Highland Daydreams

by April Holthaus

  As the days and weeks went by, early signs of spring started to show. Lara and Bram packed their belongings and sailed back across the ocean towards Scottish soil with a chest full of coin and a new Norwegian ally.

  For several days they rode across the Highlands towards Lara’s new home at Dunakin Castle. Nerves pricked under her skin at the thought of meeting Bram’s clan. One Highlander she could manage, but a whole clan of them was something entirely different.

  Heavy spring rain fell with intense fury, causing several unexpected delays. But Lara did not mind so much, as each night Bram would make sweet and passionate love to her and hold her throughout the night to keep her warm. Since Adam and Eve, no two souls had ever connected so strongly, and proof of their love was evident by the bairn in her womb.

  Lara knew she was with child when her monthly flow had not come in weeks, but she kept the secret to herself until she could find the perfect time to reveal her condition to Bram.

  After several days travel during the treacherous storm, the sky had finally cleared. By early morning, the surrounding landmarks became more familiar to Bram as they rode towards his home. Excitement filled his heart when he knew within minutes he would be looking down on his village and castle. As they reached the edge of the hill, from his position high on the mountain peak, the sight of Dunakin Castle caused a sense of comfort to wash over Bram like a rainstorm. Never had he been more excited to be home. Home. Just the sight of it brought a smile to his face. The anticipation of seeing the smiles on his two young lad’s tiny faces had almost bought a tear to his eye.

  The castle looked to be exactly the same as when he left almost nine months ago, not that he had expected the walls to be caved in or the keep to be badly destroyed. After all, he knew his brother and cousin could manage well without him, though the three of them had been inseparable.

  The horse trotted slowly down the rocky mountainside as it pulled the cart with their belongings. Draped with a thick black cloak, Bram’s return was not apparent to anyone they had passed in the village, but his first priority was reuniting with his family.

  As they rode into the courtyard of Dunakin Castle, Bram spotted his two lads sitting on the ground with a bonny fair-haired lass who appeared to be heavy wit child. He watched them for a moment before he directed his horse in their direction. Butterflies swarmed in the pit of his stomach.

  Dismounting the horse, he asked, “Excuse me, lass. Do ye ken if Laird MacKinnon is within the keep?”

  “Yes, he is,” she replied stepping away from the children to greet him.

  Bram almost lost his footing by the lass’s English accent. What in bloody hell would an English lass be doing here and playing with his lads of all things?

  “Who are ye?” he questioned in a demanding tone.

  “My name is Jacqueline. And may I have the honor of your name, Sir?” Jacqueline asked, not liking the way he looked at her.

  Bram raised his eyebrow at the outspoken Englishwoman.

  “I’m a MacKinnon that is who I bloody am.”

  “A MacKinnon? Then ye must be related to my husband, Ewan,” she said as she nodded her head past Bram towards the stables.

  “Ewan? Yer husband?” Bram almost fell over in laughter at the woman’s statement.

  “How dare ye talk to my wife that way?” Ewan asked from behind him. Bram knew his voice instantly.

  Bram turned, keeping his hood up, covering his face.

  “Ewan, of all people. Married to an Englishwoman. I guess ye did say there was nay a lass in all of Scotland who could tame ye.”

  Ewan’s jaw dropped as Bram lowered his cloak.

  “Bram!” Ewan exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around him. “Yer alive!”

  “Aye, but I will nay be much longer if ye dinna loosen yer grip around my neck,” Bram choked out. Ewan released him, but kept his hand firmly on his shoulder.

  “What happened to ye? Where have ye been? I thought ye were dead. Had I known, I swear I would ne’er have…,” Ewan asked.

  “Tis a long story, cousin, but first I wish to see my lads and my brother and mother. I can regale all of ye wit my journey over a warm meal,” Bram said reassuring him.

  “Well dinna just stand there, come inside, ye fool.”

  Bram turned and headed back to his horse, where Lara was still perched, watching the joyous reunion. Holding his hand up to her, he helped her off the horse.

  “Ewan, I would like ye to meet, Lara. My wife.”

  The expression painted on Ewan’s face as Lara came into view went from pleasant to jaw-dropping astonishment.

  “Wife? So after all this time and all the lassies ye finally found one and settled down.”

  “Aye, I did.”

  Colin and Connor dropped the toys they were playing with and ran in between both Ewan and Bram.

  “Da?” Colin cried out.

  Bram smiled down at the two teary-eyed boys. Both lads leapt from the ground and jumped into Bram’s arms. The sound of tears and laughter warmed Lara’s heart. It was delightful to witness such affection from a father to his sons. It made missing her father all the more painful, but she was glad for the short time she had with him.

  Bram held Lara’s arm and followed Ewan, Jacqueline and the lads inside the keep.

  Lara leaned towards him and asked, “All the lassies?” Repeating what Ewan had said. “Just how many lassies have ye shared yer bed wit?”

  Bram bit his lower lip, unsure how to answer. He had lost count ages ago, but did not want to admit that little truth.

  “Ah, a few,” he replied.

  As they entered into the great hall, a flock of women crowded around him, calling out his name and pawing at him like they were crows pecking at their meal. Lara crossed her arms and could not believe the scene before her eyes. Bram tried to escape them but the women followed him like flies.

  “Only a few?” Lara loudly asked, staring daggers at the women who swarmed around her husband.

  “Ladies, some dignity, please,” Bram said, successfully pushing himself away from the group of women and moving to stand next to Lara. With a trying-to-be-innocent look plastered on his face, he twisted his lips, waiting for Lara to thrash him. Lara curled her lips and gave him that “just wait till later” look.

  The group of women pouted as they saw Bram wrap his arm around Lara’s and escort her into the next room. Lara walked slowly and with dignity, hoping to appear as a threat. Inwardly, she smiled.

  Bram glanced around the room expecting to see his brother sitting at the head table and his mother sitting by the fire attending to her needlework, but the room was vacant. After a few short moments, the kitchen door swung open as though blown by a furious wind. His brother Rory filled the doorframe. He looked at Bram as if he could not believe his eyes. It took only moments until he ran towards him and wrapped his younger brother in such a tight embrace that Bram could barely breathe from his grip.

  With Rory’s forehead pressed to Bram’s, he said to him, “My brother has returned from the grave and has come home.” Looking into his eyes, Rory pleaded, “Why? Why did ye leave? Ye dinna have to go into battle. I had sent plenty of our men. I did no’ mean fer ye to go. Please forgive me, if ye thought any different. I ne’er would have wished fer it. No’ fer my only brother to put himself into danger. We thought ye were dead. Poor Ewan has been heavily weighed by guilt o’er it. He blamed himself, as did I. Forgive me, brother.”

  Bram placed his hands on the sorrowful man’s shoulders.

  “Ye have nay reason to be burdened by guilt, brother. ‘Twas no’ yer fault or doing that I left. I went on my own behalf and of my own doing. It was where I belonged, on the battlefield, no’ here. Dunakin is where ye belong. Ye are Laird of this clan, and this clan needs their leader. My only regret is that I did no’ kill enough of those bloody bastards before they rendered me unconscious,” Bram replied, ending in sarcasm.

  “Well, ye are home now. Mother will be most pleased. She has mourned yer death ev
ery day since Ewan returned wit’ the news.”

  “Rory, I would like ye to meet Lara, my wife. Lara, this is my brother, Laird Rory MacKinnon, Laird of Dunakin Castle.”

  “Wife? Well, my lady, ye have my congratulations, and I welcome ye to the family, though I must say ye have questionable taste in men,” Rory said jokingly.

  “Thank ye. But I can promise ye yer brother is a kind and honest gentlemen.”

  Ewan leaned into Rory and whispered, “I knew it! She’s daft. No woman in her right mind would think of Bram as gentle!”

  The two of them laughed until tears filled their eyes. Bram squeezed his brows together, creasing his forehead and stared at them angrily as they openly whispered to one another, giving him a reason to toss each one of them over his shoulder and knock them on their arse. Not that he’d ever needed a reason before.

  Rory’s laughter broke. “Tonight, we will feast in honor of my brother’s return,” he announced.

  Chapter 27

  As Bram gave Lara a tour of the castle grounds, it looked exactly as Bram had described it. Floral tapestries hung on the walls, and the rooms smelled of fresh rushes and lilac. Wooden rockers sat before a giant hearth in the great hall with needles and unfinished blankets folded over the arm of the chair as if someone had not quite finished the stitching. And in the hearth, a roaring fire blazed, keeping the first floor of the castle warm and comforting.

  Overall, the castle folk were very welcoming and very different than where she grew up at Stearns Castle. Lara was grateful for Rory’s generous hospitality and the warm greetings she received fromBram’s clansmen. With each person they passed, more and more people expressed their happiness for Bram’s return.

  Every thought and assumption she had about the Highlanders, she realized, was wrong. Her only accurate preconception about them was that they were indeed tall and fierce, though they were also kind and friendly. Lara looked forward to beginning her tasks around the castle helping the women, and starting her new life here.

  Excitedly, Colin and Connor helped Bram with the tour, showing Lara all of their favorite places to play and hide, as well as where they lived in the village. Lara was surprised to know that the two boys were only half-brothers, and did not live within the castle. But their homes with their mothers were close to the castle grounds, and they could see Bram whenever they wanted.

  As they walked around the grounds, they entered the burial grounds of the church. A chill shook Bram causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand. Along the path next to his father was a fresh grave marked with a slab of stone - his grave. It only made sense that they would have made a grave stone for him and placed it next to his father’s since they had believed he was dead, but seeing his own stone was too surreal and it made him uncomfortable. Bram’s first task at hand would be to make sure the stone was removed until the day when it would be needed again.

  By mid-day the kitchen staff had created a plentiful feast with enough food to fill every belly. Minstrels played their instruments while others ate, drank and danced away into the evening hours. Throughout the entire day, Bram could not take his eyes off his wife. She was absolutely glowing. Lara had worn the blue silk dress he had bought her, which made him smile.

  Bram grabbed Lara’s hand and dragged her away from the crowd into a private alcove within the hallway. Bram brushed her hair to the side and pressed his body close to hers.

  “How would ye like the tour of our room now?” he asked, as he started kissing her neck and nibbling on her ear.

  Lara softly moaned. How could she refuse? Bram took her moan as affirmation and led her up the stairs. The bedchamber they were to share was only one floor up, and he thanked the heavens for the short distance.

  Bram opened the door to his room and escorted Lara inside. The first room they entered was the solar. The room was an unorganized and disorderly mess. On top of a dusty wooden desk were stacks of books and papers, and in the corner of the room were two chairs next to a small fireplace. Lara made a mental note to clean and organize the room when her time permitted.

  Turning to face him, Lara wrapped her arms around Bram’s neck and planted several tiny kisses all over his face.

  “I love ye,” Lara whispered in his ear.

  “I love ye too, Lass, but if ye dinna stop now I may have to take ye right here on the floor, and I haven’t even shown ye the rest of the room.”

  “Then ye better get to showing me to the bed,” Lara replied, with a teasing tone in her voice.

  An arched doorway led them into the bedchamber. In the middle of the room was a large wooden bed draped in several blankets and plaids. Feather-stuffed pillows rested along the headboard. On the far end of the room was a dresser that matched the carvings of the headboard and a full, walk-in wardrobe.

  “I have never seen such a large bedchamber before. I suppose ‘tis a decent size; wit the bairn and all, we will need the extra room,” Lara remarked as she waited for Bram’s reaction to her news.

  “Bairn!”

  Bram looked down at her stomach and then back to her. He hadn’t realized she was wit’ child, though he should have known. They had made love almost every night, and not once did he recall her monthly bleeding. A wide smile grew on his face. “Well, what are ye doing standing there? Ye should lie down or something.”

  Lara laughed at his ridiculous suggestion.

  “Bram, I’m pregnant, not bed-ridden!” Lara looked around the bedchamber. “I think the room is perfect,” she responded, admiring the space they were to share together as a family.

  Bram reached out for Lara and pulled her close.

  “Nay lass,” he said placing a kiss on her forehead. “Ye are.”

  The End

  Author’s Notes

  For purposes of the story I had to change a few events and details. In regards to King Eric Magnusson II, Eric Magnusson was King of Norway from 1280 until his death in 1299. He was succeeded by his brother Haakon V. During his reign, he waged war with Denmark from 1287 until 1295.

  His marriage to Margaret of Scotland ended in 1283 when she died during the birth of their child Maid Margaret, Queen of the Scots. Maid Margaret died in 1290 while traveling to Scotland. His second wife was Isobel Bruce from 1293 until his death in 1299. More information can be found in the Lanercost Chronicles, details found on this website: https://archive.org/details/chronicleoflaner00maxwuoft. Information can also be found on Wikipedia, though some information may not be reliable.

  The Battle of Falkirk took place on 22 July 1298. The battle was against the English. The Scots were led by William Wallace.

  More information can be found on the following website: http://www.battlefieldstrust.com/resource-centre/medieval/battleview.asp?BattleFieldId=62. Information can also be found on Wikipedia, though, again, some information may not be reliable.

  The MacKinnon Clan Series

  Book One:

  The Honor of a Highlander

  Laird Rory MacKinnon sets out to join William Wallace after discovering an imminent threat that the English have planned an attack. Raised as a warrior, he has given his heart and soul to fight for Scotland’s freedom, until he meets a lass who captures his heart like no other, Lady Annella. After learning of a brutal attack on her land by the English, Rory discovers that Annella has been taken prisoner by the English. Now Rory must fight; not only to secure his own clan’s freedom but to save the woman he loves.

  Annella, the eldest daughter of the MacCallum clan, vows never to marry, until the day Rory MacKinnon enters her life and opens her heart. She knew, though, that with Rory heading off to war, there was no future for them. After her father offers aid to Laird MacKinnon and his men to help in their campaign, her castle is attacked and her father is killed by the English for treason. Starved and beaten for denying her allegiance to the English King, Annella has earned her place on the gallows. Her fate now rests in Rory’s hands.

  The MacKinnon Clan Series

  Book Two:

 
; Escape to the Highlands:

  Her enemy was the only one she could trust...

  Jacqueline Renold, an English born lady, is the sister to the king's executioner. In love with one man and forced to marry another, she feels no different than the prisoners below in the dungeons. After witnessing one too many Scots hung by the noose, she makes a decision that will change her life. She frees the prisoners. Knowing her actions are treasonous, she flees to Scotland with a bounty on her head...

  Ewan, the Laird's cousin, is second in command of their army. Third in line to the MacKinnon Clan, he has no home or land of his own, only the sword on his back. Through his skill as a warrior, he seeks out to find his place in the world. Ewan travels south with William Wallace to help free those who the English have been taking captive. But when duty and honor lead Ewan to help an English lass in grave danger, the last thing he expects is to lose his heart to his enemy.

  Dear Readers:

  Thank you for joining me in this adventure of the MacKinnon Clan. I have immensely enjoyed writing it and have fallen in love with these characters. As this has been my first published series, I look forward to writing more books and taking you on more adventures with other Scottish Clans and honorable heroes. Thank you again for your support!

  ~April Holthaus

  About the Author

  April lives in central Minnesota with her husband and son. April developed her passion of historical romances through her love of history and genealogy. Over the last several years she has compiled her family tree finding over 350 bloodline grandparents dating back to the 1100s.

  April is very passionate about history and nature. When she is not working or writing, April loves to spend her free time outdoors and with her family.