The Seduction of Laird Sinclair

by Kara Griffin

  Callum stepped forward. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. I want you to leave my land, and take Mackay with you. You’re not welcome here.”

  Several Sinclair men made a show of support and stood behind Callum.

  Violet didn’t know what would happen and had never been witness to men’s conflicts. But the hostility in the air unsettled her. She wanted to tell Callum he acted like a fool, and if he ended a truce with Sutherland because of her, he was wrong to do so. She stayed quiet though because now was not the time to come between two ferocious tomcats.

  “Be gone, and don’t step foot on my land again. The next time I see you, I’ll be sure to test my sword.”

  Keith bowed to her. “Lady Violet, remember what I said.” He winked and gained a growl from Callum.

  “I shall. Take care, Keith.”

  Sutherland left with the small band of men he’d brought and Grady Mackay.

  Violet sat alone and scowled at Callum for his boorish behavior. But a smile twitched her lips because he acted as jealous as a wily goat.

  Gussy joined her, as did Clive. She didn’t listen to their conversation. Violet couldn’t help but think about how daft Callum’s wife was. How could the woman be as callous and heartless to cavort with another man, when Callum was every woman’s dream? He certainly didn’t deserve her mistreatment and terrible conduct. Somehow, she had to prove to Callum that she wasn’t like his wife. She was trustworthy and loving.

  Chapter Nine

  The consequence of his rashness would be his downfall. Callum paced before his desk, confounded by his wrath against Keith. The man was his comrade and ally. He’d all but declared war against him. Callum not only needed the Sutherlands and Mackays as allies, but he had known them his entire life. Why had he acted irrationally? He’d never had discord with his friend before, but Callum’s anger forced him to be unreasonable. Envy drove pangs of jealousy through him to the point that he hadn’t considered his ire. His regret would annoy his better sense until he did something about it.

  Clive entered his chamber and said nothing, but glared his affront.

  “Don’t start in on me, Clive. I was an arse, wasn’t I? How can I rectify this?”

  “You let yourself be turned by a bonny woman, and declared our only allies in this barren north as enemies. Our clan is in peril now. You’ve given the Mackenzies and the Macleod’s the means to get Keith and Grady’s clans to side with them. Think they won’t act on this and attack us at the first opportunity and overtake our land?” Clive’s voice rose with his assertion.

  “I will leave at once and will make peace with them. Keith and Grady will listen.”

  Clive grumbled. “Aye, peace may not be coveted now? They might not listen. What were you thinking to instigate a fight with Keith? You know he likes to bait you, he always has.”

  “He pulled his sword first. Besides, I refuted his call to arms. I didn’t appreciate his attention on Lady Violet.”

  His cousin grabbed hold of his tunic and shoved him into the chair. “You’re a beguiled fool. What does it matter if he paid attention to her? Who cares about a paltry woman?”

  “She’s not paltry.”

  Clive hooted and held fast to him. “Nay? Mayhap not in your eyes, but I’ll not let a woman interfere with what we’ve finally set in place.” He tightened the hold of his tunic and planted his fist on his jaw.

  Callum grunted at the strike and he wanted to retaliate, but he rubbed his jaw instead. “I deserved that.”

  “Damned right, you did. You risk our clan’s safety over a mere woman?”

  “I vowed to keep her safe. You’re aware of my debt to Henry. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for him, and I owe him this favor. I couldn’t let Keith get close to her.”

  “Admit it… You want Violet for your own.”

  Callum took his retribution and punched Clive in the eye. His cousin’s nose seeped blood on his tunic and he growled. Callum rubbed his knuckles and glared. “I admit nothing.”

  “Just as I thought, you won’t confess you have feelings for her. If you want the woman, why don’t you do something about it? You’ll feel better, and we can get on with fixing the mess your brother created.”

  “Damn you, Clive, I can’t want her. As much as I wish she was mine, she cannot be. But be assured, I will make certain she’s kept safe until Henry collects her.”

  Clive wiped the blood from his nose on his tunic sleeve and chortled. “Why the hell can’t she be yours? Do you still hold guilt for what happened to Lydia? The woman was unfaithful. She never loved you, Callum. God took her for a reason and saved you from having to call her out for what she was, a bawdy harlot who cared not for you. Be glad of it. It’s what she deserved.”

  He took a resigned breath and closed his eyes briefly at the thought of his wife. “I might hold responsibility for what happened. Maybe I caused her to seek another. She obviously had the need to take comfort in another man’s arms. I should’ve paid attention to her and gained her love.”

  “She loved none, but herself.”

  He leaned back in the chair and disheartened at the conversation. He’d spoken of Lydia to no one but his grandmother, but Clive understood. “Who was the father of her bairn? Evidently, she was with someone amongst our clan.”

  Clive shrugged his shoulders. “I have a suspicion, but it matters not now, so I won’t speak of that situation. Put it behind you, Callum. If Lady Violet appeals to you, tell her. Win her favor, and take your happiness. But I warn you, you must find Keith, and make reparations.”

  “I will. As to Violet, I don’t want to bring her displeasure or unhappiness. It’s all I seem to do…bring discord to those I care about.”

  Clive bellowed a raucous laugh. “There it is. Glory be, you do care about her. And what you speak is nonsense. You are not the cause of anyone’s discord, but your own. Still, you’ll cause us to suffer if we must war with the Sutherlands and Mackays.”

  He nodded. “I’ll set out to find Keith to explain. He’ll understand.” Before his cousin left, he grabbed hold of his arm. “If you tell anyone about this conversation, I’ll damned well bloody your nose again.”

  Clive laughed boisterously and bounded through the door.

  He spent the rest of the night in his chamber. The exhaustion of the previous sleepless nights brought forth a yawn. Callum closed his eyes and tried to ease. A rush of faces trounced through his mind. Thoughts of his family’s dissonance tensed every part of him. Why did he take on the responsibility for their wellbeing? It was too much for one man to consider. Perhaps it was time for them to figure out their own problems. Until matters settled though, Callum would find it hard to stand aside.

  Don’t give up your happiness for the sake of others. Mor’s words taunted him.

  He had given all he had, to help, or to benefit others, since he was a lad. He never felt deserved enough to reap his pleasure. Callum, at no time, aspired for a life of mirth or contentment. Since he was born, his father instilled the value of selflessness and honor. Often, he’d been the shield between his parents, when they had a row over their upbringing. His mother sometimes interfered in his father’s lessons, because she doted on his brother Gavin. But that was expected since Gavin was destined to be the laird. Callum didn’t recall Gavin being present when his father inflicted his wisdom. Had his da even then known he’d become their clan’s laird?

  Lockie said his father wished he’d been firstborn. Had his da purposely neglected Gavin’s education with the aim to enrich his? Callum pressed his eyes and wished the past would cease to plague him. He needed to begin anew, and that started with his act of contrition to Keith.

  Morning came faster than he’d hoped, and he got a few hours rest. He readied for the day and dressed warmer since he would spend a good portion of the day outside. Callum stepped from the chamber, and Frang’s growl echoed through the hallway. As he rushed down the stairs, he spotted Frang. The dog had Violet cornered again and bared his teeth. Frang snarled a
nd growled as if he was about to attack. Violet’s eyes widened with terror.

  Callum gripped the mane of the dog’s neck and forced Frang back. The dog went wild and tried to bite him. He shook Frang and dragged him toward the keep’s door. “Bad dog.” He forced Frang through the threshold and closed the door. When he reached Violet, he took her in his arms. She trembled with fear.

  He held her and tried to comfort her. “What has come over that dog? He has never attacked anyone. It’s strange that he’s done so to you twice now. I’ll have him penned.”

  She squeezed him and tucked her face against his shoulder. “No, don’t pen him. Somehow, I’ll win his friendship. Animals don’t usually react that way to me. At least, I’ve never encountered a ferocious attack. I heard someone… Someone said a word, and the dog ran at me. They commanded his attack. I couldn’t get away.”

  He continued to hold her, even though she eased. Callum reveled that she was in his arms again. She brought a sense of honor to him, and he didn’t want to release her. Yet, he frowned at what she told him. “What did they say?”

  “I didn’t understand it, because they’d spoken in Gaelic. But it sounded…” She shook her head. “It’s unimportant.”

  Callum lifted her chin and discerned her fear dissipated. He continued to hold her in his arms. With his body, he leaned forward and forced her back against the wall. He hadn’t intended to kiss her, but with her lips close to his, he couldn’t resist. As he pressed against her, he shifted his legs to brace himself. One hand supported his position against the wall and kept him steady, and the other held on to her waist.

  She returned his kiss wholeheartedly and tore at the shield he’d placed within himself. He didn’t want to be affected by her, but she easily tempted him. Callum held her face and trailed his hand to her neck, where he cuddled his palm on her soft skin. Everything about her affected him. Lovemaking would be pleasurable, and he groaned at the thought of loving her. His kiss turned torrid, and his tongue gently caressed the coolness of hers. He relished taking it to a place where neither of them would deny their desires.

  Someone cleared their throat behind him, and he pulled away from Violet. His breath came heavily at the tumult of their kisses. He briefly turned to peer at whoever dared to interrupt them, and found Hawisa and Dela who lurked nearby.

  “Laird, Dela wishes to see you. Have you the time now, or are you…occupied?”

  Occupied, hell, he was more than that. But the time came for him to accept that he needed to soothe his daughter. Dela wanted his affection and solace. What the child must have thought at his neglect, and her mother’s? He wasn’t wont to be a distant father and adored the lass. But he’d been caught in his woebegone state. Regardless of how irate he was with Lydia, he wouldn’t take it out on their bairn.

  Callum knelt next to his lass and pressed a hand on her wavy locks. “I cannot at present, lass, and must leave the keep. I’ll be gone most of the day, but I shall come and see you, Dela, this night.” His daughter’s eyes widened and a smile came to her lips. Callum drew Hawisa’s regard when he called to her. “And Hawisa, you will ensure your dog is kept out of the keep. Twice now he’s attacked Lady Violet. I will not have the dog in the castle, attacking our guests.”

  “But he―”

  “He is banned from entering.”

  “Aye, Laird,” Hawisa said and took Dela’s hand.

  When they departed, he turned back to Violet. “Did he hurt you? Do you need the healer?”

  She shook her head.

  “What happened between us…? You make me forget myself.”

  Violet took hold of his hand. “And you do the same to me. There’s something about you, Callum, which I cannot reason. I want to be with you, to know you, to share moments together. I understand you cared for your wife, and perhaps you still mourn her―”

  “Nay, I don’t mourn her. Come, this calls for a drink…this discussion.” He guided her to the hall and to the bench. After he retrieved two cups and a jug, he set them on the table and poured them a portion. Callum wanted to confide in her, and he hoped she’d understand. “My wife… She was unfaithful and indifferent. I hoped to be a good husband to her, but she made it impossible. There was no love between us. As much as I should mourn her, I don’t.”

  “You’re a gallant man if you tried to make your marriage a success.”

  “It was a complete failure. What about you and your husband? Were you distraught when you learned he’d been executed by the king? Did you love him?” By all that was holy, he hoped not. If she mourned her husband, he wouldn’t be dishonorable and try to win her affections.

  Violet took a sip of the brew, coughed, and set the cup in front of her. She kept her gaze on him and set her hand on his arm. The light touch forced him to admit there was a positive desire between them, but more than that a bond.

  She leaned closer to him and smiled. “I suppose I loved him in a way. But he was rarely home, and he wasn’t loving in the way a woman hopes her husband to be. I cared for him because he was a good man and saved me.”

  “Saved you? How?” Callum sipped the brew and watched the myriad of expressions cross her face. The discussion was unpleasant but was needed.

  “When I was a young girl, there was this boy who visited from the neighboring village. He did awful things to me, called me horrid names, and left dead animals in my bed. He tortured me all through my childhood.”

  “Did you not tell your da?”

  “I did. He didn’t believe me, and so I tried to keep away from the knave. One night, when I’d gotten older… I was just shy of turning seven and ten. He came and was messing around in our barn. I went to get my father and he told me to stay in the cottage. Then I saw a glow coming from the barn. It was on fire, and my father ran out with a pitchfork sticking from his middle. I heard Nicholas laughing.”

  Callum scowled at the horror she endured. “Where was your ma?”

  “She had died a few years before of sickness. I ran to our overlord, Charles Danvers. He took me in and saved me from Nicholas. When he asked for my hand in marriage, I accepted because I owed him for saving me that night. I had wanted the kind of love most girls dreamed about. Charles cared for me in his own way, but he spent most of his time in London and was embroiled in parliamentary issues.”

  “Your husband was a lord in parliament?”

  “He was, and unfortunately, he was executed for it.”

  He wanted to feel badly at the man’s death, but he was grateful Charles kept Violet safe. “Henry mentioned the lords against Richard. I wouldn’t be surprised if Henry usurped Richard. I deem that is his intent to be King of England. He told me he has a higher claim to the crown.”

  Violet retook her cup and took a sip. “He’s exiled and cannot be a party to such a deed now. Why would Henry want to take the kingdom from his cousin?”

  Callum grinned. “Henry doesn’t really like his cousin much. His exile won’t last long. The man is conniving, and he’ll eventually make his way back to England and to the throne. When he does, Richard will be in danger of losing all.”

  “How did you come to meet Henry? He never told me of it.”

  He laughed. “Henry has a way of getting what he wants. I met him after the battle of Otterburn. He saved my life, but then, insisted I owed him.” Callum scowled because the favor Henry asked of him benefitted him more than Henry. Why had Henry sent her to him? The question lingered in his mind for a moment. “Whatever Henry’s intent, I’m glad he sent you here. I will ensure you’re kept safe, Violet, and you won’t have to return to wed that blighter.”

  She pushed her cup forward and raised her bonny blue eyes to his. “What if I want more?”

  Chapter Ten

  Violet paced her chamber for nearly an hour. She’d made progress with Callum, and rejoiced that he kissed her. The way his body pressed hers against the wall, nearly sent her to a needful place, a place where only he could lessen the intense desire. Yet he left her when she told him
she wanted more. Had she scared him away? Then the thought of him being scared made her want to laugh. Callum didn’t seem to be the sort to fear anything, least of all, her plea of wanting more. From the way he kissed her, he certainly wanted her. She definitely desired him. Violet hoped she hadn’t chased him away.

  Gussy returned from her sojourn to the kitchens and brought a light fare for their supper.

  She barely ate with all the contention of the day giving her woeful thoughts.

  “What has you distressed?”

  She explained what transpired between her and Callum earlier that morning, “…and what if my rashness caused him to flee? I’m trying to be confident, and constantly consider the rules when I’m in his presence… He left me and said not another word.”

  Gussy collected the trenchers to return them to the kitchen. “Maybe he acted with chivalry. You said you wanted more and he probably had to flee before he acted dishonorably. Perhaps, he had other things on his mind. Laird Sinclair left the holding. Clive is worried for him because he deems he was the one who sent him on the reckless mission.”

  “What reckless mission?”

  “The rift between Laird Sinclair and Laird Sutherland… It needs to be remedied or else there will be a war between the clans. Clive berated himself for forcing Laird Sinclair to go to Sutherland to make peace. Apparently, Laird Sinclair left the holding without telling Clive he was going and he hadn’t taken anyone with him. Clive doesn’t hold hope Sutherland will forgive Laird Sinclair’s offense at the celebration the other day.”

  Violet stood and resumed her pacing in the chamber. “Oh, this is entirely my fault. Keith spoke fondly of Callum. Surely he won’t harm him. I shall send a missive right away. Is there someone who can take my message to Keith?”

  “I shall find a stable lad. Write your missive and I’ll make sure someone takes it. Give me a coin for their service.”

  She collected a piece of parchment and the ink and quill and wrote: