by Alice Wilde
“The two of you sit here,” Fiona says, directing us to sit on the stone steps near her feet. “Now, we will proceed with today’s business as before while we wait for the results of their findings.”
Roan and I watch silently as the laird and lady deal with several difficult decisions that must be made regarding their people. It’s no easy task, and it makes me wonder what it will actually be like to rule an entire kingdom.
“I hope they find what they’re looking for soon,” Roan whispers to me. “I’m sure we could both benefit from a comfortable bed.”
“First, we’ll need to make sure Li and Ero are taken care of. I hate to think of them wasting any more time in that dungeon.”
“Of course, lass,” Roan says. “Or we could let them stay in there a bit longer. I kind of like having you all to myself.”
“Roan!”
“Alright, fine. We’ll let them out first,” Roan says with a playful bump of his shoulder against mine.
“My laird and lady!” McLauren and his men burst through the door at the end of the hall and run in breathlessly. He snaps his fingers and his men lay an assortment of fruits and vegetables at our feet. “The rot is gone, as if it was never there!”
Roan and I turn to look up at Fiona and Neil. Fiona’s mouth is agape and her face softens for the first time since we met. She flies out of her seat and wraps her arms around Roan.
“Brother,” she says, tears rolling down her cheeks. “It really is you.”
Roan hugs her, patting her gently on the back.
“Please forgive me. You have to understand my need for caution. The Roan I remember was not the same person I’ve seen these past couple of hours, aside from the red hair and ridiculous height.”
“There is nothing to forgive,” Roan says. “You must protect your people, even if that means protecting them against your own brother.”
Fiona rises, wiping the tears from her face and turning to her husband.
The laird rises slowly from his seat, straightening the tartan of his kilt as he looks out over the Great Hall.
“Clan Artair’s laird has returned home,” he shouts, bowing toward Roan as the room erupts in merriment and praise.
Roan leaps to his feet. “No,” he says. “Please, I have no desire to rule the Artair lands.”
“But you must,” Fiona says. “We cannot be certain of our own future without Artair blood seated as laird.”
“I can’t accept,” Roan says.
The room grows quiet again as everyone, including myself, listens.
“Roan, you can’t come swaggering in here just to ask for help raising an army but refuse to be laird when these people need you. It doesn’t work like that.”
Roan surveys the room and then looks back at Fiona and Neil.
“I’ve been gone for so many years, I barely recognized my home,” Roan says. “How could I possibly be the laird to all these people when I don’t know my own lands?”
“It’s not a choice,” Fiona says. “The blood and magic that run through this land chose for you long ago. I don’t say this lightly.”
“Saints alive,” Neil says. “Do you think I’d give any of this up if I had the choice? Fiona and I have been the laird and lady of the land for decades. We love these people, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the things you love.”
Roan glances over at me. “I know that all too well, but I have already made vows I cannot break.”
“Sleep on it,” Fiona says after a long pause.
“It’s only fair,” I say quietly.
Roan sighs and then nods his head.
“I’ll have you shown to your bedchambers,” Fiona says. “You may have your childhood room if you’d like.”
“I’d prefer to stay with Annalise.”
“What about Li and Ero?” I say.
“Ah yes. We’ll send someone to release them at once and place them in rooms near your own. There should be a couple of rooms available in the west wing to accommodate you.”
A servant steps forward and motions for us to follow her to our rooms. The west wing is quiet and overlooks a sizeable expanse of water. A door is opened and I am ushered into a large room with an enormous four-poster bed. The furnishings are rustic and a large animal pelt is spread out on the floor beside the unlit fireplace.
“Light the fire and bring dinner to her. Oh, and water to wash with,” Roan says with a surprising amount of command in his voice. The woman bobs her head in understanding. Perhaps he’s warming up to the idea of being laird. I wonder what will become of us if he decides to stay.
“I’ll be back to check on you soon,” Roan says as he turns to leave with the servant.
“You’re not going to stay with me?”
Roan pauses, glancing uneasily at the servant. “I need to check on Li and Ero. Dinna fash, no harm will come to you here.”
I watch as he leaves with the servant, unsure why his behavior was so unnatural. I sit down in a chair by the window to wait.
The sun has started to dip toward the horizon when my door swings open once again and servants enter, setting out a meal for me on one of the tables. They tend to the fire and begin boiling water to fill a large basin that has been brought in. One of the ladies lays a nightgown on the bed.
The room warms quickly, and I find myself longing for bed.
“Your bath is ready, my lady,” one of the servants says.
I stand and walk over to the tub of water.
“Will you require any assistance?”
“No, thank you. I prefer to be alone.”
The woman dips her head and she and the other servants exit the room.
“I will come back in an hour or so to see if you require anything further,” she says before shutting the door behind her.
I trail my fingers through the water. It’s piping hot. Deciding it’s better to eat first, I take a seat at the small round table. They’ve set out a dish of fresh fruits, cooked vegetables, several portions of various meats and cheeses, as well as a small, warm loaf of bread with honey. Their harvests really must have recovered for them to be so generous with their portions and selection.
Choosing a bit of cheese, I bite into it and savor the creamy flavor. My appetite suddenly turns ravenous and I take a bit of everything, relishing every mouthful. Thirsty, I take the goblet and sip at the liquid. Red wine. My stomach clenches at the memory of being trapped in the wine barrel, and for a moment, I’m afraid I’ll be sick. I manage to calm myself, but place the drink back on the table. I doubt I’ll be able to look at red wine the same way ever again. Deciding to save the bread and honey for when my stomach has settled, I turn toward my bath.
I slip out of my dirty clothes as quickly as I can, laying them across the back of one of the chairs, and step into the bath. The water is still almost hot enough to scald, but I ease myself into it, allowing the warmth to embrace me even as my skin turns bright pink. I submerge myself below the surface, letting the dirt and grime of the past weeks wash away. Resurfacing, I rest my head on the back of the basin and close my eyes while I soak.
A knock at my door startles me, and I pull my knees to my chest.
“Yes?”
The door opens slightly and a head pops in. Roan.
“You scared me,” I say.
He slips in through the crack in the door and quietly closes it behind him. “Sorry, lass.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to be with you,” Roan says. “You are my wife, are you not?”
“Then why did you leave earlier?”
Roan leans against the door. “Well, lass, we may be married by Fae standards, but I doubt many will accept that as a proper Scottish marriage. So, for the time being, I’d like to keep our marriage secret.”
“I see.”
“Don’t overthink it, lass. After all, we haven’t told Li or Ero yet either. I doubt they’ll be too thrilled to learn I have a higher legal claim to you than they do.”
&
nbsp; “How are they? Have you seen them?”
“Yes, and they’re fine. They’ve been given a room next to my own. I’m surprised they haven’t come to find you. But that’s probably because they needed their own baths. And on that note…”
Roan turns a key in the door before pushing himself away from it and walking toward me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I ask, clutching my arms around my knees as he draws closer.
“I’m coming to join you.”
“You are most certainly not.”
“Is my wife denying me my husbandly rights?”
“I most certainly am!”
Roan grins mischievously, stepping closer, and I splash him with water.
“Stay back or I may just scream.”
“Oh, you’ll scream alright, but for entirely different reasons.”
Before I can respond, Roan closes the distance between us, dropping down onto the floor beside the tub as I glare at him.
“Lass, I promise not to hurt you. Just relax. I can’t see anything from this angle if that’s what you’re worried about.”
It is what I was worried about. Until now, I hadn’t purposefully let them see me naked, or any man for that matter. I’d been raised with an almost unbearable level of modesty due to my position.
“Come now, relax. I’ll give you a massage.”
“Fine,” I say. The thought of his strong hands kneading my sore muscles sounds more than welcome in my mind. I pull a strip of washing cloth from a small stand and carefully lay it across the basin to better hide my nakedness before positioning myself against the back of the tub once again.
Roan sits up on his knees and gently pulls my long hair out from behind me, letting it fall over the edge of the basin as he begins to work his hands along my scalp. Shivers of ecstasy spread from my head, down my body, little currents of electricity shooting through my limbs with each movement of his hands. He slowly works down to the nape of my neck, releasing more and more of the tension that’s built there over the past few weeks with the pressure of his fingers. Roan continues down to my shoulders, squeezing and pulling at the muscles as he works to release the tightness within, and then he’s no longer massaging me. His lips graze my ear and then press against the side of my neck as they make their way little by little down to my shoulders. His hands dip below the water, his fingertips running down my chest to cup my breasts.
“Let me pleasure you, lass,” Roan whispers as he continues to kiss me where my neck and shoulder meet.
And I want him to. He gently squeezes my breasts in his hands, his fingers finding their way to my nipples where he plays with them until they’ve grown hard.
I let out a small moan.
“I want to see you,” Roan says, kissing my neck and jawline.
I pull away from him, taking the cloth draping over the basin with me and covering my breasts with it as I turn part way to look at him.
“I can’t.”
Roan cocks his head to the side curiously, his curly red hair falling over his forehead. Gods, I hate when he does that. It is so difficult not to throw myself at him.
“Why not?”
“I never…”
“We all know you’re a maiden, lass.”
“It’s not that. I just…I’ve never purposefully let someone see me naked.”
Roan grins at me. “So, let me be your first. I promise to stop if you tell me to.”
“But we can’t!”
“You really don’t know much about what happens between a man and a woman…or at least what can happen, do you?”
“I know enough.”
“Lass, there are more ways than one to pleasure you without me having to screw with the fate of the world.”
I can already feel the excitement and electricity coursing through my body. My heart is racing, begging me to say yes. My brain tries to find every reason that I should say no.
“Say yes, lass, and I swear you won’t regret it.”
I hesitate but then nod my head, a nervous smile on my face.
Roan reaches out and pulls me toward him, kissing me hard on the lips. The action distracts me long enough that he manages to get his arms around me and pull me up and out of the tub. He carries me over to the bed, not once releasing me from his kisses before lying me down on the bed. He steps back and looks at me, even as I move to cover myself as best I can.
Roan pulls off his shirt in one fluid movement, tossing it on the floor. His body is smooth and lovely in the soft glow of the fire. The final rays of sunset stream through the windows behind him, creating a soft halo of light around him as he smiles down at me.
“May I join you on the bed?”
“Yes.”
Roan kicks off his boots and jumps onto the bed beside me. I’m half disappointed he didn’t unlace his pants.
“You can get under the covers if you’d prefer, lass.”
I quickly move to get under the quilts and Roan does as well.
“What about your pants?”
Roan chuckles. “Well, I thought perhaps, being your first time and all, I’d let you do the honors. When you’re ready.”
I blush and Roan rolls over on top of me, careful to bear enough of his own weight so as not to crush me.
He kisses me lightly on the lips and then ever so slowly makes his way down my neck and chest. Roan’s green eyes look up at me through his red curls, and then he winks and disappears beneath the quilt. His mouth finds my breasts and I let out a surprisingly loud moan of pleasure…and then we both freeze.
There’s a key turning in the lock of my door.
“My lady?” It’s the servant, back to check on me.
“Yes,” I call, hoping I can dissuade her from entering the room, but the door swings open.
“I’m sorry, miss, I didn’t realize we had locked you in here—”
She stops midsentence as soon as she sees me, and then to my great dismay, another woman walks in.
“I hope you found everything to your liking. What in heaven’s name is going on here?” Fiona exclaims.
I feel Roan tense and then roll off of me before he slowly shows his head above the covers.
“Hello, Fiona.”
“Roan! I will not tolerate this kind of behavior under this roof. It’s one thing to whore about in town, but in our family’s own home is quite another!”
“Let me explain,” Roan says.
Fiona crosses her arms in front of her chest, her face hard and condemning as she looks from Roan to me and back again.
“Last night—” Roan begins.
“Oh, so you slept with the tart last night and now you just have to do it again, do you?”
“Fiona, you’ll not speak of my wife that way.”
“Your…wife?” Fiona says, her mouth falling open. “How could you not tell me you had a wife?”
“It only just happened. We were married while we were in the Fae realm.”
“Oh, a marriage of fairytales. That’s supposed to make me feel better about this, is it?”
“It was as real as any. But I knew many would not approve of such a marriage as legally binding in our realm, so I had hoped to keep it secret a while longer.”
“You did a good job of it, didn’t you? First night here and you can’t keep your hands off the girl.”
“Fiona, please.”
“No, Roan. There’s no excuse for it. You’re not proper wed. Now, remove yourself from that bed before I drive you from it.”
Roan gives me a shrug and gets out of the bed.
Fiona frowns disapprovingly at him. “At least I caught you before your trousers were around your ankles. If the two of you wish to be wed, you’ll do so proper.”
“We weren’t really planning on having a Scottish wedding—”
“Don’t be daft. You’re the laird of Clan Artair. Of course you’re going to have a proper Scottish wedding. But you can’t just go marrying anyone. The clan needs to accept her, you know that. We’ll t
alk more about this in the morn. Now, out!”
As large as Roan is in comparison to this woman, I find it fascinating how easily she manages to order him about. There’s much I can learn from her.
“And you,” Fiona says, wagging a finger at me. “You…you just go to sleep.”
Fiona follows Roan from the room and I can hear them arguing with each other in Gaelic as the servant cleans the room as quickly and quietly as possible before slipping back out of the room, shutting the door once again behind her.
I don’t think I’ve ever been more mortified, but the feeling quickly passes as I let my body relax into the bed.
Life is certainly not turning out how I had expected.
Eighteen
Annalise
I’m woken the next morning by a chambermaid. She has laid out a green tartan dress for me as well, as a small plate of fruits, cheeses, and bread for breakfast.
“Good morning, miss. The laird and lady would like to see you in the Great Hall as soon as you’re ready.”
“What’s your name?”
“Ava, miss.”
I quickly get out of bed and slip into the dress, trying my best to hide the fact I slept naked, although I’m sure the whole castle knows what happened by now. Secrets never keep long, and I’m sure it’s even worse when your family grew up close and knowing everything about you. Ava has to help me with the fitting of the dress as well as lace me into it. The bodice of the gown sits tight and low on the waist, but the skirt of the dress is loose and not too heavy. It’s comfortable for the chill within the castle, but I have a feeling it’ll be a bit warm outside.
A pair of soft, brown leather boots lie at my feet and I slip into them. They’re far more comfortable than my last pair, made for walking the earth rather than to and from rooms in a palace. I wouldn’t mind dancing in these, not to mention walking the heaths.
I sit down at the table and take a handful of berries. They’re sweet and juicy, perfectly ripe for late summer. I peer into the mug and am happy to see it is cider instead of wine. I sip the warm, sweet liquid and sigh. It’s far better than any cider I’ve ever tasted, fresh and crisp. Taking a few more morsels of the food laid out for me, I stand and smooth out my dress.
