She didn’t mention her family often, and Alec kept quiet hoping that she would continue. It still boggled his mind that she didn’t want her family to know that she was alive.
“There was a large hill near the cottage, and Lana and I would roll down it until we nearly made ourselves sick. Her mother would get so angry because we stained and ripped dresses, but she never stopped us even when she knew we were headed to the top of the hill. I loved my mother very much, but I didn’t have that kind of childhood, and it was wonderful to share something so innocent with the woman who had become my sister.”
“Connor and I had a similar tradition,” Alec said lightly. “Although instead of rolling down the hill, we’d push our sister Grace down. There was a small pond at the bottom, and we would wager whether or not she’d be able to stop herself before she got wet.”
Cora giggled. “Oh, your poor sister!”
“Poor nothing! She would deliberately pick thorns and burrs in the meadows and then hide them in our beds. She was a hellion. Still is. The best thing about coming here is that I no longer have to deal with her.” He received a letter from them only a couple of days ago congratulating him on his marriage and then chastising him for not waiting so they could join.
She looked over at him and bit her lower lip. “You have not mentioned introducing me to them. Is it because I am English?”
Her feelings were hurt. How did he not see that? She’d lost her family, and he didn’t even have the decency to offer her his?
“Nay. I believe my family will like ye quite a bit. Connor is dealing with a rising feud on his lands or he would have traveled here already.” Stopping at a clearing of the bluffs, he looked over at the beautiful view in front of them. “How about here?”
“This is lovely.” Before he could get to her, she hopped down nimbly from her stallion and landed gracefully.
“Ye are supposed to let yer husband do that,” he grumbled as he followed suit and opened the packs.
“Honestly, Alec, there is no one here but us. There is no need to continue the pretense.” Grabbing the blanket from him, she spread it out.
A knot formed in his stomach. “What do ye mean by that?”
“I have decided that I am comfortable with what we have,” she said simply as she sat down and smiled at him. “You will never come to love me, but we are compatible. You do not seem angry with me that we are marred, and I appreciate that. Things could be far more difficult. I think this is an excellent opportunity for us to discuss how we progress.”
“Progress?” he asked hollowly.
“Set certain ground rules in regards to other people.”
What the devil was she talking about?
“I am not a fool. I know how men are, even in marriage, so I believe it will be better if we are honest with each other. Women have been looking at you. I have noticed, and I do not want you to come to hate me for tying you down when you might want to be with another.”
Rage swept over him, but he tempered it as he opened a cloth of cheese and biscuits and placed it in front of them. “Yer father strayed in his marriage and it resulted in ye.”
Cora nodded impassively. “Yes.”
“And ye have seen firsthand from yer mother that yer father is not the only one.”
“Alec, you do not need to justify my conclusions. I am simply attempting to open up an honest dialogue here.”
An honest dialogue. When she was the one who lied about her name and her family. When she still seemed to keep secrets.
“Is there someone here who has caught yer attention?”
“What?”
“Ye seem to be giving me permission to break the vows that I made to ye, so I cannae help but wonder if ye are simply trying to excuse yer own actions.”
Her eyes chilled just a little as she straightened. “You are not about to imply that I have my eyes on Innes Campbell again, are you?”
“Ye brought his name up.”
Her pain was written all over her face as she stood. “This was a mistake. I should go.”
“Cora.”
Ignoring him, she walked to the horses. “Do not worry. I won’t return to the keep right away. I will take my time so everyone believes we enjoyed ourselves.”
“Ye are not leaving.” Jumping to his feet, he reached out and took her hand. “Ye were the one who started this conversation.”
“Because I cannot figure you out! I have no idea what you want from me! You look at me and you touch me at night as if you adore me, but in the morning, you are never there. During the day, you avoid me, and when we are together at dinner, everything is an act. I fear the day that you look at me with resentment and hatred.”
“And ye are willing to share me to avoid that?” he hissed. “I wilnae share ye, Cora. I wilnae have ye looking at other men or wishing ye are with them when I am in yer bed. Do ye understand me?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “You thought I was with Innes before our marriage bed.”
“And I was wrong. Ye were innocent. I should never have said that.” His grip tightened just a little. “Doona cry, Cora.”
“I don’t want to share you either.”
“I have noticed no women looking at me. I had no plans to marry, and I doona regret that I didnae marry for love. When I am with ye”—he swallowed hard—“there is no one else, Cora. No other woman.”
She opened her mouth, but he heard the familiar twang of string vibrating. He pulled her to the ground and covered her just as the arrow grazed his arm. He didn’t even register the pain as another arrow embedded into the tree trunk next to them.
“Stay down,” he growled as he pulled her up against him and dragged her behind the tree. “You stay here, and you do not get up until I return.”
Her eyes rounded. “Alec, you are bleeding.”
“Stay here!”
Keeping low, he darted behind the next tree and glanced around. Someone had just tried to kill his wife, and he wasn’t about to let that stand.
16
Shock kept Cora where she was until she looked down at her hands. They were covered in blood from Alec’s wound, and her stomach twisted. What if he didn’t return? What if whoever shot those arrows attacked him and he was too weak from blood loss to defend himself?
She couldn’t lose him.
Taking a deep breath, she scrambled to her feet and tried to follow behind him. There was an eerie silence in the wood. No sounds of an attacker and nothing from Alec. Even the birds weren’t singing, but maybe the sound of her own heart pounding was drowning everything out.
What if he was already dead?
Trying to hold back her sobs, she kept moving forward as she searched for him. Finally, when she couldn’t take it anymore, she called out his name. Softly at first until the panic overtook her.
“Cora!”
It was an angry growl as she neared a grouping of bushes, and she nearly wept with relief when he stepped out. “I told ye to stay put!”
“I thought something had happened to you. Oh, we have to get you back. You’re still bleeding.” Maybe it was adrenaline, but she found the strength to rip her skirts and wrap his wound. “You can send someone out for the archer later.”
“He’s long gone.” Alec’s eyes blazed with anger as he looked around. “Aye, we need to get ye back, and then ye arena going anywhere without a guard.”
“You think the arrow was meant for me?” Twisting the fabric, she knotted it tightly.
“I promised to protect ye. I wilnae let anything happen to ye.”
Forcing a smile, she nodded. “Come. We need to see the healer.”
There was a flurry of activity when they returned. Alec, a little weak, still managed to bark out orders before she could convince him to see the healer. Even then, he was still ordering patrols throughout the forest.
Afterward, when he was supposed to be resting, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood. “Alec, what are you doing? Please,” she pleaded.
Her husband ignored her. “Kane?” he asked Jamie. “Do ye think that he was capable of something like this?”
“No.” Jamie shook his head emphatically. “He may not have liked ye in the beginning, but he respects ye now. I think he realizes that he would not be ready to take over, and he respects Duncan’s line. He wouldna do anything to hurt Cora.”
“Jamie, surely this can wait until morning,” Cora tried again.
“Someone else, then. I have not won over all of the MacKays just yet.”
Jamie shook his head. “There might be some discontent among them, but no one hates ye enough to go after Cora.”
“Stop!” Cora shouted as she jumped up. “Am I invisible here or am I mistress of this keep? Jamie, leave us. You can return in two hours.”
Both men gaped at her, and she took a deep breath and pointed to the bed. “You will lay back down or I will tie you down. I am asking for nothing more than two hours for you to rest and ensure that the wound is not worse than we think. Please.”
“Cora,” Alec started.
“Jamie, could you please get me some rope,” she interrupted pleasantly, “and perhaps a couple of men to help me? Even wounded, I think he could overpower me.”
Jamie grinned. “I think we could do that.”
“Enough,” Alec growled. “Look, I am getting in the bed. Two hours though, and then I will make a statement at dinner. Jamie, leave us.”
Unable to breathe easy until Alec was in the bed, she waited until Jamie was gone and hurriedly closed the door behind him. When her husband was settled in the bed, she nearly lost it as she checked the bandage on his arm. “You are still bleeding, so I will need to change this soon, and we will have to monitor you for fever. Your healer is excellent. I could not have sewn you up better myself.”
“Cora.” His voice was soft and caressed her, and she couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her face. Nestled against the pillows, he reached out and pulled her against him. “Doona cry, my sweet. I wilnae let anyone hurt ye.”
Hurt her. He didn’t even seem to fathom the idea that this might be because of her. “Alec,” she whispered. “Alec, I don’t think the person was trying to kill me.”
“Ye are right. I could have been the target,” he acknowledged. “But ’tis more likely ye. Take ye out, and I lose my hold on the clan. Someone like Innes could claim it without having to murder a laird.”
She wanted to tell him the truth. She needed to tell him. Innes didn’t just want the MacKay clan. He wanted her, and he was not above murdering to get to her. If he killed Alec, then he would be free to marry her.
But Lana. God help her, but what would Innes do to Lana? How could Alec protect her? She was too far away. Too vulnerable, and Innes already had people watching her. Ready to take her away at a moment’s notice.
“Promise me that you will be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you,” she whispered as she laid her head down on his chest. “You are more to me than the man I was being forced to marry. Do you understand?”
Stroking her hair, he hushed her. “I am here, Cora. I am not going to leave ye.”
No, he was not, and she was not going to let Innes take him away from her. Maybe it was time to see just how much highlander was in her blood.
Because he suspected that she would somehow know, Alec waited in bed for two hours even though she was asleep before he slipped out. It had shaken him. Not just the arrows but the fact that she had been so terrified for him.
Him. She’d done nothing but try to escape him, but she’d gone after him because she was scared. She could have walked right into the path of a killer, but she didn’t want to lose him.
He couldn’t let this happen again.
The dining hall was packed more than usual that night. Some, he suspected, wanted to see if he would show up, but others were waiting for his orders. There was nothing but respect in that hall. Cora belonged to them now, and they recognized that. They would protect her.
Silence fell as he walked in. Taking his spot at the head of the table, he waited a beat before he grinned. “Sorry to break it to ye, but ye cannae get rid of me that easily.”
Laughter rippled through the hall. “As many of ye heard, there was an attack today. Whether that attack was against me or my wife remains to be seen, but I trust that everyone here will do their part to protect yer mistress.”
Kane stood and nodded his head. “She is the daughter of Duncan. We will give our lives for her, and for ye, our laird.”
It was the first time that Kane had publicly acknowledged his fealty. Slowly, the MacKay men stood and all bowed their heads, each echoing his sentiments.
Cora may have felt like she no longer had her English family, but she had a Scottish one. He wished she was here for this, to see that she was loved.
“If Innes Campbell is behind this, then I want proof. From here forward, Innes Campbell isnae an ally. He is the enemy.”
“And if he is not?” someone asked.
Alec leveled his gaze. “Then it is one of ye.”
17
Cora’s hands shook as she sealed the letter and handed it to Mary. Alec had her watched like a hawk now, and there was no way that she could leave the keep, but Mary could still come and go, and she knew that Mary wouldn’t tell on her. “I don’t want you going to Campbell on your own. You’re too pretty,” Cora said with a brave smile. “Hire a messenger from one of the villages.”
It was the next day, and Cora had barely slept. Her nightmares were no longer about being in the prison. It was about finding Alec’s body at the hands of Innes.
“Ye should tell Alec the truth,” Mary whispered.
Cora’s heart broke. “If I tell Alec, my sister will die. If I do nothing, then Alec will die. I cannot choose between my husband and my sister. I won’t.”
“And ye think that ye can reason with a man like Innes?”
Reaching out, she clasped Mary’s hands in hers. “I will do what it takes to protect the people that I love. Please do this for me, Mary. I just need to know what he wants. It’s just a conversation.”
Mary nodded. “All right. So long as ’tis just messages. Ye wilnae go see him.”
“I cannot even leave my chambers without being watched. How am I going to leave the keep?”
“True enough.” Mary grinned wolfishly. “Say what ye want about yer man, but he knows how to protect his woman.”
His woman. Cora warmed at that. She hoped that maybe Alec felt the same.
Although she expected nothing different, she was still disappointed when, an hour later, Alec returned with blood soaking his bandage. It would be wasting her breath to tell him to take it easy. At least he had come to her rather than letting it continue to bleed.
“The healer is better at suturing than me,” she told him as she sewed the wound closed. It didn’t look swollen, so that was a good sign. Just a little bruised.
“I doona want her to tend to me,” Alec said as he stared at her. “I want ye.”
“You don’t need to be wounded to see me,” she teased as she rewrapped the bandage and knotted it. “I am your wife. It is permissible to simply visit me.”
“Ye are angry about the guards.”
She walked to the washbasin and cleaned her hands. “No, I understand the need for them, but I am not used to being watched.”
“Harder to be sneaky that way.”
Her stomach flipped, but when she glanced over to him, there was an easy smile on his handsome face. They’d faced a harrowing experience, and he seemed at ease with it. Playful even.
It was disconcerting.
“How would you like it if I had women watching you to make sure that you didn’t reopen your wound?” she retaliated.
“Annoyed. Luckily, ye cannae do that.” Rising from the chair, he tugged at the bandage and grunted in approval. “Ye do good work.”
“Then take care of my good work.”
Leaning down, Alec planted a kiss on her forehead. �
��My brother has heard of the incident. He is coming to visit. He should be here by tomorrow. I am certain that Gaston will have messaged the King as well, but I doona think that he will make another visit.”
“It will be nice to meet your brother. I promise to play the loving wife.”
To her surprise, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “For a moment, I thought that someone might kill ye. I didnae like feeling that way, Cora.”
“Are you blaming me?”
“No. I am just telling you how I feel. I may miss dinner this evening, so I am arranging for a late and private dinner with ye.”
“I will plan accordingly.”
As he walked away she realized, startled, that this wasn’t a ploy. No one would be watching them have an intimate dinner. Maybe he did want to spend time with her.
More than anything, she hoped that Innes would realize the error of his ways and stop.
Just because she wasn’t joining the clan dinner tonight didn’t mean that she wasn’t supposed to look after it. Heading to the kitchens, she approached Louisa. The large woman glared at her. “I know what ye and Mary are doing, and I doona like it one bit.”
“It’s just a message,” she insisted as she glanced around. “And not so loud. Alec will be furious if he finds out.”
“For good reason. Ye of all people should know what kind of man Innes Campbell is. He isnae going to negotiate with ye. He isnae going to stop until he gets what he wants. Ye want my advice? Tell Alec so yer husband can put a sword through the man’s belly.”
“Louisa!” Inhaling sharply, Cora shook her head. “You know what will happen if Alec kills Innes. His brother will retaliate, and there will be a bloody feud. There has to be another way, and I am going to find it.”
“Ye are hoping that Innes wants money? Ye doona have any money.”
First she needed to know what Innes would settle for. Then she would figure out the answer. “Haven’t you heard?” she teased lightly. “I am a thief. I am told that Laird Sinclair will be here in a couple of days with some men. How does our food storages look?”
Highlander's Beautiful Lia ( Historical Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance) Page 12
