His Highland Lass (The Clan Sinclair Book 1)

by Celeste Barclay

  Once Tristan felt Mairghread twitch a couple of times and her breathing slowed even further, he knew she was in a deep sleep. He moved her to the bed and laid her down. He did not want to leave her for even a second but absolutely did not want to deal with this mess while she was present. He wanted to shield her from any more nastiness and he knew that nastiness was all that was inevitable where Beatris and Sorcha were concerned. He placed a soft kiss on her lips and moved to the door.

  What looked like a large bolder lurched backwards when he opened the door. He looked down to see Magnus sitting in the doorframe. Magnus stood up and turned to Tristan. His eyes were red rimmed and glassy. Tristan could not believe what he saw. It was obvious that Magnus had been crying and the mountain of a man did not seem to care to hide it. Magnus peered around Tristan and spotted Mairghread on the bed.

  “Is she well?” he whispered.

  “Aye.” Tristan looked back over his shoulder at her sleeping form and smiled softly. “She is exhausted and badly shaken but well. She says naught untoward happened beyond what we witnessed. She felt guilty and scared that I wouldnae forgive her. I could have been knocked over by a feather when she apologized. I made sure she understands I dinna blame her fer any of this and that I willna set her aside. Just the opposite, Magnus. I will marry yer sister tomorrow come hell or high water. I willna wait another day to make her ma wife.”

  Magnus looked at Tristan and the hard set of his jaw. Determination radiated off of him. Magnus just nodded his head.

  “I must see about Beatris and Sorcha. I also amnae pleased with McDonnell’s men. Will ye stay with her until I return? I dinna want her to awake to being alone.”

  “Aye, I will stay but ye will have to get in line for dealing with the McDonnell. There are three Sinclairs ahead of ye. As fer Beatris and Sorcha, ach well, ye and McDonnell are welcome to them. We, Sinclairs, dinna want either of them near any of us.” Magnus pushed past Tristan and pulled the chair from near the fire over to the bedside. Tristan watched as Magnus took Mairghread’s tiny hand in his massive one. He bowed his head over her hand and his shoulders began to shake. Tristan quietly pulled the door closed to give the brother and sister some privacy. He still could not believe that Magnus was crying but as he thought about it, if their positions were reversed and they had both seen what they had but he had not been able to comfort Mairghread, he most likely would have been a blubbering mess.

  Tristan entered a subdued and nearly empty great hall. He looked around to see if he could find any of the people he was looking for. An old woman sitting at a trestle table simply pointed towards the door to the MacDonnell’s solar. He marched over there and did not bother to knock before opening the door. The scene that met him was not what he expected but he should have known.

  MacDonnell was seated behind his desk with Callum leaning across the table glaring at him and yelling. Sorcha was near the fireplace with crocodile tears falling down her cheeks as she tried to bat her eyelashes at a disgusted and disinterested Tavish. Lady Beatris was seated at the table with a clearly furious Alexander standing over her.

  “How could ye nae ken who was brought in to yer keep? A guest? Who the bluidy hell did ye think she was? Did ye nae look at her at all? She looks just like our athair and all of us. Anyone would ken she’s a Sinclair with just one peek.” Callum’s voice rose louder with each word. “Ye useless piece of shite. What type of men do ye have in ye clan that they would rape any woman? Is that ye idea of Highland hospitality? To let ye men molest an innocent lass who ye’re former stepmother and yer servant tied to the bed?” Before Laird McDonnell could prepare, Callum gripped his large wooden desk and yanked it up. The desk went flying against the wall and landed with a massive crash. Callum lunged at McDonnell and grabbed him around the neck. He lifted the large warrior out of his chair and shook him like a rag doll. Tristan began to move forward. He was not sure if it was to intercede on McDonnell’s behalf or to ensure he got his pound of flesh, but a loud banging at the solar door made him turn.

  “Ma laird? Ma laird, are ye alright in there? Let us in!” The pounding continued. Tristan made it to the door just as it began to open. He wedged himself into the doorway and blocked the entrance.

  “We are sorting through some family business in here. Yer laird will live but we arenae to be disturbed again, nae matter what ye hear.” Tristan slammed the door in the guards’ faces and dropped the bar into place.

  By now Callum had broken McDonnell’s nose and jaw. Both eyes were already showing bruising from the blackened nose. Tristan walked over and tapped Callum on the shoulder. Callum was ready to swing at Tristan before he realized who he was. Callum let go of Laird McDonnell and stepped aside. An unspoken agreement passed between them. McDonnell was cupping his nose when he looked up at Tristan. Without a word, Tristan punched Laird McDonnell in the gut and then kneed him in the groin.

  “Ye are more than just a might lucky that we arrived when we did. If ye men had raped ma betrothed, ye would have an all-out war on yer hands with both the Mackays and the Sinclairs. Ye ken it would not take much for us to summon our allies who are many and strong. Far more and far stronger than yers.” Tristan punched him again in the gut. As McDonnell bent over, Tristan thrust his fist up into the underside of McDonnell’s chin. “If the king wouldnae be breathing down ma neck, I would kill ye fer this offense. Count yerself lucky yet again that I dinna have the time to deal with any angry monarch when I am aboot to be married.”

  MacDonnell was wise enough to only nod. He was angry that he was being beaten in his own solar by not one clan but two. However, he knew he could not defend himself against four angry men and he did not want his men to see him as he was. His pride simply would not allow it. He also had the sense to know that to some degree he did deserve it. He had not cared who the bedraggled woman was when she was brought in. He was more than willing to allow her a place to rest and recover but he was not interested beyond that. He was shocked to find his two warriors attempting to rape his guest. He was going to have to deal with that because, unlike what the Mackay and the Sinclairs now believed, he did not tolerate women in his keep being abused by the men of his clan.

  “I understand how ye feel. I would feel the same if I were in yer place. However, ma men dinna abuse women. I dinna allow it in ma keep. I canna explain why they behaved that way but I assure ye that I will find out.” The effort to say that much left MacDonnell breathless. He fell back into his chair. He could barely see as his eyes began to swell but he caught the look on Sorcha’s face as he said he would investigate his men. The smugness made his gut churn. She had something to do with the incident. Of that he was sure. The woman had entertained him more than once since her arrival and she knew how to do things to his cock that no other woman had, but she was certainly not worth a clan war over. He also knew that her attention was not undivided. She had been pleasuring Alan along with any number of the guardsmen. He stood from his chair and walked to the fireplace. Tristan and Callum watched him.

  “But I didna do aught wrong. I was only helping her. That’s why I brought her to safety. I kenned Laird MacDonnell would allow us to care fer her. I thought Lady Beatris was going to tell the laird who she was and Lady Beatris thought I was going to tell him. It was just a miscommunication.” Sorcha continued her tears as she reached out to grip Tavish’s hand but he brushed it away and took a step back.

  “Sorcha, those are lies and ye ken it. Ye told me that ye didna ken who the lass was. Lady Beatris said the same. If ye both kenned who she was, ye should have said as much when ye and Thomas walked in. Yer lies are only digging ye deeper.” MacDonnell reached out and grabbed a handful of her hair. He did not usually manhandle women but this one and his former stepmother were about to embroil them in a war. He shook her slightly and leaned over to loudly whisper in her ear. “If ye would like to come out of this without losing yer head, I suggest ye start to tell the truth. Now, Sorcha.”

  Sorcha looked around the room that was filled wi
th large angry men and one bitter old woman. She knew for the first time ever that her looks and physical charms were not going to save her. The best she could hope for was to deflect responsibility and blame from herself. She pointed at Lady Beatris and said, “She and Sir Alan plotted to kidnap Lady Mairghread. Sir Alan claimed that they needed her dowry fer them to be able to move on. He came to see me at ma croft one night aboot a fortnight ago. He spoke of how he missed me and couldnae live any longer with the lies. He wanted us to be together but couldnae make it happen without the monies from her dowry. He claimed his mother was bleeding him dry with her demands.” She sneered at Lady Beatris and then pouted to the men. “He told me that he would wait in the woods with two of his men until he could get Lady Mairghread alone. Once he grabbed her, he would take her to a monastery or priory where they could be wed immediately. Lady Beatris agreed to this because she doesnae want to live here anymore but expects to be kept as she is accustomed to living. She’s the one who told Alan to go and get the stupid chit but he couldnae even manage that much. I only agreed because Alan loved me and couldnae live without me.”

  This declaration only received guffaws and outright laughs from all of the men. Lady Beatris sat stewing at the table. She attempted to stand but Alexander’s hand on her shoulder forced her back into her seat. One look at his glare kept her from rising again. It did not keep her silent, however. “This whore opens her legs to any mon who can get it up. She was with Tristan and Alan fer years. She couldnae accept that neither of ma sons would make her the lady of a keep or even their official leman. Tis why she bribed one of the Mackay guardsman, one of the men who rode out with Alan, to push the boulder onto Mairghread. She doesnae ken the limits to her charms. When the Sinclair chit didna die, she agreed to help Alan because she didna want to live in that little shack any longer and she wanted Mairghread to pay fer taking Tristan. Alan didna love her any more than Tristan did. She told me of a Norse slave trader who frequents this area in autumn. She’s the one who convinced me that once Alan had the dowries and was tired of tupping Mairghread that Mairghread should be given to the Viking.”

  “First of all, I amnae yer son and never was. Second of all, Alan is dead so he willna be getting any dowries from anyone. Thirdly—“Tristan was interrupted by the wailing cry that came from Lady Beatris. He realized that no one had told Beatris that Alan was dead. He should have known from how calm she had been up until now.

  “Who killed ma son? Alan! Alan! Nay. Not ma Alan!”

  “He got himself killed by trying to go after Mairghread in water that was too deep. Had he nae tried to take ma bride for his own gain, he might still be here. Instead, he is awaiting burial because he drowned. He’s strapped to a horse outside.” Tristan could not bring himself to feel any remorse for breaking the news to his former stepmother in such a brutal way. He was completely and totally done with the machinations of both Sorcha and Lady Beatris. He had not known that he shared Sorcha with Alan but he could not say that he was surprised. Before Mairghread, he might have felt jealousy or anger over all the deception and betrayal. Now, he was done with trying to find redeeming qualities to his stepbrother. He was done with all of it. All he wanted was to return to Mairghread’s chamber and check on her. He walked to the door but before leaving he turned to MacDonnell. “Do with either of them as ye want but if I ever see them again, I will kill them on the spot, woman or nae. I willna tolerate anyone threatening ma kin. I am only willing to stay here tonight because Mairghread is in nay shape to travel or else I wouldnae consider being here another moment.” With that, he slammed the door and made his way above stairs.

  He approached Mairghread’s door quietly and opened it slowly. He saw that Mairghread was still sleeping and Magnus was still holding her hand. His shoulders moved with the deep breathing of sleep. He did not have the heart nor did he see a reason to wake Magnus. He walked to the empty side of the bed and took of his boots. He climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around Mairghread. In her sleep, she shuffled and cuddled into his spooning body. He was asleep before he took his next breath.

  Twenty Three

  Mairghread awoke to a scorching heat coming from her back. She thought she was being suffocated. A heavy weight was draped across her middle and had her pinned to the mattress. She could not figure out where she was or what held her down until she took another breath and smelt Tristan’s musky scent. She turned her head to find him sleeping next to her. He was the oven next to her and it was his arm that held her snuggling against him. She felt a weight on the hand further away from Tristan. She looked over to see Magnus’s two large hands holding onto her much smaller one. He was sagged against the bed, asleep too. She relaxed back into Tristan’s embrace and simply enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms even if one of her brothers was there too. As her eyes began to drift closed again, she heard snores coming from the foot of the bed. She attempted to sit up but could not thanks to Tristan. She tried to lift his arm from her waist but he simply synched it tighter. She tried again and pulled her hand free from Magnus to use both to lift Tristan’s arm. This only ended up awakening both of them as she managed to sit up. She looked at both men and then strained to look over the end of the bed as it was still mostly dark in the room and a few stars still twinkled in the early morning sky. There on the floor in various positions were Mairghread’s three other brothers. Tavish and Alexander laid head to head near the door as guards with Callum at the foot of the bed. All three had their swords lying next to them.

  Tristan looked at Mairghread’s bare back and realized that she was still naked. He had been so exhausted and so relieved to finally climb into bed next to her that he had not even noticed that she was completely bare. He reached out and traced his finger along her spine. He already knew that he planned to marry her that very day and that by that night he would be able to enjoy this same view any time he wanted. Until then, he would have to make sure he convinced her to wed him before the sun set.

  Mairghread felt the rough finger trail down her back and it made her shiver. She did not need to look back to know that Tristan was watching her. He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder.

  Magnus watched them and scowled. He was not pleased in the least to wake up to find his naked sister in bed with a man.

  “Get yer paw of ma wee sister before I take it off altogether!”

  “Magnus, haud yer wheesht before ye wake the others.” Mairghread whispered.

  “Too late, lass. We are awake already. Ye didna think that ye could move around in a room full of warriors and we wouldnae awaken.” Tavish grumbled as he sat up. His eyes landed on Tristan sitting entirely too close to his sister. “Get ye bluidy hands off of her, now!”

  “Tavish!”

  “Aye. Remove yerself from that bed sharpish. Get out of this chamber.” Callum was gripping the foot of the bed so tightly that the wood creaked.

  “Callum! Dinna speak to him that way. Dinna any of ye speak to him that way. Ye ken we are betrothed and that is as good as married. The kirk is the last detail.”

  “The most important detail,” growled Alexander.

  “I agree. The kirk is the most important detail and a detail that will be taken care of today.” Tristan did not budge. He simply draped his arm around Mairghread’s shoulder and looked down at her. “Will ye marry me today? As soon as we get back to the Mackay keep and yer da can see ye’re well.”

  “Poor Da will be beside himself since he doesnae ken where any of us are.”

  “He does. I sent a rider back to the keep yesterday. While ye were in here with Tristan, we were below stairs sorting things out.” Callum explained that he had sent one of Mackay’s men back to the keep to say that Mairghread had been found at the MacDonnell’s and that while she was well, she needed a night of rest before she could travel.

  “Ma thanks to ye fer doing that.” Tristan rose from the bed and walked around to meet Callum. He stuck out his hand and waited. Callum looked at his hand and then looked at Tristan and then
looked at Mairghread before looking at the outstretched hand again. When Tristan did not squirm an inch, Callum grasped his forearm and they shook. “Now ye can all get out so Mairghread can have a bath brought up to her.” Tristan walked to the door and stuck his head out and spoke quietly to someone in the passageway.

  When he turned back into the room, the four brothers were in their usual semicircle with arms crossed. Tristan could not help but laugh. These four men were an intimidating sight but after waking up to find them all guarding their wee sister, he knew that there was a soft spot in all of them.

  “Did ye practice this as lads or do ye nae even ken what ye’re doing?”