A Year and a Day (12 page)

“Ewan! It’s too much!” Cait exclaimed, her arms weighed down with presents.

He had to admit that his sporran
was
a great deal lighter than he’d intended, having parted with the better part of his income for the next two months, but it seemed a small price to pay for the happiness glowing on Cait’s cheeks as they started back up the path to the castle.

“Well now, maybe you can use the scraps to make something for the baby,” he said, pleased to find that th
is suggestion triggered an emba
r
r
assed smile. He left her uncomfortable for a moment before continuing in a more serious tone, “Besides, it will give you something to do while I’m gone.”

“Gone?” Cait gasped,
the clear
concern in her voice causing another surge of warmth. She stopped dead in her tracks and spun around to face him.

Ewan slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, pressed a kiss on top of her head, and then explained, “I shouldn’t be gone long- just in fits and starts. I don’t want the Sassenaches and Lowlanders getting any idea about our southern borders- especially after what happened
last
week.”

Cait shivered visibly. “Do you think it was the English?” she gasped, “Last week, I mean? So far north?”

“I don’t know,” Ewan admitted, “The scouts haven’t found much. Most likely its just some raiders who got out of control or, at worst, some
MacRaes out
looking for trouble.” Despite his sister’s marriage, Ewan had never really been easy with their old clan enemies. “We should know soon enough.”

Cait nodded her head and then said, a little sadly, “And then you’ll be gone.”

“Aye, Beauty,” he admitted, and reached up to brush her cheek, “It requires an answer- but as I said, I won’t be gone long.” He let his hand slip from his cheek to her stomach, “I can’t go neglecting my other duties now, can I?”
 

“No, I suppose not,” Cait said, clearly flustered as she tried to wriggle out of his embrace. He let her go, and then chuckled as she tried to appear unaffected, even though the tint in her cheeks easily gave her away.

They had sent most of the purchases ahead to the castle, and so they went directly to the hall when they returned. Dinner was in full swing, and the room was much more crowded than it had been at breakfast. The crowd also seemed much less interested in Cait and Ewan than they had in the morning. Apparently news spread fast, and the castle had seized on some fresh tidbit.

Cait followed Ewan to his chair at the high table. With Donaid and Hamish gone, there were plenty of extra seats. Cait was both relieved to fill one and sad that they existed.

“So, has
Lachlan
made it back then?” Ewan asked his brother, James, as he settled into his chair. Muira wasn’t at dinner, but that wasn’t too unusual. She usually ate supper in the nursery with her children if her husband was
away
.

Ewan’s little brother shook his head, “No- and
there’s been
no word either, but that’s to be expected.”

The older man nodded his head. The M
acRae’s had ridden down to the s
ea and were weaving back to check for information from their other allies. The activity required stealth- and stealth meant more time. There was no reason to be alarmed.

Ewan hurried with his meal, and then sent Cait back to their room so that he could meet with the
Laird
and review their maps and plan of action should the scouting expedition return unsuccessful as Ewan privately thought it would. He hadn’t meant to engage the old man on a debate (
Laird
Cameron- admittedly still grieving for his sons- was growing more convinced by the day that, not only had the Maurauders come across MacRae lands, that they were likely MacRaes themselved). By the time that he finally returned to his room, it was late.

There were no candles flickering at his bedside, although a cheerful fire was lit in the hearth. He assumed that Cait had gone on to bed without him, and so he groaned when he saw the empty bed.

Where had she gone to now,
Ewan thought with annoyance- and more than a smidge of hurt. He had done everything in his power to try and make Cait easy in his presence. He’d spoiled her, cuddled her,
loved
her that morning so energetically that his thighs were sore, and yet it appeared that none of his deeds had sunk in. She had run away again.

Head suddenly throbbing, Ewan walked to his desk, intending to pour himself a glass of whiskey to steady his nerves before going after his wife- but that was when he heard a curious sound: the soft, steady wheeze of breath coming from the chair by the fire.

Ewan looked over his shoulder- and then his heart seemed to melt in his chest. Cait was sitting there, curled up into the folds of the tartan shawl she’d been wearing. She was sound asleep. The book she’d been studying- the same volume that he’d purchased that day- had slipped from her fingers to settle in her lap. She must have dozed away while reading.

She looked so peaceful! Ewan wished that he was an artist so that he could paint a picture and remember the cozy scene. Cait was always beautiful. However, with her features soft in slumber and with firelight dancing on her face she was exquisite.

He simply watched her for a while. Eventually, he poured the whiskey he’d been after, but instead of drinking it at his desk, he sat in the chair opposite Cait and sipped it while he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, and listened to the quiet sounds of sleep. Cait was so beautiful! She did not have the aggressive, blatant beauty like his sister Muira, but a look that was more graceful and subtle. His eyes roamed over the smooth, deli
ca
t
e curve
s
of her jaw, her shoulders, and
her waist.

Eventually, he had to stop. His body was beginning to respond to the enticement- and Cait was in no condition to entertain his urges. With effort, Ewan was able to gut the flame that had started in his body, and to focus on other pleasant thoughts instead.

Being married suited him. A week ago, Ewan would have scoffed at the very idea that a single woman could please him (at least for more than an hour or two), but he was discovering quickly that he liked being part of a pair. He liked that Cait didn’t have
motives
or expectations when it came to his actions. They were simply “together”- without any need for a plan or scheme. It was delightful simply being quiet in her presence- simply watching her sleep!

Cait was going to be an exceptional mother for his baby, Ewan thought, recalling how fond she was of reading, and the skill he knew that she possessed in french, and dancing and the domestic arts. He hope
d
that they would have a daughter to inherit those skills. Then, just as soon as the thought had formed, he squelched it. He’d need a son, of course- and there wouldn’t be time for
two
babies, would there?

Maybe Muira was right
, Ewan thought, studying Cait. Maybe he could make this work for longer than a year. It wouldn’t mean a lot of changes- not for him anyhow, and the prospect of being settled was rapidly gaining appeal
.

At that moment, Cait made a whimper in her sleep.

Ewan’s eyes snapped to her face, searching for any other sign of distress, but she calmed quickly. She shifted in her sleep, causing her head to lose the support of the back of the chair, and hand forward at an awkward angle. It would hurt the next morning if he let her sleep that way. Deciding that it was time that they were
both
snug in bed, Ewan stepped forward to collect his wife and carry her to the mattress.

Using extreme care, so as not to disturb her, Ewan bent over her body and slipped an arm beneath her knees. He used the leverage to gently ease her out of the chair. Then he slid another arm behind her head and lifted her up.

She was so light. Ewan didn’t think that she weighed more than a child as he easily carried her to his-
their
-
double bed and
tucked her between the quilts.

“Mmmmmm…” Cait stirred briefly, snuggling her body down into the feather mattress, but then she was still again. Ewan smiled warmly and watched her a few more minutes before, with a yawn, he stripped and then climbed into bed himself.

Ewan was the first to wake the next morning. It was much, much earlier than he’d managed to wake up the day before. At first, he wasn’t certain what had awoken him- then he heard a loud crack of thunder.

He groaned. Bad weather would delay Lachlan’s search party at least another day- which meant another day of wondering
about
the identity of the people who’d attacked him,
and
another day of worrying about whether they’d come back. On the other hand, he thought as he looked at his bonnie new wife, it also meant another day to work on their little project.

Cait was still sound asleep, and so he resolved to wait for her to wake. The volume of the tempest outside was rising. The thunder was accompanied by pounding rain and the high, shrill whistle of wind. It took only one more heavy BOOM from outside before another sound was joined by another: the terrified whine of a little child. Ewan assumed that it was one of his nieces or nephews down the hall.

He listened to the sound, and contemplated getting out of bed. He knew that his sister was close by, and that the children had a nurse. He assumed that one of them had taken care of it, however, because the sound was quickly ended. Although the storm continued to build. From the shuffling and creaking sounds that drifted in from the halls, he assumed that most of the castle had been jarred awake
,
but still Cait slept on.

Was she feigning?
Ewan thought, in near disbelief when the crack of a lightning strike very near the castle still failed to rouse his wife. She was still snuggled contentedly beneath the downy blankets, a peaceful smile on her face. Ewan smiled to himself- he must have worn her out more than he’d thought.

Ewan continued
lying
beside his wife, watching her chest rise and fall, but his imagination began to roam. It tempted him with every manner of pleasant idea about what might happen when she finally awoke, and it wasn’t long before his body grew restless.

Taking Cait was so exquisite. He couldn’t account for the difference between her and other girls, but it was there. The feel of being inside her was one of being melded in mind and spirit as well as flesh. Other women wanted his money, or his position, or his own fine body to claim, but Cait knew
all
of him- even the parts of him that he didn’t let others see- and she was still voracious.

Well,
voracious
might be stretching it, Ewan thought, considering that he’d only had her three times, but they had been three memorable times, and he was anxious to extend their record.

Very slowly, he reached a hand toward her body, and let it settle on her breast. He could feel her skin through the thin fabric. It was hot to the touch, and so smooth and supple it was almost liquid. He massaged her breast, rubbing the tips until they were stiff and then he let his palm glide heavily over her stomach until it reached the spot between her legs.

She wasn’t wearing anything beneath her nightgown, of course. As soon as he slipped his fingers forward, trying to trace the slit between her legs, the moisture that was pooling there soaked the thin cotton of her gown, slicking Ewan’s fingers through the cloth. He groaned in appreciation, and then thrust his fingers back again, poking shallowly into her sex and teasing the nub of her clit.

Cait
appeared
to still be asleep, Ewan was determined that wouldn’t last much longer. He gave her once last chance of waking on her own terms, laying a heavy kiss against her lips. When that failed to rouse her, he went to action in earnest.

Still working carefully, he rolled Cait on to her back. Still encountering no resistance, he  arranged her limbs,  putting her arms out to her side and slightly spreading her legs. When she’d been placed to his satisfaction, he crawled atop her body. He kissed her chin and the hollow at the base of her neck, and then he worked lower.