Highland Thirst (40 page)

“Lucy,
this is me Aunt Aileen and me Uncle Ewan,” Tearlach said, introducing the
newcomers.

Lucy
managed not to look shocked to learn that the older couple were an aunt and
uncle rather than grandparents and smiled pleasantly as she offered a greeting.

“Early
spring,” Lady MacAdie said thoughtfully, drawing all eyes her way. “We may be
able to manage early spring.”

“Aye,”
Aileen agreed. “I will help. We can manage it all by spring.”

“Verra
well,” Tearlach said on a sigh. “Spring then.”

“Nay!”

That
word was screaming through Lucy’s head so it took her a moment to realize that
it wasn’t she who’d protested in such a panicked shriek, but Betty. Her gaze
slid to the little redhead as she hurried to her side.

“Did
you not tell him?” she asked, her eyes wide with amazement.

“Tell
me what?” Tearlach asked with a frown.

“Spring
is much too far away, my lord,” Betty told him firmly. “Earlier is better.
Tomorrow even would be best.”

“Tomorrow?”
Connall MacAdie asked with amazement, but Lucy couldn’t help but notice that
Lady MacAdie had gone stone still and was now appraising her with thoughtful
eyes.

“Tomorrow
would be all right,” Tearlach said agreeably. “I really wasnae expecting tae ha’e
to wait until spring or summer. A week mayhap, but—”

“Tearlach,
we cannae manage a proper wedding by the morrow, or even in a week,” Aunt Aileen
said with an amused shake of the head. “And there’s no need to marry with undue
haste.”

“Undue
haste is good,” Betty countered.

Lucy
closed her eyes briefly as Betty and the aunt began to argue the point, but
blinked them open when Lady Eva said softly, “You are with child.”

The
woman was peering at her with soft, tear-filled eyes.

“Are
you not?” she asked hopefully.

Lucy
bit her lip, terribly aware that the great hall had suddenly gone silent and
all eyes were now focused on her.

“Lass?”
Tearlach took her arm and used his hold to turn her toward him. “Are we with
child?”

A
small laugh slipped from her lips at the question. Are
we
with child?
She hadn’t noticed him kneeling beside her getting sick of a morning.

A
nudge in her side from Betty recalled her to the situation at hand and Lucy
sighed and nodded her head.

“Oh,
Lucy!” Eva cried, pulling her away from Tearlach and into a fierce hug. “This
is wonderful. Connall, did you hear? We’re to be grandparents.”

“Aye,”
the man said with amusement. “I’m guessin’ spring is oot then and I’d best be
fetchin’ the priest?”

“Oh,
aye!” Eva released her suddenly and whirled to her husband. “Go quickly, find
him.” She shooed the man out the door and then turned to her sister-in-law. “Aileen?”

It
was all she had to say. The other woman straightened and announced, “I’ll go
talk to Cook. I am sure she can whip up something special if we gi’e her until
the morrow.”

“Aye,
the morrow,” Eva agreed. “We still need to send news to the MacNachtons. Some
of them can attend at least.”

“I’ll
take the news to MacNachton,” Uncle Ewan announced and seemed happy to make his
escape from the pandemonium that was about to settle on MacAdie.

“Thank
you, Ewan,” Eva called after him, and then turned in a circle, muttering, “where
is my maid? I need to make a list. So much to do, so much to do.”

Lucy
watched wide-eyed as the women rushed off, then glanced to Tearlach in question
when he suddenly began to draw her toward the door.

“What—?”
she began as he led her outside and then gasped as he suddenly swept her off
her feet and jogged lightly down the steps to her mare.

“Where
are we going?” Lucy asked with a laugh once they were both settled on Trinket
and he was directing the mare back out of the bailey they’d only recently
returned to.

“Back
to the loch,” Tearlach answered in a growl. “I’ve a mind to anticipate those
wedding vows after all.”

Lucy
turned her blushing face up to him with surprise.

“You
do?” she asked, her body beginning to tingle at the very suggestion.

“Aye.
Well, ‘tis no’ like we need fear getting ye with child,” he pointed out, his
hand slipping around her waist to cover the babe they’d created. “And I ha’e
missed ye, love. We’ve a lot o’ time apart to make up fer.”

“It
has only been two months, Tearlach,” she protested on a laugh.

“Aye,”
he agreed and then added solemnly, “a lifetime.”

Lucy’s
smile softened and she leaned into him with a sigh. They rode the rest of the
way in silence. Once at the loch, Tearlach brought Trinket to a halt, then slid
off the mare, and reached up to lift Lucy down. He didn’t embrace her right
away as she expected, but instead peered down at her solemnly and said, “The
news we received up here was that Wymon is on the run. Does it bother ye that
he’s free? If so, I’ll hunt him down meself and—”

“Nay,”
Lucy interrupted, raising a hand to press it against his chest as she shook her
head. “He will be found in time, or meet the end he deserves in some way. I
will not lose any more precious time with you by having you take the time to
hunt him down.” She then smiled and added, “Besides, if not for the fact that
he killed my brother, I might wish to thank Wymon for capturing me and locking
me in his dungeon with you. Else we might never have met.”

“Aye,”
Tearlach said with a smile, and then added more solemnly, “but while he may ha’e
captured me body,
you
captured me heart, Lucy Blytheswood. And with one
of my kind, that’s a forever kind o’ love.”

“So
is mine, Tearlach,” she promised just before his mouth covered hers. Lucy knew
what she said was true. She would love this man all of her life and beyond.

Epilogue

“My
Lord!”

Tearlach
lowered his sword and stepped back from the man he’d been training. Turning, he
saw William rushing across the dark practice field toward him, a wide smile
splitting his lips. Tearlach found himself smiling in response and thought, not
for the first time that Lucy had made a smart move in promoting the stable
master to first here at Blytheswood. William was a clever and likeable fellow.
He’d been a great aid in helping Tearlach step into the roll of Lord of
Blytheswood. The man had helped to smooth the way with Lucy’s people, who
easily might have resented finding themselves serving a Scot and one of the
dreaded MacAdies.

The
fact that Tearlach only came out at night and remained indoors during the day
had caused some speculation and uncertainty at first, but William had somehow
managed to soothe concerns and ease worries so that now, a month after he had
married Lucy and traveled to Blytheswood, things were running smoothly.

“Riders
are approaching,” William announced as he entered the circle of torch light to
join him.

Tearlach
was just stiffening at this news when the man added, “A small party. Scots;
three men and a woman with a dog running beside them. I think it might be your
cousin.”

“Aye.
‘Twill be Heming and Brona with that dog o’ hers,” Tearlach said, his smile
returning. “Lucy will be pleased.”

“As
will my Betty,” William admitted with a wry grin. “The three women got on like
a stables afire.”

Tearlach
grunted in agreement as the two men started across the bailey toward the keep
doors. It was the truth. Their party had stopped in at Rosscurrach on their
journey home after the wedding at MacAdie. His cousins’ new home had been on
the way and Tearlach had wanted to see for himself how Heming fared. He’d also
wanted to meet his cousin’s new bride as well as introduce Lucy to the man she’d
heard so much about, but never met.

Lucy,
Betty, and Heming’s new bride, Brona, had taken to each other at once. The
three women had talked and laughed up a storm during the few days they’d stayed
at Rosscurrach. Tearlach had originally intended to stop there to rest only for
the night, but had lengthened the duration of the stay when he saw how well the
women had got along. It had pleased him to see Lucy so happy. Heming had seemed
pleased as well and had assured him he would soon bring Brona to visit at
Blytheswood.

It
seemed soon had come, Tearlach thought as he reached the foot of the steps
leading to the keep. He paused there and glanced up when one of the double
doors suddenly swung open, a smile curving his lips when he saw Lucy rushing
out, Betty on her heels.

Spying
him at the foot of the stairs, Lucy grabbed up her skirts and hurtled down the
steps toward him. “Tearlach! Betty and I were in the solar and we saw riders
approaching. I think it’s Brona and Heming!”

Rather
than answer, Tearlach braced himself and opened his arms as Lucy hurled herself
at his chest. Catching her with a grunt, he closed his arms around her with a
smile, pleased with the exuberance and affection she so freely displayed. It
too had helped her people accept his presence at her side.

“Why
did you not tell me Brona and Heming were coming?” Lucy asked, slipping her own
arms around his neck as he held her close.

“Because
I didnae ken,” he admitted and then gave in to the temptation to kiss her. He’d
meant it to be a quick peck, but when his sweet wife opened her mouth beneath
his, Tearlach couldn’t resist deepening the kiss. The familiar desire
immediately stirred to life between them, urging his hands to slide over her
body as she moaned and arched into his embrace.

“There
was no message sent ahead. You do not suppose there is something wrong?”

Lucy
blinked her eyes open as Betty’s words penetrated her passion-dazed mind.
Pulling away from Tearlach, she turned to the other woman, noting the worried
frown she wore as she awaited William’s answer.

The
fact that the man didn’t at first answer, but instead exchanged a glance with
Tearlach, was not reassuring. Turning back to her husband, Lucy frowned. “Tearlach?”

“We
willnae ken until they get here, will we?” he said patiently. It wasn’t a very
satisfactory answer to her mind, but she knew it was also true. They wouldn’t
know until the party arrived. Fortunately, for her peace of mind, they didn’t
have long to wait; even then a shout came from the wall and the bailey was
filled with the clang and squeal of the drawbridge lowering.

Lucy
was eager enough that she would have crossed the bailey to meet the riders, but
Tearlach settled his arm around her shoulders and held her at his side. She
scowled at him for it and when he merely smiled with amusement in reaction, she
tsked and rolled her eyes and turned back to watch the small party cross the
bailey. They approached at a sedate cantor that didn’t suggest trouble may be
behind this visit, she noted with relief, her eyes sliding over the foursome.
Heming and Brona were accompanied by Peter and Fergus, she noted and then
smiled widely as the large grey dog who had entered beside his mistress’s mare
spotted them and suddenly lunged forward, rushing across the bailey in front of
the others to greet them.

“Hello,
Thor.” Lucy beamed at the well-behaved beast when he sat down directly in front
of her and whined what to her sounded like a plea for petting. Kneeling, she
caught his great furry head in her hands and ruffled the fur by his ears as she
murmured a greeting and told him how good he was for not jumping up on her
dress.

“They
do not look as if they bring bad news,” William commented.

Lucy
glanced toward the riders again as her husband grunted his agreement. Her gaze
slid over the faces, seeing no sign of trouble there.

“They
look a little travel weary, though,” Betty said, and then tsked. “No doubt they’ll
be parched after their journey. I should go warn Cook. And a room must be
prepared. I’ll take care of it, my lady.”

“Thank
you, Betty,” Lucy called after the woman now rushing back into the keep. Giving
Thor one last pet, Lucy straightened as the riders drew to a halt before them and
began to dismount. She beamed at Brona and stepped forward at once to hug the
other woman.

“Lucy.”
Brona hugged her tightly and then began apologizing at once. “‘Tis sorry I am
we didnae warn ye o’ our coming, but this visit was a sudden one. We had to bring
ye the news.”

“Do
not be silly,” Lucy assured her as they separated and then asked, “what news?”

Brona
hesitated and glanced to her husband. When he merely smiled and gave a slight
nod, she turned back and said solemnly, “Wymon is dead.”

Lucy
sucked in a breath at this news, unsure how to react to it. In truth, she was
pleased at the news. The man had killed her brother, and kidnapped both her and
Tearlach and tortured him horribly. He’d also planned to force her to marry
him, or kill her if she wouldn’t. Lucy was glad he was dead, and felt it was
the end the villain deserved. Still, she felt almost guilty for the relief and
satisfaction she was experiencing.

“Well,”
she said finally, “thank you for coming all this way to tell us. Now, you must
be thirsty after your travels. Come. We shall find you something to eat and
drink while a room is prepared. You are staying?” she asked as they started up
the stairs.