at Edzell.

  “You are pleased?” Percival asked from the doorway. The small traveling cases she’d brought with her were packed and ready to be loaded into the carriage once it arrived.

  “Very,” she breathed. “Thank you.”

  He inclined his head toward her. “May I enter?”

  Brianna smoothed the parchment once more before wrapping it in a leather flap for protection. “Of course.”

  The click of his raised-heeled shoes fell silent as he strode over the thick carpet to where she stood beside the table. A slightly floral scent wafted from his hair, a scent she’d come to recognize as his.

  “The carriages will be here shortly.”

  “Carriages?” she asked. “We are taking more than one?”

  “Oui. One is to return to Edzell Castle, and one is to take me to the docks.” His brows drew together in an apologetic expression. “I must return to Italy. I need to resume my efforts in aiding Galileo, and there is much that requires my assistance.”

  Brianna bit back her displeasure. Of course he had to go, he had his own life, his own pursuits. Had she expected him to stay in Scotland forever?

  Her cheeks burned at her own foolishness. “Of course you must return,” she said quickly. “I understand.”

  He stepped closer and cradled her chin with his slender hand. “You could come with me.”

  Nervous excitement flashed through her. “What?” Had she heard correctly?

  He smiled down at her, the way she’d seen fathers do to the daughters they loved, the way she’d longed to be looked upon by the earl. Her heart swelled in the warmth of his gaze, and all at once she felt the paternal protection and adoration she’d spent a childhood without.

  “Mon petite, I would never forgive myself for leaving you in a situation like I left Elizabeth. I was helpless then, but now I have power and wealth.” His blue eyes searched hers. “You did not choose to wed your husband, and you do not have to stay with him. You have your legitimacy, but no reason to seek divorce. I am giving you the option to return with me to Italy where you may live the life of a free woman to come and go as you please.”

  Brianna pulled in a deep breath to still her spinning mind and gently broke away from his embrace. Leave Colin?

  She leaned back against the sharp edge of the dressing table, away from the heat of the sunlight. It had grown too hot.

  She’d never been given the freedom to make choices for herself, she had always decided based on what was right. Even running the estate when her father had been ill. True it had been enjoyable, but ultimately her efforts had been for the protection of the people, for financial security.

  Never once had she been presented with the opportunity to make a choice dictated by her own desires.

  Now two paths stretched before her, both uncertain. And whichever path she chose would be of her own volition.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Dust motes floated through a stream of sunlight, their movements delicate, carefree. A slight brush of Brianna’s hand and they would dance in frenzied circles. She felt like one of those errant motes.

  Percival studied her from across the sunbeam, his gaze soft, patient. “Leaving Scotland to come to Italy is an unexpected consideration, I know. A decision not easily made. Know that if you come to Italy, you will be treated as my daughter.”

  He continued with an excited spark in his eyes. “You could listen to lectures given by men of great learning, and you would, of course, meet Galileo. You could see firsthand his military compass and hear of his latest inventions.”

  His enthusiasm was contagious, and his words spun an image of a world so full of learning and incredible opportunity, it left her breathless.

  Meeting Galileo, speaking with him on his inventions and discussing the movement of the stars. The very thought of being in his presence made her tremble.

  The existence Percival painted seduced her with the promise of everything she had wanted. Everything she had never thought to have.

  And now it stood at her fingertips. She only had to close her hand around the new life, and it would all be hers.

  “It sounds so wonderful,” she whispered.

  His smile grew and the lines around his eyes creased.

  Doubt flickered through her, calming the eager pounding of her heart. If she went to Italy, she would leave Edzell.

  She would leave Colin.

  His face surfaced in her mind. His rich auburn hair that made his emerald green eyes stand out, brilliant and clear. The way he always seemed to grin with a mischievous joy and lent him that carefree nature she found irresistible. The dimple in his cheek when he smiled, the warmth of his laughter and the giddy rush of knowing her wit had sparked such a reaction.

  True, she had been forced to marry him, but he had been a good husband to her. He was faithful and considerate. He gave her the freedom to study and read as she pleased. It was he who had encouraged her to come to Edinburgh with Percival.

  Her life without Colin had not been as happy, not even when she managed the estate. All this time she’d focused on Edzell and the unfairness of her life. Never had she focused on what she’d gained.

  She had been imprudent.

  Colin brought a pleasure she had never known, an eagerness to face each day to see what challenges arrived. He protected her and made her feel safe. His methods were heavy and overbearing at times, but his intentions were always well-meaning.

  The crunch of gravel sounded outside the thin glass windows, accompanied by the hollow jostling of large wooden carriages. The time had come for her to make a decision.
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  A life of learning or a life of love.

  Love.

  The realization spread through her, warm and beautiful. For as hard as she’d fought Colin’s affection, as much as she swore to guard her heart, she was in love with her husband.

  And a more wonderful understanding had never been met.

  Percival sauntered to the window and pulled the heavy green curtains back with the top of his cane. “The carriages have arrived, but you may take all the time you wish to make your decision. I understand I have sprung a large choice on you rather precipitously.”

  She shook her head. “No, I’ve made up my mind. I know what I wish to do. I appreciate what you’ve offered and confess to the pull of temptation. But I will go back home to Edzell.” The smile blooming on her lips echoed in the swell of her heart. “Back to my husband.”

  “You make an important statement with this pronouncement.” Percival strode across the room toward her, the concentrated furrow on his brow now smooth. “Can this mean you love the man?”

  “I do,” she breathed. “I just didn’t realize it until now.” She laid a hand on his forearm. “Until I was left to choose on my own.”

  His dry fingers ran down her cheek in a tender caress. “If you have love, mon petite, then take it.” A pained look flitted across his composed features. “I would give up my world to have your mother back. To have her to myself.”

  He pressed his lips to Brianna’s forehead. “Know that you are always welcome in my home, and that I am always here for you.” His arms came around her, the fine silk of his sleeves slippery against her dress. When he finally released her and stood back, welling tears glistened in his eyes.

  He offered his arm, and she slid her hand in the warm crook of his elbow. “You will always be cherished by me as a daughter.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “For legitimizing my birth.” She lowered her gaze. “And for letting me realize what I have.”

  “To see you happy fills me with delight.” His hand rested atop hers. “And thank you for allowing me to be a father, something I never dreamed to experience, nor enjoy, as much as I have.”

  Together they walked from Brianna’s rented room, away from the fork of difficult decisions and toward the path she chose, the path that took her to Colin.

  The path that took her to love.

  • • •

  Colin’s shirt clung to his back with sweat, and the marble seat dug into the hard bone of his arse. He braced his elbows on his knees in an effort to find a more comfortable position, with no luck.

  A fat bee bobbed through the air and dipped from one ready bloom to the other.

  For the first time in his life, Colin did not know what to do. He’d sent Marie away, a decision he did not regret, but now he was left without an informant, and his own men had been unsuccessful in tracking Lindsay’s activities. That did not mean the bastard had given up. Doubtless it meant the opposite.

  The thunderous quiet before an attack.

  Colin could feel it in his bones, that twitchy awareness. The one that had saved his life many times before.

  The steady trickle of the fountain imbedded itself in his brain and drowned his thoughts.

  He scowled at the marble fixture with its cascading water.

  The bowl was too small to bathe in, and the damn thing made him have to urinate.

  Brianna found peace in this garden, yet all he found was unbearable heat and a ready bladder.

  Alec had reported earlier that Marie’s room now stood empty, confirmation that she had indeed left as directed. She was safe.

  Brianna had not yet returned from her trip to the Commissary Court in Edinburgh. She was safe.

  Even Magda, who had taken ill after the ordeal that God had the mercy of striking from her memory, had left with Brianna for Edinburgh and was no longer in Edzell. She too was safe.

  A shout went up behind him, from the towering walls of the castle. He turned, tense, ready for a battle he knew drew near.

  “Men approach,” the guard called from his position above.

  Colin ran into the cool silence of the castle, raced up the steps and burst through the door leading to the roof. Sunlight turned his vision into a sea of yellow-white dots, and a stiff breeze tore at his clothing.

  He shielded the glow of the sun with his hand and stared across the horizon to where a black carriage and an army of several dozen guards on horseback rode in their direction.

  Colin’s nerves hardened in preparation for a fight. A handful of his soldiers were in Edinburgh with Brianna, but the men who remained were all skilled. They could handle the army, even if they were outnumbered.

  Colin faced the harrowing wind with confidence.

  Some might consider his decision to fight impulsive, but he would see it met with success.

  His conviction wavered.

  Impulsive.

  Brianna would never make such a rash decision.

  He lowered his hand and stared down at the golden seal upon his finger, the seal he had gained through marriage and earned through the direction of Brianna’s detailed notes and accounts. He was laird, and the people of the castle relied on him for safety.

  There had been no time to prepare for this battle. No time to assemble more guards or recall the ones from Edinburgh. No time to secure a safe location for the women and children who served within Edzell. His small number of guards could defeat the force Lindsay brought, but at what cost?

  If he lost, Edzell’s people would be slaughtered or enslaved for his foolish attempt.

  Colin leaned over the battlements and stared down to where his soldiers gathered below. The time had come to make a decision entirely foreign to him.

  He turned to the guard beside him. “Get Alec and tell the men to return to their stations. I would see this handled as gentlemen rather than warriors.”

  This was a resolution a laird made. Colin’s people would stand protected no matter what price he paid.

  And perhaps his father would be proud.

  • • •

  Brianna leaned against the cushioned seat of the carriage and arched her back to relieve the ache of cramped muscles. Naught showed through the open shutters of their rolling coach save a steady line of trees, all identical to the one before. The ride had seemed longer returning to Edzell than leaving. Perhaps due to her eagerness to rediscover her husband, to face him with the newfound realization.

  She loved him.

  The high sandstone entrance came into view, and her pulse danced an excited beat through her veins. She shifted restlessly in the thinly cushioned seat.

  The horses drawing the carriage moved too slowly.

  Her anxiety bounced with her tapping leg. Seconds. She was mere seconds from seeing him.

  Centuries passed before the carriage finally crawled to a halt. Brianna pitched onto her feet before the floor had stopped swaying and caught the fragile handle of the door. She could not wait for it to be opened for her. Not when she knew Colin would be waiting in the courtyard.

  She pushed the door open and stepped from the stuffy carriage into a breeze that carried the welcoming scent of sun-warmed roses. Her footing wobbled against sturdy ground after two days in a jostling coach.

  She ran on shaking legs through the archway, into the courtyard.

  And froze.

  All the joy, all the excitement, drained from her body and pooled into lead at her feet.

  Her lungs couldn’t draw breath.

  Her heart couldn’t beat.

  No.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  The cobblestone beneath Brianna’s feet clutched her to its uneven surface. She was trapped, forced to watch an army of unknown guards swarm the center of the courtyard like restless ants. Forced to watch her husband’s proud posture bow beneath the awkward angle of the manacles locking his wrists behind him.

  Her uncle’s dark head bent over the task of securing the lock at Colin’s back.

  Her uncle?

  Dis
belief jarred her mind. Confusion. Her body was numb, her eyes seeing but not registering.

  Colin caught her gaze and his jaw tightened. His head shook, a subtle motion, one she would not catch were she not staring so intently at him.

  Her legs pumped into action, moving on their own, racing the couple dozen feet toward her husband. “Stop!”

  Her uncle’s head snapped up and his black eyes met hers with indifference. The sun slid behind a cloud and a chill settled across her skin.

  His puffy hands twisted the key in the manacle. “Your husband is under arrest.”

  “Under whose authority?” she demanded.

  “Mine.” He stepped toward her. “He is being arrested for your father’s murder.”

  The chill she’d felt earlier froze her heart and cooled her blood. Countless eyes stared at her, but she did not care. “That is impossible.”

  Colin looked at her from over his shoulder. “Brianna—”

  Her uncle slammed his elbow in Colin’s back and sent him staggering forward. “Quiet, prisoner.”

  Brianna’s stomach swam. “Stop this at once.” Her voice carried over the crowded courtyard and echoed off the high castle walls. “He isn’t a murderer. You don’t understand.”

  “Don’t I?” Her uncle sneered. “Your father lay dead prior to your marriage to this barbarian. What else is one to assume but murder?”

  She straightened her back and faced her uncle with determination. If only she could breathe.

  “The earl died—”

  “Brianna, stop.” Colin turned to face them. One cheek was red and swollen.

  Her heart wrenched against her ribs. Smears of dirt streaked his saffron shirt. Footprints.

  They had beaten him.

  “I can’t let you do this.” She shook her head. “You didn’t kill him. I can’t let you take the blame when I—”

  “You have nothing to do with this,” he growled.