Gerard folded his arms and arched his brows. “Don’t I? What else am I to think? The evidence is pretty damning.” He snorted. “I would have thought you would have better taste than to go after that young pup.”
Gerard’s words still held a hint of anger, but Isabella could see the wounded look in his eyes. “You slept in front of the tower stairs?” she asked.
“Aye,” he replied stiffly.
“Why?”
“Why, indeed?” he snapped, as he headed for the door.
Isabella followed him, navigating the steep stairs to reach the ground floor. She stopped, her gaze drifting across the Great Hall to where several of Gerard’s clansmen were sprawled in various positions of rest. Some of them were sleeping on the floor. While others used the tables as their beds.
She quickened her pace and caught up with him halfway across the hall. “Gerard, I’m sorry.” She reached out to grasp his arm.
He stopped and glowered down at her. “Why are you apologizing, lass? Are you sorry you slept with Ethan or sorry you got caught?”
“I didn’t,” Isabella began, then lowered her voice when some of his clansmen began to stir. She began again. “I didn’t sleep with him. I was just as surprised as you were to find him in the room.”
Gerard studied her and then sighed. “Aye, lass. I can see by the look on your face that you are telling the truth.” He thrust a hand through his hair, causing strands of it to stand on end. “I’m sorry I accused you of such behavior.”
Isabella nodded. “I’m going home,” she said softly. “It is obvious you don’t want me here and I don’t want to be a burden to the laird.”
Gerard’s eyes narrowed. “What makes you think I don’t want you here, Bella? I would have thought my actions last night proved otherwise.”
Isabella thought about their kiss and her cheeks warmed. “I’m going home,” she said softly, but firmly. “I don’t belong here.”
She turned and began weaving her way between the men sleeping on the floor. A few of them stirred, but none awakened.
Gerard stopped her when she reached the door leading to the entryway. “No, lass,” he whispered fiercely. “You cannot leave.”
“You cannot tell me what I can and cannot do,” Isabella snapped, her eyes flashing fire. She stepped into the entryway and headed for the door, only to be stopped when the laird stepped out of the shadows.
“Is something wrong, Isabella?” Rowan asked, shooting Gerard a dark look. “Has my cousin wronged you in some way?”
Gerard held his hands out in front of him in defense. “I haven’t touched the lass.”
Rowan arched his dark brows as he looked between his cousin and Isabella. “I find that hard to believe, but maybe you can explain to me why she is so upset?”
Gerard scrubbed a hand across his jaw and sighed. “Isabella doesn’t like it here. She wants to return home.”
Rowan turned to her in surprise. “Is that true, Isabella? Have you found my hospitality lacking?”
Behind them, the castle was beginning to stir to life. Soon the Great Hall would be bustling with activity as people prepared to start their day.
“No.” Isabella met the laird’s steady gaze. She knew he wasn’t angry with her, she could see kindness in his eyes, but he expected an honest answer. “You and your family have been very welcoming.”
“Then what is troubling you?” Rowan moved until he was between her and the outside door.
Isabella’s shoulders sagged in defeat. The laird was a kind man, but he wasn’t about to grant her freedom.
Rowan smiled. “We are happy to have you here. Eva was just saying last night before we retired that it will be wonderful to have another woman around to talk to.”
Eva chose that moment to appear by her husband’s side. “Why all of the commotion? Has something happened?” A look of concern marred her forehead.
“No, wife.” Rowan pulled Eva closer to his side, the love he had for her on display for all to see. “Nothing has happened. Yet.” He turned his dark gaze on Isabella. “It’s just that Isabella wishes to leave us.”
Eva gasped. “So soon? But you have only just arrived. You can’t leave yet. Gerard said that you would at least stay for the winter.”
Isabella looked from one person to the other. Eva looked like she wanted to cry. The laird looked confused and Gerard, her gaze fastened on the handsome man and held, Gerard wore a look of triumph as if he knew he had won.
Isabella gritted her teeth. Oh, how she wished she could throttle the man. He knew there was no way she would risk hurting Eva’s feelings.
She sighed. The situation had moved from possible to impossible in a heartbeat. “I will stay,” she addressed the laird and Eva, completely ignoring Gerard. If he wanted to play his childish game, then she would show him just how good she could be at pretending he didn’t exist.
“Oh, good.” Eva beamed. “You won’t regret your decision. I promise. Once winter arrives, the last place you want to be is in the cold, dark forest.”
“I liked living in the forest,” Isabella whispered, as she thought about her cottage. It had always managed to be cheery during the wintertime even when it was cold and dreary outside.
“It was peaceful.”
Eva patted her hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you. I’m sure you had a fine home.”
Isabella followed Eva to the stairs leading to the second floor. She could feel Gerard’s eyes on her and when she was halfway up the stairs, turned to look at him. He was still standing by the laird and both of the men’s attention was focused squarely on her.
Isabella turned back around. Picking up her skirts, she quickly followed Eva.
Eva stopped when they reached the second floor. “I’m sorry, Isabella. I didn’t mean to insult your home,” she repeated. “It’s just that Gerard said that you were all alone out there. A person needs friends and family,” she said, as they proceeded down the corridor. “Especially when the days grow cold and gray.”
They arrived at Isabella’s bedchamber. Isabella quickly scanned the room, but it looked exactly the way she had left it. The bed was still rumpled from the short nap she had taken before the evening meal and the dress she had arrived in was draped over the chair.
Eva walked over and picked up the dress and studied it for a minute. Replacing it on the chair, she turned to Isabella. “I will have the maid discard your old clothes. I believe I have other dresses you can wear besides the one you are wearing.”
Isabella looked down at the pretty dress. She had slept in it the night before and it was full of wrinkles. It was beautiful, but it would never hold the special place in her heart like the garment she had worn on her arrival. That cloth for that dress had been woven by her grandmother and hand stitched by her mother. It was patched and worn, but was precious to her all the same.
“I would like to keep the dress,” she said firmly. She crossed the room and gathered the garment protectively into her arms.
Eva’s eyes widened. “Of course you can keep the dress,” she said softly. “But I will have the maid bring you other dresses all the same.”
Still clutching the dress, Isabella walked to the window. “I have a question to ask.”
“Of course.” Eva brightened.
Isabella turned to face her. “Tell me about Ethan.”
Eva’s eyes widened slightly. “Ethan Mackintosh? My goodness, when did you have a chance to speak to him?”
“He came to visit me this morning in the tower room.”
Eva gasped. “He didn’t! Did he…?”
“No,” Isabella reassured her. “Gerard arrived shortly after he did.”
“Well, that was fortunate,” Eva murmured, but she still looked distressed. “To answer your question, Ethan Mackintosh is a fine man. He has always been polite and is loyal to my husband and this clan.”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe Ethan would do anything to harm you.”
“He didn’t,” Isabella said firml
y. “And I don’t think he would have even if Gerard hadn’t intervened.”
Eva took the dress from Isabella’s hands and placed it back on the chair. “I bet Gerard was livid.”
“Oh, aye,” Isabella laughed. “He was very angry.”
Eva sighed. “I can imagine. There has always been bad blood between the two.” She hesitated. “It started with Lorna and continued after her death.”
“What happened?” Isabella asked, as her interest was piqued.
Eva chewed her lower lip. “Well, I don’t like to speak ill of the dead,” she said slowly, “and I do believe Lorna was a loyal wife to Gerard, but there was a time before she was married when she flirted with both men.”
“I didn’t realize Lorna lived at the castle before her marriage.”
“She didn’t.” Eva sighed. “But then, Ethan hasn’t always lived her either. She knew Ethan before her marriage to Gerard.”
“Ah,” Isabella said, as she nodded her head in understanding. That explained the hard feelings between the two men. Both of them had loved the same woman.
She smiled. “At least Gerard won Lorna’s heart in the end.”
Eva nodded. “Aye, he did, and he and Lorna were happily married. But I don’t believe Ethan ever forgave him.”
Isabella thought about Gerard. “Gerard is a troubled man,” she said softly.
“Aye, he is,” Eva agreed, “but he has reason to be. His life over the past two years hasn’t been easy.”
Isabella wished she could take away some of Gerard’s pain. To put a smile back on his face, but she knew it wouldn’t be easy. His hurt ran deep and memories had a way of haunting a person, tormenting their very soul until they cried out for mercy.
She walked over and placed her dress on the bed. The fabric was tattered and worn, but was strangely comforting. It was a link to her home and she would treasure it always.
Eva’s expression softened. “I didn’t realize the dress was so special to you. Don’t worry. I won’t take it from you, but I would be pleased if you wore some of my dresses while you are here. Maybe if you are still living at the castle in the spring time, we can order more cloth and have some dresses made for you.”
Isabella looked around her bedchamber at the fancy furnishings. She knew Eva was used to spending money freely, but she owned no coin and wouldn’t be able to repay her hosts for the fabric.
“Thank you,” she said, straightening her shoulders. “But I am certain I will not be able to afford it.”
Eva laughed and waved away her concern. “I overheard Gerard tell Rowan that he is willing to pay for all of your expenses.” Her forehead wrinkled. “Which is odd. I don’t recall Gerard paying for any of his lady friends before. The only woman who could get him to part with his coin was his wife.”
Isabella thought about the beautiful woman from her vision. “Tell me about her.”
“Lorna?” Eva hesitated for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully. “She was kind. A warm and loving person. Fate smiled on Gerard the day she agreed to become his wife.” She quickly sobered. “Of course, fate is a fickle thing. We were all shocked and saddened when Lorna became ill and died along with their unborn child.”
“So she was a kind woman?” Isabella whispered, knowing in her heart there was no way she could compete with the memory of Gerard’s dead wife.
“Very.” Eva laughed. “She had to be kind to thaw Gerard’s cold heart.”
“Strange,” Isabella murmured, as she thought about the handsome man and the way she had felt in his arms. “Gerard has never seemed cold to me. A bit demanding, aye, and entirely infuriating, but never cold.”
Eva stopped tidying the already immaculate room and turned. “Aye, that is because Gerard cares about you. He only shows emotion around the ones who are dear to his heart.”
“That is impossible,” Isabella protested. “We have only known each other a handful of days.”
Eva shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. When a man finds a woman who stirs his very soul, he is quick to act. He was like that with Lorna and he appears to be the same way with you.”
She moved to the door. “Mark my words, Isabella, by this time next year, you will be Gerard’s wife.”
Eva’s words seemed to echo in the room long after she had left.
Isabella sat on the bed and hugged her dress to her chest, the only thing she had left of home and the loved ones that had been lost.
She thought about Eva’s words and then about Owen. He was her husband, aye, but not legally. They had never officially married. Instead, they had performed a ceremony called Jumping the Broom. It was where a man and woman pledged themselves to one another and then jumped over a broom lying on the floor to make it binding.
Would she and Gerard be married by this time next year? Eva certainly thought so. A man such as Gerard Mackenzie was a force to be reckoned with. She didn’t know if she could handle having such a man in her life, nor was she certain she wanted to try.
Chapter
Seven
Three weeks later.
Isabella made her way down the corridor toward the main staircase. She smiled at a couple of chamber maids who were walking her way. They appeared to be about her age and she would have liked to get to know them, to become friends, but they continued on without acknowledging her presence.
“Who is that woman?” One of the maids asked.
“Just a peasant puttin’ on airs,” the other replied. “She acts as if she is better than us, but I heard that she grew up in the forest a few miles from here. She is just someone the captain of the guard brought home to pass the time. No better than a common stray.”
“If Gerard needs a woman to warm his bed during the long cold nights, I am more than willing,” the first woman purred. “I’m sure I can satisfy him a lot better than that scrap of a woman he picked up during his travels.”
Isabella’s heart plummeted. She had never seen these particular maids before and it pained her to realize the household staff was gossiping about her.
The other maid giggled. “Well, if memory serves me correctly, she is going to have to perform and perform well or he will cast her out of his bed. He likes his women ready and willing.”
“Aye,” the first maid agreed, “that, I know well, but he makes it worth a woman’s time. I’ve spent a night or two in his bed and let’s just say the man is talented.”
They both giggled.
Isabella didn’t wish to hear any more about what appeared to be Gerard’s favorite pastime. She quickly made her way to the first floor and out into the bustling courtyard.
It was cloudy again, but it didn’t surprise her. Winter had arrived and along with it, the gray days. A slight mist hung in the air, dampening the garments of anyone who dared venture out of the warmth and safety of the castle.
Isabella groaned as her foot, shod in the thinnest of slippers, slipped in the muck of the courtyard. She had been searching for Gerard all morning, but had yet to lay eyes on him.
She saw Ethan speaking to a group of men. They hadn’t spoken since the incident in the tower room. She had caught him watching her once or twice during meal time, but each time he had turned away.
He broke off is conversation and fell into step beside her. “Good morning,” he said, as he offered her a grin.
Isabella ignored him.
He chuckled. “You are angry with me.”
Isabella stopped and turned to face him. “Yes, I am angry with you,” she whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear. “You called me a whore.”
A look of regret flashed in Ethan’s green eyes. “Ah,” he said as he nodded. “I thought that might still be bothering you. That is why I want to apologize. I behaved poorly.”
“Yes,” Isabella agreed. “You did.” She smiled. She couldn’t stay angry with the man, not when he was acting so charming. “But I accept your apology.”
“Thank you.” Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. “I hope we can still be friends?”
Isabella watched as a soft smile curved Ethan’s lips making him appear even more handsome. “Aye,” she whispered. “We can be friends.” She wasn’t certain she trusted this man or any man for that matter, but she could certainly use a friend. Other than an occasional conversation with Eva and the time she spent with Gerard, she had been left mostly alone since her arrival at the castle. Aye, a friend would be welcome, indeed.
“Good.” Ethan’s smile turned into a full-fledged grin. “As my new friend, would you like to take a walk around the courtyard with me?”
Isabella hesitated. He looked so hopeful, but she finally shook her head. “I’m sorry. Maybe some other time. Right now I am looking for Gerard. You haven’t seen him, have you?”
Ethan’s smile dimmed, but didn’t go out completely. He pointed toward the stables. “I saw him go in there a few minutes ago.”
Isabella thanked him and then turned toward the stables. A soft smile played about her lips as she thought about the handsome man. Gerard had made himself scarce for well over a week and only made appearances at meal times. But over the past few days, even those appearances had ceased.
A part of her wondered where he was spending his time and who he was spending his time with, but she reminded herself it didn’t matter. Gerard had gone out of his way to prove he had no interest in her and she should have been relieved.
So why did she feel so sad? And why did a pang of jealousy lance through her heart at the thought of Gerard in the arms of another woman?
Isabella decided she didn’t care to find the answers to her questions, as she yanked open the door to the stables and stepped inside. The strong smell of horses and manure assaulted her. She choked back a cough as she peered into the dimly lit interior.
A stable boy stopped his chores to come to her aid. “Can I help you, m’lady?” A boy that couldn’t have been more than ten stared up at her.
“Thank you, Simon,” Gerard’s deep voice rumbled as he emerged from the shadows. “But I will see to the lady’s wishes.”
The stable boy nodded and after one more curious glance in Isabella’s direction, went back to his task.
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