A Highlander’s Homecoming (21 page)

There were so many challenges she’d need to consider, her not being with child and the lack of any prospects to become pregnant chief among them. Isabella and her handsome guardian would be a problem, and perhaps it would be best to let her father deal with them as he’d planned, though she didn’t like the idea of his killing Isabella. Not that she’d ever been fond of her strange cousin. Still. The idea of murder didn’t sit well with her.

And definitely not the old laird. Not yet. And not MacDowylt.

Agneys could see too much potential for MacDowylt to allow her father to succeed in eliminating him right away.

No, she’d need to think on this situation. There were too many loose ends to satisfy her.

Still, she had time. A few weeks, at least, before she’d need to implement any plans of her own. Until then she would relax and enjoy her new life as the laird’s wife.

Chapter 18
 

Even with his eyes shut, Robert sensed the morning light trickling through the gaps in the room’s wooden shutters. It would be a wondrous day. Thanks to one beautiful redhead, he felt refreshed, alive, invigorated. And ready for seconds.

He opened his eyes to find her staring at him from her perch on a chair a few feet away. She sat with her hands primly folded in her lap. Fully dressed.

He could change that quick enough.

Propping himself up on one elbow, he extended his free hand and wiggled his fingers in an invitation to join him.

“It’s growing late, Robbie. And though I wouldn’t mind doing . . .”—here she paused and a lovely pink flush colored her cheeks—“
that
again, we need to be on our way.”

She was right, of course. It would take a good two days of riding hard to reach MacQuarrie Keep.

With an exaggerated sigh, he reached for his plaid and stood, wrapping the garment around him. He plucked his shirt off the stool where he’d tossed it last night and dropped it down over his head.

When he looked back in her direction, he saw she sat unmoving, her gaze fixed on him. The expression on her face told him she’d spoken the truth earlier. In fact, he suspected that not only would she not mind doing
that
again, but that she’d likely welcome the opportunity as much as he would.

A good thing to keep in mind. Though they’d a long ride ahead of them, there was no reason they couldn’t have a pleasant overnight along the way.

“Yer all ready, then?”

At her nod, he opened the door and held it for her.

“We’ll collect Jamie and take him along with us, aye?” she asked, rising from her seat. “I promised Annie I’d see he was taken care of.”

Annie. He couldn’t tell her about the old woman now or he’d never get her out of this place. Her sense of justice would demand that they confront Lardiner, and that was something he simply couldn’t allow.

“On our way to locate the lad we can stop in the kitchens and see if we can charm the cook into packing enough provisions to do us.”

She had gathered the covers from the floor and carried them over to the bed, but now she stopped, hands on her hips, staring at him.

“Provisions? Food, do you mean? Why would we need to carry food along with us?”

Obviously she didn’t realize how far they had to go.

He crossed the room to where she stood and gathered her in his arms, kissing the top of her head as he pulled her close. “It’s a two-day ride to MacQuarrie Keep, love. We’ll want something more than each other to nibble on along the way.”

She pushed back from his chest to look up at him, her brow wrinkled in confusion. “What are you saying, Robbie? I’ve told you before, I’m no going to yer family keep. I’ve no intent to leave my home, no for any reason.”

He stared at her, his thoughts a jumbled mess. “But last night . . . I thought that meant you’d agreed to do as I asked. I told you my time to get you to safety was running short.”

Isa took another step back from him, fixing her eyes on the floor in front of her. “Last night meant only last night. If you have to go, then go. It’s no like I’m saying you have to stay, only that I am.”

“Goddammit, Isa, why will you no listen to reason?” He grit his teeth until he thought his jaw would crack with frustration as he struggled to find some words, some way to convince her.

Maybe it was time to ignore her feelings. Though some sixth sense told him it would be a mistake, perhaps he should ignore that, too, toss her over his shoulder onto his mount and take her to MacQuarrie Keep by force if she wouldn’t go of her own free will.

It went against every natural instinct, but he had no reasonable choice left other than to stay with her until the Magic took him, and then she’d be left on her own. To face more dangers than he wanted to consider. Lardiner. MacDowylt.

No, his decision was made.

Until his gaze lit on the spot in front of the fireplace.

Burned into the stone, a blackened outline circled the place where their bodies had lain together on the floor.

It would appear the lightning he’d imagined when they made love hadn’t been in his imagination after all.

Which would mean that Jamie’s story about Isa’s mother being Fae must be true.

And if there was one thing Robert knew about the Fae, it was that you couldn’t force them to do anything against their will without there being serious consequences.

No wonder that sixth sense had been setting off warning bells.

How Robbie could possibly have assumed she meant to leave her home and go with him was beyond Isa’s wildest imagining. Or so she tried to convince herself.

If only her damnable conscience wouldn’t keep flashing bits and pieces of last night through her mind as a vivid reminder of why he might think she’d do whatever he wanted.

Isa picked up her pace, as if she could leave her guilty thoughts behind. Through the castle and out to the bailey she hurried until she was all but running to the stable to find Jamie.

“Slow yerself down or you’ll draw attention to our leaving.” Robbie’s deep voice flowed over her, as soft and gentle as the hand he wrapped around her arm.

She nodded her agreement, almost stumbling as she changed her pace.

“He’s there.”

Robbie pointed across the courtyard to where Jamie stood with a young woman, his head nodding in quick agreement to whatever she was saying. When he spotted them, he waved and hurried in their direction.

Isa dropped to her knees to speak directly to the boy. “I spoke to yer grandmother, lad. She’s asked that you come home with me to stay since she canna look after you. I’m going now and I’d like for you to come along with me. Will you do that for me?”

Jamie’s one-sided smile faltered and he looked from Isa back over his shoulder to where the young woman waited.

“Oh, Mistress Isa, that will be wonderful since I never see my gran anymore. But I canna today. It’s my turn at last to help with the churns. There’s fresh butter on warm sweet bread as a reward when the butter’s done. I’ve waited so long for my turn to help them.”

“But, Jamie,” she began, stopping as Robbie laid a hand on her shoulder.

“You go to yer churning, lad. And when you’ve finished, you come to Isa’s cottage, aye? But do so in secret, lad. Dinna speak of it to anyone, you ken?”

“Aye,” Jamie agreed, running back to the waiting maid.

“Why did you do that? If what you spoke of with Annie is true, he’s no safe here.” And the thought of Jamie being in danger curdled her stomach.

“Because making an issue of it here, drawing attention to the lad, creates more of a danger for him than simply having him go about his business as usual.”

It made sense when he explained it that way so she
let it drop, following him into the stable and waiting quietly while he readied his horse.

Her nerves were on edge from her worry over Jamie’s safety, and now, not knowing what would happen in the next few minutes was almost more than she could bear. She had no idea whether Robbie would lift her onto his mount with him to return to her cottage or simply ride away and leave her standing here.

Outside, the wind whipped through the stable yard, blowing bits of rubbish and sticks in harsh little whirlpools of air.

She had to get hold of her thoughts and emotions.

“No another storm coming on,” Robbie grumbled. “I’d appreciate at bit of calm weather, thank you very much.”

“I’m doing my best,” she muttered in return, not realizing she’d spoken aloud until he laughed as if she’d made a joke.

“Come on, then, let’s get you mounted.”

She hesitated, wondering if he understood she would go nowhere but to her own home.

“Yer taking me to the cottage, aye?”

“Aye.”

His response was tight and clipped, as closed as his expression, not telling her at all what she really wanted to know. Learning any more would require swallowing a bit of her pride and asking.

Ah, well, pride was highly overrated anyway.

“And once we’re there? You’ll be leaving, I suppose. To return to yer family?”

Not knowing exactly what answer she really wanted, she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze.

He, however, seemed not to suffer from that problem. He grasped her chin gently between his fingers, turning her face to his. The eyes she looked into were dark and troubled, but bore not the smallest sign of doubt.

“I mean stay at the cottage with you.”

No, he was supposed to go! That was what she had counted on, what she had wanted. Wasn’t it? She was so confused, she wasn’t sure she knew what she wanted anymore.

But what she didn’t want was another matter. She didn’t want him staying with her because he felt some ridiculous responsibility as a result of having made love to her. She had to know the truth. Her pride would simply have to take one more hit.

“Are you staying because we . . . because of what we did last night?”

“No. What passed between us has nothing to do with my staying.” He brushed one thumb up over her cheek. “Know this, Isa: Where you go, I go, as long as I am able. I’d have you safe in my family keep if I were to have my way. But if you’ll no agree to that, then I’ll stay by yer side to my last breath. That’s my pledge to you.”

His words slammed into her with a force of their own so that she barely noticed when he let go of her chin and lifted her to his horse or when he climbed up behind her and pulled her close against him.

“I’ll stay by yer side to my last breath.”

His words should terrify her, threatening as they did her freedom and independence. Instead her heart felt as warm as her body did, ensconced in his arms.

Chapter 19
 

“Agneys Lardiner MacGahan.” Agneys shook her head and made another try at it. “Agneys MacGahan.
Lady
MacGahan.”

Oh, she liked the sound of that! Perhaps she’d speak to the laird tomorrow and request that he order his people to address her by that title. She twirled in a little circle, reveling in the feel of the fine linen nightdress the laird had gifted her, clasping a tiny cup to her breast.

With a great sigh, she spun around once more, slowly this time, admiring her new bedchamber. All hers. The bedchamber of the wife of the laird.

What a fantastically lovely room! So much larger than the chamber she’d occupied since she and her father had first come to this place all those years ago. At one time she’d hoped to move into Isabella’s quarters after that pathetic creature had slithered off into the
woods to live alone, but the laird had refused her that boon, leaving her where she’d been for so long.

But now! This was so much better, from the beautiful tapestries on the walls to the rich, heavy curtains enclosing the bed. She loved it. She loved being the laird’s wife.

Too bad she couldn’t love the laird who’d put her here.

With another sigh, she crept back to the opening between their rooms, peeking through at the old man snoring loudly in his bed.

The racket he made was horrible, but the worst was when he seemed to hold his breath for long seconds at a time, finally gasping loudly before resuming his infernal snoring. In those moments she feared the potion might have been too strong this time or that she’d put too much in his ale.

Crossing the room, she dropped down into the big, hand-carved chair with its wonderfully soft cushions, facing the most beautiful fireplace she’d ever seen. The older servants told stories of the laird’s devotion for his wife and how he had brought masons all the way from France to carve intricate details into the stones above the fireplace simply to see her smile.