by Serena Vale
The great hall shook with the weight of the men’s howling cheers as he shouted the last. It was what they needed to here. To put behind them the ways of needless bloodshed and greed and a future bright with optimism and hope. Lena had to wipe a tear from her eye as he stepped down, getting ready with his men to ride to battle.
It was half a days ride to the baron’s land and Lena was filled with trepidation as they neared. Caelin had tried to make her stay at castle Acair, but she had refused. Eventually, he had given up, long since learned just how stubborn she could be when she put her mind to it. And nothing in the world could make her stay away if there was even the possibility that he might be hurt. And unfortunately, there was more than that.
Finally, they reached the keep itself. A large, stone and mortar building that jutted into the sky, but Lena was immediately struck by how empty it was. No men out practice sparring or women hanging wash out on lines strung from window to window. None of the hustle and bustle that marked any other such building.
“Caelin…”
“I know.” He replied softly, staring at the empty spaces just as she was. The men behind them must have picked up on their leader’s unease as they slowed, quieting their horses that nickered unsteadily, dancing from foot to foot in impatience.
He looked back once, settling them with a single glance and Lena was struck again by how strong he was, an inner strength that men naturally followed.
“We are ready.” Caelin said, a statement rather than a question as he turned to face the huge double doors and jostled the reigns to get his horse moving. Lena sat directly behind him, her arms wrapped tight around him more for comfort than necessity. She wasn’t sure she ever wanted to let go.
They stopped directly in front of the main doors, unnerved again by the ghostly silence, the empty feel of the place. She watched, her heart in her mouth as Caelin dismounted and strode to the doors, his look of surprise evident as it opened easily.
“Baron Castlereigh,” He shouted loudly, his voice echoing through the nearly empty chamber. “Baron, show yourself!”
There was a long, tense moment of silence before they heard the sound of scurrying footsteps. Shortly after, a young boy appeared, who looked no more than fourteen at most. His voice trembled as he spoke.
“The…the b-b-baron is away, m’lord. He took everyone of fighting age to go attack another lord, and we just got back from a battle!” The boy said, still looking terrified.
“So Castlereigh is gone, as is his entire army, and any one of fighting age, is that right?” Caelin said, the beginnings of a smile replaced the scowl he’d been wearing.
“Yes, sir. That’s right.”
“Fantastic.”
“I’m sorry sir?”
“There’s a man in your dungeons. I need him brought here immedeatly.”
“Oh no, sire. We can’t! the baron…” He shook again just at the thought of displeasing his cruel master.
“Also, let it be known,” Caelin spoke louder now, so that his voice carried, aware of all the eyes on him, even if he couldn’t see yet who they belonged to. “Let it be known that any who wish will find a good, fair home at Castle Acair.”
Caelin thought of all they had lost over the past decades under his father’s rule, driven mad by bloodlust and greed. It was time to start a new legacy.
“Everyone will have a home, and food to eat. All I ask is that the peace is kept, and every soul treated with respect and fairness.”
The boy looked at him in utter shock at his words, but finally, after he had a piece of gold in his hands, the last piece that Caelin possessed, he fled back inside. Moments later, the young boy returned with Lena’s father.
She cried out at the sight of him, jumping off from the back of his horse and running to him, wrapping him in her embrace. He was ragged, looking as if he hadn’t eaten in days and had a massive bruise on the side of his face, but as he stared up at Caelin his gaze was sharp, and disapproving at first.
He would never know what Lena whispered to him that day to turn his gaze from hateful to wondering, but he was struck as the older man limped toward him. Old Eonan looked at him, his gaze piercing his for a long, tense moment, until finally, he did the last thing Caelin expected. He held out his hand.
In a move that would shape generations Caelin extended his own, grasping the other man’s and beginning the peace that would last for hundreds of years to come. Still holding Eonan’s hand, he glanced over at Lena, who was standing with tears in her eyes. Tears of happiness, joy. Tears of hope for the future. For their future.
The thought struck him like a lightning bolt and before he really even knew what he was doing he leaned closer to the older man.
“Sire, I would request…” He paused, swallowing past the sudden dryness in his mouth. He hadn’t been this nervous charging into battle against one of the most notorious men in this part of the country. “Sire, I would request your daughter’s hand.”
“Well, what do you want her hand for?” the other man said, his voice serious but his eyes twinkling in a merriment that Caelin did not enjoy.
“Her hand in marriage, Eonan.” Caelin said, this time his voice was gruffer as he tried to stem the sudden nerves. The old Eonan stared at him for a long moment in silence before finally answering.
“There has been feud in our families for more than a hundred years. Generations upon generations have shed each other blood. And you think you can end all of that?”
Caelin just nodded, not needing to answer.
“Lena is my only child. She is headstrong, and stubborn, and the kindest person you will find on this green earth. Will you love her, Acair?”
Caelin glanced once at Lena, seeing her dark eyes shine in confusion, curious to know what they were talking about for so long, and then finally, he glanced back at the old man, his sincerity shining in his deep blue eyes.
“That, more than any other thing, I swear.”
The old man stared for another minute more before nodding his head, once, swiftly. Afterward he looked as surprised as Caelin felt that he had agreed to the match. Although Caelin had a sneaking suspicion that it was due more to the fact that he had just rescued Eonan from the clutches of the Black Baron than any real wish for an end to the blood feud that had shaped their lives for over a century, and had stolen his father’s.
Now, his heart racing even harder, he turned to Lena, walking towards her slowly because he could barley get his legs to work at all. He hadn’t been that nervous since a lad and he had to clench his hands into fists at his side to keep them from trembling.
“Lena, will you…” Caelin stopped, unable to continue for a moment as he stared into her gorgeous green eyes. And then he remembered all of her sweetness, all of the light she had brought into his life. When he spoke next, his voice was strong, all trembling ceased. Because he knew this was what was meant to be. This was the beginning of their legacy, and it started now.
“Lena, will you do me the honor of becoming my bride? My wife?” He held his breath as her eyes widened, and then widened even further until they were all he could see. And still she didn’t answer.
“Please, Lena. Say something. Say anything.” He whispered, his nerves suddenly back in full force. They fled for good as her beautiful face broke into a radiant smile and she threw her arms around him with a happy laugh.
“Yes! Yes, of course!” She was laughing and crying at the same time, and he swung her around as his men cheered around them, news of their pending nuptials spreading like wildfire through the crowd. Unable to stop the silly grin on his face, he leaned down and kissed her, and finally, everything was right in his world.
Chapter 6
10 Months Later..
“Come here, my love.” Caelin growl as he swept his wife off of her feet and into his arms, carrying her up the stairs and to their suite despite her protests.
“Caelin, I have work to do. My father is coming and everything…”
“I know, sweet
heart. Everything has to be perfect. Don’t worry. It will be, do you know why?”
Lena just sulked up at him from the cradle of her arms, shaking her head. He grinned down at her, distracted for a moment by her delectable pout.
“Because you’re perfect.”
She tried to maintain her surly expression but soon she was laughing up at him, her arms wrapped firmly around his neck as she snuggled into them.
“Where are we going, by the way?”
Caelin just waggled his eyebrows at her and he watched in amusement as a blush tinted her fare skin a darker pink. He was sure that by now she would have been past any sort of embarrassment considering all that they had done. It had been almost nine months to the day since their marriage and he had found he couldn’t get enough of her.
“But Caelin,” she whispered, her voice carrying just a hint of shock. “It’s the middle of the day.”
“I know.” He whispered back, no longer able to keep the grin off his face, and also unable to go another minute before kissing her. With a growl of pleasure, he quickly entered their bedroom, shutting the door with his foot behind them. He didn’t take his voracious mouth off of hers until his knees reached the bed they shared.
Gently, as if he was carrying the most precious thing in the world, he laid her down on top of the bed coverings. Because to him, she really was. He just stared down at her for a long moment, soaking in her joy and beauty. Something he would never get tired of or used to.
“Are you just going to stand their gawking all day or are you going to come down here and kiss me?” She demanded, surprising a laugh out of him. Her undeniable spirit and fire was another thing he would never tire of.
With another laugh he jumped onto the bed, making sure to land just to the side of her and she laughed along with him. The humor slowly faded to be replaced by heat. A heat that burned him up and always had him wanting more.
Suddenly, her mouth was on his, just as full of impatience, if not more so, than he was. He took it deeper, licking into her mouth in long, rhythmic strokes that had her moving restlessly against him.
Before long, they were both going up in flames as Lena leaned forward, desperate to unclothe him and it took a long, breathless moment for him to undo the delicate little row of buttons running up the back of her dress, and he swore softly as some of them popped off to fly across the room in his haste.
“I’m sorry, my love. I’ll get you a new one.”
“I don’t care.” Lena whispered breathlessly into his mouth, and she was on him again, pressing him back into the mattress as she straddled his hips, her eyes squeezing shut on the indescribably pleasure as teased the tip of his hard length inside her. Rubbing back and forth as moisture grew, lubricating his thrust as he grasped both hips and arched his own upward.
He groaned, deep and low as he sank home, exactly where he needed to be, as close to her as he could be. She mirrored his with a moan of her own and it triggered something primal within him, something animal. In the next moment he had her on her back, thrusting deep and fast inside her heat, losing himself in the rhythm of her as she arched her back to meet his movements. It was like the most beautiful dance, made even more so by the love he could see shining so brightly in the green depths of her eyes.
Within moments, he could feel her tense underneath him as her body reached its crescendo, every muscle tightening down, squeezing him until he had no choice at all but to follow her over the edge of that steep cliff. Not afraid at all because he knew she would always be there waiting at the bottom for him.
He melted bonelessly on top of her, reveling in the simple feel of her soft flesh against his, the way her arms twined so sweetly around his neck, and the words she whispered into his ear as his body slowly came back to itself. Words of love, words of friendship and understanding and trust. Words about their past and their future. Most especially their future.
Then she said something that had him pulling back quickly, staring down at her wide eyed and hopeful.
“Are you sure? I mean,” Caelin paused, swallowing hard as he watched her nod her head in affirmation, her beautiful, loving green eyes filling with tears of joy. “You really sure? You know for…for sure?”
“Yes, Caelin,” Lena laughed up at him, her sweet embrace still wrapped around him as she looked up into his eyes. Eyes that she would love forever. “I am sure. The midwife even confirmed it. I’m with child.” She smiled up at him, and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire life.
“I’m going to be a father,” he marveled, shaking his head as his thoughts tumbled and whirled in chaos. “I’m going to be a father.” He repeated.
“Yes, that is generally how it works.” She teased, and he laughed at himself. “The first ever child born of an Acair and an Eonan.” Lena whispered up at him, awe touching her voice.
“That’s our legacy, sweetheart.” The legacy of love.
The Only Promise
Chapter 1
San Rosa, Texas
1879
“Mrs. Latimer. Mrs. Latimer?” The voice called once again and Clara finally turned offering a slight shrug of embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, I’m still not used to being called that.” The blonde beauty smiled at the waiting coachmen, realizing the young man must have been only sixteen or seventeen. She didn’t notice the way he blushed a bright beet red at her attention. She never noticed the effect she had on men. Some people took it as coyness on her part, but the truth was, Clara never realized how beautiful she truly was.
“Please, call me Clara.” She said, and smiled sweetly again as the young man stumbled forward to grab her luggage. It wasn’t much at all, she thought with a slight frown. A single small chest was all she had been able to manage before her forced flight from that destitute place she refused to call a home. It had never been a home to her, and now it never would be.
“I…I’m Jamey, Ma’am. Jamey Garrison.”
With a shake of her head to dispel the awful memories of the past, she pushed them firmly away as she sent Jamey another smile of gratitude this time for the interruption and followed as he gestured for her to take a seat inside the waiting coach.
“Oh my,” She said as she ducked inside, sinking into the plumy stuffed cushioned bench seat upholstered with dark red velvet, the same rich fabric that draped the walls and made up the curtains that were now pulled to the side. “This is the most extravagant coach I have ever seen.” Clara finally said, looking around with her light green eyes as wide as they would go as she took in the opulent riding vehicle.
“Only the best for Mr. Latimer.” Jamey said, his drawling accent enunciated as he looked around with a proud smile. She could see the look of reverence shining on his dust smudged face. It was obvious that he looked up to his employer and Clara took it to heart. She knew almost nothing about her new husband, but if his employees loved and respected him then surely he must be a good man.
As Jamey took the reins, the coach jolted as the horses began to trot, taking her further away from her past and ever closer to her future. Clara knew that most would call her foolhardy for her actions. Getting hitched to a man she didn’t know, had never even seen. But Mrs. Johnston from the company had guaranteed her a wonderful husband, and more importantly, a life far away from the East Coast. The farther away she was from her father, and her old life, the better. She would deal with almost anything to get away from that.
She pulled out the crumpled letter that she’d taken to carrying folded and stashed in the secret pocket of the bodice of her dress. Carefully, she unfolded the already worn paper, treating as if it were the most delicate thing in the world because to her, it was. For the hundredth time, she scanned the words.
My dearest Clara,
I know we have yet to meet but I cannot wait for that day to come. I hope you are as optimistic as I. There are so many things to learn about each other, to grow to love and cherish. I thought I had everything I could ever want in my life, but I
have learned that is untrue. Nothing has made me happy, not truly. Not until you. You will be my happiness, my reason, my hope. I will only make you one promise, and only one. No matter what happens, I will cherish and care for you. And I hope, one day, you will come to feel the same about me.
Waiting with bated breath,
Your husband,
Emmett Latimer
Carefully, Clara swiped at the single teardrop that had fallen onto the page, wiping it just as it began to smear one of the words. She knew this letter by heart, every syllable, every bit of punctuation. She also knew it was naïve to believe the words of a stranger but reading them, she felt like she truly did know him.
She glanced out of the gold framed window as the vehicle slowed and gasped at what she saw. Clara had been vaguely aware of the dusty town of San Rosa as they had driven through it, worn from long, burning hot summers. It was fall now, so a little cooler, but even still her dark green dress seemed overly warm to her.
Her eyes widened even further as Jamey ran around to help her out. She stood for a long moment, just staring up at the massive house. More like a palace, really, especially when she thought of the tiny, one bedroom tenement she and her father had lived in for all of those long years. They’d had a house once, but after her mother died in childbirth, her father had turned to alcohol, to anything that would numb the pain of her loss.
Forcefully, she shoved the thoughts to the back of her mind, staring at her new house as a wide smile broke across her face like sunshine. Finally, she was home.
Emmett watched in dire earnest as the coach drew up the long winding drive. He couldn’t breathe, and found himself actually growing a bit lightheaded as he finally forced himself to inhale. His heart pounded and his palms were sweaty. If he could have managed it at all he would have laughed at himself. Here he was, a man of twenty eight, and as nervous as a boy with his first kiss.
