Highlands’ Forbidden Deeds

by Adamina Young

  And her heart sank. There was one of Connor’s guards standing down the hall.

  Unbelievable. Connor had assigned someone to watch her! She was going to strangle him the first chance she got, but that wouldn’t help her right now.

  Quietly shutting the door, she headed to the window and glanced out. She’d had enough practice scaling out her own bedroom window, but they were on the third floor of the Hamilton keep, and if she wasn’t careful, she’d fall and break her neck.

  That wasn’t going to stop her. Releasing the latch of the window, she pushed the panes out and climbed out to the ledge. It was much easier without a dress to tangle around her legs and fly up at the wind. The mountainous air had taken on the nightly chill, raising the hairs on her neck and biting at her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, chilling her lungs, she crawled out and dropped her legs down, seeking purchase on the stone with her feet. Most of her weight was still braced against her arms, flat on the ledge, and she closed her eyes.

  “Ye are no coward,” she whispered to herself before she released her hold and dropped. With a shriek, she realized she’d miscalculated. As she grabbed the ledge of the window below her, she felt the stone crumble beneath her hold. The ledge was much too narrow, and she’d never be able to hold her weight long enough to regain her grip.

  Suddenly, the window opened. “Grace, have ye lost yer mind?” Moira hissed as she reached down and grabbed her wrist.

  “Grace?” Cora reappeared next to Moira and grabbed Grace’s other wrist. Together, they hauled her in. “Alec and Connor were just here. They would send you home if they saw you escaping from the window!”

  “And in pants,” Moira sighed.

  Cora chuckled. “I suppose they might notice that after they recover from their heart-stopping fright.” She frowned suddenly. “Your hair is coming loose. You’ll need more pins.”

  Immediately, Grace reached up to check her hair. “Bloody hell.”

  “Good.” Moira narrowed her eyes. “Cora can fix yer hair while ye explain where ye are going and why ye needed to jump from the window to get there.”

  It didn’t surprise Grace that her two sisters-in-law would help her. When they were younger, she and Moira were often partners in crime, and oh, the scuffles they got into. Cora had spent some time in the guise of a servant while trying to figure out how to escape the MacKay keep and find her way back to her home in England. They were strong women who didn’t judge or look down on her for always seeking happiness.

  “Connor posted a guard outside my door,” Grace grumbled as she sat down. Cora removed Grace’s hat and even more hair tumbled down. “When is he going to stop treating me like a child?”

  “Ye did escape out the window,” Moira pointed out with a fond smile. “Besides, Connor didnae post Randall to keep ye put. He did it to keep ye safe. Ye are a grown and unmarried woman with blood ties to two powerful clans.”

  “If ye think someone would dare kidnap me, ye are dead wrong.” Grace thought about her usual source of defense uneasily. The dagger was easily hidden beneath her skirts but not underneath her trousers, so she was weaponless, but there was nothing to fear. Surely there would be no violence during the days of the treaty. “I can handle myself.”

  Cora and Moira exchanged a look. “I doonae think that is what they are worried around,” Moira muttered, and for a moment, she looked angry.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Let’s just say that we love your brothers, but they can be idiots,” Cora interjected.

  They were her sisters now, and Moira was her closest friend, and Grace could see that they were keeping something from her. “What is going on?” she demanded.

  “Nothing. ‘Tis just been a trying evening. Were ye meeting anyone tonight?”

  “I just arrived. I doonae know anyone here to arrange a secret rendezvous. I just wanted to clear my head. Connor has been acting strange these last few days, and even Alec seemed on edge during the journey here. Connor wouldnae let me eat in the great hall tonight. Claimed he was judging the temperaments of the other clans first. If he thought I wouldnae be safe, I doonae understand why he forced me here.”

  Again, Moira and Cora exchanged a look. “They wouldn’t let us eat down there either. I’m sure things will be easier tomorrow. Everyone is always a little on edge after the long journey. If you wish to go for a walk, perhaps we should join you.”

  If she let them go with her, she’d have to change back into her dress, and then she’d be Grace Sinclair, Connor and Alec’s hellion of a sister. She needed to get away from that persona for just a few moments.

  “No, I promise to be safe, but I need to disappear for a bit. Connor has been stricter than ever this past month. He’s forcing the men to patrol the hall of my chambers and outside my window in shifts so I cannae leave, and he forbids them to train me. ‘Tis like he’s my warden rather than my brother.”

  “He just wants what is best for you,” Moira sighed. “But he does need to be slapped upside the head. In any case, our chamber is not being watched, so ye should not have to shimmy out the window.”

  Cora twisted the last of Grace’s hair and pinned it. “There,” she said in satisfaction. “That should keep it in place for a bit.”

  “Dare I ask where a prim and proper English lady learned to hide hair under a boy’s cap?” Grace asked wryly.

  She winked. “Some secrets are best kept under wraps. Promise us that you won’t stay out late and you’ll be safe.”

  “You know me.” Standing, Grace readjusted her trousers and shirt. “I never get into trouble!”

  “Are ye worried?”

  Connor’s voice cut through the darkness. After dinner, there had been a challenge between the Armstrong brothers, Brodie and Creighton, which resulted in a little swordplay. It got a little heated between MacSeaver and one of the brothers, but things had ended peacefully. It was what Hamish had expected when bringing five clans together under one roof. The Sinclairs and MacKays were staunch allies and that would make the other clans nervous. MacSeavers had been under the reign of Fletcher MacSeaver for decades, but there had been talk that the man was slowly losing his edge, especially after the death of his one and only heir.

  The men had returned to their chambers, but Hamish had stayed with Connor and Alec. They sat under the stars, quietly for the most part.

  “About?”

  “Ye have brought together some interesting clans for this treaty,” Alec interjected. “Theo MacDougal, who may or may not have usurped his father. Creighton and Brodie Armstrong are signing in place of their older brother, who has made it clear he is only participating under the order of the king. And finally, there is MacSeaver, who is possibly only here to try to seduce Moira or Cora even though he is newly married.”

  Hamish was quiet for a moment. “The king asked me the vera same question when I proposed the treaty to him. I believe that as long as the three of us are alive, there will be peace among us. There is no need for a piece of paper, or am I mistaken?”

  Connor shook his head. “Nay. Despite how they treated Moira, this is still her family, and I will support ye.”

  “And I will support my brother,” Alec chimed in.

  “Aye, but the Hamiltons have a sullied reputation, and I am at the helm without Hamilton blood. There is a reason that I needed the Armstrongs, MacSeavers, and MacDougals, but I need a show of power.”

  “Why?” Connor asked bluntly. “Why the Armstrongs, MacSeavers, and MacDougals?”

  “Armstrong provided me with a home when I was younger and had no roots. He is a good man, and although he is dead now, I owe him my support. I only hope his sons feel the same. MacSeaver is, of course, our neighbor, a peaceful neighbor even when the Hamiltons were not a peaceful clan. MacDougal is also new in his lairdship.”

  “He is,” Connor mused. “I have asked around, but no one knows what to make of Theo MacDougal. He is his father’s beloved heir, but there is no confirmation that he forced his father out of powe
r or what kind of laird he will make.”

  “Patrick MacDougal is a bastard.” His snarl was met with silence. “Or so I have heard.”

  “Aye, he is a fiend, but his clan hasnae suffered for it,” Alec offered. “Still, the MacDougals are a powerful lot. ‘Twould be good to be in alliance with them.”

  “But ‘tis a peace treaty only. Not an alliance,” Hamish said quickly. He wasn’t ready to be in an alliance with MacDougal.

  “Should prove to be an interesting couple of days.” Connor stood. “I want to get back to Moira.”

  Grunting, Hamish stood as well. “Is this what marriage does to ye? Retires ye before midnight?”

  “When ye have a woman in yer bed, ye will understand.”

  Hamish raised his eyebrows. “I have had women in my bed, Sinclair.”

  “Obviously not the right kind,” Alec murmured. He was quickly following his brother, giving Hamish no choice but to follow them.

  “Let me point out that ye married yer wife to keep the MacKay clan, and Connor, ye married yer wife because ye were the reason her life had been hell for nearly seven years, so frankly, I doonae think either of ye are in the position to lecture anyone on having the right women in yer bed. Ye got lucky. I still doonae know why those women stayed with ye after what ye put them through.”

  They both just grunted at him, and he grinned. They knew he was right. They were incredibly lucky and had good women.

  “I still havenae forgotten that ye asked my woman to marry ye,” Connor muttered darkly. “And I had to witness it.”

  “Ye witnessed it because ye were stalking her, and at the time, she wasnae yer woman. I might remind ye that I didnae propose to her because I was in love with her, and she turned me down.” He knew that Connor wasn’t speaking in anger.

  “Aye, which is why I am here. And is why I brought Grace here.”

  Hamish nearly tripped. “Excuse me?”

  “I trust ye, Hamish. I know that ye looked after Moira when she needed it, and I know that ye offered to marry her to continue to protect her. Grace has become comfortable with me, comfortable with the Sinclairs, and I have given her too much lead for too long. I need to show her what the world is really like, which is why I have brought her here. I trust that ye will help me keep an eye on her?”

  “Keep an eye on her?” Hamish couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What exactly do ye expect her to do while she is here?”

  “‘Tis Grace.” Alec shrugged. “Who knows.”

  “Ye thought that my peace treaty, my attempt to establish myself among the most powerful of highland clans as the Hamilton clan, was a good time to bring yer hellion of a sister so she can spread her wings and learn about the world?” Hamish all but bellowed.

  Connor nodded. “Aye. We did. Among other things.”

  “What other things?”

  The man smiled secretively. “Ye shall see.”

  3

  It didn’t take her long to find where all of the men had gone after the evening meal. Laugher and music filtered over the hills to the small tavern situated fairly close to the keep. Grace had slipped into several of the Sinclair taverns many times although most of them were situated near the border, and Connor always grew furious with her when he caught her, but one quick glance around told her that neither of her brothers were here tonight.

  It didn’t surprise her. There was a good deal of carousing happening between the men and the tavern lasses, and Connor and Alec were both steadfastly faithful.

  Careful to keep her cap pulled low over her face, she found an empty chair in the corner and sat cross-legged in it while she watched her surroundings with interest as more and more men trickled in. Most of the soldiers were still wearing their clan colors and would continue to do so throughout the next few days to show their pride and belonging. She recognized two of the Sinclair guards, but they were not ones she associated with on a daily or even weekly basis, so it was likely that they would not recognize her. She noted the MacKay colors but didn’t spend enough time at the keep to know their names.

  The other clan colors belonged to the MacDougals, a powerful clan to the west of them who had reportedly undergone a recent change in power although the previous laird was not dead. Grace had heard rumors that the son had led a coup against his father but could not kill him, and she’d also heard that the father was ill and needed to step aside until he was healthy again. There was no telling which was true.

  Connor was frustrated that he hadn’t been able to confirm or deny any of the rumors, and it was on his list of things to investigate while he was here. Grace intended to keep an ear out to help her brother in any way that she could.

  The Armstrongs were also in attendance. Their laird was the eldest of three brothers and could not attend, so he sent the other two in his stead. The MacSeavers were also here. Having never traveled to their lands, she knew very little about either of their clans.

  Creighton and Brodie Armstrong were both of a similar age, born less than a year apart. Creighton was the oldest current heir but the laird was newly married and would no doubt produce an heir in the next few years. Grace knew that they had a sister as well although she was still just a young girl.

  The two brothers were different in their physical appearance. Brodie was fair-haired with light blue eyes and a quick flirtatious smile. Grace watched him now as he moved from table to table, ignoring the men and charming the lasses. Creighton, on the other hand, was darker and seemed the more serious of the two. He was in deep conversation with several men at the table and barely glanced up when a pretty woman leaned over him, her ample cleavage spilling over his arm.

  Laird MacSeaver was a much older man. Tall and lanky, he had the kind of pallor that made everyone think he already had one foot in the grave. There was one part of his body that seemed as healthy as one of a lad. Although recently married, the laird was reported to be randy and a little too pushy with the ladies. As he flagged down another woman and reached around to grab her derrière, the men around him laughed even when the woman swatted his hand away.

  Grace noticed that his new wife was not in attendance.

  “What is yer pleasure tonight, lad?” a busty young woman asked as she sauntered up to her. It was the same woman who had attempted to get Brodie’s attention. With pretty delicate features and eyes such a light blue they almost looked grey, the woman was a great beauty. Gold ringlets spilled over her shoulders, and she had the kind of confidence that Grace was almost jealous of. Feminine virtues were always a little daunting for her.

  All it took was a second look before the woman’s eyes widened. “Are ye mad?” she hissed. “I know who ye are!”

  Bloody hell, the woman recognizes me! Grace hadn’t even been out of the keep except for her walk here. “I amnae here to cause trouble,” she pleaded. “Please! I just mean to sit quietly and watch.”

  “Ye are the Sinclair sister. I heard rumors of ye and watched ye ride up. Yer eyes give ye away.” The woman sighed. “I’m Maggie. If ye insist on staying, then ye’ll need some ale to blend in, but I warn ye not to drink it. What we have here ‘tis strong stuff, and ye will need yer wits about ye if ye are to pull this off.”

  Grace nodded, and the woman returned a few minutes later with a cup. “Are ye here to spy? Hamish will not be pleased.”

  “Nay, I needed to get away from my brothers for a bit. They have been acting strange. I didnae even want to come to the signing, but Connor insisted, and he has made me swear that I will act like a lady.”

  “Well of course he has. None of the men here want a hellion as a wife!” Maggie laughed. “Although I believe it will probably do them some good.”

  “A wife?” Grace frowned. Why is it that people look at me and only see a position in regard to a man that I havenae even met yet? It is infuriating! “I have no intention of marrying.”

  “I have never known a woman who didnae want to marry. ‘Tis true that I have been dreaming of being a bride since I was just a young
girl and watched my aunt marry. The music and the flowers and the ribbons...” Maggie sighed dreamily as she appeared to lose herself in the memory. “But things change.”

  Intrigued, Grace leaned forward. Maggie was so pretty. She found it difficult to believe that the men here weren’t falling over themselves trying to win her affections. “What kinds of things?”

  “My parents died when I was still young. I was sent to live with my aunt, but when I began to mature, her husband started to look at me oddly, and I was kicked out. The laird at the time didn’t have much care for the plights of a young woman, so I had to start working here to survive. I do all right now. I have a small cottage, and most of the men are kind, but no one wants to marry sullied goods.”

  Sullied goods? Grace wanted to ask just what it was about serving alcohol that made her sullied when Creighton Armstrong stood, his chair scraping back with a flourish, and his table fell silent. “Care to make a wager on that?” he asked his companion.

  “A wager on what?” Grace asked softly, but Maggie waved her hand to shush her.

  “Aye, I will make a wager,” his companion, a MacSeaver guard, said as he stood. “A coin that Graeme MacSeaver wins the hand of Lady Grace before the treaty is signed.”

  Immediately, Maggie whipped her head around and shook her head in warning before Grace could say anything. Although it cost her, Grace ground her teeth together and stayed quiet. They were wagering on her? The nerve.

  “Graeme?” Creighton snorted. “The man is far too boring for the hellion Sinclair. I have heard of her exploits. She needs a firm hand to control her. Nay, Connor brought her here for the likes of me, and I will win her hand.”

  A wave of dizziness caught her off guard, and Grace gasped and placed a hand on her stool to steady herself. It wasn’t possible. Her brothers would not dare drag her here to place her on the marriage pedestal! They would know how it would betray her, and they would never do that.