Och, what was he doing? His tale was meant to put them at ease with each other, not embarrass them further. He cleared his throat and thought more carefully on his words. "A few months went by and then, once again, Da was summoned to Scone. This time, however, he was commanded to stay for nigh on a year. Since my parents didn't wish to be separated for so long, they made plans for Mam to accompany him."
Alexander nudged a large stone out of Katherine's way. "The eve before they were to begin their journey, a violent storm arose. Heavy rain fell in such torrents that the local bridges were washed asunder. After it abated, much of the land and all the roads remained flooded. Travel under such conditions was treacherous, so Da insisted Mam remain behind for her own safety."
Katherine sighed. "That must have broken your mother's heart."
Alexander nodded. "Aye, Da, too, found their separation almost unbearable. Whene'er he could get away from affairs at court, he rode around the nearby countryside, thinking of Mam. One day he spotted a section of land he felt drawn to explore. He became fond of the area with its rolling hills and large glens and rode there any time he wasn't needed at court."
Katherine's eyes sparkled as she glanced at the vast green fields and distant hills about her. "Oh. This is it, isn't it? 'This is the land he found."
Alexander grinned at her. "Aye, lass. You're very quick. He sent missives to Mam telling her how lonely he was without her. That he was merely enduring and never wanted to be parted from her again. He also wrote her of the special piece of land where he enjoyed riding and thinking of her."
"Your mother must have missed him sorely too."
"Aye. She wrote back and suggested he purchase the land and build a home there. That way she could be with him, no matter how often or how long he was required at court."
"Then 'tis— Oh!" Katherine stumbled over a root growing through the graveled path.
Alexander's arm shot out and wrapped around her waist, steadying her. He looked down at her and couldn't resist touching her. Just once. His fingers slid over the silky texture of her sleeve from her shoulder to her wrist. She was so beautiful. Unconsciously, his other hand found its way to her side and he gazed into her eyes.
She looked up at him silently, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson.
His mind strayed with thoughts of touching her face. Her lips. He raised his hand to her hair. Slowly, he caressed the side of her neck. Her skin was as soft as a rose petal.
She jumped at his touch and her voice quivered. "Thank you. I… I'm fine now."
Katherine pulled away quickly, but not before he saw a fine vein on the side of her neck beat with a quickened pulse. Was she as affected by their closeness as he was? He cleared his throat. "Och, where was I?"
She did not meet his gaze. "You were about to tell me of the land your father wished to buy."
"Oh, aye. The land belonged to Lord Foirseadh, one of the lairds at court. When Da sought to purchase it, the laird demanded an unreasonable amount of money, and then taunted my sire when he wouldn't agree to such an outrageous sum. Da became furious and challenged the laird to combat."
"Combat? But couldn't your father just have paid the amount or found another piece of land?"
Alexander smiled slightly and shook his head. "Ah, lass, I'm afraid stubbornness runs strong in my family. The next day Da and Lord Foirseadh fought. They were evenly matched in abilities and the battle lasted overlong. Then Da slipped and fell. Laird Foirseadh swung his sword but Da rolled to the side and tripped him. As the man stumbled, he was unable to stop the swing of his own sword. He fell against it, severely cutting his leg. He lay on the ground, his leg covered in blood, and shouted abuse after abuse at my sire. 'Twould seem he hoped to anger Da enough to kill him, rather than leave him there to bleed to death."
"Sweet heaven." Katherine shuddered and glanced up at him, the obvious question shining in her eyes.
Alexander stood straight and proud. "No, lass. My sire is an honorable man. He decided to bind the wound and take him back to court, even if it meant losing the land for wounding Foirseadh. Without explaining, Da told the man he wouldn't dirty his sword with more bloodshed. Foirseadh went berserk. He thought Da meant to leave him to bleed to death so he grabbed his dirk and stabbed Da when he bent to bind his wound."
Katherine clutched his arm. "Sweet Mary! Was your father badly injured?"
Her guileless concern startled him and the touch of her hand sent fire shooting up his arm. God, the lass had a way of awakening his lust with a mere look or touch. Perhaps he was wrong to resent their betrothal. No, if he thought that way over long, she'd soon control him. And that he would give no one, man or woman.
He answered in a clipped tone to cover his turmoil. "Hmph. It would take more than a wee scratch from a dirk to cause my da any grave concern. He jumped out of the way so the knife merely cut his shoulder rather than stab his heart. Then he hit Foirseadh with his fist. Da told me, once, that he knew he had broken the man's nose when he heard a loud crack. He said 'twas a most satisfying sound."
Alexander smiled a boyish grin. "The laird fell in a heap, like a sack of grain dropped from a miller's wagon. While the man was unconscious, Da bound Foirseadh's wound as well as his own, took him back to court and paid a physician to see to his care."
Katherine still gripped his arm. The heat from her touch warmed him like summer sun at midday. He was drawn to her as surely as all living things were drawn to the life-giving orb in the heavens. When she started to pull away, he reached over and gently pressed her hand back in place. "No, lass. Don't pull away from me. I enjoy your nearness. And I won't bite you." Perhaps nibble and consume you, he thought.
The image instantly altered his thoughts from pleasant warmth to fiery heat. What was it about her that stirred him so quickly to lust? By the saints, she sent his passion reeling. He felt his self-control waver and pulled at the collar of his shirt. "Och, but 'tis warm out here. Do you wish to sit in the shade to hear the rest of the tale? Or does my story tire you as much as the long walk?"
She smiled and shook her head. "No. I truly enjoy strolling through the garden. I love the rich colors and smells of flowers and plants. Oh, look. There's a wee bit of heather among the roses. They say 'tis good to find a bit of heather in your flower garden."
"Why is that, lass?"
"It shows us that by ourselves we are not as rich as we may think and reminds us of simple pleasures to be found in life." Katherine looked at him with a smile. "Fie, listen to me. I… I chatter like a magpie. Please finish telling me your story."
"Agreed. If you are certain you don't mind the walk, there is a special part of the garden I would like to show you. 'Twas planted by my mother after she and Da settled here."
"Aye, that would be very nice."
He nodded and led her along the path. "On the morn Da prepared to leave for Castle Ironwood, he received a summons to the king's chamber. He was given the charter to this land as well as a pouch of gold. It seemed while Lord Foirseadh was healing, he learned of what Da had done for him and he told the king of the noble act. 'Twas decided the laird would make a gift of the land, and the king, wishing to bestow something on my sire for his extraordinary deed, gave him the purchase price Foirseadh had asked for in gold."
"Oh, how grand. Your father must have been very proud."
"Aye. He was near struck dumb with their generosity. Da pledged his oath of fealty to the king once more and vowed friendship between the MacGregor and Foirseadh clans. He returned home during the building of the castle, and when 'twas finished, Mam and Da moved here. Mam liked it so much, they ne'er returned to Ironwood."
Katherine gazed at him and sighed. "Never have I heard such a thrilling tale. But I still don't understand how the castle came to be called by such a curious name."
He stroked her hand gently and smiled. "Well, lass, it seems while on their journey here, my parents oft spoke of how heartsick they'd been while apart. That they had merely endured the passage of time until they
could be together again. 'Twas decided they would name their new home During Castle. For here they would reside together during the times they must be away from Castle Ironwood but ne'er again have to endure being apart from each other."
His chest tightened at the sight of Katherine blinking back her tears. So, the lass did have a tender heart after all. In time, would she feel about him as Mam had for his sire? Katherine drew a deep breath to slow her quickened breathing. "Thank you for telling me of your parents, Sir Alexander. I wish I could have met your mother. I've already grown fond of your father and brother."
The approval in her voice pleased him. Perhaps there was more to her than just the lust she inspired simply with her presence. "Lass, since we're soon to be wed, 'twould be more pleasant to address each other by our given names. Do you not agree?"
"Aye… Alexander."
He watched, enthralled, as the sun shone down on her hair, bathing her face in a golden light, and her deep blue eyes sparkled with apparent friendship. A feeling of peace invaded his senses and he found himself searching her features for a similar response. 'Twas the first time he'd ever bared his soul so. What was it about her that he acted differently when he was with her? Under her tender attentions, the cloak he wore to hide his emotions seemed to fall away with ease.
Gently, he pulled her to him. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he ran his other hand tenderly across her cheek and through her hair. "Ah, lass, you are so lovely. Your golden hair delights me. I vow it shines with a glow of its own. Do you know your eyes are the bluest I have ever seen?" He reached into his sporran and pulled out her betrothal ring. "Katherine, it would please me if you would wear this."
For a moment, she stood motionless and silent. Then she nodded and held her hand out to him. He slipped the ring on her finger and gently squeezed her hand.
A breeze stirred, scattering a few leaves along the path and against his bare legs. He watched as the wind lifted her golden tresses so that they blended and joined with his own darker hair, creating a fiery blend of colors in the light. Flaxen and auburn strands twined and mated before his eyes, stirring his passion.
He pulled her closer, lowered his head, and gently captured her lips with his own. A fiery jolt seared through him as their lips met. He could no more pull away from her than he could fly over the garden walls. Never before had he known such burning desire with a mere first kiss. She trembled in his arms as she leaned further into his embrace and returned his kiss. By the saints, did she feel the same?
Her response to his embrace sparked intensity in him he'd never known before. Aye, it fired his lust, yet it evoked a curious need to protect her from other men. Ones who would take her simple trust and use it to her dishonor.
Raw energy flowed from her fingertips into his flesh when she wrapped her arms behind his neck. He held her tighter, the muscles in his arms constricting like iron bands. His breathing quickened and his lips crushed hers in a deeper demand. Aye, he alone was meant to taste her sweetness. To bring her to the same fevered pitch of desire that now consumed him. He grew hard, heavy. All sane thoughts vanished as a fire started in the pit of his stomach. It grew and spread until he felt its heat blaze its way to the very end of his manhood, leaving him breathless. Needing. Hungry.
Their burning embrace continued to stoke the fire building within him. Aroused with an almost overpowering need to possess her, he pulled Katherine down to a garden bench and pressed her backward against it.
The bench was made of granite. Hard and unbending, just as he was. His senses began to whirl out of control. He felt her lush body follow his lead. Pillow him with her softness. How was it he'd never known such an overpowering longing before? It engulfed him. Burned him.
Roughly, he closed the distance between their bodies. He pushed her back further and spread out across her as he enveloped her within his heated embrace. His gaze drank in her beauty. God, he'd fallen under her spell.
The sun's glow filtered through the leaves of a tree branch. It painted her delicate features in light and shadow. The bright blue of her eyes turned a dark indigo. Her skin's pale peach luster deepened to a dusky rose.
He trailed his fingers across the top of her gown. Her breasts rose and fell quickly beneath his touch. He lowered his lips to meet them. They were fragrant, soft and full. Alexander lifted his mouth to hers and plundered it with his tongue. His fevered fingers found the laces at the front of her gown. Soon. All he had to do was untie them to free her beauty from its silken prison. Aye, there. There was the impediment. Only another moment and he would have her open, unadorned beneath him. She needed no laces and ribbons. Her beauty was stunning, breathtaking.
He was almost there.
"No, Alexander. I… we… mustn't do this. I won't give myself to you this way before we are wed. Please, let me go."
Her voice wrenched him back to reality. He stared down into her face and tried to draw air into his burning lungs. His mind noted her withdrawal, but his manhood continued to press against her, urgently seeking an entrance through their layers of clothing.
Frustration burned like poison through his veins. Damn. What had she done to him? Honor demanded he protect her virtue until they were man and wife. Yet once again, he'd let passion overrule his thinking, sending his emotions flying out of control.
Angry with himself for thinking only of his physical desire, he stood up abruptly. He shook his head fiercely, forcing his passion-glazed mind to clear. His slowly fading lust mixed with confusion and anger. Scowling, he thrust out his hands to help her rise.
Katherine drew back sharply from him. When he continued to reach for her, she flailed out and sharply slapped his face. "No! You will not force me!"
Her voice echoed in the sudden silence around them. Nothing moved or made a sound. She lay huddled on the garden bench, staring up at him. Quickly, she drew in a ragged breath and crossed her arms across her breasts, as if to shield herself from him.
The sting of his skin was nothing compared to the look he saw in her eyes. He rubbed the back of his hand across his face where her slap had scorched his cheek. By God, he had not tried to force her. She had been as willing as he.
A shrill cry of a black bird shattered the air. Its high-pitched call resounded like a woman's scream in the stillness. The piercing shriek reminded him of Fiona's frightened cry two days before.
Katherine's violent attack startled him with its similarity. As before, he was surprised by her unprovoked temper. It was just as Fiona had said. Didn't she tell him this woman had turned on her, become violent for no reason? Was this beautiful lass prone to violent fits? Did she suffer from some madness? Was that why her parents wished for her to marry so quickly? God's teeth! What sort of woman had he pledged himself to? No, it couldn't be. Da had known the family for years. He wouldn't force him to wed a lass who was plagued with such a malady, no matter how great his friendship with Angus Gordon.
Alexander drew a deep breath and willed his emotions under control. The girl was just spoiled and willful. Aye, she merely toyed with him. She knew she had the ability to enflame a man. It was naught but a game to her. Did she truly expect him to partake in her passionate teasing and then willingly retreat like a docile lap dog?
So, the lass attempted to control him already. She merely used his attraction to her to tease his lust. He must steel himself against becoming fond of her. Damn it, he wouldn't submit to her game.
Anger welled up inside his chest like a burning brand. "So, woman, you think to control me with your shrewish temper? I see you like to tease a man but never show true feelings for him. You may keep your deceitful, selfish heart. Aye, there are others who are not so harsh. I'm not a man who forces himself on a cold, unwilling maid."
Contempt for her deceit ate at him and he glared down at her. Her feigned look of frightened bewilderment infuriated him further. God's wrath. He must leave before he said anything more. Gravel scattered beneath his boots as he spun around and stalked out of the garden.
&nb
sp; **
Thick fog muted the sounds of lapping waves and the cry of ocean birds. It would be dawn soon. The sun could not burn away the damned fog fast enough to please him.
Phillipe Ja Bier peered out his carriage window impatiently. Foul weather over the last fortnight had delayed his plans, making his temper shorter than usual. A slight movement inside the carriage caught his attention. A small yellow butterfly fluttered to the floor, flexing its iridescent wings open and closed. Ja Bier watched its silent beauty for a moment before he slowly lifted his foot and ground it beneath his heel. No, he was not known for his pleasant demeanor.
"Monsieur, the fog is lifting. The captain should set sail soon."
Ja Bier stepped out of the carriage and wiped his boot clean on the man's coat where it lay in a pile of goods waiting to be loaded onboard. His cold gaze settled on the man before him dressed in a ragged plaid and he pressed his perfumed handkerchief to his nose. "Be careful that you do not exceed your disguise, Jules. Not everyone in Scotland is a filthy Scot."
"Oui, Monsieur."
Ja Bier watched a small boat pull away from the side of the ship and turn toward shore. He waited in silence as it was rowed toward them. When a sailor jumped out of the small craft and pulled it onto the sand, Ja Bier reached inside his coat and retrieved a small bag of coins.
He handed them to the man before him. "You know what to do when you reach Scotland. When you have found Katherine, send me word immediately. I expect to hear from you within the month."
"Oui, Monsieur, I will not fail you."
Ja Bier lifted his elegant walking stick and pointed it at Jules. With a flick of a hidden lever, a razor sharp blade protruded from the end of the cane, a mere inch from the man's face. "No, Jules, I am certain you will not."
**
Angus Gordon looked up from his drink as the MacGregors and his wife and daughter warmed themselves before the large fireplace in the great hall. "Katherine, lass, will you sing for us as you do at home? I wish our friends to hear your lovely voice."
Highlander's Bride (Heart of the Highlander Series Book 1) Page 9
