“Oh no,” said a female voice from behind the towering warriors. Then Rona heard retching. She pushed her way hurriedly between the men.
Leaning over the dock and dry heaving into the loch was an ethereally beautiful—if currently unpleasantly occupied—woman a few years older than Rona.
Burke pushed past her and came to the woman’s side. He gathered her dark chestnut hair in one hand, holding it back, while his other hand circled her lower back.
“I’m sorry the loch waters are so rough. Your passage must have been difficult,” Rona said by way of apology. Suddenly she felt five pairs of eyes on her and looked around.
Daniel gazed at her, along with Robert. Burke and the retching woman paused and glanced curiously at her. And then there was a second woman at the end of the dock whose gray eyes assessed her. She carried a bundle of blankets close to her chest, her light brown hair spreading around it like a veil. The blanket made a noise and shifted.
That must be Alwin, Robert’s wife. She wasn’t sure why Garrick had compared her to this woman—they couldn’t be more different physically. While Alwin was short and femininely curved, Rona was tall and willowy. Alwin’s hair was soft brown, while Rona’s was unruly and red. She could only guess at what Garrick had meant.
“You must be Rona Kennedy,” Alwin said, “or rather, Rona Sinclair.”
Rona nodded, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with all those eyes on her.
“These oafs were too busy bear hugging each other to properly introduce us,” she said crisply, though her eyes were warm. “I’m Alwin, and this is Jane. Your niece.” She pulled back the blanket a little to reveal a sleeping babe.
All Rona’s nervousness fell away now that everyone was focused on the babe. Daniel approached and unconsciously put his arm around Rona’s waist as he peered down at the child.
“She’s so…small.”
Alwin laughed. “She’s only two and a half months old!” Then her gray eyes, which Rona realized had traces of blue in them, similar to Daniel’s, flitted up to take in her brother-in-law. “What a joy to finally meet you, Daniel,” she said.
“Sorry about that. It-it must have been the choppy waters,” the woman who had been retching said behind Rona. “I’m Meredith.” The woman’s kind brown eyes were disarming, and Rona instantly felt more at ease.
“Perhaps we can continue this inside,” Daniel said pointedly. The men gathered the few bags that remained in the boat’s hull. Then the group walked under the portcullis and toward the great hall. The small Highland army was gathered in the yard, talking with each other and introducing themselves to the castle’s wary men.
“How are we going to feed them all? And where will we put them?” Rona whispered to Daniel as they passed.
“Don’t worry. Elspeth is more than capable, and they can sleep in the hall with the other men,” Daniel replied.
Rona glanced dubiously at the rugged-looking band of warriors but put the problem aside for the moment.
Just as they all entered the hall, Jossalyn hurried down the stairs.
“I haven’t missed all the introductions, have I?” she said breathlessly.
Another round of introductions was made, with Jossalyn warmly embracing each of the women as she had with Rona. She seemed genuinely overjoyed at the prospect of having sisters.
“You’ll be my sister, too, Meredith, if it’s all right with you,” she said sweetly.
Meredith nodded shyly, and Burke, who was hovering close to her, smiled warmly.
“Perhaps you can make some more of that tea, Jossalyn,” Rona said, longing to be helpful. “Meredith was a bit unsettled by the boat ride.”
Jossalyn took Meredith by the hand and led her toward the kitchen, leaving Alwin and Rona slightly apart from the men, who were still slapping each other on the back and catching each other up.
“Garrick said I reminded him of you,” Rona said to Alwin, feeling suddenly shy.
“Did he now,” Alwin replied conspiratorially. “What could that mean? That you are strong-willed? Stubborn? Outspoken?”
Rona’s eyes widened, which made Alwin smile.
“Garrick thinks he can subdue everyone with his glower. Just keep standing up to him. That’s what I do.”
Rona’s face broke into a wide grin. Why had she been nervous to meet her new family? She knew now that they’d all get along just fine.
“I could give you the tour, if you’d like,” Daniel was saying to one of the men in response to a comment about the castle.
“I’d better see to Jane,” Alwin said to Robert.
“I can send Agnes up to you. She’ll be thrilled to have a babe in the castle,” Rona offered. Agnes was a grandmother and couldn’t get enough of the wee ones.
“Thank you, Rona,” Alwin replied.
As the men filtered out to the yard and Agnes led Alwin to a chamber abovestairs, Rona was left standing alone in the hall.
She glanced up the stairs after Alwin and Agnes but didn’t have the faintest idea how to help a new mother and young babe. She looked toward the kitchen but decided she wouldn’t disturb Meredith and Jossalyn.
The only thing she could think to do was to prepare herself for the wedding feast later that evening. She made her way toward the chamber she shared with Daniel.
The feast would be festive and enjoyable, especially with the castle full of Daniel’s family. But she longed to speed up time so that she wouldn’t have to wait for Daniel to explain everything to her. The end of the secrecy couldn’t come soon enough.
HIGHLANDER’S RECKONING
CHAPTER TWENTY
“I can see the Bruce’s hand in this castle,” Robert said from the battlements.
Garrick nodded in agreement. “That was my exact thought the first time I saw this place.”
Daniel had forgotten that Garrick had passed through Loch Doon once before. He was with the Bruce’s army as they fled to the Outer Hebrides and eventually Ireland. So much had changed since then. It was only a few years ago that the cause for independence looked hopeless, and that the Bruce’s claim to the Scottish throne would go unfulfilled.
And just two years later, here Daniel stood, watching over the Bruce’s ancestral home, preparing a decisive blow against the English in the name of Scottish freedom. And in the name of Sinclair revenge.
“Leave it to him, the wily devil, to build the most defensible, impenetrable castle in all of Scotland,” Robert went on. “The eleven-sided curtain wall, the stone tower keep, the portcullis. And then there’s the fact that he built it on a bloody island!”
“How was Gilbert Kennedy?” Burke asked.
Daniel shrugged. “Easy enough to deal with. He was more incompetent than disloyal, though it still irks me that he agreed to pay Warren a protection tax.”
All four of them tensed. They’d all seen the lasting effects of Warren’s warmongering, greed, and cruelty.
“We’ll just have to collect a tax of our own against Warren,” Garrick said darkly.
“How go the plans?” Robert interjected. Leave it to his eldest brother to try to take charge despite the fact that Daniel had everything under control.
“We gave Jossalyn the task of creating a map of Dunbraes with as much detail as she could manage,” Daniel replied. Having Jossalyn at Loch Doon was going to be a huge advantage. She’d lived in Dunbraes, plus she knew her brother and how he operated.
“She’s still adding to it,” Garrick said.
“And what of the Bruce? When will he join us?”
“I’d guess he and his army will arrive in a week, two at most,” Daniel said.
“Good. We can work on planning until then. But we’ll need his forces if we hope to wage a powerful enough siege to bring down Dunbraes.” Robert couldn’t help it. He was a Laird. It was as natural as breathing for him to take charge.
The group fell silent for a moment, and Daniel took the opportunity to launch into a slightly more uncomfortable topic.
“I assume you�
��ve all…explained things to your wives?”
“You mean about sieging Dunbraes? Aye, of course,” Burke replied with a furrowed brow. The other two nodded as well.
Burke’s frown deepened. “Don’t tell me you haven’t told Rona, Daniel,” he said disbelievingly.
Suddenly Daniel was reminded that he was the youngest and that these three had always enjoyed bullying, baiting, and needling him.
“I…haven’t found the right time yet. But I plan on telling her tonight.”
“Why did you keep it from her for so long? What does she think you’re doing here, or what we’re all doing here for that matter?” Garrick asked with a raised eyebrow.
Daniel fought the urge to shrink defensively from his family’s hard stares. Instead, he stood up taller, crossing his arms over his chest, as he’d learned to do as a lad.
“She knows I was sent here by the Bruce to bring Loch Doon under his control. I told her you are all here to celebrate our wedding.”
Burke’s eyes widened and Garrick snorted, but Daniel went on authoritatively.
“The illusion that we are only gathered for a wedding celebration had to be convincing to the outside world. What’s more convincing than having the lady of Loch Doon believe it’s true herself?”
“Aye, but surely she deserves to know the truth.” Robert’s cold blue eyes cut into him.
“As I said, I plan on telling her tonight. Things have been a bit…bumpy for us. I didn’t want to divulge too much, too soon.”
“Bumpy?” Burke quirked a smile at him. “Oh my, that doesn’t sound good for the marriage bed.”
“Everything is fine in that department,” Daniel said through gritted teeth, though his ire only seemed to increase the amusement of his brothers and cousin.
“You three wouldn’t understand,” Daniel went on. He suddenly realized that part of his defensiveness arose from jealousy for his brothers’ and cousin’s happy, smooth marriages.
“You all got to choose your wives. You had time to come into your feelings, time to learn about your lasses, time to develop trust in them,” he said quietly. “I’m grateful to be married to Rona, truly. But we have had to cut our own path in many ways.”
Robert sobered quickly. “You’re right, Danny—Daniel. The Bruce thrust this marriage on you, and you’ve handled it as best you can. But you two seem to have some…affection, do you not?”
“Aye, though she’s a hell of a lot more than I bargained for,” Daniel said wryly.
“She’s like Alwin,” Garrick supplied to Robert.
Robert turned to Daniel with raised eyebrows and a smile playing on his lips.
“Well, then, I wish you the best of luck. And I’ll say a prayer for your sanity tonight.”
Later that evening, Daniel took a quick and frigid dunk in the loch in preparation for the celebratory feast. He made his way to his chamber to dress in fresh clothes but didn’t find Rona inside.
After donning a clean shirt and kilt, he descended to the great hall. The castle’s men mingled guardedly with the Highland warriors. Though Daniel hadn’t expected Robert to bring quite so many warriors to add to their sieging force, it was pleasantly familiar to have more kilts and Highland brogues surrounding him. He hoped that with the help of the castle’s plentiful ale, the two groups would merge into one loyal band.
The servers had already moved the large wooden trestle tables and benches out into the hall for the feast. The raised dais was prepared with enough chairs for all the guests. Robert, Garrick, and Burke were already sitting at the table of honor. The only ones missing were their wives.
Just then, one of the Highlanders loudly cleared his throat, and Daniel’s eyes jerked to the stairs. A hush fell over the group of men as Meredith, dressed in a fine gown of deep red, glided into the hall and toward the raised dais.
Burke immediately jerked to his feet even before the rest of them could rise. Daniel watched as adoration softened Burke’s features. Meredith stepped onto the dais and took Burke’s outstretched arm, the red gown accentuating her glowing cheeks. But before she was settled in her seat, Jossalyn appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
She wore an emerald green gown, her golden hair spilling down her back in loose waves. Her eyes never left Garrick as she moved past the awestruck men-at-arms and Highland warriors.
As she took her place next to Garrick on the dais, Alwin emerged from the stairs, clad in a gown of gold. The combination of the gown and the soft candlelight filling the hall brightened her brown hair, which was held back from her face with a golden circlet. Jane must have already been put to bed for the babe was nowhere in sight.
Daniel darted a glance at Robert. His normally serious eldest brother looked prouder than a lion at the sight of his wife.
But then Daniel’s gaze was tugged back to the stairs as the final lady emerged. His wife. His Rona.
She wore the same blue gown as she had on their wedding day. It was cinched perfectly to show off her lithe, delicately curved figure. Even from this distance and in the low light, he could make out her bright blue eyes, which fluttered nervously around the hall. She didn’t like being the center of attention, but damn if she didn’t deserve the awed stares of all the men gathered.
Her hair fell in roiling red waves down her back and around her shoulders. She must have lent the gold circlet she’d worn on their wedding day to Alwin, for she bore little adornment, but she didn’t need it.
Her eyes finally found him, and her features flickered with relief, nervousness, and something else—was that a look of eager anticipation? He’d promised to tell her everything tonight. Could her expectancy be due to the fact that soon they would have no more secrets between them?
Daniel felt something shift deep in his chest as Rona approached and took his outstretched hand. He realized that he longed for the kind of marriages the rest of his family had—ones based on trust, love, and devotion. Despite the fact that their wedding vows had been spoken nearly a month ago, perhaps tonight was the real start of their marriage.
“What is it?” Rona asked quietly as she sat down next to him. The hall was beginning to fill with noise again, so he had to lean into her to hear.
“You take my breath away,” he said simply.
She blushed, which made the band of freckles across her nose stand out. He let his hand rise to her cheek and caressed her soft skin.
“Don’t you two have a bedchamber for such things?” Burke said loudly at the other end of the large table.
Daniel shot him a searing look, but Burke only grinned.
“They are still newlyweds, Burke,” Garrick said calmly. “And besides, they’re not nearly as bad as Robert and Alwin were.”
Alwin, who was seated on Garrick’s right side, swatted his shoulder.
Merriment slowly began to infuse the hall. By the time the servants brought out trenchers and steaming trays of venison, vegetable stew, and honeyed oatcakes, the castle’s men and the Highland warriors were slapping each other on the back, laughing heartily, and challenging each other to friendly competitions in the yard. The ale flowed freely and the food was warm and plentiful.
Suddenly Meredith stood, looking pale. She glanced at a piece of venison on her trencher and swallowed, visibly trying to keep herself from being sick.
Jossalyn, who was seated next to her, put her hand on her reassuringly.
“I’ll go make you some tea, Meredith,” she said. “But I’ll need to get some more chamomile if your morning sickness continues. Oh!”
Jossalyn clapped a hand over her mouth, and the high table fell quiet. Daniel shot a glance at Burke, who looked up in stunned silence at Meredith from his seat.
“You…you’re…?”
Meredith slowly nodded, a soft smile spreading on her pale face. “I think so.”
Burke shot upright so fast that his chair fell backward and clattered onto the dais. He pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair.
“A babe? We are going to
have a child?”
Meredith could only manage to laugh as tears began flowing down her cheeks.
“A toast!” Robert said loudly, standing. “To another Sinclair on the way. And to many more to come!” Daniel didn’t miss the flicker of Robert’s gaze toward where he and Rona sat at the other end of the table.
Apparently, neither did Rona, for as Daniel cast a glance at her out of the corner of his eyes, she flushed scarlet.
As the group in the hall toasted loudly, Daniel leaned in toward Rona’s ear.
“I think we have some business to attend to in our bedchamber.”
Her bright blue eyes widened in surprise, and he chuckled.
“I enjoy getting a rise out of you, wife,” he said. “That wasn’t what I had in mind—at least not until we’re done talking.”
Her delicate features settled into realization, then anticipation. “So you’ll tell me now? Tell me everything?”
“Aye,” he said huskily, and for some reason, it felt intimate—even more intimate than teasing her about lovemaking.
He rose to his feet and brought Rona up to his side.
“Good night,” he said tersely to those at the high table. Garrick raised an eyebrow at them and Alwin smiled knowingly, but Daniel paid them no heed. He stepped down from the dais and helped Rona down after him. Then the two of them strode toward the stairs. Luckily, most of the men gathered in the halls were too deep in their cups to notice them, though a few whistles did get sent up as they passed.
Once they were on the stairs, Daniel hurried their pace to their chamber. As he closed the door behind him, he felt strangely nervous. Perhaps this was how she felt, virgin that she was, on the night they consummated their marriage. He was going to lay himself bare to her, tell her everything he’d kept from her, and hope that she’d understand.
The low fire in the brazier filled the room with warmth and soft light. He watched her for a moment, noticing the color that lingered in her cheeks. Was she nervous too?
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