The Highlander’s Destiny

by Wine, Mary

  “No disrespect intended, Mistress, but ye will be staying in the solar.”

  The Retainer offered her no remorse as he firmly shut the door.

  Cora smothered her growl as she turned and looked around the chamber.

  The ladies’ solar.

  It was a place Cora had spent a great deal of effort on avoiding. Intended for the elite females of a household, it was a place for the cultivation of feminine arts.

  Aye, and a prison to keep daughters in before their weddings.

  Ye’re being perverse. Just because ye have no love for sewing, does nae make a solar a prison…

  Cora grunted in response to her inner voice. Sometimes, it was very annoyingly correct.

  And ye are stuck here…so…

  So, she’d best set her mind to making the most of her circumstances. She propped her hands on her hips and looked around.

  Noreen’s taste for excess was evident everywhere. The solar took up an entire floor in one of the towers. It was round and had an abundance of windows. Each one was set with costly glass panes, so the windows might be opened even in winter. Between those windows, tapestries were hung to cover the plain stone of the walls.

  Cora ventured closer to one, marveling at the workmanship. Beneath her feet, there was another tapestry. Not as intricate, but it was fuzzy. There were looms for embroidery and a harp if she had a mind to work on her music skills. A large wardrobe stood across the room. Cora opened the door to find lengths of fine hemp fabric for smocks and shirts. The bundles of fabric represented a small fortune because of how hard it was to produce.

  Hemp would never rot. A wife would make her husband’s shirts as a sign of devotion and affection. Cora made a sour face, for she suspected Noreen had only sewn for Malcolm as a means to keep her position. But the wardrobe was stocked with treasures which proved just how much money Noreen had been allowed to spend on her whims.

  And there was wool, too. Along with thread and a smaller box that contained all the tools for sewing. Cora peeked at the silver pins, astounded at the number of needles tucked so very carefully into needle books made of wool fabric scraps.

  “Ye’ll stay in the solar until ye have shoes again.”

  Faolan’s words rose from her mind.

  Cora growled in frustration.

  “That will nae help.”

  Cora turned to see Brynna entering. She was balancing a tray, and the open door afforded Cora a view of the Retainers once again.

  “Me husband is a beast.”

  “I understand most husbands are,” Brynna answered. “Makes me glad I do nae have one.”

  Brynna’s words deflated Cora’s anger instantly. The other girl had lost the man she loved.

  Loved?

  Since when are ye using that word?

  Cora walked over obediently to the chair in front of the table, where Brynna was setting up a meal for her.

  Love.

  It was a word that astounded her. Mostly due to the fact that she had spent many, many hours lecturing herself on the dangers of ever using it.

  Even thinking it might happen was a folly she’d forbidden herself.

  It was why she’d saved her first kiss. Why, when a girl who was considered so unbridled had, in fact, been the most careful with her chastity.

  So she wouldn’t risk falling in love with someone she might never have. The look on Noreen’s face as she’d stabbed Malcolm surfaced from Cora’s memory.

  Aye, that was what happened to a woman who allowed herself to love when her family had clear intentions for her future. No arranged marriage carried the promise of love. Quite the opposite, really, for a man was allowed his liaisons. The wife, though, was afforded her solar.

  The tapestries couldn’t warm up a man’s heart or a cold bed.

  Yer bed was plenty warm with Faolan in it…

  Heat flickered in her cheeks.

  Cora looked at Brynna, determined to change the course of her thoughts. The girl wasn’t twisted as Noreen had been. Instead, she wore a sweet smile as she placed a small dish of sliced cheese on the table for Cora.

  “It’s a fine meal,” Brynna observed. “I believe ye have won favor with Orla.”

  “Ye, as well.” Cora recalled the way the Head-of-House had publicly agreed with Brynna.

  Brynna’s eyes narrowed. “Do nae be too sure of that. Orla knows who is mistress now is all. She might just be tolerating me while plotting on how to replace me with one of her own kin now that ye are approved of by the clan.”

  “I will not allow that to happen.”

  Brynna flashed her a grin. “Ye are a true person. I know fake smiles and words when I see them. I would not have wasted me time if I thought otherwise.”

  Brynna suddenly sounded much older than her young years, but she stared straight at Cora, waiting to see what she would make of her bold statement.

  “Eat with me.”

  Brynna lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

  Cora patted the tabletop next to her. “There is plenty, and ye are me companion, not me servant. I have no taste for enforcing a code of behavior that has no purpose save stroking me ego. When we eat behind closed doors, we shall be companions.”

  Brynna’s face brightened as she moved and sat down. Cora lifted the little pottery plate with the slices of cheese and placed it between them.

  “Now.” Cora looked around the solar again. “What can we do to preserve our sanity while we are in here?”

  *

  Lirkin Grant was in a foul humor.

  The storm had driven him into a tavern for two days. Now, as the weather cleared, he watched his men try to coax their horses back out into the chill. The animals sensed the approach of winter. They screamed and fought against being ridden away from their home.

  But he had to press on.

  His men were not much happier than the horses they rode. However, Lirkin had selected the Retainers at his back, down to the very last man. Every one of them was devoted to him. They’d pull their plaids up and suffer the bite of the wind without knowing what it was he had them riding toward.

  He’d reward them.

  A good leader never forgot to share the spoils with his troops.

  At least not a leader who was good enough to stay in power.

  And Lirkin was good at maintaining power. In fact, it was his finest trait. Let the pious mutter about how he wasn’t fit for Heaven. He didn’t care. Because his days were still long and, in the end, he’d part with enough of his gold to get those who were righteous to pray for him and shorten his time in purgatory.

  God wouldn’t send him to hell.

  Lirkin was certain of that, and the reason was simple. God had placed him in a position to grab power. Some might say Faolan had been put in the same position. The son of a second woman. The difference was Lirkin’s mother had been a wife, and Faolan’s dam had simply been a favored bitch.

  “Let us ride men!” he cried out. “Ride for Grant honor!”

  “Grant honor!”

  The horses were pressed into obedience as the Grant Retainers leaned forward in their saddles.

  *

  Being put out was a shame.

  Bayrd squared his shoulders and set his jaw.

  Better to be gone from the stronghold if there was a witch in residence.

  He’d seen her the night before. Walking so proudly through the rain as though it wasn’t near to snowing.

  Unnatural.

  He knew what he’d seen. If the other McKay were so foolish as to be swayed by Faolan’s words, well, they’d be the ones suffering.

  At least he’d be gone.

  The sheep wintered out on the moors. A few men watched them to keep the wolves from growing fat during the winter. There were stone fences that needed to be maintained for shelter from the wind for the animals.

  Bayrd wasn’t in a hurry, though. He stopped in a tavern, settling down to enjoy some fine whiskey before he began the trek up to the moors.

  Chapter Ten
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  Ye are waiting for him…

  As the light began to fade, Cora felt her anticipation warming her insides.

  He locked ye in a solar…

  She should be quite upset with him.

  That will see ye sleeping alone…

  Cora wanted her inner voice to be silent.

  Yet she was still restless. Brynna was reading, but Cora had lost interest in the story. Instead, she looked toward the window, gauging the light level.

  True to his nature, Cora didn’t hear Faolan’s steps. Her first warning of his arrival was the door opening. He peered in, his expression brightening as he set eyes on her. Cora propped her hands on her hips.

  “Thank ye, Brynna, for seeing to me lady,” Faolan spoke softly.

  Brynna reverenced before she headed out of the door.

  “Ye may be angry with me all ye like, but ye will stay in the solar until ye have shoes, Cora,” Faolan informed her.

  “It is winter” He tried to strengthen his argument. “Surely ye can see the need for ye to stay warm.”

  She offered him a shrug. “Aye, but that does nae mean I will like it.”

  His expression darkened. “Like?” He came toward her.

  Her belly tightened. She was so very aware of him. No matter what she was doing, the moment he came close, her entire body became a trembling mass of receptors. Faolan alone seemed able to unlock a facet of her personality, which was only interested in abandoning everything in favor of being his.

  Faolan appeared to know it, too. He backed her across the tapestry-covered floor. For certain, she should have said something, but she was held in the grip of mounting excitement. Her body tingled, and she was breathless.

  And then she backed into the wall.

  Faolan chuckled and flattened his hands on either side of her, pinning her with his large body.

  How was it possible to be so keenly aware of another person?

  Faolan leaned closer. “Shall we make a memory of something improper in here to afford ye something to smile about tomorrow?”

  She liked that idea. But her gaze touched on the bruise on the side of his jaw. The morning’s events cut through the moment. “Ye should not have argued with the Church.”

  She slipped under his arm.

  “Ye are me, wife, Cora,” he insisted as he reached out to clasp his hand around her wrist and tug her close. A moment later, she was back against the wall. “I will always shelter ye. Without ye, there is nothing I care to keep.”

  “Well…ye should not put what ye have earned at risk.” Cora balled up her hand and hit him in the middle of his wide chest. She wasn’t sure just why she hit him, only that she absolutely needed to get through to him the necessity of not putting himself at risk.

  Oh aye, ye love him.

  He raised her chin. The glitter in his eyes stilled the rest of her argument.

  In fact, it stilled everything. Her very heart felt like it was suspended between beats.

  “Ye are the reason I draw breath, Cora. Any man who makes the mistake of forgetting that will discover very quickly how much I know about what is truly important in this world. Being laird only has one purpose, and that is to make sure I can give ye a life full of comfort and purpose. But if I have to choose, I will take ye and leave this place without looking back.”

  She shivered. “I…I…”

  He pressed his thumb against her lips. “It’s true that I stole yer first kiss, Cora, and I am not sorry. Ye are mine by the hand of Fate. And I am yers because ye have lit a fire in me heart, something I firmly believed impossible.”

  He leaned down and inhaled her scent. When he lifted his head, Cora felt her eyes glistening with tears.

  “I love ye, lass.”

  He replaced his thumb with his lips. It was a fiery kiss.

  “Come with me, lass.”

  Faolan scooped her up, cradling her against his chest. A little twist of emotion went through her, one that left her tingling with excitement, for being carried in his arms was something she found she liked very much.

  He chuckled as he took her down the stairs. “Ye like this, eh, lass?”

  Cora hooked her arms around his neck in response. The sun was gone, leaving her in her lover’s arms. Perhaps it was doomed to die out.

  Well, all the more reason to make the most of the moment.

  Faolan didn’t turn toward the tower where his chamber was. Instead, he made his way just past the kitchens, to a door behind them.

  “What is that?”

  Faolan set her on her feet and went to close the door. Cora moved into the room to peer at what was sitting next to the huge hearth in the kitchen. The room was very warm because it shared a wall with the hearth.

  “That is Malcolm’s bathing tub,” Faolan answered her. He moved closer and looked down into it. “I understand he had it made at some hefty expense.”

  “I’ve never seen such a large tub.” Cora blinked. “It must take a long time to heat the water for it.”

  “Malcolm seems to have accounted for that as well,” Faolan remarked. He moved over to what Cora had believed was the back of the hearth. Instead, there was a door with hinges. In the semidarkness, she could see it glisten with water. Faolan opened the door, and water began to gush down into the tub.

  “There is a section of wall built here to trap water next to the hearth wall,” Faolan said. “It’s ingenious, even if I do nae care to think kindly of me brother.”

  The tub was half full of water. Cora stuck her hand into it and smiled at the pleasing warmth.

  “Out of yer dress now, lass.” Faolan was suddenly in front of her. He tried to work the buttons on the front of her doublet, but his fingers were too big.

  Cora laughed.

  “I believe ye shall have to wait for me to disrobe…husband.” She teased him by opening enough buttons to give him a glimpse of her cleavage.

  Faolan raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps I might entice ye to work a wee bit faster, lass.”

  He opened his belt. Cora felt a jolt as the spot on the top of her sex began to throb. Now that she knew full well the pleasure which might be hers, there was no heating up. Her body began to clamor for freedom from her clothing so she might feed her desire.

  But she wouldn’t make it too easy.

  “Are ye sure then?” Cora asked in mock innocence. “After all, this was how many buttons I had open when ye carried me from the great hall.”

  “Come to supper like that as many times as ye want to be hauled away, madam.” Faolan opened his second belt. “I will enjoy having everyone know how passionate ye are for me.”

  Cora opened the rest of the buttons on her doublet and let the garment slip down her arms. Faolan caught her while her arms were behind her back, embracing her and binding her arms behind her.

  “Tell me ye are mine because ye want to be, Cora. For I feel I am drowning in what ye make me feel.”

  “I have already floated away with the current, Faolan. Ye are me undoing. My only hope is that ye will join me, for love is saddest when it is not returned.”

  One corner of his mouth twitched in response to her confession. His eyes lit with happiness before he was blocking everything out with a kiss. His mouth took hers, moving over it with a motion that sent need coursing through her veins. She struggled to free her arms because she needed to touch him in return.

  Faolan lifted his head but held her arms. “Sometimes…I like controlling ye, lass.”

  She liked it as well.

  It was something that conflicted with her logical thinking, but Faolan made her feel things, and her emotions never obeyed her will.

  Her waistband didn’t prove too difficult for him to untie. He had the knot open and her hip roll loosened in a moment. There was a whoosh as her skirts puddled around her ankles.

  He was only in his shirt. The fabric fell to his mid-thighs, but the front of the garment stuck out. His comment about milking suddenly rose from her mind.

  “I wonder how ye m
ight feel about me controlling ye, Faolan.”

  Cora slipped her hand beneath the edge of his shirt and found his member. Faolan stiffened, but the tub was right behind him. He could only tumble into it if he wanted to escape her. Instead, he grasped the edge of it, offering his body to her.

  “Now…about this…milking,” Cora muttered as she drew her hand along his length. His skin was as soft as silk, but beneath that, his length was hard.

  “Some milking requires a soft touch….” She reached down to the base, closed her fingers around his shaft, and drew her hand all the way to the tip. “Others…well…need a bit more strength.” This time when she returned her hand to the base, she used a tighter grip. Faolan’s breath had turned raspy. She drew on him, repeating the action several times.

  “Are those stays restricting yer movement, lass?” he asked suggestively. “I know I like to toss me jerkin aside when I’m doing…chores.”

  “Is that so?” she inquired as she looked into his face. There was a flicker of need in his eyes that fascinated her. For it was nearly a dependency.

  She’d never have guessed Faolan, with his superior strength, might be reduced to depending on her.

  But it was an intoxicating idea.

  One which went straight to her head like the finest French wine.

  Cora pulled the tie that held her stays closed in the front. The eyelets were worked unevenly on either side of the garment, so it loosened quickly.

  “It’s warm here, lass.” Faolan was back to commanding. “Take off yer smock.”

  She wanted to.

  Cora discovered herself eager to comply because she wanted to see what he thought of her. She grasped the hem of her last garment and pulled it up and over her head.

  Time decided to freeze again. Cora stood still as Faolan looked at her body. She quelled the urge to clasp her arms in front of her breasts.

  Let him see her.

  Just as she was.

  Faolan did precisely that. His eyes were riveted to her. Slowly moving down her body and back up again.