Highlander’s Lesser Evil: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Highlands' Deceptive Lovers Book 4)

by Adamina Young

  To protect her.

  “Ye knew that ye couldnae stay in Loch Moran when ye married me, and now ye want to act like a petulant child because I want to keep ye safe!”

  A petulant child?

  Her eyes narrowed. “Yes, I knew that someday we would return. I just thought I might get notice before you moved me abruptly from my home without giving me a chance to get the things that meant the most to me.”

  “They will be returned to ye!” he hissed.

  There was such coldness in his eyes, and she climbed into the bed and drew the blankets around her. “And I did not think that you would abandon me!”

  “I have to do my duty.”

  “I don’t need you to settle me, Theo. Go back to Loch Moran. I will be fine here.”

  “Ye think ye will be fine without me?”

  What did the man want from her? Should she pine by the window, staring out to the fields and wondering when her love would return? Or did he want her to be the mistress and help him run his clan?

  “I think you have spent your whole life guarding your heart, Theo, and until you learn to let that guard down, until you let me in, we aren’t going to find happiness.”

  “So ye want my heart now?” he asked roughly, his temper seemingly dying down.

  “I just want to understand the man I married.”

  He didn’t say anything, and when she finally fell asleep, the bed was still empty.

  16

  Theo found Hamish by the guest suite’s hearth, a cup of ale in his hands, and his eyes closed. Only the rise of his eyebrows let Theo know that Hamish had heard him enter and knew that he was no threat.

  “How many times have ye visited Father?” Theo asked in a gravelly voice. The fight with Gemma had taken the air from his lungs, and he was more fatigued now than he’d ever thought possible. She was furious with him and had every right to be, but she placed far too much over the value of her own life. How could she not see that he was trying to protect her? That he didn’t think he would survive her death?

  “None,” Hamish said as he finally opened his eyes. “He is poison, and I have had all I can endure of him. I’ll not let him infect me and bring it home to Grace.”

  Theo grunted, and Hamish studied him. “I would say that the visit to Loch Moran has taken its toll on ye, but I think yer troubles are far closer to home. Married life not treating ye well?”

  Sinking into the empty chair, Theo stared at the flickering flames of the fire. The heat helped to settle his bones. “She would give up her life at the snap of a finger if it meant saving someone else. I brought her here to ensure that she wouldnae do just that, and she acts as if I have ice around my heart.”

  “She mentioned something of looms?”

  “Aye. She is a weaver of some of the most beautiful tapestries ye can imagine. Because the trip here was unexpected, I didnae have time to prepare a wagon for them, but I wilnae leave them there for long. Her life is more important to me than her art.”

  “She doesnae agree?”

  “‘Tis not just the tapestries.” Theo sighed and rubbed his face. Since nearly watching her get cut down with a sword, his days had run together, and the only memories that stood out were where he loved her and where he feared for her. “She is the heart of Loch Moran. After years of fear and bloodshed, the English beauty somehow managed to pull them all together and give them hope. Ye know they tricked her into marrying me? She has no idea.”

  “Ye didnae tell her?”

  “And risk her saying no? She may not forgive me for it. She has come to regret our marriage, just as I knew she would, but I wed her anyway. She is worried about her home, her people, and I cannae reassure her that I am doing everything I can to keep them safe.”

  Rising, Hamish refilled his cup and poured one for Theo, handing it to him before sitting down. “Ye still have no idea who attacked ye?”

  “Nay, and it is not over. The mercenaries are a clever move to stay clear of the king’s wrath, and mine, but they will hire more until they get the job done. They seek to prove that I cannae keep them safe, and I wilnae let that happen. I must return soon.” He sipped the ale. “I know ye are eager to get to yer wife and yer people, so I wilnae ask ye to stay longer. I have returned with Thomas, and he will see to things while I am gone.”

  Hamish’s eyes widened. “Ye? Trusting another? I am shocked!”

  “Ye sound like Gemma.”

  “Then she is right. Ye have a family now, a woman who would nourish yer soul if ye let her. I know ye think ye are keeping her safe from the invaders, but perhaps ye are keeping her here because ye think she would prefer time away from ye.”

  Because he was more right than Theo wanted to admit, Theo stood and drained the rest of his ale. “I will need to get some sleep. I plan to leave for Loch Moran sooner than I expect. Thank ye again for looking after things for me.”

  “I plan on sticking around for a few more days. I would like to meet my new sister.”

  There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye as Hamish grinned at him, and Theo groaned. “I didnae think having a brother would be such a pain.”

  Hamish just chuckled, and Theo headed back up to his chambers with his heart a little bit lighter. When he stepped inside, he stared down at the sleeping beauty. She was curled up on the side of the bed like she was doing her best to make sure he didn’t touch her when he returned. With a sigh, he undressed and laid down beside her. With one arm, he pulled her close. She resisted, waking for a moment, until he kissed her gently on the cheek, and she relaxed into him.

  “I will return with yer looms, lass,” he whispered in the dark. “And I will encourage the village to write to ye and return with letters, so ye will know what is happening with them. And when it is safe, ye can visit.”

  After a quiet moment, she turned to face him. Her sorrow was deeply engrained in the lines around her eyes. She looked exhausted, the weight of more than just dealing with a new marriage sitting on her shoulders.

  “It’s not just that, Theo. I am sad to leave, and I will miss them, but it is the way you blindsided me with all of this. I am your wife. When are you going to let me know what is going on in that head of yours?”

  “Some things are safe for ye to not know, lass,” he whispered.

  “Like that I was moving?”

  On this, he could see the error, and sighed. “I feared that ye would balk and run from me.”

  “I am not running from you, Theo. I need you to trust me on that.”

  It wasn’t easy. If he shared everything that was happening in his head—all of his fears—then she most likely would run screaming from him, but she was made of more sterner stuff than most highland women. In that, she had his admiration.

  And he would try to give her his trust.

  Running a hand down her back, he felt the tightness of her muscles and was shamed by the pace he’d made her ride to get here. Slowly, he eased her fingers over them until she purred. “Go to sleep, lass,” he whispered.

  “If you keep touching me like, I won’t be able to. And you are leaving tomorrow.”

  “Not tomorrow, but the day after. So sleep, and I promise that tomorrow night, I will give you the kind of pleasure for you to remember me by.”

  He continued to work on her muscles, and she relaxed. When her breathing slowed, he finally allowed himself to be lulled into sleep.

  The next day, after Gemma had her breakfast, she began to explore the keep. She’d been left to her own devices, her husband Lord knows where, but that was just as well. Her heart still ached for the friction between them, but at least he’d seen the error of his ways and would try to do better.

  Unfortunately, she knew how stubborn men could be. She could only imagine that it would apply to Highlanders tenfold.

  Since she hadn’t been introduced to anyone as mistress, she tried to take it upon herself to get to know the staff to learn how the keep was run. If there was one thing she’d been raised to do, it was organize a hous
ehold. As soon as she introduced herself, the person would immediately lower their eyes, mumble something under their breath, and scurry away.

  It was getting discouraging.

  “They are terrified of ye,” a voice said from the entranceway. Turning her head, Gemma saw that Hamish had been watching her quietly. Curious about Theo’s brother, Gemma tipped her head respectfully.

  “And why would they be terrified of me? The way that I heard it, we English are cowards,” she said with a smile as she walked toward him.

  “‘Tis not the fact that yer English. ‘Tis the fact that ye married Theo. If ye did it voluntarily, they will think ye are just as cruel as him. If ye were tricked into it, they will worry that Theo will punish them if they disrespect ye. Their only hope is to give ye wide berth.”

  None of that made any sense. “Theo is not cruel,” she said with a frown.

  “There is much that Theo doesnae share, much that I have learned here in his absence. I have a feeling he planned it that way. Some sort of penance on his part.” Looking around, he gestured with his head. “Follow me. I would like to talk with ye away from prying eyes.”

  He led her from the keep out to a small courtyard. The sun was bright in the sky, warming the air. It shone on Hamish’s golden hair, and Gemma couldn’t help but wonder about the differences in the two men. Hamish seemed almost charming and at ease with himself. It seemed to help lift whatever burden Theo was carrying about his brother. Still, she didn’t know anything about Hamish.

  “I believe my husband to be a good man. Perhaps a bit dense, but good nonetheless, and if you have brought me out here to warn me away—”

  “Nothing of the sort,” Hamish said. “And I am pleased that ye are quick to defend him. Ye wilnae find many who do. I don’t know what he’s told you of our father...”

  You mean the horrid man who would beat children and wreak havoc on a clan? Gemma thought bitterly.

  “Theo played the part of a doting son well. It was the only thing he could do to plan the coup behind his back,” Hamish explained with a disgusted curl of his upper lip. “He helped when he could, but there were times when there was nothing he could do but follow our father’s orders, and I fear those actions have haunted him.”

  After seeing the darkness in Theo’s eyes, hearing the self-loathing in his words, Gemma believed him.

  “And there are many here who saw just that—the son of a cruel man meeting out brutality—and they fear the horrid streak of a man who could overthrow his father for power. When they look at him, they see a monster.”

  Gemma pushed her shoulders back. At least now, she felt like she had a task. “Then I will simply have to change their minds.”

  “And how will ye do that?”

  “He is a man capable of love. I will show them that, and they will forgive him for being the man forced to carry out orders,” she said resolutely. If others saw the compassion and dedication in him, maybe he would finally see it in himself.

  Hamish appraised her for a moment and then smiled, faint amusement in his eyes. “Ye would have to be a strong lass indeed to change the minds of a beaten clan, but then, I know my brother wouldnae settle for anything less. I stayed to see if ye were the kind of woman who deserved a good man like Theo.”

  “So you like what you see?” she asked, more jesting than anything. She’d never wanted to prove herself to a highlander before. She’d always done everything out of survival, and then out of love, but she discovered that she wanted Theo’s brother’s approval. She wanted to know that there might be at least one in her husband’s family who liked her, for she shuddered to think of what Patrick MacDougal would make of her when they finally met.

  Hamish grinned. “We shall see.”

  17

  When Gemma returned to her bedchambers that afternoon, she found a note waiting for her. It was short and to the point. Theo wanted her to meet him in the east guest wings. It was part of the keep that had been blocked off, and she assumed it was for renovations. Although she knew little of highlander castles, in England, mansions were always attempting to keep up with the latest fashion, and areas were closed off.

  Since no one seemed interested in speaking to her, she’d spent most of the day exploring alone and was starting to feel like she would go a little mad if she continued talking to herself all day. Excited to explore more and to see her husband, she hurried to the other side of the keep. Theo had been staying to himself, no doubt heading out to make sure that all had gone well while he was gone. She was confident that Hamish had done an excellent job in his place, and she hoped it meant that Theo would learn to place more trust in people.

  The hall was dark, and two guards were standing at the entrance. With a smile, she greeted them and introduced herself. “I am here to see the laird.”

  They exchanged a look but let her by without a word. Shrugging, she continued, searching for Theo, but instead, she encountered another set of guards at the end of the hall guarding iron gates. What in the world? Just what kind of renovations were they doing? Or did Theo house his coin here?

  “I appear to be lost,” she apologized as she tried to smile charmingly. “I am Gemma, Theo’s new wife. I am here to see the laird.”

  Again, that strange look, but they produced keys and unlocked the gate. “This way?” she asked, holding her candle up to the darkness. The place seemed deserted. What on earth could Theo be doing here?

  They nodded, and she slowly walked into the darkness and tried to banish the fear. Theo would never put her in any danger. Maybe he was giving her a task, like cleaning out the abandoned wing.

  The thought instantly made her feel better. She wanted to be useful while she was here.

  Following the hall, she came across another door with yet another set of guards. Sighing, she repeated her same message, and they gave her a strange look before unlocking the door. The hall turned a corner, and she came up short and gasped at the end. Another set of guards, another set of iron bars. But this time, there was someone on the other side.

  And Theo was nowhere to be seen.

  “Ah,” the elderly man on the other side said smoothly as he approached the bars. “I see that ye got my message. ‘Tis nice to know that some are still loyal to me.”

  One look at him, and her blood froze. There was no mistaking who he was. His long mane had grown mostly white, but his beard was still dark. He had those piercing green eyes that she saw whenever she looked at Theo, only there was no regret in this gaze, no haunting pain or flicker of desire. Only cold and steel.

  Not wanting to show any weakness, she pushed her shoulders back and narrowed her eyes. “You must be Patrick, Theo’s father.”

  “So he has told ye of me?” There was a trace of surprise in his voice followed by annoyance. Gemma mentally cheered. The man had banked on surprising her and then obviously trying to twist her to his whims.

  “I am his wife. He has told me a great deal.” Hoping that the guards were loyal to Theo, she walked closer to the bars and plastered a bored look on her face. “From what I hear, you don’t deserve your accommodations.”

  “Nay, I doonae. This is my clan!” he hissed before he drew back and closed his eyes. There was an inner struggle, and when he looked at her again, he was back in control. “I apologize, my dear. I doonae mean to lose my temper with ye. ‘Tis been trying to have my own son lock me up. So he married an English lass. ‘Tis no surprise.”

  “Because we are so lovely, brave, and intelligent?”

  “Because ye are weak,” he said with a sly smile. “And easy to control. But there is spirit in ye. He will likely come to regret that.”

  Her mind instantly wandered back to their most recent argument, and the doubts that made her wonder the very same. It must have shown because he chuckled darkly. “Oh, he already regrets it. I hear he is stowing ye here and returning to Loch Moran. I wonder if he will ever let ye out of the keep again. He doesnae plan on letting me out.”

  “If you hope to cause
me to doubt my husband, then you are wrong. He didn’t force me to marry him. I made the decision all on my own. When the threat against Loch Moran is over, I will return to see my friends.”

  “But not to stay?”

  It hurt, but she’d known the consequences of the choice she had made. “Of course not. I am now mistress of the MacDougals. My place is here.”

  “Good.” He moved frighteningly fast for someone his age and wrapped his hands around the bars. “I suggest that while yer husband is away, ye take yer time to get to know the people. Hear the stories. I assure ye that when ye do, ye will realize what kind of monster my son truly is. I hate that I helped birth such a being, but I have my people to think of, and now so do ye.”

  Snorting with laughter, she shook her head. “You are too late, you know. I already know that Theo was forced to do horrible things on your orders. I know the villagers fear him, but that will not be the case for long. You planned to manipulate me, but all you have done is encourage me to unite them with Theo.”

  Just then, the gate opened, and Gemma could feel Theo at her back. It wasn’t just recognizing his scent, but she had begun to acknowledge his power whenever he was in the same room. It was that same power that had gently held her last night, working out the tightness in her body, silently apologizing for his actions.

  “Gemma,” he said in a dangerous voice, “my guards tell me that ye are here to meet the laird.”

  A slow smile curved over Patrick’s face, but she would not let him be the wedge between them. Turning, she handed Theo the note she’d found in her chambers. “I thought it was from you. I had no idea that it was leading me to your father.”

  Especially since the man deserves to be rotting in the dungeons, but she didn’t verbalize that.

  Theo glanced at it before slipping it in his pocket. The expression on his face was fearsome. “So, ye have still found some loyal to ye,” he sighed heavily. “When will ye learn, father, that it doesnae matter? The only other destination for ye is in the ground, even if I have to put ye there myself. Play yer games with me, if ye like, but the next time ye try and speak with my wife, I will end ye.”