by Sarah Hoss
The road was wide enough for Marlana and Alexander to ride side-by-side. It was also well traveled, causing her to lead Heather off into the grass to dodge a hole. Woods surrounded them the rest of the way, having open spaces only twice. The view was spectacular and Alexander was quite the tour guide, giving her descriptions of the surrounding mountains and some of the animals. The trees were thick and ferns dotted the area. Around the base of some of the trees were bright, little red flowers. Squirrels danced across the tree limbs, chasing each other.
Traffic picked up the closer they got. A wagon with a family approached from the opposite direction, reaching the turn that led to the Castle in the distance.
“Castle Cluny,” she whispered with a mixture of awe and apprehension in her chest. Alexander turned to peek at her, then drew his attention back up the road.
“Aye, a fine castle it is, too. Well-fortified.” Pride resonated from his voice.
A fifteen-foot wall surrounded the castle. Protection was important and there was no chance of anyone climbing over it. Small towers stood at each corner, just big enough to have a staircase winding through them. Guards strode along the walkway that lined the top of the wall, which was at least five-feet thick. There were two men walking the outer border of the wall, cutting down ivy that grew along its sides.
She pointed toward the wall. “Why are they cutting it down? It brings character to the place.” She watched the men work, twisting in her saddle as they rode past.
“I imagine it does. But isna verra safe. Enemies could hide in the ivy. The chief takes no chances.” Alexander clicked his tongue and Gideon trotted toward the gates. She followed.
The large doors were open today in anticipation of the arriving guests. The wedding was in just a few days.
Four guards stood at attention and two guards checked people in as they came through. Once they were inside the doors, she scanned the large open field. People were everywhere.
Alexander and Marlana reined their horses toward the stables. They were large and the fenced-in field for the horses to graze currently housed no fewer than thirty horses. There were men off to the left, standing near what she assumed was the blacksmith’s shop. Merchants would be plenty here and money would be made.
There were so many things she wanted to see, with the castle being at the top of her list. She handed over Heather’s reins and patted the gentle horse one last time before stepping away.
Focusing back on the castle, she stood in awe. It wasn’t long and it didn’t take up acres as some castles she might have seen, though it was still quite large. It stood tall and strong. She remembered Alexander telling her on the ride that the castle held a dungeon and five floors above it. The imposing structure had a tower on each side. She watched as guards peered out from the towers at the activity below.
The castle was long in the back and sides, but opened in the center to make a U shape. There were small windows on the towers. The walls of the castle held few windows. She counted ten chimneys coming off the structure, the two largest ones in the back.
As they stood in the courtyard, Alexander talked to her about the Castle. “The back end holds the kitchen and behind the kitchen is where the gardens are. One is a vegetable garden and one is an herb garden. The kitchen,” he said, “is as large as my house. It holds two fireplaces—both large enough to spit a cow if need be.”
“How many rooms are there, Alex?”
“I’ve never counted, lass.”
Looking back toward the castle, he pointed. “There would be the great hall, the laird’s chambers, his writing room, a nursery, and some would be bedrooms. Some are used for people who work in the castle itself. Others who work here live in their own homes nearby. There are storage rooms off the kitchen. My brother, James, lives here at the keep. Maybe he can answer yer question.”
Turning to him, she smiled. “That’s right. I remember you talking about him. Can I meet him?”
He smiled and nodded. She couldn’t help but wish he would do it more often. He was handsome to begin with, but when he smiled, he was simply beautiful.
She started to look around for a dark-haired man that might resemble Alexander. Alex and Hamish looked so much alike, she knew James would be easy to pick out. She jumped when Alex stumbled forward. Concerned, she started to ask what was wrong, when she noticed he had someone on his back and it looked playful enough, though she kept watch. They wrestled for a moment, then quit and gave each other a bear hug. When they broke apart, Alexander gave an introduction.
“Marlana, might I introduce ye to my brother, James.” Then he turned to his brother. “James, may I introduce ye to Marlana Crawford.”
James gave her a sweeping bow, then took her hand to plant a proper kiss on it. “It’s my pleasure to make yer acquaintance.” She watched the handsome stranger’s every movement, not sure she would ever get used to the manners here. He lingered over her hand a little longer then she thought proper. Maybe he was waiting for her to say something, but when she glanced over at Alex, she knew why he did it. James was trying to irritate Alexander and it was working. James stood and let go.
“It is very nice to meet you.” She couldn’t help but stare at him. Alex coughed and brought her back to reality. James just smiled at her.
“I’m sorry to stare. It’s just that I was expecting someone darker and taller.”
James laughed. She glanced over at Alex to see him grinning. “What?” she asked.
“If we had a coin for every time we heard that, we would be rich men.”
James elbowed Alexander, laughing. “I take after our father and they take after our mother.”
Where the other two where over six feet, James stood right at six feet. His hair was a light red in the sun, which could almost be considered sandy brown. The sky-blue eyes that looked at her, spoke of humor and kindness. He was broad across the shoulders, narrow at the waist, and what height he had came from his legs. She instantly liked him. He seemed honest and sincere.
“You and I are going to get along very well I think.” She gave him a wink, then turned to Alex. “You should laugh more, like your brother does.” She pinched his cheek. “So serious,” she said with a pout. James laughed harder and Alex frowned.
“What next?” She was anxious to see the inside of the castle. Now that she was here, she was still nervous, but the excitement was winning over.
“There are so many things I want to see, but I’m afraid I need to freshen up.”
James took her bag and her elbow. “Then I shall show ye to yer rooms.”
Later on in the day, Alexander searched the grounds, trying to find Marlana. Ever since they’d arrived at the castle, he’d been on edge. There would be questions about the stranger walking amongst them. They’d come up with a good story, though he wouldn’t relax until it was time to return home. He’d asked James to inquire about her. To see if anyone knew of her, or if there were any reports of someone gone missing. When James reported that there was no trace of her, “It’s as if she doesn’t exist,” he had said, Alexander finally knew that her story was true.
He spotted Marlana by the stables. She was leaning against the fence, smiling, as she stroked Heather and chatted with someone. They looked to be having a good time. The gentleman reached out and brushed his hand across her cheek, just as Alexander realized who he was.
Anger instantly grabbed a hold of him. Colyn dared to be so bold and he didn’t like the idea of another man touching Marlana, let alone the one man he couldn’t stand.
Colyn stood too close. Alexander’s hands clinched into fists as Marlana smiled at Colyn, then backed away. Though he knew that should make him feel better, he didn’t want Colyn within thirty feet of her.
“Hello, Alexander. Fine day it is.” Colyn spoke with mockery in his voice. Completely ignoring Colyn, Alexander reach
ed out for Marlana’s arm and gently grabbed her elbow to lead her away. “I wish to speak with ye. It’s very important.”
Marlana peered down at her arm, then to Alexander’s face. He tried to soften his expression.
“If you will excuse me, Colyn?”
Colyn took her hand in his and kissed it, bidding her fare well. As Alexander steered her around so her back was to Colyn, he turned and glared at the man. He mouthed the words stay away and Colyn began to laugh. Marlana glanced behind her, but Colyn had started to walk off.
When Alexander had her off to the side, in a private spot, he stopped and stared at her.
“What?”
“What were ye doing with Colyn?”
“He asked if he could speak with me and I said yes. Why?” She put her hands on her hips. She cocked her head and gave him a stern look. She was angry. She knew how he felt about Colyn, why would she purposely talk to him? Hadn’t he told her the dangers of being around him?
“I doona want ye talking to him.” He stood there, crossed his arms over his chest, and gave her a look that he hoped conveyed ‘subject closed’.
“Oh, really? And might I ask why it’s any of your concern who I talk to or don’t talk to? It was an innocent conversation, Alex, nothing more.” Her brows furrowed in anger and her breath quickened. She started to turn away, but turned back to him. “You know, your accent grows thicker the angrier you get.”
“He isna a good man and I doona like ye talking to him.”
“Good gracious.” She stepped away from him. “Tell me, is it that I’m talking to him or talking to another man in general?”
“I doona want ye talking to him,” He pointed in Colyn’s direction.
Stubborn woman. He couldn’t believe they were actually standing in the open, arguing about this. He was the man and he’d told her he didn’t want her to talk to Colyn. The subject should be closed, yet she continued. No woman had ever made him so aggravated before.
“Well, sir, I will do whatever I want and you can do nothing about it.” She started to walk away when he grabbed her arm and pulled her into him.
“Where do ye think ye are going? We arena finished here.” Anger seeped through his bones.
“You’re hurting me.” She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, and he let go. He watched her massage her arm and he took a deep breath, trying to get a hold on his emotions.
“Don’t you ever put your hands on me in anger, again. Until you give me the real reason I cannot talk to him, I will do just that.” She pointed her finger in his chest. “He’s caused me no harm. I may be stuck here, I don’t know. If I’m to live here in your time, I’ve got to begin making a life for myself. That battle is between you and him, not me.”
She rubbed her temples and spoke with a little less anger in her voice. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“What did you think you were going to do with me? Let me live in your house for the rest of my life? Seriously, Alex.” She placed her hand on his cheek and forced him to look at her and peered deep into his eyes. “One day you’ll have a family again, but that won’t happen if I’m around.”
Alexander flinched at the comment.
Marlana put her hands on his chest. His pulse quickened as his heart sank from the words she had just spoken.
“Alex, I know you don’t want me, not in a real sense, anyway. I take that back, there are times that you act like you do want me and as quick as lightning, you push me away. Sometimes, I don’t know whether to move or stand still. I do know you feel obligated toward me and I think it’s time I started meeting people. Colyn is nice to me. I can talk to him. It doesn‘t mean anything.” She emphasized the last part.
Alexander’s stomach tied itself in knots. Everything she said hit him like a ton of bricks, made him feel like dirt. Not just for hurting her, but because deep down, he did want her. He’d wanted her since that first day. It had started as a physical want, but then it grew to more. Every day she entered his mind and stayed there. He pictured her in the garden, cooking the evening meal, sitting on the bench. He knew he was falling for her, so why was it so hard to tell her?
He raised one hand to gently caress her cheek. “I’m asking ye not to be with him.”
“Why?” Marlana’s eyes pleaded with him to tell her the truth. When he said nothing, she stepped away. “You’re reasons for not liking him are yours, not mine, therefore I will talk with him.”
She started to walk away, then turned back. “You want to know the sad thing? I talk to you about everything, yet you stay so closed in. Why is it so hard for you to open up to me? It would make such a difference if you did.”
“Why Colyn?” he asked.
“Well ...”
He waited, holding his breath as she searched the yard for Colyn, spotting him by the blacksmith. “... I wouldn’t kick him out of my bed for eating crackers, that’s for sure.” She giggled.
That made him angry. “And what the hell does that mean?”
“Oh, calm down, Alexander, it only means that I find him nice looking.”
“Oh.”
“As if you don’t know that you’re also nice looking.”
He reached out for her and drew her into his embrace. He brushed a kiss gently across her lips, then rested his forehead against hers.
“What else am I, Marlana?” He gazed deep into her eyes.
She sighed. “You’re the one who keeps pushing me way.” With that, she stepped out of his arms and headed inside the keep.
CHAPTER 19
Whiskey rolled around the inside of his glass as Alexander swirled it in circles, his gaze lost in the movement. He was alone in the dining hall, late at night, while most everyone slept. He took a long drink of his whisky, then refilled his glass. This is exactly what he wanted. Silence, liquor, and his thoughts. Ever since the fight with Marlana, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind, not that he ever could before, but now it was worse. He kept picturing her with Colyn. Everywhere he turned today, there she was and Colyn seemed to find her. Though Colyn did nothing to her that was unbecoming, just seeing them together chewed at his nerves. She didn’t belong with him. She was gentle, he was an ass. Alexander pounded his fist on the table and sat back in his chair.
He also knew that Colyn was doing this just to get back at him, and that made him angrier. Not that Marlana wasn’t beautiful enough to turn a man’s head. A man would have to be blind not to notice her.
That was the way Colyn worked. There had always been rivalry between them. Hell, the Macpherson’s and the Comyn’s hadn’t gotten along since Robert the Bruce, almost four hundred years ago, when the Macpherson’s fought with Robert against the Comyn’s. Things were tolerable for the moment. His muscles twitched with anxiety. He would not let Marlana be used as a pawn.
He poured himself another two fingers when he heard footsteps approaching from behind him. He grabbed his dagger and turned around quickly, only to find James, with a smile on his face.
“On edge are ye tonight?” James grabbed a glass, took the whisky from him, and helped himself. He swallowed, hissed, and poured another. The only answer his brother would get was a grunt. He wasn’t in the mood for small talk. He loved his brother and knew him well enough to know that he would sit here and pry until he heard what he wanted to hear.
He knew his family cared and they only wanted to see him happy. But he had been happy. Life had been good. Everything was going in the direction it was supposed to. He thought he knew what life was about.
When Mairi and the baby died, he realized he was wrong.
Then, when Marlana showed up, it was obvious he didn’t have a clue what was going on and that angered him, too. Wasn’t life supposed to be simple?
The dining hall seeped with eerie quiet, only the flickering of the scon
ces on the walls made movement. The fire had been banked a long time ago.
“Tell me what has gotten ye so cross that ye need to drown it in whisky. May it be a woman?” James studied him, smiling when the agitation on his face grew deeper.
“What do ye want, James? I’m in no mood for yer teasing.” He took another swig of whisky and reached for the bottle, only to be brought up short when James snatched it away. He shifted in his seat to glare at his brother. “What? What do ye want?” He slammed his glass down on the table.
“I want to know what is wrong, and doona try to pretend it is nothing, because I can tell.”
“Ye seem to already know what is in my head. Ye tell me what is wrong.” Alexander sat back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the table. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for his brother to talk.
“Fine, I think what is troubling ye is a woman. What was her name? Marlana?”
Alexander grimaced.
“Ye have fallen for her, haven’t ye?”
Another grunt.
“Ye havena told her yet?” James sat with one hand on the whisky bottle and another on his glass as he drilled him for answers.
Alexander took his feet off the table and reached for the whisky. James scooted it further out of his reach. “Answer the questions, get the whisky. It’s a wee simple game.”
“Aye, I like her and nay, I havena told her.” When the whisky didn’t come, he looked at his brother. “Whisky.” He curled his fingers in a few times, summoning the bottle.
“Ye like her or ye love her?” James waited.
Knowing he wasn’t going to get a drink unless he was truthful, he finally answered. “Aye, I love her. Are ye happy, now?”
James slid the whisky to him. “Nay, I’m never happy to see ye hurting. I but wonder why ye are?”
Alexander regarded him quizzically.
“All ye have to do is allow yerself to be happy.” He tipped his glass toward his brother, then took a drink.