by Adele Clee
Crossing the open field without being noticed proved easier than expected. One by one the flickering lights disappeared suddenly. She found it odd that anyone would take the trouble to carry a lantern only to blow out the candle and stumble home in the dark.
The site Isla referred to as a cairn could be better described as an old burial ground. Tall, thin stones acted as a supporting wall to a roof that was a dome-shaped grassy mound. As they crept closer, she noticed someone had moved the boulder blocking the entrance. While it would be an impossible task for one man, it posed no problem for a group.
“They must have gone down into the tomb,” she whispered, realising the lights had not been extinguished at all. “Why would they be interested in a pile of old bones?”
Lachlan shook his head. “Wait here for me,” he said as they stopped near the entrance. “I’ll see what I can discover.”
She gripped his hand as means of protest. “No. I’m coming with you.”
“Now is not the time to argue.”
“I am coming,” she reiterated. “Remember, I have the ability to make you do my bidding.”
He raised a sinful brow. “If you’re going to compel me, I suggest you find a more pleasurable reason to do so.”
An image of him sprawled naked in her bed flashed into her mind. Now was not the time to fantasise about a rugged Highlander, either. “The more time we spend here, the less time we will have to spend together before I'm to take the cure.”
Surely her argument would appeal to the licentious part of his character.
Lachlan sighed. “Very well. But stay close. It will be dark down there. Let me go first, and hold on to the back of my coat.”
As they descended the narrow flight of stone steps, the air grew decidedly chillier. A fusty smell filled her nostrils. A deathly shiver passed over her, as though a spirit had broken free of its decaying burden to seek passage to another realm. She clutched Lachlan’s coat, wishing she had compelled him to take her home to slip beneath the sheets of her large poster bed.
They continued through the dark passage. Despite a fear of tripping, she resisted the urge to shuffle, knowing the noise would draw attention to their presence. Lachlan stopped. The sound of excited whispers captured her attention. She peered around his broad shoulders. The soft glow from the lanterns illuminated the chamber at the end of the tunnel. The shadows dancing on the walls were evidence the dead had been disturbed by the living.
She wanted to say that to show such disrespect was a sure way to bring a curse down upon them. But bad luck and misfortune had been her constant companions these last few years.
“Och, moving that boulder has left me fair puckled.” The strong Scottish brogue drifted down the passage. “We should have brought yer burly coachman. I dare say the man could move it with his little finger.”
“I don’t suppose the whisky helped. Had you been steadier on your feet, it would not have been such an arduous task.”
“My husband is in no position to judge. He consumed far more than would be deemed polite.”
“Aye, and I cannae blame him.”
Recognising all three voices, Isla followed Lachlan into the square chamber.
“What are you doing down here in the dead of night?” Lachlan asked, scanning the three shocked faces.
Douglas jumped back. With a trembling hand, he held the lantern aloft. “Good Lord above. Did ye have to sneak up on a man whose heart is all but ready to give out.” He gasped. “Did ye think we were grave robbers?”
Isla stepped forward. “We were walking through the meadow and noticed your lanterns. We expected you all to be snuggled up in your beds by now.”
“We were talking about Talliano,” Ivana informed them. “While we understood his reasons for wanting access to the mine, we thought it odd that he would want to visit this site. Douglas told us that Talliano mentioned he had a family connection here, and so we decided to explore the possibility.”
“I thought the scholar mentioned his family to justify his reason for taking the healing water,” Douglas said. “But his lordship brought a notebook with him that suggests yer man had another motive.”
“Talliano made a sketch of this burial ground.” Leo shrugged one shoulder to draw attention to the book tucked under his arm. “He always wrote in Latin, but there are pages written in a language none of us can understand.”
Lachlan held out his hand. “May I see his notes?”
“Certainly.”
Isla held the marquess’ lantern while he flicked to the relevant pages.
Lachlan studied it for a time. “I think it precedes any Celtic language in use today.” He ran the tip of his finger along the page and stopped. “This word Talorc is a name. This spiral symbol means maiden or mother. The word Eithne is a female name, I believe. The fact the names are encompassed in twine would suggest a kinship of sorts.”
Isla stared at him. A rush of pride filled her chest. “Do you think Talliano is related to someone buried here?”
Ivana sighed. “Nikolai lied about many things. He could have lied about the scholars name too. We will never know for sure, and so anything is possible.”
Lachlan closed the book and handed it back to the marquess. “Could I use the lantern for a moment?”
Isla gave him the lamp, curious to know of his intention. She watched him walk around the perimeter of the room. Each wall housed four separate recesses, each one containing a rectangular shaped stone tomb. Lachlan ran his hand over the dusty lid on the first tomb, examined it briefly before moving on to the next one.
He stopped at the end of the row. “This might be what you’re looking for.”
They all hurried over to him.
The marquess examined the stone coffin. “How do you know this is the one we want?”
Lachlan pointed to the lid. “The original inscription is visible, but someone has carved a new inscription near the bottom of the slab. It carries the spiral symbol I mentioned earlier.” He handed Ivana the lantern and then turned to Leo. “Help me open the tomb.”
Isla gasped. “No, Lachlan. You should not disturb the dead.”
Lachlan’s questioning gaze scanned the group.
Ivana put her hand on Isla’s forearm. “Having lived with the affliction for so long, I welcome any information that helps me to make sense of it all. We will be respectful. I promise you.”
Isla sighed. She understood the need for answers. “Very well. But one look and then we must leave here.”
They all inclined their heads in agreement.
Lachlan and Leo pushed the lid of the tomb just far enough for them to peer inside.
“You’ll need this,” Ivana said offering the light to her husband.
Leo gazed inside, gestured for Lachlan to look, too.
“Dinnae ask me to look in there.” Douglas stepped back, his tone a little apprehensive.
“It is as I suspected,” Lachlan said. “There are the bones of two people in here. One of them still has a stake wedged between their ribs where it must have pierced their heart.”
Lachlan stepped back to allow Leo to glance inside once more. When he put his hand into the tomb, they gave a collective gasp.
Leo removed a metal object, examined it before putting it back inside the coffin. “Help me close it, Lachlan.”
The men pushed the slab back into place, brushed their hands and turned to face the group.
“Well?” Douglas asked. “The suspense is nae good for my heart.”
“The smaller skeleton appears to be that of a woman.” Leo raised a brow. “At school, I always paid attention in anatomy classes. The stake to her heart would suggest that was the cause of death. But more interestingly, she has been buried with a bracelet. The large circular piece of metal in the centre carries an engraving. A cross of twine encircled with the same design.”
“Is it similar to the branding mark?” Ivana asked eagerly.
“Yes.” Leo nodded sombrely. “It is the same mark.”<
br />
There was a moment of stunned silence. Isla suspected their minds were engaged in trying to piece together the relevant bits of information.
“We will never fully understand Talliano’s reason for coming here,” Ivana began. “The only logical explanation I can draw from it all is that the woman in the tomb was kin to him. The presence of the stake would suggest she also suffered from the affliction. Perhaps she brought shame on her family and was originally buried elsewhere.”
“And you think Talliano came here to restore her remains to the family tomb?” Leo asked.
Ivana nodded. “It would make sense, else why would there be two bodies in one coffin? The second engraving on the lid would suggest so, too.”
“Aye, the scholar mentioned digging for long lost artefacts,” Douglas said. “He promised to show Alistair what he found, but I cannae recall him mentioning it again.”
Isla listened to the conversation intently. Perhaps it was her feelings for Lachlan that led her to imagine a more romantic version of events. The tomb dated back hundreds of years. Had the scholar lived with the affliction for that long? Had he made an oath to someone he loved and finally returned to keep his promise? Or was he righting a wrong made by his ancestors?
They would never know.
“Whatever happened here, one thing is certain,” Ivana said. Isla narrowed her gaze, wondering if the lady had read her mind. “The mark we carry is not a symbol of repression. I always thought it represented the loss of my humanity, a reminder that I belonged to Nikolai.”
“I think you’ll find that these types of marks are often tribal,” Lachlan said in a sympathetic tone. “It obviously meant something to the scholar.”
Isla snorted. “No doubt Nikolai distorted any true meaning behind it and saw it as another way to inflict pain and exert his control.”
Ivana touched her husband’s arm affectionately. “Well, Nikolai was a man of many failings. Now we know that the mark represents a sense of belonging, kinship, and loyalty. Those of us who bear it share all of those things. We are not kin by blood but through our shared struggles and experiences.”
“Well,” Leo began. “I must applaud Talliano for his efforts. Without his tenacity and persistence, there would be no cure for our affliction.”
Isla swallowed deeply. The hour spent in the tomb had helped her to forget her own troubles. Dawn would see her relegated to a pile of ash if she did not leave soon.
“It is so dark down here I have lost all concept of time.” Isla pursed her lips and gazed at Lachlan. “It is time for me to leave. It is time for me to return to the castle and take the cure.” She walked over to the tomb and put her hands together in prayer. She blessed the woman who surely died whilst still suffering from tainted blood. In doing so, she hoped she would be more fortunate. She hoped that her fate followed a different path.
Chapter 12
No one questioned Lachlan’s presence in Isla’s bedchamber. He had expected Douglas to offer some objection, but the old man appeared more subdued since their return from the burial chamber. Although Douglas wasn’t kin, he treated Isla like a daughter and Lachlan suspected he used his jovial manner to hide his anxiety over her peculiar condition.
Lachlan closed the wooden shutters on the windows and drew the heavy drapes as Isla instructed. He turned to face her, his chest tight with a strange sense of foreboding that he tried to dismiss.
“Do you remain in here until the sun sets?” he asked, curious to know of her daily habits. Whilst being confined to her room would not seem such a hardship he imagined the comfortable space would begin to feel more like a prison.
“No.” She sank her hands into the bowl of water and wrung out the linen cloth. “There are a few rooms that remain in the shadows and Douglas knows to keep the shutters closed.”
She took the cloth and wiped her face and neck in slow, soothing strokes. Astounded that such a simple ritual could rouse his desire, he shuffled uncomfortably. Now was not the time to think about his needs.
“I suspect your routine differs in that you sleep during the day and attend to your duties in the evening,” he said in an attempt to distract his mind.
She turned to him and chuckled. “I have not slept for the three years. It is a consequence of the affliction.”
Lachlan shook his head fearing he had misheard. “You don’t sleep? But how can that be?”
“There are many things I cannot explain.” She dried her hands and came over to him. “But with any luck, my troubles will soon be over.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “I’ll stay here with you. For however long it takes.” Watching her writhing in pain would be just as torturous for him, but pacing the floor in some other part of the castle, oblivious to her plight, would drive him to the brink of insanity.
She smiled, although the expression of pleasure failed to reach her eyes. “But should you not go home and see your father? Will he not miss your company?”
His father insisted he spend time at Castle Craig. Bridges must be built, friendships rekindled, Ewan Carrick had argued. “Our fathers were firm friends. He would want me to remain here, to care for you and assist you in your hour of need.”
“He has always been a generous man.”
“Too generous,” Lachlan said with a snort. He took a lock of her hair and let it fall through his fingers. “The man has lost all concept of what is needed to manage his estate. His mind has been preoccupied of late.”
She raised her chin in acknowledgement but did not ask questions or pry into his private affairs. “An estate of that size is a huge responsibility for a man of his growing years.” Breaking free of his embrace, she moved to the bed and brushed the wrinkles out of the coverlet. “Will Boyd continue to take care of things when you return to Edinburgh?”
Lachlan frowned. Surely she did not think he could leave her after all that had occurred. She was his — his love, his life, his destiny.
“Why would you assume I’m to return to Edinburgh?”
She gave an odd chuckle though it lacked any hint of amusement. “I am not naive enough to think that what happened between us changes anything. I understand you have experience in such matters and view intimate relations a little differently.”
He opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut. Frustration flared. “Do not speak for me, Isla,” he said trying to control the anger her comment had roused, too. “Do not presume to know what I am thinking or feeling.”
“I’m just saying that I have no expectations—”
“Well, you damn well should,” he snapped, throwing his hands in the air. “You should expect everything I have to give.” He turned away from her, paced back and forth, muttered to himself as he tried to banish the thought that perhaps she did not want him.
To lose her once had almost killed him. To lose her again after having experienced utter bliss—
The stabbing pain in chest forced him to inhale sharply.
“Why are you so annoyed with me?” Her words penetrated his addled mind. “Please, Lachlan. Stand still for a moment before your marching snaps a board. It is just that I do not want you to feel obligated—”
“Obligated?” He stopped abruptly, dragged his palm down his face before turning to look at her. “I have spent my whole life wanting you. The sense of longing is so painful it keeps me awake at night. As a young man, I lived for the day when you would be mine. I thought you felt the same way.”
“I do.” She grabbed his hands. “Please believe me, I do.”
A desperate need to touch her more intimately took hold. Isla would always be his weakness. He reached for her, devoured her mouth with an urgency he could not control. She wrapped her arms around him, pressed her body against his until it felt as though they were one. He angled his head to deepen the kiss, their tongues thrusting wildly, their breathless pants evidence of their heightened arousal.
“Tell me you want me.” He could hear insecurity in his voice as he ra
ined kisses along her jaw.
“I do,” she panted. “I want everything you have to give and more.”
He claimed her mouth again as they shuffled back towards the bed. Control slipped away. The strength to rein in his desire had left him, too.
Isla’s hands moved frantically over his arms and chest before she tugged on her skirt and hiked it up to reveal soft, creamy thighs. “I need you, Lachlan. I need you now. I cannot wait.”
Bloody hell!
He fiddled with the buttons on his trousers to free his swollen cock. In a matter of seconds, he was moving inside her. The quick, hard thrusts were the only way to ease their anxieties. Sharp nails gripped his buttocks, urging him to keep the pace.
It didn’t matter that they were still fully clothed. Buried deep inside her body was the only place he felt at peace.
“Don’t wait for me,” she whispered against his neck. “Know that I give myself to you unconditionally. Know that my love for you is constant.”
His cock was not the only part of his body to swell and burst. His heart soared as her tender words penetrated his mind. He pumped harder as she continued to whisper words of encouragement.
“You’re mine, Isla. Let me hear you say it is true.” A feeling of intense euphoria overwhelmed him; the power of his release was beyond glorious.
“I’m yours, Lachlan,” she said gripping him tight. “For now. For always.”
Sated beyond anything he had ever felt before, he collapsed on top of her. “Forgive me. Next time, I will devote all efforts to your pleasure.”
She caressed his buttocks, gave a sweet hum of pleasure when he pushed a little deeper. If only they could have more time together. If she were his wife, he would spend hours lavishing her with attention.
A light rap on the door startled him. He was suddenly grateful that their joining had only lasted mere minutes.
“Just give me a moment,” Isla called.
Lachlan fought the urge to scramble from the bed. Instead, he withdrew slowly, filling her once again so that he could watch her eyes glaze over.
“I need to get up,” she chastised, batting his arm. Yet her moan of surrender when he repeated the motion suggested she was in no hurry to move.