Possession of a Highlander

by Madeline Martin

  His expectant gaze weighed on her.

  “Of course I forgive you, Robert.” Her lips stretched in a smile she couldn’t force herself to feel. Perhaps in time, forgiveness would come. “Thank you for your apology.”

  He raised his goblet in the air. “I’d like to propose a toast to us.”

  “To us,” she repeated and let her cup gently tap his before she brought the metal edge to her lips.

  The wine was sweet on her tongue, its spice rich and bold, before fading to bitterness. Most unusual.

  Robert grinned at her. “Interesting flavor, is it not?” He swirled his own jeweled goblet, sending shards of red light dancing around them. “Comes from India or some barbaric place.”

  “Interesting is exactly the word I would use to describe it,” Brianna said slowly.

  His face fell. “You don’t like it.”

  “No, but I do.” She tipped more of the terrible wine into her mouth and swallowed.

  A wide grin split his face and turned fuzzy.

  Fuzzy?

  Brianna blinked hard, but her vision did not clear. The wine grew hot in her stomach, and sweat prickled her brow.

  “Are you ill?” Robert’s voice sounded distant.

  The sun beat down on her, pressing her with its unbearable heat, robbing her of air. God save her, she was so hot. The cup fell from her hands and flecks of red glared up at her, clawing into her heavy eyes. “Hot,” she murmured.

  The deep notes of Robert’s voice swam in her ears, indiscernible sounds against the thickness of her thoughts. Her stomach clenched, and her mouth watered as if she were about to be sick. Hands grasped her arms and she felt herself lifted. Her legs dragged uselessly beneath her.

  Light glanced off the goblet on the ground and sent red whirling in her vision, swirling and spinning until she had to shut her eyes to block it out. And then sweet darkness drew her into its embrace.

  • • •

  The courtyard was empty, as was the garden and the solar. Colin strode across the expanse of cobblestone, toward the stables. Perhaps Brianna had decided to take a ride. He had been tempted on such a fine day.

  The sweet musk of hay filled his nostrils even before he entered the shaded building. Her brown steed occupied its usual stall and regarded Colin with a mournful gaze that made him regret not arriving with a treat for the spoiled beast.

  Something didn’t sit well in Colin’s gut, an unease that grew stronger by the second.

  “Help, someone please.” A plaintive voice carried through the stable entrance.

  Colin shot forward with a burst of energy and ran back out into the courtyard. Magda swayed at its center, her hands clasped to her chest. She turned toward him and sprinted with a speed he had not thought the old woman capable.

  “Help, please, sir.” Her feet skittered across the stones and she staggered.

  He caught her thin shoulders, steadying her before she fell. “What’s the matter, Magda? Where’s Brianna?”

  Her eyes were wide and her fingers plucked at one another. “Please help. Men took my mistress.”

  His body tightened, the way it did before battle. The way that steeled his heart against the call of fear and engaged his mind with strategy. “Who were these men? Where did they take her?”

  Tears rolled soundless down her cheeks. “Toward the summer house.” She shook her head miserably. “But I don’t know who they are.”

  The old woman might not know the men, but Colin had a strong idea whom to suspect. And the bastard would pay for his offense.

  “She’ll be fine, Magda.” He gently squeezed her bony shoulders one last time before releasing her and racing toward the garden.

  His thundering boots on the hard ground fell to a hushed whisper over the lush grass. The garden was still. Too still. No screaming, no cries for help, no crashes of struggle.

  He shoved through the door of the summer house and found only silence in the dimly lit room. Empty, save the massive stone table at the center.

  His stomach twisted. If she was here, she was on the second level, in the isolated bed chamber above.

  He leapt up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and slammed his weight into the second door. It gave without resistance, and his body burst into the room. Brianna’s cousin stood at the opposite end, before a bed.

  Colin’s heart compressed. Milky white legs hung limp from either side of the bastard’s hips.

  Robert looked over his shoulder with a smirk that dropped open into a look of surprise. “You’re not—”

  Colin didn’t remember crossing the room, nor did he remember cocking his arm back, but he would always remember how satisfying it felt to have the whoreson’s head snap back beneath his fist. Once again, Brianna’s pathetic cousin lay motionless at Colin’s feet.

  Brianna.

  She lay on the bed, her heavy skirts pushed to her hips and her long legs spread. Her face was turned to the side, deathly pale. Her chest did not rise.

  Fear gripped Colin in its unfamiliar grasp.

  He leaned over her and caught her face in his hands. Her flesh was cool and slick with sweat beneath his fingers. A soft exhale tickled the hair on the back of his hand.

  Relief crashed through him. She lived.

  “Brianna.” His voice was loud in the stillness of the room.

  Her lashes fluttered.

  “Captain!” A voice shouted behind him, shocked, full of rage.

  Brianna’s eyes flew open and found Colin’s. “What—?”

  “What is the meaning of this?” The voice was familiar, and yet Colin could not bring himself to tear his gaze from Brianna. He wanted to feel her pulse beneath his fingers and see her breath pull in and out of her chest.

  “Captain, what have you done?” The young pastor’s hissed voice cut through the haze of Colin’s shock.

  He froze between Brianna’s naked legs where he leaned over her with Robert laying at his feet. No matter how he could try to explain this, one thing was certain.

  Brianna’s reputation was ruined.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The air hung thick with accusation and pressed into Colin. He did not have to turn to see the pastor’s gaze on him. He could feel it slicing into his back.

  Colin grabbed the hem of Brianna’s skirts and jerked them over her legs in a belated effort to preserve her modesty. Had he not been so panicked when he entered, he might have thought to have done that first.

  Her glassy eyed stare drifted down. “Why was I—” She clenched her jaw, cutting off the slowly slurred words.

  The shutters banged open behind him, and Thomas’s shouts rang through the room. “Send for the healer. Our lady is ill.”

  Robert rolled to his feet beside Colin. “You barbarian! How dare you touch her?”

  His meager fist pulled back, but before he could land a blow, Colin caught his wrist and shoved him back two steps, against the wall. “Dinna try it, Lowlander—ye willna like the end result.”

  Thomas appeared between them, his arms spread wide. “Cease this immediately. I will have answers and I will have them now.” His usually jovial face was red, his mouth drawn tight.

  A pitiful whimper came from the bed where Brianna lay. Regret splintered through Colin’s anger. He would properly deal with Robert later.

  The sooner the conversation at hand passed, the sooner he could do as he desired.

  Robert spoke first. “I came in and found the Highlander hovering over Lady Lindsay. I tried to stop him and managed a few blows before the beast turned uncontrollable and slammed into me with such force, I was knocked from my wits.”

  Colin stared down at the lesser man. Were the situation not so serious, he would have laughed—especially when Thomas’s eyebrows furrowed in a show of mild disbelief. Colin glanced at Brianna. Her eyes misted with tears and confusion.

  Certainly this was no laughing matter.

  “And you, Captain?”

  The pastor’s voice pulled Colin’s attention. “What is
your account of the story?”

  The muscles along Colin’s back drew tight at the recent memory. “I was informed Lady Lindsay had been taken. When I came to the summer home, I found him,” he nodded toward Robert’s smug face. “He had her dress pulled up.” His hands clenched into fists. “And he was between her legs.” Each word came out short and hard between clenched teeth. “I knocked the bastard to the ground and tried to ensure Lady Lindsay was safe.”

  Thomas tucked his lips in his mouth and furrowed his heavy brows. He leaned around Colin and looked to where Brianna lay. “I believe we shall have to ask Lady Lindsay what transpired and we’ll have a full account of the truth.”

  Robert rolled his eyes. “She’ll have no idea what happened, she was unconscious when I came in here.” His chin tilted up at a cocky angle that would be perfect to catch with the sharp edge of an elbow. “Clearly her innocence is in question. No man of noble bearing would want her now.” His lip curled. “She’s ruined.”

  “Dinna speak of her like that,” Colin growled. Were this a different time and place, the Lowlander would be crushed beneath his boot for the offenses spoken and committed against Brianna.

  Lindsay narrowed his eyes. “I’ll marry her even though her reputation is in shreds.” He wrinkled his nose. “From the acts of a commoner.”

  A sharp cry sounded from the bed. Brianna lurched upright and immediately doubled over. Her hands cupped her face and a low moan sounded from behind her fingers. “Where am I?”

  She lifted her head, her eyes wild and distressed. “What’s happened?” She shook her head. “I don’t understand any of this.”

  Her shield was stripped away, and every fear lay evident in her anxious stare.

  Colin’s explanation caught on his tongue. She looked so innocent, so exposed.

  Before he could go to her, Thomas stepped forward and placed a protective arm around her shoulders. “My lady, I’m afraid your virtue has been compromised.”

  Her mouth worked soundlessly and her gaze darted to each man. “That’s not possible, I haven’t-I would have…have felt—”

  Robert edged toward the bed, his sunken chest puffed out. “I have agreed to save your reputation. You are to become my wife.”

  Colin cursed inwardly. This was not how he wanted Brianna to know who he was. This was not how he wished to propose marriage.

  “No,” Brianna whispered. “I can’t.”

  A victorious smile erupted on Robert’s pocked face. “You have no choice but to marry me.”

  “That isna true,” Colin said. “I was the one found with her. I am responsible.” He steeled himself and met Brianna’s wounded gaze, wishing he were alone with her. Perhaps then he could explain.

  Robert’s sharp bark of laughter reverberated off the plastered walls. “You? Marry her?” His mirth contorted into a dark glower. “A commoner like you will never know the touch of a lady like her.” He stepped closer to Colin. “A commoner like you will die for your offenses.”

  Colin widened his stance and crossed his arms over his chest. “Good thing I’m no a commoner then, aye?”

  The nobleman’s confident posture faltered.

  “Laird MacKinnon is my father. I’m a noble in my own right, and I’ll be claiming Lady Lindsay as my wife.” He stared hard at Robert without blinking. “And she will be under my personal protection from this moment forward.”

  • • •

  Brianna gripped the sumptuous velvet coverlet beneath her. It felt real. Certainly the heat of her cheeks was real, as was the painful churning in her stomach.

  But this could not be real.

  Her innocence was compromised.

  Her Captain of the Guard was a noble.

  She would be married.

  No, this could not be real.

  She squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, she would find the events had been nothing more than a horrible, horrible night terror.

  Her eyes flew open and her heart plummeted. All three men stood over her, glaring challenges at one another.

  Rage tore through her cloud of hopelessness. Her hands fisted the coverlet beneath her fingertips. How dare they plan her life?

  “No.” Her protest was feeble, a gasp in a room with little air for breathing. “No,” she said again with more strength.

  Thomas’s hold on her tightened. The comforting gesture felt like a yoke falling over her shoulders.

  “Be still, my lady.” His concern was evident in the softness of his tone. He looked toward Colin and Robert. “The two of you should leave and ensure the healer comes to see her posthaste.”

  Robert skulked out of the room, but Colin remained. His cool hand clasped her fingers and eased the overwhelming heat of her palms. “Ye’ll be safe with Thomas, aye?”

  She bent her head, unable to look into the green eyes that had once made her heart race with excitement.

  “I would speak to ye later if I may,” he said softly.

  A tear slipped from her eye and splattered against the back of his hand. He drew a deep breath and squeezed her fingers once more before releasing her.

  “I’ll have yer life if ye let anything happen to her, pastor.” The threat in Colin’s voice was blatant.

  “She will be safe and well cared for.”

  Colin’s boots echoed off the wooden floorboards, and the door clicked closed behind him.

  She waited until the sounds of his departure could no longer be heard before she spoke. “Thomas, I have no wish to wed.”

  “We do not have to discuss this now.”

  Brianna looked up at him and focused on his friendly gray stare in an effort to keep her world from spinning. “We must discuss this now. I do not wish to wed.”

  Thomas gave a heavy sigh. “My lady, you do not have a choice. Lord Robert will ensure your reputation is destroyed until you are forced to wed him. Marriage to the Captain is your only option.”

  Desperation rattled inside her. Her palms prickled with sweat, and a swell of nausea rolled through her once more.

  Marriage. The loss of her freedom, the sacrifice of her books, the surrendering of her will to that of her husband. It was a fate worse than death.

  She offered a faint smile of hope. “Perhaps Robert will tell no one.”

  Thomas studied her for a moment, and his lips thinned into a hard line.

  She tensed, suddenly wary. “You aren’t telling me something.”

  “My lady, it was Lord Robert’s servant who bade me enter this room under the assumption I was to find a soul in need of help.” The vein in the center of his forehead stood out prominently, his only indication of anger. “He wanted me to find you thus, only I think the Captain interrupted the deed.”

  The reds and yellows of the painted walls around her spun. “You mean—”

  “He saved you from being forced,” Thomas finished for her.

  Her fingers ached from gripping the blanket beneath her, but she feared she would slide to the hard floor if she let go. “I cannot wed, Thomas.” Her voice trembled. “Please do not force this on me.”

  He crouched on the floor in front of her so his face was level with hers. “Lord Robert will publicly accuse the Captain of rape.” His gaze turned hard with sincerity. “If you do not wed him, Colin MacKinnon will hang.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Brianna stared into Thomas’s eyes, hoping to find something other than truth in the gray depths. Hoping, but not succeeding. Chills left a prickle of bumps across her skin.

  “He can’t hang for a crime he did not commit.” Her voice was almost lost beneath the crush in her chest.

  Thomas’s brow creased with sympathy. “Your uncle’s influence with Parliament is too strong, and all will assume you lie to preserve your honor.” His hand rested on her arm. “He will die if you do not marry him.”

  She turned away from him. “Then I’m presented with no choice.” Sorrow rose thick in her throat and threatened to choke her.

  Colin would be spared and she w
ould be sacrificed.

  “The Lord has provided you with the opportunity to legally save Edzell and be free of the constant proposals from your cousin.”

  The walls of the room pressed in on her and she could no longer breathe. Her heart launched into panic and slammed fast in her chest. Sweat dampened her skin.

  Thomas’s voice continued. “Your people have already accepted the Highlander. In the short time he’s been here, he has earned their respect. He will be a fair laird and, I believe, a good husband to you.”

  The weight of his hand on her shoulder jarred her raw nerves, and her body snapped away at the slight touch.

  “Please be calm, my lady.” He leaned close and lowered his voice. “My lady, your father has been dead not two weeks. With each passing day, the threat of discovery grows. Once you are wed, we can perform the funeral and your father can finally be buried with the honor his title warrants. We can be free of the guilt.”

  She turned her gaze back toward him and noticed for the first time the strained lines around his eyes.

  We can be free of the guilt. Thomas bore the burden of her father’s death on his shoulders the same as she. Her request of him had been unfair, and his acceptance was beyond what any pastor should be expected to do.

  His words rang true. Marriage to a noble would render her illegitimacy a nonissue, and the earl could finally be put to rest. She and Thomas could both be free of their secret.

  The scuff of footsteps scraped the stone stairs outside the door. Thomas stepped back and regarded her with the kind expression she usually received when she sought his advice.

  “Perhaps the Captain will be an understanding husband,” he said. “He appears to be a reasonable man. And if I may be so bold to say so, my lady, I think he will see you as more than a title and wealth, unlike the way others have viewed you.”

  His words struck sharp in her chest. “How did you—”

  “Do you think I didn’t realize your fear?” he asked with a tender expression.

  A gentle knock sounded at the door before she could answer.

  “That will be the healer. After you’ve seen her, if you feel up for it, I believe your future husband would like to speak with you.”