The Bedeviled Heart (The Highland Heather and Hearts Scottish Romance Series)

by Carmen Caine

  The Highland Heather and Hearts

  Scottish Romance Series

  Book Two

  The Bedeviled Heart

  By

  Carmen Caine

  Kindle Edition

  Published By

  Bento Box Books

  Edited By

  Louisa Stephens

  Cover Art By

  Mehrdad Azadi

  Copyright © 2011 by Carmen Caine

  ISBN: 978-0-9835240-4-7

  Kindle Edition License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and didn’t purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to MyBentoBoxBooks.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  Dedication

  Mehrdad, no one encourages me more than you … thank you

  Kian, you are my heart

  Kailyn, you are my soul

  *

  Angie, I’m glad you are here

  Author’s Note

  Though Cameron and Kate never existed, the story of Thomas (Robert) Cochrane, King James III, and his brothers is based on actual historical events. In some ways, King James III of Scotland was a man born before his time, more a patron of the arts than a warrior. But it was his habit of exalting low-born favorites, among them the architect Cochrane, combined with his fascination for the Black Arts that brought about some of the first documented cases of witchcraft trials in Scotland's history.

  "The Bedeviled Heart" is a slight departure in historical flavor from that of "The Kindling Heart" with "The Bedeviled Heart" being the first book in this series to cover the significant historical events of 1479. And as these events took ten years to come to a resolution, this fascinating backdrop will be continued throughout the remainder of the books in this series: "The Daring Heart" and "The Loyal Heart".

  And while my goal is to weave history throughout these stories in an effort to make them all the more entertaining, these books will always be romances first and historical second. I will primarily focus on the human relationships between all of the characters in the entire four book storyline.

  "The Kindling Heart" begins the story with Bree and Ruan in the Isle of Skye.

  "The Bedeviled Heart" covers Cameron and Kate's dramatic romance against the backdrop of court intrigue and witchcraft.

  “The Daring Heart" brings the adventure of Lord Julian Gray as he meets his match in the Italian assassin, Liselle.

  "The Loyal Heart" weaves the spell of fated love with Merry rescuing Ewan in the events leading up to the Battle of Sauchieburn and completes the circle of how it all began.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One … The Outlaw

  Chapter Two … Can a Man be Changed?

  Chapter Three … The Court of the King

  Chapter Four … Eight Shillings a Year!

  Chapter Five … The Passionate Blood of the Stewarts

  Chapter Six … Love Potions

  Chapter Seven … What Have I Done?

  Chapter Eight … The Prophecy

  Chapter Nine … The Princess

  Chapter Ten … A Foolish Vow

  Chapter Eleven … Witchcraft

  Chapter Twelve … Craigmillar

  Chapter Thirteen … The Tolbooth Prison

  Chapter Fourteen … Skye

  Chapter Fifteen … The Wedding

  Chapter Sixteen … Dunvegan

  Chapter Seventeen … The Countess

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from “The Daring Heart”

  Chapter One - The Outlaw

  Stirling Castle

  Scotland, 1479

  Cameron Malcolm Stewart, Earl of Lennox, Lord of Ballachastell, Inchmurrin, and a score of other holdings, ducked his head and entered the dim interior of the alehouse, pausing for a moment on the threshold to sweep the room with a penetrating gaze.

  Broad-shouldered and tall, he possessed the arresting combination of elegance and danger that resulted in a naturally imposing presence. His shoulder-length dark hair framed a devilishly handsome face with chiseled lips and a dash in the middle of his strong chin.

  Unclasping the brooch that fastened his cloak, he tossed the garment at the young lad scurrying to greet him and settled with the sleek grace of a cat into the darkest corner of the establishment.

  Beckoning the alewife with a long finger, Cameron waited patiently for his tankard of brew. It was not long in coming. He took a swig and winced slightly. The quality bordered on unacceptable, but he didn’t come here for the ale. He came to escape court intrigue, prying eyes, and endless hours of banal conversation.

  The door opened again, and a diminutive lass slipped inside, accompanied by a gust of wind and the momentary sounds of spring. Hefting her basket to one arm, she smoothed her well-worn skirt, adjusted the kerchief capturing the silken mass of her brown hair, and subjected the occupants of the room to a shrewd eye.

  The young lad greeted her with a toothy grin before scuttling through a low arch in the corner of the room. Shortly thereafter, the alewife’s voice bellowed from the back, “Kate! I’ve been waiting for ye, lass! Give me a wee moment, will ye now?”

  Wrinkling her nose in a smile, Kate leaned forward and called in return, “No need to rush! I’ve plenty to keep me busy.”

  As the muffled sounds of the alewife’s cackle filtered from the back, Cameron’s dark gaze followed Kate as she sauntered towards a pot-bellied man slumped over the table next to his own.

  The lass was slender, shorter than most, with fine brows arching over unusually large and particularly striking brown eyes—eyes that sparkled in silent laughter, even as her brows furrowed and her full lips drew into a serious line.

  Setting her basket down on the pot-bellied man’s table, Kate shook the man awake. “And a braw day to ye, sir!”

  The man slowly lifted his head and squinted. His eyes lit, and a smile immediately crossed his face. “Come here, ye bonny lass!” he slurred, lurching unsteadily to his feet.

  Lifting her basket over her head, Kate deftly twirled to the other side of the table as she chirped with a pert smile, “A fine mariner, are ye now? How soon do ye set sail?”

  “Sail?” The addled man glanced around before spying her across the table. He stumbled a little in surprise and collapsed back onto his bench. “How did ye get there, lass?”

  Kate’s lively brown eyes crinkled in the corners. “Ach, ye can do with a wee bit more luck now, can’t ye?” she asked, dipping her hand into her basket to draw out a small round stone. “With this charm, ye’ll sail with more wind than ye would have without it!”

  The man grinned foolishly, nodding several times, and then a look of bewilderment crossed his face. “Sail? Lass, I sell fish in the market!”

  Smoothly selecting a larger stone, Kate bent forward and whispered loudly, “Then, this is what ye need, my good man! ‘Tis a charm for luck. Carry this with ye now, and ye’ll sell more fish than ye would have without it!”

  As the man blindly mimicked her vigorous nods, Kate leaned across the table and helped herself to his money pouch. “Ye’ll be right pleased with this charm, I’m sure!” she promised, poking through the contents with a disappointed frown before making her choice.

  Cameron tapped his finger on the table, a touch amused. The man was obviously a careles
s fool, and from the looks of the lopsided grin on his face, he was enjoying her company. Aye, being swindled by such a comely lass hardly seemed unfortunate, even for a fool.

  “Thank ye for the pleasure of such fine company!” Kate bestowed a brilliant smile upon the man as she returned his pouch. And then absent-mindedly patting him on the head, as one would a dog, she surveyed the room for her next victim.

  Suddenly, the alehouse door crashed back, and a rowdy bunch of men entered with hoots of laughter and a storm of curses. Calling for ale, they stumbled towards a table, overturning a bench along the way.

  As they passed Kate, one particularly foul-mouthed, lanky fellow grabbed her arm. “Come here, ye fine wench, and give us a kiss!”

  Pushing his tankard aside, Cameron rose swiftly to his feet.

  “Thomas MacCallum, I do believe?” Kate clucked in a superior tone, shaking her head slowly and making no move to wrench free from his grasp. “What will your wife say when she hears of ye begging for kisses in the alehouse?”

  The man’s fingers slackened, and the silly grin left his face. With a frown, he all but pushed her away.

  Placing her hands on her slim hips, Kate eyed the men up and down. “Is that really Jamie Boyd? What if your mother finds ye here, lad? And, that can’t be ye, Sean Gordon? I doubt your father will be pleased hearing ye’re back to swilling ale now, so soon after he paid your debt!”

  “Who is this lass?” Jamie hissed.

  They all began to back away.

  “Hie off with ye now!” Kate flapped her hands at them. “And think twice afore ye foist your unwanted kisses off on hard-working womenfolk!”

  Subdued, the men clustered around their table, sending her dark looks.

  With a rare smile threatening his lips, Cameron sat back down and stretched his long legs out before him. Clearly, the lass was well versed in handling such men. Aye, and there was something rather intimidating about her. He was certain the top of her head didn’t even reach his shoulder.

  As he watched, she boldly met his gaze and headed his way.

  She was even tinier up close.

  “I’ve come to thank ye, sir,” Kate said, dipping a pretty curtsey.

  Rising to bow courteously in return, Cameron replied with a sardonic twist of his lip, “And to relieve me of my coin?”

  Her brown eyes sparkled in response. Placing her basket on the table, she invited herself to sit opposite him, saying, “I couldna help but notice that ye were coming to my aid, sir.”

  “Foolishly so, it would seem.” Cameron allowed himself to smile. It felt refreshing. He hadn’t genuinely smiled in almost two months, since visiting his closest friend, Ruan MacLeod in Dunvegan.

  Oddly, he had experienced more than one baffling pang of envy since Ruan had wed Bree. He had thought the feeling to be a fleeting thing, but upon seeing Ruan proudly hold their newborn son, the jealousy had returned full force.

  It was a mystery.

  Cameron could say with complete certainty that he desired neither wife nor bairn. Aye, several of his brides had arrived with bairns. He certainly had no desire for more. And after having suffered through seven political marriages, each having ended with his becoming a widower shortly thereafter, he had come to believe he truly was cursed and that his name alone would consign a woman to an early death. He had made his peace with the fact that it was not his fate to love as other men could.

  “Sir?” Kate’s lively brown eyes swam into view. “Have ye been struck dumb?”

  Cameron blinked, startled at his lapse of concentration. He pushed his tankard of ale back suspiciously. Perhaps there was something amiss with the brew. Turning back to Kate, he nodded apologetically. “Forgive me, kind lady. My undivided attention is now yours.”

  “Such fine words!” Kate wrinkled her nose in a bewitching smile. “I was merely pondering what a splendid gentleman such as yourself could possibly need charmed?”

  Cameron tilted his head in detached amusement.

  When he didn’t reply, she leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “Or are ye needing a cursing stone? Nothing too harmful, mind ye, only a wee bit of trouble!”

  If only she could give surety of tremendous misfortune, he would right gladly purchase cartloads and have them delivered to the king’s court favorite, Thomas Cochrane. With lips crooked in the hint of a mocking smile, he rumbled in a low voice, “Tempting, but no.”

  Persistence was clearly one of her qualities. Propping her elbows on the table, she insisted, “A man can never have enough luck, sir. What is your trade?”

  “Surely, such a canny witch as ye would know?” He issued the amused challenge and settled comfortably back on the bench.

  Aye, the lass was proving a charming diversion.

  Pursing her lips, Kate studied him thoughtfully. “Your clothing is fine, and your manners are well-bred, but no noble would deign to enter such a humble establishment as this …” She held out her hand, indicating the alehouse as her laughing brown eyes swept him from head to toe.

  Cameron enjoyed her bold scrutiny. It afforded him the opportunity to study her in return. He was quite unused to deviously impudent women, but he was finding it surprisingly invigorating. Instead, he was familiar with the women of the court, and they were of the flirtatious, retiring, and duplicitous kind.

  Slamming a palm on the table, Kate exclaimed, “I have it, sir!”

  Tilting his head to the side, he waited.

  Leaving her place to slip onto the bench next to him, she whispered in his ear, “Ye’ve come upon grave misfortune and have turned to outlawry! Ye must be among the daring sort to sit so fearlessly beneath the shadow of Stirling Castle in the broad light of day!”

  At that, Cameron found his lips bending into a genuine smile. “And ye seem to be wickedly clever, lass.”

  “Then buy a stone from me for good luck, sir.” She lifted the corner of the cloth covering her basket in a tantalizing manner. “There are many wonders to behold here! And surely a man in such a perilous trade as yours can use all the luck he finds in his path!”

  Cameron eyed the spirited lass at his side with a deepening interest. Tossing a shilling onto the table, he lowered his lashes and murmured suggestively, “Aye, I’ll buy something from ye.”

  Her brown eyes widened in shock at the shilling, and in a flash, she tucked the coin away, once again wrinkling her nose in the catching smile that he found quite delightful.

  “And which charm would please ye most, sir?” she asked. “To be swift fingered, fleet of foot, or perhaps glib of tongue?”

  The corner of his lip twitched in amusement. Fires of Hell, but this young witch actually possessed an uncommon ability to make him relax. With his dark eyes smoldering a little, he leaned close and replied, “A kiss.” A mere kiss wouldn’t hurt anyone.

  Never had he seen such expressive eyes. Even now, as she rolled them, they were gleaming with mirth. “My kisses canna be bought, sir!”

  “A pity,” Cameron murmured with a twinge of disappointment.

  Placing a smooth stone on the table—of the most common kind he had seen in countless numbers on every riverbed and loch shore—Kate announced with a precocious grin, “But since ye paid me good coin, sir, I’ll grant ye my luckiest stone. With this, ye’ll have far more good fortune than ye would have had without it!”

  Cameron captured her hand in his long fingers, bantering lightly, “Surely, such a bonny lass as ye could not begrudge a weary traveler a kiss?”

  She didn’t move her hand from his, but leaned closer, brushing against him as she whispered a warning, “Beware, sir! I’ve a noble, jealous lover who would avenge my honor, even on the likes of ye!”

  Cameron was not surprised to find her taken, though he deemed the man rather despicable to allow his mistress to walk around in such bereft attire. She obviously deserved better. Still, he had only wanted a kiss. Mildly curious, he inquired, “And who might this dreaded lord be?”

  Sliding her fingers from und
er his, she swept her arms in a dramatic gesture. “He is none other than Cameron, the Earl of Lennox … the Dreaded Earl of Death himself!”

  Cameron stared at her blankly.

  With a sly twinkle in her eyes, she nodded in satisfaction. “Aye, now ye really have been struck dumb!”

  Dismayed to hear his own name upon her lips, he repeated stonily, “The Dreaded Earl of Death?”

  “Aye, his touch alone can curse!” she promised brightly.

  The words were hauntingly familiar and Cameron winced, no longer enjoying the exchange. “If his touch is cursed, then he is a poor choice of lovers,” he observed in a cutting tone.

  “He is a most skilled lover, sir!” Kate responded with a haughty toss of her head. “But I’m of low birth, and I’ll never wed the man. I’m in no danger!”

  The kerchief binding her hair slipped askew, freeing the heavy mass to spill over her face and shoulders in the most appealing way.

  Inexplicably, Cameron’s annoyance fled.

  Catching her wrist, he pulled her close and imparted a sound kiss full on her lips. His intention was to tease, or so he told himself as he felt her lips freeze in surprise beneath his. But then she returned the kiss with such an unexpected burst of enthusiasm that he was swept into the enjoyment of it all until a wild hunger threatened to rise in his blood.

  With great difficulty, he tore his lips away and stared down at her, startled.

  A moment later, he found himself roundly slapped across the face.

  “How dare ye take the liberty, sir!” Kate jumped up, her cheeks flaming.

  Cameron blinked and held still. He had stolen countless kisses from whomever he pleased his entire life, and none of the lasses had ever slapped him for it.