“Ah my laird, sit, have a dram of whiskey wit me,” Ewan said already feeling the effects of the watered down liquor.
Rory strolled over and sat on the bench next to him. “Ewan, we will stay here for a few days to train these men. I have secured additional supplies for our journey. Soon cousin, verra soon we will be in the midst of battle once more. Wallace believes that this surprise attack will be a heavy blow to those heathens and soon secure our freedom once and for all.”
“Aye, my laird. The men are ready to fight wit ye and Wallace. The stable boy has given our horses extra feed to ensure their strength for the long ride ahead.”
“Good, see to the men. I am heading up to my chamber. We will meet ye in the courtyard after we break our fast.”
Rory swigged the last bit of whiskey from his flask and headed in the direction of the stairs. Those lips, they were all he could think about. He walked down the empty hallway in search of his quarters. He picked up a candle that was sitting on a small table and made his way down the quiet corridor.
The walls were draped in tapestries and painted portraits of the MacCallum clan. Rory felt the chill within the corridor from the poorly covered windows. Rory continued to walk until he got to the end of the hall. He paused at the last door listening to the sound of someone singing. It was a beautiful melody and the woman’s voice was enchanting. It had reminded him of a song his mother used to sing to him as a lad. As if hypnotized by the song, he slightly opened the door to peek inside.
And there she was, her naked backside facing him. Rory could see the droplets of water from her wet hair slowly descending down the small curve of her back. The glow of the candle light shimmered on her skin making it appear soft and creamy. Her round arse was firm and plump and Rory felt his manhood stiffen beneath his kilt. He wanted nothing more than to run across the room, toss her onto the bed and kiss every inch of her delicate skin.
While taking her bath, Annella heard footsteps outside her door. Assuming that they were Berta’s, she began to stand up and greet the woman. However instead of an auld, plump woman, a blushing Rory stood in the door frame staring at the back side of her naked body. As the door crept further open, his massive size took up the expanse of the door frame.
“What are ye doing? Get out,” she yelled as she quickly dove back into the water. She could feel her face burning bright red from both anger and embarrassment.
“My apologies, my lady. I was lost and unable to find my room.”
Feeling embarrassed with himself, he abruptly turned around offering her what little dignity she had left. As he turned around, he saw two maids standing just outside the door. Annella’s eyes widened like a scared deer.
“Good night, my lady,” Rory said and swiftly walked past the two women and out the door.
“Oh my lady, what were ye thinking? Ye can no’ have a mon in here wit ye. It’s no’ proper for a young maiden,” Berta asserted.
“I dinna. He walked in here."
“That mad brute! Yer father would have him hung and quartered if he thought ye were bedding.”
"Nothing happened, he said he was lost."
Myra, the younger maid with golden hair spoke up, "I will show him the way to his chamber." And with that, she walked out and ran after him.
Berta helped Annella dry her hair by the fire and put her nightgown on. She got into the bed feeling a little bit jealous of Myra. Myra was a pretty lass and often gave herself to the visiting men. Would Rory take her? She argued with herself about why she should care, but in truth she did.
All Annella wanted at that moment was to sleep the rest of the time away while Rory was here, hoping she could avoid him for that long. Lying in her bed, she could not stop wondering what was transpiring a few doors down. She didn’t know what kind of man Rory was; whether he was one who slept with any willing whore or not.
"My Laird, I can show ye to yer room. My name is Myra. I can also give ye some company tonight, if ye wish?" she said with a sultry look of seduction.
Rory was intrigued by this promiscuous blond harlot who was willingly giving herself to him. It had been a long while since he had bedded down with a lass but, with all his traveling, there was no time for coupling. At first he was going to accept her offer, but after thinking about the episode in Annella’s room, he was no longer in the mood. "Nay, I prefer to be alone. Thank ye."
Feeling irate by the rejection, Myra stormed off. It was rare that men turned her down.
Rory went into his chamber and barred the door. In a different circumstance, he would have taken the lass but he did not want her. He wanted someone else; someone with bright hazel eyes and luscious lips.
He unraveled his kilt and sat on the edge of the bed to unlace his boots. It had been days since he had a warm bed to sleep on. Camping out on the cold, hard ground was not something he personally enjoyed. He kicked his boots off and laid down on the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, the image of Annella’s naked form was etched in his mind. She was like a siren that had somehow bewitched him. He knew that tonight was going to be a very long night.
Chapter 2
Dawn came too quickly for Rory. He had tossed and turned most of the night. Still feeling weary, he thought the best way to wake himself was to take a quick swim in the cold loch. He hoped the coolness of the water would also help him concentrate on the day ahead and rid his thoughts of Annella. He knew what he needed to do was to ignore her while he was here. She would only be a distraction and right now that was the last thing he needed.
He had a mission and would not let anything take him away from that. He was a warrior and had no time for women and settling down with one was last thing he wanted. He knew as laird he would one day need an heir but right now he had no plans to marry.
Several other clans had already offered their daughters to him, but he wanted someone who he could enjoy their company and not just the bedding. Someone who sparked his interest, someone like Annella, but he had to get that out of his head. In two or three days’ time he would be off for war and he did not want to leave anyone behind to mourn for him if he did not make it home. His duty was to his country and his clan. If he shall meet the Lord during battle, his younger brother Bram would be next in line.
Knowing the morning was passing by, he tossed the covers aside and donned his tunic and kilt. He left his room and walked down the stairs. It was still too early to break his fast and most of his men were still asleep on the floor in the great hall.
Not wanting to wake anyone up just yet, he quietly strode out the door into the lower bailey. The way to the loch was along the backside of the keep and down the hill a short distance away. When he got there, he took off his clothes and set them along the shoreline and jumped into the water. It was cold but refreshing.
The sun had not quite ascended over the horizon when Annella woke up. She had wanted to get up early to take her horse Finlay out for the usual run. That however wasn't her only reason. She knew Rory and the men would be training in the courtyard today and she wouldn’t be able to pass through the gates without him seeing her. She gritted her teeth thinking about the embarrassment she felt from last night.
She quickly got out of bed and put her riding gown on. Peeking out the door, she checked to make sure that no one was around. She frowned when she remembered that Myra had run after Rory last night. Feeling annoyed all over again, she grabbed her cloak and with stealth movement, she ran down the stairs and into the kitchen to sneak out the back door.
As soon as she closed the door behind her, she stopped to release the deep breath of air she held onto while trying to not make any noise. She took one step down from off the stoop, tripping on the length of her gown and landed in the dirt. Annella popped her head up to see if anyone had witnessed her clumsiness. Quickly, she got up to assess the damage. She had scratched her elbow from the fall and her hands were covered in dirt.
Annella scurried down the hill towards the loch to wash the dirt off her hands. She was just about to
bend down to place her hands into the cold water when a figure suddenly emerged. Startled, she quickly ran behind a tree. She waited a moment to see if she had been discovered but heard no sound.
She turned around and sneaked a quick peek from behind the tree trunk. It was him. She knew that she should not be looking, but she couldn’t get her body to listen to her demands. She had never seen a man before and now there was one right before her eyes. Her breaths became heavy and she started to feel uneasiness in her stomach.
Rory slowly started to walk out of the water. Annella wanted to close her eyes but she couldn’t draw her eyes from him. The corners of her mouth raised in the form of a smile when she noticed the water trickling down his flat stomach from the dark forested hair on his chest. She felt in awe as her eyes traced the lines and curves of his defined muscles. As her eyes went lower, she saw the dark curly hair around his groin which caused her to blush. And in a blink of an eye he fully surfaced out of the water.
Annella gasped at the sight of Rory’s manhood. Long, hard and pointing directly towards her. Redness heated her face, but it was the heat she began to feel elsewhere that caused an unusual ache between her thighs. Her heartbeat grew faster. She feared her pounding chest was so loud, he might hear her.
Turning around, she closed her eyes and rested the back of her head against the tree trunk. She didn’t know what was happening to her and she didn’t like it, mostly. She hoped that he would leave and that her presence was undetected.
"The water is all yers...my lady," Rory said standing directly in front of her with nothing but his kilt wrapped around his body. Stunned that she had been caught, she remained speechless and looked down at her feet hoping to turn invisible.
"I believe that now we are even, my lady. I have seen ye and ye have seen me," he continued.
"I was no’ staring, if that is what ye were thinking. I simply walked down here and saw ye but a moment.”
With a devilish smile he asked, "Did ye like what ye saw?"
"How dare ye ask me such a question,” she barked pressing her lips together.
Staring at her pouting lips all Rory could do was think about how badly he wanted to kiss those plush, pink morsels. He took a step forward but she instantly retreated.
"Do ye always leave the keep unattended?"
"I have nay a need for guards. I can take care of myself and besides, I prefer to be alone and I have nay a need for yer company either."
"Do ye want me to leave then?"
With a mischievous smirk, he took another step closer and could feel her heavy breaths on his skin which made him shiver.
"I would assume ye have had enough company for one day," she snapped.
"What do ye mean?"
"I ken Myra went to yer room last night and I dinna pretend to ken how she is."
Rory looked into Annella eyes and could almost feel the burning look she was giving him. He realized that Annella sounded jealous. But why, he wondered. He was going to enjoy this game.
"Ah, Myra, was that her name? Aye, she is full of companionship, isn’t she?"
Annella’s jaw dropped in shock by his remark and uncanny behavior. She had never met someone so callous and rude before.
"Ye are an arrogant brute," she said accusingly and began to walk away from him.
"My apologies, my lady."
Rory couldn’t help his smirk. He found some humor in her anger.
Annella marched back to the keep and went directly into her room. The nerve of him, she said to herself, while yelling vulgarities in her head, directed at him. She aimlessly walked back and forth across her room not having the patience to sit down. She was too worked up. She wanted to go back downstairs and tell him what kind of an arse he was but then that would put her back in close proximity which she preferred to avoid.
A small part of her wouldn’t have mind. As much as she hated to admit it, he was unbelievably handsome. When he stepped close to her, she was sure he was going to reach out and kiss her. She had never kissed a man before and the idea was both intimidating and intriguing.
Interrupting her verbal banter to herself, she heard commotion from out her window, momentarily preoccupying her thoughts. She walked over to the window and watched Rory and his men while they trained in the courtyard. The way he wielded his sword was quite impressive. With only his kilt on, his upper body glistened in the sun as sweat rolled down his back and chest.
She observed him and his men for a few more minutes after realizing that she seemed cowardly by hiding in her room. Going out riding was the only thing that was going to clear her head. She grabbed her bow and headed out to the stables.
On her way down the hall, she passed Myra cleaning up one of the guest rooms.
"Good day, my lady. I trust that ye slept well last night," Myra said.
"Aye. Did ye enjoy yer evening with Laird MacKinnon?" Annella asked with an accusing tone.
"My lady, I dinna ken what ye mean. I offered my company but he dismissed me. Normally men invite me into their bedchamber but when he dinna, I left."
"Ye mean, ye dinna sleep with him?"
"Nay, my lady," Myra replied looking a little confused because Annella had never shown an interest in who she had bedded down with before.
That lying boar. "Thank ye, Myra."
Annella continued her way down the stairs, her head loaded with questions. Why would he lie? Did he purposely try to anger her? And why does it matter if he had slept with Myra or not? Feeling overwhelmed, she quickened her pace to the stables to saddle her horse. The sooner she got out of there the better.
The day was clear and beautiful, getting warmer with each passing hour. With her bow and arrows strapped to her back, she rode across the fields towards the loch on the other side of the forest. She needed to think, needed to be alone and needed to vent her anger.
She found a small knot on a tree and used it as a target. Notching an arrow onto the bowstring she took aim and released. Hearing the swooshing sound through the air, her arrow hit its mark. She scanned the trees looking for other potential targets and released several more arrows all hitting their marks as well.
"Ye are quite skilled, my lady."
Startled by the absence of noise, she turned around with an arrow still notched in place and pointed it directly at his heart. How does he keep sneaking up on me?
“Why are ye following me?" she demanded looking Rory straight in the eyes.
“Ye may want to lower that before ye accidently release yer weapon on me. For I do value my life, my lady.”
Not realizing that she still held up her bow in his direction, she slowly lowered it.
“I was no’ following ye, my lady; I was already heading in this direction.” He grabbed the reins of his horse and climbed down.
“Oh. Well then, dinna let me distract ye." She turned back to her mark and released the arrow.
Wanting to stay and learn more about this captivating lass he suggested, “I will make ye a deal. If I hit yer next target I stay, if no’ and I miss, I will leave."
Wondering what game he was playing she agreed, but only because she was not going to make this easy on him. “Aye, I will agree to yer bet.”
She looked up through the trees trying to find a mark that she knew would be tricky to achieve. Then she spotted it, a small knot on an Ash tree several yards away. “There, if ye hit that knot ye can stay, if no’ ye must leave me alone.”
“Agreed.”
Rory looked over to where she was pointing and grabbed the bow and arrow from her hand. Placing the arrow above his thumb to keep it in place, he carefully pulled back the string. Annella smiled at his awkward body position and stance. He glanced over at her and let it fly. Missed.
"Ha, ye missed," Annella said with a wide grin on her face.
“Aye, perhaps I am no’ as good with a bow as I am wit my sword.”
“That may be true, cause ye are terrible wit a bow,” she teased and burst into laughter causing Rory to laugh as well.
For Annella it felt so good to laugh. It had felt like years since she had a good hearty laugh. With tears in her eyes she smiled at Rory. When he smiled back, a sensation of warmth flushed over her body and her smile died quickly.
“Where did ye learn to shoot like that?”
“My mother, Mairi was her name. She died from fever when I was young.”
“I am sorry to hear about yer mother. She must have been quite skilled for ye to inherit her talent.”
“Aye she was. When I was young I used to watch her participate in target shooting with others in the clan. She would let me go out and practice wit her. After she passed, my father argued against it. He believed a lass should no’ compete in a mon’s sport. He is no’ a verra understanding mon. He is a hard mon. But I ken if only he would give me a chance I would win. After all, it is in my blood.”
Rory smiled down at her. This new insight into Annella’s past made him all the more interested in wanting to learn more about her.
“Will ye be leaving now? That was our agreement.”
Feeling disappointed for not coming up with another excuse to stay he replied, “As ye wish, my lady; I will have to practice the next time we meet. As soon as I find someone as good as ye to teach me.”
“Maybe there is a solution for the both of us. I can teach ye how to shoot an arrow if ye teach me how to sword play,” she proposed before she realized that she just invited him to stay.
“Sword play? That is quite dangerous, my lady, but yer suggestion has merit. It is sometimes good for a lass to ken how to protect herself and as ye so directly pointed out, I am no’ as skilled with a bow. I shall give ye yer first lesson.”
“Really?” Annella was unsure if he was serious or not but she had always wanted to learn how to wield a sword.
“Sure.” He pulled out a long jeweled-studded dagger out of its sheath that hung onto his belt. “Here take my dirk. Hold it in yer hand like this,” he said demonstrating how to properly hold onto the hilt.
April Holthaus - The MacKinnon Clan 01 Page 2
