by Eliza Knight
“Get some rest, lass,” Magnus said and then he pointed at Roderick. “Ye, downstairs.”
There was a promise of retaliation in that glower. Perhaps he wouldn’t be breathing soon after all.
As Greer passed him, she squeezed his fingers and winked. Then she disappeared behind her door, leaving the two men in the hallway, her scent lingering. With her gone, all pretense of happiness left Magnus’s face and was replaced by fury.
“Because I want to make my daughter happy, I’ll no’ be killing ye tonight, but I am going to beat your arse bloody. Dinna think that because I saw this coming that I’ll go easy on ye, either. A father and laird has to protect what’s his.”
Roderick nodded. “Seems only fair.”
“We’ll get along splendidly then.” Magnus walked down the stairs, and Roderick followed, their heavy boot falls echoing in the tiny stairwell.
At the foot of the stairs, the older man held out his arms, announcing for all to hear, “There’s to be a wedding as soon as we arrive at Dunrobin!”
This announcement caused a few seconds of blank stares as the MacCulloch and Sutherland men regarded each other with confusion. Should they be fighting, cheering? The only two who didn’t appear confused were Liam and Angus, both of whom seemed to have formed a friendship. They stood at the back of the tavern, arms crossed and equal ye’re-an-arse looks on their faces.
Magnus marched outside, and Roderick followed. The older warrior began to disarm himself, and Roderick did the same. Warriors filed out of the small tavern and formed a circle around them, all of them now fully aware of exactly what was happening. His own men were about to witness him allowing his future wife’s father to beat his arse.
No less than he deserved, and he well knew it.
“If ye would avoid the leg your daughter already destroyed so I may continue to see to her safety when she’s mistress of Gleann Mórinnse?” Roderick noted the irony in that request, as did several others judging by their smirks.
“With pleasure,” Magnus said, cracking his knuckles.
The man threw a wicked punch, knocking his meaty fist into Roderick’s jaw hard enough that his head snapped back and he instantly tasted blood.
Was it right to fight back? Seemed like he should at least attempt to block after the first few blows. But to retaliate seemed dishonorable given the reason Magnus was wailing on him. Roderick stood there, allowing Magnus to get in a punch to his ribs on the left, another on his right.
That seemed a fair enough amount of free shots. Then he started to block, if only so he could actually make love to his wife when their vows were complete. Though he wasn’t certain Magnus would want that anyway; it was his daughter, after all.
The men shouted, the Sutherlands calling for a more brutal beating, and the MacCullochs encouraging their laird to continue taking it like a true Highlander.
* * *
Greer knew it was too good to be true. How could she have been foolish enough to believe her father would simply allow them to get married after catching them in the compromising position he assumed them to be in? She’d had every intention of being in that compromising position, and he knew it.
But what she was witnessing outside of the tavern window was ridiculous. Roderick shouldn’t simply stand there and let her father punch him again and again. Yet if Roderick didn’t, he’d not be giving her father the due he deserved at finding his daughter in bed with a man.
She wanted to shout for them to stop. But if she did that, Roderick would lose face in front of the MacCullochs and the Sutherlands. Biting her tongue and holding her hand over her mouth was proving hard, for she kept gasping and catching herself just as the words were rolling off her tongue.
However, she also could not just watch, for every crunch of her father’s fist against the man she loved made her belly roil. So, instead, she clamped the shutters closed tightly and made use of the wine jug the tavern owner’s wife had left her. Several sips into her mug later, she noticed the noise outside had finally died down and been replaced by rowdy shouts beneath her feet. Thank the saints! She’d been afraid her father would beat Roderick bloody, but in the end, it had to have been less than a dozen blows.
Now she just had to force herself to stay put when what she really wanted to do was go and tend his injuries.
Och, who was she kidding?
An hour later, when the noises had dissipated, Greer snuck down the stairs, catching the gaze of her brother, who pinned her with a dinna-dare glower. She raised her chin, prepared to fight him on this. Instead, he just shook his head and glanced the other way.
“Do ye know where he is?” she whispered.
“Aye. The stables.”
“With the other men.”
“Aye.”
“And Da?”
“There, too.”
She groaned. “There is no way I can see him?”
“Not unless ye want him to get his other eye swollen shut.”
“Da left him one eye?”
“Of course, he’s not a bloody monster.”
Greer sighed in relief. “I wanted to help—”
“Och, sister, leave the man his pride. He doesna need ye to come and fuss over him.”
To this, she also wanted to argue, but knowing there was no way she could reach Roderick anyway, she decided that perhaps it would be better to try and get to him when they were on the road.
This time when she collapsed on the bed, she was asleep before her head hit the pillow. It took her father placing a cold, wet cloth on her neck before she woke the following morning.
* * *
The next two days of travel were not easy on either Greer or Roderick. They were the butt of every jest, for it seemed the entire caravan knew just what had transpired, and whenever he could, her brother Liam teased her mercilessly.
Whenever they happened to get close enough to each other, the men swooped in to drag them apart. If they were intent on making her want to be near Roderick all the more, they were winning, because as it was, she was considering making them a poison pie just so she could ask him how he was doing.
Roderick, bless him, was being a good sport about all of it. One eye had been swollen shut the morning they’d left the tavern, but at least that had faded to a black eye to match the bruise on his jaw. There were certain to be more bruises beneath his shirt, which she vowed to kiss as soon as she could get him alone and naked.
The two times she’d managed to escape the view of her father and race after Roderick in the wood, she’d been caught by her brother and dragged back to camp while he berated her.
“Do ye want to marry the bastard or not?”
“I do,” she huffed.
“Then quit going after him, else Da will make certain it never happens, ye foolish lass.”
Greer sat heavily beside the campfire and glared up at her brother, crossing her arms over her chest. “I hope when ye find the one ye love, that everyone thwarts ye just as much.”
To this, Liam averted his gaze, shifting uncomfortably before stalking away. What in blazes was that about? Did Liam have a secret he was keeping from her? But her mind was quickly averted when Roderick returned to camp, winked at her with his good eye, and then went to take watch.
Their arrival at Dunrobin the following late afternoon was met with fanfare. The men on the wall shouted their arrival for all to hear, and when the portcullis was lifted, men, women, and children from their clan lined the bailey. But the faces Greer was most excited to see leapt out of the crowd. Standing at the base of the stairs to the keep were her mother, her sister Blair, and surprisingly, her sister Bella and their brother Strath. Beside Strath was his wife, Eva, and behind Bella was her husband, Niall.
It was all Greer could do to not jump from her horse. Her father dismounted and lifted his wife in the air, greeting her as he always did upon his return in a way that warmed Greer’s heart. Roderick came up beside her mare and reached for her.
“Allow me, my lady,” he
said with a wink.
“Are ye certain it will no’ result in your death?”
“Nay, but I may die if I have to go another day without your hand in mine.”
Heat rose to her face, but she didn’t care. She placed her hand in his, daring anyone to come and tear her away. “I missed ye.”
“And I ye, mo ghràidh.”
Greer sighed as he helped her from her horse, wishing she could slide right into his arms, but for propriety’s sake she kept a few inches between them.
As soon as her feet hit the ground, they were surrounded by her family. She embraced her mother, squeezing her tightly, and breathing in her familiar floral and herbal scent.
“Sweet Greer, you scared me half to death.” Her mother clung to her, pressing her lips to the side of her face and whispering in her melodic English accent how much she’d missed her.
“I’m sorry, Mama.” Tears sprung to her eyes, and her voice croaked.
“Nay, we mustn’t become all weepy. Not yet anyway.” She pulled away and held Greer at arm’s length. “You look different. Happier.”
Greer smiled. “I am.”
But before she could expound on that, the rest of her siblings grabbed her up in a tight hug.
“Ye’re all here,” she said with a laugh.
“We came as soon as we heard ye were missing.” Bella eyed Roderick, who stood behind Greer, his fingers lightly brushing the small of her back.
“Mama, may I introduce to ye Laird MacCulloch. He saved my life.” She glanced behind her. “And we’re to be married.” Greer reached behind her, threaded her fingers in his, and pulled him to her side.
Her family stood in silence for several breaths, and she feared her father would say something to humiliate them both. Greer flashed her father a pleading look not to ruin this moment with the news of how she’d compromised herself, and he winked.
Strath was the first to break the silence. “Thank ye for saving her, and welcome to our family.”
“Married!” Lady Sutherland rushed them both, hugging Greer tightly, and then placing a kiss on Roderick’s cheek.
At last, her father spoke. “Aye, the feast we’d planned will now be in celebration of their union. A great match and a strong alliance for both of our clans.”
Greer could have cried. She was so happy at the easy acceptance of Roderick into their family.
But then her mother’s face paled as she stared behind them all toward the gate. In all the excitement, Greer had completely forgotten about Ina Ross, who’d been traveling with them in Angus’s care.
“A gift for ye, my love,” Magnus said, nodding in Ina’s direction.
So much of their married life had involved torment from Ina. In fact, her mother had been sent to Scotland on orders of her king to marry Ina’s first husband. It was only because of a battle and because Magnus Sutherland had swept her away from the battlefield that she’d been spared that fate, and the two of them had wed. But the torment had seemed to never end. Incredible that one vile woman could continue to pester so many people for such a long time.
“Ina Ross.” Her mother let out a long exhale. “I hoped you were dead.”
Greer’s mouth fell open in shock. She’d never heard her mother wish ill on anyone, let alone death.
“I’m not surprised,” Ina hissed.
“I’m sending a missive to the king,” Magnus said. “Ina will make a good prisoner of war. Perhaps she’ll be used in an exchange for one of our men held by the English.”
Ina railed obscenities at that, but with one nod from her father, several Sutherland warriors dragged Ina off to their dungeon, where she’d have plenty of time to contemplate her fate.
Lady Arbella watched Ina until she disappeared and then turned back to face Roderick. “How can we ever repay you for saving our Greer?”
“He’s been repaid,” Magnus said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
Greer blushed madly, a thousand ideas of what her father might mean by that rushing through her brain, only to see her mother’s eyes widen with knowing.
“I see.” Her mother looked to be hiding her amusement.
“See what?” Blair asked staring between the two of them, the face of innocence.
“Blair, come inside,” Bella said, grabbing for her sister’s arm. “Let me practice on your hair how we’ll do Greer’s for the wedding feast.”
From the irritated set of her mouth, Blair did not want to comply. However, it was not in her nature to argue, and so she went off with their oldest sister, leaving Greer to wallow in the heat of her mortification.
Liam winked at her as he slung his arm over Strath’s shoulders. “Where’d Niall run off to?”
“He’s in the stables,” their older brother answered. “I saw him take Da’s horse.”
“I’ve need of advice from the both of ye.” Liam directed their older brother toward the stables. The rest of the bailey seemed to catch the hint of her siblings’ quick disappearance and also made themselves scarce, leaving Greer, Roderick, and her parents the only remaining occupants.
Greer shifted on her feet, scuffing the toes of her boots into the hay-strewn bailey, thinking now would be a good time for the skies to open up and give her a chance to escape. But the heavens did not comply, for not a single cloud was in the blue sky.
“I’m glad to see you made a full recovery,” her mother said to Roderick, obviously referring to his leg.
“Thank ye, my lady.” Roderick gave a slight bow.
“And that you didna hold a grievance against my daughter for having caused the injury.”
“Och, far from it,” Magnus said, slapping Roderick on the back a little too hard.
“Da,” Greer said through gritted teeth.
“I love her with all my heart,” Roderick said, winking down at Greer with a grin that felt like a secret message.
“And I love him.” Greer kept her gaze on his, wishing they were alone so she could leap into his arms and tell him just how much he made her feel whole. “I’d be lost without him.”
“Och, lass,” he said in a low voice. “’Tis ye who’ve made me whole again.”
A loud bark broke them apart as Jewel came rushing from within the keep. Greer let out a shriek of excitement and crouched down to greet her hound. The massive black animal barreled into her mistress, knocking her flat on her back and filling her face with kisses.
“Oh, how I missed ye,” Greer said, wrapping her arms around the dog and burying her face in her thick fur.
Jewel made yipping and yowling noises in reply as she licked Greer, wagged her tail, and wiggled her large body with excitement at being reunited.
“My wife greets me the same way after battle,” Magnus teased, wrapping his arm around Arbella’s shoulders. She scoffed with mock indignation, and he bent to kiss her.
Greer glanced up at Roderick to see him smiling down at her, and she knew without a doubt, their life together was going to be just as incredible as her parents’.
Chapter Twenty-One
The next few days were filled with preparations for the wedding feast, and much like during their journey, everyone did what they could to keep the two lovebirds apart—including Roderick’s brother, Jon, who’d arrived on the third day.
Well, everyone but Liam, who seemed to enjoy bringing the two of them together, only to then point it out to her father. And she kept falling for it, too. Greer was going to make him pay for that. Except, she had been able to steal a few kisses from Roderick, so perhaps she ought to thank him instead.
The king’s men arrived swiftly to take Ina. A message was sent to her husband in the form of a regiment of the king’s army, causing Ughtred to flee back to England, though not before he’d threatened to return with a vengeance. Oh, how Greer would have liked to have seen that. It wasn’t every day one got to witness a traitorous Sassenach tucking tail and running.
Of course, thoughts like that always made her feel a little guilty, given she was half-English herself,
but her mother always waved away those guilty thoughts with the easy explanation that not all English were created equal. They fell in one of two camps—either they believed in a free Scotland or not. And she and her family believed in freedom.
However, the threat of the English king coming after them on the word of Ughtred, however small the threat was, could still be taken as one. Alas, there was nothing she could do about it now. Besides, she wanted to celebrate, for she was soon to wed.
At last, the feast was upon them, but Greer barely paid attention. The brief kiss she and Roderick had been able to share when they’d exchanged vows had only lit a torch inside her. She couldn’t wait for it to burst into brighter flames. Of course, her father seemed to want to prolong the torment by continuously pulling Roderick away from her.
At last, her mother insisted they sit and eat together.
“Let’s sneak away,” Greer leaned over and whispered as they sipped wine and watched the dancing in the center of the great hall.
Roderick dipped his chin. “I like the way ye think. How do ye propose we do that?”
“I dinna care, but I canna take it anymore. I dinna want them to follow us up, nor do I want to be undressed by all the ladies as my sister Bella was. All I want is to be alone with ye.”
“I’ve never heard anything better, and I’ve an idea that might suit.” Roderick set down his cup of wine on the table and inched closer to whisper into her ear.
Of course, those who witnessed him doing such felt the need to shout out bawdy jests, which were followed by raucous laughter. But she didn’t pay them any attention.
If only they knew just what he’d been whispering. Greer nodded, then leaned over to Strath’s wife to seek her help, praying that her sister-by-marriage, Eva, would oblige. Eva gave her a conspiratorial wink and then crept from the great hall in a swish of skirts.
Roderick leapt up and shouted for Strath’s attention, drawing him into a Highland dance to keep his attention away from Eva. Greer watched from her place on the dais, marveling at the sight of her husband’s strong legs leaping and crisscrossing over swords that had been placed on the ground. One would never know there was a thick scar that oft caused him pain beneath his plaid. She was glad it didn’t seem to be bothering him in the slightest today.
