“I did. I talked to you aboot it several times. I hoped you’d hear me, and it would make you fight to come back to me.”
“I think it did. I remember being on fire and my side itched, but I also recall voices, yours in particular.”
“Aye. I talked to you a great deal, and Abigail spent hours reading to you.”
“I think it helped. It was as though I kept trying to run toward the voices, even though I never seemed to get anywhere. It gave me purpose.” Maude looked back at her family and smiled once more before yawning. “I’m so glad you’re here, but I’m sorry for giving you such a fright.”
“There’s naught to apologize for,” Amelia reassured her. “Kieran explained how you were injured, and we’re so proud of you.”
“What happened to the weans?” Maude asked in a rush.
“Turns out they have an aunt and uncle who live in the village. It was their older brother who rode to inform us. Their kin took them in, and they’re doing well now that they’re safe. Their father sent them to hide as soon as the first riders approached. It was too dark for them to see aught, so they have no memories of their parents being killed or the fate of the others. They were too frightened to go near the fires, so they’d remained hidden.”
Maude relaxed as she sighed. A sense of calm settled over her once she knew someone was taking good care of the children. She yawned again, and Amelia shooed her family from the chamber, promising to return the next time Maude woke. Maude nestled against Kieran and fisted his leine, the only thing he wore.
“Thank you, turtledove. I love you beyond measure.” She drifted back to sleep before Kieran responded, but he kissed the crown of her head and whispered his pledge of love.
* * *
The next moon passed in a blur for Maude as her health improved each day. Within three days of her family’s arrival, she was well enough to make her way to the Great Hall for meals. She still felt weak as a bairn, so she capitulated to Kieran’s pestering and took naps twice a day, but she soon walked about the bailey and gardens without perspiring. Kieran and her family took turns accompanying her during her morning constitutional. She returned to her duties in the kitchen to find the servants jumped to assist her without being asked or told. Fiona was like a new woman, asking for Maude’s advice and deferring to Maude’s requests with respect. But the greatest turnaround was Adeline and Abigail. Both women assisted in the kitchens and gardens. While Maude was still too ill to make her rounds to the cooper, the spenser, the distiller, and the laundresses, mother and daughter divided the responsibilities. Abigail continued to read to Maude when she grew tired and rested before the fire in the Great Hall. Adeline created a beautiful kirtle for Maude, with embroidery across the bodice and hems. She used material she’d ordered but tossed aside as too frivolous to consider the expense to the clan. She made the gown based on one of Maude’s but added extra fabric to the skirts to accommodate Maude’s soon-to-be swelling belly. It had surprised and moved Maude too much for her to speak when Adeline presented it to her. The women exchanged a hug that expressed genuine affection. Maude found she was willing to forgive more each day as Abigail and Adeline continued their efforts. She’d feared they would be fair-weather helpers, and once the novelty or scrutiny passed, they would revert to their old selves, but both women continued their efforts.
Maude’s family spoiled her. When she became too restless to remain within the keep, Lachlan took her to the targets near the lists to practice with their bows. Blair shared the latest en dite from court and brought special notes of well wishes from Arabella and her godparents. Amelia ensured the kitchens served fortifying meals that included Maude’s favorite foods. Hamish took her for longer and longer walks beyond the keep’s walls. She enjoyed having the chance to visit with her loved ones, but it was the time spent with Kieran that she most savored.
Kieran took her for rides on Peat, often stopping at the loch to paddle or fish. Eventually, Maude had the strength to ride Trioblaid as long as they walked or trotted. They went on picnics in the nearby meadow or on the banks of the loch. They talked about clan business, the ongoing difficulty with the Morrisons, and prospects for Abigail’s marriage. They eased back into their physical relationship, enjoying rediscovering one another’s bodies, and as Maude displayed signs of her pregnancy, Kieran marveled at the wonder that she grew another life within her. He doted on her and was rarely beyond reach except for when he trained in the lists. When his rotation for patrols arrived, Lachlan took his place, so he wouldn’t have to leave Maude’s side. On days when they didn’t venture from the keep, Maude returned to sharing Kieran’s solar as she worked on the accounts or read while he managed the clan’s affairs. Their bond grew stronger with each passing day, neither taking for granted their time together. They visited the orphaned village children who found a loving home with their relatives near the keep.
The one event that threatened to darken her happiness occurred when she met Maggie by accident during a visit to the village. She and Kieran had been walking hand-in-hand when Kieran suddenly attempted to change directions to avoid a stall in the market. When Maude asked why, Kieran avoided looking at her and suggested a vendor she might like. She peered into the crowd and spotted a beautiful woman who glanced in her direction but returned her attention to the man she haggled with. In an instant, Maude knew who the woman was. She looked at Kieran with doubt and suspicion. Why would he avoid Maggie if he had nothing to hide? Had he become tired of waiting for Maude to heal and resumed his relationship with Maggie? Kieran saw the fear and hurt, understanding immediately that his attempt to spare her embarrassment made her question herself. He continued in the direction they had intended, passing by Maggie who spared them but a glance. She bobbed a polite curtsy and offered Maude a smile but showed little interest in Kieran. When they moved into a shady spot, Maude burst into tears, her emotions already running at odds and ends from being pregnant. Kieran embraced her and stroked her back until she calmed.
“I feel as though your lack of faith in me should hurt, but I understand your feelings. I suppose I’d be the same in your position,” Kieran confessed. “I want naught more than for you to believe me when I say that I’ll never stray from you. There’s no woman more beautiful to me than you. There’s no woman who’d ever be worth risking what I have with you. I love you fully and completely, Maude, and I will till I draw my last breath.”
Maude nodded as she sniffled. “I know you do. It’s ridiculous for me to get so upset, but I don’t seem to be able to stop the tears. I’m positive you haven’t strayed. You haven’t had time to since you’ve been attached to my side for sennights. I know you wouldn’t abandon your time training to stray, and every other hour of the day, you’re with me. But she’s beautiful. I had an overwhelming sense of failure, as though I’ll never measure up, especially as I gain weight with the bairn.”
“You’re carrying the bairn we made together. I’ll never care aboot your weight, Maude. I’d fear for you and the bairn if you didn’t gain weight. I look forward to seeing your belly swell, knowing we created this life together because we love each other.” Kieran kissed the corner of her jaw before whispering, “Besides, your breasts have always been divine, but now that they have filled out even more, I find myself drooling with want to suckle you.”
Maude shivered as Kieran’s words stirred an ache within her core. She stroked her hand over his back down to his buttocks, which she squeezed. Kieran growled and pulled her further into the shadows before capturing her lips in a kiss so filled with passion, he grew lightheaded. Maude slid her hand under his plaid, reaching for his lengthening rod. Kieran groaned and pulled away, looking around. He led her to the postern gate and a side door to the keep. They raced up the stairs to their chamber. It was only moments later that they were stripped bare and clinging to one another. Their sounds of relief as their bodies fused together filled the chamber, neither caring if everyone in the keep knew what husband and wife were doing.
“
How does it keep getting better every time?” Maude wondered. “I pray this never changes.”
“Shh, my love. I feel the same. I never want to stop, never let you go,” Kieran soothed.
* * *
At the end of their sixth sennight at Stornoway, Maude’s family accepted that they had to depart. Maude arranged a feast for their send-off, and it was the first time she had enough energy by the evening to dance. She twirled and laughed as she moved from one partner to another, including her father and brother. She prayed her family would arrive in time for the birth of her bairn or soon after, but she was due in winter, and travel in the Highlands was unpredictable. Kieran claimed most of her dances, but he beamed as he watched her enjoying herself. He looked around the Great Hall, noting all that was right in his life. His wife was healthy and happy, and his family-by-marriage hadn’t murdered him for Maude’s injuries, nor when they learned of her cold reception. His mother and sister were like new women, and he had a bairn on the way. His life had never been so full of blessings, and he intended to appreciate every moment.
As the music ended, Maude squeezed her way through the crowd until she reached Kieran, who leaned against the far wall. She flashed him the wide smile she reserved for him as he opened his arms to her. As he enveloped her in his embrace, she snuggled closer.
“This is the best day of my life, with the exception of our wedding. Thank you for allowing my family to remain for so long.”
“Allowing? It’s thrilled me to have them here. They’ve made you so happy, and I’m sure it helped speed along your recovery. And it let me leave your side without fretting.”
“Without fretting?” Maude giggled. “You fret more than an auld woman. But I confess: I like it when you fret over me. I do the same when you ride out on patrol. I don’t think I’m controlling, but I don’t care for you being out of sight and out of reach.”
“You may fret aboot me anytime you’d like. I know it means you love me.”
“Just a little,” Maude giggled again and dissolved into peals of laughter as he tickled her healed ribs and the crook of her neck.
“Keep pressing against me like that, and I’ll take you to bed before you bid your family goodnight.”
“Then I’d better hurry because I have every intention of you taking me to bed right now.”
Kieran swept her into his arms and carried to her the dais. “Maude wishes to say goodnight,” he announced.
“Goodnight,” she chirped before Kieran raced to the stairs and took them two at a time.
The night slipped into early morning before they fell asleep, exhausted but sated.
* * *
Morning came too soon, and Maude found herself in the bailey saying goodbye to her parents, brother, and sister. After her emotional ups and downs of the past sennights, she expected she’d fall apart, but she found peace as her family prepared to depart. She’d enjoyed their time there. She’d been proud to have her parents see what she’d accomplished, and she enjoyed her time gossiping and laughing with Blair. She’d shared several lengthy conversations with Lachlan as he confessed his fears of one day inheriting the lairdship. Maude suggested tactics Kieran used to lead their clan, and she reassured him that he’d grown into a man anyone would follow without hesitation. She admitted her own worries about what life would be like once the Sutherlands left and she was once more left to manage the keep. She appreciated his council as much as he did hers.
As her family rode out of the bailey, she felt a contentment that hadn’t existed before they arrived. She wished it hadn’t been under such inauspicious circumstances, but it did wonders for her. Kieran wrapped his arm around her and watched as she waved once more to her relatives. She reached into her pocket and retrieved a small pouch her father had given her that morning with strict instructions not to open it until after they departed but to be sure she did it with Kieran.
“Da gave this to me this morning. I have no idea what it is, but he said I was to open it with you once they left.” Maude drew the strings open and dumped the contents into her hand and gasped. Hamish had carved another figurine for her. This one had a man with one arm wrapped around the woman and the other helping to support the babe the woman held. It didn’t take any imagination to see the couple was Kieran and Maude. The etching was clear and intricate, capturing their likeness.
“It’s remarkable,” Kieran’s voice held reverence as he ran his finger over the notches and grooves. “Your father possesses a gift, and this is a rare treasure.”
“It is. This is us,” Maude murmured as the tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away. She pressed the carving to her lips, then her heart. “This is our future. Yours, mine, our family’s.”
Kieran placed his hand over Maude’s belly. “I never imagined when I caught you eavesdropping that I’d meet the most remarkable woman who would steal my heart. Discovering you on the terrace was the greatest gift God ever gave me. I found my other half; the half that makes me a better mon. I love you, buttercup.”
“And I love you, turtledove, just as much.”
Kieran and Maude stood together in the bailey, embracing and kissing as clan members passed by, now accustomed to seeing their laird and lady share their deep and abiding devotion.
Epilogue
Maude looked across the solar to where Kieran sat, pulling his hair until it stood on end as he attempted to write a missive while jiggling a three-year-old lad on his knee. She would have laughed if her breath hadn’t escaped in a puff when their five-year-old daughter leaped into her lap, waving a leaf she’d gathered earlier that day. Maude glanced down at their six-year-old twins–a son and a daughter–as they played with wooden soldiers Hamish had carved before the birth of his first grandchildren. Maude inhaled deeply before releasing a slow sigh. She had more than she’d ever dreamed of when she arrived at court all those years ago. She shared a wonderful life with a doting husband and adorable children. Maude smiled as she watched Kieran adjust their son as a small hand kept attempting to capture the quill that danced before him. When the little boy succeeded, Kieran gave up and carried a squealing toddler to the chair beside Maude’s. The four children returned to playing together as Kieran took Maude’s hand. They watched in silence as the children marched the soldiers across the floor, the fire crackling and popping in the background. Dissatisfied with the distance between them, Kieran lifted Maude into his lap and nuzzled the corner of her jaw as she stroked his chest and shoulder.
“Do you think Da will have time to carve another set of toys if I give him six moons’ notice?” Maude mused.
Kieran froze and leaned to look at her. Maude’s enigmatic smile made his heart race for more than one reason. It still aroused him in an instant, but as her words registered, his mouth broke into a wide grin.
“Another bairn?”
“Aye. I don’t understand how you haven’t figured it out this time.”
“I suppose it was like with the twins. I assumed your courses came when I was on patrol.”
“Would that it were always that convenient. Nay, Eara says I’m four moons along. She fears it might be twins again from how my waist has already expanded.”
Kieran placed his hand over Maude’s belly. After four children, it wasn’t as taut as it had been when they married, but he still desired his wife with a fire that threatened to send him up in flames. He hadn’t noticed any changes in her middle, though he’d wondered about the fullness of her breasts, but they, too, had grown even more luscious after nursing four bairns.
“You’ve already blessed me with four wonderful weans. I’m more fortunate than any one mon should ever be.”
“You blessed me just as much as I did you. We’ve created a happy home for our family and a life together that continues to bring more joy by the day.” Maude cupped Kieran’s jaw as she offered a tender kiss imbued with the love and devotion they shared. “I love you, turtledove.”
“And I love you, mo chridhe. Wilder than the Highland hills and
more beautiful than all the lochs and mountains. I thank God every day that my wallflower bloomed into my bright buttercup.”
They melded together, kissing and embracing as their children played at their feet, the sound of young laughter filling the chamber.
A Rogue at the Highland Court, The Highland Ladies Book Three
Available on April 10, 2020
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A Rogue at the Highland Court
A runaway bride...
Allyson Elliot spent her childhood in the shadows of her five older siblings, but after surviving rumors about her parentage, she finds a new, carefree life at the Scottish Highland court. Free of suspicion, Allyson blooms into a vibrant lady-in-waiting, but an unexpected arranged marriage turns her world upside down. Desperate, Allyson becomes a runaway bride as she tries to escape her betrothal. Can Allyson fight for her freedom to choose? Is Allyson the woman to get the notorious rogue to change his ways?
A handsome rogue...
Ewan Gordon may be the heir to his clan’s lairdship, but he’s enjoying the life of a bachelor with his twin, Eoin. Ewan is attracted to Allyson and even considers stealing a kiss, but when the king orders he marry Allyson, Ewan is forced to reconsider his ideas on marriage and fidelity. As Ewan chases Allyson, he discovers there’s more than meets the eye to this naive but courageous young lady. Can Ewan convince Allyson that he’s the man she needs? Will Allyson find the confidence to trust Ewan?
A family that divides...
When members of Allyson’s family set out to destroy their blossoming relationship, Ewan must fight to keep Allyson from slipping back into the shadows. Jealous sisters, thoughtless brothers, and indifferent parents threaten to steal Allyson’s and Ewan’s chance for their happily ever after. Can they learn to rely on one another? Or will Allyson’s family create a rift that pushes them apart for good?
A Wallflower at the Highland Court: A Slow Burn Highlander Romance Page 29
