Highland Devil

by Hannah Howell

  “Oh, all right then.”

  “That is enough?”

  She smiled at the slight note of hope in his voice. “Nay, but I am willing to wait for ye to be certain.” But, nay for long, she added silently.

  “That is verra kind of ye.”

  And now he was teasing her, she thought, and slapped his chest. She had just convinced herself she could wait for him to return her love but she was not happy about that. Just felt it was best that he knew his own heart and was sure before he said the words. Teasing her about it was not acceptable.

  She wondered how he could not know. It seemed to her to be something one should recognize as soon as it struck. Her love was a part of her; she knew it was there every time she looked at him. Even his scent was enough to stir it in her heart.

  Gybbon watched her face and could tell she was thinking hard, fretting over it. He suspected every female in his family would happily thump him into the ground right now. The moment he had heard her say she loved him, he had known he loved her, too. He was still trying to calm his heart down.

  They had not known each other long and he had thought such a thing as love took a while to settle in. To a Murray it was usually so life changing he had believed it was one of those things that required time to grow and get hold of you. He went through a list of the whys in his head and sighed. Now he was just being mean, he decided. Every time he tried to think of what he would do in the future, she was there at his side.

  “Lass, dinnae fret so.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “I ken what I feel weel enough, but I am one who feels the need to think hard before I commit myself to e’en the smallest thing. And this is nay a small thing.”

  “Nay, it isnae.”

  “But, I need to cease puzzling o’er something that is clear for most everyone to see. Yet, suddenly, I am thinking of building a strong manor house, even of putting in escape routes and setting it right between two strong keeps one should be able to run to if there is trouble. And do ye ken who I always see at my side?” She looked up at him and he smiled. “Ye. Ye are in every vision of what is to come for me. I just chose nay to look at that too closely.”

  “And ye just did? Look at it closely?”

  “Aye. Takes a mon awhile, I suspect.”

  “Takes ye even longer,” she mumbled, and was not surprised when he laughed.

  “Aye, it appears so.” He put his hand under her chin and tipped up her face so he could give her a kiss on the forehead and then on the mouth. “Aye, lass, I love ye.” He saw the glint of tears in her eyes and sighed. “’Tis nay something to weep about. If anyone should be weeping, ’tis I, for I will be giving up the roving life and I rather enjoyed it.” He grunted when she lightly punched him in the side. “And already ye begin to abuse me.” He held her tight when she laughed.

  “I would ne’er stop ye from doing a wee bit of roving.”

  “That is what I kenned but the urge is gone. Willnae swear it will stay gone, but for now, aye, no itch to ride off.”

  She snuggled up close to him. “Good.”

  “Will have to let my family ken what is happening. That may take a wee bit of time and I cannae promise we willnae suddenly have more of them about than one would wish for.”

  “Is your family that large?”

  “Aye, because it tends to include all of them, nay just mither and fither and siblings but cousins and aunties and uncles and whome’er they wed and what children they have. Weel, it is a lot, aye.”

  “That’s lovely.”

  He looked to where the cat was and found it sitting up and staring at him. “I suppose I must take the cat in, too.”

  “Without a doubt.”

  “Fair enough. Ye will have to claim Jester as one of your stable.”

  “She likes Jester.”

  He laughed and pressed her head against his shoulder. “Sleep, lass. I ken ye need it and ’tis too soon for me to celebrate this moment.” He caught her puzzled look. “Men need a bit of a rest between bouts.”

  Mora felt herself blush and just nodded. “I didnae ken that.”

  “And glad I am to hear that,” said a deep voice.

  Mora squealed and ducked under the covers. Gybbon sighed and turned to look at Niall and David. He had not even heard them come in. They looked angry, yet he did not have the feeling they were prepared to beat him close to death. He hoped his judgment was right on that.

  Chapter Twenty

  Mora stayed hidden under the covers even though she knew it was cowardly of her. If nothing else, she was leaving poor Gybbon to face her brothers alone. Realizing she could not leap out while naked to defend him if her brothers decided to beat him, she wriggled over to the edge of the bed to grab her night shift from the floor where Gybbon had dropped it. She wriggled around as she tugged it on.

  “What the devil is she doing under there?” asked David.

  Lifting the covers a little to peek, Gybbon grinned. “Trying to put her night shift back on.”

  “I didnae think I wanted to be naked if I had to leap up to defend ye,” she snapped as she slipped her arm into the sleeve.

  “Ye were going to try and defend me? That is sweet, but I dinnae think ye will need to bother.”

  She was about to call him arrogant when he was suddenly yanked out of the bed. Even as she pulled on the other sleeve, she popped out from beneath the covers. Her brothers stood by the bed, David with a good hard grip on Gybbon’s arm as Niall started to toss his clothes at him.

  “What are ye doing here?” she demanded.

  “Good question, love. Better one, just how did ye get in here?” asked Gybbon.

  “We ken about Sigimor’s escape passage and came up that way after we found the doors locked.”

  Gybbon looked around as he tried to put his clothes on while still being held firm by David and found a door partly open near the hearth. “Sigimor isnae keeping that secret verra weel.”

  “We are his kin so he told my mither about it. Ye will wed my sister.”

  “He doesnae have to,” Mora snapped, then wondered why she said that when she wanted nothing more than that.

  “Oh, aye, he does,” said Niall.

  “That is a verra interesting place,” said a young voice, and Andrew stepped out of the door to the passageway.

  Mora groaned and covered her face. “Did ye nay see that he followed ye?” she asked her brothers.

  Niall and David shook their heads. “He must have seen us leave our bedchamber,” said Niall.

  “Why are ye holding Gybbon?” Andrew asked as he paused to pat the cat, then started walking over to them.

  “Because I am thinking of beating on him,” said David.

  “I would rather ye didnae,” said Sigimor as he walked in behind Andrew. “I have no wish to have the far too numerous Murrays descend upon me.”

  “Oh, sweet Mary,” muttered Mora, and buried her head in the pillow. “Is the whole cursed house going to wander in?”

  “Nay, lass,” Sigimor said, and patted her on the head. “I just got curious about who was wandering through my walls.” He looked at Gybbon. “Guess locking the doors wasnae enough.”

  “Nay. Nice locks ye have, though.”

  “Thank ye. Started putting them on certain doors once I could afford them as I was weary of my whole family walking into my room whene’er they pleased.”

  “Oh, I can understand that.”

  “Now, everyone out.” He looked at Gybbon. “And that includes ye.”

  “But . . .” Gybbon began.

  “Nay, we will go down to the hall and have some ale to calm tempers and discuss what happens next, then back to our own beds till morning. Mora, I warn ye, ye will have Jolene in here first thing in the morning.”

  “Why?”

  “To plan your wedding,” Sigimor said, and her brothers nodded, and then he went and shut the door to the passageway and locked it.

  “But . . .”

  “Sleep weel, Mora,” said Sigimor as he usher
ed everyone out the door only to poke his head back in a moment later. “Lock the door.”

  She sighed when he left but got up and locked the door. She did not know why that was necessary as it appeared there were all sorts of places in this room for someone to sneak up on them. And how would Jolene get in if she locked the door?

  “Not my problem,” she said as she climbed back into bed.

  She lay on her back, scratched her cat’s ears when it jumped up to curl at her side. It appeared she would soon be married. Gybbon had not looked overly distressed by that, but she was annoyed. She had always hated it when she was ordered to do something. She just prayed Gybbon did not have any resentment over being dragged before an altar.

  They had deprived her of the chance to have Gybbon ask her to be his wife and any of the loving that might have come after that. It should have been a lovely, romantic moment and they had stolen that away. Mora decided she would find a way to make her interfering brothers pay for that.

  * * *

  Gybbon sipped his ale and tried to ignore the way Niall and David were glaring at him. He did not like the fact that he was being pushed to the altar but knew he would have been going there soon anyway. Then again, he had only just begun to think of how to ask Mora to marry him and had a small sense of relief that he did not have to come up with something a woman would think was suitable. He had not been gifted with the skill at romantic talk such as some of his relatives were.

  “I want Harcourt there,” he abruptly said as the brothers and Sigimor talked about the wedding they were busy planning for him.

  “Already sent him word. The priest, too, and just received the reply from him.” Sigimor scowled. “Didnae need the sermonizing he put in, just an aye or a nay. He will be here in time to wed the sinners.” He grinned at Gybbon. “So be sure to look appropriately shamed.”

  “I will do my best.”

  “Ye should look shamed,” said David. “Mora is a proper lady.”

  “Who tried to steal a horse,” Gybbon murmured, took another sip of ale and winked at a grinning Sigimor.

  “That was under extreme circumstances.”

  “Doesnae matter, David,” said Sigimor. “Now, I am eager to go back to my bed. Ye do not beat on him. I want him to look as handsome as possible when he stands afore the priest.” He got up and walked out.

  Gybbon decided he would also go back to bed and make himself resist the urge to go through that clever door. He stood up and so did her brothers. Gybbon could see how badly they wanted to hit him and he did understand that urge. He had enough sisters and female cousins who had lain with the man they married before the vows were said to understand how it made a man feel.

  “Nay, sorry ye cannae, but Sigimor wants my face pretty for the wedding.”

  “Ye willnae be getting wed naked so we just need to avoid your face.”

  “True, Niall, but I think your sister would notice those bruises later.” That remark made David take a swing at him, but Niall stopped it and Gybbon walked away.

  Gybbon went up to his room and stripped off his clothes. He forced himself not to look at the door that would take him to Mora’s side. It would be folly to give in to that temptation. He would have her as his, without question, after tomorrow, so he could just control himself for one night.

  * * *

  Mora woke to Jolene and Mary and another maid, their arms full of clothes and flowers. She was tugged out of bed as some servants came in and filled a bath. Jolene poured some pleasantly scented lotion into the water, then urged Mora to shed her night shift and get in. Unused to undressing before other people, even though these were other women, Mora tossed off her night shift and hopped right into the water, sinking down until she was somewhat shielded.

  She scrubbed herself as Mary washed her hair. Then she was dragged out, dried off, and had cream rubbed into her until she thought she would swoon from the embarrassment. At last she was dressed again in a gown Jolene was lending her, but she had no time to admire it. She was sat down in a chair and her hair dried, then Mary set a wreath of flowers on her hair. The other maid, Anne, handed her a small bouquet.

  “Now ye can look,” said Jolene, and tugged Mora to her feet, then turned her so she faced a large looking glass.

  Mora looked and lightly smoothed her hand down the fine gown Jolene had dressed her in. “It is beautiful.”

  “Are ye happy?” Jolene asked.

  “Happy to be made so pretty?”

  “Happy to be a bride.”

  “Aye and nay. Last night I thought on how I wished he could have had the time to ask me so I could always be certain this is what he wanted.”

  “Oh, he wants it, Mora, or he would have fought. This way he gets to wed the woman he wants and your brothers can feel like they have done what is right by you. ’Tis all manly nonsense though. I just wanted to be certain it was what you wanted.”

  “Aye, ’tis. I just bemoan nay hearing what he would have said.”

  “I ne’er heard a grand proposal from Sigimor, ye ken. He decided it was the best way to keep me safe and we got wed.”

  “Oh. I hadnae realized that. ’Tis a silly thing to fret over.”

  “Not really, but there is no purpose in it and no gain, so why do so?”

  “True. The priest is waiting downstairs. I have met him and he is a stuffy, very pious fellow, so I would like to get down there before Sigimor says something that will get us both excommunicated.”

  Mora laughed and left the room with Jolene, but the woman made her stay at the top of the stairs until Mary signaled her to come down.

  * * *

  The priest was an older man and so pious and self-righteous it set Gybbon on edge. He was pleased to see that the man irritated Sigimor as well, only Jolene’s hand on his arm keeping him even slightly polite. Jolene had arrived downstairs after helping Mora prepare just in time. Gybbon hoped Mora was not having second thoughts though, as he glanced at the door only to catch Mary waving someone in.

  Mora stepped in just before he looked away and he had to admit, Jolene had done a wonderful job. Mora’s hair was long and flowing, revealing what was almost stripes of red in her pale hair, and the blue gown that must have been Jolene’s brought out the color of her eyes. She had a wreath of flowers in her hair and held a small bouquet in her hands as she walked toward him.

  “They didnae hurt ye, did they?” she asked softly as she stepped up beside him and frowned at her brothers, before waving at Harcourt and Annys.

  “Nay, Sigimor told them he wanted to see me as handsome as possible today.” He grinned when she laughed softly.

  The priest cleared his throat, drawing their attention, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Andrew scurry closer, holding two wedding bands on a small pillow. Gybbon wondered whose he was being given. When Mora’s eyes widened and the hint of tears gleamed in them, he knew. They had been given her parents’ rings.

  “She always said they should go to the first one wed,” said David.

  “Oh, thank ye for bringing them,” Mora whispered as she lightly touched them, and Gybbon nodded his thanks to the man.

  He was surprised that she had not packed them in her bag, but then his attention was pulled back to the priest. The man droned on and on and suddenly Mora was nudging him to speak and he dutifully said aye. He listened as Mora repeated her vows and felt an odd swelling in his chest. This obviously meant more to him that he had anticipated. Soon enough it was over and he kissed the bride, doing his best to keep it a respectable kiss just to seal the vows.

  Harcourt came over and clapped him on the back as Mora’s brothers engulfed her with hugs and kisses on the cheek. “Feeling trapped?” he asked softly.

  “Nay. Just annoyed that I wasnae the one to do the asking,” Gybbon replied.

  “Ah, good. Ye had planned on doing this anyway.”

  “Aye. Had just decided on it when those two rude fellows walked in.”

  “Hope ye were decent.”

  “N
ay. Although Mora got that way by putting her night shift on under the covers.” He smiled faintly when Harcourt laughed.

  “Love to watch when they do that. I dinnae ken how they can see.”

  “Must be a woman thing.”

  “Aye.” He looked at Sigimor and asked, “So now we can eat?” He then muttered a soft cry of pain and, seeing Annys right behind him, Gybbon decided he had just been pinched or hit for such rudeness.

  Sigimor just grinned. “Aye. Now food.” He mumbled a thanks to the priest, then walked over to the table, scowling a little when the priest followed and took a seat.

  Gybbon smothered a laugh when he realized Sigimor had not intended to have a priest at his table, and he led Mora to a seat and then sat beside her. He nearly laughed at the priest’s face when Freya jumped on the seat beside her. He did not think the priest would linger after the meal.

  “Oh, dear, the priest is upset by the cat at the table,” Mora whispered.

  “Aye, so he will leave soon,” Gybbon said quietly, and she smiled.

  * * *

  It was late in the afternoon before Gybbon got a chance to take Mora upstairs. Just at the bottom of the stairs, Harcourt stopped them and kissed Mora on the cheek and Annys did the same. Gybbon was pleased by this sign of welcome and shook his brother’s hand.

  “Starting on the manor house soon?” Harcourt asked.

  “Aye, intend to draw out what I would like and then talk to some of the craftsmen in town tomorrow.”

  “Good. Just let me ken what ye plan as I have some craftsmen at the keep who wouldnae say nay to some extra work.”

  As soon as they left, Gybbon hurried Mora up the stairs so fast she was laughing by the time they went into his bedchamber. Their clothes quickly hit the floor although he noticed she was very careful about laying the blue gown over a chair. He then tumbled her into bed after locking the door.

  “Locking that didnae help last night,” she said as she curled her arms around his neck.

  “Better lock, and no entrance to the escape tunnel in here.”