Highlander's Moonlight Seduction (Scottish Medieval Historical Romance)

by Adamina Young

  The urgency to see what had become of his sister’s friend drove him to ride hard across the lush fields toward the village. What was waiting for him shocked him, although he schooled his features so he didn’t scare her. It had been several years since Connor had seen Ainsley, but he’d never seen her quite like this. Leaves and branches tangled in her hair, and what looked like a green dress was now brown with mud. Tears streamed down her face, but it was bruising around her throat and on her cheek that made Connor’s gut clench.

  He couldn’t stand violence against women.

  She’d been stowed away in a small hut near the border. Grace had arrived not long after him, and he gave her time to comfort her friend so Ainsley could calm down and speak.

  She’d been there that horrid day. It had been days before Connor could escape from his own prison, and he’d found Grace, Ainsley, and Senga clinging to each other. Alec had hidden them away and left a guard to keep watch while he struggled to free Connor.

  Not a single intruder had escaped. Connor had seen to that.

  “Ainsley,” Grace said softly, “ye must tell my brother what happened to ye. He will keep ye safe.”

  Ainsley wiped her cheeks and nodded. “I know I look a mess, and I am sorry to have just shown up on yer land. I knew of nothing else to do. I have nowhere else to go.”

  “Hush. Ye are always welcome here,” Grace said with force. “Right, Connor?”

  “Aye, Ainsley. There is no need to apologize. Tell me what happened.”

  “My husband, Oliver, he has grown increasingly violent over the years. I tried everything I could to please him, but he couldnae…” She turned bright red. “He couldnae perform, and so I couldnae conceive an heir. He blamed me. Then, several weeks ago, he came at me with a knife. I managed to escape, and I left. He chased after me and fell to his death.”

  “Good riddance,” Grace growled. “I have a mind to find someone to raise him from the dead so I may kill him myself.”

  Connor agreed, but he had a feeling this wasn’t the end of the story. “Oliver was the laird’s cousin, aye?”

  “Aye. Covington isnae a bad man, but Oliver had friends, and they pressured him to exile me. I thought it was best. I didnae want to be married off again, but when I left Covington lands, Oliver’s friends followed me. They attacked me and took my horse. I barely got away with my life.” She stifled a sob. “I doonae mean to be a worry. I believe that Laird Carruthers will let me come home, but if I could just have a few days to rest.”

  “Ye doonae need to worry about that,” Grace said abruptly. “Ye will stay here, for as long as ye want. Ye will make yer home here as a Sinclair.”

  His sister glared at him to defy her, and he nodded his head reassuringly. “Grace is right, Ainsley. Ye are welcome to stay here for as long as ye would like. I am certain that ye, Grace, and Moira can resume yer childhood antics.”

  “Moira.” Ainsley’s eyes widened. “She is here?”

  “Aye, she is, and I am sure that she would love to see ye,” Grace said warmly.

  Connor hoped that she was right. By allowing Ainsley to stay, he felt like he might be slapping more salt on what was still an open wound, but he would not turn away a woman in need. “I will write to Laird Covington and tell him what happened.”

  “No.” Ainsley shook her head. “Please doonae do that, Connor. I doonae want to turn this into a clan dispute. Covington willnae care what happens to me. I doonae think he ever really liked me, and I trust that no one will follow me here.”

  Connor paused. He very much wanted to storm Covington lands and demand retribution for the bruises on her, but it would turn into a war. “Ye will be safe here. Safe and protected.”

  “Thank ye.” Her eyes were full of gratitude. “Ye cannae know how much I appreciate this. I will make myself useful.”

  “Doonae worry about that. Come. We will get ye back to the keep and settled in yer chambers.” It rankled him to let this go, but Ainsley was safe. She did not belong to him, and he could not start a war over something that happened internally on Covington lands.

  Grace pulled Connor aside and gave him an unusual hug. “Thank ye. Ye know how much she means to me. She never said a word about her husband’s abuse in her letters. I had no idea.”

  “Ye doonae have to thank me. She was yer friend, but I remember her fondly. Go with her to her chambers, and then relay the story to Moira. I am going to take a few men out and make sure that she wasnae followed.”

  “How long will ye travel? Ye are supposed to be wed tomorrow.”

  “The wedding will have to wait until I return. Doonae stress, my sister. Moira will be my wife before the week is out.”

  He wasn’t happy about having to postpone it, but he would need to make sure that Ainsley hadn’t led dangerous men into his borders. Then, he would put his focus into making Moira his.

  8

  Of the four of them, Ainsley was always the most beautiful. Moira thought of that with a broken heart as she helped Grace clean out the dirt and grime in Ainsley’s hair. The years had been kind to her. She’d kept her tall and lithe figure. Her ginger hair had darkened into a stunning hue of red, and her features were still small and dainty. The idea of a man’s hands around her throat made Moira’s stomach turn.

  “The two of ye doonae have to do this,” she said for the tenth time as she brought her knees up to her chest in the bath. “I doonae mean to be a bother.”

  “Ye arenae a bother,” Moira told her sharply. “Ye have had a harrowing experience. Let us help ye.”

  “I cannae believe that ye are here, Moira. Seeing ye and Grace again somehow makes this all worth it. How long have ye been here?”

  Moira and Grace exchanged a look. Somehow, it didn’t feel right to talk about her upcoming nuptials when Ainsley had just escaped her nightmare of a marriage. “A few days,” she admitted quietly.

  “Are ye visiting?”

  “She and Connor are to be married,” Grace said quickly. When Moira shot her a harsh look, Grace shrugged.

  “A wedding? Oh, I love weddings!” Ainsley beamed. “When?”

  “As soon as Connor returns. That is why we have so many men in the keep. Laird Tyree, and the future Laird Hamish—although I do believe that the two of ye are touched in the head if ye think that man is going to make a good laird—are here for the wedding.”

  Moira blinked. Some of that made sense to her. “I am sorry. What did ye say about Hamish?”

  “Not important,” she said dismissively, although she turned a shade pinker.

  Finishing with Ainsley, they fetched a towel and wrapped it around her as she stood from the bath. Leading her to the chair, Grace grabbed a comb and started gently combing out Ainsley’s beautiful red hair. “To think that I have interrupted yer wedding, Moira. ’Tis unforgivable. I cannae apologize enough.”

  “Ye have nothing to apologize for,” Moira said firmly. “Believe me, this isnae the normal wedding celebration. We only decided to wed a few days ago, and it will make no difference if we wait a little longer. Yer safety is far more important.”

  “A few days? Oh, Moira. I know that Connor wanted to marry ye all those years ago. I often wondered if he had the chance to tell ye.” Ainsley’s eyes filled with tears. “I wrote ye letters. Dozens of them.”

  “I know.” There were so many things she regretted. “Ye and Senga both did. I didnae open them. Believe me, Ainsley, when I tell ye that I understand right now how ye feel. The fear. The hopelessness. When I left that day, I had to walk home. Like a child, I thought I would find someone to help me. I couldnae have been more wrong.”

  “Moira,” Grace whimpered.

  She shook her head. “The details arenae important. When I returned to Hamilton, I was filled with fear and hate. I cut myself off. That is why I didnae respond to ye. I couldnae handle anything that reminded me of that day. Grace tells me that Senga is happily married and raising a brood of lads. I had thought the same of ye.”

  “We are
together now,” Grace declared. “And we have much time to make up for. From this day forward, our past is just that: our past. And that is where it will stay. We will forge ahead and make new memories.”

  “Terrorizing the guards?” Ainsley asked with a faint smile.

  “Oh, surely we have outgrown that!”

  Grace grinned. “Well, we need something to enforce our bond. Perhaps we will outgrow that in a few months. I do have some ideas.”

  Moira groaned even as Ainsley laughed, and in that moment, Moira felt like everything would be all right.

  They spent the day in Grace’s chambers, laughing as they went through her wardrobe. Ainsley had come with no more than the dress on her back, so she would need clothes, and they insisted that Moira needed a wedding dress. It had been so long since she’d had female company that she felt odd playing their girlish games, but at the same time, she felt loved.

  Strange. The only person who had loved her in a long time was her uncle. She was so used to being alone. It was overwhelming.

  “I think ’tis romantic,” Ainsley declared after she and Grace told her the story of how Connor had rescued and proposed to her. “The two of ye are meant to be together. I thought I had lost faith in romance, but the two of ye make me feel giddy.”

  “The wine is making ye giddy,” Moira said wryly as she nodded at Ainsley’s cup. They’d brought up a bottle to help ease Ainsley’s nerves, and she’d had a bit too much. “There is nothing romantic about it. Connor needs an heir, and I need sanctuary. We willnae be living together as husband and wife. Grace has already picked up a cottage for me.”

  “Moira, ye do know that ye will have to spend some time with Connor to make that heir, right?” Ainsley pointed out.

  That brought up a whole new memory that she wasn’t ready to share with anyone, least of all with Connor’s sister in the room. “Aye, I do understand that.”

  “Well, I cannae comment until the I see the two of ye together, but I will, and I suspect that I will be right. Doonae fight me on this, Moira. I need some happiness in my life.”

  “’Twill be nothing more than a delusion. We will be happy, I think, but not in the way that ye are thinking. Grace, I cannae comprehend how ye have so many dresses when ye spend every moment that ye can in trousers.”

  The dark-haired beauty smiled mischievously. “I tried to compromise and wear a kilt. I thought Connor was going to die right then and there. He buys me the dresses hoping that I will wear fewer trousers, but honestly, how is anyone supposed to learn swordplay in a dress? I trip over the bloody thing all the time. Besides, the dresses will come in handy. Ye and Ainsley both need a wardrobe, and I have enough for all three of us!”

  “Perhaps I should learn swordplay,” Ainsley said as she twisted her fingers together in her lap. “I doonae ever want to feel that way again.”

  “And ye willnae. Ye doonae have to learn to fight with a sword to know how to defend yerself. My brothers taught me a few things, and I will share them with ye, but not until after ye are healed, Ainsley.”

  Her face brightened and even Grace looked intrigued. Remembering her own terror, Moira said, “Aye. No one will be able to hurt us again. Ever.”

  By the time she retired to her bed, Connor had not returned. It was a strange sensation, but she’d missed him today. It wasn’t just the way he’d made her body feel, but the fact that he’d made her feel safe.

  Crossing her chamber, she put her hands on the door handle and hesitated. She was not his wife yet and had no right to be in his chambers. It would be empty, but she had a sudden urge to be in his room to feel closer to him.

  “Silly,” she muttered to herself as she backed away. “Ye doonae need him.”

  As horrible as it was, she couldn’t help but feel a tiny kernel of fear upon hearing that Connor had left and would not be back in time for their wedding. Ainsley would come first, but if he backed out of his agreement to marry her one more time, she wasn’t sure that she could survive it.

  A fear with no merit. Connor would return, and when he did, they would be wed. Still, it took her longer to fall asleep, and when she did, she fell back into old nightmares made fresh by the sight of Ainsley’s bruises.

  Alone. Trapped. Terrified.

  Three days passed before Connor returned. He was tired, hungry, and irritated, but there were a few things he had to take care of before he could take a bath and eat some dinner. Sending his men to their families, he dragged his prisoner through the keep to Ainsley’s door. At the sharp rap, she opened it. The bruises were looking darker than before, and he gritted his teeth. Inside, Grace and Moira were with her.

  “Ainsley. We caught this man following yer tracks. He claims to be yer man.”

  Gasping, she suddenly threw her arms around his neck. “Greg! Oh, Greg, I thought they had murdered ye! I just left ye!”

  “’Tis alright, Lady Ainsley. I am just happy to see ye alive and well.”

  “Ainsley,” Connor growled. They could have their homecoming later once she confirmed his identity. “Who is he?”

  “I am so sorry. This is Greg. He used to be our groom. He is like the big brother that I never had. When he heard that I’d been exiled, he came after me to protect me. We were only together for a few hours before the men caught up with us.”

  Greg bowed his head. “I fear they followed me, Ainsley. Had I not gone after ye, they would never have found ye.”

  “They would have found me eventually.”

  Satisfied that the man wasn’t one of the ones who tried to kill Ainsley, Connor let him go. “My apologies. I couldnae trust yer story after what Ainsley had told us.”

  The man nodded. “I understand. If ye would be so kind as to give me a meal, I will sleep in the stables tonight and be on my way in the morning. I am just happy to see that Ainsley is safe.”

  “Greg, ye cannae go. They will kill ye if ye return! Oh, Connor, please. Surely ye have room for a groom here? Ye will find no better hand for yer horses.”

  “Vera well. Moira, I am going to deal with Greg here and then bathe. I’m having dinner in my chambers, and I would like ye to join me. We need to speak.”

  Eyes wide, she took a step back. Was that resignation that he saw in her eyes?

  They started whispering before he even closed the door. “Grace is bad enough, but now there are three of them in this keep,” he told Greg as he walked him to the stables.

  “Them, sir?”

  “Women, Greg. Women.”

  After getting Greg situated with the stable hand, he went back to his chambers and sank happily into his warm bath and groaned. For three days and two nights, he thought of little more than Moira. Of her lips on his and the way she’d tightened around his fingers. Her moans of pleasure. He hadn’t even had the woman yet, and already, she was under his skin.

  Dinner and Moira arrived at roughly the same time, and Connor pulled out a chair for her from the small table by the window. “Have ye been treated well since I have been gone?”

  “Aye, although I didnae roam far. Most of my time was split between my uncle and Grace and Ainsley. Is she safe? Ye see no evidence that men will find her here?”

  “Nay, she is safe,” he assured her. “I invited her to say without consulting ye. I hope that ye have no objections.”

  “Why would I? Ainsley is a friend.”

  “Good. Now, about what I wanted to speak with ye about.”

  Moira paled and held up her hand. “Connor, if ye are about to tell me that ye have decided not to marry me, please speak quickly and plainly. Doonae draw it out.”

  “What? Why would I do that? Ainsley being here doesnae change anything, Moira.”

  “Ye said that ye had to speak to me.”

  “Aye. I would like to wed tomorrow. Is that agreeable with ye?”

  She nodded quickly and blushed. She seemed almost relieved, and he hated that she had any cause to doubt him. His hunger for food forgotten for a moment, he focused on a hunger of a different kind.
“Did ye think of me while I was gone, Moira?” he asked her quietly. “I thought of ye.”

  “Of course I thought of ye. Ye are the laird,” Moira muttered, but her face was flushed, and she couldn’t quite meet his gaze. Satisfaction blossomed in his chest. She remembered their kiss, their touch. It warmed her even now to think about, pinking those lovely little cheeks until he could think of nothing but touching her again.

  Instead, he cleared his throat and focused. “Fair enough. Are ye happy that Ainsley is here? Her circumstances withstanding.”

  “She was a friend,” Moira said softly. “It appears that she can be again. Grace makes me feel welcome. ’Tis something that I have not felt in a long time.”

  Because of him. “If there is any time that ye doonae feel welcome, ye will tell me. Aye?”

  “I can fend for myself, Connor. I have been doing it for a long time.”

  “But ye willnae have to, Moira. Part of the charm of marrying me is that I can protect ye.”

  “I hope that is not all the charm,” she teased with a small smile. “Connor, I wanted to tell ye that I was impressed with how ye handled Ainsley. Not many would have housed a battered woman for fear of a feud, nor let someone she cares about stay here as well.”

  “She is Grace’s friend.”

  “That isnae why ye did it though. I see the look in yer eyes when ye look at her. Anger. Ye doonae like a man to hurt a woman. Not many would care.”

  “We do here,” he growled. “We doonae batter women here, and if I can keep one safe, then I will.”

  “I am glad to hear it.”

  “I wouldnae hurt ye, Moira. I thought I made that clear.”

  “I amnae worried about that, Connor.” Picking up the spoon for her stew, she smiled serenely over the candles. “I wouldnae let ye.”