Highlander’s Unexpected Love: A Medieval Scottish Historical Highland Romance Book

by Adams, Alisa

  They set off around mid-morning and decided to take the journey at a relaxed pace since it was not too far away. The rocking motion of the carriage soon put Heather and Katrine to sleep, and Jessica sat with her head on Dougie's shoulder and her arm around his waist. He could never remember being so contented. Gordon sat in a corner by himself.

  The first howling winds of a storm were beginning and Heather felt sorry for Bruce and James as they rode with their heads down, cloaks streaming out behind them. But Bruce relished the cold, fresh air and seemed not to mind the fact that the lowering clouds were promising rain and gale force winds later on.

  The rain had just begun when they turned off the coast road to head inland on the last leg of the journey. James and Bruce galloped on ahead so that by the time the rest of the party arrived there was a welcoming party ready for them. They were wet through and dripping onto the cobbles, so Ewan, coming forward to meet them in the courtyard, did not delay in hurrying them inside.

  "Welcome! Welcome!" He embraced Bruce and shook hands with James, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was being soaked.

  "The rest of us will be here presently," James informed the Laird, then his gaze moved over Ewan's shoulder to the two young ladies who were coming towards them down the massive staircase into the big atrium.

  "Ah," Ewan went forward and took each by an arm, "Bruce, these are your sisters, Kirsty and Claire. Ladies, this is your elder brother Bruce!"

  The girls smiled shyly and curtsied, Bruce bowed and for a moment they stood looking at each other appraisingly, then Bruce smiled and held out his arms. After a split second of hesitation, they rushed into them, laughing and crying at the same time, as Bruce was. Heather came in just in time to see the joyous reunion and smiled widely as she saw the joy on her husband's face.

  But it was James who was most affected. As soon as he saw Kirsty, he was smitten. She looked very much like her sister, but there was something about her that attracted him far more. He tried to keep his composure as he saw them embracing Bruce, but he would rather have dragged her away and held her tightly in his own arms.

  Both girls had the same blue-black hair as Bruce, and the same strong features, although they were more delicately feminine. Kirsty's was styled in a loose knot at the nape of her swan-like neck, while Claire's hung in a long plait down to her waist. Kirsty was taller but willowy and graceful, whereas Claire was smaller and buxomer, still with a hint of childhood about her.

  Presently, Bruce let them both go, but Claire would not let go of his hand. "Promise me we will talk later, brother," she begged, "we have so much to catch up on."

  He smiled into her dark blue eyes that were so like his own in everything but color. "Aye, we will, lass, dinnae worry." Again, he smiled and she let go of his hand and turned away to gather Heather into their group. "And this is my beautiful wife, Heather," he said proudly, "sweetheart, this is Claire, and this is Kirsty."

  "Sisters-in-law!" Heather said excitedly. "I am so happy. I have no sisters of my own."

  "So are we," Kirsty said. Her voice was deep and throaty, a bit like Bruce's but pitched slightly higher. "Our father has been looking for our brother his whole life, and we were sure that one day he would find him—and here he is!" She shook her head in disbelief.

  "An' here is Heather's brother James," Bruce said as he introduced them.

  James kissed both their hands and said all the conventional things to both of them, but it was clear that he only had eyes for Kirsty. Heather, with her inbuilt sense of these things, saw it straight away.

  "Look," she said, shaking Bruce's arm. "James is absolutely besotted with Kirsty. Look what he's doing."

  Bruce looked at his brother-in-law, mystified. "Whit is he daein'?" he asked, thinking that perhaps Heather's womanly intuition was getting too carried away. Maybe it was a symptom of being with child, he thought hopefully.

  "He is isolating her from everyone else," she said excitedly, "look."

  Indeed, James was holding Kirsty's elbow and steering her towards a big window in the corner where they stood talking animatedly.

  "You sometimes see stags doing it in the mating season," she went on, "and—"

  "Wheesht!" Bruce hissed, "ye're no' comparin' Jamie tae an animal!"

  Heather laughed. "You men are all animals!" she said, "but those two like each other—I can tell."

  Bruce shook his head fondly at her, smiling. "Come on, Mistress Ferguson," he said softly, "time tae dry aff."

  James was enchanted. Not only was Kirsty dramatically pretty but she was clever and funny too. As soon as they began to talk he forgot that he was soaking wet and cold, and it was only after he began to shiver that she spoke.

  "James, you are turning blue." Her voice and face both betrayed concern and she immediately summoned a servant to bring a blanket for him while she led him to his room. "I will order hot water for you," she said briskly, "and have someone bring a hot stone and some warm chocolate. Take your clothes off, lie down and get the blankets over you. Do you need anything else?"

  Yes, James thought, you.

  "No, thank you," he said, bemused. He was not sure what had just happened. One moment he had been standing in the entrance hall talking to her and the next he was standing in his bedroom, having got there through no power of his own. She was like a whirlwind, he thought, blowing every obstacle aside. What a woman!

  Presently, a hot stone wrapped in towels was deposited in his bed and a basin of hot water with washing implements placed on his washstand. When he had washed and got into bed there was another knock at the door and the chocolate, with a few tiny pieces of delicate shortbread, arrived on a silver tray. James sighed.

  I've died, he thought rapturously and gone to heaven.

  After he had drunk the chocolate he fell asleep, despite his best efforts and was woken an hour later by Katrine knocking on his door.

  James struggled out of bed, splashed water over his face and went downstairs.

  Everyone was assembled at the table waiting for him and there was only one chair left—next to Kirsty. James wondered if she had arranged it that way. They all welcomed him then fell on the food like wolves. Nobody had eaten for hours, and for a time it was a very silent meal as everyone bent with rapt concentration on their meal.

  Kirsty was trying not to look too often at James even as she kept up a light-hearted conversation with him. The first time she had seen him she had marked him as the man for her and she was nothing if not persistent. She liked him because he was not overbearing, as her father could sometimes be, and he treated her like a person and not a child, speaking to her as an equal. She was aware that she was young, and that first impressions were not always the right ones, but she had a good feeling about him and wanted to get to know him better.

  And then there was her brother Bruce who was not at all what she had expected. He was taller even than her father, with strange gray eyes. She found his working-class accent a bit difficult to listen to, but she supposed she would get used to it given time, and oh, she wanted time. She had heard about this brother her whole life and now she had met him, and heard part of his story, she wanted to know the rest.

  His wife Heather was absolutely beautiful, with her glorious wavy red hair and depthless brown eyes. She hoped that soon there would be nieces and nephews and more family friends. She was an extrovert who loved people. She loved her sister too, but Claire was disinclined to be talkative most of the time.

  Claire was talking now though. She was holding an animated conversation with Bruce, whom she had monopolized since they were introduced.

  "My new brother is certainly popular with my sister," Kirsty observed with a laugh. "I have never seen her so animated. She is usually so shy."

  "You have not talked much to him," James observed.

  "Let Claire do it first," Kirsty said fondly, "she has been in a fever of excitement since we first heard about Bruce. I'm glad because it gets a little lonely for her around here. So, even if y
ou are only staying a while, it's very good to have you all here. I'm sure we'll enjoy every minute of your stay."

  "What do you think of Bruce?" James asked.

  "He is very handsome," she replied, "and I can see that he loves Heather to distraction! That is to his credit, but beyond that, I have not had time to form any opinions yet."

  "He is a very good man," James said warmly, "but he and Heather got off to a bad start."

  He went on to explain the whole story of Heather and Bruce's rocky road to love. Kirsty was enchanted.

  "Like a fairy story," she said, "do you have a sweetheart, James?"

  James sighed. "Sadly not," he replied with a rueful smile.

  "Not yet," Kirsty had a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

  48

  A Hope Fulfilled

  Gordon was feeling distinctly left out. He spoke cordially to Laird Sinclair and said all the right things when Ewan showed him around the castle, but another two weeks of being shut in a castle with people he was merely tolerating was anathema to him. The only company he had been able to tolerate for any length of time was James's, and it seemed that he was becoming besotted with the daughter of the Laird.

  After a slow start, he was becoming interested in Bruce, however. He was not the country bumpkin Gordon had initially assumed him to be. He was an intelligent thinker and a good organizer and planner. His and Dougie's garden project for the school was proving to be a great success. And Jessica—what a lovely, intelligent woman she was! He wondered if she was still learning Latin. The minister's son was still an unknown quantity, but he would treat him with civility as far as he was able.

  It seemed very strange to him to be socializing with people who were not his social equals, but Heather, Katrine, and James had no qualms about it, so he supposed he was outnumbered. He sighed. He was here, and he had volunteered to be here. He was not quite sure why, but perhaps it was because he was being perverse since he knew that no-one else had wanted him to come. He had another two weeks to kill, so he might as well make the most of it.

  Suddenly, at the end of the meal, Heather began to feel a little queasy. She asked to be excused so that she could take some of the tinctures that she always carried with her for such occasions, and assured everyone that she was fine. Kirsty offered to accompany her but Heather laid a reassuring hand on her arm and smiled.

  "It's a little weakness of mine," she said, "don't worry."

  Bruce looked over at Katrine and she shook her head almost imperceptibly. A moment later she wiped her lips and graciously thanked their hosts for the wonderful meal.

  "I just want to see how Heather is feeling," she announced, smiling.

  Bruce felt completely helpless. It was not really a man's place to get involved in women's medical problems, but he was plagued by thoughts of Bridie, whose first symptoms had been an acute stomach ache. Eventually, he got up and excused himself, then left the table and went upstairs, almost tripping over them in his haste to see Heather. He burst into their bedroom and rushed to her bedside, his face agonized.

  "Are you all right, sweetheart?" he asked anxiously, clasping her hands in his.

  She put up a hand to touch his cheek, and when she smiled at him her eyes were luminous with joy. "I'm fine, my darling," she said huskily, "we both are."

  It took a moment for the words to sink in. Both Heather and Katrine laughed as light dawned and Bruce's face was transformed. "D'ye mean? Ye're with—" he broke off and hugged her so tightly she was breathless. He laughed, cried, then laughed again.

  Katrine was about to leave the room so that they could rejoice in private, but Bruce asked her to stay for a moment.

  "Mother," he said, the word still sounding slightly awkward, "how did ye know?"

  Katrine pulled up Heather's nightgown. In her pubic region, there was a slight swelling and a dark line that ran from Heather's groin to her navel. Katrine put Bruce's hand on it.

  "It is not yet big enough to see," she said gently, "but this is your baby."

  "Our baby," he corrected her, then frowned. "So, Mother, are ye a midwife noo?"

  Katrine laughed. "No," she replied, "but I have carried two children, so I know the signs." She turned away. "And now I will leave you to rejoice in private, and I will tell no-one." Then she went out, closing the door quietly behind her.

  They looked at each other, then Heather laughed. "Your face is a picture," she said, kissing him softly.

  "Thank ye, sweetheart," he said quietly, "I cannae thank ye enough, but ye knaw that a' through this time I will be watchin' ye like a hawk. Efter Bridie—"

  She put a finger to his lips. "I know, and I understand," she said tenderly, "now, I'm getting up. I don't want everyone to know—not yet."

  "Should ye be daein' that?" he asked worriedly.

  "Must I lie down for the rest of my pregnancy?" she asked with mock indignation. She stood up and he helped her on with her clothes, then paused, looking down at her again.

  "I dinnae want onythin' tae happen tae ye." He shook his head and closed his eyes, trying to blot out the thought. "I couldnae staun' it twice."

  "We will have the best of care for both of us," she assured him, "this time it will be fine. I promise. You have my word on it and you know I never break my word!"

  "I love you," he whispered.

  "I love you too," she replied, "and now I feel a pressing need for a cup of tea."

  "I need a stiff dram." he said dramatically, "a big yin!"

  Katrine, true to her word, told no-one, but Jessica knew instinctively. There was a glow about Heather that no amount of cosmetics could achieve and no amount of nonchalance could cover. She was simply radiant, at least to Jessica's eyes. Their glances met across the room, and Jessica raised her eyebrows questioningly. Heather responded with a barely noticeable nod and a finger across her lips to ask for secrecy. Jessica smiled slightly and turned away.

  "I told no-one," Katrine observed, handing Heather a teacup, "but Jessica has guessed, I think."

  "She has, but I know she will be discreet," Heather suddenly felt a warm glow of happiness suffusing her. "I never really wanted to have little ones until I met Bruce, but now I am the happiest woman in the world to be bearing his child."

  "And I shall be a grandmother." Katrine clapped her hands. "Oh, I cannot wait!"

  "So, what shall I call you?" Claire asked Gordon. She had come up behind him as he was looking into the darkening twilight. "You are my half-brother's wife's father. It's a bit mixed-up isn't it?"

  "Why don't you call me Uncle Gordon?" he suggested, smiling at her.

  She cocked her head to one side. "I like that." She smiled, then looked around the room for a moment. "Why are you not talking to people?" she asked, "why are you standing over here on your own? Come and talk to Bruce."

  Before he could say a word, he was being dragged by the hand across the floor to where Bruce was standing with Katrine. He seemed unable to tear his gaze away from Heather and the looked that passed between them made a sharp stab of jealousy pierce his heart. He decided at that moment to make peace with his son-in-law. After all, the only person he was hurting was himself.

  "May we talk?" he asked. There was a note of pleading in his voice.

  Bruce looked at him, then back at Heather. She nodded.

  Gordon led him away from the crowd back towards the window. "I want you to know that I have been wrong about you," he said earnestly, "I thought at first that you were after Heather because she came from a rich family, but I was wrong. I know that you are a rich man yourself now so if you feel that I am being hypocritical, then so be it. It seems that Heather loves you whether you are poor or rich and I am glad to see her so happy. If you want me to be part of your lives please tell me, but I will understand if you do not."

  Bruce looked at him for a moment, then put out his hand. "I accept yer proposal," he said, smiling. "But let us talk a bit mair an' get tae knaw each ither a bit."

  "What will you call me? You call Katrine
'Mother.'"

  "I will call ye Gordon," Bruce replied, "for is it no' yer name?"

  Everybody's askin' for my forgiveness, Bruce thought, laughing inwardly as he went back to Heather.

  It was a very happy two weeks, in spite of the fact that Heather was almost always nauseous in the morning, occasionally weepy and had to sometimes be supported by Bruce, because she was so dizzy and was constantly tired. The night before they were to leave, at a gathering he had organized for a few close friends, Ewan noticed her discomfort and asked her about it.

  "You don't seem very well, Heather," he observed, "is the food not agreeing with you? Shall I have a doctor attend you?"

  Heather sighed. She was going to have to tell everyone at some point, so it might as well be at this moment. "I am with child," she said quietly, smiling at him.

  He froze for a moment, then hugged her and she returned the embrace, laughing. "That is wonderful news!" He was smiling practically from ear to ear and she was struck by his warmth compared to her own father.

  Bruce came up behind him. "By the look on yer face I take it ye have heard oor good news," he said, putting his arm around Heather.

  "I am going to be a grandfather!" Ewan whooped.

  Gordon, who had been sitting by the fire with Katrine, hurried over to them. "What? What - Heather - you are with child?" he spluttered.

  She laughed and put a hand on her stomach, which was beginning to show the first faint roundness of pregnancy. "Yes," she informed them, "I am expecting a baby—we think in about six months."

  After that, it was a free-for-all of congratulations, toasts, questions about names and how Heather was feeling. There was a general air of bonhomie and celebration that another life was coming into the world to be loved and cherished by two people who loved each other and would give their love tenfold to the baby.

  Gordon looked at Katrine. They had hardly spoken over the last few weeks and he missed her. "Can we be friends again, my dear?" he asked tenderly, looking down into her deep brown eyes.