“God yes.” I held onto one of the bed’s posts.
He said, “Hold still, daena move unless I tell ye tae.”
“Fuck Magnus, that is...” I held onto the post and glanced over my shoulder.
“Nae, I said for ye nae tae move, dost ye obey me?”
“Probably, I mean...”
“Nae? Ye daena obey me, or aye, ye obey me in everythin’?”
“God Magnus, aye, I obey you in everything.”
His hand softly trailed up the inside of my thigh and a finger dipped and played between my legs. I moaned and shifted toward him.
“I told ye, daena move.” He brusquely pushed my legs wider, and then got down on his knees behind me and licked me. I bit my lips to keep quiet and held the post tight, my chest against the carved footboard.
He licked and kissed and nibbled while I was driven wild but held tight, still, my breathing fast. I was about to freaking lose my mind when he pulled away and said, “Och, ye were verra still. Ye listened verra well tae me. I think ye hae been verra good.”
I heard the belt around his waist unlatch and drop to the ground and fumbling around the front of his pants — my mind was gone, lost, overwhelmed — hands on my hips, he pulled up behind me and slammed into me and arms around me he drove into me over and over and over, his body force and effort and energy and commands and power, while I was obedience and reception and yes, oh and oh and moaning because I had to as he took me to the edge and over and then with a rush of his strength he was done and I was weakened, spent, my legs shaking from the effort. He held my hips to his front, thick fabric, leather and rough weave against my skin. Then he put a hand on the bed to steady himself too.
We held on, holding like this, wrapped and resting, panting and slowly regaining our breath. His quick breaths near my ear then slowing, slowing, a kiss on the back of my neck, my shoulder. I turned in his arms and untied the panel on the front of his doublet and pushed the thick coat off his arms. I untied the neck of his shirt, opened it, and kissed his chest. Then I pushed it off over his head. I held the top of his leather boots while he pulled his feet from them and loosened the top of his trunk hose and pushed them down his legs and off. The hose underneath dropped to the rug.
And then I switched off our lantern, and climbed onto the bed, leading him to meet me there in the middle. I lay down and he curled up on me, a head on my breast, spent and vulnerable. His sweet kiss over my heart a wordless request for forgiveness from the commands earlier. You are forgiven my love.
“Good night.”
“Good night, mo reul-iuil.”
Fifty-four - Magnus
I found her on the bench in the chapel. Hands folded in her lap, crying. I slid intae the seat beside her and clasped one of her hands. She nodded, wiped her cheeks, and nodded again. I joined her in prayer, and after some time we rose and I led her away.
We went through the house, and out the back door tae the gardens that stretched away from the back of the house in a downward slope. There was a path we followed tae the end, far enough from the house tae be able tae speak. From here we had a view of the homes lining the road, and farther up the hill, the castle. In the other direction we could see the city walls. The house gardener, Auld Colban, passed us with a shovel over his shoulder, I spoke tae him of his duties for the day and then he continued on.
Kaitlyn and I held each other.
“I’m glad you’re home, I was so worried.”
“I ken.”
“I got weird, I think it was the gloomy weather and not enough sun, and you were gone, and Lady Fleming was in a mood. I couldn’t stop crying.”
I held her tighter for a moment, then held her at arms length. “I am home though. I went tae Balloch, checked the RF-transmitter, the ground was beginning tae thaw so I buried Bella’s body in the earth—”
“Ugh, that must have been awful.”
“Twas, but I am home now, tis done.”
“I’m sorry you found me crying. I was going to put on a smile, but I wasn’t expecting you — and it all seems rather bleak. Like never before — this is it? This is our life now? We’ll never go home?”
I shook m’head. “I ken tis hard tae hae spent all these many days here with Lady Fleming while I was away. But I hae an idea, I thought we might go tae Stirling. Mary of Guise will be traveling there and we hae been invited. She likes your company and has asked for ye especially tae attend her.”
“Really? Me?” She smiled. “I did make her laugh the other day.”
“She finds ye entertainin’.”
“I think she also appreciates how hot you are. We are like a power couple. Okay, since you came home, I’m feeling a lot better. A trip? A real live trip?”
“Aye, twill be a party of near a hundred people and we will be in their number. And at Stirling we will be in luxury. Tis planned for late June after Mary of Guise has returned from a trip with Châtellerault.”
She sighed. “So long to wait! But that’s okay, gives me lots of time to get ready, I need at least two more dresses. And you, dear highlander, need more of these fancy puffy pants.”
I laughed and fanned m’crotch. “Och, the fancy puffy pants are part of what makes me so hot. M’bawbells are sweatin’ in all these layers.”
She laughed, her mood turned from darkness tae light tae shine upon me. “That, Master Magnus, is the wrong kind of hot.”
Fifty-five - Magnus
The end of June arrived and we were ready tae travel. There had been illness for many weeks, a sweating sickness that tore through the town, affecting us all. I was taken tae m’bed for a week, Kaitlyn joined me a few days in and then continued for a few days after. We had fevers and chills and terrible headaches. Kaitlyn suffered delirium, but slowly we were well again. Then for a time we were bored as Châtellerault and Mary of Guise were visitin’ Aberdeen, and all we had tae do was pack for the travels.
Our room was full of trunks. Two were for new additions tae our wardrobe. Kaitlyn had a new gown, and two new panels for the front of her skirts. They were fit for an audience with the queen’s mother, but as Kaitlyn said, she hadn’t gotten new clothes because Mary of Guise was royal, it was because she was French.
We had blankets stacked up on top of a what was left of our gear, namely, our first aid kit and our lanterns. We would take a transmitter with us and keep one here, with messages for any visitors in care of Lady Fleming as she was goin’ ta remain in Edinburgh.
She assured Kaitlyn the trip would be too much for her tae bear. She was makin’ a great deal of sufferin’ from what the physician called maladies of womanhood. Kaitlyn called it depression and begged her tae rest in the sunshine, tae take a daily walk, tae visit with her friends. Lady Fleming assured us she would, if her heart could take it.
And finally we were ready tae travel.
Carts went ahead with all the trunks and the rest of us rode horseback, about twenty people altogether, important people from Mary’s court, and there was a sizable front and rear guard. Servants walked alongside us. It was a slow trip, and long. Ahead of us lay forty miles. We would be staying for five days at Linlithgow, and with four days of traveling it would take nine days tae travel the route.
Travelin’ this way was exhaustin’, there was always someone ahead of us who was goin’ too slow tae be in the lead, someone behind us who was so slow we had tae wait for them tae catch up. I joked with Kaitlyn that there was always two women a’wonderin’ if we were goin’ too verra fast and frightened someone would get killed by it.
Worst was the man who wanted tae tell everyone tae wait for the last straggler. “Keep taegether!” was often called down the line. It all made me want tae ride off on m’own.
Kaitlyn had been ridin’ with two other women and now she pulled up beside me, her face flushed from the ride, the hair framin’ her face, set loose from the wind.
I glanced at her from the corner of m’eye. Twas nae proper tae be too verra flirtatious with our own wives and twould be best
tae keep our voices down and nae draw attention, but we had pulled away from the group a little. “Och, ye are ridin’ verra well.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Dost ye like it?”
I groaned low, at her accent. “Och, why daena ye ride ahead so I might watch yer arse as ye ride?”
“Why Master Magnus, I hae tae wonder if ye are talkin’ on watchin’ my arse or the horse’s.”
I chuckled.
She teased, “No answer? Having trouble deciding? Well, at the inn you can apologize to my arse properly.”
“Tis a deal.”
One of the men among us, one we called, privately, Gilbert the Insufferable, rode along the line calling, “Keep pace!” He paused near us, “Lord Campbell, keep the pace, please.” At my scowl he continued on.
Kaitlyn asked, “Does he know who he’s talking to?”
I laughed. “I am wonderin’ how he would look with a blade at the neck — dost he want tae keep telling me how tae keep a pace?”
She laughed. “This is so much fun! It reminds me of the Key West trip, junior year,” our horses had a comfortable pace side by side, the road was flat and wide and the others were a distance behind. “Have I told you about it?”
“Nae, who was with ye?”
“Everyone. All the usual players: Hayley, Michael, James, Quentin, a bunch of extras. We decided, with no real plan, to drive to Key West. It is such a long drive.”
She glanced around us. “We have fallen away from the group. I guess we aren’t that good at keeping pace.”
“Tis because I daena like someone tellin’ me what tae do.”
Gilbert the Insufferable rode back by, he started to say something about our ‘pace’, but then clamped his mouth closed and kept riding.
I smiled.
She said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so bothered by a man of so little importance to you.”
“I daeana think most men of so little importance and in such a frilly neck ruffle would dare tae bother me.”
“Very good point. Back to my story: We piled in cars and promised to follow each other all the way down the state, but then Dylan’s girlfriend needed to pee and we all had to stop. Hayley was hungry. James’s truck got shit gas mileage and we were pretty broke. Michael and Hayley got in an argument at the gas station. Good times.”
She grinned. “This is just like that. See the guy there, Master Allie? He’s wobbling on his horse? He’s been drinking since we left. If we don’t make it to the inn soon someone might have to carry him.”
“I am thankful for the horse. He was on the hunt with us, ye would be surprised how he can continue on while bein’ fully in his cups.”
She laughed. “And see behind us, Duncan, and then four people back, his wife? They aren’t speaking to each other. She said he has greatly offended her with attentions he paid to young Mary Seward.”
“Och, I hae seen the attentions, he is nae hiding it well enough.”
“Och,” she said, “men are scoundrels! Not hiding it well enough? You’re reminding me of the strip club a million years ago. James made my blood boil.”
I said, “Ye left him. They are nae as lucky here, they canna divorce without a great deal of effort,”
Quietly she said, “Châtellerault has been trying to divorce his wife for years, I heard.”
“Aye, and tis nae allowed.”
“And then the fellow there, about six back.”
“Young Master Cornet.”
“He is wanting Mistress Seonnie for his own but is too silly to make any of the right moves for her. We need a plan to get them with each other. There is so much drama, almost as much as that trip to Key West. We never made it, by the way. We still call it the Key West trip, but we only made it to Cape Canaveral. It’s not even halfway. We camped in our cars. It sucked. And was also fun as hell. Sometimes those are the same things.”
“I ken, such as now. We are out of our time, missin’ our family, alone, but also in good company: a royal, a lively court, a strong guard, a warm bed awaitin’ us at the end of the long day of ‘keepin’ pace.’”
She laughed. “You’re right, it is fun, and I’m going to drink so much whisky tonight, you’ll wonder if—”
I pulled a bottle from my bag, uncorked it, and passed it tae her. “Whisky for ye, Lady Campbell. Perhaps Master Allie is right, twill be more fun if we are wobbly on our horses.”
“Why thank ye sir, that’s an appropriate condition for a vacation, onward to Key West!”
Fifty-six - Kaitlyn
The plan was that our party would be accommodated on noble estates along the way, and our first accommodation was to be Linlithgow Palace. This was one of Mary of Guise’s favorite palaces, and the household lavishly welcomed us. There were feasts and on the final night poetry readings and a concert too. It was like being in a celebrity entourage sixteenth century style, just as exhausting and twice as smelly.
But I really liked Mary of Guise. She was pretty, smart, vivacious, and so tall it was a little like hanging out with a fashion model. The second day, we met to sit together in one of the gardens surrounded by summer scents and the bright colors of the blooming herbs. Bees buzzed around.
I was wearing my blue dress. She was wearing a black dress accented with sparkling jewels, not quite matching the season, but sort of like wearing Prada to the countryside — she was so elegant she made it work. I wished I was wearing Prada too.
She smiled. “I have a gift for you, Lady Kaitlyn.” She passed me a box wrapped in fabric, with a wide damask bow.
“Thank you, that is... I wasn’t expecting a gift, thank you. Should I open it now?”
“Yes, it is something for you, in the fashion of France.”
So I untied the bow and opened the box. Inside were two sets of beautiful gown sleeves. My gowns had places at the shoulder to lace in new sleeves, but I didn’t have any extras yet. One of these sets was black velvet with jewels along the edges and the other set draped long at the wrists, accented with golden fabric. “They’re beautiful! Thank you so much, your highness.”
“You’re welcome. I feel an affection for you, Lady Kaitlyn. You are a foreigner here, but you are resigned to calling it home. As I am. As my daughter feels towards her new home in France. Sometimes I see you have a sadness within you and I wanted to give you something beautiful to take your mind from your worries.”
I clutched the box. “Thank you, this really means so much.”
We both looked out over the garden. She said, “Did I tell you, Lady Kaitlyn, that this is where my Mary was born?” She pointed up at the windows of a corner room. “This is my favorite castle, but whenever I visit I am filled with sadness. Three of my sons died very young. Two passed from this earth on the same day. I believe it was because of the nursemaid’s failings. Have I told you this before?”
I winced at the idea, having briefly been a nursemaid myself, but said, “No, you never told me that. I am so sorry for your loss.”
“I also am separated from my son, Francis. I had to leave him when he was but three years old to come here to be married.”
“That must have been so devastating.” I took a deep breath, not easy in so many tight layers. “I am separated from my children too. My son is three years old. And my daughter is very young.”
She nodded. “Ah, you have a daughter, I understand now. It is our daughters who pull our hearts with worry. My own Mary, who was separated from me to marry the Dauphin of France... she is there and I am here.” She shook her head sadly. “Ah, Lady Kaitlyn, you have never mentioned it before, but now I see — this explains your sadness.”
I nodded. “And it explains yours.”
“It is a difficulty for us, to have our children in the care of others. Why did you have to leave them, did duty call you away?”
I said, “A little, sort of like that. I didn’t want to leave them, that’s for sure, but I had to, and now it will be a long time before I’m to return home, if at all.”
“I ha
ve oft wondered on your sadness, I am glad to understand it now. I do not know if the sleeves will help much, but at least you will be beautiful through it.”
After that conversation we grew even closer. She sought me out and confided in me and drew me into her inner circle.
I loved being her friend, it gave me something to do. Within her circle of ladies-in-waiting, I gained a whole new friend group. We talked about life in France and England, about political intrigues and courtly gossip, kings and queens and princes, a lot about princes. And when life in the entourage got too tiring, I would steal away to meet Magnus at the towering fountain in the middle of the courtyard, and then we would go for long walks, or hide away in our room for a while.
The feasts throughout the week were grand. So much food. Games and activities throughout the day kept us very busy. I totally understood why Mary of Guise called this the most princely of palaces. We felt lavishly, excessively, royal.
On the last night, after the feast, and a little too much wine, Mary of Guise said, “I have this lovely ribbon for a prize, so now we need a game!” She paused to look around the table and her eyes settled on me. “Lady Kaitlyn, I give you one minute, can you get your husband to declare his love to you—“
I jumped to my feet with a laugh. “Game on!”
Mary of Guise laughed. “I barely finished!”
“Doesn’t matter!” I called over my shoulder as I strode across to Magnus’s table.
The women behind me counted, “...five, six, seven...”
His eyes glinted when he saw me, suspecting I was up to something. “Ye hae a wide smile?”
“There is a game afoot, my love, you will need to take a knee.”
“...fifteen, sixteen, seventeen...”
“A knee? Am I liable tae win a prize for it?”
My eyes went wide, aware that they had counted to the twenties now. “I’ll win that beautiful ribbon, you’ll win whatever you want. The best kinds of prizes.”
Son and Throne (Kaitlyn and the Highlander Book 11) Page 21