“Girl?”
Lachlan shrugged. “Yesterday she was certain ’twas a boy. The midwife believes that it will be born within the next few weeks, but I fear that we will not be making it to yer wedding.”
Wedding. Ness nodded curtly. He’d come here to forget about his impending wedding to the woman he knew nothing about. Ever since hearing the news, he'd been left with a sour taste in his mouth that no amount of ale could wash away.
“There is no reason to look so terrified,” Sloane huffed as she narrowed her eyes dangerously. The bright and happy expression was slipping from her face. “Marriage isna so bad.”
“Yer marriage nearly got ye killed,” Ness reminded her. First it was her father constantly putting her in danger, and then it was one of Lachlan's closest friends who blamed her for his sister's death. “Besides, I am here to visit with my family and not talk about marriage.”
He’d gone to court thinking he’d be discussing the future of his clan. Under Errol's rule, they'd stopped trading. Coin ran low. Buildings were starting to crumble. Lachlan and Gair had helped him come up with a plan to get the Fentons back on their feet, and he'd planned to present it to the court. Instead, the King wanted to discuss Ness's personal future.
And his impending marriage to the King’s cousin, a woman that Ness had never even met or heard of. Marriage for an alliance was one thing, but Ness was still a young laird. He should be focusing on the Fenton clan and not marrying royal blood, but the King wanted his kin married into the alliance. There were times when he could be paranoid, and Ness suspected that he feared the union between the five biggest clans would one day turn on him.
It was preposterous. In all of their meetings, not one of the lairds mentioned treason against King James.
On the other hand, marrying into the King's family would ensure his clan would be looked after, and that was his primary goal. Errol Fenton had nearly ruined them in his own personal vendetta, and it was Ness’s job to make sure it was restored to its former glory. His friendship with Lachlan and Gair Brisbane had helped, but his marriage to the King’s cousin would solidify it.
“So ye are here because ye are a coward?” Sloane accused suddenly as she poked a finger into his chest. Her voice shook just a little, and Lachlan shook his head vigorously from behind. “Ness, I am disappointed in ye.”
Despite Lachlan's warning, he would not let Sloane's mood swings manipulate him. “Ye were such a sweet little girl,” Ness grumbled as he captured her hands. “I am no coward. I am just taking a detour to visit with family while I am out traveling. Ye are not being a gracious host.”
With a sigh, Sloane all but fell into his arms, and Ness suppressed a grunt as he caught her. The reminder of family had dried her tears, and she embraced him tightly. “Ye are right, and I am sorry. Ye are here for marital advice, and Lachlan and I will be happy to give it to ye.”
“What?” Ness frowned as Sloane disengaged and grabbed his arm to tug him from the room. Helplessly he tried to figure out how she’d gotten that message as he followed behind her. “Nay, I am certainly not here for marital advice. I doona want to discuss marital anything! Lachlan, control yer wife!”
Behind him, Lachlan snorted. “I suppose that will be the one thing ye should learn up front. If ye have a good wife, there will be no controlling her.”
That was not what Ness wanted to hear.
"Doona judge my plate of food," Sloane said at dinner over her cup of water as she added another biscuit to her plate. "I am eating for two."
"I wouldna dream of it." Ness chuckled and sat back. He was at ease here. Everyone at the table chatted merrily. As soon as Ness had taken over as laird, he'd exiled most of Errol's most trusted men because he knew they would plot to overthrow him. In their place, he'd taken three of his friends and promoted them as his closest warriors, not because they were his friends but because they supported his vision for the clan and were fierce and loyal. Over the last two years, Alec, Nicholas, and Idris were as familiar with the Lachlan and Brisbane lands as he was, and they were just as comfortable at the table as he was.
"So," Lachlan nudged. "Ye are keeping us all in suspense. Tell us more about the lass. What do ye know of her?"
He should have known that he couldn't get away with getting through dinner without talking about his marriage. Slowly, he put down his fork and reached for the wine. "Almost nothing," he admitted. "I know that her name is Ava, and she is twenty years of age. The King has been her guardian for half of her life because she lost her parents. He warns me that he kept her sheltered.”
Across the table, Elspeth snorted. "Just like a man."
"Elspeth," her husband hissed. "That is the King."
"Aye, and I have declared fealty to him, but I willna hold my tongue about any man who thinks that sheltering a woman so he can marry her for political alliance is a good idea. She is flesh and blood, not an object to sit on the shelf and be polished so she can remain pretty."
"For the last two years, the King has given her some freedom," Ness explained. "She has been living with Laird Brodie of the Donahues under Royal Guard supervision. The King assures me that this was for her education, and her progress is notable. She will make a fine wife."
Elspeth rolled her eyes, and Sloane leaned forward. "What exactly does the King think a fine wife entails?"
Ness sighed. "That I doona know, but Ava is supposedly skilled in household duties."
"If that is all it took to be a wife, then I doona think any of the women at this table would have a successful marriage," Lachlan teased. "What about ye, Ness? What are ye hoping to get out of the marriage?"
There was only one thing he wanted. "I require someone to bring unity. I am hoping a wife will do that."
"Unity?" Lachlan frowned. "Ye are still fearing a coup?"
"Cormac's following grows larger every day. He isna a warrior. From what I can tell, he lived a quiet life up until Uncle's death, but since then, 'tis clear that he wants control of the clan."
"Ye must be careful," Lachlan said as he leaned forward. His eyes were dark with worry. "'Tis yer clan by blood. Ye must strike before there is a problem. I get the feeling that this Cormac could become a problem. A violent one."
Ness shook his head. "These people doona trust me. If I act without solid cause, then they will never trust me. I willna be my uncle. The Fentons are allowed a voice, and I cannae strike simply because they doona like me."
Sloane closed her eyes, and Ness knew what she was thinking. Her father, his uncle, had been a monster. He was trying to move past that. "How is a wife going to help with that?" she asked.
"A softer figure by my side will help me dispose of the theories that I am like Uncle. In addition, she'll bring coin for my clan and support from my king. She comes with an immense dowry."
He knew that he spoke coldly, and even Sloane looked disappointed in him, but they had to realize that they were fortunate. Lachlan was the only man at the table who had to marry for political alliance rather than love, and even he did not have the burden of a suffering clan on his shoulder. He married for peace. Ness was marrying for survival.
The Fenton clan was cracking, not just the land and the buildings, but their faith as well. Cormac, one particularly vocal member of the clan, continued to encourage resistance against Ness, and too many Fentons were listening to him. A wife, especially a wife to the kin of the King, would help secure Ness's position as laird and hopefully finally win over his people.
Ness was a fair man. He would not expect more from his wife than she was able to give, and he would not expect love of blind devotion. Respect was earned, as was trust. He knew that. He hoped that he and his wife could be friends of a sort, but he could only imagine what a sheltered and wealthy woman would be like. Quiet. Spoiled. Perhaps horrified when she saw that her new home was nearly in ruin. Leaks from the roof had caused extensive damage and the stone was crumbling. Ness was living in a small cottage while he waited for funds to repair the keep.
It didn't matter. He wanted the support of his wife, but he didn't need it. He just needed the coin that she came with, and once he resigned himself to that, he could resign himself to married life.
"Ye will treat her kindly," Sloane said in a low voice. "Promise me that."
"I treat everyone with kindness so long as they do not betray me. My wife will be no different." Picking up the cup, he drank deeply and tried to loosen the knot in my stomach.
"But yer wife will be different," she said softly with a look of sadness. "I hope it doesna take ye long to realize that."
An awkward silence followed until Alec, trying to get the attention of the pretty lass in front of him, accidentally rubbed his foot against the woman next to him, a married lass with a jealous husband. Laughter ripped through the dining hall when he was called out on his mistake, and the husband jumped up and teasingly brandished his sword. Alec quickly left his seat and made his way to the door with the man in hot pursuit.
"Idris, see that Alec doesn't make more of a fool of himself and finds himself at the end of that sword," Ness said with a grin. Idris snorted and, with Nicholas following close behind, went to save their friend.
"'Tis no worry. I doona think that Thomas would really hurt him," Lachlan said but there was a shadow of doubt in his face. "He does love his wife, though."
That was what turned men into fools.
3
It was two days before Ava was to wed. Grace was insisting on making a spectacle of things. Flowers were gathered to make beautiful decorations and bouquets. The church door was decorated in ribbons, and Grace had men and women scouring the riverbanks for the perfect oathing stones because she did not trust Ness Fenton to bring his own. Hunting parties were sent out to bring back meat for the feast, and trees were chopped down for the big bonfire that would light up the nightly festivities.
A wedding, Grace decided, fit for royalty. Ava despaired that her friend was going through all of the trouble when Ava herself had no plans on attending the wedding.
That night, after distracting the healer so she could snag a sleeping potion, she slipped a few drops in some cups and brought them personally to the guards with her sweetest smile as she thanked them for their service. For two hours, she feared she had not given them enough, but eventually, they slumped to the floor heavily and filled the silence with their snoring.
Ava left a note on the bedside table begging Grace to forgive her and asking her not to worry. Then, gathering the things she had collected for her journey, she stole out into the night.
Goosebumps gathered on her skin as she picked up the skirts of her simple brown dress to keep it from getting muddy. A cold wind swept across her body, but her body was responding more to her own trepidation and excitement than the elements outside. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her arms trembled.
She was really doing it. She was running away.
The groomsman, an older man known for his many naps, slept soundly while Ava led a sweet chestnut mare from the stable named Anu. Perhaps in her younger days, she was fit to be named for a goddess, but now, she was even-tempered with a slow and steady gait. It was the perfect horse for the nobody that she was trying to pass herself off as, and perfect for her since she was not all that steady on a horse.
Anu, Celtic goddess of the moon. Maybe she'd been aptly named after all since she would be carrying Ava away in the night.
After securing the saddlebags holding her extra set of clothes, bedroll, coin, and food, Ava mounted her. The horse moved nervously under her as if she felt Ava’s tension. Gripping the reins, Ava squeezed her eyes shut and slowly blew out her breath.
She could do this. She had to do this. Otherwise, she’d find herself trapped with a monster for the rest of her life, and that was not going to happen.
It was a two days’ ride to Amelia’s lands. As long as she kept off the main roads to avoid any bandits, she should be fine. According to the servants, who chatted happily when she asked what she might see as she rode away with her husband, there was an inn and pub at the halfway mark that had a decent reputation and wouldn’t turn away her coin, but she was prepared to sleep in the woods if it meant her freedom.
There was a snort from the loft above as the groomsman turned in his bed, and Ava knew that she couldn't put off the inevitable. With a quick glance behind her, she urged the mare out and headed into the unknown.
"Do ye think that the King would have forced yer marriage if he had any idea the state of yer home?" Alec laughed as he rode up alongside Ness. "Leaking roof. Crumbling wings. Mud-caked rugs."
"If ye would stop bedding the servants, then we would not have mud-caked rugs, now would we?" Ness snorted. "They might actually want to take pride in their work.”
"'Tis not the bedding that is the problem. 'Tis when I leave them that they get angry because they know that I have ruined them for any other man," he boasted with a wide grin. He sported a new nick on his cheek, a warning from the married man to check before he started flirting under the table again, but it had done little to deflate his ego.
Incorrigible Alec only thanked him for giving him a scar that he could use to woo the ladies.
"Are ye mad, Alec? The wenches have made a pact against ye! We have not had a decent dinner in a fortnight because of ye. We should make ye sleep in the stables!" Idris called from the back.
Everyone laughed, and Alec looked at Ness in alarm. "Ye arena planning on doing that, are ye laird? ’Tis harder to seduce a lass with the smell of horse dung.”
"'Tis a thought. I miss biscuits that do not chip my teeth," Ness teased. He enjoyed their banter. It had taken a long time before he could get the men, even his friends, to trust him after his uncle had broken their spirits. It made the journey more bearable.
They had not stayed on MacFarlane's land for as long as he would have liked. Instead, Sloane, knowing that Ness was trying to put off the inevitable, booted him from the keep and suggested that he return when he was wed so she could meet his wife. Now they were traveling earlier than he expected to Donahue, and it put him in a sour mood, but his friends were lifting his mood.
Nicholas had offered to ride ahead and announce their early arrival, but Ness was against it. If possible, he wanted to catch a glimpse of his wife before they were introduced so he could get a better sense of her.
Alec opened his mouth, no doubt to plead his case for a soft bed and warm blankets, when a loud shriek filled the air. Turning his head sharply, Ness scanned the air, but he saw no disturbance on the road. Sometimes bandits used women to lure in unsuspecting men, but if there was a lass in trouble, he couldn't ignore it. His men apparently thought the same. They all turned their horses and rode hard toward the sound of the scream. Breaking through the tree line, Ness's gut tightened when he saw an unseated horse riding in their direction. "Nicholas," he said to the youngest. "Chase after the horse. Quickly now."
In the clearing, he saw five men laughing gleefully as they surrounded a young lass on the ground. Fury swelled within him. “Doona touch her," he hissed as he reached for his sword and stepped forward to make his presence known.
Alec and Idris were drawing their weapons as well. His duty as laird made him honor-bound to protect others, but seeing a lass in trouble brought back old memories of witnessing the cruelty of his uncle. In one fluid motion, he dismounted from his horse and hurried toward the damsel's side. To his surprise, as soon as the bandits' backs were turned, the lass reached in her skirt and produced a small dagger. With a shriek, she buried it in the closest man's leg and rolled to her feet.
The bandits attacked, and Ness easily slayed the first man. His blood pumped with adrenaline. Maybe it was all the control he had to exert when dealing with his clan, but his body erupted with power. One look at his men, and he knew they felt the same. Their foe don’t stand a chance. They were unorganized, obviously too used to preying on the weak, and within minutes, the attack was over. Those that
had survived raced deeper into the woods, and Ness turned to the woman. He found the lass holding her bloodied dagger and shaking in fear.
Her eyes struck him first. They were a deep green with flecks of gold, and at the moment, they were large and rounded and filled with fear. Her pale lips were drawn in a fierce snarl, and she held herself proudly even though they both knew she was no match for him. In the tussle, her braid had started to come undone, and wisps of auburn hair gleamed under the sun.
She was a beauty, but Ness was not about to let that fact catch him off guard. Frightened women were unpredictable.
"Easy," he murmured as he kept his hands in sight. "We do not wish ye harm. We heard yer distress and came to your aid. One of my men have gone after yer mount, so ye are fortunate. Ye have not lost yer items, yer life, or yer virtue." He did not think that the woman would attack him, but he couldn't be sure.
After a moment of looking around, she nodded, but she didn't lower the blade. "I appreciate yer assistance. I am close to my destination. If ye will leave me be, I am sure I can make my way without much trouble." Her voice was clear and haughty even if it did tremble. She didn't have the canter of uneducated speech, but her dirty and ragged dress spoke of a woman used to hard work.
"Ye are heading to the Donahue lands or to the inn?" he asked her calmly. There was little else in the way of destination before sunset. In the corner of his eye, he saw Nicholas guiding the mare back to her. "If ye would allow us the honor of escorting ye, then we will see ye the rest of the way. I give my word that my men and I ride with honor. We willna harm ye or see any harm come to ye. I am Ness, Laird of the Fenton clan, and I ride by the orders of the King."
Her eyes widened even more. Her mouth opened and then closed again before she seemed to get her bearings. "If ye are riding on the orders of the King, then ye should not stop for a lass like me, although I thank ye for the consideration."
Highlander's Untamed Lass (Highlander's Seductive Lasses Book 3) Page 2
