Highlander’s Elusive Bride: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance

by Adamina Young

  “The eldest will make an excellent laird,” Hamish said without batting an eye. “And I will make certain that her husband understands that she is the true leader.”

  “If she is anything like her mother, I imagine that she will do a fine job keeping her own husband in line,” Creighton said dryly as he remembered that moment when they were surrounded by dozens of Beth’s mercenaries, all ready to kill them.

  And how they began to drop by the quick and true aim of Grace and her bow and arrow. She’d saved the lives of four lairds that day. If they trained their lasses like they trained their lads, the Highlands would be unstoppable.

  “Before ye arrived, I received a letter from Jillian,” Hamish said with a chuckle. “She told Grace that ye have some ridiculous ideas about how to find a wife, and she wishes us to talk ye out of it.”

  Creighton bared his teeth. “Aye, she sent a letter to Gemma as well, and I have a feeling that I will find one waiting with Connor and Moira as well. Be thankful that ye arenae the last unwed laird, or ye may find the lasses ganging up on ye as well,” he grumbled.

  “They want ye to wed for love,” Hamish said quietly. “And I, for one, dinnae think they are wrong. We are stronger because we have strong wives who stand beside us.”

  “I dinnae have time to find love,” Creighton said curtly. He was eager for an heir, but he could take his time. They both knew that.

  “Trust is hard to come by once ye have suffered loss,” the Hamilton laird said finally. “I cannae imagine how ye feel, but I know that ye cannae go through life distrusting all women.”

  “I dinnae distrust Grace or any of the wives.”

  “And Miss Kylie? Jillian had written about her as well. How she fears that ye may not forgive her for whatever she did to ye, and no, she didnae say.”

  He really would need to have a strong word with Jillian when he returned to MacSeaver lands. “Her transgression in the past is forgivable, but she continues to hide certain truths from me. She and Jillian manipulated me into escorting Kylie, and I have no idea what she wishes to achieve from this trip. At first, she told me that she simply wanted to start over in Sinclair. I believed her. According to Graeme, she has been driving him mad because dozens have asked for her hand, and she has turned them all down. The lass doesnae wish to wed.”

  “Seems to be a trend,” Hamish said dryly. “Grace claimed the same.”

  It was different for Kylie, though. Few men wanted a lass who wasn’t untouched, but it was not his place to say that. “Only recently did I discover that she is using this trip to make inquiries about Erksine.”

  “Erksine?” Hamish stopped and frowned. “Why would she be asking questions about him?”

  “That is just it. She wilnae tell me.” Frustrated, he turned back to the keep. “I saw the look in her eyes when she spoke to Tyree. It was almost feverish. Whatever information she is seeking, she seems to think that we are too young to know.”

  Hamish put a hand on Creighton’s shoulder. “We will go break our fast with them and visit Tyree and Edina. Together, we will discover just what yer lass doesnae wish us to know.”

  It didn’t even occur to Creighton to correct Hamish and remind him that Kylie is hardly his lass. Instead, they finished the tour and returned to breakfast. Grace and Kylie were already there, chatting merrily. The first thing Creighton noticed was that Kylie blushed and dropped her gaze when he entered the room.

  Was she thinking about what happened last night? Was she wishing that he’d continued to touch her, to lift her skirts and see if she was as wet as he thought?

  Had she dreamed of him?

  He greeted her cordially, and she murmured something in return but ignored him for most of breakfast. Knowing that she felt like he was treating her like a prisoner, he walked behind her as they journeyed to Tyree and Edina’s cottage. The two had only married recently, although they’d apparently had quite the love affair when they were younger.

  Happy endings. Creighton was surrounded by them. They were going to drive him mad before this journey was finished.

  Tyree had a small dwelling on the outskirts of the clan. Hamish had explained that the man didn’t want to live in the keep any longer or be seen as running things even after Hamish had taken over. He’d taken his retirement seriously and lived his life quietly.

  “Grace!” The door flew open, and an older woman ran out, her shawl flying behind her, as she embraced Grace. “Ye are here to tell me that ye are with child, aren’t ye?”

  Mouth dropping open, Grace stared at her. “How could ye possibly know that?”

  “My child, ye have been emptying yer stomach regularly after yer meals and nesting in the keep. Nesting! Of course I knew. I thought if ye didnae realize it yerself by the time I returned, I was going to have to tell ye myself!”

  The two ladies laughed, and Creighton glanced behind them as Tyree filled the doorway. It wasn’t strange at all to see the smile of contentment on his face. He had power and couldn’t get rid of it fast enough.

  Creighton envied him. He’d never wanted to be laird, never should have been laird. He didn’t abhor the job but rather how he’d gotten it and the ruthless tactics he’d had to use afterward to weed out Brodie’s supporters.

  Grace introduced Edina and Tyree, and they all filed inside. The older woman had put out a pot of tea and some baked goods. Even though Creighton had just eaten, his stomach rumbled.

  As they settled, all eyes turned to Kylie, and she smiled nervously. Her hands were trembling, and although he didn’t know whether it was fear or excitement, Creighton wanted to reach across and soothe her.

  “I knew ye will want to know why I am seeking information, and I hope ye will forgive me when I tell ye that I cannae share that. I am seeking all information I can about the Erksine laird. I have learned that he and Fletcher MacSeaver used to be friends before they both fell in love with the lass that would be MacSeaver’s bride.” She took a deep breath. “And I heard that about fifteen years ago, he was seeking a child.”

  Tyree narrowed his eyes. “Why would ye need to keep yer reasons to yerself?” he demanded.

  “Mind yerself,” Creighton said coldly. “If ye dinnae want to share any information, ye dinnae have to, but dinnae think to attack her for asking.”

  Startled, Kylie turned toward him and offered him a small smile. “‘Tis all right. I understand yer suspicions, but I still cannae say.”

  After a moment, Tyree nodded and settled back. “Vera well. Edina, ye ran a tavern for several years that catered to travelers. What do ye think?”

  A tavern? Creighton didn’t know that. He looked again at the older woman and grinned. Now he recognized her, but she’d been younger in those days, and so had he. She was meaner than any other tavern owner he’d met and allowed no violence within her walls. Most men traveled to her tavern just to get a look at the tough woman, and Creighton had been one of them.

  “Erksine only came here once that I can remember when Tyree’s brother was poking at MacSeaver. It was like a bird pecking at a bear, and MacSeaver swatted him away easily enough, but Erksine was loyal and wanted to see for himself what Laird Hamilton was up to. This was before MacSeaver was wed. We were young then, barely out of our twenties. He was one of the most handsome men that I had ever seen.”

  Tyree grumbled, and she smiled and patted him on the knee. “Dinnae worry. He was too quiet for my tastes. Anyway, he asked his questions and left. He was the serious kind. Took his responsibilities seriously. I cannae say exactly what happened, but I can tell ye that two pieces of information that ye have, Kylie, are wrong.”

  “Wrong?”

  “Aye. Whatever happened between him and Fletcher happened before Fletcher met his first wife. There was a falling out over a lass, but it wasnae her. And Erksine wasnae just searching for a child fifteen years ago. Two years ago, an Erksine group came through searching for any Erksine females who might have tried to settle on Hamilton lands.”

  “Two years ago?
”

  “Aye. Blond hair and blue eyes.”

  All looked at Kylie now and could see plainly what Creighton could.

  How did I not see it before?

  This was why she was keeping her secrets so close. This was why she was scared. She knew that she was the child Harry said Erksine was searching for.

  The woman he was still searching for.

  “Hell,” Tyree said softly. “Connor suspects that ‘tis Erksine who is moving a small group through the mountains. How long have ye been asking yer questions, Kylie?”

  “A few years,” she admitted before she forced a smile. “I am sure that ‘tis not related. He has to gather supplies every now and then, aye?”

  “We didnae leave for a group of merchants. We left because they were armed warriors.”

  14

  Kylie kept calm for the rest of the day. She made sure that she was never alone with Creighton because there was no missing the fury in his eyes whenever he looked her way. They’d all made the connection, and after what felt like an hour of drilling, she still wouldn’t tell them.

  It was for their safety. She had no idea how far Erksine would go to find her, and she didn’t want to put anyone else in danger.

  When she looked at Creighton, Andrew, and Clement, she knew that she would have to leave their company. Their astonishment hit her hard, and she realized how much danger they could be in.

  They’d had no idea.

  So tonight, while everyone was asleep, she’d slip out and figure out a way to make it to Sinclair on her own. It was only a few days’ ride from there, so if she were careful, she’d be just fine.

  Grace finally pulled her away, claiming she needed some sunshine and practice with a bow. Grateful for a quick lesson and time away from Creighton’s angry stare, Kylie followed.

  “Ye have stirred up things quite a bit,” Grace observed as she allowed Kylie to tighten the string on the bow. “Did ye do the same to Theo and Gemma?”

  “Well, there was one incident when Gemma lured Theo away with the promise of play only to find me in the bedroom instead,” Kylie chuckled. “But I didnae get most of my information until right before we left.”

  Grace checked over her work and nodded her head approvingly. “Did ye know that Erksine was looking for ye?”

  “Nay, not until now.”

  “Do ye know why?”

  Swallowing hard, she avoided Grace’s inquiring look and pulled back the arrow. Facing the target, she took careful aim and released. Her aim had never been good, but it wasn’t off by much.

  “Not bad,” Grace approved. “Who taught ye?”

  “My guardian, Marcus.”

  “Because he knew ye were heading into trouble one day?”

  A fresh wave of indignation rolled over her. Maybe if Marcus had answered more of her questions, she wouldn’t be in this predicament. “Maybe,” she allowed as she reached for another arrow. “Creighton says that ye saved his life.”

  “Aye, although it was probably mostly luck. One of my friends was murdered while I was here for the first treaty signing. I decided to look into it because I didn’t believe Hamish would, and it led me to Brodie and Beth.”

  “So ye knew Creighton’s brother?”

  “Aye, and Creighton too. My brothers were hoping that I would meet someone to wed while I was here, although they’d failed to tell me that. The men were gambling on who would win.” Grace chuckled. “The thing was that I liked Brodie. I had no idea that he would be a traitor. What he did to his family was awful. For months, I worried about Creighton and the darkness in him. How has he been?”

  Terrifyingly distrustful.

  “The first time I saw him, I lied to him. Our interaction was brief, but when I saw him again, he knew that he’d met me before, but he couldn’t remember how. He was driven by something dark to find out the truth, and because I didn’t tell him the truth, he hasnae forgiven me,” Kylie admitted. “I dinnae know how much of that is him and how much is what happened to him.”

  “He doesn’t know why Erksine wants him, but ye do.”

  “Aye, and I cannae tell him, and I cannae tell ye either. I didn’t realize how dangerous this would be. I’m going to stop asking my questions.” Pulling the string, she let loose another arrow, and this time, she didn’t even hit the target. Dropping her arms, she stared at Grace. “I have been asking my questions for years, and this is the closest that I’ve ever come to finding answers.”

  Slowly, Grace reached over and handed her another arrow. “Ye arenae going to stop asking questions, but ye are planning on doing it without Creighton, aren’t ye?”

  Unwilling to admit it, Kylie strung the bow and took aim. In her head, she thought of her mother and father’s lifeless bodies. Of the blood that had covered her pretty dress. Of all the times that Marcus had refused to answer her questions.

  She felt a single moment of clarity and released the arrow.

  It hit dead center.

  “I dinnae suppose ye want to tell me what ye were thinking just now?” Grace asked quietly as she took the bow from her. “I will tell ye this. If Erksine wants ye, ye cannae take him on by yerself. Ye will need allies. Ye should tell Creighton what ye are up against.”

  “I will think about it,” Kylie promised her and frowned when it looked like her new friend was turning a strange shade of green. “I think we should head back now.”

  Rubbing her stomach, Grace frowned. “‘Aye. ‘Tis going to be a miserable couple of months. I am excited for this babe but also terrified.”

  “‘Tis normal,” Kylie assured her. “Especially with yer first. No one experiences the same thing, and the terror doesn’t end when the babe is born. Lucky for ye, yer husband seems like the type to help, and that may make all the difference.”

  “Aye. I am lucky,” Grace said as she took a deep breath and steadied herself. They headed back, and Kylie was sad that she would be leaving so soon. If she stayed, she had a feeling that she and Grace would become good friends.

  Creighton watched her all evening. A calm had settled over her features, and the expression terrified him. What was going on in that head of hers?

  After dinner, he escorted her up to her chambers, and just like last night, he closed the door behind him. This time, Kylie didn’t react startled. She just slowly walked over to him and reached up to touch his face. There was sadness in her eyes; he didn’t move a muscle.

  “Will ye kiss me again tonight and then leave me?” she asked.

  “Ye say that like ye wish I wouldnae leave.” Her touch was hesitant against his cheek, and a fire roared to life inside him.

  “Maybe I wish ye wouldnae, but I know how it disgusts ye that there has already been someone else. I am surprised that ye kiss me at all.” Dropping her arm, she turned. “Perhaps ye should just leave.”

  “Perhaps I should.” Still, he didn’t move. Instead, he casually looked over her chambers. Nothing seemed out of place, but Clement had told him that she already been to the stables twice today, which was unusual. Once, she’d been carrying a small bag.

  She was planning on running.

  Maybe she’d known that his patience was up. That he hadn’t planned to reach Sinclair lands without knowing exactly what was going on with Erksine.

  Or maybe she’d found out everything she needed to know and just wanted to leave him. In either case, he wasn’t about to let her go.

  “Wait here one moment,” he said and slipped to his room through the adjoining door. He returned a few minutes later and dropped the bag he’d retrieved from the stables onto her bed. “I would have thought ye would have learned yer lesson the first time ye set out on yer own, or perhaps ye simply want something horrible to befall ye.”

  Her eyes rounded as she stared at it. “Ye have had someone following me?”

  “Nay, but the Hamiltons still regard strangers with some distrust, so word got back to Clement that ye had been visiting the stables. The poor groom didnae last long after being questioned
. What the hell were ye thinking, Kylie?”

  “That Erksine wants me, and I dinnae wish ye or Andrew or Clement harm,” she said shortly as she picked up the bag and swung it over her shoulders. “Ye have made it more than clear that I amnae welcome with ye, so ye should be happy that I am leaving.”

  “Ye arenae leaving.”

  Defiantly, she thrust out her chin. “Ye arenae my husband, nor my laird. Ye have no say in what I do. Stand aside, or I will ask Hamish and Grace for sanctuary and then leave once ye are gone.”

  Furious, he grabbed the bag and hurled it at the bed. With a gasp, she balled her small hand in a fist and struck him ineffectually on his shoulder, but he just grabbed her arms and pulled them upside her head while he angrily claimed her mouth.

  Instantly, she was on him, pressing her body against his and moaning into his mouth. He felt her so sweet that it was intoxicating, and he walked her backward until her back was against the stone wall, where he pinned her.

  “If ye think for one second that I am about to let ye go, ye are mistaken,” he growled as he trailed his mouth down the column of her neck. “Not until I am good and ready for ye to be gone.”

  “Ye cannae keep me,” she whispered. “We both know that. Creighton, please.”

  “Why? Why does Erksine want ye?”

  “I wilnae tell ye.”

  “Then ye wilnae leave. If I have to tie ye to me, I will,” he threatened. The idea stirred his manhood even more, and he slowly began to lift the skirts of her dress. Her eyes widened, and she sucked in that bottom lip that he’d just been nibbling on. “I see ye also think that idea has merit.”

  “We cannae,” she whispered. “I cannae be with someone who hates me.”

  “Believe me, I dinnae hate ye, Kylie.” With a growl, he released her. “And right now, I hate that I dinnae hate ye. I will be posting a guard at yer door for tonight, and we will leave in the morning. I promised Jillian and Graeme that I would see ye to Sinclair lands, and that is exactly what I plan to do. Afterward, ye do whatever ye like.”