“As you wish,” she replied before exiting the room.
“So, you see, men, the Scots are seeking to destroy us all for a paltry sum of money! We must act!” the Duke insisted again.
Ezra watched his brother passionately plan. A gnawing of concern began in him. The Scots could not be trusted. There was no telling what might come to pass from their plan.
“I shall have the army ready by weeks’ end,” promised William.
“And I will send a spy ahead of us!”
“I will have the weapons readied!”
“Excellent,” the Duke said. “Monday then. Monday, we go to war.”
Chapter 11
“How was yer dinner?” Robert asked when he saw Edan coming through the corridor toward the meeting hall.
“A quiet one, it was, but I think she’s softening. She’ll tell me soon who her faither is,” Edan said.
“Ye mean, who she is,” Robert corrected, knowing that was all Edan truly cared to learn.
True, there is something so familiar about her. And the way she looked at me, with such confusion. She cannae lie for long, I ken she isnae as callous toward me as she’d like to be, Edan told himself.
“Dinnae be a brat,” was all he said to Robert in reply. They entered the meeting hall with all of Edan’s advisors. His uncle sat at his right hand and Robert on his left.
“Clansmen, how are ye?” he began.
The men responded in varying levels of enthusiasm that they were well. Cormag was absent as had been previously determined. He would be unwelcome at all meetings for the time being.
“Laird, what is the news on the prisoner?” asked Finley, one of Edan’s cousins.
“Nae much, but it’ll take time to coax some information from her. Once I ken, we’ll send a ransom letter, and we’ll be sitting on a pile of English gold,” he promised.
“And Cormag?” another man asked, bringing matters to the discussion at hand.
“Ah, well, that is why we are here, isnae it men? Ye have all shown that ye do not wish oor clan to face the risk of the English learning about Cormag, and for that, I’ll honor ye. But we still have to decide what to do within oor own land,” he said.
“So, what are yer thoughts?” prompted Finley.
“As for me, ye ken James was me friend. I wish to see Cormag punished. Banished from this council and perhaps worse,” Edan answered.
“And what does that mean? Ye want him sent from the clan? Is he going to be forced from us?” Finley asked.
“Or are ye thinking imprisonment?” questioned Callum.
“I’m thinking we put it to a vote. As I see it, we have three options. Merely banishing him from the counsel and restricting his treks with the others, banishing him, or throwing him in the dungeons for a time to teach him a lesson,” Edan offered.
“Me Laird, before we vote, can I express me concern?” asked Finley.
“Ye may,” he replied.
“If we banish Cormag, well, we all know he’s a mighty warrior. What’s to say he isnae going to turn back and hunt us? And if we imprison him, who’s to say he won’t do the same when we let him out again?” Finley reasoned.
Edan sighed. “I suppose they be some excellent questions. So, men, consider them, and let’s have a vote,” he said.
“Imprisonment,” he said first. Not a man raised his hand.
“Alright then, banishment,” he said. Two men raised their hands.
“And restricting his movements while banning him from his position on this council,” Edan said at last. The remaining eight hands were raised.
“So, we have a decision,” he said finally.
“And ye agree, me Laird?” Callum asked.
Edan sighed yet again and ran his hand through his hair.
“The council has spoken. This is what’s to be done,” he replied by way of answer.
Cormag was brought in and told his fate. While his red face raged, he spoke through clenched teeth, “As ye wish, me Laird.”
A pitying justice it was, but Edan was relieved to have it over with for the time being. The council could move on and now only need fret about the usual worries of the English invading and this confusion with the prisoner.
“What happened in there?” Caitriona asked the moment she saw Edan. “Ye should have seen Cormag in the hall! He was drinking his weight and falling all over the place about how, ‘English scum had it coming and it wasnae his doing anyhoo,’ and all that nonsense!”
“He’s been banned from the counsel and he isnae allowed to join any raiding parties. ‘Course he’s bitter than anything about it. But it’s what must be done. He killed James, wounded the Duke, and terrified the girls he brought here,” Edan said.
“Aye, and it worked out well for ye that he brought the bonnie little rich lass. I’m shocked ye havnae said a thank you to the man,” Caitriona replied.
“Ye are the worst. Ye ken I never said I like the lass, just that she’s bonnie. Can we leave it at that and move on?” Edan asked.
“Aye, quit yer whining. So, on to this business with Cormag. I’m right proud of ye for dealing with it. Sounds to me like he’s nae happy, but it’s right time someone put him under their thumb,” Caitriona said, giving a little applause of her hands.
“Thank ye, I cannae say I’m fully satisfied, but it’s right to have at least done something. And something that makes me clan satisfied and also safe,” Edan said.
Edan returned to the dining hall and had another tray prepared to feed him as well as Isabel. By now he had his men convinced it was all just a way of tricking her into giving him information. Despite their suspicions and misgivings, it seemed the best route to take after all.
So, Edan made his way to Isabel’s room. He’d begun to consider the possibility of allowing her to join them in the great hall for meals, but there was still an uneasiness about allowing her so unsupervised. Additionally, if he did so, he would miss their stolen moments together alone.
“Come in,” Isabel called after Edan’s knock. The guard unlocked the door and let him enter.
“And to what do I owe this visit?” she asked him. Isabel was lying lazily on the bed with a book in her hand. She’d been afforded regular bathing, and her wet hair was wrapped up on her head with a thick strand holding it in place like a knot.
“I’m having lunch brought to ye. It is alright if I join ye again?” he asked politely.
“I suppose, there’s nothing better for me to do, after all,” she replied.
“Ye ken, I want to know more about ye. What do ye love, what do ye hate. Have ye any friends that ye be missing back home?” Edan pressed.
“Indeed, that is all much more than I would like to tell, but I’ll give you a few short answers to your questions. I love freedom, I hate captivity, and I have many friends. None of them Scottish,” she said tersely.
Edan’s smirk returned, “And how about a lover? Got one of those?”
“I often have suitors vying for my hand, but my father has his sights set higher than sons of dukes and lords,” she replied.
“What, like a prince?” Edan asked with disgust.
“Ha! No, rather than sons of dukes and lords, he wishes that I have an actual duke or lord. Certainly not a laird, however. No, they are far too small to trifle with,” she said, giving an extra blow to her insult.
“I cannae imagine a laird who’d sink so low as making an English brat his wife, no matter how bonnie she may be,” he said in reply.
“Am I meant to be hurt by that fact?” Isabel asked.
“Are ye hurt by it?” he retorted.
More than you know, she thought to herself.
Isabel’s silence was enough to confirm his suspicions, that she was attracted to him after all, that she enjoyed their jesting as much as he did. Edan watched her with tenderness. Her eyes grazed the floor in embarrassment.
“Sorry, lass. It’s nae fair of me to mock ye when I’m the one who took you from yer land, from familiarity. It’s me o
wn fault that ye be in a place where ye arnae liked and ye dinnae feel safe. I ken it isnae fair,” he said with compassion.
“No, it is not. But I understand that my people have not been overly kind to yours, and this is how you get your revenge, how you get recompense. Nevertheless, I still have no intention of handing over the identity of my father. I hope that you understand, he is all I have left. I will not risk him or his fortune for you,” she said.
“I understand,” he replied.
“Now, may I ask what we will be eating for our dinner and whether or not you will ever trust me with a utensil?” she inquired.
“I’ve given ye spoons. That’s a utensil. And ye have hands. They be utensils as well. No need for ye to demand anything more,” he said. “But for the record, we will be having haggis with neeps and tatties. I ken I said we didnae waste such on the likes of ye, but it’s what’s for tea in the great hall, and I’m not having them make anything special for ye. Ye can learn to like haggis, after all.”
Isabel gave him a miserable look with her eyebrows scrunched together as though she were being asked to eat live worms. The thought of sheep intestines cooked inside of a sheep stomach was so far from her usual taste of quail or pheasant with roasted brussel sprouts and biscuits. This would not be a very enjoyable dinner.
Chapter 12
Isabel remained full during dinner, shocked at how greatly she had enjoyed the meal from her lunchtime. She indulged in a nap, warm under the wool, and woke the next morning, having slept more than twelve hours.
She paced the room in which she resided, and in the morning light, a soft knock came on her door.
“You may come in,” she called. Edan entered the room, and she turned back to the window.
“I came to see ye last evening but ye didnae answer. Then I came in, but ye were out cold. Ye must have been knackered. Was it a good rest?” he asked.
“Yes, it was, thank you,” she said.
“Are ye wanting any breaky? Eggs with butter and toast, even some jam if ye want it,” he offered.
“That would be lovely,” Isabel replied.
It was quiet for a moment, as Edan leaned against the bed, watching Isabel from behind.
“So, ye still have nae intention of telling me yer name?” Edan asked softly, closing the distance behind her. Isabel’s eyes remained gazing out at the sun rising over the valley beyond the window.
“No, my Laird,” she replied quietly.
“Yer Laird? Am I yer Laird now?” he whispered in her ear, placing a hand on her arm.
Isabel felt his warmth against her back. An ache began in her belly, something she wanted, yearned for, craved. She noticed that her breathing had become shallow at the sensation of his own breath breezing against her cheek.
Edan placed his other hand on hers, intertwining their fingers. He allowed his lips for a moment to graze against her neck, not locking to it, just feeling her skin on his mouth. She was soft and warm.
A bump rose against Isabel’s backside, or maybe he had just shifted closer, so she was now able to feel it for the first time. She didn’t know much about the ways of men and women, but she knew that what she now felt was forbidden to unmarried women of her station.
“Please…” she began. But she didn’t know how to finish the sentence.
Please what? Please stop? Please do not stop? Please never stop? What do I want? she asked herself.
Edan took it as encouragement to proceed. The kiss they had shared before had been magical to him, despite Isabel’s apparent misgivings. He could not resist tasting her again. He could not resist seeing whether or not she would respond more enthusiastically this time. He knew she wanted him, but he also understood that he was her captor, and as a result, she hated him. He pressed his body to her.
Isabel tried to remind herself the truth of her dislike for Edan, remind herself that he was a traitor and a murderer. But a part of her could not believe he was any such thing. Not as the man she had seen. He was far too kind, too gentle. He was a man, no doubt, as she was being reminded through a prod in her back, but he had a beautiful heart which seemed incapable of murder.
Lips trailed along her neck as Isabel was still faced away from him. But finally, she could no longer contain herself, feeling she might burst at the lovely scratching of his stubble along her flesh. She turned her body to face Edan.
His eyes, normally wide and innocent, looked hungry and full of desire. She knew hers were the same. For a moment they simply locked in a stare. But in an instant afterward, a fever came upon Isabel as she nearly jumped into Edan’s form. He held her tightly in an embrace as her mouth found his. He enjoyed her eagerness, but immediately took the lead and moved against her.
Edan’s mouth opened slightly, and his tongue parted Isabel’s lips before it began to explore a new world there. She had never experienced such a thing, but it was magical, and she did not want him to stop.
With one hand firmly gripping her hip, Edan’s other hand slid to the curve of her buttock where he pulled her in closer, parting her legs slightly.
Isabel moaned in response to the rising heat she felt with his manhood against her. In their call and response, it encouraged Edan to pull her even closer, pinning her to the wall with his weight and lifting her body so her left leg was wrapped around him. She felt that mystery rub against her in a way that sent a shock through her body.
Isabel wanted to be free of her dress, but the eagerness of their mouths prevented even a breath between them, let alone the removal of clothing. Her hands traveled over his shirt, wishing it were his bare skin.
She sent her hand up the back of his shirt, pulling it out of where it had been tucked into his kilt, and feeling the taut muscle on either side of his spine. She was still trapped between his body and the wall, feeling small and frail, but also feeling the power of a man’s desire.
He responded by sliding his hand up her dress and caressing Isabel’s thigh. He gripped his way along, finding her hip and putting his hand on the bare skin of her backside. She felt his fingers coming around toward the front of her.
And in an instant, it was all over. Isabel remembered herself. Remembered her brother. A tear trickled down her cheek and into their kiss, and with strength she was unaware that she possessed, Isabel pushed Edan off her. Her leg came down hard.
“Get off me!” she shouted through angry, bitter tears that had no place in the realm of romance. “Stay away from me, Scotsman. You are a murderer, a kidnapper,” she added through heaving, sobbing breaths.
Edan looked bewildered and embarrassed.
“Lass, I didnae mean anything. Ye ken, I just cannae help the way I feel for ye. I’m sorry, I ken ye can’t want anything to do with me after we took ye hostage this way. It isnae that I dinnae care for ye. It’s just me first duty is to me clan. But I shouldnae have taken advantage and for that, I am truly sorry,” he said, unsure of what to do next.
“Be gone from me. I do not wish to see you again. Please…” she said, again unsure of what it meant. Deep down she knew what she was requesting.
Please forgive me…
Edan walked out the door, crushed, disappointed, and with regret etched on his face.
“I honestly didnae mean to harm ye. Truly lass, ye are me world now. I hope I can show ye one day,” he said, closing the door behind himself.
Isabel threw herself on the bed and wept. She had betrayed her brother. She had found herself drawn to the very man that caused his death. She was a terrible girl. Even more, she had wanted it, had initiated the act.
“I’m sorry, James. I’m sorry,” she whimpered into her pillow, saturating it with her tears.
Outside the door, Edan stood miserably. The guard shifted uncomfortably once again. They could hear the prisoner weeping, mumbling something through her tears.
There was no telling how much the guard had heard, but Edan chose not to consider that just now. He was anguished at causing such grief to this woman he found himself unexpectedly sm
itten with. Overwhelming regret hovered over him for the rest of the day.
Isabel cried herself to sleep and woke an hour later, her body having had too much sleep to stay under despite the emotional exhaustion she felt. She bathed and read, trying anything she could to distract herself.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner passed, but Edan did not make his appearance to dine with her.
In the great hall, he drank with each meal, more than he typically enjoyed. Edan had determined not to be a fool and go to her chambers again until he was sure she would have settled. Perhaps he would wait a few days.
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