A Highlander In Peril (Gunn Guardsman) (12 page)

“I’m going to a mead hall, for I’m thirsty,” Sean said, and turned toward the exit of the keep.

“Best one in the village is Philbert’s. He doesn’t allow anyone near his ale and you can rest assured ‘tis safe to drink. I shall see ye soon, lad.” de Percy strolled off.

Sean walked hastily back to Gregor’s hut and picked up his purchase. He found Angus sleeping near his horse and kicked his shin lightly to awaken him.

“We’re off, lad, get the horses ready. Put this in my satchel. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Sean trekked off to find Philbert’s mead hall and entered the dark domain.

It was crowded inside, but he found an open spot at the high table at the back. He threw
a ha’-penny on the table before Philbert dunked his cup in the ale barrel. The man set it before him with a bang. He found himself thirsty and wanted a drink before he set off, and chugged the entire cup. When he handed his cup back, it was returned filled to the top.

The ride would take hours and he’d not reach home until nightfall. Sean was anxious to return to Frances and wouldn’t stay the night.

Inside the hall, many of the lords who attended the meeting stopped in before their return home, too. Sean drank his second cup of ale slowly, assessing those around him.

Sir John stood with various other lords and discussed a riff one of the lords had with a crofter. Being the sheriff, Sir John was obligated to take care of the matter. Sean watched his demeanor with interest. The man seemed well placed and comfortable around those within the alehouse. He appeared likened by the others.

Armstrong on the other hand stood by himself, until a serving woman walked by. He grasped her around the waist and pulled her to him for a kiss. With quick hands, Armstrong pulled the woman’s bodice down and revealed her breasts. The woman giggled, but then the man must have hurt her because she yelled out and shoved him before stalking off.

Sean was about to rescue the woman, but was glad she made it to the safety of the hall’s keeper. The burly man appeared to be able to protect his servants.

He finished off his ale and set the cup on the table. As he walked back to retrieve his horse, he considered the meeting and whether it had been a waste of time. He’d learned little, but at least he was able to meet de Percy and the others. The next meeting wouldn’t be as formidable, an unsettling feeling, that. He normally wouldn’t allow anything or anyone to intimidate him.

Angus had his horse ready and he was finally ready to head home. Riding through the village, Sean felt eyes on him. Likewise, conversation was probably rife with his name spoken and not is a positive manner. He grinned to himself. These men had no knowledge of who they were dealing with, and for now, he was content to leave them to their curiosity.

CHAPTER TWELVE

With Sean gone and the keep battened down from visitors it was quiet. The burly James guarded the door and several more guardsmen posted around the exterior made her home feel more like a fortress. No one visited from the village and all were turned away from the gate.

Frances spent the day attending to chores and was getting ready for bed when she heard voices below. Someone shouted loud enough to wake the entire keep and caused a commotion. After donning her robe, Frances stole to the steps to listen. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but James wouldn’t allow anyone to enter and she needn’t worry.

“She what?
Why didn’t she tell me?”

She recognized Sean’s voice. He sounded angry and continued to ply James with questions.

“When the hell did this happen?”

She couldn’t hear James’ reply. Before she could dash away, Sean raged up the stairs and hastened to her. She tried to step backward, but the wall behind her gave her pause. He looked
cross. Glory be, James had given her up before she could broach the subject. When next she saw him, she’d give him a what-for.

“You!
You will come with me,” he snapped.

There was no allowance for any rejection because he grabbed her arm and pulled her along to his chamber. His grip tightened and pinched. Once there, he released her, shut the door with a bang, and paced the floor before the bed. He wouldn’t look at her. His body rigidly stalked in front of her.

Frances stood in his wake waiting for him to say something. She wasn’t about to test him what with the mood he was in. She wasn’t sure if she should be frightened or not. James did say that he wasn’t one to fear and yet …

“Frances, you have some answering to do.”

“Do I? If you posed a question, I might be able to answer you.” Where that gumption came from was beyond her. She wasn’t one to speak out of turn to her husband, but the situation and his demeanor sparked a bit of forthright in her. Additionally, she was irked with James for not giving her a chance to speak to Sean before he told him of the missive.

“Dare you be bold? You purposely kept information from me, your husband. I want to know what is going
on?” Sean stopped pacing and stood before her.

“You’re angry.”

“Damned right I am.” He ran his fingers through his hair, his nose flaring.

Frances sighed and drew in a slow breath. “I didn’t want to upset you and you didn’t, don’t know me well enough to discern that I’ve been taking care of myself for many a year. I don’t need your protection, Sean. Nothing happened.”

“The day you stopped caring for yourself ended when you wed me. I am supposed to protect you. It is my sacred duty, aye the most important one I have. That is no excuse. James tells me someone is threating you.”

She kept her gaze low, looking at the hem of his tartan, just below his knees. “I … There’s no need to be upset.”

“Upset? I’m incensed, nay, more than furious. No need! I’m going to see to it that whoever is threating you understands that no one terrifies my family. Never!” He grabbed her arms and yanked her to him. “Do you realize how important you are? Nay, you don’t, do you?”

“Sean, cease yelling at me. It will do no good. Very well, I shall tell you. I received a few blasphemous messages that did threaten me, but nothing happened. Whoever sent them never did anything about them. I was … am safe.” She dislodged her arms and strolled toward the window
and pulled aside the window covering. The room grew close and she needed air. Sean loomed in it and seemed to take up all the space with his huffing and bemoaning.

“You didn’t answer. Do you deem yourself unimportant?”

Shaken by his words, she didn’t know how to respond. She shrugged her shoulder in answer, but he glared at her. “Mayhap. I was important to Lord William …”

“Did your husband value you?”

She tilted her chin down. “Why would you ask that?”

“If he valued you, you wouldn’t have been taking care of yourself. Now answer.” He stood with his legs braced apart, hands fisted at his side.

“I’m sure he did, Sean. We didn’t spend much time together.” Her admission shamed her and she wasn’t wont to see his expression. She kept her gaze lowered.

Sean reached her side in two strides and took her in his arms. He smelled heavenly, as if he’d spent the day in the sunshine, manly. Frances didn’t want to discuss her previous marriage and hadn’t really told anyone how her husband treated her. He never hurt her, but then he never paid attention to her. Being ignored was far better than being abused.

“From what Lord William told me, he said that you mourned him. Why?”

“It was expected.”

Sean tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes. Frances tried to lower her gaze, but he wouldn’t allow it.

“Do you do everything expected of you, Frances?”

Sean pulled her to the chair and sat, and positioned her on his lap. She felt awkward sitting there, like a limp doll made of rags. The conversation wore on her nerves. Why she wanted to cry was beyond her.

“I usually do.”

“I want a promise from you right now. You will do as you want as long as it doesn’t put you in danger, say what you want, and think of me as a partner, not your lord and master. Can you do that?”

She nodded. “I suppose so. I don’t know what to say. I shall try, but I don’t want to overstep my bounds. Robert didn’t allow me to intercede on his behalf and I wasn’t allowed to run the household, only handle mundane tasks.”

“You are not my servant, Frances, but my wife. I’ll want to talk to you about things I might not tell anyone else. You’re to never keep anything from me. There will be no secrets between us.”

She stammered an “Aye.”

“Protecting people is in my blood. I’ve been trained since I could walk to see to it that harm doesn’t come to others. And now that you belong to me, I want to make sure you’re protected. Can you understand that?”

“James told me about your duty. I do understand, but it will take getting used to, Sean. No one ever looked after me. Lord Williams was either traveling or busy with tending lordly duties, and Robert was busy off doing whatever he was doing. He didn’t …”

“No matter what I’m doing you come first. Understand?” He gently held her neck, just under her chin to tilt her head to look at him and spoke with such sureness. “I want us to trust each other. Can you trust me?”

She wanted to weep at the meaning of his words. Never had she thought he would place her so high. Robert hadn’t and she never thought to be so coveted. Emotion clogged her throat and she couldn’t answer him and nodded. This man was too perfect.

“Will you, Frances? I need you trust me and I want to have the same faith in you.”

“Aye, you can trust me too,” she said, and when her bottom lip started quivering, she lay back against his chest and hid the fact that she was about to weep.

“Let us start now with this trust. You will tell me the truth about the messages and the danger you’re in.” Sean clasped her hand and smoothed his thumb over her palm.

“It started when I first arrived in Edinburgh. The messages were vile and I thought someone was jesting with me being I was a newcomer. Then I started receiving gifts. I realized it went beyond jesting and it wasn’t a game. When I arrived home and there was a gift awaiting me, I knew then that it wasn’t someone just trying to frighten me.”

“Who couldn’t like you? You’re the sweetest woman I’ve ever met.” Sean raised her hand and kissed the delicate skin of her knuckles.

“I tried to think of who would be so vicious, but I can’t think of anyone. There are many jealous and spiteful people at court, and I thought they might be envious of my friendship with Queen Joan.”

Sean’s hand distracted her when it moved up her arm to her shoulder. The sensations tingled to her toes and eased her distress.

“Mayhap Sir John?”

“You know of Sir John?” Frances closed her eyes when his hand touched her face.

“
Aye, and his crony Adam Armstrong. I met them at the meeting. Sir John mentioned a marriage proposal. Did you know he was waiting for your mourning period to end and was going to ask Lord William for your hand?”

She nodded. “Aye, he didn’t mention it outright, but I suspected …”

“I also heard that Armstrong courted you when you were in Edinburgh. Did you encourage his pursuit?” Sean frowned and she reached up to smooth his brow.

“Nay, of course not.
If you’ve seen him, you’d know I wouldn’t. I tried to get him to abate, but the man was … is harmless. He has many ladies chasing him and I’m sure he could have any of his choice.”

“Aye, but not you?”

She smiled, realizing he might be a mite envious. But that caused her to giggle, for Armstrong and Sean were not alike in the least. There was absolutely no comparison betwixt the two. “I am not and never will be interested in Adam Armstrong.”

“Good. Just how many men do you have knocking at the door wanting to wed you?”

Frances laughed at the absurdity. “I lost count.”

“So we have a neighbor, Lord Lombard, the sheriff, Sir John, and his crony Armstrong … Are any other suitors, Frances, that I should be aware of?”

She shook her head. “None that I’m aware of.”

“I’m glad I know how to use my sword for it seems it may be put to good use.” Sean touched her nose and grinned.

“I deem you might be in more peril than I if you mean to use your sword.”

He laughed derisively. “You haven’t seen me use my sword.”

“Are you talented with it?” she asked with mirth, remembering her conversation with James.

“Talented? Nay, I wouldn’t call it talent. I would call it efficient.”

Frances hoped he wouldn’t have to fight anyone even if he boasted of such prowess. “You Highlanders are an arrogant brood, aren’t you?”

“Not arrogant, never that, Frances.
Just shrewd enough to know our opponents and skilled enough to victor.” Sean set her back and lowered his face to hers.

Frances suppressed a laugh. “There is something I need you to do.”

His eyes darkened and his mouth moved closer to hers. “What’s that?”

“Will you help me find Winifred?”

“Aye, I will. She left no word of where she’d gone? Did she say anything about visiting someone?” Sean trailed a light speckle of kisses along her jaw.

She sighed and stared into his lovely deep brown eyes. “Nay, no one knows where she went. I fear for her.”

“We’ll figure it out, love. But right now I want to do what I’ve been thinking about all day.”

“What’s that?”

“Kiss you.” Sean set his lips on hers.

Frances enjoyed the way his tongue moved against hers. The sensation heated her body and she wished he was inside her. The way he possessed her with his mouth gave such pleasure as if he wouldn’t let her go. She liked the way he held her, with dominance.

Without breaking their kiss, he started to remove her robe and then her night-rail. Once it was lowered beneath her breasts, he tore his lips from hers.

“I cannot behave myself when I’m around you.”

She let out a girlish giggle. “I don’t want you to behave. Be wicked. Aye, oh that feels wonderful.” He’d taken her nipple into his mouth and gently tugged on it with his teeth. The painful twinge evoked a jolt of desire through her. Frances found herself excited, and longed to be with him again.

He continued to kiss her breasts and used his hands to caress her body. She loved the firmness of his hands. She really did want him to be wicked and hoped he would be a little rougher.

He ceased all movement and shifted her to stand. As he discarded his attire, his eyes bore into hers. “Do you know what I’m going to do to you?”

“What?” she purred.

“I’m going to make you beg. Aye, you’ll have to beg me for it, Frances.”

She grew excited at the prospect. “Oh, will I? We’ll see. What will you do?” She shrieked when he grabbed her around the waist and tossed her on to the bed.

Leaning his chin on his hand, he surmised her and walked around. “Hmm, what will make you beg for mercy?”

“I won’t tell,” she said, and gasped when he jumped on the bed.

“I want to bury my tongue in you and make you scream your desire for me to the rafters.”

Frances lost her breath. She’d heard men did that to women, but she’d never had it done to her. She watched him as he lay next to her and spread her legs.

“Sean, really … I don’t know about this.”

“You’ll enjoy it, Frances. I promise.” He set his mouth near her sex and she couldn’t bring herself to watch as discomfited as she was to be spread out on the bed with him looking at her most intimate parts.

She felt the first touch of his tongue, which gently kissed the flesh of her vagina. Frances huffed and drew a deep breath and held it. He rubbed a finger over the nub of her clitoris, exciting it to swell and tingle.

Then she could have died and gone to heaven when his hot tongue licked her. She went all limp and couldn’t control the moan that escaped her lips. Just as she was getting used to his tongue there, he moved his mouth higher and nibbled on her skin. Frances squeezed her legs together and practically shot off the bedding.