by Adams, Alisa
Now. she watched as Cameron sat down beside Andie and smiled at her. It warmed Elisha's heart to see her smile back, since Cameron was so transparently in love with her. "I hope we have a chance to be alone tonight," he said quietly.
She nodded. "I would like that."
"You're not afraid?" he asked doubtfully, "about… you know…"
"I am," she admitted, "but I know that you are a gentle man."
"If you are not ready we can wait." He put a hand on hers and looked into her eyes. "I will not force you to do anything against your will, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead, and when he looked at her again the expression in her eyes told him that perhaps he would not have to wait too long after all.
They packed up and resumed their journey just after the gray dawn had broadened into daylight. Donalda and Elisha were riding together and the two married couples were also sharing a horse each. William was travelling with Craig, of course, and Auguste with Columba. There were two extra pack horses for all their supplies. The men, all except William, wondered whether they were being followed, despite all his precautions.
"Why will you not tell us the Baron's secret?" Cameron asked curiously.
"Because I do not want him to hear it," William jerked the point of the dagger at his father's chest, and Craig flinched. "Later," he said with a smile.
Cameron nodded and was silent. He was enjoying the feeling of Andie's body in front of him, his arms securely wrapped around her. He kissed her cheek because she was so close that he could not stop himself. If only they could be alone tonight!
After riding for a few more hours Columba recognized the hillock behind which the McClure homestead sat. "Would there be danger in visiting my friends the McClures?" Columba asked.
William looked up at the sky, which was threatening a torrential downpour at any moment. A break in their journey would be welcome if they were wet, and as Columba said, the homestead could not be seen from the road.
"Wait," Iona asked with a frowning smile, "are these the McClures? The Sure McClures?"
"Could there be any others?" Columba replied, shaking his head in mock-disbelief at Iona's ignorance.
"Columba, perhaps you should go and see Mr. McClure first," Gregor suggested, "there are a lot of us here now and he has quite a big family of his own. He may not want us all descending on him at once, not even for a short time."
The others nodded in agreement, and Columba cantered off. The rest of the company took shelter under a fir tree while the horses cropped the grass, no doubt glad of the rest.
In a short while, Columba came cantering back, grinning from ear to ear. "Alan says he will be delighted to meet you all," he said happily, "we can stay overnight if we wish, and he has a secure place to keep Craig while we are here, so he need not be tied up tonight."
"Let me see the place first, Father," William said, "then we will decide."
Columba nodded, and everyone mounted up again. When they arrived there the whole family tumbled out to meet them. The only one who could remember everyone's names was Columba. Everyone remembered Lina, Alan and Baby Columba, but the gaggle of children would have to be sorted out as they went along.
For themselves, the McClures managed to remember William because of his scar and Craig because he was tied up. They completely mixed up the women's names, but nobody cared, because they were having a wonderful time.
Gregor and Columba's party had brought trout that Elisha had caught in the stream, for despite her age, she had always been an able fisherwoman, and a few rabbits that Cameron had shot. There was plenty of ale, since the McClures grew their own barley and made it themselves.
They tucked into a great feast when they all sat down to eat, the children on the floor, the adults at the rough wooden table in the middle of the big room. However, Craig was not allowed a chair, so he sat on the floor, but William had untied his hands.
"Will you not even untie my ankles?" Craig pleaded, "I will not try to escape, I give you my word."
William gave a cynical laugh. "And we know what that is worth, do we not, Father? Count your blessings, for you are lucky I am allowing you to eat."
The rest of the company all looked faintly embarrassed, except Columba, who went to sit down beside him on the floor.
"Why are you doing that, Father?" Gregor asked, frowning.
"Because we are all sinners," Columba replied, "this man has sinned more than most, but Jesus himself ministered to the lowest of the low, so why should I not do so too?"
No-one made any answer except Lina, who got up to put two tankards of ale beside them. They both thanked her and finished their meal, but the joyful atmosphere was gone.
Columba had not intended to ask the McClures for accommodation that night, but Alan offered it anyway. "We are tucked awa' in this wee bit valley here, Faither," he pointed out. "We cannae be seen fae the road, so dinnae fash yersel'."
They all walked around the back to the barn, which was bigger than the house itself. There were piles of hay there, and once their blankets were spread out it would be a very comfortable place to sleep.
They were sharing it with two large heifers, but their bovine warmth added to the coziness, so no-one complained. Alan opened a little store cupboard where he kept dangerous things like scythes and awls so that the children could come to no harm. It had a stout rope on the outside so that the two door handles could be tied together, and a bolt that was too high for the children to reach. Craig and his blanket were pushed inside, then William untied his feet.
"Have a care," he growled, "I will be right outside your door." He held the dagger up. "And so, will my friend.”
At least, Cameron thought, he was able to sleep with Andie, even if they could not make love. However, they were married now; he could pull her soft body against his and love her with his lips and his hands. When they lay down together on their blanket, he wrapped his arms around her, and was surprised when she did the same to him.
"Kiss me," she whispered, and he did, thrusting his tongue between her sensitive lips, feeling her body trembling with desire, just as his was.
"Soon," he whispered. "I love you so much, Andie. I have for years, but it was only when I thought I was going to lose you that I thought of telling you."
She closed her eyes. "I think… I think I love you too," she whispered. She saw his eyes light up as he pulled her close and showered kisses all over her face. She laughed softly.
"You are my whole life now," he murmured, "I doubt if I can offer you the title of a Laird's wife now that William is here, but I can make a happy one for you, I think."
"I do not mind if nobody ever calls me 'Lady,'" she replied. I am happy to be just as I am, Andie McCallum."
"That sounds so good," he whispered, laughing. "Oh, God, Andie, you have no idea how much I want to make love to you right now."
"I think I do," her voice was very soft as she ran a hand back through his thick, soft hair. "I want you to teach me what it is all about."
"I will." He caressed her breasts gently and she gave a little gasp of pleasure. He laughed, "that is only the beginning, my love, "he whispered. "It will be so much better - wait and see. Now go to sleep. We have a long way to go tomorrow."
33
The Departure of Auguste
When they sat down to breakfast Craig was given a chair, although William kept an eagle eye on him. After Grace, Columba, eating his porridge, began to laugh. Everyone leaned forward in their seats to look at him. Another story was coming
"We had a monk, Brother Matthew, who used to make the worst porridge in Scotland!" Columba said, shuddering at the thought. "You would have needed a carving knife to get through the lumps! He could turn a joint of beef into shoe leather faster than you could say 'Hail Mary.' We never could teach him how to get it right, and I would not be surprised if he choked to death on one of his own beef roasts."
They were all laughing, even the children.
"Faither," Alan McClure said, "God blessed ye w
i' the gift o' joy!"
"Thank you, Alan," he smiled, "I suppose we must be on our way soon?"
William sighed. "Yes, we must," he stretched and smiled at Lina. "Thank you, Mistress McClure, for your hospitality."
"It was naethin' at a'." She flapped a hand at him. "It wis oor pleasure."
They finished their meal and began to pack up. They mounted up immediately, and, having said goodbye, they went on their way again. They had got as far as breasting the rise of the hillock when William called a halt and dismounted. He pulled Craig off his horse, keeping a wary eye on him, then gathered them all together some distance away.
"I am not planning to go to Portree," he announced, "I think it would be better to go through Sconser to Mallaig. It is longer, but I think for us it is safer, in case the Baron takes it into his head to follow us anyway. What do you say?"
There was a chorus of agreement from everyone but Auguste. "I am sorry, William, but I cannot be without my wife any longer," he said with great firmness. "She is with child, and she needs me."
William frowned. "What if they are following us?
Auguste shrugged. "I will take my chances. You said the possibility was unlikely anyway, but I must get back to Alexa."
Donalda interrupted, something she rarely did. "I am the only mother here," she stated, and the authority in her voice made them all listen. "I know what it feels like to be carrying a child with no support from your husband," she cast a scathing glance at Craig, "so go, Auguste. Take Charlie. He is a strong little horse and can out-gallop any other horse I know. These big heavy ones do not stand a chance against him. You will likely have to spend a day in Portree, but they will not find you there, and I know the captain of the boat, Mr O'Shaughnessy. He will help you."
"He knows me too," Auguste said, "I am the only silk and spice merchant for hundreds of miles!"
"He knows both of us," Gregor indicated himself and Columba. "If needs be he will hide you. God speed, my friend.” They chorused their goodbyes and Auguste soon disappeared into the distance. He could not wait to be back home.
The road to Sconser was rough, and the weather blustery and inclement, but they made it to the village eventually after having slept for one uncomfortable night under the stars. They arrived there in the evening, and found rooms in the village’s only inn, a tiny place which they filled up completely. Andie and Cameron looked at each other for the first time, alone and slightly embarrassed, before Cameron reached out and pulled her into a tender embrace.
"At last," he whispered, "at last, Mistress McCallum, I have you all to myself."
"We have each other," she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes in deep contentment. “Now, I want to truly be your wife. I want you to love me."
"Oh, thank you, Andie," he murmured, then kissed her tenderly. He unlaced her dress and pulled it off over her head, then she pulled his shirt out from under his kilt, took his belt off, and let it drop to the floor.
Now they were just man and woman, husband and wife, standing naked before each other. "I thought you would look different," she confessed, her gaze traveling over him from head to foot.
"In what way?" He frowned. She blushed, and whispered something in his ear, as if there was someone else in the room who could hear them. He laughed. "Oh, my darling, it's quite normal, you lovely girl. Do not worry. You are quite safe."
"Are you sure?" She frowned.
"Yes," he told her, "quite sure."
She nodded, reassured, then he sat her down on the bed. Cameron had been with virgins before, and found that the best way to deal with fear and apprehension was with great gentleness.
"You are so precious to me," he whispered, as he lay down beside her. "Priceless."
She smiled at him. "I am new to this, Cam," she murmured, "and I know nothing. You will have to teach me."
"I will," he said, and he did.
He nuzzled his lips against her neck, murmuring her name in between kisses, then his lips trailed down to her breasts, suckling on her nipple. She laughed at the tickling sensation, then he teased the other between finger and thumb, and it became as hard as a little pebble. She felt he heart begin to race, and as she put her hand on his chest, she discovered that his was doing the same. She felt a surge of power. His hand traveled over her stomach and down to her secret place, and she jumped as he touched her, the pleasure was so intense.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked anxiously, frowning.
"No, no, don't stop!" she pleaded, "don't stop touching me."
He carried on, first with his hands and then with his mouth, till she was almost screaming with delight. She felt herself striving towards something. Her body was tensing, gathering itself, but before she reached the peak, there was a brief moment of stabbing pain. However, in a few seconds it was over, and she realized that they were joined together, and that he was slowly and gently taking her back to that wonderful place she had almost reached before. She clung to him while the sound of his fast breathing against her ear and the teasing touch of his hands urged her body into an explosion that burst inside her and left her trembling and screaming in ecstasy.
She shuddered uncontrollably against him for a few moments, recovering her breath, before realizing that the same thing had happened to him too. She wondered if it had been just as delightful for him.
"Was it what you expected?" he asked.
"No," she replied.
"Oh? Was it disappointing?" He frowned, "it did not sound like it."
She laughed softly. "It was the most wonderful thing I ever felt," she answered, "it was more, much more than I expected."
"I am so glad, my precious," he whispered, smiling. "We should sleep now, for we have a long ride tomorrow."
"Not before we do it again." Andie let her fingertip trail down his body and stop where his body hair began.
Cameron laughed in disbelief. "Mistress McCallum," he informed her, "we poor men are not like you. We need a moment to recover!"
"I see," she replied, her eyes twinkling. "Then I am glad I am not a man!"
"Oh, God!" Cameron laughed. "So am I!"
Then, despite his dire predictions, they did it again, and it was even better than before.
Iona and Gregor were also relishing the feeling of being alone. Iona took a small sip of the delicious spirit before putting the glass down on the stool beside the bed and throwing herself onto Gregor in a very unladylike manner.
“Mistress Carmichael!” He pretended to be shocked. “What are you about?”
Iona giggled. “I am about to take advantage of you, Mr. Carmichael.”
“But I am a happily married man,” he pointed out, trying not to laugh.
“Yes,” she replied, “to me. And I demand that you do your duty!”
He laughed again as he rolled her over, flattening her against the mattress. “Is this my duty?” he asked as he gently scraped her shoulder with his teeth.
“Oh, yes,” she replied in a whisper.
“Is this my duty?” He ran the tip of his tongue down her breast and licked her nipple. She squirmed with delight.
On and on it went. For Gregor, after three years of starvation, it was as though someone had put a beautiful feast before him. He could not get enough of her; her eyes, her full soft lips, the feeling of his fingers tangling in her thick, silky hair. Then there was her body. Every inch of it was like a new land to him. It was only the second time they had made love and he was still discovering it. He wanted to find the places she loved to be touched and the things he could do to make her moan with delight. He had been with other women before, but never one that he had loved, and the difference was like night and day. Before, he had been concentrating on his own pleasure, but now it was all about hers.
Iona looked into his eyes as he caressed her, running his hands over her body and whispering endearments, telling her how much he loved her, and making her feel as though she was the only woman left in the world and he was the only man. She wondered if every woma
n felt that way, but soon she stopped wondering as he thrust inside her and took her to heaven on earth.
Afterward, they lay in each other’s’ arms, smiling and satisfied.
“I think I need that whiskey now, Mistress Carmichael,” Gregor whispered.
“You will go to sleep,” Iona warned. “And then what will I do?”
“You will go to sleep too, Mistress Carmichael.”
“Have I stopped being ‘Iona,’ or ‘sweetheart,’ or ‘darling’ any more, then?” Iona asked in mock indignation. “Am I always going to be Mistress Carmichael?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “Always.”
34
The Angry Baron
Baron Hector Laughlin was furious. Not only that, but he was frightened. William McCallum's threat to expose his secret might have been a bluff - after all, many gentlemen had secrets. However, he could not take the chance. Something had to be done, and quickly. He needed to find out from Craig McCallum where his money was, because he was not as wealthy as most people supposed. Much of his available capital had been eaten up in a speculative land deal, and most of the rest had been spent buying his wife.
He was not poor by any means, just not as wealthy as he had been before he saw Iona McCallum. Lust had overtaken him that day: he would have paid anything for her, but common sense had prevailed. He had got her at a much better price than he had expected. He knew that in monetary terms Iona was worth nothing, but any man who could attract such a beautiful bride was bound to inspire confidence in others. She would be his ambassador, particularly when she became with child and bore him a son or two.
Now both she and her imbecilic father had disappeared. Hector had looked into her brother's eyes when he had threatened to kill his father, and knew that he was looking at a deadly certainty. This horrible, scarred creature meant exactly what he said. Where would he be then? But Hector had more to worry about than his money. If his secret was discovered his life was forfeit too. William had said that he had given letters to trusted confidantes that were to be opened if he was killed, but was that true?
