Born In Sin

by Kinley MacGregor

  "None whatsoever."

  "How long since she fled?"

  "At least an hour."

  Sin cursed. With that amount of time, she could be anywhere in London.

  Caledonia paused as she glanced around the streets of London. The afternoon crowd that bustled in between the large buildings was fairly thick. None of them should recognize her or Jamie.

  With her brother's hand held tightly in hers, she wended her way north toward an inn where she remembered stopping on her way into London. The keeper had owned a stable with horses to be bought. If she could get to those horses, she would buy one for each of them with the money she had managed to hide from Henry. He'd had no idea when he'd taken her that she'd possessed a small fortune in her bodice.

  Once they were safely away from the inn, they would don the robes of a leper and no one, not even thieves, would dare stop them then.

  They would be home in no time.

  "Are we to walk all the way home?" Jamie asked.

  Callie smiled. "Just a little farther, sweeting."

  "But my legs are so tired, Callie. Can we not stop for a rest? Just a little one? A minute or two before my legs fall off and then I'll never be able to run again."

  She didn't dare stop. Not when they were so close to leaving this place behind.

  Lifting Jamie up in her arms, she held him to her side and continued on. "Och, lad, you've gotten heavy," she said as she skirted women carrying baskets of market goods. "Why, I remember when you scarce weighed as much as a loaf of bread."

  "Did Da sing to me then?"

  Callie's heart clenched at his question. Poor Jamie barely remembered their father, who had died almost three years ago. "Aye," she said, squeezing him. "He sang to you every night when your mother would put you to bed."

  "Was he a big man like Dermot?"

  Callie smiled at the mention of their brother. At ten-and-six, Dermot stood a good three inches taller than she. "Bigger than Dermot." Indeed, her father was closer to Lord Sin's height.

  "Do you think he'll be happy to see my mother while he's in heaven with yours?"

  Callie arched a brow at the odd question. "Mercy, imp, wherever do you think up these questions?"

  "Well, I was just wondering. One of the king's knights told me that poor servants can't go to heaven, only noble people can. I was thinking then that God wouldn't want my mother there with yours."

  Callie took a deep breath at the nonsense. Her mother may have been of royal blood and Jamie's mother a simple shepherdess, but only a fool would spout off such rampant stupidity. And to a wee bairn, no less.

  "He was being mean to you, Jamie. God loves all people equally. Your mother is a good soul who loves us, and the Lord in His mercy will see her in heaven along with the rest of us when, God forbid, she dies."

  "Well, what—"

  "Jamie, please," she begged. "I'm needing every breath to carry you. Please, no more questions."

  "Very well." He wrapped his thin arms around her neck and laid his head on her shoulder.

  Callie walked on for as long as she could, but after a time her arms and back ached. "Lad, I need for you to walk on your own for a bit."

  Jamie got down and held on to her skirts as they headed along another crowded street.

  "How many days do you think it'll take us to walk through London? A hundred? Two hundred?"

  It felt like two thousand. "We'll get out eventually. Try not to think about that. Think about being home again."

  "Can I think about my mother's mincemeat tarts?"

  "Sure."

  "Can I think about Uncle Aster's horse?"

  "Fine."

  "Can I think—"

  "Jamie, my love, can you please think to yourself?"

  He heaved a weary sigh, as if the burden of thinking to himself were more than he could bear.

  Callie pulled him to a stop as she spied a group of mounted knights riding through the city. She let go of Jamie's hand to pull her veil around her face in case they should glance her way.

  Laughing, the mounted knights paid no heed to her. But it wasn't until they had ridden past that her heart stopped thudding and she found her wobbly legs able to continue on.

  "That was close," she breathed. She reached to retake Jamie's hand, only to realize he wasn't there.

  Oh, Lord, nay!

  "Jamie!" she called, scanning the crowd around her. "Jamie!" Her panic gripped her anew. She saw no sight of his brown cap. No sight of his red curls.

  Where could the wee lad be?

  "Jamie!"

  Terror consumed her. Where was he? Where could he have gone to? He'd been right beside her only an instant before, and she had told him a thousand and one times not to wander off. Especially not in unknown places where strangers were about.

  Oh, Lord, anything could happen to him!

  Callie scanned the crowd again, seeing several small children, but none that bore any resemblance to her imp.

  Could he be in trouble? Her heart hammering, she searched all around her as fast as she could.

  "Blessed Sainted Mary, where could you be, lad?" she whispered over and over as she searched. "Please, Lord, give me my brother back. I swear I'll never again ask him to be quiet and I'll answer every single question he asks. I'll never ever lose patience with him again. Just please, God, please let me find him before something happens to him." Tears welled in her eyes.

  He could have fallen in the river or he could have gotten run over by a cart. He could have been kidnapped by thieves or some horrid such! Her mind played through numerous horrific scenarios, and all of them culminated with Jamie needing her and she not being there to protect him.

  If anything happened to him, she would never be able to live with herself.

  The pain in her chest was excruciating. It tore through her lungs, making it hard to breathe.

  She had no idea where to look. No idea how to find him in this foreign city.

  Through her panic only one clear thought emerged.

  Lord Sin.

  He would find Jamie. She was sure of it.

  Now she just had to find him.

  Sin scanned the crowd around him while he rode through the streets. He'd cornered poor Aelfa, and with little provocation the maid had confessed Caledonia's plan. Now he just had to get to the inn before the wench bought her horses.

  With Simon behind him, they were making good time.

  Out of the crowd, Sin spied a light blue veil on a woman so tall she stood head and shoulders above those around her. Even though she appeared frantic and hurried, he recognized her instantly.

  "Caledonia!" he called.

  She stopped immediately.

  Instead of running away as he expected, she rushed to his side. "Blessed saints and glory," she said, her face streaked by tears as she placed her hands against his right leg. Her desperate touch shouldn't have affected him at all, and yet it burned his skin with a throbbing heat that pulsed straight to his groin. "I am so glad to see you."

  Her words set him back. Never in his life had anyone said such a thing to him, let alone held such a sincere look about it.

  Something bad must surely have happened, for her to want to see the likes of him.

  It was then he realized the boy wasn't with her. Sliding from his horse, he held her by her arms. "What has happened?"

  "It's Jamie." She shrugged his touch away, grabbed his arm and started pulling him down the street with her as she looked all about. "He's gone and we have to find him. He was here a few minutes ago and then he vanished. Jamie!" she shouted his name.

  Several people looked at them, but no one answered.

  "Simon," he called. "The boy is missing. Can you see him from up there?"

  Simon shook his head and moved his horse to stand beside them. "Where were you when he disappeared?"

  She wiped her eyes with her hands and looked up at Simon. "Not very far from where we were yesterday. Maybe one street over."

  "By the baker's shop with the s
tuffed squirrel in the window?" Simon asked.

  "Aye. I believe so."

  Sin arched a brow at the expression on Simon's face. "You think you know where he might have gone?"

  "Aye."

  Caledonia took a deep breath and her grip on Sin's arm tightened.

  "But," Simon said, his voice sour, "I'll take you there provided neither one of you ever mentions the bed incident to me or anyone else. Ever."

  Caledonia blushed. "I am so sorry for that. But I did wash your eyes out. Do they still burn?"

  Simon's face turned the color of Caledonia's hair, though whether from anger or embarrassment, Sin couldn't tell.

  When Simon spoke, his voice was colder than a snowstorm in January. "They are fine. Thank you, milady, for your kindness."

  Sin mounted his horse, then reached his hand down to Caledonia. Her eyes relieved, she grabbed on to him and he noticed the tiny bones of her hand. The softness of her touch. He'd never felt anything like her delicate hand in his.

  He pulled her up to ride before him and turned his attention to Simon. "Where are we bound for?"

  "On the way back yesterday, I was telling the boy about the sweets at the Unicorn Maiden. I even showed him where the shop was located and he said he would give anything to see the pastries and cockapies. I have a feeling he might have gone there. Though why I should bother rescuing him I'll never know. I swear my head still throbs from the little demon."

  Callie felt heat sting her face. "He didn't mean to hit you, Simon. I swear that part of it was an accident."

  He gave her a droll glare that told her he didn't believe a word of it.

  Callie didn't say anything as they rode toward the bakery. Jamie knew better than to leave her side. He'd never done anything this foolish in his life and she couldn't imagine what had possessed him.

  And the lad had best be in trouble when they found him. If not, she was going to throttle his young life right out of him.

  It didn't take long to retrace her steps to the corner where Jamie had vanished. Simon led them a few yards over to a small bake shop, where an old woman was leaving with a basket full of bread.

  As they approached the store, Callie saw the squirrel Simon had mentioned and she recognized the small face staring out the window, scanning the passersby, and noted the smile of extreme jubilation as its large blue eyes focused on her. He was obviously as glad to see her as she was to see him.

  "Oh, Blessed be St. Mary," she whispered.

  Relief tore through her as she slid from the horse and ran inside the store to her brother. He'd been close by the entire time, but without the men, she'd never have known to look here.

  Tears ran down her cheeks again as she swept him into her arms. "Little runt," she breathed. "You scared me."

  "I'm sorry, Callie." He pulled back and showed her the honey bread in his hand. "I thought we'd be needing something to eat for the journey. You've had nothing all day."

  Her hand trembled as she took the bread from him. "I would much rather starve than lose you."

  "I'm sorry, Callie. I never meant to scare you. I was just hungry."

  Sin swallowed at the sight of their reunion. At the love the two of them had for each other.

  The boy looked up at Simon. "I wanted to buy the swan pastries you told me about, but the baker's wife said I didn't have enough coin for that." He looked back at his sister. "You like pastries."

  While she kissed his cheek and assured herself the demon was hale, Sin paid for enough swan pastries to make the rapscallion's belly ache.

  Callie looked up as Lord Sin handed her brother his purchase. "Thank you for your kindness."

  By the expression on his face, she could tell her words made the knight terribly uncomfortable.

  As they left the shop and headed back to the castle, Callie realized she wasn't going to make it home. At least not alone. She'd been fooling herself even to think it. Worse, she'd almost lost the one person who meant the most to her in the world.

  Dear saints what if they hadn't found Jamie? What if he had gotten hurt or killed or…

  It would have been all her fault. She closed her eyes as pain swept through her. The last thing she wanted was to tell Morna she'd let something happen to Jamie. It would be the death of the poor woman who had been a mother to her as well.

  Nay, she'd take no more chances with his safety.

  But then what was she to do?

  Her thoughts turned to the man who would be her husband. Could she trust him?

  For an Englishman, he seemed reasonable enough. As did Simon.

  Perhaps, if she allowed them to go home with her, her clan might see that not all Englishmen were beasts. Perhaps they could win them over…

  What are you? Daft? Get your head out of the dream world, lass, and put it on earth where it belongs. There's little to no chance of the MacNeelys ever accepting an Englishman into their midst.

  It was a long shot, no doubt, but it was the only one she could see.

  If she married Sin, they could go home safely.

  Like it or not, she would submit to this marriage and trust in the Lord above to see her through it and to know what was best. Surely it must be His will, otherwise she and Jamie would have succeeded by now and been on their way home. This day had been an omen, and Callie believed wholeheartedly in omens.

  Tomorrow Sin would be her husband.

  She watched Sin mount his horse. He slid gracefully into the saddle like the born warrior he was and sat proudly on the back of his horse with his long hair shining in the daylight. He was a fine sight there, handsome, strong. The kind of man a woman dreamed about at night and hoped to see just once in the flesh.

  And he could be hers…

  The hand he extended to her was both powerful and tender. He might not be her first choice for husband, but there was kindness in him. Fairness, too.

  If only he were of Scots blood.

  Still, there were far worse men to be married to.

  "Milord?" she asked as he settled her before him. "What will you do to my people when you take me home?"

  Sin clenched his teeth at her question. The very idea of returning to Scotland made him ill. If he had his way about it, he'd never again venture there.

  Of course, he did have his brothers there, and while he was with her, he would make a point of seeing them. They alone made the idea of leaving England tolerable.

  "I will ensure Henry's peace is kept," he told her. "So long as your men refrain from raiding his people, I will do naught." What he didn't tell her was that he intended to find the so-called Raider, put an end to the man's mischief, then get himself out of their marriage as quickly as possible.

  But even as the thought swept through his mind, he became aware of the woman before him. The way she smelled and felt in his arms. She was warm and soft, a gentle balm to soothe him.

  He'd never held a woman like this. Never even dared hope for any kind of comfort in his life.

  Comfort. He sneered at the word. Comfort was for weak-minded fools. He didn't need it and he damn sure didn't want it.

  He would do what he had to for Henry's sake and then he would be back to fulfill his oath of loyalty. That was his life and he had no desire for it to change. He had fought too long and hard for his peace of mind to let this little bit of baggage in his lap come along and rattle him.

  "So," he said quietly as he looked down at her. She had her head tilted to study his hands. "You're going through with this marriage, then?"

  She glanced at him over her shoulder and he caught a whiff of her light lavender scent. The smell of her stirred him furiously. His arms were pressed against her rib cage and her red lips were parted just enough so that he could easily claim her mouth for a passionate kiss.

  The thought fired his body even more. The devil preserve him, he wanted this woman in a way most desperate.

  She stared at his lips as if she felt the heat between them. As if she, too, were dreaming of the kiss he longed to give her.
<
br />   "I see no way to avoid it," she said quietly. "Do you?"

  He smiled at the hopeful note in her voice. "Nay, lady, I don't. But I am working on it."

  The smile on her face bedazzled him. "In that case, good luck. I wish you much success."

  Sin shook his head at her. She was a rare treat. One he would love to take a bite of and see if she was as saucy in his mouth as she was in his lap.

  Strangely enough, he couldn't resist playing with her. "Should I be offended?"

  Callie bit her lower lip. He was teasing her. The light in his eyes said as much. Charmed by his uncharacteristic behavior, she teased back. "Nay, no offense intended. You're actually very nice when you're not trying to be frightening."

  "Nice?" He asked in disbelief. "That is probably the only title no one has ever heaped upon my head."

  "No one?"

  "No one."

  Callie pulled back to look up at him. "It must scare you, then, to know I know the truth of you when no one else does."

  Lord Sin arched a brow at her. "Who says that is the truth of me?"

  "I do, and unless you have a horn to pull out and show me otherwise, I shall never believe anything else of you."

  Sin cleared his throat at her words. The woman need do no more than glance down and she would see proof enough of a horn that desired only to be naughty with the nymph in his lap.

  Oh, the spirit of this wench and the education he would kill to give her. He could just imagine her lying naked in his arms, her breasts pressed up against him. The taste of her flesh on his tongue.

  She was a temptress without equal.

  "Tell me," he whispered, "why it is you alone hold no fear of me?"

  "I can't imagine. Surely I am foolish. Aelfa assures me you eat small children every morn to break your fast. Do you?"

  "Nay, I find them to be too harsh on the belly. All that moving around once they're swallowed. Not worth the effort, really."

  She laughed, and it was a truly enchanting sound. This had to be the most peculiar conversation he'd ever had in his life.

  She pushed a stray piece of copper hair back beneath her veil. "Does anyone other than me know you can be playful?"

  Sin scoffed. "Playful? Milady, your fire is missing a few logs if you think that of me."