The Highland Knight's Revenge

by Lori Ann Bailey

  Giric stopped, every muscle in his body tense and out of sync. How had this happened?

  “I’ll send the documents immediately. But you are to stay away from Lady Jennet,” the earl ordered, then pivoted and strutted away.

  He wanted to follow the pompous arse, but there was nothing he could do, and he still had Edward to contend with. If he left the man unattended, he could just rise up and walk off. Then Giric would have nothing.

  So, he watched the earl stride back to the castle to fulfill his earlier demands.

  No, no, no… This was not how his day was to end. He and Jennet were to be walking down the chapel’s aisle to meet a priest, and his enemy was supposed to be delivered to his door. Now another man was claiming rights to the woman he loved. His revenge was on its way, but it felt hollow.

  Jennet had spoken of her family as he had his clan. She loved them, and he’d set his sights on destroying them.

  He turned to his captive, who still sat quietly on the ground. Giric paced, fisting and unfisting his hands, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened and fighting the urge to leave his prisoner and his revenge to run after Jennet. The ache beneath his breastbone was similar to the loss on the day of his father’s death.

  He let his memory go back to that day. Anything to help him stay on course and bring back the pain because now he doubted everything.

  “Did you know that our father has not been right since that trip to Scotland?” Edward’s voice held sadness.

  “Did the guilt over killing three innocent people devour him?” He tried to inject anger into the words as he searched for the bitterness he’d felt over the years. A void deeper than that chasm had invaded his chest as he fought to take a simple breath without new pain enveloping him.

  “In a way, but it’s not what you think.”

  Giric looked away. Did he want to know what really happened that day?

  A merchant from the camp passed by selling spirits. He purchased a full flask and sat next to Edward. He took a large swig. It burned, but he welcomed the heat, then he handed it to Jennet’s brother.

  “The fire wasn’t Jennet’s fault, but she always blamed herself.”

  Giric’s hands shook. Jennet had been there. Nae, that was not possible. She would have been a child.

  “Start from the beginning.” Giric grabbed the stout drink and took another long gulp.

  “Our uncle hated our father.” Edward took the flask for a swallow and handed it back to Giric.

  “Go on.” He nodded because he’d gotten that from Jennet before.

  “He absconded with Jennet, took her to Scotland, and pretended she was his child for five years. When my father finally tracked them down, there was a fight. She was so young. She didn’t know better.”

  “What happened?” His nails dug into his palms as a picture started to form in his mind.

  “Our uncle had Father pinned to the ground, beating him. She tried to stop the fight by picking up the first thing she could and throwing it at our uncle.” Edward reached for the flask again. Giric handed it to him and watched as the man took a large swig. “It was a lamp.”

  He shook his head as pieces of Jennet’s tale replayed in his head and mingled with Edward’s words.

  “The rushes caught immediately. A man ran in and pulled Jennet from the building, then he went back in for Father. The stranger was able to bring him out, but Father had burns all over his body.”

  “No one knew that our brother Richard had also come in to try to save them. Except maybe the stranger because after he saved Father, he ran back into the building a third time. No one else came out, and when the flames had consumed everything and no one else appeared, Jennet took our father to a healer.”

  Gooseflesh spread across his limbs. “Jennet was the little girl with the bow.”

  “Aye. That would have been her. She’s always had an affinity for the weapon. Our mother taught her.”

  He didn’t know what to say.

  Edward continued. “The stranger must have been your father. But we never knew who saved her and Father.”

  “She was so young. ’Twasn’t her fault.” Giric pictured the girl with the page’s haircut.

  “It’s why she’s worked so hard to take care of all of us. She blamed herself for all of it.”

  Giric took the drink back and inhaled two large gulps. “I thought ’twas the girl with the bow who died in the fire, but ’twas yer brother. No’ her. That’s why her stance was so familiar.”

  It had all been a mistake. One caused by an angry man’s vengeance, and now Jennet was doomed to a life she didn’t want because of his need for recompense. His heart ached. He’d just taken her choice away from her again.

  No one had murdered his father. He’d died attempting to save a boy from a fire.

  He had died an honorable death.

  There wasn’t enough malted spirits whisky in all of England to wash away the guilt that clung to him like the mist on the moors back home. Jennet was innocent, and it was time she stopped having to pay for bitter men’s grievances.

  “I change my demand.” Jennet would probably never forgive him, but he could still do the right thing.

  “Ah, and what will you do, Sir Giric?” Edward reached for the flask.

  “For yer freedom, Jennet will have her own. She will have the right to make her own decisions.”

  “I agree, but that puts me in a bind. How do I handle Lord Roger, who challenged me for her hand?”

  “We will put it in writing. This has been public. Does anyone else know of your previous wager?”

  “No.”

  “Then ours will overrule it. And if he protests, I will seek him out. That man will never put his hands on her again.” Rage reigned over the heartache as he thought of the earl.

  Giric stood and held out a hand for Edward. “Shall we head to the castle and draw up the agreement?”

  “Aye.”

  A little while later, as they signed the papers, Edward turned to him. “Would you like to come with me to give them the news?”

  “Nae. I dinnae think she will wish to see me now. ’Tis enough to know she will be able to chart her own course.” Even as he said the words, the pain invaded again. Would she be able to forgive him for what he had done?

  “And what if she still chooses you?” Edward looked as if he believed there might still be a chance for them. But Giric couldn’t let that hope in—it would crush him anew if he did, and she didn’t forgive him.

  “Then she will know where to find me,” he said as he walked away.

  Chapter 17

  It felt as if hours had passed since Eddie burst into Roger’s room accompanied by some of Lord Yves’s men to demand the earl release her. Giric had changed his mind about the conditions of her brother’s release.

  He truly hadn’t known who she was, and even more meaningful was that Eddie pulled her aside and told her how much he liked and respected Sir Giric.

  “He did this for you.” Eddie smiled.

  Once he’d finished, she told Eddie of her conversation with Sybil. Roger had been pushing her into marrying Eddie. Roger’s estate had mounted serious debts, and another earl had started putting pressure on him. He’d thought an alliance with Eddie would help, and when Sybil hadn’t been able to secure Jennet’s brother’s interest, he’d threatened to give her in marriage to a newly widowed neighboring baron who was known to beat his wife. None of it made Sybil any less guilty, but now they knew it was more than just her obsession with Eddie that led to her actions.

  When Eddie proposed to Ada, Roger had set his sights on Jennet and her dowry, hoping to secure both in one fell swoop. He didn’t really want her—it had been all about his debts.

  After the confrontation, they’d gone back to her chamber to let Ada know they were safe and tell her the news of what had transpired.

  It was already dark when Jennet found herself running through the halls to find Giric. He wasn’t in his room. Her heart sank
as she wondered if he’d left for Scotland already. She skipped down the stairs, and there was no sight of him in the great hall. Then she remembered their special spot. The gardens.

  The pressure on her heart eased when she saw him sitting on their bench. His thumbs ran over the material of the kerchief she’d given him. The bells tolled for the curfew, and his head dipped. Did he truly think her affection was that fragile, that she wouldn’t forgive him for what he had done? But she hadn’t said the words held so closely in her heart. He didn’t know how she truly felt.

  Giric drew the cloth to his nose and breathed in.

  She stepped out of the shadows. “You must have won a lady’s heart to collect such a favor.”

  His head snapped up to meet her regard. She saw hope in his eyes, and he seemed to be holding his breath.

  “I am afraid that my lady will not forgive my lapse in honor.”

  “And do you think she should?”

  “I believe the lady has had enough of others making decisions for her and she should choose. I am afraid I am at her mercy.”

  “And what might you do to regain a lady’s trust?” She eased onto the bench, so close their legs were touching.

  He opened his mouth to speak, but she covered his lips with her finger. His warm breath moved around her as his chest rose and fell.

  “What if what she wants in return is too much for a knight to offer?”

  “The lady is worth any price.” His fingers closed around hers, and he gently curled her hand in his, placing a sweet kiss on top of the sensitive flesh.

  Her insides clenched and heated with the need to have him nearer. “And what if she demands your undying loyalty, your devotion, and…your love.”

  “She may not ken it, but she has had those things since the first moment her hand touched mine.” He swiveled his palm so that it was flush with hers as it had been the first night they’d danced.

  “Then kiss me, knight, and prove that you are worthy of my affections.” As she trailed her fingers across his cheek, she could see the bruises he’d earned in battle. Some she now knew he had earned saving Eddie’s life.

  His hand threaded through her hair and drew her near. But instead of his lips landing on hers, they moved to her ear. His warm breath sent chills down her spine. “Ye will always be the only woman for me. I pledge everything that I am to ye, Jennet. I love ye.”

  Her breath caught at the raw emotion she heard in his heavy lilt. The one that had wrapped itself around her and taken her senses. His lips landed on hers, and the embrace was magical. It soothed the hurt of the day, spoke of intimate nights ahead, and promised security in the future.

  When he finally pulled back, she met his heated gaze straight on. “Then, Sir Giric, your revenge against my family is complete, and you have earned my undying love.”

  “Then ’tis the sweetest vengeance I shall ever know. I will cherish it for the rest of my life.”

  Epilogue

  Isle of Skye, MacDonald lands

  August 1194

  * * *

  The sun dipped and almost hid behind a thick wall of tall green pines, casting a warm glow of the long summer dusk over the land he loved. Giric stepped to the edge of the field, taking in his wife’s hypnotic routine. The movements imbued him with a sense of peace and contentment he’d thought he’d never know. He could watch her practice for hours.

  Apparently, the rest of their clan could as well because she’d gathered an audience of MacDonalds who jested with each other on the side of the clearing, amazed by her accuracy with the bow. They’d long stopped betting whether she could hit the target and now only wagered on whether she could split an arrow or how many she would land dead center.

  Jennet let loose an arrow, relaxed and lowered her bow, then turned to him. She smiled, and his heart soared. She had this way of knowing where he was, and he quite liked how attuned they had become to each other. As she turned toward him, he was rewarded with a view of her full, round belly.

  Their first babe would be here soon.

  He motioned to the onlookers to retrieve her arrows so that his wife didn’t have to walk across the field. Then he strode out to where she stood.

  “I was thinking.” She gave him a small smile but didn’t continue.

  “Aye. What about, my lady love?”

  “Our child.” She paused, took a deep breath, then lay her hand on her midsection. “If it’s a boy, I wish to call him Richard.”

  “After yer newly returned king?” He was surprised by the request. It must have shown on his face because she laughed.

  “No. After the brother I lost. The one that your father died trying to save.”

  “I would like that.” Giric took her arm and led her toward the cottage his brother had given them upon their return. “For a moment, I was worried that ye might be missing England.”

  “No, only my brothers and Ada, but they said they’d visit once her babe is a little older.”

  “Are you happy here, then?”

  “Aye, I have never felt freer than I do here with you and among the clan. They have given me a warm welcome and a sense of belonging.”

  He liked that she now considered herself a member of their extended family. “Still, ye seem solemn. What brought ye out to practice today?”

  “Ada sent word. Sybil has been consigned to a convent.”

  “’Tis a just sentence.”

  She nodded. “I agree. It’s the best possible outcome.”

  “Is there more news?”

  “Aye, Lord Roger has been sent to prison.”

  “For what?” After traveling to the south to meet Jennet’s father, he and Eddie had attempted to pay the man a call to discuss his behavior, but they had been denied admittance to his estate.

  “His debtors caught up to him. Lord Roger’s cousin has petitioned to take over his lands.”

  “Good. How is your brother faring?”

  Jennet’s father had succumbed to his illness shortly after they had arrived. Giric was thankful that his wife had been able to see the man one last time, and that he’d been able to meet him, to hear stories of what he’d been like before the incident that had changed all their lives. He’d also been able to find peace in knowing the truth about what had happened that day.

  “Ada says he’s doing well, but I knew he would.”

  A boy ran up to hand Jennet her arrows. “Thank you,” she said as she took them and placed them back in the quiver.

  The lad skipped away.

  Jennet’s eyes widened. “The babe is stirring.”

  She took his hand, and lovingly placed it on her growing stomach. Her smile was genuine, and joy sparked in his chest. She had been nervous about what was to come next due to her mother’s death, but they’d found two of the best healers on the island to be present for the birth. Her fears had been dampened, and her worry had turned to excitement.

  “I have two more requests.”

  “Aye, my love. Name them.”

  “If the babe is a girl, I wish to call her Saorsa. The name means freedom.”

  “I like it. ’Tis perfect.”

  She faced him straight on. “And I want our children to have the same choices my brothers and I were given. They should be allowed to marry for affection and not out of obligation.”

  “I agree. I’m thankful every day that yer parents made that pact.” He placed a small kiss on her temple.

  “I as well, for if they hadn’t, I would not have you.”

  “Now, may I ask a favor?”

  “Aye, Giric.”

  “Let’s go home so that I can show ye how thankful I am to have ye.”

  “Aye, husband. I would like that.” Her smile reached his soul and bathed him in contentment.

  “I love ye, Jennet.”

  “And I love you.”

  He took her hand in his, and they strode home.

  Thank you for reading THE HIGHLAND KNIGHT’S REVENGE! Please consider leaving a review. I read them all. I lov
e hearing from readers and reviews help me when I’m plotting my next book.

  She desired only one kiss, but what she received was so much more!

  The next book in the Midsummer Knights series Laurel O’Donnell’s MY VICTORIOUS KNIGHT

  * * *

  Check out all the books in the Midsummer Knights series:

  Forbidden Warrior by Kris Kennedy

  The Highlander’s Lady Knight by Madeline Martin

  The Highlander’s Dare by Eliza Knight

  The Highland Knight’s Revenge by Lori Ann Bailey

  My Victorious Knight by Laurel O’Donnell

  An Outlaw’s Honor by Terri Brisbin

  Never if Not Now by Madeline Hunter

  * * *

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  About the Author

  Lori Ann Bailey is a best-selling author and winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award and Holt Medallion for Best First Book and Best Historical, Lori writes hunky highland heroes and strong-willed independent lasses finding their perfect matches in the Highlands of historic Scotland.

  She’s lived in Mississippi, Ohio, Manhattan, Pennsylvania, and London, but chose to settle in Vienna, VA with her husband and four children. When not writing or reading, Lori enjoys time with her real-life hero and kids or spending time walking or drinking wine with her friends.

  * * *

  Find out more about Lori at her website:

  http://loriannbailey.com/

  Also by Lori Ann Bailey

  Highland Pride Series

  Highland Deception

  Highland Redemption

  Highland Temptation

  Highland Salvation

  Highland Obligation