“He’s…he’s probably no’ dead.”
That’s when Merrick noticed the blood on the sleeve of her—his?—shirt. He lifted her wrist, the shirt falling away to reveal her mostly-healed wound from their last encounter with the Lindsays.
“Is this yer blood?”
She tugged her wrist out of his hand. “Nay, my love. ’Tis his. I remembered what ye taught me about bollocks and throats, but I donae think he is dead.”
At that moment, they both heard the commotion from outside the cell. It was Lindsay, cursing as he descended the stairs.
“Do ye have a blade now?” Merrick hissed to Saf.
She nodded and pulled out a small dirk from under the tail of her shirt. “Aye. ’Tis Maggie’s.”
Maggie, his wee warrior. Merrick nodded in approval, and in that moment, knew what had to be done.
“The door. Keep it open, love.” He planted a hard kiss on her lips and shoved her toward the opening to their cell. Then he turned to Gavin, who seemed more alert now. “Are ye prepared to redeem yerself, friend?”
Gavin, who’d known him since they were both bairns, understood. “Aye, Laird,” he croaked. “And I’ll die happy.”
“Nay, ye willnae die,” Merrick commanded, even as he tossed the sheathed dirk to his friend who sat on his arse to the left of the door.
Gavin rearranged himself so the blade was hidden, then slumped his chin down to his chest so he looked half-dead or asleep.
Just in time, too, because Lindsay barreled into the cell that moment. He was holding his breeches up with one hand, and the other was clasped to his shoulder, where blood was staining his shirt red.
“Where is she? Where is that bitch?”
Merrick thanked all the saints he’d fallen in love with a woman smart enough to hide in the shadows outside. Now, no matter what happened, he knew their exit was secured.
“She’s no’ here, Lindsay,” he growled.
His half-brother seemed crazed, panting as he peered into the corners of the cell, completely dismissing Gavin entirely. “She is. I planned to execute you before your clan, but first I’m going to slit that whore’s throat. She might already be carrying another one of your bastards, and I have to take care of that brat before I hunt down the rest of them.”
The man was standing here threatening his family? Did he not realize Merrick was unfettered?
With a growl, Merrick grabbed his half-brother by the throat and yanked him close until he could stare into the coward’s eyes. “Ye willnae face me in battle, but ye developed the bollocks to threaten my family?” He gave Lindsay a little shake for good measure. “There’s no warriors to hold me down here, ye bastard.”
Lindsay tried to suck in a breath—probably to berate Merrick—but his face was slowly turning purple. And the blood continued to flow from his wound as he weakly scrabbled at Merrick’s hold.
Vaguely, Merrick wondered if he could just stand here, waiting for his half-brother to run out of air. It seemed as if his wound was racing to be the thing which killed him, as well. A few more moments of this, and Lindsay would not be any more problem.
And Merrick would’ve killed another of his brothers.
The thought sent a shudder through him, and he loosened his hold on Lindsay’s throat.
God’s wounds, what had happened to him? He was the Sutherland Devil, known throughout the Highlands for his swift, decisive justice. He should snap Lindsay’s neck and be done with it.
But Saf…she’d been the one to teach him the merit in thinking before he struck. She’d been the one to stand in front of Andrew and Gavin, to urge Merrick to listen to their reasons.
Lindsay had no reasons Merrick could respect—not for rape and murder and betrayal. But still, Merrick hesitated, remembering the feel of Robbie’s blood on his hands.
His half-brother was gasping for air, so Merrick changed his hold on the man, yanking him closer once more. “Yer Lindsay family saw ye for what ye were, John. A weak coward who used cruelty to get what he wanted. That’s why yer laird uncle has no’ given ye any power, aye?”
Gathering what little moisture he could in his mouth, Merrick spat on the bastard. “Ye’ll never have the power ye crave. No’ at home. And ye’ll never be the Sutherland.”
Lindsay opened his mouth, but with impeccable timing, Gavin chose that moment to bellow “Without fear!” and launch himself at Lindsay, dirk bared.
When his friend slammed into them, Merrick stumbled to hold them upright, but needn’t have worried.
Gavin was grinning, his eye still grotesque in the dim light, when he straightened and pulled his blade from the base of Lindsay’s neck, where he’d sliced the bastard’s spine.
As Merrick let his half-brother’s body slowly sink to the floor, the two friends stared at one another.
Gavin had kept his vow. Despite his injuries, he seemed more alive now than even a few moments before, judging from the way his chest was heaving and he was grinning.
Merrick held out his hand, and his friend gripped his forearm.
“Thank ye.”
Thank ye for standing with me. For keeping me from killing another brother. For fulfilling yer vow.
Mayhap Gavin heard all that was unsaid, as he bowed his head in acknowledgement. “For Elana, Laird.”
“Aye.” Merrick glanced to the open door where Saf was just now peering in. “For love.”
Gavin nodded again, then stepped away, and glanced between the two of them, his lips quirked up on one side. “I’ll slip through the kitchens to the village, Merrick. With Lindsay gone, his men will be easy to pick off, I think. Give me an hour to rouse what men I can.”
“Half at the front gate, then, and bring the other half in through the kitchens. Corra will let them in.”
Saf slipped up beside him. “Corra is in one of the cellars with the bairns and Elana.”
“I’ll stop to alert them then,” Gavin said, wiping Maggie’s blade on his kilt. “And to thank yer daughter for the loan of her dirk. And to fetch Andrew.”
He raised the dagger in salute, then slipped out of the door.
Alone at last—although it was hard to ignore the body slumped at their feet—Merrick pulled Saf into his arms and buried his face against her neck, breathing in the perfect scent of her skin.
“I’m sorry, love. I’m sorry to put ye in this danger.” His lips nibbled at her skin. “I’m sorry ye had to see such horrors.”
She wriggled against him, tilting her head so he had better access.
“Saf, ye mean so much to me, and I want to spend the rest of our lives keeping ye safe and happy.”
“Ye cannae keep me safe and happy any more than I can do the same for ye. But mayhap we could work together to—Oh!” She moaned and slipped her arms around his waist. “If ye keep that up, Devil, we might have to start on the rest of our lives before Gavin’s reinforcements even arrive!”
Chuckling, Merrick straightened, not even bothering to adjust the bulge under his kilt. Aye, he loved this woman, and aye, there’d likely never be a moment he didn’t want to take her to bed. But now was not the time.
“Ye have to promise me, Saf, ye’ll be the voice of reason.”
“When?”
“Always. Ye’re smarter than me, I’m realizing. And I—and the Sutherlands—need yer wit and intelligence. Keep me straight, aye?”
Her palm came up to cup his cheek. “I love ye, Merrick. I’ll always be there to point out how inappropriate it might be to make love, even if we both want to, because of the body at our feet.” Her sapphire eyes bore into his. “And I’ll be there to urge ye to think before ye act, so ye donae have to be responsible for another brother’s death.”
It was like she could read his soul. She understood his hesitation when he was holding Lindsay’s life in his hands.
Aye, she was right; the time wasn’t right for lust. But still, he didn’t resist brushing his lips across hers, trying gently to show her what she meant to him.
; “I love ye,” she sighed.
“And I love, ye.” His gaze flicked to the wall with the MacLeod crest. “And since we have a bit of time before Gavin will signal he’s ready, I have something to show ye.”
Her brows lifted as she followed him to the loose brick. “Aye? I saw this when I was stuck down here, ye ken, but didnae think to examine it.”
Merrick pulled free the stone with the carved sunburst and dropped it to the ground. He jerked his chin toward the hole. “Go on.”
They were both holding their breath as she removed the leather pouch and poured the sapphire into her hand. When she looked up at him, there were tears in her eyes, and a grin on her lips.
“This is it, Merrick,” she whispered. “The second missing stone!”
“Aye,” he agreed, gathering her and the stone in his arms. “My Sinclair Jewel.”
Epilogue
“I’ll be pleased to finally have ye as a son, lad.” With a flourish, Saffy’s father pressed his seal into the warm wax at the bottom of the contract binding her and Merrick together. “Of course, I need to hear exactly how the two of ye came to be betrothed, what with Saffy supposedly staying at the abbey at Dornach all these weeks.”
When Da winked at Saffy, a twinkle in his eye, she knew he was teasing her. Moreover, she thought he might have some inkling of where she’d been. Not for the first time, she wondered if Da really did know about his daughter’s adventures, and was somehow guiding them.
Merrick cleared his throat as he stepped forward to affix his own seal. “I suspect ye and I have much to talk about,” he managed with a neutral expression, clearly not entirely at ease with the idea of telling her father she’d seduced him.
But Saffy decided nothing was going to ruin this moment for her, and her grin stretched wide across her face.
She was to be married!
Of course… She dropped her hand to rest on her abdomen. The way they’d been acting for more than a fortnight, the two of them might as well already be married. She’d stood beside him as they mourned the fallen Sutherlands, worked beside him to rebuild, and eaten at his right hand, helping to wrangle his unruly children. And she slept beside him as well…although they were doing a lot less sleeping than she’d expected.
And although it was still early, she suspected Merrick’s potent reputation had already proven true. He’d be a father again in the spring, and once they were married, this babe would be his heir.
Willie had returned from his fostering to help his father, and Saffy had laughed to see the similarities between the two of them. Although the lad was only a half-dozen years younger than her, he seemed so impetuous and hot-headed…and almost as handsome as his sire.
She and Mary had done their best to make Willie’s homecoming special, and he seemed to fit in with the rest of Merrick’s brood. Saffy smiled, remembering her love’s words.
Children of my heart.
Aye, and they’d swiftly become children of her heart as well. Becoming a mother had never been her dream—not like her older sister, Agata—but suddenly acquiring nine children wasn’t as hard as she might’ve imagined. Of course, Mary was more like a sister than a daughter, and if she and Andrew managed to wear down Merrick’s resistance soon, they’d be married.
Heavens! Saffy’s eyes widened as she realized that Mary could very well make Merrick a grandfather by next year…which would make her a grandmother!
She couldn’t help it; she burst into giggles, which drew both Merrick and Da’s attention. Seeing them together made her heart soar, and her laughter increased. Behind Da, his loyal bodyguard—the Sinclair Hound, otherwise known as Saffy’s brother-in-law Gregor—barely twitched a brow.
“Lord help us,” Citrine said with a sigh as she moved to Saffy’s side to take her arm. “Breeding’s made ye addled.”
“Breeding?” Da blurted. Then his grin turned wry as he rolled his eyes in Merrick’s direction. “I suppose the rumors about yer family are true, eh, Devil?”
“Aye,” her love drawled. “And if ye hadnae agreed to an alliance, Sinclair, Saf would still become my wife.”
“Ye love her?”
Merrick’s nod was quick, certain. “Aye. She’s mine. And her bairn will be my heir.”
Hearing the words spoken so assuredly—and in front of her father, no less—made Saffy’s mood swing from elated to weepy. Her smile turned watery as she met Merrick’s gaze.
He blew out an exasperated breath and crossed to her in two quick strides to plant a kiss on her forehead. “I donae remember my other women being this emotional.”
Even knowing he’d only said it to annoy her, Saffy’s mood swung back to irritated in a blink. She jabbed him with a finger. “’Tis because I’m no’ yer other women, Devil. I’m special.”
He caught her finger in his hand and raised her palm to his lips. “Aye. Ye are.”
Her heart melted as he placed a kiss on her sensitive skin, and Citrine sighed loudly beside her.
“I’m stealing her away from ye three louts. I need to visit with my sister!”
Da chuckled and waved his hand in dismissal. “And I need to visit with my auld friend. Have a servant bring up some wine. Sutherland, I think ye remember my Hound?”
Merrick pulled himself to his full height and met Gregor’s stare. “Ye’re the Hound? The one married to Pearl?”
Gregor’s chin dropped just slightly in acknowledgement, and when he spoke—a rare event—his voice was a rasp from the injury to his neck so long ago. “I’ll no’ apologize for taking her from ye, Devil.”
Merrick’s brow twitched. “I’ll no’ expect ye to. Saffy tells me the lass is verra much in love with ye. She also tells me ye’ve changed much since I hanged ye.”
When Gregor nodded again, there was something in his eyes Saffy hadn’t seen before. She knew Gregor was happy in his new life with Pearl, but she wondered how he’d get along with her love.
She wondered if Merrick would admit he’d been wrong to judge Gregor so quickly.
“Duncan is right, then. We have much to discuss.” He leaned in closer to the two women. “Go on. Yer father will be safe with me,” he assured them in a low voice.
Over the last weeks, Saffy had shared what she knew of her father’s condition with Merrick, and he understood how concerned she and her sister were.
They’d arrived at the keep and come right here to Da’s solar, so she’d had no chance to speak with Citrine, other than the letter she’d sent soon after Lindsay’s defeat. But upon entering the room and seeing Da sitting alone at his desk, looking almost normal…Saffy had burst into tears and hugged him until he’d complained.
Beside her, Citrine nodded to Merrick, then dragged Saffy out into the hall. With their heads tucked together, they walked and whispered just as when they’d been girls.
“He looks so much better, Citrine! Was it just an illness?”
“Nay.” Her twin’s tone was grim. “I’ve had him on a bland diet, which he objected most strongly to. No’ only does it no’ irritate his stomach, it has the benefit of fewer flavorings. I taste everything that goes on his trencher.”
Saffy’s eyes went wide. “Ye still think it might be poison? Here? In his own keep?”
Her sister shrugged. “A sennight after ye left, he was so bad he couldnae get out of bed. Dougal had to help him with everything. But once I changed his diet—and I insisted on being the one to bring him the food—he began to improve. If I’m not able to fetch him his dinner, sometimes he relapses.”
“But ye haven’t had any ill effects?”
Citrine shrugged. “Nay, but I have no’ eaten much. If ’tis poison—”
“I cannae believe someone is poisoning him, Citrine. It must be a malady. Or something irritating his stomach.”
“Mayhap. But I’m no’ lessening my guard. Ye’ll notice who isnae here?”
Saffy gasped, just as they stepped in their old chambers together. “Dougal?” she hissed. “Ye think Da’s commander has something
to do with this?”
“The man hasnae stopped nagging Da about me marrying that MacLeod lad. He’s determined to get me away from the keep.”
Saffy blew out an exasperated breath. “That doesnae mean aught beside the fact he wants ye to do what he thinks is yer duty.”
“My duty is to my father. Ye’re the one marrying and giving him grand-bairns.”
Citrine poked Saffy in her side, and they both began to chuckle.
“The Sutherland Devil, Saffy! I cannae believe it! I’ve been out of my mind with worry, not sure if I could send a letter or messenger! And then I got yer letter, and am no’ ashamed to admit I cried to hear ye were well. And ye said in yer letter ye were the one to stab that bastard Lindsay? I need to hear all about how my training saved the Sutherlands!”
“Well, I was Merrick’s squire for a while. He gets credit, too.”
“I have to hear this story!”
Aye, Saffy looked forward to telling her twin everything which had happened in the fortnights since she left the Sinclair holding. Most of all, she needed to talk about Lindsay and the mixture of terror and assurance she’d felt confronting him.
After his death, Gavin had indeed rallied the Sutherland warriors who, along with Merrick’s forces inside the keep, had no trouble defeating the leaderless Lindsay men. Enough had died during the initial assault that their numbers were depleted, and less than a score of Sutherland warriors had been lost overall.
It had been a hard-won victory, but the clan was stronger for it. John Lindsay had been defeated, and Merrick had sent an envoy to the Lowland clan to assure the laird his anger had been only for his half-brother. And although there were surely more Sutherland bastards spread throughout the Highlands, no one would dare attempt to replicate Lindsay’s claim now that Merrick been so decisively victorious.
She took a deep breath as Citrine led her toward the window seat. “I have much to tell ye, I believe.”
“But first…” Her twin swung her around, placed her hands on Saffy’s shoulders, and looked deep into her eyes. “Ye are happy? When ye left here, ye acted as if ye were on yer way to yer death.”
The Sutherland Devil Page 17