Undeniable Page 13

  “Ye.”

  Jamie left the chamber with much on his mind. Had he really changed? Aye, he’d fallen in love for the first and last time in his life. Lady Helen had won his heart without trying. And though they had never spoken the words to each other, Jamie knew she loved him. But would she accept him as a husband and take his son as her own?

  *

  The Earl of Sutherland finished reading the missive his only daughter had sent. She was hiding in plain sight, as he had guessed, at the MacKay keep with Keely, the lass who had nearly become his daughter-in-law. He folded the parchment and set it on the table in his solar, then gazed across the chamber at Laird Munroe.

  If he dinna need those blasted ships, he might reconsider the marriage contract. The earl refused to spend his own gold to build his own fleet. Unless… With six daughters, three of them of marriageable age… The earl’s sons were all unmarried. It had been his intention to see Helen settled first, then worry about his boys.

  “Baran,” the earl said. “Come and sit with me.”

  Laird Munroe stood and walked across the room. “Ye’ve heard from her.”

  “How did ye know?”

  “I watched ye read the missive. And the messenger, he’s a bloody MacKay. Last I heard, my nephew headed in that direction, and I’ve a growing desire to visit Laird Alex myself.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “Would I find her there?”

  The earl took a deep breath. Perhaps he had acted too hastily in choosing the Munroe as his future son-in-law. Greed often affected the earl’s good judgement, a weakness he’d had since his youth. Baran wasna an old man by any means. He was a famed warrior with a substantial fortune and valuable lands. But the men of the isles were different; some still worshipped the pagan gods, and not in secret.

  “Did ye kill yer wives?” the earl asked.

  Deep lines appeared on Laird Munroe’s forehead as he formulated an answer. “I loved my first wife, Alvina, an English lass. I lost her on the birthing bed, and my only son perished with her. She left me with three young daughters. What was I supposed to do with them? I married again after I finished mourning my first wife.”

  The earl propped his elbow on the edge of the table and rested his chin on his hand. “What about yer other two wives?”

  “Why do ye inquire about my past now?”

  The earl pushed the missive across the table. “Read it if ye wish.”

  Baran picked it up. It dinna take long for him to grunt and look up at the earl. “She accuses me of many things.”

  “I find there is always some measure of truth in rumors.”

  Laird Munroe returned to reading, and when he was finished, he dropped the parchment on the table, looking completely disgusted. “She has nay right.”

  “Maybe not,” the earl said. “But I will have an answer. Did ye murder yer wives?”

  “My second wife took her own life. She couldna bear living with me or my nephew. As for my third wife…”

  “Aye?”

  “She committed adultery with one of my soldiers. I starved her to death—well within my rights as a laird and husband.”

  “And her lover?”

  “Boiled alive.”

  The earl tried to digest everything Baran had told him. Aye, the earl had killed and ordered the executions of many men is his lifetime, but to starve a woman, his own wife, and to boil a man alive, well, it dinna sit well with him.

  “The MacKays are yer enemies.”

  “We have never been allies. But there’s been relative peace between us these last few years.”

  “And will ye let yer daughter make a fool of ye, a mockery of yer clan?”

  “Helen is a level-headed young woman. And until I read her missive, I never realized how intelligent and self-preserving she really was, or how much she loved me.”

  “What are ye saying? Ye have no right to cancel the betrothal.”

  The Earl of Sutherland chuckled. “I am a fair man, Laird Munroe. How many men escorted ye here?”

  “Thirty.”

  “Do ye care to make a wager?” The earl enjoyed games of risk, especially if he dinna have to get his hands dirty.

  “What do ye have in mind?”

  “If ye can bring Helen back to Dunrobin Castle, I will bless yer union. But she must remain unharmed.”

  “And what do ye gain if I fail?”

  “Yer ships.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Taking afternoon walks with Master Jamie had become routine for Helen. She found herself looking forward to their time together more and more. They spoke of many things: family and faith, how the Highlands were changing, and what futures they wanted. She undoubtedly loved him, if love for a man set yer stomach aflutter, gave ye sleepless nights, and made ye lose yer appetite. All of these she suffered gladly, for it was a small price to pay for the continuous smile on her face and the joy in her heart.

  “Tis almost time to meet Master Jamie in the bailey,” Miran said, securing Helen’s cloak around her shoulders.

  “Aye,” she said, “I wouldna miss it for anything.”

  “Ye are happier, milady, settled.”

  “I am slowly learning to enjoy this newly found freedom, to believe it might last. I thought my father would have sent his men, or at least one of my brothers, here by now. I can only hope my missive touched his heart and he has chosen to give me some time.”

  “I am sure it helps that Lady Keely lived with ye for all those years. Perhaps yer father knows ye are safe here.”

  Helen tied the laces on her cloak and slipped her feet into the boots Miran set on the floor in front of her. “Aye. The earl liked Keely verra much. In fact, he often complimented her wit and suggested I learn from her.”

  Miran smiled. “Lady Keely is a strong woman.”

  “And the best of friends.”

  They left the bedchamber and went belowstairs, walked outside, finding Jamie and Kuresh waiting.

  “Good afternoon, Lady Helen and Miran.” Jamie bowed.

  “Lady Helen. Mistress Miran,” Kuresh greeted them.

  “Where is Petro today?” Miran asked.

  “He is busy with Laird Alex,” Kuresh answered. “I hope you don’t object to me walking with you today instead of Petro.”

  “Nay,” Miran said. “As long as ye can keep up and entertain me with stories like the scholar does.”

  “Miran,” Helen said, shaking her head. “I welcome ye, Kuresh.”

  Once they reached the loch, Kuresh invited Miran to walk on. But she hesitated.

  “Tis my duty to stay with Lady Helen.”

  “And I am relieving ye of that duty for a bit,” Jamie said. “Her reputation willna suffer a fatal blow by sitting with me alone here on the rocks.”

  “Well…” the maid looked at Helen.

  “Would you like fresh rabbit for dinner?” Kuresh asked.

  “Rabbit?”

  “Yes. I set traps two days ago and need to check them. Will you help me?”

  Miran licked her lips. “I will.”

  Helen watched her walk away, stopping several times to look back.

  “She is verra protective of ye,” Jamie said.

  “Aye, she’s a Godsend. From the first night she treated me kindly.”

  “Miran is an unusual lass.”

  “Aye?”

  “She’s my cousin.”

  “I am sure ye have hundreds of cousins here.”

  “What Highlander doesna?” He chuckled. “Not a distant kinswoman. She’s my aunt’s daughter.”

  Helen dinna know. That would explain Miran’s training and ability to read and write. “Then why does she live as a servant?”

  Jamie shrugged. “Boredom. After her parents died, the lass withdrew, stopped eating and talking for a time.”

  “How did they die?”

  “The way many of our people did, in unprovoked attacks,” he said gravely and looked away.

  Helen knew immediately who was at fau
lt. “My father?”

  “There’s no definitive proof. Yer father is a calculating enemy, Helen. He sends mercenaries to do his bidding, not Sutherland soldiers.”

  “I-I…”

  Jamie took her hand. “I will never blame ye for what the earl does. But I will never lie to ye if ye ask me questions. Ye have a right to the truth.”

  Sometimes she thought it might be better not to know how far her father’s treachery stretched across the northern Highlands. As the wealthiest and most powerful noble in the region, Helen thought her sire had a responsibility to make peace with the lesser clans, not use his superiority against them. “If he is to blame for the deaths of Miran’s parents, I am incomprehensibly angry and sad.”

  “Nothing can change it, Lady Helen.”

  “Nay, but I can work doubly hard to make sure the lass has a good life.”

  “Miran isna like other women her age. She’s stubborn and outspoken. And has a dowry large enough to attract any man she wants.”

  “Truly?”

  “Her father was a merchant. He travelled to Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, and Paris, selling his wares and our wool.”

  “I wish her every happiness, Jamie. I’ve begged her to come with me wherever I must go.”

  “And what did she say?”

  “This is her home.”

  “She’s verra loyal.”

  “And inscrutable!”

  “Aye, that she is.”

  “Where shall we walk today?” Helen asked, hoping to lighten the mood between them. It seemed no matter where she went, her father’s notoriety overshadowed her.

  “I doona wish to walk anywhere,” he said, facing her. “This place holds special significance for us, aye?”

  She gazed across the loch, then at the woods surrounding the area. Aye, they’d spent much time together there. Shared their first kiss, had their first argument, and discussed everything under the sun and moon. “Aye,” she agreed.

  “Then I wish to stay here.”

  “As ye wish, Jamie.” She gazed at him, worried that something had happened. “Is Ramsey well?”

  The corners of his lips hitched up. “The lad is strong and healthy.”

  “What about his grandmother?”

  “She wishes to stay here, to help raise him.” Jamie combed his fingers through his hair. “I admit, at first I dinna like the idea. But after seeing the way she cares for the lad, I dinna have the heart to say no. Truthfully, I doona know anything about raising a bairn.”

  “Doona be so critical of yerself,” she offered, thinking of Keely and Miran’s kind words to her. “Ye’ll learn quickly. Besides, I think ye’re already a good father. Look at how considerate ye are, letting Nudar stay.”

  “She’s a soothsayer—Kuresh calls her a witch.”

  “There are plenty of seers in the Highlands, what harm in adding another?”

  “Helen…” He touched her cheek, his adoration more real than she had ever seen.

  “What troubles ye, Jamie?”

  “Everything,” he began. “Not knowing where we’ll end up. Not knowing what yer father intends to do with ye.”

  “I understand.” Better than he’d ever know. Females dinna have the luxury of making choices for themselves. She lived at the mercy of her sire and brothers, and now Laird Alex. That uncertainty made her feel like she was walking on eggshells every day.

  “Do ye believe in fate, Helen?”

  “Perhaps a little. But I believe in God’s providence more. That everyone and everything has a purpose.”

  Jamie scooped up a handful of snow. “Even this?”

  “Aye.”

  He let the clump of snow fall to the ground. “Ye are a curious woman.”

  “I believe in ye, Jamie.”

  “I’d hoped for such words, Helen of the Highlands.”

  What was going on inside his warrior mind? He looked so different, so out of sorts. The shock of gaining a son could be to blame. But who could look at Ramsey’s sweet face and not fall in love instantly? Nay, something else troubled him. “Why?”

  “Because I have something to tell ye, to ask ye.”

  Helen took a deep, steadying breath and sat down on her favorite boulder. Better to sit than fall down if he told her something that made her unsteady on her feet. She folded her hands in her lap and focused all of her attention on him. “Tell me anything.”

  “I’ve spent enough time with ye to know that ye are the finest woman I have ever met. Kind and lovelier than any lass. And yer kisses … God, Helen, yer kisses light my soul on fire. I canna think about anything else. Just when the next opportunity will present itself when I can drag ye to that damned storeroom and taste yer sweet mouth again.”

  If that dinna steal her breath, nothing would. She sighed, wet heat forming between her thighs. How could a man’s lust-filled words make her body respond in such a way?

  “I’m nay a patient man, Helen. Not even a good one, compared to Alex or Petro. I’m a beast—have thought about bedding ye since that night in the great hall when we both stared at each other.”

  “Is that why ye asked me about fate?”

  “Aye.”

  “And how do ye know I wasna thinking the same thing that night?”

  He chuckled softly. “Ye? I wouldna believe it if ye said ye were.”

  “I was,” she confessed.

  Jamie’s steady stare intensified as he shifted on his feet. She gazed at his strong legs, narrow waist, and broad shoulders. He exuded raw power and strength, intelligence and danger. If she had to face him on the battlefield, she’d faint.

  “Lass…”

  “Jamie … speak plainly to me. I doona understand.”

  He stepped in front of her, gathered both her hands in his, then dropped to his knees. “Lady Helen Sutherland, will ye marry me?”

  Her heart nearly burst with joy. “Marry ye?” she repeated.

  “Aye.”

  What about her father? Her supposed betrothal to Laird Munroe? How could she promise to be his wife if she wasna sure where she’d be tomorrow? “Jamie. Marrying me is dangerous, I think. There is no guarantee that my father will accept ye. And what if Laird Munroe…”

  “I’ll kill him before he ever lays a hand on ye, Helen. Believe me, no one will ever take ye against yer will. If ye love me…”

  “I do.”

  “Ye do?”

  “Hopelessly,” she confessed.

  “I love ye, lass. More than I have words for.”

  She jumped up, nearly knocking him over. “Aye,” she said. “I will marry ye.”

  He stood and scooped her up, slanting his mouth over hers.

  Helen could kiss him forever, love him forever. She broke away, gazing up at him.

  “When do ye wish to marry?”

  “Tonight,” he said.

  *

  After Miran and Kuresh had made it half way around the loch, it occurred to her that there were no rabbits. Why had he lied to her? So Jamie and Helen could be alone? Or… What if Kuresh intended to seduce her? She stopped abruptly and propped a hand on her hip. “Why are we here?”

  “Rabbits,” he said quietly.

  “Rabbits? Ye are a bad liar.”

  He frowned, his deep brown eyes growing black. “Never accuse me of being a liar again.”

  “Or what?”

  “This…” He tugged her into his arms and slanted his mouth across hers, kissing her firmly.

  At first, Miran liked the way it felt, but then she remembered herself and who he was. She pushed him away violently and spat on the ground to rid herself of his taste. “See! Ye are a liar!”

  Kuresh laughed then, something she’d never seen him do before. “Why am I a liar?”

  “There are no rabbits.”

  “You are the rabbit. My beautiful one.”

  Beautiful? He dared to compliment her? “Ye doona know me. And ye have no right to…”

  He closed the distance between them again and kissed her even harder
.

  She nipped his bottom lip, drawing blood.

  Alarmed, he stepped back, touching his mouth, then looking at the blood on his fingers. “You bit me.”

  “Ye called me a rabbit. And when rabbits are frightened, they bite.”

  Kuresh chuckled so hard she wanted to smack him. Miran dinna like being the center of attention or the brunt of any man’s bad jokes. “I will report ye to Laird Alex.”

  “I will go with you and tell him how you kissed me a second time.”

  She gaped at him. How many lies would he tell in one day? “More untruths.”

  “Bending reality to your will isn’t lying.”

  “Nay?” Then what was it exactly?

  “I demand ye to take me back to Lady Helen and Jamie.” She stomped her foot.

  “No.”

  “What?”

  “No. They deserve this time alone.”

  “Then I will run back to the keep without ye.”

  Kuresh looked beyond her, in the direction of the keep. “Go then. But be quick about it, woman, unless you want me to catch you and kiss you again.”

  Miran stared at him in amazement. She was accustomed to arrogant Highlanders, especially her cousins. But Kuresh … though ruggedly handsome and dangerous with a sword, he was a foreigner—not a kinsman, not even a trusted ally. Just a stranger with a beautiful face who had taken advantage of her. “’S e plaigh a th’ annad,” she cursed, calling him a plague.

  Kuresh’s laughter echoed around her as she ran away, following the narrow path their footprints had left in the fresh snow. She despised him, and always would.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Helen deserved all the finery a wedding demanded, but time was short—they needed to marry quickly so he could protect her not only with his body but with his name. Jamie hadna shared that part with her, the lass dinna need any reasons to doubt his love. As his wife, he’d have every legal right to take her wherever he wanted, and if that meant leaving Scotland with her, he would. However, Sands Airgid would be the first step. Let her sire or Laird Munroe come there if they dared.

  “Jamie,” Keely said, both of her babes in her arms. “Ye are a fortunate man. Helen has always been like a sister to me, and now she really will be.”