“She retired at ten,” Mungo said with a frown. “I saw her to her chambers myself.”
“And it didnae occur to ye that she would leave her chambers?” Connor demanded as he worked to fix the axle on the cart. He’d stayed busy, perhaps on purpose, and hadn’t had a chance to see how Moira was doing. At some point, he would need to make the announcement that he’d chosen a wife, and make arrangements to marry Moira, but right now, sniping at his guards and fixing the wheel was all he could handle.
Mungo looked down and shifted his feet. “She was complaining about women’s pain,” he muttered. “I didnae think she would be moving around.”
Groaning, Connor shook his head. He couldn’t even be all that angry at Mungo because Grace had the ability to slip past any guard when she was in the mood.
Himself included.
“One of these days, she is going to escape right into the arms of someone who wishes her harm.” Closing his eyes, he silently tried to calm his temper. “Find her. Have her show ye the spot where she was spying. I want to know how she was able to get there without any guard seeing her.”
“I will. Laird?” Mungo hesitated.
“Aye?”
“Laird. Connor.” Mungo switched from guard to friend. “Is it true that ye installed Moira Hamilton to the mistress chambers?”
“I will marry her, Mungo. I intend to make the announcement at dinner and marry her as soon as the Father will allow. I have already sent a letter to Tyree. I expect I will be hearing from him soon.”
“Hearing from him? That man loves his niece. He will want to attend the wedding. I imagine a few lairds will want to attend. Ye willnae be able to keep this quiet, Connor.”
Connor hadn’t even thought of that. The last thing he wanted was a big affair or visiting clans. It was bad enough that his marriage to Moira would be the talk of the Highlands for years to come. “We will accept Tyree and any representatives he may have from the Hamilton clan, but that is it. We doonae have the manpower or the supplies to house and protect more.”
It wasn’t entirely true, but it was the best excuse he could come up with. If he was lucky, Tyree wouldn’t even show up.
With the wagon fixed, he straightened and turned to Mungo. “Make sure the other guards are on notice. Moira is to be my wife, and I willnae stand to hear any harsh words against her. I want her welcomed into this clan. She intends to keep to herself. I have an arrangement with her. She will reside in a cottage and do as she wishes. In return, she will provide me with an heir.”
“All right,” Mungo said slowly, but didn’t ask for more information. He must have sensed Connor’s mood. “Should we put a guard on her?”
“No need.” Sighing, he wiped his grimy hands on his kilt and glanced back at the keep. “I should be heading back to see if she is awake. Mungo, yer vow of loyalty aside, do I have yer support in this?”
“Aye, Connor, and ye will have the guards’ as well. None of us believe that sweet Moira was the perpetrator of that horrid day.”
No, they didn’t. Only the two people who mattered most to Moira.
Checking with the kitchen staff first, Connor learned that Moira had been up for hours, and Grace was missing as well. Annoyed, he scoured the keep and found no trace of them. He hadn’t expected her to leave the keep, but after speaking with a number of people who caught sight of them, he figured out their trail soon enough. Grace had to be with her because they were on their way to the widow Miriam’s cottage.
“Grace,” he growled as he stomped in their direction. Miriam’s cottage was the last place he wanted Moira to be.
As he neared the ramshackle shelter, he heard Grace’s boisterous laugh from inside. “Ye cannae be serious!” she shouted. “With a goat? He proposed with a goat?”
Who proposed with a goat?
“Aye.” Moira giggled softly, and Connor neared the open window to hear what she had to say next. “It was actually vera sweet. He thought I wanted to farm instead of garden. I think I really did break his heart when I told him that the goat would eat all of my flowers.”
Annoyed, Connor threw open the door and marched inside. “Grace!” He glared at her. “I thought I told ye to give Moira some space?”
“Does she look bothered to ye?” Grace replied hotly.
“And here? Ye brought her here?”
“’Tis the perfect place for her, unless ye want to hide her away in another village?”
“Grace.” Gritting his teeth, he took a few deep breaths. “Ye are to find Mungo and show him yer hiding spot from last night.”
His sister just planted her hands. “’Tis a security risk, Grace.”
As always, her loyalty to her clan outweighed her need to annoy him. “Moira, I will see ye at dinner. Doonae let my brother bully ye into anything ye doonae want.”
“I would never,” Moira promised her. His sister shot him one more heated look before she hurried out of the cottage.
Alone with Moira, he tried to get a feel for her mood. “I apologize that it took me so long to check on ye. I expected that ye might sleep for most of the day.”
“’Tis all right. I slept well, and I feel rested. I was exploring the keep when I ran into Grace. Doonae be angry at her. We are to be sisters, and we needed to clear the air.”
“And I take it since the two of ye were in here laughing, that all is well?”
“We are finding our way, and we will be fine. I appreciate that ye care for yer sister. I remember how she used to be.”
“Used to? Believe me, not much has changed, only I became her guardian instead of her brother.” Walking further into the room, he looked around the cottage. It was as sparse and dirty as he remembered. One large room with several false walls to separate the kitchen from the sleeping space. In the corner by the large window was a rickety table and two weed-woven chairs that seemed to be leaning sideways. Everything smelled of dust and mold. No one had been in the cottage since Miriam died because most still believed her to be a witch who’d cursed the place. “I admit that the location is ideal, but the last resident was strange.”
Moira’s eyes lit up with delight. “Aye, Grace was telling me about the widow Miriam. Said she spoke to spirits. Apparently this cottage is haunted by her ghost and the spirits that she attracted.”
“Ridiculous rumors. The real problem is that while Miriam lived here, she refused to let anyone work on the cottage. Said that people’s energies made the spirits angry. The roof leaks. The floor is splintered. The windows are cracked. This is no place for my wife.”
“If ye can spare the men to fix it, then I can wait.”
She sounded so nonchalant, and his breath hitched. Was she suggesting that she might remain in the keep for a short while? “It could take some time. We can find a cottage that ye can move into right away.”
Moira studied him closely. “Connor, it willnae bother me if ye doonae want me so close to the keep. I understand that our arrangement is unusual. If ye want me in one of the outlying villages, then we will find another cottage.”
“Nay,” he denied quickly. “I like the cottage because I can still make sure that ye are safe. Ye will remain in yer chambers while we make the cottage habitable.”
“Excellent.” She looked so pleased, and for a moment, he was captivated by her smile. It was the first time she’d actually looked happy. What he wouldn’t give to make sure that smile stayed day after day!
Clearing his throat, he stepped back toward the door. “All right,” he said gruffly. “That is settled. Come. I am on my way to the church to speak to the Father, and I’d like to introduce ye.”
“’Tis not Father Glen?”
“No, Father Glen left several years ago. He claimed he wanted to be closer to his brother, but we fear that it was Grace’s antics that drove him away. Father Charles is here from England. A strange man, but he’s made the Highlands his home. Tonight, we will announce our betrothal at dinner. I expect word from yer uncle soon, and then we will marry.”
>
“If the announcement is not well received, I understand if ye change yer mind. Truly, Connor. Our history is complicated, and yer first responsibility needs to be to yer clan.”
“Moira, I abandoned ye once. I willnae do it again,” he swore.
She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, and he knew that it would take some time before she could trust him again. She may never, and that would be part of his penance as well.
6
Her uncle must have left the moment he received Connor’s letter for he arrived on Hamilton lands with Hamish and two dozen guards the next morning. Connor retrieved Moira from the fields where she’d been exploring and stood with her at the entrance of the keep. Tyree had come with fire in his eyes. “Ye bastard,” he roared as he dismounted. “Ye promised to return her safely, and now I find that ye have kidnapped her and forced her to marry ye? I willnae stand for it, Connor. If ye doonae return her to me, then I am prepared to go to war with ye right now! When I have gutted ye, I will…”
“Uncle!” Wanting to avoid the bloodshed and whatever imagery he was about to provide, she hurried forward and took his hands. “Connor hasnae kidnapped me. He may vera well have saved my life. Tell me that ye received my letter.”
“Aye.” Cradling her chin, he looked down at her adoringly but with a touch of sadness. “Has yer life truly been so hard that ye felt the need to run, Moira? Ye had to know that I would have scoured the mountains looking for ye.”
“It was never my intention to hurt ye. I just wanted to be around people who would not look at me and see a woman who lost everything. Around people who didnae whisper about me behind my back.”
“My dear, people will whisper about ye here, even worse. Ye willnae find anonymity on Sinclair lands.”
“Aye, but I will have no responsibilities here. No clan to look to me constantly and wait for me to make a decision.”
Tyree looked beyond frustrated. “Moira, ye arenae making any sense. Ye will be the wife of a laird!”
“Aye, but he wants nothing from me. Only an heir. I doonae even have to live in the keep with him. I can garden and live in peace.”
“Moira.” Grumbling, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “We will speak in private but for now, I have forced my men at a grueling pace to get here as quick as possible.”
Connor must have sensed unease in Tyree’s disposition. He stepped forward. “Laird Sinclair, if ye have decided that war is not necessary, my people will stable yer horses to water, feed, and rest them. We have chambers ready and are happy to have ye as our guests.”
“Just to be clear, I am not sanctioning this marriage until I am certain that ye will treat my Moira right.”
“Uncle,” she reminded him gently. “I am of age. I doonae need yer permission.”
“’Tis all right. Yer uncle has a right to ask his questions,” Connor said with a wry grin. “Settle. Rest, and we will speak at length.”
“Oh yes, we will.”
Men! Moira had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Hamish stopped in front of her, took her hand, and kissed it. Next to her, Connor grumbled, but Moira shot him a warning look. Hamish had done nothing improper, and it wasn’t like Connor was affectionate with her.
When they were younger, he touched her constantly. Holding her hand. Teasing her hair. Tugging at her ribbons. Now, he kept his hands behind his back as if he was disgusted at the thought of touching her again.
She joined her uncle in his chambers and waited for him to yell at her. The only thing she regretted about her decision to leave was to know that she would disappoint him. After her mother had died, he’d stepped in to care for her. Unlike her father, he never believed she’d had anything to do with the siege on the Sinclair keep. He was her rock when she felt like her life was spiraling out of control.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked at her with a heavy expression on his face. “Moira, ye know that I never had children of my own. Ye have always been the bright spot in my life. When I agreed to step up as laird, I did it for ye. When the king wanted ye to marry, I refused to force ye. I put ye before the clan, and I would do it all over again. I love ye, my dear.”
Her heart broke, and she rushed forward and took his hands. “Uncle Tyree, I love ye too, and I am so sorry that I left, but I knew Hamish was the best choice for the clan. Ye were going to step down soon, and ye didnae need me anymore.”
“Moira, ye spent years avoiding Connor Sinclair. If ye are marrying him now for some kind of vengeance—”
“No!” Horrified at the idea, she shook her head vehemently. “No, I would never. I can admit that it has been easy for me to deal with what happened by not hating Connor, but he made a rash decision while dealing with the most horrific of events.”
“What happened to ye when ye journeyed home…”
Immediately, she pulled her hands away and wrapped them around herself. “I willnae talk about that.”
His face fell just a little, and in that moment, he looked far older than his sixty years. “Will ye be happy here? I know what ye felt for Connor all those years ago. I still have that letter ye sent, and the determination when ye wrote that ye were going to marry him.”
“Words of a girl,” she said dismissively, even though she knew those feelings were still buried deep inside of her. “Connor understands that there will be no love between us. We willnae even live together.”
“Moira, ye will be the mother to his children. Ye will raise them. Do ye really believe that he will let ye raise them in a cottage? Connor is not the kind of man who will ignore his children. He will have a part. Ye will raise them together. Ye will have that bond.”
She had thought about that, and it did weigh on her shoulders, but while she’d never thought she’d have children, she always did want them. This was her chance. “There are married couples who reside in different homes and still raise their children together. Connor and I will find a way. ’Tis not like we hate each other.”
“Child, I fear this will break yer heart. I doonae want to see ye suffer, my dear. If ye want a cottage and solitude, then I will step down today, and we will retire at the borderlands. No one will bother ye.”
“Uncle, I know that before ye had to step up for my father, ye were courting Margaret, and she is still waiting for ye. Retire. As soon as ye return, live the rest of yer life with the love that ye deserve.” She would not take away the future that he deserved by insisting that he look after her. “I have made my decision, and I stand by it.”
“Vera well. I will speak to Connor myself and ascertain his reasons for this. Then I will stay for the wedding. I may not approve, but I wouldnae miss the opportunity to see ye on yer big day.”
Relieved, she reached up and hugged him tightly. “And I want ye there as well. Vera much.”
Her uncle was the last obstacle. With him on board, there was nothing stopping her from marrying Connor Sinclair.
The groom in question was waiting for her by her door when she retired for the evening. She was dragging her feet. The announcement had gone over better than she’d expected, but it was a long night of questions and openly curious stares. All she wanted was to lock her door, stoke the fire in her hearth, and curl up with a book.
“Ye arenae limping,” he noted. “Yer shoulder?”
“No pain.” Moira flexed her shoulders to prove the point. “Is there something wrong?”
“Ye were quiet at dinner, and ye and yer uncle didnae converse much. Does he intend to take ye back to Hamilton lands?”
As she opened her door, she watched him carefully, but as usual, she couldn’t read his face. Was he hoping that Tyree was going to drag her back so he didn’t have to honor his offer? “Nay, he is worried for me, but he is allowing me to make my own decision.”
“Good.” To her surprise, he stalked in after her. “I willnae stand for ye changing yer mind.”
“Connor, I havenae changed my mind. If anything, I thought perhaps ye might change yer mind, dependin
g on how yer clan reacted.”
“They trust me.” His voice was oddly quiet, and he closed the door behind them. “And they are eager for me to have an heir.”
Suddenly aware of how just very alone they were, she straightened and arched an eyebrow. “Do ye intend to try for that heir tonight?”
Blowing out his breath, he ran his hands through his hair and looked lost. “I want ye, Moira. From the moment I laid eyes on ye, I wanted ye in my arms.”
He wants me? It was the last thing she’d expected him to say. “Want me? Connor, ye barely look at me. Ye doonae even touch me.”
“Aye. I find ye test my control lass.” He took another step toward her, and she didn’t retreat. “I just wanted ye to know that when we wed, I have every intention of having ye in my bed. Ye may do as ye wish during the day, but yer nights will belong to me.”
“Kiss me, Connor.”
At her demand, his eyes widened. “Now?”
“Aye. When I was last here, I waited every day for ye to kiss me, and it never happened. No one else has kissed me, Connor. No one. I doonae want my first kiss to be with everyone looking on.”
With a growl, he moved so fast that she barely had time to gasp before his hands were curling gently around her elbows. “Why, Moira? Why have ye not allowed anyone to kiss ye?”
Her mouth was incredibly dry, and she licked her lips nervously. “I couldnae trust their intentions,” she whispered. “They didnae want me for me. They wanted to be laird.”
“And Hamish? He still wanted ye after he was named heir. Why did ye not allow him to kiss ye?”
The intensity in his demand made her heart skip a beat. She could tell him that even after everything he’d done, she’d never been able to forget the way he made her belly flutter or the way her skin flushed when he looked at her. How, years after they’d parted, she’d still dreamed of him even as she hated herself for it. How, when every man took her hand and proposed marriage, she’d pictured Connor in their place.
Highlands’ Forbidden Deeds Page 22