Highland Lover (26 page)

color was good and that the fear she had spoken of had not invaded her dreams. Gregor could

remember very clearly what she had said concerning that fear, and it still moved him. She saw what

they shared as beautiful and claimed it was precious to her. That had to mean that she more than just desired him. Now that he knew how he felt about her, he needed to know that she returned his love.

Having her love him was no longer just a good thing; it was a necessity.

And if she did love him, that love would be sorely tested in the next few days. He would probably

have to leave her in Fiona’s care while he went to speak to Mavis and her father and he would not

be able to tell her why he was leaving her alone so quickly after reaching Scarglas. There were also

his two bastard sons waiting for him at home. That was something he should have mentioned, and

could have, but he had been so concerned about keeping Alana yet not committing himself to her

until he was free that he had never given a thought to mentioning his children. It was too late to do so now, for he had no time to softly, subtly prepare her for such news or say the words that could

ease her concerns over his lecherous past.

Well, he would deal with it all when he got there, he decided. Since she would need to rest, Alana

would not be able to run off. That would give him time to deal with the Kerrs and then woo Alana

with all the words he had been keeping inside him for so long. It was a tangle he could easily drive

himself mad thinking about, so he would deal with it all as it happened and hope that Alana loved

and needed him at her side enough to be forgiving.

Alana winced as the horse moved a little faster and jarred her more in the saddle. The way Gregor

held her eased some of the discomfort, but after hours of riding, there was not much that could help

except a nice soft bed. Sleeping for several hours had been a blessing and renewed her strength a

little, but now she ached so badly she knew she could not seek that respite again. They had stopped

a few times so that she could stretch her aching legs, but that had only made getting back on the

horse harder each time. Now she just wanted to get to Scarglas and go lie down.

“Scarglas is just on the other side of those trees,” Gregor said.

“Oh, how wonderful,” she murmured.

“I would be verra pleased and flattered if I actually thought ye were speaking just of seeing my

home, but I ken ye are thinking of a soft bed.”

She laughed. “Aye, and a long hot bath.”

“And ye shall have both as quickly as I can get them for ye.”

“That will be pure bliss.”

“Ye havenae noticed any new pains, have ye?”

“Nay, just the ones I started out with. I think I am safe from any complications. I am exactly as we

thought I was—bruised and scraped and nay more.”

Gregor nodded as he reined in the horse. “There is Scarglas.”

Alana stared at the dark, forbidding fortress ahead of them. Even if she had not heard Gregor’s tales of the troubled years now thankfully in the past, she would have known that the men of Scarglas

were men of war, willingly or not. It was buit for defense. Even the approach to the place was

littered with ways to hold back an enemy.

“’Tisnae a verra pretty place,” he murmured as he nudged the horse into a gentle trot.

“Nay, but it was safe, wasnae it,” she said.

“Aye, it was. And although my brother Ewan has defeated or wooed most of our enemies, we will

keep it like this. The future could hold troubles that cannae be fought successfully or ended with a

treaty.”

“After all ye have told me about how it used to be, I suspicion none of ye will e’er grow lax in

making sure your home can be defended against all comers.”

“Nay, ’tis a lesson one ne’er forgets.”

“That isnae such a bad thing, Gregor,” she said quietly.

“Nay, mayhap it isnae.” He certainly liked knowing that she would be safe behind those dark walls.

Before Alana could think of any questions to ask about the people she was about to meet, they were

riding into a very crowded inner bailey. Gregor was quickly surrounded by a horde of dark,

handsome men all asking questions at the same time. It was clear to see that most of them were his

brothers and she had to marvel at his father’s virility. It was also a little unsettling to be surrounded by so many men who bore such a striking resemblance to Gregor.

When he helped her down from the horse and introduced her, the sudden silence was even more

unsettling. The crowd of MacFingals began to slowly thin out, one after another of the men slipping

away. A quick glance at Gregor revealed him frowning, looking as puzzled and suspicious as she

felt. Since none of these men knew her, Alana could not believe she was the cause of the silent

retreat.

Gregor watched all of his brothers slip away muttering a few welcomes to Alana and saying they

would see him in the great hall later. Something was amiss, but it was obvious none of them wanted

to tell him what. Everything had been as chaotic as normal until he had introduced Alana. For a

moment they had all stared at him as if they recognized something in the way he said her name and

held her close to his side, and then the retreat had begun. It made no sense and he knew he would

get no answers from them, even if he chased after them.

“Do ye need me to carry ye inside, lass?” he asked, turning his attention to Alana.

“Nay,” she replied. “I can make it on my own. Weel, on my own with your help.”

“Then let us go and see if we can find out what has made my brothers all flee us as if we carry the

plague.”

She laughed and leaned against him as he helped her into the keep. Once inside, some of the dark,

forbidding air of Scarglas faded. Alana suspected Fiona had been busy softening the hard edges of

what had been nearly an all-male household. There was light, tapestries, and cushions upon the

chairs flanking the alms table.

As if her thoughts of the woman were a command, Fiona strode out of the great hall and gaped at

Gregor. She then turned her gaze on Alana. Although she smiled in greeting, there was a wariness

in her expression that made Alana nervous. Something was indeed going on at Scarglas, and even

though she could think of no reason why, she seemed to be part of the trouble. Alana wondered if

her brothers had come here looking for her and offended everyone.

“Ye remember Alana Murray, dinnae ye, Fiona?” Gregor asked.

“Aye, although it has been years since we have seen each other.”

Before anything else could be said, a plump, pretty young woman hurried out of the great hall.

Realizing the way she was tucked under Gregor’s arm and held close by his side, Alana carefully

stepped away from him. She frowned up at him when she noticed that he was standing very still, his

body had tensed, and he was gaping at the woman who had just come out of the great hall.

Before she could ask Gregor anything, a burly man with gray hair and a scowl on his face came out

and stood next to the young woman. “’Tis past time ye wandered home, lad,” he snapped. “We

heard ye had disappeared near a fortnight ago and have been waiting here to find out what happened

to ye for a sennight now. Naturally, as your betrothed wife, Mavis felt it was her duty to be here,

waiting with your family to find out if ye were alive or dead.”

Out of all the man said, only one word truly concerned Alana. It struck her like a dagger to the heart.

She was so shocked, so hurt, she barely flinched when the young woman flung herself into Gregor’s

arms. Alana fleetingly thought that this was a very poor way to find out that she had been an utter

fool. She looked at Gregor and fixed her mind on that one word, needing him to immediately accept

or deny the title.

Chapter 16

“Betrothed?”

It was not only astonishment over how much fury could be contained in that one word that caused

Gregor to look over Mavis’s head and meet Alana’s gaze. He wanted to ease what must appear to

be a gross betrayal with a look or a few words. With Mavis clinging to him it was impossible to say

anything, however. The way Alana was looking at him, as if he was lower than a worm, told him

she was in no mood to listen to him anyway.

And why was Mavis even here? he thought. He had issued no invitation. Gregor was certain he had

made it clear that he would return to her once he had spoken to his family. He had been most

careful not to make any unbreakable promises. There had been no papers signed, no betrothal

ceremony, and no proposal made. Expectations had been raised, he could not deny that, but

although there might be some hard feelings stirred over his not meeting those expectations, he had

thought he could back away from them with quiet dignity.

Now he stood with a woman in his arms he did not want, while the one he wanted looked as if she

would welcome a chance to gut him. Worse, he could not humiliate Mavis by loudly disputing her

claim to him. Expectations might not be promises, but since he had been the one to raise them with

his courtship and talks with her father, he owed Mavis a gentle, private explanation for why matters

between them had changed.

“When we didnae hear from ye for so verra long, we were most concerned,” said Mavis as she

stepped back a little.

Gregor opened his mouth to speak only to realize that he did not know what to say. His family and

Mavis’s father were beginning to look at him with suspicion. He looked helplessly at Fiona. She

glared at him but, to his great relief, quickly moved to Alana’s side.

“Come with me, Mistress Murray,” said Fiona as she hooked her arm through Alana’s. “Ye must be

sorely tired. I suspicion ye would like a bath as weel, aye?”

“Aye,” replied Alana, allowing Fiona to lead her away.

Alana felt dazed and a little numb. The fury that had swept over Alana when that woman had

greeted Gregor so lovingly and laid claim to him had slowly left her. When it did, it seemed to have

taken every other emotion with it, leaving only a stunned realization that she had been the greatest

of fools. Gregor belonged to someone else and could never be hers. She hoped she stayed numb, for

she feared there was a searing pain lurking beneath that chill.

Fiona shaking her slightly brought Alana to her senses, and she realized they were inside a

bedchamber. “Oh. ’Tis a verra fine room.”

“Satan’s teeth, Alana, ye act as though ye have been knocked on the head.”

“Oh, ye just called me Alana, nay Mistress Murray. So, ye remember me now?”

“I remembered ye before.” Fiona shrugged. “I just thought it suited the moment to be more formal.”

“Ah, I suppose it did.” Increasingly aware of how her body ached, Alana moved to the bed and sat

down, letting Charlemagne out of the sack so that he could explore their new home.

“Why are ye limping?” asked Fiona as she moved to scratch the cat’s ears.

“Weel, there was a wee confrontation with some thieves and I had a fall. ’Tis but a wide collection

of bruises and scrapes.”

“Let me be the judge of that.”

Before Alana could protest, Fiona was unlacing her clothes and demanding the full story about the

thieves. Eager to keep her mind off Gregor’s betrayal, Alana complied. It was not until she was

bathed, dressed in a clean shift, and all her little wounds salved that she began to suspect Fiona had skillfully aided her in keeping her mind occupied. By the look upon Fiona’s face, however, that

reprieve was over. With a heavy sigh, Alana sat on a stool before the fireplace.

“I think that tale about the thieves is but one of many ye have to tell,” Fiona said as she began to

gently brush the snarls from Alana’s wet hair. “How long have ye and Gregor been together?”

“Too long, and yet he ne’er mentioned he was betrothed.” Alana inwardly cursed, for even she

could hear the hurt and anger behind her words. She did not need the knowing look upon Fiona’s

face to tell her she had given herself away. “It matters not. I will join Keira as soon as possible

and—”

“Ye are going nowhere until those bruises fade a wee bit. Just because ye were fortunate enough to

nay break any bones doesnae mean ye are hale enough to ride off again.”

“I rode here—” Alana began.

“As ye had to, although a litter would have been much wiser. Your body took a beating. Ye need to

let it rest.”

“If I go to Keira, she can help and I can rest once I reach her keep.”

“And I will be verra fortunate if she doesnae come right here to give me the sharp edge of her

tongue for letting ye leave your bed and bounce about on the back of a horse. Ye had to do so to get

here, but ye dinnae have to do so to then travel to her side.”

“I could ride in a cart.”

Fiona crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at Alana. “Nay. I assume ye have learned all that

has happened concerning Keira, so ye must ken that she has work aplenty to do without ye adding

to it. Now, as I finish brushing dry your hair, ye can tell me what ye and Gregor have been doing

these last few weeks and why ye both looked so wretchedly unhappy to see Mavis.”

“He was embracing her,” Alana muttered. “He couldnae be that unhappy.”

“Tell me what has happened to you and I shall tell ye anything ye may wish to hear about Keira.”

Alana thought about refusing again and then decided it would be useless. Fiona was determined and,

from what she could recall of the woman, a determined Fiona was a mighty force to be reckoned