by Connie Mason
“Niall has seen ye work yer magic.”
She rounded on her brother. “Why are you so determined to give me to the MacKay?”
“MacKay wants ye for the powers ye possess, while I want naught to do with yer magic. He will let me keep yer dowry, which is more than Campbell will do, thereby strengthening the alliance between the MacKays and the MacArthurs. Father didna trust MacKay, but he is gone now and the decision is mine to make. Joining with the MacKays and aligning ourselves with King James will bring prosperity to our clans. The king needs us, and even now courts our loyalty. We will become the most powerful lairds in the Highlands.”
“Get on with it, MacArthur,” MacKay growled. “Let the midwife do what we’re paying her for. If the lass is yet untouched, she is mine to wed.”
Without warning, Niall made a lunge for Blair. Grasping her from behind, he pinned her arms to her sides and dragged her to the bed. Blair fought with every ounce of her strength, but it wasn’t enough when MacKay entered the fray. Moments later she was pinned to the bed and held in place by MacKay and Niall.
“Begin the examination, Gunna,” Niall ordered. “And ye’d best tell us what we want to hear.”
His words and Gunna’s mirthless grin gave Blair little hope that the midwife would truthfully report her lack of a maidenhead. She would tell Niall exactly what he wanted to hear. Would Graeme fight for her? Blair wondered. Most likely he would be glad to be rid of her.
Blair bucked wildly, making it difficult for the midwife to begin her examination despite the two men pressing her against the thin straw mattress. “It will take more than two men to hold me down,” she warned. “But I promise to cooperate if you leave me alone with Gunna. ’Tisn’t right that men should witness this travesty.”
Niall’s eyes narrowed. “I dinna trust ye.”
Desperation forced Blair to resort to tactics she would normally disdain. “If you both dinna leave the room, I swear I will cast a spell that will shrivel your man parts until they resemble small worms.”
She fixed Niall with a fierce glare and began an incantation guaranteed to send even the bravest of men fleeing. Loss of one’s manhood was an appalling prospect, and both men took Blair’s threat to heart.
“Witch!” Niall shouted, backing away.
“Nay!” MacKay cried, protecting his manhood with one hand while retreating like the coward he was.
“Verra well, ye win,” Niall said. “But dinna try to escape. Ye promised ye would cooperate, and ye damn well better if ye know what’s good for ye. We will be waiting outside the door while the midwife examines ye.”
Once alone with Gunna, Blair planned her escape. There was no way she would let the midwife touch her with her filthy hands. Closing her eyes and clearing her mind of all thought, she sent a mental plea through time and space to Graeme, directing him to Gunna’s cottage in the village.
“This willna take long,” Gunna cackled. “Yer brother wants to know if yer husband’s rutted with ye, and I intend to give him the answer he is seeking. Ye dinna belong with our laird.”
“You’d lie?”
“We dinna need the likes of ye at Stonehaven.”
That was all Blair needed to hear. If Graeme didn’t arrive in time, Niall would take her away, and the combined MacArthur and MacKay forces would make it impossible for Graeme to rescue her, if he were of a mind to.
Gunna moved between Blair’s legs and pushed them apart.
“Wait! Wash your hands first. They’re filthy.”
Gunna looked at her grubby hands and shrugged. “No one has complained of my dirty hands before. Ye’re too persnickety, lady.”
“I mean it, Gunna. If you dinna wash your hands, I will cast a particularly nasty spell on you.”
Gunna stared at her with unfettered hatred and a good deal of fear, then spun around and marched to the washstand. Using Gunna’s distraction to her own advantage, Blair seized a heavy candlestick from a nearby table and brought it down on the midwife’s head. Then she climbed out a back window, lifted her skirts and ran.
Chapter Seven
Graeme cocked his head and listened. He heard someone calling to him. He glanced at Heath, who was working beside him. “Did you speak to me?”
Heath sent him a quizzical glance. “Nay.”
“Are you sure? I clearly heard someone calling to me.”
Graeme glanced about. No one else seemed to have heard what he had. “I must be hearing things.”
Heath sent him a concerned look. Then, very distinctly, Graeme heard it again . . . a plea for help. Blair? He rushed from the shearing pen, convinced that Blair needed him. Was he losing his mind? Then he heard the voice again.
The village, the voice whispered inside his head. Come to the village. Help me, I need you.
Blair was in trouble! Graeme took off at a run, fear pounding though his veins, his heart pumping furiously. If someone had hurt Blair, he would tear him or her apart with his bare hands.
Fortunately, the shearing pens were no great distance from the village. He reached the outskirts and nearly collapsed with relief when he saw Blair, skirts raised to her knees, sprinting toward him. He caught her up in his arms and held her close.
“Are you hurt? Who tried to harm you?”
Gasping for breath, Blair pointed behind her, alerting Graeme to approaching danger. Glancing over Blair’s shoulder, Graeme saw Niall MacArthur and Donal MacKay in hot pursuit of his wife. He shoved Blair behind him, cursing his lack of a weapon.
“What do you want?” Graeme growled when the men skidded to a halt before him. “You are trespassing on Campbell lands.”
“I but wanted to speak with my sister,” Niall said.
“He lies!” Blair charged. “He came looking for grounds to annul our marriage. He and MacKay lured me to the village so Gunna could examine me. They hoped to prove I was still a maiden.” She shuddered. “I couldna bear her hands on me, so I bashed her with a candlestick when she turned her back.”
“I heard you calling me,” Graeme said, his voice pitched low. “We’ll talk about that later.” He turned to Niall. “How dare you insult Blair in such a vile manner? If you wished to speak with her, you should have come to the keep.”
“I have a proposition for ye, Campbell,” MacKay said. “Will ye listen to what I have to say?”
Graeme’s first inclination was to order the two off his land. But he decided to hear them out before setting them straight about the state of his marriage and banishing them from Campbell lands.
“I will listen,” Graeme said grudgingly. “But only if you accompany me to the keep. A public road is no place to air family matters.”
“Do ye guarantee our safety?” MacKay asked.
Graeme stiffened. “Are you questioning my honor?”
“Of course not,” MacKay hedged. “But a mon canna be too careful.”
“At the conclusion of our conversation, you’ll both be free to leave. All I shall require is your promise to leave my wife alone in the future.”
“I suggest ye listen to MacKay’s proposal before demanding promises from us,” Niall said. “What he has to say should be of great interest to ye.”
Graeme sincerely doubted he’d be interested in anything either of these two scoundrels had to say. The thought of their hands on his wife left him outraged. Placing an arm around Blair and holding her hard against his side, he strode toward the keep. He cared not if Blair’s brother and MacKay followed, for his thoughts were consumed with the indignity Blair had suffered at their hands.
As they started down the path, Heath, Stuart and Aiden joined them. When Graeme had run from the shearing pen without a word of explanation, they’d become worried and decided to follow. Knowing Graeme as they did, they knew he wouldn’t have rushed off without good reason.
“What are they doing here?” Stuart asked, jerking his head toward MacArthur and MacKay.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“What made ye run off like that?” Hea
th wanted to know.
Graeme gave Blair a squeeze. “A premonition.”
“We thought ye could use help and followed,” Aiden explained. “But I see ye have everything under control.”
“Thanks to my resourceful wife,” Graeme said grimly. “What they had planned for her wasna pretty.”
When they reached the keep, Graeme gave Blair’s shoulders a squeeze and said, “I would speak to your brother and MacKay alone.”
Blair gave him a mutinous glare. “Why? What they have to say involves me.”
“You’ve been through enough today. Obey me in this, Blair. Things could get ugly.” She continued to stare at him. “Please,” he added.
His heartfelt plea convinced her, though she liked it not. “Verra well, but I’ll expect a full report after they leave.”
Graeme sent her a cocky grin. “Ask your spirits, sweeting. They seem to know things before I do.”
Blair sent him a sizzling look, then flounced off.
“Sending her away was wise,” Niall said when he joined Graeme. “Our proposal is for yer ears alone. Where can we talk in private?”
“Follow me,” Graeme said, leading them to a small anteroom off the hall where he often consulted with his steward and housekeeper. He seated himself behind a desk and tented his fingers. “I would offer a wee drop of uisge breatha but you willna be here long enough to finish it. State your business so you can be on your way. I canna forget what you tried to do to Blair, and my temper is dangling by a slim thread.”
Unapologetic, Niall shrugged. “ ’Twas the only way to prove no real marriage exists between you and my sister.”
“You could have asked me about the state of our marriage,” Graeme charged. “What you intended for Blair was despicable.”
“ ’Twas necessary,” Niall maintained. “There was a prior betrothal. If yer marriage wasna consummated, I intended to give Blair to MacKay.”
“I know of no prior betrothal,” Graeme said evenly. “Douglas MacArthur gave Blair to me while he was alive to make the decision. Father Lachlan waived the banns and performed the ceremony in Douglas’s bedchamber. According to law and the Holy Church, Blair and I are husband and wife.”
“Douglas wasna in his right mind,” Niall charged. “I acted in his stead when I betrothed Blair to the MacKay.”
Graeme’s lips tightened to a bloodless line. “Douglas MacArthur’s mind was clear when he asked me to wed Blair. Our marriage is legal and binding.”
“Not if the marriage wasna consummated,” MacKay persisted.
An air of menace was inherent in Graeme’s words as he responded. “What makes you think our marriage wasna consummated?”
“The servants at Gairloch Castle, for one thing,” Niall replied. “They gossip, ye know. I heard them whispering about the lack of virgin’s blood on the sheets after ye left Gairloch.”
“You call that proof?” Graeme scoffed.
“There’s more,” Niall said with a smugness that set Graeme’s teeth on edge. “Blair fancies herself a Faery Woman and sets great store in her powers.”
“Do you believe in her powers?”
“My beliefs are my own,” Niall said evasively. “ ’Tis Blair’s beliefs we are talking about. And what of the rumors about yerself? ’Tis said ye returned from France a changed mon, that ye fell in love with someone unattainable. ’Tis likely Blair heard the gossip. The MacArthur Prophecy says a Faery Woman will lose her powers if she loves in vain, so it stands to reason she would withhold herself from ye rather than risk losing her heart as well as her powers. I also believe ye wouldna press her since ye love another.”
“You’re wrong, MacArthur,” Graeme charged. “We left Gairloch rather abruptly, but our marriage was consummated at Stonehaven.”
“Prove it!” MacKay barked.
Graeme shot to his feet. “My word is all the proof you require. I will say it one more time: Blair is my wife in every way.”
“Maybe so, but that doesna stop us from striking a deal,” MacKay ventured.
“What kind of a deal did you have in mind?” Graeme demanded harshly.
“Let me be blunt,” Niall began. “Can ye be happy with a witch for a bride? We all know ye wed Blair to repay a debt to Father.” He held up his hand when Graeme started to protest. “Dinna deny it. Everyone knows why ye wed my sister.” He leaned closer. “MacKay and I are offering ye a chance to rid yerself of the witch.”
Outrage darkened Graeme’s face. “Get out of here and dinna return!”
“Hear me out,” MacKay said. “If ye swear yer marriage wasna consummated, my clansmen will never steal from ye again.”
“I’ll not lie,” Graeme said from between clenched teeth.
“Ye’ll be sorry,” Niall spat. “Blair is more trouble than she’s worth. Once she starts casting spells, ye’ll wish ye had accepted MacKay’s offer. I’ve lived with her all my life and I know what she’s capable of.”
“Aye, let me take her off yer hands, Campbell,” MacKay urged. “I swear she’ll come to no harm.”
Graeme’s probing gaze searched deep into MacKay’s hard, cold eyes, and he liked not what he saw. “If Blair is so much trouble, why do you want her?”
“ ’Tis none of yer concern,” MacKay said with deliberate vagueness. “ ’Tis enough that I am willing to deal with her.”
“You intend to exploit her powers,” Graeme charged. “For your information, Blair has no powers.”
“Ye’re a fool if ye believe that,” Niall hissed.
“Aye, a fool,” MacKay agreed. “Blair can give me something I want verra much. Furthermore, with Blair’s ability to ‘see’ things, Niall and I can become invaluable to King James. Blair can use her powers to tell us who supports James and who does not. We can become the most powerful men in Scotland. The king already trusts us and looks to us for support.”
“Get out!” Graeme shouted. “You will be driven off my land if you attempt to return.”
“Dinna be too quick to refuse us,” MacKay warned. “We can make ye verra sorry ye did.”
“Get out!” Graeme repeated. “I assure you I am more than capable of defending myself and those I care about against the pair of you.”
“The witch isna worth yer life,” Niall blasted as he edged toward the door.
“Let me be the judge of that. Out, both of you. And dinna darken my doorstep again.”
He strode to the door and held it open. He was not surprised to see Heath and Aiden waiting on the other side.
“Do ye need help?” Heath asked.
“Nay. MacArthur and MacKay are leaving.”
Suddenly Blair came skidding around the corner. “What did they want? I hope you didna let them talk you into anything.”
Graeme grinned. No one could say his wife wasn’t impetuous. Her pugnacious stance, hands on hips, chin raised, was almost comical.
“I thought I sent you to your chamber.”
“Ye dinna know how to handle the lass,” Niall sneered. “Ye should have let MacKay take her off yer hands.”
Blair’s gaze collided with Graeme’s. Then she rounded on MacKay, her eyes blazing with fury. “You’re despicable. Do you recall that spell I spoke of earlier?”
MacKay stared at her, his hand flying downward to cover his groin. “If ye value yer life, witch, dinna try to work yer evil spells on me.” He backed away, his face contorted with fear.
“Ye shouldna be allowed to live among God-fearing people,” Niall charged, waving his fist in Blair’s face. “Ye’re dangerous, Blair. Dinna come to us for help when Campbell turns ye out. Ye deserve whatever fate brings ye.”
“Shall I escort them back to Gairloch?” Aiden asked.
“Just to the front door,” Graeme said. “I am sure they can find their own way back home without an escort.” His gaze found Blair. “What spell did you threaten them with?”
Blair sent him a saucy look. “I told them I’d shrivel their man parts.”
Heath made a gurgling sound i
n his throat while Graeme threw back his head and laughed. “Could you do that?” he asked, wiping away mirthful tears.
Blair shrugged. “I doubt it.” Then she turned and flounced off, her skirts swishing about her curvy hips.
“That wasna funny,” Heath charged. “Heed me, Cousin, ye should have given her to MacKay. Any woman who threatens to shrivel a man’s cock must be a witch.” He brushed his hand over his groin as if to make sure his own manhood was still intact. Apparently satisfied with what he found, he stomped off.
Graeme stared after him, a thoughtful expression on his face. Was he the only one who refused to believe that Blair was a witch? He had seen firsthand what happened to witches, and he couldn’t bear the thought of Blair suffering the same fate. He might not love Blair, but he didn’t want to see her hurt. Not just because Douglas MacArthur had charged him with her safety, but because he wouldn’t wish Joan’s fate on anyone. It was a horrible way to die. Until he had solid proof, he refused to believe Blair capable of evil.
Blair entered her chamber and slammed the door. Anger simmered beneath the surface of her calm. If Graeme had not heard her silent plea, her body would have been violated in a most disgusting way. Furthermore, she knew she had powerful enemies in her brother and MacKay.
Blair didn’t need to consult spirits to know those two wished her harm. The aura surrounding them was black, a dangerous color. She felt their animosity to the marrow of her bones. Niall had always feared her powers and been jealous of their father’s love. She couldn’t count the times Niall had tried to turn her father against her. Even more frightening, she feared their hostility extended to Graeme. It would serve them right if she actually did try to shrivel their man parts.
The door opened and Graeme stepped inside. Husband and wife stared at each other, separated by more than the width of the room. Between them stood the Prophecy and all it represented. She knew intuitively what Graeme was thinking, and she recoiled inwardly.