Laiden's Daughter

by Suzan Tisdale

  Duncan cut her off with a raise of his hands. Although he was glad to see her becoming a beautiful, determined young woman there were limits to how he would allow her to behave in front of his men. She was quickly approaching a line he could not let her cross.

  He was silently cursing Isobel for teaching the lass to read, as well as Bree for reading to her the book where she got this cursed notion of hers. A book about a woman who could outshoot any man with a bow and arrow and who had defended her land, her people and her castle to her death. He’d have to talk with Bree later about what stories she’d be allowed to share with his betrothed.

  “Nay,” he said firmly. They had been arguing back and forth for at least a quarter hour and were standing near the field where the archers practiced. Wee William and Black Richard had come to listen to the argument Duncan was having with Aishlinn. They stood on either side of Duncan with crossed arms, creased brows and firm expressions to show they gave Duncan their support on the idea that women should not be taught to use the bow and arrow.

  Aishlinn was trying very hard to not let her temper get the better of her but it was not easy as these three men stood in front of her. Any one of them was big enough to crush her with their hands, but she was not going to allow them to intimidate them with their size. Well, Wee William perhaps, for one couldn’t help but be intimated by a man as large and tall as he.

  “Laird McEwan,” she said, “I can shoot, and quite well, and I see no reason why we,” she stopped when the men snickered. The sweet smile she’d been trying to maintain quickly evaporated.

  “Do you not believe me when I say that I can shoot, or that I can shoot quite well?” she asked them. Why must men be so thick headed, she wondered?

  “Now lass,” Duncan began. “It isn’t that we don’t believe ye.” This was quickly getting out of hand and he needed to put a stop to it.

  The patronization in his voice was enough to send Aishlinn over the edge of reason. If neither he nor his men would listen to a good and valid argument, then by God, she would show them. She turned on her heal and headed down the slight incline towards the archers, mumbling under her breath as she stomped along. “Stupid, stupid men!”

  “This is why the Sassenach do no’ teach their women to read!” Wee William said to Duncan as they watched Aishlinn stomp angrily towards the archers.

  Duncan was calling after her, but she ignored him. As she neared the archers, she heard Wee William boom out an order for the archers to hold. Some twenty-five men immediately stopped shooting, lowered their weapons and looked towards him.

  Aishlinn approached the first archer and without asking, yanked his bow from his hands and pulled an arrow from the quiver that sat at his feet. The poor archer seemed uncertain as to what he should do. If she were any woman other than Duncan’s, he would have reclaimed his weapon and given her a lecture as well as a smack or two against her rump. The archer knew that Duncan would have killed him in the blink of an eye for doing just that, so he stood flummoxed and looked to Duncan who was fast approaching.

  “Put that down before ya hurt someone!” Duncan boomed. She had just crossed the line.

  Aishlinn continued to pretend she could neither see nor hear him and took aim towards the targets the men had been using. The large bales of straw draped with cloth banners stood at different intervals, some at seventy-five yards, others at one hundred, and others yet at one hundred fifty. She decided against a simple target -- even though she was dealing with simple-minded men. If she were going to impress them, she might as well go all out.

  She cared not how angry Duncan was at the moment, for she was determined to prove to him that women can defend themselves and could be quite useful in the event of an attack. They only need be taught properly. It was the principal of the matter.

  Holding the bow firmly, taking only a moment to choose her target, Aishlinn took a steady breath as Duncan had stopped just steps away from her.

  “Do. No’. Release. That. Arrow.” He seethed as he pointed his finger at her.

  She did not take his words as a command, but as a challenge. Looking away from her intended target she stared right into Duncan’s eyes, paused long enough to cast him a look that told him she’d not be treated like a weak minded fool, then let the arrow loose.

  The arrow flew over the field, across the bales of straw and landed dead center of a tall pine tree that was a good fifty yards beyond the furthest target. She turned to see if her aim had been true.

  “Ha!” Duncan called out as he saw the arrow had missed the large straw targets the archers had been using. “Ya missed!” he said wagging his finger at her and looking as though he had just won a very large wager against a very wee young woman. His delight was short lived however, when he saw the triumphant gleam in her green eyes and a twitch of a smile on her lips.

  “Did I hit the tree behind your men’s furthest targets?” she asked calmly as she lowered the bow to her side.

  Duncan looked confused, for the tree where her arrow landed, was a good fifty yards beyond the furthest targets.

  “Wee William!” Aishlinn said. “Please check the arrow. I believe you will find it firmly imbedded into a bit of purple cloth that hangs on the tree.” While Wee William ran to the tree, Aishlinn and Duncan continued to glare at one another.

  Wee William was utterly astonished to see the arrow had indeed pierced a bit of faded purple cloth, a remnant of an old target the archers had used months ago. The cloth clung to the tip of the arrow when he yanked it from the tree.

  He rushed back to Duncan and Aishlinn, shaking his head in amazement at Aishlinn’s shooting abilities. “She be right, Duncan!” Wee William smiled as he handed the arrow to Duncan.

  “See, there be a bit of purple cloth there on the tip!” he sounded rather impressed, and it was not easy to impress Wee William. “Never seen anythin’ like it!” He stopped talking the moment he noticed Duncan’s hard-set jaw, furrowed brow and piercing eyes.

  Duncan could see that his men were impressed with Aishlinn’s shooting skills. He had done enough to wake the fierceness in her. The last thing he needed was his men’s encouragement fanning the flames of her independence. While he would have loved to admit that she was good, quite good in fact, he had given her an order that she blatantly ignored. And she had ignored it in front of his men.

  Duncan yanked the bow from her hand and gave it to the stunned archer before grabbing Aishlinn by her arm. His face was purple with an anger he had not thought he could ever feel towards her as he pulled her up the incline and towards the castle. While he might enjoy the fact that she was maturing and turning into a fine woman, he could not have her openly defying him in front of his men.

  He said not a word until he was near the kitchens where he paused momentarily and yanked her around to face him, not once releasing the hold on her arm. “Do no’ ever defy me in front of me men again.” He was beyond anger and his face had twisted into a fury she had never seen in him before and it frightened her.

  She refused however, to allow him to see how his anger was affecting her and willed her arms and legs to not quake. “I merely wanted-” she began before he cut her off.

  “I care no’ what yer intentions were, Aishlinn! Ye openly defied me in front of me men and ye’ll never do that again.” His voice resembled a low growl.

  He pulled her to the kitchens, threw open the door and nearly tossed her inside. He took one step inside and searched for Mary who stood motionless near the basins, surprised by the commotion and the look upon Duncan’s face.

  “Mary!” Duncan boomed. “Take Aishlinn to her room immediately.” He refused to look at the subject of his wrath, who stood just a few steps from him.

  “Do no’ allow her out. She’s to stay there until I say otherwise! Is that understood?” Everyone in the kitchens stopped dead in their tracks as he yelled his command.

  Mary could only nod her head yes, for she had never seen Duncan as angry as he was at that moment. Duncan turned his
scowl to Aishlinn for only the briefest of moments and without a word he left and slammed the door closed behind him.

  Aishlinn had been holding her breath while he was barking his orders and did not let it out until the door slammed behind him. She nearly collapsed to the floor as she released it. She stood shaking as Mary and Laren rushed to her side.

  “Lass!” Mary said. “What on earth have ye done?”

  Aishlinn could not speak, unsure if she was angrier or more frightened. She lifted her skirts and headed out of the kitchens to go to her room, which she had no intentions of leaving, whether he bid her to or not. Mary and Laren followed after her.

  “Lass, tell us, what have ye done to anger Duncan so?” Mary was as shocked as anyone to have seen Duncan that furious.

  “I merely wanted to prove him wrong, to show him that I could use a bow and arrow. But he would not listen, the stubborn fool!” Aishlinn said as she climbed the stairs. “I only wanted him to listen to me, to listen to my idea, to hear me out, but he would not,” she said, holding a firm grip on her skirts as she tried not to fall down for her legs were still shaking.

  “He told me not to shoot the arrow, but I did it anyway.”

  “Ya mean ya shot it after he said no’ to?” Laren asked breathlessly, surprised at the young woman’s audacity.

  “Aye, I did,” Aishlinn said trying to regain some of her resolve.

  Mary whistled. “No wonder he’s so mad at ya!” Shaking her head as they walked down the hallway towards Aishlinn’s room. “Were there men about when ya did it?”

  “Aye,” Aishlinn said, pushing her shoulders back.

  Laren opened the door to Aishlinn’s room and led them in. “Why would ya do such a thing, lass?”

  “He would not listen to me!” Exasperated by the entire incident, she sank down onto the stool near her fireplace.

  Mary and Laren stood smiling at her and shaking their heads. “Lass,” Mary began. “There be better ways of getting’ what ya want from a man. Better n’ makin’ him so mad he locks ya away in yer room.”

  Laren nodded her head in agreement. “A lot more fun for the both of ya too!”

  Aishlinn stared at them blankly for she had no idea on earth what they were talking about. “What do you mean?” she asked, growing more frustrated as each moment passed. How dare he think he can order me around as if I were one of his men?

  “Ya leave him satisfied with ya.” Mary winked at her.

  “Aye. A man will give ya anything yer heart desires if ya’ve just left him feeling,” She searched for the right word. “Fulfilled.”

  Mary and Laren giggled but Aishlinn was too angry to make sense of it. The women caught note of her confusion.

  “Lass, it’ll do ya good to know, for future reference, that ye have more power over a man than ya realize.” She looked to Laren who nodded her confirmation. “When ya’ve laid with yer husband, or yer man, and ya’ve just knocked the wind from him with a good bout of lovin’, that’s the time to ask fer what ya want.”

  Aishlinn cocked her head and suddenly realized what the women meant. Horrified, she said, “I’ve not done that with Duncan!”

  How on earth could they even suggest such a thing? Especially right now. The last thing she wanted at the moment was advice on the delicate intimacies between a man and a woman. What she wanted was a large club with which to pound on Duncan’s skull.

  They laughed at her. “Lass, we ken ya haven’t!” Laren said. “Tis probably why Duncan be so frustrated of late!” She and Mary burst out laughing again.

  “Aye!” Mary agreed. “Nothin’ can make a man more frustrated than not havin’ those physical needs met!”

  Laren smiled broadly. “Aye! Me Rupert? If he goes more than just a few days without me attentions, he gets to be a beasty!”

  Aishlinn was appalled. “Do you mean to suggest that I,” she paused for she couldn’t say it aloud. Foolish auld women. They think everything can be solved with a kiss or a tumble under the sheets.

  Mary shook her head. “Nay, lass. We mean only to explain to ya one of the reasons Duncan might be a wee frustrated of late.”

  “But ya must know too, lass, that ya canna defy him in front of his men.” Laren offered. “Such a thing makes him look weak and he canna lead his men into battle if they dunna believe in him. If a woman’s able to make him daft and weak in the knees and be allowed to walk all over him, well then, what of the enemy?”

  Mary agreed. “Tis true. He has to at all times appear strong and firm in their eyes. They must believe that he can lead not only them, but his clan as well.”

  Mary came and put her hand on Aishlinn’s shoulder. “Lass, we ken ye might not understand it all, but it be good advice we’re givin’ ya.” She patted her shoulder. “When yer with Duncan and his men be around, ya do as he says without question.”

  “But when yer alone, just the two of ya, and there be somethin’ ya want, ‘tis then that ya use yer feminine charms and beauty,” Laren explained.

  Knowing these women were older and had been married many years, she could only believe that they knew more than she, not only on how to deal with a man, but how to please one as well. There were countless questions she would have loved to have asked them, but didn’t have the courage. And she was still far too angry at the moment to think of a romantic interlude with Duncan.

  “Now,” Mary said, taking Laren by the arm and heading towards the door, “ya let him calm himself a bit lass. And when he comes to ye, ya apologize for yer behavior.”

  Aishlinn began to protest as Mary held a hand to stop her. “Lass, I ken ya think ya’ve done nothin’ wrong and maybe ya haven’t. But listen to me on this. Ya apologize, beg forgiveness and make a promise to him that ye’ll never argue in front of his men again. That will help smooth things over. There’s no sense in fightin’ over it, for ye’ll be the one to lose in the end.” She smiled at her.

  “Ask yerself this: do ya want to be right, and take a grand risk at losin’ him forever because ye be just as stubborn as he is? Or do ya swallow a wee bit of pride and keep him, and get to love him for the rest of yer days?”

  Laren nodded her head in agreement and the two women left Aishlinn alone to ponder the advice they had offered. Days ago she had sworn to herself that she would not bend, would not cower to any man ever again.

  She stood and began to pace. Her mind told her that she should not back down nor should she allow Duncan, or any man for that matter, to see her fear. For too many years she had allowed men to belittle her and frighten her into succumbing to whatever demands they might make of her and she refused to live that way again.

  ‘Twas her heart however, that told her that Mary and Laren were right on a few points. And she knew deep down that Duncan’s intention had not been to be cruel or belittling towards her.

  She did not want to risk losing Duncan, for she truly loved him. She was certain that she could have searched the world over a hundred times and would never have met anyone like him. There would never be another man who could make her heart pound with excitement at the mere mention of his name. There would be no other who could take her breath away with a simple kiss or a touch of his hand. And there would never be another who would make her feel as safe, protected and as cherished as she felt when she was with him. Save for when he was sorely angered with her.

  More than likely as well, there would not be another that would drive her to anger with his obstinacy and stubbornness. But no matter how angry she might be with him, she still loved him with all that she was. Her heart truly belonged to him now, and perhaps that made it worth swallowing a bit of her pride.

  Twenty-Three

  Harry came rushing into the castle at a full run. The guards had sent the young lad in to announce that Angus was home! The boy went crashing through the kitchens shouting the news at the top of his lungs. “Angus be home! Angus be home!”

  By the time the boy reached the third floor of the castle, he was covered in sweat and out of breath.
He pounded a fist upon Isobel’s door, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he waited anxiously for the door to open.

  Isobel had answered her door with a look of concern that was quickly replaced with a bright, beaming smile when Harry told her the news. Excitement swelled over her for she had not expected Angus to return for another sinnight. She missed her husband terribly and was glad for his return. But when her thoughts turned to Aishlinn, a momentary dread washed over her. The time for truth telling was near. She sent a silent prayer up to the Good Lord to keep Angus from having apoplexy.

  Isobel raced to Aishlinn’s room, where she had been sitting since the early morning. Duncan had not yet sent word that she was free to leave for he was still quite upset with her.

  Isobel bounded into Aishlinn’s room with the news. “Aishlinn! Angus is home!” She said, breathless with excitement as she stood in the doorway.

  Aishlinn’s heart skipped several beats before she was able to stand. Fear enveloped her for her entire future would be decided this day. Would he send her back to the English? Both Duncan and Isobel had done their best to convince her that would not happen. But until she heard it from the chief’s own mouth, she could not shake the fear from her heart.

  “Please stay here, in yer room until I come for ya. Do not leave, not even if someone comes to tell ya that Duncan has released ya. Do ya understand?” Aishlinn could sense apprehension in Isobel’s voice and it frightened her.

  “Aye,” she said as her hands began to shake. Her stomach lurched at the thought that Angus would find her family straight away and send her to them. She could not bear being sent away, not now, not ever.

  Isobel saw the fear in Aishlinn’s eyes and came to hug her. “All will be well, Aishlinn,” she smiled at her. “There is no need to worry, lass. Ye’ll not be sent away, I promise ya that.” She gave her another hug before leaving the very frightened and doubtful Aishlinn standing alone in the middle of her room.