by Ashley York
“Forgiveness, please.” Terrence faced his friend without balking. “There is nothing.”
A thighearna.”
Iain’s return could have been better timed, but before Darragh could voice his irritation, Iain continued.
“They are Seigine’s men.”
His winded delivery of the information caught Darragh by surprise. Terrence moved closer while Brighit stayed in the shadows. He would have liked to pull her closer, demand that she tell him all, but this news was unsettling. With great effort, he set aside his concern for his wife and looked at the man.
“Is he with them?”
“A thighearna. He is here at our camp.”
Darragh shoved past the man to trot down the path toward the fire, searching in the darkness. The men were not hard to find. Eight of them, standing around the flame and warming their hands.
“Seigine?” Darragh attempted a cordial tone. Much better to approach them as friends. He saw no reason to reveal he knew they had been following them, as such suspicion would be met with a less than amicable response. That the man had reinforcements was disconcerting at the very least.
“Darragh.” The large man bowed his head in a show of respect. His lips turning up at the corners in a closed smile, he said, “My men have been discovered.”
An odd response, but Darragh checked his reaction, instead widening his own lips into a pleased expression. “And were ye hiding?”
Seigine laughed. A deep sound that rivaled the loudness of the wind high in the trees.
“Forgiveness, please.” The man paused and glanced at Terrence and Brighit, who were right behind Darragh. “I am merely hunting down a murderer.”
Darragh glanced around in a joking manner. “And ye believe he has come this way?”
“I am following the very trail taken.”
Darragh allowed his surprise to show on his face.
“I do not think we passed a single person on our travels here,” he said, casually looking at the others for confirmation. His men had taken up positions around the MacCochlain warriors. A protective outer circle.
They nodded, also appearing relaxed. He knew they would be ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice should a threat present itself.
“But please, join us.” He motioned for Iain to see to sharing their ale and food. “We have more than enough ale and food for yer men. We will continue our celebrating.”
Seigine motioned for his men to partake of what was being offered before grabbing a horn of ale and settling on the ground. Darragh caught Terrence’s gaze and tipped his head the slightest bit. The signal was received. The men would be welcoming, but they would remain watchful.
“I am surprised ye did not approach earlier rather than setting up so far from us. We are a greater force joined together.” Darragh took a mug of ale, no longer of a mind to drink the honeyed wine, and returned to where he’d spread his brait to settle himself. “If the murderer and the men that attacked ye show themselves, we will easily defeat them and bring him to justice.”
Seigine stopped, his horn halfway to his mouth and his face darkening. “D'ye believe I wish to see to my own justice still, Darragh? Ha!” He drank from the horn, emptying it one gulp. “Ye do not realize how persuasive yer father is. We signed the treaty. We will see this done according to what has been written down.”
Darragh shook his head and smiled, an easy smile meant to reassure. “I know ye understand the importance of the agreement. To disregard it would cause nothing less than chaos.”
“Agreed!” Seigine smiled, accepting more ale from Iain. “We had hoped only to give ye and yer bride some distance.”
The man’s eyes were on Brighit. She averted her gaze from where she sat slightly behind Darragh, away from the others.
“That is very thoughtful of ye, my friend.” Darragh took a long draw on his mug, glancing back at Brighit, who looked uncomfortable with the attention. “As ye can see, we travel with many men already. Not exactly alone, but we will have time alone.”
The men chuckled around them.
“The son of the ri túath goes nowhere unprotected.” Terrence remained standing a few feet from Brighit, his arms about his chest. He did not glance at Darragh, which was unusual. “Just as ye go nowhere unprotected.”
Terrence gazed over the well-armed men, who made a show of relaxing around the fire even though none of them had yet touched their drinks.
“Our group is intended to be seen as a show of force.” Seigine’s eyes, twinkled but there was no smile. “Intimidating…but only to our enemies…never to our friends.” He raised his full horn to the men around them. “Let us relax and drink with our friends. Tomorrow will be soon enough to worry again.”
Darragh raised his drink higher, and the warriors from both sides did the same before emptying their horns. The ale and mead flowed, and the different clansmen relaxed around each other, allowing the repast to end without incident.
Brighit kept to herself—Terrence annoyingly at her side. Darragh had little choice but to entertain his guests rather than fight for the opportunity to engage his own wife. Besides, he was no longer in a fighting mood.
“Have ye thought of any reason for the attack?” he asked Seigine.
“On us? Or on my brother?”
“Are they not the same men?”
Seigine belched and put his food aside. “I believe they intentionally sought him out to kill him.”
A gasp drew Darragh’s attention, but he couldn’t be certain who it had come from. A glance around the fire revealed little. “How so?”
“A particularly vile death. Would ye not agree?”
Darragh nodded. The man’s body had been attacked with a fierce blade, intending to do harm. Blood had covered the man’s clothing.
“The murderer should be scorched before hanging,” Seigine continued. A particularly vile death as well. “I considered who would seek to kill him and I was reminded of the men who came recently to our clan.”
“Men?”
“Warriors from Clan Dubhshláine. Their ri túaithe is an old man. Good for nothing. He was not among them.”
“Yer grandmother’s clan? It sounded to me as if Cathair was on good terms with them. Did the men come uninvited?”
Seigine shook his head. “My brother welcomed them, but not everyone in our clan was pleased with the idea of joining. The notion had come about because of an unprovoked attack on our women fall last.”
“An attack?”
“When the men were away. The women had no defense against them.” He glanced at Brighit. “Not every woman can defend herself against an enemy.”
“I did not know of any attack.” Darragh’s concern was genuine. They were near enough that word should have reached them. He searched his slightly befuddled mind but found no memory of an attack on the women of Clan MacCochlain.
Seigine shrugged, throwing his heavy cloak over his shoulders. He stretched back in a comfortable position and finished his drink before he began his story.
“It took place when many clans were called to a great gathering.” Seigine snorted a laugh. “We were not invited, so instead our clan traveled west where the hunting was better.
“We traveled with our women and set up a camp to see us through the hunt. Our warriors were gone two days, mayhap three. We had found a great herd that we tracked until we felled our catch. Excited with our blessing, we returned to our camp with much celebration in our hearts.
“In our absence, the camp had been attacked, and our women had been ravaged.” He emptied his horn again and held it for Iain to refill it. “A few vicious warriors. Above the law.”
“No one is above the law.”
Seigine sipped his ale, peering at Darragh over the rim, before speaking again. “Some believe Clan Dubhshláine’s offer, first made less than a month after that attack, came at an overly opportune time.”
“Ye believe they had something to do with the attack?”
The man
shrugged. “My brother did not believe so and that is all that matters.”
“Such treachery is unheard of.”
The barking laugh that followed seemed full of condescension.
“My friend,” Seigine said, “treachery is everywhere. Let us set aside this serious talk. We need to celebrate,” Seigine announced, then raised his horn toward Brighit.
Darragh would swear she had touched not a drop. She appeared to be sulking in the shadows, her guard at her side. So be it. “Certainly, and ye should join our camp tonight.”
Seigine nodded his agreement.
With the decision to combine the two camps, Darragh saw no reason not to send Terrence and the rest to help move the other warriors’ camp. He wanted the opportunity to see to Brighit himself. Mayhap alone, she would tell him what she had refused to share earlier.
“My hope is that ye will sleep with me this night.” Darragh spoke quietly without looking directly at her. Though they stood at arm’s length from each other, the gap between them felt far wider than ever.
“Of course. I am yer wife.” The lack of hesitation was promising.
“And ye can tell me what ye may not choose to say in front of others.” He held his breath, wishing for some sign from her.
When he turned to her, he again saw the innocent lass who’d so enjoyed his kisses. How she must hate her youthful appearance. Darragh moved closer to take her into his arms, her scent arousing him more than he cared to admit. Roses. He cursed himself for his lustful thoughts, but it didn’t prevent him from reaching for her.
Her lips were more demanding than he’d expected—they parted with little urging and he accepted the invitation. Or was his besotted mind, now laced with strong ale, playing tricks on him? Struggling to keep his need for her in check, he focused on the signs of her enjoyment—her quickening breath and the way her small hand gripped the tunic where it covered his chest.
Gliding his hands along her curves, he stopped to cup a breast she pressed into his palm. Her nipple tightened. With a start, he remembered her just like this. No fear. No pushing him away. And he was reassured that her disinterest was the lie. She had wanted him on their wedding night, just as she wanted him now. His spirits soared and he pulled her close, needing to feel her against him just like this.
He glanced around and realized this was not the best place for such a private moment. The men would return soon.
Reluctantly releasing her, he searched her face. Her dark eyes revealed her own arousal. “I will find a quiet place for us.”
She nodded, as if so overwhelmed with her own need she was unable to speak and his pulse quickened.
The heavy air around them crackled with anticipation, the thunder in the distance like a promise of what was to come.
“Darragh!” Terrence called from atop his mount, two other men close behind him. “They’ve found something that looks like blood.”
Darragh shook his head to clear it, then answered brusquely, “Here?”
“They’ve asked if ye could come to take a look.”
Brighit tensed beside him, her face a mask of terror, and he was reminded that she was still hiding something from him. Despite her brave front, mayhap she was shaken by all this talk of the murdered man.
“I will be back anon.” He halted his instinct to kiss her on the lips, instead opting for her cheek. “Will ye be fine alone?”
He smiled at the way she pulled back, looking very near to outraged. Before she could start in on him, he withdrew his own dagger from his side and placed its hilt in her hand. “In case there’s any trouble.”
Brighit’s fierce appearance softened into open adoration and his throat tightened. That was the look he would prefer to see on his wife.
“I will be back. Keep the fire burning.” He followed behind the other men, already looking forward to returning to his lover’s arms. If given the right persuasion, she would trust him—he felt certain of it.
Chapter 13
Brighit hugged her knees close and stared into the fire. Why was Seigine here? What game was he playing? The air was thick, saturated from the impending rains and clogged with suspicion. The clouds overhead lumbered across the sky to block out the stars. She tightened her grip on the mantle, hoping it would warm a chill that had little to do with the cold.
“Mmm. That was quite a show.” Seigine came toward her from the darkness. “My guess is that ye have said nothing about yer dagger being buried in my brother. I am glad ye have waited until we could talk again.”
She jumped up, struggling to appear calm. “I did not murder him. I was defending myself.”
“Tsk. Tsk. Is that what ye will claim?”
“’Tis the truth and well ye know it.”
He shook his head, his lips compressing as if considering a great dilemma. “A wild lad taking on a seasoned warrior twice his size? Who would believe such a tale? Certainly ye snuck up on him.” He quirked a brow, and her body tightened with outrage. She would have liked to slap that smug look right off his face.
“Ye will lie outright and say it was a sneak attack?” She guffawed. “No one would believe that of me.”
Seigine did not answer. He simply watched her—his stare so long and intense, fear tingled down her spine. “Well?”
“Ye are most desirable when ye are defiant.”
That was not the answer she had expected. When he moved closer to her, she instinctively backed away.
“Is this the game ye will play, little one?”
“Ye are a horse’s arse.” She threw the words at him without thinking through what he might do, but he moved swiftly for such a large man, twisting her arm up behind her, the pain excruciating.
Through tight lips, he asked, “Did ye learn nothing from yer encounter with my brother?”
Brighit tried to maintain the space between their bodies, but he roughly yanked her closer, painfully flattening her breasts against him.
“I am not a man to be taunted.” His gaze roamed over her face before landing on her lips. “Kiss me.”
“I will not.”
With the slightest movement, he bent her arm further up. White-hot pain shot through her upper body while his lips moved ever closer. Demanding. She closed her eyes to block him out. He jerked her forward, crushing her lips to his. Then he released her just as quickly, and the pain was gone. She caught herself before she fell, gingerly testing her shoulder and arm for damage. When he turned away, she wiped the feel of him from her lips.
“Am I not as pleasing to ye as yer new husband?”
“Ye don’t please me at all.”
“And ye did not seem so very pleasing to yer husband since he did not see to yer…obvious needs.” He glanced at her, then laughed as if he saw something in her expression.
Her face heated. She hated to think Seigine had seen her and Darragh together. She’d been so lost in her husband’s kisses, and then he’d warmed her heart by giving her his own blade. Her hand reached for it now, but Seigine stopped her. He gripped her hand so tightly her fingers felt as if they were about to be crushed.
“Making the same mistake twice would not be wise.” He released her hand and waited until she dropped her hand again.
The huge man threw his brait over his shoulder at the same time that he squatted down in the spot where Darragh had been. “Let us discuss this husband ye want so badly. How will he react when he learns he has married a murderer?”
Her gasp was unbidden, and she clamped her jaw tight, angry with herself for revealing so much weakness to her enemy. She flexed her fingers, the thought of Darragh’s dagger giving her confidence. Taking a calming breath, she spoke in a low voice. A quiet voice. “I am not a murderer.”
“D'ye not know our laws? Women and children are protected by our laws. The belief is that they would never harm another.”
She stilled.
His smile widened. “Ah, ye did not realize another would be forced to pay for yer crime.”
Not sure if she should t
rust what he was saying, she held her breath and waited for him to finish this latest taunt.
He glanced out into the darkness, his eyes narrowing as if he were searching for words at the very edge of his memory. “Hmm, ’tis the father of an unmarried woman who pays the price and…” His wide eyes turned to her, impaling her with a smug gaze. Her body went rigid with fear. “…the husband of a married woman.”
“Pays the price?”
“Either with money or his life.”
Reeling as if she’d been slapped, she shook her head, denying what he was suggesting. Her own guilt or innocence was not even her own to face?
“’Twould be better if no one ever found out.”
She struggled not to reveal the hope his comment had sparked in her. Until Seigine had come to the feast, she had been prepared to live her life without anyone ever knowing. She could do no more than nod in agreement.
“If ye give me what I want no one ever need know.”
Did he seek to bed her? She shuddered at the idea even as her imagination worked at how terrible it would be for this man to touch her the way Darragh had.
The decision hadn’t even fully formed in her mind before she hurled it at him. “No!”
His cruel scowl sent her into a panic.
“No?” His voice was tight with incredulity. “Did ye tell me…no? Ye will not give me what I want?”
The sound around her was being muffled by the blood rushing through her veins at top speed, her mind struggling for another way to get out of this, but she couldn’t back down now. Not if that was the price she would have to pay. “I will not.”
“So ye wish everyone to know that ye are a murderer?”
“I am not. I defended myself against his assault.”
“An assault ye baited him into making. How reprehensible yer behavior was to a warrior. Any lad who thinks he can best a warrior must be taught. My brother gave ye more than a fair chance. Ye killed him because ye could not best him. Ye killed him to save yer own pride, and then ye left his body to be eaten by ravens. Who would not call ye a murderer?”
