Highland Devil

by Hannah Howell

  After helping her down from the scaffold, Gybbon led her through the crowd in the bailey, keeping a firm arm around her trembling body, and out through the gates. “Ye are safe now, love.”

  “I ken it. I also ken it is silly to worry about my uncle, but I cannae seem to help it. This could break him. He was crying in front of all his clan, Gybbon, and he was always such a proud mon.”

  “He lost the right to be proud with his attempts to blame the innocent for what Robert had done and to ignore all the wrong that fool committed. There comes a time when ye just have to face the fact that your child is wrong and allow him to pay for what he has done.”

  She nodded. “I ken it. I truly do. May we go home now?”

  “Aye. To Sigimor’s for tonight and then we will decide what to do tomorrow.”

  As he got his horse and brought it to her, Mora took the opportunity to hug her brothers properly. She felt bad that she had gained so much from this tragedy while her uncle had lost so much. It was her hope that one day he would see that he had also gained. She really hoped he would find peace with what he had now that Robert was gone. Then, ignoring her brothers’ attempts to get her to ride with one of them, she went and let Gybbon put her on Jester, then settle in behind her.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Gybbon rode up to Sigimor’s manor and, after dismounting, helped Mora down. Her brothers were right there and then Andrew hurried out of the house and flung himself into David’s arms while wrapping an arm around his sister’s neck. After hugging the boy hard, David handed him over to Niall once Andrew released Mora. Mora started to edge closer to him only to have David intervene. Gybbon watched Sigimor head into the manor, the laird giving him the quick flash of a grin before ducking inside. Gybbon decided to follow him inside and, if Jolene was not there, punch him right in his irritating grin.

  Once inside, Gybbon saw that Jolene appeared, so he had to satisfy his annoyance by just glaring at the man. That only widened Sigimor’s grin. Gybbon watched as the brothers came in with Mora and Andrew. It was good to see the boy so happy, he thought. Glancing toward Mora, settled snugly between her two brothers, Gybbon sighed. He was the only one not completely pleased with the situation. He sat down next to Sigimor and helped himself to some food.

  Mora was delighted to have her brothers home safe and alive, but she was getting the urge to bang their heads together. She had spent a lot of time in that cell recalling the private times she had shared with Gybbon, remembering how his touch had made her feel and hungering to feel that way again. Her brothers, however, made it clear with their actions that they were determined to protect her virtue from this big, bad man. She was tempted to tell them that what they so assiduously protected was gone days ago.

  Suddenly she remembered that the bedchamber she had had was right next to Gybbon’s. If he wished to come to her, she would fulfill what had been a sustaining dream during her time in that dungeon. She just hoped her brothers would not go so far as to guard her door. If they did, Mora thought she just might have to beat them with a stick.

  “I think Freya has missed ye,” said Andrew.

  “Oh, I ken it.” She looked at Harcourt. “I hope she has nay been bothering Annys too much.”

  “Nay anymore. Brought her here.”

  “Then, where is she?”

  “Upstairs in your bedchamber. I had not meant to put her there, but I picked up the bag and she was in it. Held the door open and she would not come, just sat there next to that bag.”

  “Oh, dear.” Mora watched David put some meat on her plate and wished it was Gybbon doing it. “She will be showing her displeasure with me.”

  Niall laughed. “Mora, it is just a cat.”

  “A cat that eats at the table when she feels inclined. Gets my wife to cut up some food for her.” Sigimor frowned down at his full plate. “She doesnae cut up my meat.”

  “Of course not, you have hands,” Jolene pointed out.

  “Aye, clever things.” He wiggled his fingers in her face, then slipped his hand under the table and Jolene squealed. She then blushed bright red and slapped him on the arm. “Rude, rude man!”

  Ignoring her, Sigimor went back to eating and Mora shook her head. They were a wonderful couple but as mismatched as any could be. Jolene was a very proper lady and Sigimor was a rough, somewhat uncivilized man, but they suited. She realized she really wanted to meet the daughters they had made together.

  “We will be leaving tomorrow if it doesnae rain,” said Sigimor as he helped himself to more bread. “Need to get my lassies back from Ilsa before they drive her mad.”

  “She has been raising Odo, so I think she can manage our girls. And we sent her plenty of help.”

  “Aye, mayhap, but there is only one of Odo.”

  “Who is Odo? Her child?”

  “Nay. He is hers now, but he was a foundling,” replied Jolene.

  Mora listened in fascination about Ilsa’s husband, who had taken in bairns left at his gates, claiming them as his or accepting the blame the women claimed was his, and raising them. Her life suddenly seemed very boring, ordinary, despite the tragedy that had struck it. She had certainly not seen much of the world and could now see that she had not experienced a large part of what life offered. The truth had to be faced, she decided. She simply was not a person who sought out adventure. Mora loved the stories, however, and Jolene was in the mood to tell a lot.

  When she finally made her way to her bedchamber, Mora had had enough of men. Sigimor was taunting Gybbon in some strange, mostly silent way she did not understand, and her brothers had kept poking at Gybbon trying to discover what his interest in their sister might be. She thought it very arrogant of Niall and David to think that, after three years away, they could walk back in and control her life. She had never much liked their bonding together on such a matter before they had left to go trotting all over France.

  She stepped into the room she had been given and saw her bag with an angry-looking Freya sitting next to it, her tail flicking wildly. Running over to the bed, she picked up her cat, ignoring the growls of displeasure, and stroked her. Silly as it was to get so attached to an animal, she had missed her cat while stuck in her uncle’s cell. Just petting the cat calmed her.

  “Now, Freya, calm down. I hadnae expected to be gone so long. Thought I could talk sense to my uncle, but I should have kenned better. He is a mon. Men dinnae heed what a woman says. If ye feel like scratching someone to show your displeasure just give me a moment to fetch Niall and David.”

  She got up and got ready for bed. Donning her night shift, she washed up, then cleaned her teeth. She took a moment to rub some of Jolene’s cream on her scar and firmly reminded herself to get the instructions for making it before she left. Hurrying back to bed, she got beneath the covers, welcoming the warmth, and smiled when Freya curled up beside her.

  Mora wished she was curling up with Gybbon. It was odd that she would pine for something she had only known twice. Yet, she did. She closed her eyes and reached out for sleep. Keeping her breathing deep and even, she soon felt the tug of sleep. Soon she would have to go home with her brothers and might never see Gybbon again. Mora fought to push that thought away for it interrupted her slide into sleep.

  Gybbon was walking to his bedchamber wondering how he could get in to be with Mora when he was surprised to find Sigimor there waiting for him. “Why are ye lurking around my door? Shouldnae ye be with Jolene?”

  “She will wait for me. Mora’s brothers are watching ye verra closely.”

  “I ken it.”

  “So mayhap ye should make up your mind about what ye want to do with the lass.” He held up his hand to stop Gybbon’s reply. “Aside from that. They catch ye at that and ye will be beaten and toted to a priest. So be certain ye are ready to run that risk.”

  “Weel, nay sure what I want in the end, but I at least have some land to build a good, solid, fortified manor on. To be honest, I dinnae ken if I am looking to stay in one place, settle with on
e woman, maybe have a bairn or twa, or if ’tis just an urge to stop for a wee while. Yet I find myself nay concerned if those two lads drag me and Mora before a priest.”

  “At least ye have thought on it. Get in your room and, if ye are a daring fool, walk up to the hearth and push on the wall to the right of it. See ye in the morning. Oh, and lock the doors.”

  Gybbon shook his head and went into the room. He shut the door and stared at it for a moment, then took the key off the hook on the door frame and locked the door. He was surprised Sigimor had some of the more expensive types of locks on his inside doors, but the man did like some things that displayed “I have money” to anyone who came round. Gybbon bet the man had the most elaborate and costly lock on his own bedchamber.

  Next, he walked over to the hearth and stared at the wall but could see nothing. He pushed on the wall and it slowly opened. He grinned and stepped into Mora’s bedchamber. Gybbon had the feeling that little door was from the time of Sigimor’s father, and hoped the mon had not used it to be false to his wife.

  He thought about that for a moment and doubted it. There was such a horde of Cameron brothers he did not think the man would have the time or the energy to bed any other woman. Then he recalled that there was a passage that led down to the dungeons in one of the bedrooms and he bet it was in Mora’s room. The clever door in the wall had been a way to escape if needed. It could be even older than he thought it was, and he also decided he would have one in his manor when he had it built.

  Gybbon noticed Mora had not banked the fire or even shut the heavy drapes over the window, so both firelight and moonlight gave him more than enough light to see by. Softly, he walked over to her bed and saw that she was sound asleep, her strange cat curled up in one arm and staring at him. He thought about just letting her sleep as she was most likely worn out from being imprisoned and facing a certain hanging for crimes she had not committed. It took but a moment for him to decide he simply was not that generous and walked over to her door to lock it, frowning when he found it was simply a latch and bolt, not as strong a lock as he had. Her brothers could easily break through.

  After a moment of thinking what would happen if they did, he found he did not care. Gybbon was not sure what he felt for Mora, but the thought of being pressed into a marriage with her did not make him shy away. In truth, he faced the possibility very calmly, his only worry being that he would prove a poor husband because the urge to wander might return and he would leave her alone too often.

  At some point, and soon, he was going to have to think hard on what he felt for this woman. He started to walk back to the bed, shedding his clothes as he went. Finally, he stood right next to the bed, naked and frowning as his mind started puzzling over the problem now, not ready to wait.

  He had known her for only a short while, but he had wanted her from the start, even though he had only seen her in the firelight. She was not a buxom woman but, for once, he did not care about that but still craved her. The passion he found in her arms was the fiercest and most satisfying he could recall enjoying. He found her company welcome even when there was no immediate need or opportunity for lovemaking. And, he realized with a curse, he thought of it as lovemaking, not rutting or sex.

  Gybbon nearly groaned aloud as he lifted the covers and slid into bed beside her. It was clear that he had inherited what some males in his family called the Murray curse. They were also sure it had been passed down from the women in their family. When he tugged Mora into his arms and it felt as if his whole body sighed in pleasure, he doubted the “curse” was all the fault of the woman. Then he heard himself whisper an apology to her cat as it stalked away to a bed someone had left to the right of the fireplace for it, and he knew he was lost.

  * * *

  Mora woke up slowly as she became aware of the hard warmth she was pressed against, the sound of a heartbeat she already recognized thumping in her ears. She took a deep breath, savoring the scent of him, and realized she now truly felt as if she was safe and had come home. It was going to shatter her heart when he finally left her, but she pushed the thought aside. He was here now and she would not taint the moment with a sadness for what would come.

  “Mmmmm, is that ye, William?” She felt his body jerk slightly as her words shocked him and could not stop herself; she began to giggle and felt a light but sharp slap on her backside.

  “Wretched woman,” he grumbled, but had to grin.

  She opened her eyes to look at him and grinned. “Sorry, I could not resist. Ye shouldnae be here. My brothers might find ye.”

  “Only if they kick in Sigimor’s fine door. Door is locked.”

  “I have a lock on the door?”

  “Aye. So do I, but ’tis a better one than this.”

  “How did ye get here without my brothers seeing ye?”

  “Seems there is a hidden door between the bedchambers. Right by the fireplace.” He frowned when he watched her stare at the fireplace, then suddenly blush. “What has ye blushing like that?” He kissed her cheek. “Did ye just wonder if Sigimor’s da had lovers? I did, and then apologized to the mon in my head.”

  “Nay, I didnae think that. I just thought that Jolene may have put us in here apurpose, and I found that a little embarrassing for it meant she already thought we were lovers and thinks we have been skipping back and forth all the while we have stayed here.”

  He chuckled. “The door there is to escape into here where I believe the opening to a passageway to the dungeons is. ’Tis an escape route. Although, she may have already thought us lovers, but she didnae tell me about the door.”

  “Ah. Weel, that is clever if the passageway is here.” She tried to move, thinking about going to look for the door to that passageway.

  “Nay, we can look later. I want to look at it anyway for I am thinking it would be a good thing to have in the manor house I mean to build.”

  “Ye have a house planned?”

  “Aye, Harcourt is giving me some land and I plan to put one between his keep and Nigel MacQueen’s. He gave me the choice of the land between him and the border or the other side. I chose the other side.”

  “That was verra kind of him.”

  “Aye, but ’tis also a custom amongst my clan. If ye end up with a lot of land ye mark off a place for a brother or cousin to make their place. It has worked verra weel for us. No one expects a lot of land and some pay some money toward it, which I intend to do, but it does mean ye have a strong ally right at hand and that is slowly making us a clan to reckon with.”

  “Aye, I can see that. Where e’er one settles ye actually end up with two.”

  He let go of her and tugged off her night shift, then pulled her back into his arms. “There. That is much better.”

  “Oh, weel, aye,” she muttered when she relaxed against him.

  He chuckled. She was still a bit shy when naked, but he suspected she always would be, at least when she was first disrobed. He smoothed his hands up and down her back and felt the tension of shyness leave her.

  Gybbon kissed her, letting his hunger for her show in his kiss. She slid her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. He could almost taste her own hunger, which pleased him and quickly heightened his need for her. Kissing his way down to her breasts, he took the hard tip of one deep into his mouth. The soft noises of pleasure she made stoked the fire of his own passion.

  Mora tensed a little when he began to kiss his way down her belly. She knew what he was planning to do as he nudged the covers aside as he went. Try as she might, she could not completely hide the tensions of embarrassment. It drove her wild but she just felt it was too much, too deeply personal. Then his mouth was almost there.

  “’Tis nay a Saint’s Day,” she murmured, and felt the light touch of his breath as he laughed.

  “It must be someone’s,” he said, and licked her.

  Mora lost all ability to speak and threaded her hands through his hair. It allowed her to tug on him, trying to bring him back into her arms as she
felt that strange but fierce feeling building, which she knew would soon sweep over her. She wanted him inside her when it did.

  Instead he turned onto his back and pulled her down his body. “Ride me, love.”

  She did not have time to ask what he meant before he had settled her on top of him, and slid into her. He grasped her by the hips and moved her and she finally understood what she had to do. Although she was not sure she was doing it with any skill, she rode him and felt that urge to shatter grow with every stroke. When it came she had to bite her lip to keep from yelling out, then slumped down onto him as she rode that wave of weakening delight. Her eyes widened when she heard herself tell him she loved him.

  It was too soon, she thought, panicked by what she had said and only partly comforted by how his hold on her tightened. There were no immediate words of assurance or of a return of that feeling, and his tighter hold could be born of panic as easily as it could be a sign of acceptance. Mora feared she may have just completely ruined what she had with him. She felt how he had hardened against her and she decided to take that as something aside from rejection of her feelings.

  “Ah, lass, are ye sure it isnae because we just shared a delight?”

  “Nay, it isnae. I suspect I could get that from most men.”

  “Only if ye want them killed,” he suddenly said in a very hard voice, and she risked looking at him.

  Gybbon looked into her eyes, which were wide with uncertainty, pulling her back into his arms and close to him. Jealousy, he thought. He had felt pure, white-hot jealousy when she had said she could get it from another man. He was caught, he thought, and almost smiled. Caught tight and hard.

  “Dinnae look so afraid, love. I have also been puzzling over the question of do I or dinnae I.”

  Resting her head on his chest, she asked softly, “Ye havenae decided yet?”

  “I havenae kenned what I want since the day ye tried to steal my horse,” he grumbled as he rubbed her back. “When ye said it, my heart grabbed the words greedily.”