April Holthaus - The MacKinnon Clan 01 (2 page)

“My laird, there is food prepared for the nooning if ye and yer men will join us for a meal,” Hamish offered and placed his hand on his shoulder to direct him back towards the dais. 

Rory could tell that Annella was fairly nervous as she lightly bit her bottom lip. Her lips were plush and soft pink. They were kissable lips. Rory wondered what they would taste like. Her large round eyes were a beautiful hazel color and she had a small trace of freckles on the bridge of her nose. He had bedded many women before but none of them stirred his groin the way she was causing him now.

As much as Rory wanted to lift her skirt and indulge in his carnal pleasure, he had more important matters to attend. Besides, she was innocent and he did not have the right nor would he ever take what wasn’t his.

During the meal, Annella sat next to her father and listened to the men re-tell the rumors they had heard about the English. Paying attention had become increasingly difficult as Rory, who sat adjacent to her, kept staring at her. Trying to focus on the conversation, she gathered that scouts had infiltrated an English camp and heard they were erecting a plan to attack at Stirling Castle.

Annella knew that for years the English tried quite harshly to rid Scotland of those whom did not pledge their allegiance to the English King Edward. They did so by imprisonment, hangings or at the end of their swords. Warriors had fought long and hard for Scotland’s independence. They have already seen many victories but have equally lost as many as well.

“And after all we have already sacrificed; ye believe that the English may succeed?” Annella asked sounding slightly pretentious.

“It is quite possible, my lady. That is why it is important to gather men to support our cause. But surely such talk is of nay interest to ye my lady.”

“And why would I no’ be interested? I may no’ ken much of politics and war strategies my laird, but I ken enough and fight for the same causes as ye do,” she defended herself.

Rory gave her a crossed look which made Annella feel offended. She thought that he must be the type to not care for an opinion from a lass.

“Ye ken where my allegiance lies. I’d lay down my life for my countrymen and take wit me as many of those dammed Sassenachs as I could,” Hamish vowed. “I may be old but I still have some fight in me yet. If it weren’t for this blasted bad leg of mine, I would gladly join ye.”

“Thank ye, but that is no’ necessary, my laird,” Rory responded. “It will take a good week to get there if we ride hard. I am to meet with William Wallace before those bastard English are expected to arrive. Yer assistance will be greatly appreciated and ye will be rewarded for yer courtesy.”

“I dinna seek a reward. My keep may no’ be a large stronghold as others, but it is formidable and our crops are aplenty. Alastair will help ye train the men. He is a good mon and a well-trained warrior. I trust him wit me life.”

Looking at his daughter, he smiled. “Annella, tell Berta to have rooms prepared for Laird MacKinnon and his men.”

“Aye, Father.”

Annella stood up and headed towards the stairs. As soon as her father had asked her to go have rooms prepared, Rory noticed that she jumped at the opportunity to leave. He was surprised to see that she wasn’t taking the steps two at a time. Rory grinned in amusement.

At the top of the stairs, Annella ran into Berta who was standing on the top step peering down at the visitors.

“Oh my lady, he is a handsome mon. Did he come to ask for yer hand?” Berta asked with much enthusiasm.

“Nay, thank God. He and his men are here asking for supplies. They have been requested to go on a special mission by William Wallace himself. They are just passing through and I expect them to be gone in the next day or two, and the sooner the better. In the meantime, can you please have the guest rooms prepared? ”

“Aye, my lady,” Berta muttered and opened the door to Annella’s chamber. 

Annella sat on the edge of her bed watching Berta as she pulled a large wooden tub across the floor and placed it into the center of the room. Bucket by bucket she began to fill the tub from a cauldron that was heating the water over the fire. All the while, Annella could not stop her wanton thoughts. The image of those mysterious blue eyes and the way he looked at her would not leave her mind.

“Yer bath is ready, my lady. If ye will excuse me, I will go and prepare the rooms for our guests. I will be back to help get ye ready for bed.”

“Spitfire, that one is,” Hamish said while his daughter walked away, “and stubborn as a boar.”

Rory curled his lip. Somehow this intrigued him as he was always up for a challenge.

“It has been my experience that most lasses are, my laird.”

“Aye. Be glad ye dinna have a daughter. I have been trying to find her a suitor but she is being most difficult.”

“Perhaps, ye will find one soon. If ye would excuse me, my laird, I must speak wit my men.”

Rory’s cousin Ewan was one of the men that accompanied him to Dunstan. He was second in command of their army and Rory’s most trusted friend. They had seen many battles together and could always depend on watching each other’s backs.

“Ah my laird, sit, have a dram of whiskey wit me,” Ewan said already feeling the effects of the watered down liquor.

Rory strolled over and sat on the bench next to him. “Ewan, we will stay here for a few days to train these men. I have secured additional supplies for our journey. Soon cousin, verra soon we will be in the midst of battle once more. Wallace believes that this surprise attack will be a heavy blow to those heathens and soon secure our freedom once and for all.”

“Aye, my laird. The men are ready to fight wit ye and Wallace. The stable boy has given our horses extra feed to ensure their strength for the long ride ahead.”

“Good, see to the men. I am heading up to my chamber. We will meet ye in the courtyard after we break our fast.”

Rory swigged the last bit of whiskey from his flask and headed in the direction of the stairs. Those lips, they were all he could think about. He walked down the empty hallway in search of his quarters. He picked up a candle that was sitting on a small table and made his way down the quiet corridor.

The walls were draped in tapestries and painted portraits of the MacCallum clan. Rory felt the chill within the corridor from the poorly covered windows.  Rory continued to walk until he got to the end of the hall. He paused at the last door listening to the sound of someone singing. It was a beautiful melody and the woman’s voice was enchanting. It had reminded him of a song his mother used to sing to him as a lad. As if hypnotized by the song, he slightly opened the door to peek inside.

And there she was, her naked backside facing him. Rory could see the droplets of water from her wet hair slowly descending down the small curve of her back. The glow of the candle light shimmered on her skin making it appear soft and creamy. Her round arse was firm and plump and Rory felt his manhood stiffen beneath his kilt. He wanted nothing more than to run across the room, toss her onto the bed and kiss every inch of her delicate skin.

While taking her bath, Annella heard footsteps outside her door. Assuming that they were Berta’s, she began to stand up and greet the woman. However instead of an auld, plump woman, a blushing Rory stood in the door frame staring at the back side of her naked body. As the door crept further open, his massive size took up the expanse of the door frame.

“What are ye doing? Get out,” she yelled as she quickly dove back into the water. She could feel her face burning bright red from both anger and embarrassment.

“My apologies, my lady. I was lost and unable to find my room.”

Feeling embarrassed with himself, he abruptly turned around offering her what little dignity she had left. As he turned around, he saw two maids standing just outside the door. Annella’s eyes widened like a scared deer.

“Good night, my lady,” Rory said and swiftly walked past the two women and out the door.

“Oh my lady, what were ye thinking? Ye can no’ have a mon in here wit ye. It’s no’ proper for a young maiden,” Berta asserted.

“I dinna. He walked in here."

“That mad brute! Yer father would have him hung and quartered if he thought ye were bedding.”

"Nothing happened, he said he was lost."

Myra, the younger maid with golden hair spoke up, "I will show him the way to his chamber." And with that, she walked out and ran after him.

Berta helped Annella dry her hair by the fire and put her nightgown on. She got into the bed feeling a little bit jealous of Myra. Myra was a pretty lass and often gave herself to the visiting men. Would Rory take her? She argued with herself about why she should care, but in truth she did.

All Annella wanted at that moment was to sleep the rest of the time away while Rory was here, hoping she could avoid him for that long. Lying in her bed, she could not stop wondering what was transpiring a few doors down. She didn’t know what kind of man Rory was; whether he was one who slept with any willing whore or not.

"My Laird, I can show ye to yer room. My name is Myra. I can also give ye some company tonight, if ye wish?" she said with a sultry look of seduction.

Rory was intrigued by this promiscuous blond harlot who was willingly giving herself to him. It had been a long while since he had bedded down with a lass but, with all his traveling, there was no time for coupling. At first he was going to accept her offer, but after thinking about the episode in Annella’s room, he was no longer in the mood. "Nay, I prefer to be alone. Thank ye."

Feeling irate by the rejection, Myra stormed off. It was rare that men turned her down.

Rory went into his chamber and barred the door. In a different circumstance, he would have taken the lass but he did not want her. He wanted someone else; someone with bright hazel eyes and luscious lips.

He unraveled his kilt and sat on the edge of the bed to unlace his boots. It had been days since he had a warm bed to sleep on. Camping out on the cold, hard ground was not something he personally enjoyed. He kicked his boots off and laid down on the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, the image of Annella’s naked form was etched in his mind. She was like a siren that had somehow bewitched him. He knew that tonight was going to be a very long night.

Chapter 2

              Dawn came too quickly for Rory. He had tossed and turned most of the night. Still feeling weary, he thought the best way to wake himself was to take a quick swim in the cold loch. He hoped the coolness of the water would also help him concentrate on the day ahead and rid his thoughts of Annella. He knew what he needed to do was to ignore her while he was here. She would only be a distraction and right now that was the last thing he needed.

He had a mission and would not let anything take him away from that. He was a warrior and had no time for women and settling down with one was last thing he wanted. He knew as laird he would one day need an heir but right now he had no plans to marry.

Several other clans had already offered their daughters to him, but he wanted someone who he could enjoy their company and not just the bedding. Someone who sparked his interest, someone like Annella, but he had to get that out of his head. In two or three days’ time he would be off for war and he did not want to leave anyone behind to mourn for him if he did not make it home. His duty was to his country and his clan. If he shall meet the Lord during battle, his younger brother Bram would be next in line.

Knowing the morning was passing by, he tossed the covers aside and donned his tunic and kilt. He left his room and walked down the stairs. It was still too early to break his fast and most of his men were still asleep on the floor in the great hall.

Not wanting to wake anyone up just yet, he quietly strode out the door into the lower bailey. The way to the loch was along the backside of the keep and down the hill a short distance away. When he got there, he took off his clothes and set them along the shoreline and jumped into the water. It was cold but refreshing.

The sun had not quite ascended over the horizon when Annella woke up. She had wanted to get up early to take her horse Finlay out for the usual run. That however wasn't her only reason. She knew Rory and the men would be training in the courtyard today and she wouldn’t be able to pass through the gates without him seeing her. She gritted her teeth thinking about the embarrassment she felt from last night.

She quickly got out of bed and put her riding gown on. Peeking out the door, she checked to make sure that no one was around. She frowned when she remembered that Myra had run after Rory last night. Feeling annoyed all over again, she grabbed her cloak and with stealth movement, she ran down the stairs and into the kitchen to sneak out the back door.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, she stopped to release the deep breath of air she held onto while trying to not make any noise. She took one step down from off the stoop, tripping on the length of her gown and landed in the dirt. Annella popped her head up to see if anyone had witnessed her clumsiness. Quickly, she got up to assess the damage. She had scratched her elbow from the fall and her hands were covered in dirt. 

Annella scurried down the hill towards the loch to wash the dirt off her hands. She was just about to bend down to place her hands into the cold water when a figure suddenly emerged. Startled, she quickly ran behind a tree. She waited a moment to see if she had been discovered but heard no sound.

She turned around and sneaked a quick peek from behind the tree trunk. It was him. She knew that she should not be looking, but she couldn’t get her body to listen to her demands. She had never seen a man before and now there was one right before her eyes. Her breaths became heavy and she started to feel uneasiness in her stomach.

Rory slowly started to walk out of the water. Annella wanted to close her eyes but she couldn’t draw her eyes from him. The corners of her mouth raised in the form of a smile when she noticed the water trickling down his flat stomach from the dark forested hair on his chest. She felt in awe as her eyes traced the lines and curves of his defined muscles. As her eyes went lower, she saw the dark curly hair around his groin which caused her to blush. And in a blink of an eye he fully surfaced out of the water.