How to Handle a Highlander

by Mary Wine

  There were several tubs leaning up against the wall, large and high-backed. The maids set one near the hearth and soon had it full. They added hot water from a kettle. Moira disrobed and sighed as she stepped into the hot water. She gleefully cleaned the dust from the road off her skin, dunking her head several times to rinse her hair. The water was pure bliss, and she sank down into it with a happy smile upon her lips.

  “There is no one in here for ye to worry about.”

  The door opened, and the blond-haired woman with the swollen belly came through in a huff. The maids all turned and lowered themselves. But she stopped two paces into the bathhouse when she noticed Moira. The retainers with her had stopped at the door, but they moved up beside her the moment they realized who else was in the bathhouse.

  “This is the women’s bathhouse,” Daphne MacLeod groused at the men beside her.

  “Yer husband wants ye watched so there can be no more trouble from the Frasers,” one of the men offered. He was fighting to keep his tone respectful, but the look he aimed at Moira was full of hatred. “It was her sister who poisoned the earl. They cannae be trusted.”

  Daphne glared at the retainer, and suddenly her eyes filled with tears. The retainer looked appalled and backed away, unsure of what to do with a pregnant, weeping female.

  “It’s nae her fault. It is just the babe making her temperamental,” Moira chimed in. She remained low in the tub to hide her nakedness. She bit her lip when everyone stared at her. “I’m sorry. I suppose ye are nae interested in what I think.”

  “It is the truth, nae yer opinion,” Asgree offered before turning to address the retainers. “There are many here to see to the mistress. Stand outside the doors.”

  The retainers hesitated, but the head of house pointed them toward the door, and they finally left, but reluctantly so.

  Daphne rolled her eyes and rubbed her lower back. “Me husband ordered them to cling to me skirts like pups. I thought this would be the one place I might have some peace.”

  “I will leave.” Moira sat up. “I hear a warm bath is soothing for the backache.”

  Daphne looked at her for a long moment. “What do ye know of the pains a woman is burdened with when she is heavy with child?”

  “My clanswomen spoke freely of it.”

  “At the high table?” Daphne questioned suspiciously.

  Moira wrapped a length of toweling around herself and moved closer to the fire. “I am only a half sister to Bari. I never sat at the high table. He forbade it because me mother was common-born. I admit to appreciating nae having to suffer him and Sandra.”

  None of the maids offered to assist her. Moira rubbed her hair dry and put on her chemise. Daphne moved toward her and fingered her overgown where it was lying.

  “This is threadbare.” Daphne handed it back to Moira, and she slipped into it.

  “It is all she has,” Asgree said. “There was naught brought along with her, and she had shoes on her feet with holes in them. Alice, where is that gown I sent for?”

  The maid from before had returned with an overgown in her arms. It was plain, but made of thick, warm wool, and looked like it would fit Moira well enough.

  “Sandra had the finest of everything,” Daphne said, a lingering glint of suspicion in her eyes.

  Moira could hardly blame her. It had been Daphne who stood accused of poisoning the earl, and she would have been hanged for it if Sandra had not been found out.

  “I’ll leave so yer husband’s men do nae have a reason to look in on ye.” Moira put on the overgown and picked up her arisaid. She stopped and lowered herself politely before Daphne. “I thank ye for making me welcome.”

  The retainers watched with narrowed eyes as Moira left, and every Sutherland she passed sent her scathing looks. The ill will and suspicion was to be expected, but that did not ease her way through the hallways. So she walked out of the keep, heading toward the only creature she might expect a warm welcome from. Dunrobin boasted fine accommodations for its hawks.

  There were over thirty raptors in the clean and spacious mews, and perches for at least twenty more. The window coverings were open wide, and there were long poles fitted into the stone wall outside the window where hawks could enjoy the sun on their feathers. In the yard beyond, there were at least a dozen falconers working with birds while younger boys watched the art of training raptors. Some of the birds had leather ties on their talons because they were being trained to carry messages.

  Athena lifted her wings in welcome, and Moira hid her unhappiness against the hawk’s feathers. There was a familiar comfort in the moment. But it wasn’t enough to banish the unease twisting her insides.

  ***

  The earl’s private study was brimming full of tension. The men glared at one another, distrust clear on their faces. The earl held up his hand to keep them all quiet as he walked around the large desk at the far side of the room and sat in the padded chair. There was a hearth behind him, demonstrating that firewood was not considered too great an expense for the master of Dunrobin.

  “Now, Bari Fraser, I’d like to know what part ye played in yer sister’s schemes,” the earl asked smoothly.

  Bari huffed but bit back the first words that sprang to his lips. “I knew naught of me sister’s plans, only that she was found in yer son’s bed. I was angry, sure enough, but I sent her here for ye to deal with the matter.”

  Lytge Sutherland didn’t look impressed. He kept Bari standing in front of the long table which served as his desk. Norris stood behind his right shoulder, and Gahan had joined him on the left. Bari didn’t miss the unity being displayed, and Gahan didn’t miss the lightening color of Bari’s pallor.

  “That was part of her plan,” Norris snarled. “She made sure we were all under the spell of a sleeping draught so she might slip into me bed and cry foul against me. I did nae seduce her, and I know me cock never touched her.”

  “It sure enough looked that way to us all.” Bari drew in a deep breath and lowered his voice. “I was brought low by her deeds meself. When I saw her in yer bed, what else is a brother to do? But I still sent her here to Dunrobin to have the matter settled. There are plenty who would have challenged ye to a fight on the spot.”

  “Do nae quell the impulse on me account,” Norris suggested savagely.

  “Enough,” Lytge cut in. “There will be no fighting. It is a fact ye sent her here. On that point, I’d be wrong to question yer loyalty.”

  “Good…good…” Achaius was quick to join the conversation, but Lytge raised a single finger to quiet the man. The earl studied Bari for a long moment, resting his chin on steepled fingers.

  “Bari Fraser, ye may swear yer fealty in the Hall,” Lytge said, “if that is indeed what ye came here to do.”

  Bari pressed his lips into a tight line, but Achaius slapped him on the shoulder. “Ye see there, lad? I knew this was the way. I’m sure ye’re right glad ye took me advice and came along.”

  “Ye gave me little choice,” Bari complained.

  “Yet a choice all the same,” Achaius insisted. “Life is a matter of decisions.” He turned his attention to the earl. “These lads do nae understand that fact as well as we do.”

  The earl held up his hand. “Now I will speak with Laird Matheson alone.”

  Bari stiffened, his complexion darkening, but the retainers near the doors opened them wide for him to depart. He turned around and left, the retainers closing the doors behind him.

  The earl fixed Achaius with a hard look.

  “An interesting comment ye made there in front of young Fraser. And yet ye offer me a very paltry excuse as to why ye wed so quickly,” Lytge said. “Where is yer great understanding of how life should be, Achaius?”

  “Yer son was there for the wedding. A grown son has always been enough in the Highlands,” Achaius offered. “Or is the problem in the fact that it was yer bastard son?”

  The earl bristled. “Gahan is a son of Sutherland.”

  “Then there
should be no difficulty,” Achaius declared. “Me last wife died a full half year ago. I am nae going to waste me remaining days on waiting for the snow to melt so I can come to yer door. Lord Home has me sons at Court, and me hall is empty.”

  The earl let out a sigh. “Where I am discontented is in the choice of yer bride. For all that ye have brought Bari Fraser here, I doubt he would have come on his own. He’s angry, and that’s clear as day. Ye also rode against me at Sauchieburn.”

  “Aye, it’s true about Sauchieburn,” Achaius admitted. “I followed me king, and for that, I will nae make any excuse. Lord Home is making me pay for that, and I’ll take me penance. But an empty castle is a hard thing to live in. Too hard for me. I want a wife and family, and I do nae have the time for letters to be making their way all the way up here. The lass is nae from so great a line as to be one ye would have wanted to go to another.”

  Lytge drew in a deep breath and tapped a finger on the top of his desk for a few moments. “Her blood concerns me more than if she’d been of a finer lineage.”

  “Bah!” Achaius spat. “She’s a half-blooded sister Bari kept on his land in case he ever needed her to settle an argument. Ye know it as well as I. Look at the way she is dressed. He considers her naught but a vessel for gain.”

  “Exactly,” Lytge agreed, heat edging his tone. “Bari Fraser has an argument with me, and I do nae need yer retainers riding with his in some vain attempt to avenge his sister. The bitch poisoned me at me own table.”

  “A fact which I’ll admit I’m using to me own advantage.”

  The earl’s eyes narrowed, but Norris spoke up before his father did. “How is that?”

  “Simple, lad,” Achaius replied. “Bari Fraser has a stink clinging to his kilt from his sister Sandra’s doings, and I’ll admit I’ve let him think I’m sympathetic to his cause. I wanted a young bride, but I have never wed without keeping me eye on the gain it will bring me clan. There are nae many who would take an offer from Bari Fraser, because they know ye are nae pleased with him.”

  “Yet ye did,” Gahan spoke up, “and with a lot of haste.”

  “And ye were riding along Bari’s borders at the first hint of spring weather, lad,” Achaius accused. “Ye were looking for trouble.”

  “Because we have every reason to be suspicious of Bari Fraser,” Gahan answered.

  The room was silent for a long moment. Achaius chuckled, surprising the rest of the occupants.

  “Well now, I’ve got him through yer gates, so it seems like ye should be grateful. I doubt there is another of yer vassals who could have done the same.” He leaned forward, locking eyes with the earl. “Now ye do nae need to go looking for him.”

  “And ye get to keep the dowry,” Norris finished.

  “And the lass,” Achaius interrupted with a smack of his lips. “She’s a sweet treat.”

  “She’s far too young and does nae want to be wed to ye. In fact, I question—”

  “Enough!” Lytge interrupted Gahan. The room went silent again as the earl considered the man before him.

  “If what you say is true, ye are welcome at Dunrobin, Laird Matheson. For the time being.” The earl held up his hand to dismiss Achaius and keep his sons from commenting. Norris cut Gahan a look behind their father’s back. Achaius stood up, reached for his bonnet, and made his way out the door on shuffling steps.

  “He’s lying,” Gahan said the moment the double doors were sealed tight once more.

  “About what?” Lytge demanded. “Nae that I did nae get that impression meself.”

  “As did I,” Norris added as he came around his father’s desk. Gahan followed him.

  “I did nae raise ye to use such a hard tone unless ye had evidence,” Lytge said, pointing at Gahan. “A son of a laird must always remember that others may act upon the words he allows past his lips, so ye’d best think before opening yer mouth. Being right is nae always the most important thing. Maintaining balance and peace is.”

  “He did nae consummate his union but flew a soiled sheet anyway,” Gahan said.

  Norris exploded. “The bitch is just like her sister Sandra.”

  “No, she is nae,” Gahan countered. “She swore she had naught to do with the soiled sheet.”

  “And ye believe her?” Norris asked, incredulous.

  Gahan nodded. “I understand ye clearly, Father. This matters because Bari is trying to shift power in his favor. An unconsummated union is no union. At least not here in the Highlands.”

  “Sandra was a master of deception,” Norris remarked.

  “I remember it well,” Gahan growled. “But Moira is nae like Sandra.”

  Lytge held up a hand when Norris would have spoken. Gahan found himself bearing the full weight of his father’s scrutiny. “How do ye know Achaius failed to consummate his marriage?”

  Gahan took a deep breath. “Because Moira was a maiden when I took her to my bed at MacLeod Tower. I have the sheet to prove it.”

  “Ye did what?” Norris demanded. “Are ye mad? She might have poisoned ye while ye slept.”

  “Cam best nae have left ye alone with her,” his father warned.

  “He did nae,” Gahan confirmed, “and it is the only thing I lament, for the lass did nae deserve to have her modesty trampled.”

  “She’s a Fraser,” Norris reminded him.

  “I know it well. She confessed that she was virgin and tried to tell me to let her be. I cannae explain me actions, only that I did take her to me bed, and I am sure there is deception in this marriage.”

  “Agreed,” Lytge said firmly. “And I think ye have done the right thing to bring them here. It allows us to plot the next move.”

  “While giving them a clear shot at our backs,” Norris argued.

  “It’s that or let them choose the timing,” Gahan replied.

  The earl nodded in agreement. Norris grunted, clearly not pleased.

  “Norris, ye make sure Daphne takes to using the hidden passageways. I do nae want Bari Fraser knowing where she is.” His father pointed at Gahan. “Ye stay away from Moira Fraser. I believe ye are correct. Achaius is scheming, and ye are playing merrily along by trifling with his new bride. Do nae hand him a valid reason to join Bari in a feud against us.”

  Gahan opened his mouth, but his father shook his head. “Mind me, Gahan. I’d tell ye to find a willing maid to ease yer lust, but I’d rather ye were keeping a watchful eye on our guests. There is going to be trouble, mark me words on that.”

  “Yet if we control when it happens, there will be an end to this which does nae include a feud.”

  His father nodded, but there was a grim look in his eyes. “It will be no easy task.”

  Gahan knew it. He tugged on the corner of his bonnet and left his father’s study. He was fighting the impulse to look for Moira. Cam fell into step behind him, but that wasn’t enough of a deterrent to keep from thinking about her. Maybe she was just playing a part, drawing him in with whispered words and innocent looks.

  Innocent or not, he was still a damned fool, because as the sun began to set, all he wanted was another taste of her lips.

  ***

  “She’s been scratching at the door all day,” the retainer said by way of greeting to his replacement coming up the stairs, “whispering all sorts of enticements she claims to have learned at Court. It’s enough to make ye think ye’re losing yer senses. It might be in the laird’s favor that he has no stomach for hanging a woman, but this one is a demon.”

  Having made it to the top floor of the oldest tower in Dunrobin with a pitcher of water and sack of bread, the Sutherland retainer relieved his comrade outside the barred and locked door. The hallway was narrow and the stairs steep, and the two retainers switched places with some difficulty.

  “Be on yer way then. I’ll ignore the bitch,” the new guard said as the old retainer disappeared down the stairs. The guard looked at the small door cut into the main one that would allow him to pass food to the prisoner. Duty demanded he open the
hatch and pass the sack and the pitcher he held inside the chamber. He slid the wood panel to the side, opening a one by two foot opening in the door. The bar was removed only twice a month when a tub was brought up for Sandra Fraser to bathe.

  “Take yer supper—”

  He froze in midsentence, blinking as he tried to believe what his eyes were telling him. Sandra Fraser was laid out on the small cot in the cell wearing nothing at all. Her hair was flowing down onto the pillow as she beckoned to him.

  Sweat popped out on the retainer’s forehead. “Take yer meal or starve.”

  She stood up, her auburn hair swinging like a silk curtain behind her. Her face was drawn, but her tits were still plump and tight, making the guard’s cock stir. In spite of her crimes, she was still well fed.

  “I’m coming…but I’d rather be making ye come.” She stroked her lower lip as she walked slowly toward the doorway.

  “Take yer food.”

  She reached for the pitcher and bag but stroked his fingers as she took them. “Join me. Ye will nae regret it.”

  He slid the door shut and wiped his forehead across his sleeve.

  “Yer duty is to keep me in this chamber. I swear I will stay here. All I ask is for ye to tell me brother I am alive. Relieve the torment of thinking me dead. That is all. Nae so much to ask, and I will reward ye well.”

  “Enough!”

  Frasers were nothing but trouble.

  Curse them all.

  ***

  Dunrobin had a huge Great Hall, which was presently full of hundreds of retainers. As the supper service was held back, Moira noticed the women were pushing their way inside too. Candles flickered in the chandeliers, but there was an uneasy silence tonight. Bari Fraser stood before the high table, waiting while the earl and his sons took their places.

  Gahan wore a fine doublet with silver buttons. On the side of his bonnet was a gold brooch with a large emerald set in it. The earl wore a chain of office that left no doubt that he was the head of the massive Sutherland clan. Lytge settled himself as Bari waited. Only after Norris and Gahan took positions behind the earl did he nod at Bari. Achaius waited at the foot of the stairs that led to the high table until the earl’s business was finished.