How to Handle a Highlander (Hot Highlanders) (13 page)

“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.

Bari stiffened, the muscles in his neck cording, but he bent his knee and lowered himself before the earl.

“I pledge ye me loyalty, even if it may cost me life. I condemn me sister Sandra for her actions and beg yer forgiveness for the slight me blood has done against yer noble person.”

The earl didn’t comment for a long moment. Tension filled the hall as everyone waited. Moira stood beside Achaius, feeling as out of place as Bari was.

“I accept yer pledge, and ye are welcome at me table,” Lytge finally said.

Bari shot up and climbed to the high ground. Soft conversation began to flow, but it didn’t sound welcoming.

“Bring on supper,” Lytge bellowed, proving time hadn’t stolen his vigor just yet.

Achaius sat down next to Bari, taking the last two seats at the high table. It suited Moira, because she didn’t think she could sit still up on the dais with everyone’s eyes upon her. Daphne MacLeod was of the same mind. She pushed her chair back, but her husband caught her arm. She leaned toward Norris and whispered something. He released her, but his lips were pressed into a hard line. Daphne shook her head and stopped and stared at the retainers ready to follow her. She rubbed her back again and finally turned and disappeared through one of the arched doorways at the side of the Great Hall, the Sutherland retainers at her heels.

Women began bringing in platters of food, and Moira joined their ranks, but they were not welcoming.

She refused to let them intimidate her. She took a place at one of the lower tables, keeping watch on the ones that seemed most interested in making her evening difficult. It kept her mind off Gahan.

When it came time to clear the tables, the Sutherland women were no less hostile. They made no effort to hide their distrustful comments and glances even as Moira helped gather dirty platters and mugs. A few of them smirked at her as they boldly sat down and began chatting while she worked. It was a bold action, one the Church might even give them time in the stocks for.

Asgree appeared and snapped her fingers at them. “Unkindness has no place here,” Asgree said. “Leave the feuding to the men. We’ll have to endure enough grief from their quarrels without adding our own.”

It was so similar to what Moira’s own kinswomen had said. She felt guilt tighten around her. So far, she hadn’t been able to hold Achaius’s attention for any length of time, let alone please him. He was still sitting at the high table, talking away to those willing to listen.