Highlander's Cursed Bride: A Steamy Scottish Historical Romance Novel

by Lydia Kendall

  “Well, I daenae think me parents will be of any help. Ian is the same age as I am, any other people older than the Earl that may know about this are retired and loyal to the Earl. They will not want to speak a word to ye if they see that ye are English,” Aidan said as he scratched his beard.

  “Who are they?” Joan asked and he looked down at her. “Those elderly Scots.”

  "Me parents and yer faither might know but we canna approach any of them. Then there is the retired general, the knights, the Earl's mother, and a few…”

  “The Earl's mother! We can go to her”" Joan chirped as she pushed Aidan to his horse and mounted it. “She will have our answers!”

  “Honestly, ye think the Countess Charlotte, mother of the Earl who wants yer town to crumble to dust, will give ye answers?” Aidan asked with one eyebrow raised. “Get on the horse before I leave ye behind.”

  “Thank you, my love,” Joan replied softly, leaning backwards into his body as the horse neighed as if it agreed with them. She could feel his smile without seeing his face and she felt the love rush over her. She turned slightly toward him and rubbed her cheeks on his.

  “Now, let us hope that the Countess will give us an ear. But first we have to get ye into something comfortable. That armor looks terrible on ye. Ye should nae meet the Countess in that.”

  “There is hardly any time and I have nothing to wear” Joan said as she looked at him behind her.

  “Me mother has plenty riding habits. I can hurry to get one for you. She would not notice if one went missing. It will be more comfortable to wear instead of this armor,” he said as he helped her turn in the direction of his estate. “Ye will hide while I go get it for ye,” he said and Joan nodded.

  Aidan left Joan at a two-room hunter’s hut near the estate. He led his horse inside and handed it to a stable boy who was waiting at the gate. Aidan was immediately greeted by the estate steward, Conner. “Sir Aidan.” Aidan replied with a curt nod. “Is there anything ye need?”

  “Nay. Nothing at all,” Aidan dismissed him with a quick wave of his hand as he made his way into the estate and to his parent's chambers.

  He locked the door behind him, rushed to his mother's wardrobe, and pulled out one of her riding habits off the hanging hook. He folded it and grabbed a pair of shoes before closing the wardrobe. Stepping out of the chamber he ran into Conner. He shoved past the steward to avoid questioning. Stepping out to the yard, he snatched the reins of his horse back from the stable boy who stepped back as Aidan mounted his horse and rode off.

  He got to the hut quickly and found her pacing up and down the room. “I got the clothes for ye,” he said, and she looked up at him, beaming.

  “You did not bring a corset along, did you?” she asked as she got up to meet him and he shook his head. “Thank you.” She took the clothes from him.

  “Ye will need some help taking that armor off. It looks heavy for you to handle alone,” he said, and she smiled sheepishly.

  “I can manage it.”

  Why is she being shy all of a sudden?

  “I think we are past that, Joan,” he teased and Joan responded with a playful push. “Let me just help ye with the armor.”

  “All right then, just the armor,” she said as she set the clothes on the ground and turned around so Aidan could help her take off the armor.

  Aidan though could not keep his hands to himself. He started tracing Joan’s naked neck with his lips.

  “Aidan,” Joan moaned as she tried to step away.

  “I want you,” Aidan said softly as he moved closer to her from behind. “I want you now, me love,” he whispered into her earlobes and she shivered into his embrace.

  Aidan's desire intensified as he smelled her essence. He began to kiss his way down her cheek toward her collar bone. Joan let the loose armor slip off to the floor and she grabbed him, pushing her hips against his throbbing manhood as Aidan inched backwards to receive her thrust with a moan.

  He moved one of his hands from her arm to cup her breasts and he pressed her closer with the other. He tried to find his way under her gambeson but he felt the belt tightly holding it together. He began to fondle the belt and he heard Joan giggle. She joined him and they tore the belt off in a frenzy.

  He could tell that she was aching for his touch as she hastily unhooked the gambeson and moved his hands under it. He roamed her bare skin with the tip of fingers, teasing her as she shook. He finally ran his hand under her trousers and she moaned loudly as he caressed her between the thighs.

  Eyes closed, she turned around fervidly and reached for his hair. She pulled it and climbed on his feet as she gently slammed her lips into his. He could once again smell her fragrance as she invited his tongue into her mouth. He pushed back hungrily into the moist space between her luscious lips. She gripped his head harder and he held her buttocks as if to keep their lips from never parting.

  They separated for a moment to remove all their clothes and shoes but their eyes stayed locked and their smiles grew wider as if in a race to see who could finish first. The lowly-lit hut was charged with passion as the couple flung their clothes and rushed to each other.

  Joan launched herself at Aidan, fully unclad and he grabbed her mid-air as they both celebrated their stunt. Their eyes closed as their foreheads met and the laugher subsided.

  “I love you so much, Aidan,” Joan said to him. He could swear she smelled like roses.

  “I love you too…” Aidan started to reply but Joan nibbled on the tip of his nose before kissing it. They opened their eyes and locked their lips slowly and passionately. The soft sounds she made as they kissed filled his soul as he ran his hand down her spine.

  He let her down on the floor and laid gently on her. She grabbed his manhood and stroked it gently, pulling it toward her inner thighs. He moved down to her breasts and licked before sucking on her nipples. She moaned and grabbed him harder as he pulled on her nipples with his teeth. He could feel her excitement under him as she pulled him nearer to herself on the floor. She clutched his back as he found his way into her.

  He could tell he was too much for her so he thrust gently. She twisted and turned her hips to properly welcome him. The height of his raw desire matched the depth of her mounting internal heat and they moaned together.

  He kissed her as he thrust faster, swallowing her small cries. She lifted her back from the ground and rolled him over, taking control of the action. He tore deeper into her as she balanced herself on his thighs. She pulled his hair and kissed his neck as she rode him. He noticed her pleasure build up.

  He could feel the intense heat in his waist as her breasts brushed his face but he waited for her. The whole room rocked as her movement turned fierce and her head flipped backwards, her hair brushing against his face. He shut his eyes as he felt her spasm and the inevitable violent contractions of his manhood.

  Her spasms sent her into his arms, and they found themselves in an imbalanced yet tight embrace. They locked lips passionately even as she laid beside him, basking in the glow of their climax

  “Ye were amazing, me love,” Aidan said, his chest heaving as he spoke.

  “It was quite a lot at first; it was a mix of pain and pleasure, but I loved it,” Joan replied, her head now on his chest. They relaxed for a while in the hut, staring at the low ceiling and exchanging frequent kisses. “We should get ready to leave,” Joan said as she stood up.

  She wore the riding habit and Aidan wore his clothes. She folded the gambeson and laid it beside the armor

  “Now can we go to the Countess?” Joan said as she adjusted her shoes.

  “Ye look so gorgeous, me love,” Aidan stood, arms akimbo, admiring his beloved.

  “Thank you.” Joan blushed as she examined herself. “Where does the Countess live?”

  “Countess Charlotte lives on the outskirts of the town,” he answered as they began to travel.

  “Why does she not stay with the Earl?”

  “I daenae know. The Countess
is a very reserved woman. She preferred to stay away from all the politics after her husband, the former Earl, died. She moved into one of the properties owned by the late Earl some weeks after he died and she has been there ever since,” Aidan explained, and Joan replied with a hum. "What are ye thinking, me love?”

  “I just find it odd that she would not want to stay with her son. Is he always a difficult person?” Joan asked again.

  “Well, like any other leader, he wants what he wants, but if ye are close to him he can also be very compassionate.”

  “How long have you worked with him?”

  “About six summers ago when his faither died. I worked with the late Earl since I was fourteen summers. That was when I fought me first war,” Aidan said with a hint of pride in his voice.

  Joan looked back at him, disbelief and shock evident on her face. “You cannot be serious.”

  “I speak the truth, me love,” he said, grinning at her.

  “Who let you onto the battlefield so young?” she asked angrily and Aidan chuckled nervously.

  “It is normal here. Women are delayed a while but they are allowed to fight. Me mother is the only woman I saw on a battlefield before I reached twenty summers. There are female knights everywhere in Scotland. Me mother is the only female soldier in this town,” Aidan explained as they entered the village.

  “That is very brave of her. I barely even know how to use a butter knife,” Joan said and they both laughed.

  “I could teach ye,” Aidan said after the laughter died down. “After all of this war nonsense and we are finally together. I will teach ye all you want to know.” Her eyes widened as she looked at him.

  “You promise?”

  “I promise, but we have to stop this war,” he said, making her straighten up again. He could see the determination in her eyes.

  Chapter 26

  “We have arrived, me love,” Aidan said, and he heard Joan gasp.

  “This place is beautiful, Aidan,” Joan gushed as Aidan stopped his horse at the entrance. Unlike the Earl's estate, the Countess had only a handful of guards and servants in the yard.

  The home was separated from the walls of the town by a river that flowed slowly, surrounded by ornamental trees that blocked most of the evening sunlight, allowing the rays of sun that did manage to pass through the canopy that the trees created to cast a golden glow on the quaint house.

  Aidan stretched a hand out for Joan as she got down from his horse and she held onto his arm. “It looks a little lonely,”

  “Yes, the Countess wanted a quieter place to live so she chose this property,” Aidan said as the guards stepped aside for them. Aidan saw Joan's questioning gaze and hurriedly gave her an explanation. “I am well known around here. I am Aidan, the great one,” Aidan boasted, beating his chest as he joked.

  Joan noticed his attempt at humor and bowed slightly to him. Aidan grabbed her hand as they walked. “I am truly happy when I am with you, Joan.”

  “I am happy with you too. We can do whatever we want later. For now, let's try to save our people,” Joan said.

  “All right, me love,” Aidan said, squaring his shoulders. “I hope, for all our sakes, that she knows something that can help us.”

  A large door was pushed open for them and they were met by a well-dressed woman.

  “Sir Aidan, it is a pleasure to see ye again,” the woman said with a smile that quickly dropped when she saw Joan. “I see, ye have a new...”

  “This is Miss Hale,” Aidan said and the woman gave a quick curtsey. “Joan meet Emily. She is a close friend of mine. She is also the Countess' personal maid.”

  “Me apologies, Miss. I thought ye was one of his women,” Emily said, her smile returning to her face. “I take it that ye want to see the Countess?”

  “Yes. Is she available?” Joan asked, and Emily shook her head. “Why can’t we see her? What is the matter?”

  “The Countess has been in a foul mood, Miss. She is upset about this war that the Earl wants to fight,” Emily replied with a deep sigh. “She had refused to eat after she had an argument with him. I fear for her health.”

  “Well, Miss Hale and I also daenae want this war.”

  “We were with the Earl earlier and he mentioned something about this war being delayed. We want to know why the war has been delayed,” Joan said, and Emily hummed.

  “Have ye gone to Ian? Ian has more historical books than the library,” Emily said, and Aidan shook his head.

  “Ian is busy with the war at the moment.”

  “I see. I will ask the Countess if she wants to see ye,” Emily said and she went back inside. Joan turned to Aidan and he could see the anxiousness in her eyes.

  “Daenae frown like that, me love. We will see her. Daenae get yerself upset so soon,” he said as he kissed her forehead and ran a hand through her hair.

  “I am scared, Aidan. If the Countess refuses to see us, what do we do?” He heard her voice crack at the end. “I fear for our people…”

  “Be strong, Joan. We will stop this before it even starts. Ye have made it this far, why doubt yerself now?” he said as he tilted her head up so she could look at him. “Ye are strong, even stronger than me. Ye have taught me to fight not with me sword but with me truth. If this doesnae work, we will find something else that will, ye hear me?” She took a breath and she nodded.

  “Yes, I suppose you are right,” Joan said, and Aidan could see the determination rise in her eyes. A cough made them jump apart and Aidan reached for his sword but stopped when he saw who had coughed. Emily stood by the door, a teasing smirk on her face directed at Aidan and he looked away from her.

  “The Countess will see ye now,” she said as she stepped out of the way as Aidan and Joan rushed past her.

  “Follow me,” Emily said as she walked past the two and led them to a garden.

  The garden bloomed with radiant flowers and a few herbs and fruits. Short trees were planted at measured intervals. Its square-shaped design was obviously well-tended and its earthy smell blended with the scents of the fruits. Unlike the rest of the town, it seemed there were no stones in the rich soil. The only stones present were colored green and used to mark the path around the garden.

  Aidan could see the figure of a woman seated by a table, her food lay untouched but she did not seem to care. “Sir Aidan and his… partner,” Emily introduced them as they approached where the Countess was seated.

  “Thank ye. Ye are dismissed,” the Countess said in a depressed voice and Emily left after a quick curtsey. The woman got to her feet and turned to them. Aidan felt Joan take his hand and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I am surprised that ye are nae at the war front, Sir Aidan.”

  Yes, about that...

  I can feel my heart hammering against my chest. I did not think I would be this anxious? Thank goodness Aidan is here with me.

  “My Lady.” Aidan gave a short bow and Joan bent her knees to curtsey. “This is Miss Hale. A lady from Haerton.”

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace,” Joan said, and the Countess gave her a warm smile.

  She seems pleasant.

  “Such a fine specimen of English beauty! The pleasure is all mine,” she said, and Joan could see the relief on Aidan's face. She knew her smile meant she was accepted in her presence “A lady from Haerton. What are ye doing so far from home and in Aberdeenshire of all places?”

  Joan looked to Aidan who gave her hand another squeeze and she nodded. “We are here about the war, My Lady,” Joan said, and the Countess perked up. “Haerton is being misled.”

  “How so?” The Countess asked as she stretched her hand out to Joan, who happily took it. “We shall take a walk around the garden while ye explain this misunderstanding to me,” she said as she started to walk with Joan. Aidan followed behind them. The maid opened the doors and waved to Aidan. Aidan replied with a smile and Joan frowned.

  “You see, my father has a fear that if I leave the estate, some unseen harm will befall me.
He is the Lord of Tyrill, a village in Haerton. He has many guards so he kept me in the estate every day. I was allowed only to leave on my birthday and few festival days.”

  “That sounds horrible,” the Countess said with a gasp.

  “That was my life, My Lady. I was out one festival night when I met Aidan and Ian in Tyrill. We became friends fast and I left the estate without the knowledge of my father to see Aidan. When we were caught, we were separated and my father forbade me from ever seeing Aidan. Aidan was also sent away from Haerton after he was beaten for seeing me.” The Countess looked to Aidan and Aidan nodded in agreement.

  Joan continued, “I snuck out that night and ran to Aidan. I begged him to take me with him to Aberdeenshire and he agreed after a lot of persuasion. I was in Aberdeenshire for a while until we had a disagreement and I left for Haerton with two guards who escorted me on my journey back. I was dirty and tattered from my journey and my father was livid, thinking I had been kidnapped and tortured but managed to escape. He marched me to the Duke and gave him false reports about Aberdeenshire.”