Highland Secrets

by Elizabeth Rose

  “Alastair,” said Fia as he kicked open the door and headed straight to the bed. “My parents are out there and so are my cousins and uncles.”

  “And that is where they will stay until we have consummated our marriage.” He closed and barred the door and hurried back to the bed.

  “Perhaps we should wait until after the celebration.”

  “I have waited long enough and will no’ wait a minute longer.” He started a fire in the hearth and was out of his clothes before she even knew what happened. “Let’s take off that gown and dry it by the fire, shall we?” He pulled her over in front of the hearth.

  “I – I – ” She said nothing more because his mouth covered hers in a passionate kiss while his fingers expertly undid the lacing of her bodice. He slowly pushed the gown off her shoulders and slid it from her body letting it pool around her ankles.

  “Ye are my wife,” said Alastair, removing her shift and then untying her braies and dropping them to the floor as well. “Ye are my bonnie, bonnie wife.” In one motion, he swept her off her feet, causing her to squeal in pleasure. He brought her to the bed and laid her down gently, covering her body with his.

  His skin against hers felt hot. His manhood was already stiff and rubbed up against her belly as he held himself up on his elbows. He trailed kisses down her neck and over to her chest.

  “Alastair, I have waited for this moment for a long time.”

  “No’ as long as me.”

  “I am excited, but yet I am scared.”

  He lifted his head and gazed into her eyes with concern. “Fia, I would never hurt ye. Ye need to ken that.”

  “I do,” she told him. “I trust ye, Alastair, and I love ye.”

  “I love ye, too.” He rolled to his side and took his time making sure she felt at ease before he entered her. “Close yer eyes, Fia.”

  “Nay. I dinna want to miss a thing.”

  “Then kiss me and love me and dinna worry because I promise ye this will be enjoyable. I will make certain it is.”

  That was all she needed to hear to relax and live in the moment. They were together and alone. It felt wonderful. “I am ready,” she told him, kissing him on the mouth and running her hands down his chest. She daringly let her fingers travel lower. When she felt his aroused form, her fingers closed around him, and she squeezed slightly.

  “Bid the devil, if ye keep that up, I will no’ be able to keep my promise to make sure ye enjoy this because it will be over before it begins.”

  “Kiss me, Alastair.”

  He kissed her again and let his hand slide seductively to her breast. His fingers expertly aroused her, causing one nipple and then the other to stand erect. Next, his mouth replaced his hand, causing her to arch up off the bed. Inquisitively, she reached out to touch his chest, feeling the crisp, dark curls of hair beneath her fingers. And when he slid his hand lower, past her belly and below her waist, she couldn’t stop thinking of the last time he pleasured her using only his mouth.

  Her hand trailed lower to feel the crisp circlets of hair below his waist. Her fingers brushed against the tip of his manhood where a drop of moisture wet her hand. She caressed him in her palm and flicked her thumb over his tip causing him to jerk and let out a low moan.

  “Fia, ye are drivin’ me mad. Why do ye do that when I told ye I wanted to excite ye first?”

  “I’m curious how it’ll feel,” she told him. “Besides, I am ready. Ye need no’ wait any longer.”

  “Let me check,” he said, cupping her mound with his hand. “Ye are almost there, but I want to make sure.” He slipped one finger into her and then two, causing Fia’s anticipation to grow even stronger. A vibrant heat engulfed her, and she felt as if she didn’t want to wait to consummate their marriage any longer.

  “Please, Alastair, dinna tease me.”

  He opened her legs further and settled himself between her thighs. Then, ever so gently, he pressed the tip of his hardened manhood up to her, letting it enter just a little.

  “Oh, my,” she said in surprise since he was much bigger than using his fingers.

  “I will be gentle, Fia. But in case I am no’, I need ye to tell me. I want yer first time to be somethin’ ye will remember yer entire life.”

  “I am sure it will be. Now, please, enter me fully, and dinna make me ask again.”

  She didn’t need to beg him because he entered her, slipping inside her and then slowly pulling back out. She squirmed beneath him, wanting him to give her more.

  “Do it faster,” she said through ragged breathing, seeming to surprise him by her request.

  “Are ye sure?”

  “Aye. I want to ken what it feels like to be bedded by a passionate, randy man.”

  “Then I willna deny yer request.” He thrust into her entirely, and she felt her maidenhead break away. His hands slip around her buttocks, pulling her even closer. She found the rhythm and also felt that same feeling she had when he’d brought her to climax before.

  But this time, Alastair was inside her, and their marriage was consummated. Because of this union, there would be a chance that she would conceive a child. The thought of possibly giving Alastair a son or daughter excited her even more. She lifted her hips, wanting to make sure she took in every bit of her new husband. And when they both reached their peaks of total pleasure, finding release, she felt as if she had found the person she’d been looking for her entire life.

  Chapter 23

  When Fia and Alastair entered the great hall sometime later, the crowd cheered and clapped knowing they were now, indeed, man and wife.

  “Congratulations, Fia!” Willow and Maira rushed over to hug her. They pulled her to the side to talk to her while the men conversed with Alastair.

  “What was it like?” asked Willow. “Did you scream when you found your release?”

  “Was he fierce with his lovemaking or was he gentle?” Maira wanted to know.

  Fia noticed Morag watching them from the other side of the room, looking very left out of the conversation. “Morag, come join us,” she called out, watching her sister’s face light up as she ran over to join them. Cerberus was on her heels thinking it was a game.

  “Get outta here,” complained Morag, trying to shoo the dog away. Fia was about to help her when there was a loud whistle from the other side of the room. The hound looked up and darted toward Alastair. Fia waited for it to jump on him as always, but Alastair stood tall and held out his hand and told the dog to sit. To her surprise, it did. Then Alastair plucked a smelt from the tray of a server and tossed it to the dog, turning to get back to his conversation with Fia’s father and uncles.

  “Thank ye for includin’ me in the conversation.” Morag looked happier than she had in a long time.

  “Ye are my sister, Morag, and I am sorry I have no’ included ye in more things in the past,” Fia told her. “I have somethin’ to tell all of ye. It has to do with the queen’s secret group.”

  “I am a member now as well,” Morag reminded her, touching the heart brooch on her bodice.

  “Aye, ye are, Morag and that is why I included ye.”

  “What do you want to tell us?” asked Maira.

  “Where is your crown?” added Willow, straightening her crown as she spoke. “It seems you would want to wear it on your wedding day.”

  “Aye, I noticed that it was missing as well,” said Maira. “Did the MacPhersons take it from you?”

  “No,” said Fia. “I gave it to another member of the secret group. Her name is Lorraine. She was tryin’ to get it to Richard with a message from me that the Scots were waitin’ to ambush his troops.”

  “Ye did what?” asked Morag in shock. “If faither finds out ye went against the Scots, he will be furious.”

  “Morag, I only did it to try to save many Scots’ lives as well as English.”

  “It must have worked,” said Maira. “The English retreated and came home.”

  “And the Scots never had a chance to attack,” added Fia.
“Lots of lives were spared but, unfortunately, Lorraine died in the process.”

  “Nay,” said Willow. “That is horrible.”

  “Alastair’s mathair was a member as well,” Fia continued.

  “She was?” Morag’s eyes opened wide.

  “You didn’t tell Alastair any secrets, did you?” asked Willow.

  “I had to tell him. I also promised no’ to be involved in the group any longer because it is too risky. I wish ye would all think about it as well.” She touched the wooden heart on the bracelet she wore, silently apologizing to Imanie for her decision.

  “But look at all the good you did, Fia.” Maira did not like the idea of letting it go. “The queen thought this was important, and so do I.”

  “Me, too,” said Willow.

  “Same as me,” added Morag.

  “I canna tell ye what to do, but I want to ask ye to think before ye do anythin’ that might be dangerous. Sometimes it is hard to see, but the best-laid plans can also come back to haunt ye.”

  “You aren’t to blame for Lorraine’s death,” said Willow. “It could have happened to her at any time.”

  “That’s right,” said Maira. “You need to think of all the good you’ve done by giving up your crown to save the lives of so many others.”

  “Fia,” said Alastair, hurrying over, looking like he’d seen a ghost.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Fia, God has answered my prayers. Look who is here.” He held out his arm as a monk walked up next to him.

  “Who is this, Alastair?”

  “This is Brother Toran.”

  “Nice to meet ye,” she said, still not understanding why Alastair seemed so excited to introduce her to the holy man.

  “He’s my brathair, Fia. He didna die after all. Toran was taken in by a nunnery when he was close to death. He has spent three years healin’, but now he has returned.”

  “I’ve also joined the order to thank God for givin’ me a second chance at life,” said Toran.

  “I see,” she said, feeling happy for him.

  “I am pleased to meet ye, Lady Fia.” Toran took her hands in his. “And I am sorry to hear my faither has passed on before he found out that I was still alive.”

  Caitlin walked past, and Alastair called her over. “Sister,” he said, putting his arm around her and including her in the circle. Caitlin looked up, confused. “Our brathair, Toran, is home.” Alastair glanced over to Fia and winked. Then, he and his siblings walked off talking. Fia had never seen Caitlin smile as much as she was right now. Alastair seemed to take her advice to heart, and she liked the changes in him.

  “Lady Fia,” said Finn, coming to join them with a large canvas bag in his hands. “A woman just dropped this off at the gate and asked me to give it to ye.”

  “What is it, Finn?”

  “I dinna ken. She said it was a weddin’ present.”

  “Well, did ye ask her to join us? Where is she?”

  “There she is,” said Finn, pointing to a woman in a cloak standing in the shadows by the door.

  “Ask her to come here, please. I want her to join the celebration. It’s the least we can do after she arrived with a present.” Fia took the bag from him and peeked inside. Her jaw dropped when she saw the contents.

  “What is it?” asked Morag excitedly. “Take it out so we can see it, too.”

  With a shaking hand, Fia dug into the bag and lifted out her crown.

  “It’s your crown!” exclaimed Willow.

  “I thought you said Richard has it and that is why he retreated,” added Maira.

  “I thought so, too.” Fia’s eyes fastened to the crown in thought. Suddenly, she had no idea if Lorraine delivered the message or if bandits stole the crown before it even got to Richard. Or had Richard sent it back to her in thanks? She turned toward the woman at the door, wanting to ask her, but saw Finn looking around in confusion and shrugging his shoulders when their eyes met.

  “The woman. She’s gone,” said Fia.

  “Who do ye think it was?” asked Morag.

  Fia had a feeling it was Alastair’s mother, coming to see that her sons were safe. But if it was, why hadn’t she stayed? Was it because she was so devoted to the vow she’d made years ago to Queen Philippa that she gave up her own family to carry it through? Fia decided she would never know the truth.

  She put on her crown, her eyes meeting her husband’s from across the room. He pointed to his head and then hers, and smiled. She now felt like a queen.

  “Fia, what do you think happened?” asked Maira.

  “Was it your action that caused Richard to turn around and leave Scotland?” Willow wanted to know.

  “I dinna ken. And I doubt that we ever will, now that Lorraine is gone and canna tell us.” Fia almost wondered if it was better that she never knew the truth.

  “Mayhap, ye should ask Richard,” suggested Morag.

  “Nay, Morag, I would never do that. Besides, he would never admit it even if it were true.”

  “What about Alastair?” asked Willow. “Will you ever tell him what you did to try to save the lives of thousands of men?”

  Fia looked back at her husband who was smiling and laughing and had one arm around Caitlin’s shoulder and another around his brother, Toran. He had found happiness today in more ways than one. Even if it was his mother at the door, it was her choice whether to make her presence known or not. Fia promised not to speak of things today that upset Alastair. She also promised not to be involved in the Followers of the Secret Heart anymore. There was no need to find out these answers because they no longer mattered.

  Alastair waved her over. “Fia. Wife, come join us,” he said. “I want my entire family together on this verra special day. And I want ye at my side every single minute from now on.”

  “I am comin’,” said Fia, smiling and feeling a wave of joy flow through her. She looked forward to living a new life with Alastair. Hopefully, someday, she would raise a family with him as well.

  She turned back to her sister and cousins. “I will no’ mention the incident with the crown and Richard ever to Alastair and neither will any of ye.”

  “Why no’?” asked Morag.

  “Because we dinna ken for sure if my actions had anythin’ to do with the English army retreatin’. And as ye all said, we also have no proof that what I did had anythin’ to do with Lorraine’s death.”

  “Then you don’t ever want to find out?” asked Maira, sounding as if she couldn’t believe it.

  “Nay,” Fia answered, smiling at her husband, wanting nothing more than to be in his arms. She had one more thing to say to her cousins and sister, and then she would start a new life with Alastair, and never keep secrets from him again. “What happened in the past no longer matters. It is only the present we should be concerned with, and continue to move forward. By lettin’ go, we truly learn how to live. So, my answer to ye three is nay, I never want to find out what really happened because it no longer matters to me. Those answers will, from this day on, be naught but Highland Secrets.”

  From the Author

  I hope you enjoyed Highland Secrets and will take a minute to leave a review for me.

  When I started this series, I did a reader’s poll. I knew I wanted to do a series featuring some of the daughters from my past characters. However, I wasn’t sure which characters from what series to use. Hands down, my readers wanted to hear about the daughters of the Legendary Bastards of the Crown.

  This, being a next generation, took me into a new timeframe with a new king. During the series, you will see characters from some of the other books show up, especially the bastard triplets of King Edward, being Rowen, Rook and Reed.

  King Richard was King Edward III’s grandson who ruled after him, since his son, The Black Prince, died a year before Edward almost to the date. Richard was not the warlord that his father and grandfather were. In the Battle of Morranside that you read about in Highland Secrets, the Scots burned their crops t
o keep them from the English troops. King Richard was urged by his uncle, John of Gaunt, to keep raiding Scotland, but Richard decided to retreat and turned his men back home. No one really knows why he did it, and some theories say it is because he wasn’t a warrior, or possibly that he didn’t want his men to starve to death.

  Of course, in my version, I give a third option. Since I like to write strong women into my stories, Fia and her cousins are part of a secret organization set up by the late Queen Philippa. Philippa was a strong woman in history and often influenced her husband’s decisions as well as led the army while he was campaigning in France.

  We know that women were not treated well at all in medieval times. But as a romance author and reader, I like my heroines to be strong. Therefore, I came up with the idea of a secret group of women led by the queen. And the queen’s secret garden was inspired by my own secret garden where I lay in my hammock and write novels all summer long.

  Fia’s cousins, Willow and Maira, will have their stories told next in Seductive Secrets, and Rebellious Secrets. And because I can’t let Fia’s little sister, Morag, go without her own story, you will see her book, Forgotten Secrets, show up as the last book of the Secrets of the Heart Series.

  Please stop by my website to learn more and be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss any exciting announcements.

  Thank you,

  Elizabeth Rose

  About Elizabeth

  Elizabeth Rose is a multi-published, bestselling author, writing medieval, historical, contemporary, paranormal, and western romance. She is an amazon all-star and an award-nominee. Her books are available as Ebooks, paperback, and audiobooks as well.

  Her favorite characters in her works include dark, dangerous and tortured heroes, and feisty, independent heroines who know how to wield a sword. She loves writing 14th century medieval novels, and is well-known for her many series.

  Her twelve-book small town contemporary series, Tarnished Saints, was inspired by incidents in her own life.