The Elusive Highlander

by Ju Ephraime

  Upon arriving in Scotland, on February sixth 1306, the Bruce confronted Comyn at the Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, and although Comyn denied it, the Bruce was so furious with him he drew his dagger and stabbed him, though not mortally. The Bruce then proceeded to run from the church. His attendants, Kirkpatrick and Lindsay, entered the church and, finding Comyn still alive, killed him.

  Bruce and his followers then forced the local English judges to surrender their castle, as he realized the die had been cast and he had no alternative except to become either a king or a fugitive. The murder of Comyn was an act of sacrilege, and he faced a future of excommunication as an outlaw.

  However, his pact with Lamberton and the support of the Scottish church, which was prepared to take his side in defiance of Rome, proved to be of great importance in helping the Bruce assert his claim to the Scottish throne.

  On March twenty-fifth 1306, less than seven weeks after the killing of Comyn, Robert the Bruce was crowned King Robert I of Scotland.

  Soon after, the Bruce then began a new campaign to free his kingdom and gain Scotland’s independence. He was defeated in battle several times and driven from the Scottish mainland as an outlaw. In 1307, the Bruce came out of hiding, and the Scots thronged to him. He was successful in defeating the English in a number of small battles. In the meantime, his forces continued to grow in strength, encouraged in part by the death of the English King, Edward I, in July 1307.

  A new king came into power, King Edward II. Edward II became obsessed with gaining Scotland back. It appeared the more territory he conquered, the more he wanted. It was just plain greed. After winning the battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the Bruce was amassing his army to go to war against Edward II. It was time to take the war to English soil.

  This was the reason for all their training and planning. Alasdair had to make himself available because he would fight beside the Bruce. For now, he would not let thoughts of war mar his upcoming nuptials.

  As he entered the great hall, he couldn’t help thinking the place had never been so crowded. He knew the Bruce was enjoying the attention.

  “Aye, there ye are, Dair. Where is yer lovely bride?”

  “She is nae yet my bride, m’lord.”

  “Not ye too. Enough with the m’lord. I am just a simple mon and do not like to stand on ceremony with my friends.”

  “M’lord, ye have a certain degree of formality to observe.”

  “All right, Dair. Ye win. Where is yer bride?”

  “She is with her ladies. They have to prepare her for tomorrow. We are getting married at noontime; that way, she will have plenty of time to prepare, and we will have enough time to meet in the morning. I will be taking her to Innis Chonnell after the ceremony. Tis a day’s ride from here.”

  “Come, let us retire to yer war room. I have some ideas to discuss with ye.”

  They spent the rest of the day cosseted in his war room, as the Bruce called the room at the back of his chambers. They did not even take a break for dinner.

  * * * *

  Coira was looking forward to seeing him at dinner. She was disappointed when neither he nor the Bruce was present. She contented herself with Tristan for company. He seemed to take great pleasure in his brother’s pending marriage.

  “Are ye ready for what being married to Dair will entail, lass?”

  “As ready as I will ever be. Why?”

  “He is a very important mon. That will make ye a very important woman.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Aye. To begin with, I shall become yer brother-in-law, and so will Garvin. But ye have nothing to fear. Dair is a guid mon.”

  “Alasdair has yet to introduce me to Garvin. As a matter of fact, he didn’t introduce you to me, you did that yourself. So why couldn’t Garvin do the same thing, is he here?”

  “Aye, Garvin is here.”

  “I’ve never seen Alasdair with him. Not the way he’s with you.”

  “Garvin is always around Dair. If ye see Dair, ye see Garvin.”

  “Is it the tall man with dark hair, who always wears a robe?”

  “Aye, that’s Garvin.”

  “I thought he was a Templar Knight.”

  “He is. He joined the Order when he was a young mon. When they began prosecuting them, he returned home and took on the Bruce’s cause and the people of Scotland’s.”

  “I got the impression he doesn’t like me.”

  “’Tis not ye, lass. ’Tis because the Knights took a vow of abstinence, so they stay away from the lassies. And for whatever the reason, they are very suspicious of women. Me, I love the lassies. I tup the wenches for him, Dair, and me. Well, now I will only be tupping for Garvin and me. Dair will be too busy tupping ye.”

  “Is that all you think about, tupping and bedding?”

  “What else is there? There is fighting and tupping, and I have to take all I can, while I’m still here and able to.”

  Coira felt sad to hear him admit to his mortality. Some people dealt with certain situations in their own way, and tupping was his way of dealing with it.

  Convinced Alasdair wouldn’t put in an appearance, she retired to her chambers. She didn’t know if he’d visit her later, so she freshened up and put on one of the nightshirts the dressmaker had made for her.

  Coira didn’t realize how tired she was. She had slept very little the previous night. Alasdair had kept her up most of the night. She was asleep the minute her head touched the pillow and immediately went into a dream about her father.

  Coira was back in Manhattan and visiting with her dad. He was looking better than she had seen him in months.

  “Hello, Dad. How are you feeling today?”

  “Hello, Ciro,” he said, using his pet name for her. “I’m feeling fine. How are things with you?”

  “Okay, Dad.”

  “Why the long face?”

  “I’m worried about you, Dad. Are you feeling better?”

  “I am better. I just finished talking with your mom. She’s waiting for me, and she told me we have to prepare for your wedding tomorrow. Are you excited, sweetheart?”

  “I am, Dad, but I was so concerned about you, I didn’t allow myself to get too excited.”

  “Don’t fret yourself about me, sweetheart; your mom and I met your young man. He’ll make you a great husband. And now that you are home in the Highlands, we’ll be able to visit with you often.”

  “Oh, Dad.” Coira held him, the tears soaking into his shoulder as she used to do when she was little. He just held her and comforted her in the same way until she fell asleep in his arms.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Coira woke the next morning with a lightness in her spirit that she’d not felt in a long time. She sat up in bed, trying to recall what had happened before she went to bed, and then the dream came back to her. She couldn’t believe it was a dream; it had been so real. She had felt the warmth of her father’s embrace and was so pleased he looked so well.

  How had he known she was getting married today, and had he said he’d met her husband? She didn’t understand any of it. Coira knew, in her spirit, that her dad was all right. So she applied herself to the business at hand, getting married to the Laird, whom she could now safely admit to having feelings for. She didn’t yet know if it was love. She’d never been in love, so she couldn’t tell for sure. She only knew she cared about him deeply.

  Coira had barely stepped down from the bed before there was a knock at her door and Imogene walked in with a breakfast tray for her.

  “G’morning, m’lady. Today is the big day. Are ye excited?”

  “Yes, I am. I haven’t seen the Laird. Have ye?”

  “Nay, m’lady. The Laird was with the king quite late. I went to bed and dinnae know when he left. Ye won’t see him before ye are presented. I believe the king will present ye.”

  “He will? Oh, Imogene, I hope I do everything right. I'm so out of my depth.”

  “Ye will be fine, m’lady. The Laird wouldn’t hav
e chosen ye otherwise.”

  Little did she know the Laird had not ‘chosen’ her. Maybe in another lifetime; however, in the events that were about to take place here today, the Laird had not chosen. This event had been set in place by someone else. Coira was basing her assumption on his initial reaction to marrying her. He was dead set against it, and suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to marry her. From what she’d seen of him, this Laird didn’t strike her as someone who was wishy washy and didn’t know his own mind. Something must have happened to make him change his mind; she just didn’t know what.

  The longer she was in contact with him, the more she was beginning to feel as if she was just where she needed to be, her life coming full circle. She’d been there and done that, only at a different time, a different place.

  Coira couldn’t explain it. Sometimes it seemed like a dream; other times it seemed natural. She was beginning to think she was losing her mind. She debated discussing it with Alasdair. She didn’t think she’d know how to explain the strange feelings she had been having ever since they first made love.

  Coira chose to go along with it because, in spite of everything, she’d fallen in love with the Highlander and was looking forward to becoming his wife. She’d missed him last night, although she’d not admit it to him. Coira got the impression he somehow knew.

  The minute she finished her breakfast, Imogene had her bathed and ready, although she hadn’t able to eat anything much except some tea and cream. Her stomach was too nervous for anything else.

  After her bath, three other young women came in to help with her hair. It was then that the reality of the situation hit her. Her life was about to change forever. Coira was sensible enough to accept it was beyond her control now. So she gave herself into their hands and tried her best to relax.

  She’d always loved beautiful things, and her gown was a thing of beauty. She couldn’t get over how, with no modern appliances, they had been able create a gown of such quality workmanship. The gown was cream silk with blue ruffles about her neck. The bodice was tight against her very generous breasts. The front and back were embroidered with tiny green thistles all the way to the floor.

  Over that, she wore a hooded cape in the clan colors, which they told her matched the Laird’s outfit. He was dressed in a fine tunic, his hair pushed away from his face, giving her a good view of his features. He was a striking figure to be sure. Muscles corded his arms and powerful legs and his shoulders were broad with a tapered waist. He was neither bulky nor lean muscled. Indeed, he was the perfect example of agility, strength and power, all placed into a single man… a man that would be her husband. A flash of heat went through her, as she took her place beside him.

  He had sent a single strand of pearls with matching earrings for her to wear. The last thing she did was step into her slippers, and she was ready to meet her new husband.

  “Ye are the most beautiful bride, m’lady,” they all told her as she walked down the stairs and into the great hall, where the ceremony was being held.

  The Bruce was waiting, along with her Alasdair. The wedding couldn’t be held in the castle’s chapel because too many people wanted to attend. Coira was surprised to see the hall had been transformed to replicate the chapel. It had a door in the shape of an archway, in front of which the ceremony took place. Imogene told her, the ceremony usually took place outside the church door before she and Alasdair would enter the church for a nuptial mass. But because of the number of people who wanted to attend, they had to set it up in the great hall.

  Alasdair stood on the right side and the she stood on the left side, facing the makeshift church door. The abbot began by addressing the crowd, asking if anyone knows of any reason the couple should not be married. Then he turned to her. She had to strain to understand his heavy accent.

  “Who gi’eth this woman tae be wed ta this mon?”

  “I, Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, give this woman to be joined in holy matrimony to this man.”

  Alasdair joined her, and taking her right hand in his, he repeated the words that the Bruce had spoken. “I, Alasdair Campbell, take thee, Coira Ainsley, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.”

  Without waiting for the abbot’s prompting, Coira repeated what Alasdair had said. The Bruce sent a mock-stern look her way. “And to obey,” he said.

  Coira nodded quickly, “Yes, love, cherish, and obey.”

  She saw Tristan give Alasdair a questioning look. He smiled, reached into his sporran, and brought out a shining gold band.

  His large hands were a bit clumsy as he reached for her third finger and slipped the band on it. “With this ring, I thee wed, with my body I thee honor, and with all my worldly goods, I thee endow.”

  Coira had nothing to endow him with, only her love.

  “I now pronounce ye mon an’ wife.”

  The Bruce motioned for them to rise. “It is my great pleasure to present Alasdair and Coira Campbell, Laird and Lady Campbell.”

  Without any prompting, Alasdair lifted his bride in his arms and planted a kiss on her lips as a symbol of his love.

  “I have not seen ye so beautifully dressed before now,” he told her, before giving her a second kiss.

  The crowd cheered wildly, and when he set her down, a cup of wine was pressed into his hands.

  He offered her to drink before he partook. As he held the cup to her lips, Coira gazed into his bright blue eyes and felt herself drowning in their depths. The crowd receded from her consciousness; it was only her and Alasdair. This Highlander was her husband, her lord, her mate, her entire universe. Her heart overflowed with love.

  The next hour was taken up with people congratulating the newlyweds and the villagers filing past to get a good look at the Laird’s new wife. Finally they managed to slip away from the crowds for a few private moments.

  “Tell Imogene to bring yer packed bag to the stable.” He brushed his fingers against her lips.

  “Do I have a packed bag?” she wanted to know.

  “Aye. I gave her specific instruction. We are only going to Innis Chonnell. ’Tis only two hours from here on horseback. Dae nae tell anyone. Come on. We will have to put in an appearance at the reception banquet. You should eat quickly because I intend to spirit ye away at the first opportunity.”

  Within half an hour of the food and drinks being served, the lovers made their escape. Hands clasped, they made it to the stable where Imogene had left her bag with the stable hand.

  Coira had covered her head with the cape from her gown, when it occurred to her she couldn’t ride in the gown. “Dair, I can’t ride in this gown.”

  “Aye, I will take ye before me. My horse can carry the both of us. Anyway, I have no intentions of letting ye out of my arms until the next sundown.”

  “Forty-eight hours? Are we going to be bedding and tupping for two days?”

  “Fer much longer than that, mah darlin'.”

  “So, I’m going to be going around with my legs in the receiving position, permanently?”

  “Wait a minute, where did ye learn so much about bedding?”

  “From Tristan. That’s all he talks about.”

  “I will hae a talk with Tris. He should hae respect fer my wife and keep his vulgar conversation fer his friends and his wenches.”

  * * * *

  They were soon on their way, and the horse settled into an even, rhythmic, slow trot as he followed the winding road along the loch that led from Inveraray Castle to Innis Chonnell.

  Coira, filled with excitement, leaned forward eagerly, impatient to reach their destination. The clip-clop of the horse's hooves was the only sound breaking the quiet of the countryside.

  As Coira began to relax into the warmth of his body, she had to acknowledge that this was a very romantic ride indeed. Held fast in his powerful arms, she knew she had never felt this safe and
secure before. She leaned back against his hard body, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. The air, fragrant with violet, the tan of leather, and the smell of the ocean was like a highly intoxicating drug. Coira shivered at the intensity of the emotions that swept through her.

  “Are ye cold, my love?” Alasdair asked as his arm tightened around her, drawing her even closer to his body. His lips brushed her ear. “Put yer arms around me so ye can share my heat.”

  Coira turned so that she was facing him and slid her arms around his waist. It was the most extraordinary feeling. She had never felt happier. She couldn’t wait for them to get to the bed. A week ago she would have been hard-pressed to feel that way; now all she could think about was making love with her new husband.

  * * * *

  Alasdair was acutely aware of her lush body against his. Desire pulsed in his groin with a sweet, almost unbearable ache. She lay softly between his thighs, and her breasts swelled against him, filling his arms and his lap with her loveliness.

  He wanted her in the bed like this, both of them naked, enjoying each other’s body. When he’d first suggested she share his horse, he’d not taken into consideration the effect she would have on him. The heat from his body mingled with hers, and the scent of her perfume was intoxicating. He loved everything about her. When a strand of her hair brushed across his face, it aroused him so much his cock became as stiff as wood, making it difficult to continue the ride in this position.

  Slowing the horse down, he got off for a couple of minutes to adjust himself. He didn’t know how he would continue, but continue he must.

  “Is everything all right, Dair?” she asked.

  “Aye, mo muirnín, I had a pebble in my shoe I had to get rid of.”

  Coira gave him a warm smile, her beauty almost dazzling. He couldn’t help being grateful for having her as his wife. Not only was she untouched by any other man she was also as passionate as he was. A feeling of possessiveness came over him, and he knew he’d rather be in this position struggling with a cock as stiff as marble than anywhere else on earth.