Highland Wrath

by Madeline Martin

  He grinned with his usual ease. “I prefer to stand, lass, especially after having been on a horse for the better part of the day. Dinna worry after me.” He lifted his arms and stretched in demonstration.

  A nervous smile flicked at the corners of Hette’s mouth. She nodded, a short, vigorous movement, and settled into the remaining seat. The brunette’s skin had the sallow cast of one who did not often see sun, and lines creased small folds in her brow. Worry lines.

  Sylvi removed the ring from her finger and held it out to Hette. “I came because of this.”

  Hette reached for the ring and took it with the same hesitant care with which a wild animal might take proffered food, skittish with an expectation of malintent. “You know this ring?”

  Sylvi nodded. “Your father?”

  “Yes.” Hette’s stare fell on Sylvi’s wrist. “And this?”

  Sylvi swallowed before replying. “My father’s.”

  Hette’s pale gaze snapped up and met Sylvi’s. “Is he dead too?”

  “Him. My mother. My brother and sisters. All of my family.” Sylvi touched her neck where the black ribbon remain tied over her scar and pulled the bow free. It slipped from her neck, and Hette’s eyes went wide.

  “They tried to kill me too.” Sylvi touched the mutilated skin at her throat.

  Hette sat back in her chair and stared at Sylvi. “They have not come back to kill you?”

  “I killed them.” Sylvi couldn’t keep the pride from her voice. “How did you survive? When did they … ?”

  “Five and twenty years ago. My father was told to send me away. What hasn’t been seen hasn’t been done.” Hette leapt to her feet and sent the cat skittering from its place beneath the table.

  “What is unseen hasn’t been done.” The Prussian began to pace, her words blurring into more of a mutter than clear speech.

  But Sylvi still heard her. And she knew those words.

  What is unseen hasna been done.

  A chill slipped down her spine. “What did you say?” she asked.

  Hette was not listening. She was pacing frantically, her loose slippers slapping the dirty floor as she repeated the phrase over and over with a breathless frenzy. “What hasn’t been seen hasn’t been done. What hasn’t been seen hasn’t been done. What hasn’t been seen—” She fisted her hands in her hair and went quiet.

  Her ranting did not continue. Instead, she darted to the window and secured her fingers over the latch, as though ensuring it was indeed locked. “You cannot be here.”

  “Who said that to you?” Sylvi asked.

  “You cannot be here,” Hette repeated. “They might come. They might find me.” She stiffened. “If you found me, they can find me.”

  “Who said that to you?” Sylvi said firmly.

  “Leave.” Hette lowered her head and charged at Sylvi as though she meant to ram into her.

  Ian grabbed Sylvi and pulled her toward the door. “We should go, angel.”

  “Was it the man with half an ear?” Sylvi stopped her question abruptly. Reginald would have had a full ear then. Hette’s father was killed before Sylvi’s family. “Was he fat and short?”

  “A fine man with fine means,” Hette bellowed. “A bore.”

  Sylvi reeled. “Was it a group of men, then? Led by one man?”

  “Sylvi,” Ian said in warning in her ear.

  “I—”

  Hette pointed to the door. “Out. Out!”

  “Was it a group of men?” Sylvi shouted at the madwoman.

  “One man,” Hette flicked open one of her locks as she said it, repeating it over and over as she opened the remaining locks. “One man. One man. A bore.”

  Before Sylvi could ask more, Ian dragged her from the stuffy room. Outside, she gasped for fresh air before pulling from Ian. “How could you draw me away? She was telling me what I needed.”

  The door slammed closed, followed by the thuds and clatters of locks being slipped into place.

  “She’s mad.” Ian stared at the door in disbelief.

  “There is someone else, Ian.” Sylvi pulled him from the door, back to the edge of town where they’d left their horses. “She said a fine man. Neither Reginald nor the rest of his men were noble or fine.” Her brain rattled over the woman’s words. “A bore of a man though?”

  “Dinna pay any mind to her.” Ian waved a dismissive hand behind them. “The woman is out of her mind.”

  Sylvi stopped and stared back at that house. “Don’t you see it, Ian?” She suppressed a shudder. “If I had not met My Lady, if she had not allowed me to become who I became … Hette Schmidt could have been me.”

  Chapter 31

  The journey home to Dunstaffnage had been quiet while Sylvi’s mind spun and spun and spun around what Hette had told them. There was someone else. A nobleman. A bore. But what did it mean?

  She’d posed the question to Ian, who had deemed many noblemen to be bores. To which she had grudgingly agreed. Kyle and Percy were not to be found, at least not until later that evening when Sylvi and Ian headed to the great hall for supper after having told Liv everything they’d discovered.

  Kyle and Percy emerged through the castle’s single entrance, both glowing with joy. Sylvi’s heart lifted with recognition of Kyle’s towering frame and the slight form of Percy beside him, her attention momentarily pulled from the mystery of the nobleman. Percy did not wear her cape and hood, her golden hair loose and glinting with the gilded cast of the setting sun.

  Percy with no hood. It was a sight to behold indeed.

  “Sylvi. Ian.” The smile of greeting on Percy’s face was mirrored in her sweet voice. The scar running over her face was a raw pink, but the stitches had been removed without issue, and the line remaining was thin. Even her eye, which Sylvi had thought lost, was undamaged and twinkled with happiness. Kyle had performed a miracle.

  Sylvi stared openly at her friend as if she were seeing some mythological creature in the flesh. “You went out?” It was a stupid question, she knew, but she could not stop herself.

  Percy nodded. “It’s lovely here. So lovely.” She looked up to Kyle, who smiled down at her with all the affection any man ever held for a woman. “Kyle convinced me to go, and I’m so glad he did.”

  “Aye, I’m glad he did as well.” Ian nudged his brother. “Every now and then, this lad has fine ideas.”

  “And without a hood.” Sylvi nodded approvingly at Kyle.

  He put his hands up. “That wasna me. That was Percy’s own bravery.”

  Percy clasped her hands over her heart. “Watch.” She boldly reached for Sylvi and pulled her close. “We’re going to go into the great hall together. Through this crowded courtyard.”

  Sylvi allowed herself to be led by the incredible new Percy, who strode through the bustle of people with her back straight and her scarred face lifted with pride. They did not stop until they were near the entrance to the great hall.

  Percy released Sylvi and pressed a kiss to Kyle’s cheek. “I’ll join you in a moment.”

  Ian shot Sylvi a wink, and the brothers entered the great hall, leaving the ladies to their privacy.

  Percy turned to Sylvi. “Did you see that?”

  Sylvi gave a rare grin. “You were so brave, Percy.”

  Percy laughed and shook her head. “Not me. Them.” She nodded toward the faceless crowd behind her. “Women were kind to me. They moved out of my way. Men took no more notice of me than they did you. Less even.” Her eyes shone with tears, and she lowered her voice to a whisper. “This is not a face women envy. This is not a face men want. This is not the face of a woman arrested for murder.”

  Sylvi’s chest went tight with Percy’s admission. Isabel had thought she was destroying Percy by ravaging her exquisite beauty, but it would appear Isabel had set her free.

  Percy glanced into the great hall to where Kyle’s head rose above the others making their way between the tables. “And he loves me for who I
am, not as an accessory on his arm, but as a woman he respects for her knowledge and her heart.”

  “Percy, I’m so pleased for you.” Sylvi wrapped her arm around her friend and hugged her close. “It lifts my heart to see you so happy like this.”

  “And mine also.” Percy leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “We are to be wed tonight, after all have gone to bed. We want you and Ian there to bear witness. Liv has already said she will come. Please say you will be there as well.”

  There would be no time for banns or the planning of a ceremony. But of course Percy would not want a massive affair where crowds of people would come to observe her as a spectacle of a bride. It made sense she wished for a private ceremony. Even with her newfound comfort among the masses, she would still not care for the attention the wedding of a laird’s son would provide.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for all the coin in Scotland,” Sylvi said earnestly.

  Percy slid an excited glance to where Kyle stood, chatting with several men. “He says he will not have me until we are wed.”

  “He’s a good man,” Sylvi said.

  “As is his brother.” Percy gave her a sly look, glanced over Sylvi’s shoulder, and slipped away.

  Sylvi turned to find Ian striding toward her. He caught her face in his hands and gently kissed her mouth, the movement sweet and tender. Warmth washed over Sylvi’s cheeks despite herself.

  “We have a private wedding to attend tonight.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “It’s a secret.”

  “I know,” Sylvi whispered back. “I was invited too.”

  “One never knows what may happen at a secret wedding.” He lifted his brows, and something twinkled in his eye. Ian clearly had something on his mind.

  •••

  Ian had Sylvi in a moonlit glen. At last.

  And what’s more, he had a surprise.

  The priest flipped through his prayer book while they waited for Percy and Kyle to arrive. The pages made a dry crackling sound with each careful turn. Ian took Sylvi’s good arm and gently pulled her behind a tree, to afford them some privacy.

  His heart hammered in his chest with a force even battle could not produce. He hadn’t expected to be so nervous.

  Sylvi looked up at him and her brow flinched. “What’s wrong? Did you figure it out? What Hette had said? Or discover any more information about the other jewelry?”

  He shook his head. “Sorry, lass. No’ any of those things as yet.”

  Her hair looked almost white in the moonlight, her skin milky blue. She wore her usual trews and black léine with the ribbon tied at her throat. He ran a finger down the softness of her cheek and tipped her chin up toward him. And the strong, willful woman in front of him obediently, trustingly, lifted her face to him.

  “I wanted to tell ye … ” The depth of his love constricted in his chest and made his whisper hoarse. “I love ye.”

  She searched his eyes, and her lips lifted in a smile. “And I love you.”

  He cleared his throat and suddenly found himself without words. A rare and very uncomfortable problem. Especially considering what he was about to say.

  She tilted her head questioningly. “Your behavior is strange.”

  “Because I love ye so verra much.” He winced at the awkwardness of his words.

  Sylvi chuckled. “And I love you. I think we’ve already had this conversation.”

  “Marry me.” It was said abruptly and without the finesse of all his attempts in the mirror that evening. “Now,” he added.

  She regarded him as if he were mad. “Tonight?”

  “Aye, unless ye want a formal ceremony with a dress of gold and flowers in yer hair.”

  She wrinkled her nose, and he laughed.

  “I don’t want a gold dress or flowers in my hair,” she said. “Or the display coming with such ceremony. Tonight is for Percy.”

  He shook his head. “I asked Percy and Kyle if they minded. Percy was so excited, she started to cry. Ye know how she is.”

  Sylvi smiled and nodded. “I do.”

  “Sylvi.” He touched the edge of her jaw. “Ye’re brave and beautiful and the only woman I’ve ever loved. Ye challenge me to face my problems, then ye stand by my side to battle them with me. Ye’re my angel. Marry me tonight. Please.”

  “If you don’t say yes, I’ll be forced to pull my blade.” A woman’s voice came from the trees.

  Liv emerged with her arms stubbornly crossed over her chest and her stance braced wide, every bit the proud soldier. Fianna glided around Liv, sat stubbornly before her mistress, and gave an expectant look up at Ian. Liv looked down at the small gray and white cat and tilted her own head. They were all waiting for the answer Ian was eagerly anticipating himself.

  Sylvi scoffed and shot Liv a smirk. “I’d beat you and still marry him all the same.”

  Ian pulled her face back to him. “Is that a yes?”

  Sylvi rolled her eyes playfully. “It is.” Ian’s heart swelled in his chest—with love for the woman in front of him, with pride that she would be his wife.

  “Perfect timing.” Liv glanced over her shoulder to where Percy and Kyle appeared, their hands locked together.

  Within minutes, they were all standing in front of the priest, with the light of the moon glowing off his balding pate. His voice droned on through the ceremony of binding first Kyle and Percy, who said their vows with joy shining in their eyes.

  Ian watched his younger brother, whose heart was as large as their mum’s had been, marry a woman whose soul was as pure and good as Kyle’s. They would be a good couple, the two of them.

  He held Sylvi’s hand in his, the warmth between them comfortable and fulfilling. Soon it would be their turn. Soon Sylvi would be his wife.

  At long last, Kyle bent over Percy and pressed a kiss to her lips. It was a soft, sweet kiss, exactly the kind he expected from Kyle and his gentle bride. They turned together to where he, Sylvi, and Liv watched, and Kyle nodded toward Ian. “It’s yer turn, brother.”

  Ian caught Kyle in a fierce hug. “Congratulations.”

  Kyle pushed at him. “Aye, get up there, and then we can congratulate each other.”

  Ian pulled Sylvi with him, and she came readily, only stopping when they arrived in front of the priest together.

  Her chest rose and fell with what he hoped was the same giddy excitement leaving him as breathless. The priest started the ceremony, his thin, reedy voice high in the night air. Ian did not pay much mind to what was said. How could he when Sylvi kept her beautiful soft blue eyes on his while their souls were bound together for all eternity?

  The priest stopped talking and Sylvi nodded. “Yes, I will.” Her voice was huskier than usual, the tone tender and beautiful. The priest continued on once more.

  Ian’s heart near burst from his chest. Sylvi had agreed. She’d tied herself to him in life, in sword, and in heart.

  Moonlight seemed to glow around her, lending her the same brilliance as the angel she truly was. God, she was beautiful. And she was his.

  The priest stopped talking, and the recognition of silence nipped at Ian’s thoughts.

  Sylvi smiled at him and he smiled back, his heart warm and full.

  She raised her brows, and he winked in reply.

  A finger jabbed into his shoulder. He jerked his head to find Kyle beside him. “Ye’re supposed to say ye will,” Kyle whispered.

  Ian glanced toward the priest, who stared expectantly at him down the beak of his nose.

  “Aye, I will,” he said quickly as soft laughter rose around him, kind and well meaning.

  “And ye are now man and wife,” the priest concluded.

  Ian caught Sylvi’s face between his palms and gazed down at his beautiful wife. “I was staring at ye so hard, I wasna listening,” he whispered.

  “I know,” she whispered back.

  “I love ye,” he said with all the passion blazing in his soul.

&n
bsp; Her eyes shone. “I know.”

  Then he lowered his face and closed his mouth over hers, letting the love in his heart pass between the heat of their mouths.

  He was married, and never had his life been happier. No matter what challenges they faced from this moment on, they would face them together.

  And he knew there were many challenges on their horizon.

  •••

  Sylvi had never been one for happiness. But the following morning, with her body practically glowing from the tender lovemaking she’d shared with Ian the night before, she was truly happy.

  She’d woken beside him, content and more cheerful than she ever remembered being. Ian cradled her close to him, enveloping her in his warmth and his love. Beautiful though it was, the late hour of the day pressed on her. Hunger snarled in her stomach, and there were still more goldsmiths to find.

  “I wish we could stay here until tonight,” Sylvi said in a wistful tone.

  Ian intensified his hold on her. “We can.”

  She laughed and pushed off him before the temptation to never leave became too great. “And yet we have much to do today. Many people to tell. Food to eat.” She did not mention the goldsmiths or the nobleman, not now while the mood was light. But she certainly would once they’d broken their fast.

  Ian caught her hand and tried to pull her back toward him, but she resisted playfully. “We cannot stay in bed forever.”

  His stomach rumbled, and he chuckled. “I confess food to eat does sound good.”

  He sat upright, and his gaze roamed appreciatively over her naked body. Pride heated through her.

  “What do you think people will say when they find out?” she asked.

  “That it’s about time. For me and Kyle both.” He got out of bed, and it was Sylvi’s turn to admire.

  Her husband’s body certainly was one worthy of admiration. The power of his muscular build rippled and flexed with each small move and left desire pulsing anew between her legs.

  “My da will be especially happy,” Ian said. “He likes ye.”

  He moved to swat her on the rump, but she blocked him and stepped back with a grin.