The Bride

  “Aye, it surely was,” Jamie agreed.

  “Gavin, go and order a bath for Jamie. Then return to the hill and begin questioning the servants. Surely one of them will have a few important answers for us.”

  Alec carried Jamie behind the screen and gently placed her on his bed.

  “After your bath, you’ll stay in bed the rest of the day,” he ordered.

  “Why?”

  “Why, Jamie? Because you need to recover,” Alec explained.

  “I’ve already recovered,” Jamie argued.

  Alec had to shake his head over her attitude. “You should be weeping now, lass, not smiling so sweetly up at me. Don’t you know how soft you are?”

  “I must stay in bed because I’m . . . soft? Alec, that doesn’t make a bit of sense.”

  She sat there on the side of the bed, her face streaked with dirt, her hair tangled, her soot-marred hands folded demurely in her lap; she sat there looking absolutely beautiful to him. The servants marched in with buckets of water. Jamie gave each one a cheerful greeting. She not only remembered their names but also the names of their husbands and children. Alec was impressed. Her memory was really quite remarkable. When she asked each woman about her kin, she was letting her know how much she valued her.

  The women, he noticed, gave Jamie just as much affection in their greetings.

  Why, even dour-faced old Hessie, the main cook, was smiling at her mistress. “Will you be up to directing the men with the . . . kitchen work?” she asked, after giving her laird a timid look.

  Jamie held her smile. “He noticed the hole, Hessie,” she whispered. “And I have no intention of putting off the work. I’ll—”

  “I’ll take over that duty,” Alec announced.

  “You will?”

  She looked extremely pleased with him. He wondered then if that wasn’t her goal all the while. “Angus can direct the soldiers,” Alec stated, “after I’ve explained what I want done.” He’d stressed the word “I” in his announcement, but he could tell by Jamie’s smile that she still thought she was getting her own way. “The hole will be boarded up until the hall is finished.”

  “Hall? I don’t understand,” Jamie confessed.

  “I don’t want the kitchen directly attached,” Alec countered. “The smoke from the cooking will fill the hall by noon. We’ll make a covered hallway to connect the two buildings. Does that satisfy you?”

  He guessed it didn’t satisfy her when she gave him a suspicious look. “How long will this hallway be?”

  “Not long,” he heard himself promise.

  She nodded, pleased now. “There, Hessie,” she announced. “I told you Alec would see the rightness in this change.” She noticed her husband’s frown and hurried to add, “All of his clan is important to him.” She turned back to Alec and added, “I’ve told Hessie that your soldiers and your servants deserve equal status in your mind.”

  He did surprise her then. “That is true,” he said. “You needn’t have told Hessie.” he added with a nod toward the servant. “She understands her value.”

  The servant immediately straightened her shoulders with pride. Then she bowed to her laird and hurried to leave.

  “Have your bath now, wife, before the wind turns your water to ice,” he announced.

  Alec had kept his smile firmly in place, yet when he was again on the other side of the screen, he quit his pretense. He started pacing in front of the hearth while he tried to reason through this atrocity. Someone had actually tried to kill his precious Jamie. If he hadn’t gotten there in time . . . If he’d stayed inside the stables just a few minutes more . . .

  “Alec? No one saw a damn thing.”

  Alec stopped pacing when Gavin called out to him. “Lower your voice,” he ordered. “I don’t want Jamie overhearing any of this talk.”

  “She’s already overhearing,” Jamie called out from behind the screen.

  Alec let his exasperation show, then beckoned Gavin closer. “Jamie, don’t listen,” he called out.

  “I can’t help listening,” she called back. “Have you noticed. Alec, the horrible lack of privacy? I asked Father Murdock if he thought I could move our things up to one of the bedrooms above the stairs, husband. Did he mention that request to you yet?”

  “You should have asked me.”

  “You were busy,” she shouted.

  “She sure as hell doesn’t sound as if she just went through a fire, does she, Gavin?”

  “She’s a lot stronger than we think she is,” he told his lord quietly. “Father Murdock might be right, after all.” Gavin had kept his voice low so his mistress wouldn’t overhear him. His bid to exclude her didn’t work, however.

  “Of course Father Murdock is right, Gavin,” Jamie sang out. “He’s a man of God, if you’ll remember.”

  “Jamie!”

  “Alec, I’ll close my ears to your conversation just as soon as you give me your answer. Surely you can see the wisdom in my request. We could be moved upstairs before—”

  “We?”

  “What? Well, yes, of course,” she called out.

  Alec grinned. She hadn’t meant to move upstairs by herself after all. He told himself he never actually believed she’d entertained such a vile thought of having her own quarters. Still, she hadn’t properly explained her plan, either.

  “We’ll move upstairs tomorrow,” he called out.

  “Thank you, Alec.”

  “A wife doesn’t thank her husband. Now, have your bath without interrupting me again.”

  Alec had made his tone as harsh as he could manage. Jamie’s laughter indicated it hadn’t been harsh enough, however. His shoulders slumped with disappointment. “Tell me what you learned,” he ordered Gavin as he leaned back against the mantel.

  “Henry had a long conversation with Jamie, then went back to his duties. As you know, our blacksmith’s hearing is anything but sound. He said he was bent over his worktable and didn’t notice anyone coming or going. I questioned all the others, Alec.”

  “And . . . ?”

  Gavin shook his head. “They’d gone for their nooning meal.”

  “Someone must have seen—”

  “Alec, the hill was all but deserted,” Gavin interrupted. “Why don’t you want to tell Jamie?”

  “I don’t want her to worry,” Alec admitted.

  “She needs to be on her guard.”

  “No, we’ll be on our guard for her. Once we’ve found out who it was, then I’ll tell her. She isn’t going to be left alone again. When I can’t be by her side, either you or Marcus will be.”

  Gavin nodded. “I don’t want her frightened, either,” he whispered. “She has come to mean a great deal to me,” he admitted. “I cannot believe this treachery.”

  “It’s one of our own,” Alec stated. “And when I find him . . .”

  Jamie’s voice reached the men then. She was singing to herself while she had her bath, a rather bawdy English ballad it was, which drew smiles and raised eyebrows from her appreciative audience. “She acts as though nothing out of the ordinary has taken place,” Alec remarked, shaking his head over that odd fact.

  “I understand why she wants her bedroom upstairs,” Gavin said. “’Tis the truth, milord, you can hear every little sound.”

  Alec nodded. “Keep everyone outside the hall,” he ordered. He moved away from the hearth.

  “Where are you going, Alec?”

  “To bed.”

  “To bed?” Gavin repeated, looking incredulous. “It isn’t even noon yet.”

  Alec turned around and gave his second-in-command a most exasperated look.

  “See that I’m not disturbed,” Alec stated.

  Gavin finally understood. The soldier grinned as he walked toward the entrance. His intent was to stand guard in front of the double doors. “Have a fair rest, Alec,” he called out, the laughter in his voice quite obvious.

  Jamie had finished her bath and had just stood up in the tub when Alec came strolling aro
und the screen. As soon as she saw him, she let out a loud gasp and sat back down. She tried to cover her breasts by bringing her knees up and leaning forward.

  “I don’t have any clothes on,” she informed him, stating the obvious.

  He never paused in his stride. Jamie suddenly found herself hauled up against his chest. He turned with her in his arms. Before she could even think to ask him what in heaven’s name he was doing, he had her flat on the bed. She didn’t have time to blush. Alec trapped her hands above her head and covered her with his body.

  He didn’t kiss her but seemed content to grin down at her with that rascal’s look on his face.

  Her breasts were warmed by his bare chest, her thighs heated by his own heavy ones, and she couldn’t seem to stop rubbing her toes against his bare legs.

  He’d taken his boots off. That thought registered in her befuddled mind just as the realization he might want to make love to her hit. “Alec, are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

  “You’re wearing my plaid now,” he countered. “That’s what I’m thinking.”

  “I’m not wearing anything,” she whispered.

  “Aye, you are. Your back is covered by the plaid blanket and I’m covering your front with my plaid. Yes, you’re wearing my plaid all right.”

  She couldn’t fault that reasoning. “Is this how you think to get me to rest, husband?” she asked, a teasing lilt in her voice.

  He nodded. Her disappointment couldn’t have been more obvious.

  “You will rest,” he told her.

  “I’m not at all tired.”

  “You will be.” He nudged her legs apart and settled himself between her thighs. “You’ll be very tired when I’ve finished with you. I promise.”

  He was looking a little too arrogant, to her way of thinking. She pulled her hands away from his easy grip and put them around his neck. “You’ll be just as tired, husband, when I’ve finished with you. I promise.”

  He might have managed a smile, but the passion in her was already affecting him. Her eyes had turned a deep violet. Her legs were moving restlessly against him. When she moved so she could keep him pressed more intimately against her, he let out a low growl of desire.

  He nibbled at her lips, just to make her frustrated, then slowly drew her full lower lip inside his mouth. She sighed, telling him without words how much she liked what he was doing to her. His hands moved to cup the sides of her face to keep her just where he wanted her while he took his sweet time ravishing her. He was going to make slow love to her, no matter how much she provoked him.

  Her lips were so soft, so pliant, and when his tongue finally sank deep inside her warm mouth, she started to make those sexy little whimpers in the back of her throat. He stroked, plundered, gave, and took, until Jamie was pulling on his hair with her demand for more.

  The sounds she gave him made him forget his good intentions. The sleek thrusts of his tongue made her bolder. He placed wet, hot kisses along her neck, drawing shivers from her. She caressed his shoulders, his back, his buttocks, drawing tremors from him.

  They both took his clothes off. Then Jamie pushed him onto his back and stretched out on top of him. He trapped her legs between his own as soon as she started rubbing against him. She leaned up on her elbows, shivering again when she saw the hot look of desire in his eyes. “I want to touch you the way you touch me,” she whispered. “Please, Alec? Your body belongs to me as much as my body belongs to you, doesn’t it?”

  He was in wholehearted agreement. Yet he couldn’t find his voice to tell her she was right, his body did belong to her. She must have decided she had his permission, however, for she got a most mischievous look in her eyes.

  He understood her intent when she lowered her head and began to rain hot kisses down his chest. He made a hissing sound when her tongue circled his right nipple. Her fingers were magical, scorching. And her mouth . . . dear God, her mouth made him forget to breathe. She kept edging down, lower, lower still, until she had reached the object of her quest. She bit the inside of his thigh when he tried to stop her. His hands fell to his sides then in total, blissful surrender.

  She was awkward at first, but her enthusiasm made her innocence all the more arousing. And when she finally took him into her mouth, Alec closed his eyes and let her fire consume him. It was agony. It was heaven. Only when he knew he was about to spill his seed did he finally take control of her. He knew he wasn’t being very gentle. Yet his need to fill her completely, to try to give her fulfillment before he found his own made him all the rougher.

  She didn’t seem to mind. In truth, she was as rough as he was in her own demands. Her nails dug into his backside, and she arched up against him so forcefully that he was fully imbedded inside her before they’d rolled all the way over. They lay on their sides facing each other, each watching the passion in the other’s gaze. Their breathing was shallow, their skin slick with sweat. The wonderful scent of their lovemaking filled the air between them.

  “I love the taste of you,” she whispered. “Did you like—”

  “Oh, God, yes, I liked . . .” He let out a low groan when she draped her leg over his hip. “Don’t move, not just . . . don’t . . .”

  She wanted to tell him she was trying not to move, but it felt so incredibly good when she did move that she couldn’t seem to stop herself. His hand moved down between their joined bodies, and he touched her just where her body needed his touch so desperately.

  They both started moving together then. Their mating was wild, primitive, overwhelming.

  And filled with love.

  Alec didn’t have the strength to wait any longer. He felt her tighten around him, felt the first spasms of her surrender, and immediately poured his seed into her.

  It took him a long while before he could move. Then he rolled onto his back again, keeping her against him.

  He sure as hell hoped he hadn’t just killed her with his passion. He smiled over that rather arrogant notion, admitting to himself that his lusty wife had very nearly killed him.

  He wanted to tell her how very pleased he was with her, wanted to hear her words of praise, too. No, he decided. He wanted more than that, more than pretty words of praise.

  It was high time the little woman realized just what her real duty was. He shouldn’t have to explain it to her, however. He wanted her to understand without being instructed.

  It was her duty to love him.

  The full realization of why he wanted her love hit him like a blow: he was already in love with her.

  How in God’s name had it happened? She was the most opinionated, ill-tempered, illogical, stubborn-to-the-bone woman he’d ever encountered. No one else would have her, he told himself. He smiled then, recognizing his own lie. Oh, they’d have her, all right, but she belonged to him.

  With a resigned sigh, Alec closed his eyes and gave Jamie a fierce hug. He could hear her ragged breathing still, could feel her heart pounding in rhythm with his own. Her passion belonged to him, too, he thought to himself.

  And his heart belonged to her. Alec let out a loud yawn. He guessed he was never going to get over this strange affliction.

  His gentle little wife needed her rest, he decided with another yawn. He would stay with her for just another minute or two, until he was certain she’d fallen asleep.

  It was his last thought before he started snoring.

  He knows now that someone tried to kill his wife. By nightfall everyone will have heard of the sin. She’ll be guarded well. He won’t want to take any chances with her safety.

  He doesn’t understand that she wasn’t meant to die yet. I’m much more cunning than he is, but I wish I could boast to someone of my prowess. I dare not, of course, and must therefore let them all believe they intervened in time. Oh, I knew she would be saved. The fire wouldn’t have gone undetected. I knew.

  It is his torment I want to see now, not his anguish. I’ll not finish the kill until tomorrow . . . perhaps even the day after if I
can control my greed.

  I can still hear his scream. He was calling her name. I think he has begun to love her. This lesson will be all the sweeter if he does. . ..

  I want to touch her when she’s dying.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jamie gave Gavin quite a start when she came up behind him and gently tapped him on his shoulder. He had not heard her approach. He whirled around to meet the challenge, then eased his stance when he saw it was his mistress standing before him. She was carrying a pair of shoes. He stared at them, feeling foolish, then admitted the obvious. “I never heard you approaching.”

  “I didn’t mean to startle you,” Jamie replied. “And do lower your voice, Gavin. Alec’s having a little nap.”

  “The Kincaid?”

  “Please, Gavin, don’t shout so,” Jamie said. “You needn’t look so incredulous, either. Alec is human, after all. He wouldn’t be sleeping so soundly if he didn’t need the rest, now, would he?”

  Gavin shook his head. He was trying desperately not to shout with laughter. The Kincaid hadn’t looked the least bit fatigued the last time he’d seen him. Of course, he had been on his way to bed, but Gavin knew he hadn’t planned on doing any sleeping.

  God, he couldn’t wait to bait him.

  Jamie took hold of Gavin’s arm to balance herself while she put her shoes on. “I believe I’ll ask Hessie to help me clean the bedroom upstairs now.” She let go of his arm, smoothed her skirts, and tried to walk around him.

  Gavin quickly moved to block her path. “I’ll send one of the men to get her for you,” he announced.

  “The walk will do me good.”

  “Save your strength for your chore,” Gavin advised.

  “All right, Gavin,” Jamie agreed, thinking to placate the soldier. He looked worried. She gave him a perplexed look. “Are you feeling well? You’re acting very strange, you are.”

  He let her put the back of her hand to his brow before he answered her. “I’m feeling quite well, Jamie. Now, why don’t you get started on your chore?”

  She gave him another long look before she turned and started up the steps. Gavin was right behind her. She didn’t make mention of that oddity until she reached the third door. Then she turned around to him again.