by Temple Hogan
Waite cried out a silent protest, slobber spewing from his mouth. One hand reached for her again. His face had gone red and was filled with rage. His expression promised retribution of the worst sort. He made a grab for her. He was quicker than she’d expected, so that once again he trapped her, taking care to pin her legs so she couldn’t move.
“Let me go,” she cried, but his hands on her were rough and hurtful as she knew they were meant to be.
His bulk filled the space above her, shutting out the sky, shutting out all that was beautiful and good.
“Callum,” she cried silently and knew there was no one to save her.
Her hands scraped across the rocky shale and, taking up a piece, she flailed out with it, surprised when she struck Waite against the temple. Blood rushed down his face. He swiped it away with one hand and looked at her with murderous intent. Lilli struck again and he reeled backwards. She rose up on her knees and struck again. This time he fell face forward on the shale.
All was still. A lone eagle wheeled above, sounding its shrill cry. The wind whistled over the edge of the slope, but the sounds of struggle, of danger and even death were silenced. Lilli stared at the bloody rock and threw it away from herself. Brushing her hair from her eyes, she backed away from the sprawling mass that was once Owen Waite.
She’d killed him.
Footsteps scraped on the loose rock, and before she could run, rough hands closed around her. She struggled to free herself, but the arms were too strong. A second man appeared, who spotted Waite’s body and held himself at the ready as he peered around warily.
“He’s here all right,” the man said. “Look, he’s killed Waite.”
“I killed Waite,” Lilli said, ceasing her struggle and standing upright to face her captures.
“Your nothing but a woman,” the man holding her sneered. “He’s got to be around here somewhere.”
“You’re right, gentlemen,” a voice said. “He’s right here.”
“Callum!” Lilli’s cry was one of joy and caution, but his sword had already slid between the ribs of one soldier. The man gripping Lilli let go of her and leaped back, drawing his claymore. Callum parried his thrusts and easily disarmed him.
“Run,” he said to the man who was blubbering with fear. “Go back to Lister and tell him Callum MacAlister is here to reclaim his land. Go on, before I change my mind and let you have a taste of my steel.”
Holding his hand out as if to shield himself, the man bolted down the mountain.
“D’ye want me t’let him go or do you want me to bury m’claymore in him?” came a shout from down the mountain.
“Let one of them go. We want Lister to come out and meet us,” Callum ordered and took Lilli in his arms.
“I was so afraid,” she sobbed against his chest. Relief flooded her as she gave in to her fears. His strong body was like a bulwark against the terror.
“You’re safe now, lass,” he whispered against her hair and rained kisses on her tear dampened cheeks. Finally, he held her away from him and peered in to her eyes.
“Where’s Rose?” he demanded.
“I’ve hidden her away,” Lilli said.
“Get her. We must get away from here quickly. I’ll saddle my other steed for you. Hurry.”
“Aye,” she said and ran down the hillside to stony crevice that held the baby. All around her were Callum’s men dressed in plaids.
“Must we leave?” she asked when Callum brought the saddled horse down to her. “You’ve defeated Lister’s men. We’ll be safe here now.”
“They’ve burned the croft,” Callum said shortly. “There will be more men searching for us and until we meet up with our other forces, we can’t fight them.” He lifted her into the saddle and tightened his grip on her hand.
“Thank God we got here when we did,” he said, his eyes glinting with a combination of emotions that made her lean over to place her cheek against his hand.
Finally, he released her and swung into his saddle. At his signal, they rode out of the tiny valley that held the burning croft and down the rocky mountain path. Doire and Blarach with her calf were roped and led by the men at the end of their group. Snug in her sling against Lilli’s chest, Rose fell into fitful sleep. Lilli patted her back and murmured soothing words and soon the baby quieted. Lilli felt a surge of love for the baby and joy that they were reunited. They were with Callum. They were safe.
They rode the rest of the day, crossing steep ridges and traversing deep valleys until they came at last to a place in the high mountains where the winds blew colder, even though it was still summer. Tents had been set up to shelter them and campfires abounded with pots bubbling over hot coals, sending up fragrant scents that made her stomach rumble with hunger.
“I need to meet with the new recruits who’ve gathered for our cause,” Callum said, helping her from the saddle. “Will you be all right here with the other women?”
“Aye,” she answered and moved toward the nearest fire where a group of women and children gathered round.
“Greetings, m’lady,” they greeted her. “You and the wee one must be weary to the bone and hungry.”
They dipped up generous bowls of lamb stew and late summer vegetables. Lilli barely paused to thank them before greedily emptying her bowl. By the time she’d finished, Rose was stirring with her own needs.
“Let me help you with the wee bairn,” they offered when Lilli tried to feed the fussing baby with her makeshift bottle. “Your milk dinna come in,” they said, and Lilli flushed that they might find her wanting.
“That happened to my sister with her first one,” a woman said good-naturedly. “A terrible time we had until we made her a titty bag.” Her deft fingers were fashioning a bag out of hide with a bit of cloth at the tip. When she was finished, she filled the bag with warmed milk and held it to the baby’s mouth. Eagerly Rose latched on it and suckled as greedily as Lilli had been over her stew.
“Ah, she takes after her mother,” the woman replied and everyone around the campfire laughed. “I’m Evina, and this is Gunna, and sitting there is Larena and her sister Muira.”
She continued to name all the smiling faces, even the children, and Lilli laughed with the effort of remembering the right name for the right face. She hadn’t realized how isolated she’d felt. When she’d been Jane’s companion, she’d lived in Cawder Castle, which abounded with servants and visitors to the solitude of Tollis Hill, but now she was glad to be among women again with their banter and matter-of-fact common sense.
“Why have you all come here with your men?” she asked during a rare quiet moment and immediately the women began to talk again, explaining their need to support their husbands who were minor chiefs and fiercely loyal to their new laird.
“Robert Lister is an evil man,” one of them said bitterly and spat into the fire.
“He cheats and steals and rapes and kills as he wants,” said another.
“He took my sister on her wedding night as the English lords were wont to do when they ruled the land. He has no right to that privilege. ‘Tis why Wallace threw the English out of Scotland. Now one of our own tries to claim the rights. I’ve heard Laird MacAlister is a just man. He’d not do that.”
“Nay, he wouldn’t,” Lilli said with some heat.
“If he tried to, no doubt m’lady would make him think again,” Evina said and all the women laughed, apparently comfortable with their new lady.
Lilli was grateful she’d been so readily accepted. By the time Callum returned, Lilli was pleasantly tired, and Rose, after being passed about, had fallen asleep on any shoulder that would have her. Callum lifted the baby from Evina and kissed her sleeping face.
“Come, wife,” he said to Lilli and led the way to a tent that had been set-aside for them. Pallets had been laid for them piled high with woolen blankets. Callum settled Rose in a nest of them and turned to Lilli, drawing her into his arms.
“Thank God,” Lilli whispered as she tilted her head to acce
pt his kiss.
“Thank God,” he said fervently. “When we arrived and I saw Lister’s men, I feared the worst.” He pulled her close, his arms tight around her. “I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t gotten there in time.”
They stood in a silent embrace thinking of how closely they had come to death this day. Then their loving caresses grew more urgent. Callum stripped away her clothes and looked at her with a hungry gaze. Enfolded in his arms with her bare nipples brushing against his chest, feeling the contrast of smooth skin and crisp short hair, Lilli felt her own desire build.
Callum lowered her to the pallet and leaned over her, taking in every inch of her while she did the same. He was such a physically beautiful man with long powerful limbs, sleek muscles and broad shoulders. Then her gaze lowered to his cock and she chuckled.
“What? Does my poor showing tickle my wife’s fancy?” he asked lightly.
“Aye, m’laird, for well I know its power and stamina. It pleases me very much.” She wrapped her fingers around him and felt him harden further. She caressed him, felt the heat and weight of him, the soft bulb with its pebbly, sensitive ring, the elongated shaft that leaped and bobbled with her every touch.
His hands were busy on her, plucking at her nipples, skimming over her belly, exploring the moist nubbin of her clitoris and the secret well beyond. His fingers dipped deep inside her, moving against her, arousing her until she moaned and caught her bottom lip between her teeth. He rose and trailed a line of kisses down her belly to her core where he laved her clitoris with his tongue, tasting her, teasing her until she cried out with need.
When she whimpered, he spread her knees wide so she was helplessly open to him when he plunged into her, sundering her shivering flesh with his cock, so she writhed and wrapped her legs around him. He moved against her and she used her legs and hips to join his rhythm, her heels pressing into his buttocks urgently. He pressed against her, his weight resting on his arms, his face growing dark with his rushing climax. Then she felt him pulse within her, felt his seed spill into her waiting chamber as she tightened around his penis. He cried out and arched his back and her cries mingled with his.
She couldn’t breathe. For an eternity, she was suspended in time and space, caught in this miracle between them. Then slowly, the world began to turn again. The sound of the wind in the trees returned to her. Callum collapsed half on her, his body heaving with the need to draw his own breath. His heart hammered against her chest, and she felt its beat echoed within her. They were one. Lilli felt a joy such as she’d never known. Clasping Callum to her, she stared into the darkness and knew this night they had truly been bonded, for this night they had made a son. She hugged the knowledge in that secret womanly place and smiled. When she woke, the sounds of the rising camp reminded her that today, Callum would ride into battle to regain his land and titles—the land and titles that he would pass on to their son one day.
She looked at the sleeping man beside her, felt his warmth and strength and thanked God again for this special blessing.
Chapter Thirteen
They rose before dawn, clansmen and their women and children, working silently and efficiently in the half dark. In no time, the wagons were packed, the horses hitched or saddled and they moved forward. Quiet lay over the mountains and no one broke the mood. Only the creak of leather and wagon wheel denoted their passing.
Lilli rode beside Callum, Rose sleeping in a tartan sling across her chest. When they crested a hill, Lilli looked back and was astounded at the number of men and women who followed Callum. Only then she realized the full extent of his position. He was their new laird and they’d pledged themselves to him.
By the time the last shadows of dawn had burned away, they were out of the mountains, moving swiftly now. Again, Lilli noted the silence of the whole column and realized they must be nearing Alister Castle. The faces of the men and women had grown bleak and hard, set with purpose. Before the sun had reached its zenith, they had arrived and for the first time, Lilli glimpsed her new home. The castle spread out before them, its walls surrounding the small village, its towers rising proudly toward the cloudless sky. A small loch sparkled, gem like against the green of the highland meadow. It was beautiful and she felt her heart contract to think that Callum would rule with her at his side. Rose stirred and Lilli held her up.
“Look, wee Rose, ‘tis our home. We’ll be safe here.” But even as she uttered the words, she wondered if they would prove true.
“They’re waiting for us,” said Blair, a bear-like man with a gentle way about him in spite of his gruff manner.
He was one of the minor chieftains and appeared to have won Callum’s trust. Lilli had discovered Blair was also Evina’s husband. Now Blair lowered his spyglass and handed it over to Callum who placed to one eye and studied the castle walls.
“Aye, they’re expecting us,” he said, returning the instrument to Blair. “Get the men into formation, women and children on yonder ridge where they’ll be safe.”
“Formation!” Blair bawled out his orders and they were repeated back along the lines.
The disciplined ranks broke apart as men began to see to their families and take their place in the ranks. From the ridge where they were shunted, Lilli and the other women and children huddled together and watched as the men went about the business of war.
The castle looked impregnable, with its gates closed and the moat bridge raised. Despite their large force of men, Lilli wondered if they could take the castle. She feared there’d be much bloodshed and the thought was reflected in the faces of nearly every woman there.
Weapons drumming their shields in a thunderous show of force, Callum and his warriors rode across the meadow, the shrill challenge of their Highland yell adding to the frightening spectacle. They fell silent as they reached the moat and lined up facing the castle. The sudden quietness more ominous than the battle sounds they’d made.
From where they watched, the women could hear the shouts of exchange between the men lining the parapets and Callum’s forces, but not the words that were said. Suddenly, pandemonium seemed to break out along the wall. The bridge began to lower and the gates were thrown open. Callum and a team of warriors quickly rode into the castle. The women looked at each other with widened eyes. Silence fell as they waited. Now and then a death cry rang out from the castle itself, but still the largest part of Callum’s warriors waited outside. Finally, a signal was given and a cheer went up from the waiting men.
People ran from the castle and across the bridge, their arms raised above their heads. At first, Lilli thought they’d been taken prisoner until she realized they were greeting the MacAlister forces.
Suddenly, two men broke away from the crowd of people and galloped across the meadow toward them.
“Something’s happened,” Evina said.
“But what?” Lilli asked, unable to believe what her eyes were telling her. The men had nearly reached them now, and they rushed forward.
“It’s over,” the warriors called. “It’s safe to join us now. The castle is ours.”
“But how did you do it so quickly?” Evina asked incredulously.
“The people in the castle laid down their arms and refused to fight. Seeing they had help outside, they lowered the gate to us. Robert Lister didn’t have enough of his own men to fight and win, so he’s surrendered.”
“It can’t be that easy,” Lilli cried joyously.
“Aye, m’lady, we thought so too, but it’s true. The clan had enough of Robert Lister and turned on him.”
With the two soldiers’ help, they soon had the wagons rolling across the meadow and into the outer bailey of the castle. A sense of celebration prevailed. The village people rushed to welcome the new comers. All was laughter and exaltation.
“Lilli.” Callum called to her and pushed his way through the crowd to take her mount’s bridle and guide her to the steps leading to the castle itself. He helped her alight and climb the steps to the platform
at the door. There he paused and the crowd grew silent, their faces expectant as they waited for him speak.
“I want to thank you for your help this day. Without it, much more blood would have been spilled. My hope is that we can live in peace and prosperity in the years ahead. My lady wife and I pledge ourselves to the good of our clan. You may come to us for any need you have and be confident that I shall be a fair and honest leader.” A cheer went up. Callum held up his hands to quiet them.
“Today, we celebrate our new alliance. There will be food and drink for a great feast and a new beginning.” Again the cheers sounded. Callum turned to Lilli.
“M’lady,” he said with a loving smile and gesture. “Welcome to your new home.”
“Oh, Callum,” she whispered through her tears.
“You and Rose are safe now,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and leading her inside her new home.
But were they safe? Lilli asked herself that several times over the next few days. After the excitement had died down and they began to take up the semblance of a normal routine, she found herself wondering. Callum had overcome his enemy, but somewhere out there a man with a hard, cruel face might still be searching for Edward’s child.
She tried not to let her fears spoil the delight of her new life with Callum. A clergyman had come to the castle and was enlisted to legitimize their bonds of marriage. A feast had been arranged and all the lesser chiefs and their wives attended. Rose was shown off to all and no questions were asked as to her parentage. Life settled into a pleasing routine.
One day, a band of riders rode into the bailey and Lilli was summoned. From a window, she stared as an old enemy alighted from his horse and cast a measuring glance around the courtyard. Archibald Campbell! Lilli’s blood ran cold. Her greatest fears had been realized. He’d found them. She remembered his vow that every trace of Edward MacGregor would be wiped from the earth. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill Rose.
Suddenly, Callum appeared, every inch the laird of the castle. Lilli watched silently as the men exchanged greetings.