Read Just Beyond Tomorrow Online
Authors: Bertrice Small
Just Beyond Tomorrow (28 page)
“Well, now that the introductions are over,” Patrick Leslie said, realizing that his wife's family was just slightly uncomfortable, “let us seat ourselves at the high board and wait for the meal to be served. Ye're surely hungry after yer ride. The spring is still nae quite wi' us, although I hae felt a slight warmth in the air these past few days. I'm glad for the longer days. The dark months are hard.” He brought his brothers-in-law to the table.
“When are ye going to tell him?” Una whispered to Flanna.
“Let me do it when we are alone tonight,” Flanna said. “I think such news, especially delivered to a man for the first time, should be told in private.”
Una chuckled. “Ye just want to couple wi' him before he knows,” she said. “Ye like the bedsport, eh?”
“I do!”
Flanna admitted.
Flanna admitted.
“Then, ye're a fortunate lass to hae a husband who is skilled wi' his weapon, for there are many who are nae.”
“Wi' all the bairns at Killiecairn, I would guess 'tis nae a complaint the Brodie wives are known to make,” Flanna returned pertly.
Una laughed aloud. “Nay, Flanna, it has always been their greatest talent, as yer own mam would hae attested. Do ye love him, or is it just the pleasures ye enjoy?”
“Nay, I believe that I love him, though he can be fearfully stubborn at times, Una. Still, so can I, so I would suspect we are both well matched in this marriage we made,” Flanna concluded.
“But ye'll tell him,” Una persisted.
“He'll come to the hall on the morrow wi' a great smile on his handsome face, I promise ye,” Flanna told her sister-in-law. “What ye said on the road today made a great deal of sense to me. I hae been so concerned wi' being like my predecessors that I forgot I am nae like them. Princesses, and sultan's wives! I am a plain Highland lass. My strength surely lies in making Patrick and the bairns I bear him happy. If there is more, it will come when it comes.”
Una nodded. “Ye hae set my heart at ease, Flanna,” she said.
“When my mam died, ye took me to raise. We hae nae always seen eye to eye in the past, and we may nae see eye to eye in the future, Una, but ye hae always been a good example to me. I am nae so foolish that I dinna realize it.” Then Flanna hugged Una Brodie, even as she asked her, “Do ye think 'tis a lad or a lass I'll bear?”
Chapter
13
13
H
e had taught her to mount him, and he loved it when she did. His big hands fondled her pretty breasts as she sat atop him, smiling. Buried deep inside her, his eyes closed, he allowed the pleasure to wash over him, filling him until he felt ready to explode with the pure enjoyment of it. He groaned as she tightened the muscles of her love sheath about his lance. “Ye'll kill me yet, wench,” he told her, his voice thick with emotion.
e had taught her to mount him, and he loved it when she did. His big hands fondled her pretty breasts as she sat atop him, smiling. Buried deep inside her, his eyes closed, he allowed the pleasure to wash over him, filling him until he felt ready to explode with the pure enjoyment of it. He groaned as she tightened the muscles of her love sheath about his lance. “Ye'll kill me yet, wench,” he told her, his voice thick with emotion.
“Ye like it,” she responded saucily, and she laughed.
“So do ye,” he shot back. Then he turned her swiftly onto her back so that it was now he who was dominant. His green-gold eyes glittered dangerously as he took her mouth in a burning kiss that sent her senses reeling with confusion. “Such a naughty vixen ye are, Flanna Leslie,” he said, moving deliberately on her now.
The rhythmic stroking of his manhood began to have the desired effect. She moaned a sound of distinct delight. “Oh, God, Patrick, that is
so
good. Dinna stop! Dinna ever stop!”
so
good. Dinna stop! Dinna ever stop!”
He laughed aloud. From the very first moment they had come together as man and wife, she had relished it. There had never been any doubt in his mind once he had taken her that first time that she was a virgin. He was the only man who had ever had her, but Flanna was a woman who naturally enjoyed her bedsport. He hadn't ever had to coax her. Once introduced to passion's pleasures, she had embraced them eagerly. And she still did.
But so did he.
He knew that no other woman would ever again satisfy him the way his beautiful wife did. And he would kill any man who even looked at her askance. His love for Flanna was totally irrational as he had discovered when he had found her with the young king. He couldn't ever recall having been so murderously angry in his entire life, but he knew enough to conceal it in the royal presence,
after he had sheathed his sword.
But so did he.
He knew that no other woman would ever again satisfy him the way his beautiful wife did. And he would kill any man who even looked at her askance. His love for Flanna was totally irrational as he had discovered when he had found her with the young king. He couldn't ever recall having been so murderously angry in his entire life, but he knew enough to conceal it in the royal presence,
after he had sheathed his sword.
Flanna writhed beneath her husband as her enjoyment rose and rose to fill her entire being. “Aye!” she sobbed. “Aye! Aye!”
He felt her beginning to reach her peak, and with a gasp of relief, he released his own lust into her welcoming body and then fell away from her as the satisfaction overwhelmed them both
Finally they came to themselves, and he drew her into his arms again. “I missed ye when ye were gone from me. I dinna like it when ye are gone from me, Flanna. Glenkirk is too empty.”
“Wi' Charlie's bairns running about?” she teased him.
“They will be gone from us one day,” he said.
“But we will hae our own bairns by then,” she told him.
He sighed deeply.
“In
August,”
she told him. “Ten months after our wedding, which should even be soon enough for my family, God help us!”
August,”
she told him. “Ten months after our wedding, which should even be soon enough for my family, God help us!”
His arms tightened about her. “Ye're having a bairn?”
“Aye,” she said.
“Why didna ye tell me sooner?” he demanded, sitting up and looking down at her. His gaze swept over her naked form. Her breasts had, indeed, grown lusher, and was that not a faint rounding of her belly?
“I dinna tell ye because I was nae certain at first. I hae never had a bairn, Patrick. My da saw it, and Una confirmed it for me. 'Tis she who hae convinced me nae to raise a levy for the king, but to hae yer bairns and be a good wife to ye,” Flanna told him honestly.
“Ye went to Killiecairn to raise a levy?” His tone was angry.
“I went to Killiecairn to be wi' my dying sire,” she responded. “But, aye, after we buried him, I tried to arouse my kin to arms, and I intended going to Huntley next to speak wi' the Gordons, for they are my kin through my mother's family. The Brodies mocked me, and my brothers threatened me for endangering my marriage to a good man.”
His look was now stony. “Yer brothers hae more sense than ye do,” he said angrily.
“I gave my word to the king, and now I must plead my belly in order to break it,” Flanna said, her tone suddenly cold.
“Do ye really believe the king thought ye could raise a regiment for him?” Patrick asked her scornfully.
“Whether he did or nae,” Flanna responded, “he made me believe I could. Ye all tell me that he has charm, and that is surely so. Yer view of the king is skewed by yer mother and the fact that yer da died at Dunbar. I know only the man I met in Perth. A trifler of hearts, perhaps, but an anointed king nonetheless. Mayhap I hae stars in my eyes, Patrick, but it hae never been said of Flanna Leslie that she was a fool. I am told I am naïve, and maybe I am, if 'tis naïve to believe in yer king.”
“Whose bairn is this that ye carry?”
he demanded furiously of her.
he demanded furiously of her.
“What?”
She had surely not heard him right.
She had surely not heard him right.
“Do ye carry my bairn or the king's, Flanna? The question is plain and requires but a plain answer,” her told her harshly.
“ 'Tis yer bairn, of course,” she promptly answered him. “Why would ye even consider that I would dishonor myself, or ye, by wanton behavior?”
“I found ye alone wi' the king, did I nae?” he replied.
“If ye had found yer sisters alone wi' him, would ye hae asked such a question of them, Patrick?” Her anger was becoming dangerous.
“I know my sisters,” he answered her icily.
“Get out!”
she told him.
she told him.
“What?”
“Get out of my bedchamber!” she shouted at him. “I dinna want ye here!” And she hit him a blow on his shoulder.
“Get out!”
“Get out!”
He caught her hands in his and held them fast. “Breeding women are nae supposed to distress themselves, Flanna,” he told her.
“Why do ye care?” she shrieked. “Ye dinna think the bairn is yers! Do ye know how much I hate ye at this verra minute, Patrick? I will nae forgie ye for this insult! How can I! Ye think me a wanton to sport wi' another man, and ye say ye dinna know me enough to believe me when I tell ye it isna so!” She pulled herself from his grip as she leapt from her bed.
“Get out!”
she repeated a third time.
“Get out!”
she repeated a third time.
“Ye're being irrational, Flanna,” he told her, rising from the tangle of the bedclothes.
“I'm irrational, naïve, and a wanton. Are there any other insults ye care to hurl at me tonight, my lord?” she queried him caustically.
“If ye endanger this bairn wi' yer bad temper,” he began, but she stopped him, raising her hand as she did so.
“Ye doubt the bairn's paternity, Patrick, or perhaps ye dinna now. Why?
Ye dinna know me.
I am but the lass ye wed to gain a piece of land. But when the bairn is born, and ye look into its wee face, and ye see yerself, will ye believe me then? But if it favors me, will ye still harbor yer wicked doubts? The king may be a seducer of naïve lasses, but he did nae seduce me. The bairn I carry is yer bairn, Patrick Leslie. This is the truth of the matter. The Brodies of Killiecairn hae nae the wealth or the prestige of the Leslies of Glenkirk, but we are honorable people. Now, please leave me.”
Ye dinna know me.
I am but the lass ye wed to gain a piece of land. But when the bairn is born, and ye look into its wee face, and ye see yerself, will ye believe me then? But if it favors me, will ye still harbor yer wicked doubts? The king may be a seducer of naïve lasses, but he did nae seduce me. The bairn I carry is yer bairn, Patrick Leslie. This is the truth of the matter. The Brodies of Killiecairn hae nae the wealth or the prestige of the Leslies of Glenkirk, but we are honorable people. Now, please leave me.”
She drew herself up to her full height, and despite her nakedness, he was reminded of the lass he had first met that autumn day at Brae. He straightened himself up and, as naked as she, bowed formally before turning about to go through the hidden door that separated their bedchambers. As the door clicked shut behind him, Patrick Leslie knew he was a great fool. He was jealous. That was the plain truth of the matter. She spoke of King Charles as if he were her hero. Patrick Leslie was jealous to hear his wife speak of another man in such tones, but it surely did not give him the right to question her fidelity to him.
She was breeding with his child!
He was suddenly very excited by the knowledge. His son! By summer's end he would hold his heir in his arms. How pleased his mother would be.
His mother!
In the months since he had met and wed his wife, he hadn't even thought to write to his mother. But even if he did, would a letter manage to get through to her in France? He wasn't certain what he should do. He pulled a nightshirt from the chest at the foot of his bed, and drawing it over his long body, he climbed into his own bed, falling into a troubled sleep.
He was suddenly very excited by the knowledge. His son! By summer's end he would hold his heir in his arms. How pleased his mother would be.
His mother!
In the months since he had met and wed his wife, he hadn't even thought to write to his mother. But even if he did, would a letter manage to get through to her in France? He wasn't certain what he should do. He pulled a nightshirt from the chest at the foot of his bed, and drawing it over his long body, he climbed into his own bed, falling into a troubled sleep.
When he arrived in the hall the next morning, he found his brothers-in-law and his sister-in-law with Flanna. They congratulated him, clapping him on the back and raising their tankards of ale in a toast to the next heir of Glenkirk. They grinned broadly with pleasure that their sister had done her duty in so timely a manner.
“I thought ye would nae mind, my lord, if I shared our happy news wi' my brothers,” Flanna said sweetly, but her silver eyes were cold.
“Flanna pleases me right well,” Patrick said to the Brodies. “Yer da, God rest him, did us both a good turn the day he said that I must wed yer sister to gain Brae.”
Her brothers guffawed, reassured, but Una murmured to Flanna,
“What hae he done?”
“What hae he done?”
“He questioned the bairn's lineage,” Flanna murmured back softly. “He asked me if it was the king's.”
Una paled.
“How could he?”
she gasped.
“How could he?”
she gasped.
“He asked it because he is a jealous fool,” Flanna told her sister-in-law. “I was wi' the king, alone, when he arrived in Perth. I hae now learned the folly of keeping secrets, Una. If I hae told him when I first considered myself wi' bairn, this would nae hae happened. But I really wasna sure myself, and I dinna want to disappoint him.” She sighed. “Dinna tell my brothers. They will be furious, and I want nae feuding between the Leslies and the Brodies. Patrick knows now he was wrong, but I will punish him so he never mistrusts me again.”
“What do ye mean to do?” Una asked, her look a worried one.
“I'll nae tell ye. Yer heart is too soft, Una, and if I am to teach my husband a lesson, then what I do must be between us.” She chuckled. “I'm taking a path set out by another duchess. Nay, I am in error. She was a Countess of Glenkirk, and her man was just as difficult. She brought him to heel just as I will bring my Patrick to heel.”
“Ye're sure ye will nae drive a wedge between ye and yer husband?” Una fretted.
“Nay, I willna. Promise ye will keep my secret, Una?” Flanna's silvery eyes were dancing with such sudden amusement that Una was reassured.
“Verra well, lassie, but dinna break the man's spirit,” she chuckled. “I like him, Flanna. He's a good man.”
“I love him, and aye, he is a good man,” Flanna agreed.
The Brodies departed Glenkirk Castle at midday for Killiecairn. The duke had asked them to remain longer, but Aulay believed, with his father dead, the new laird would be needed to restore clan confidence.
Patrick reluctantly agreed. “Tell yer people that I will finance their venture in exchange for certain considerations. Hae the leader of the group come to see me as soon as he can. If they are going to go this year, they must depart soon. They'll hae to find land and build themselves shelter before the winter comes. 'Twill take them several weeks to cross the sea to the New World. As ye know, my second sister lives in Mary's Land wi' her husband. I hear, however, that the lands to the south of them are ripe for settling.”
“Thank ye!” Aulay Brodie said, clasping his brother-in-law's hand in friendship. “I appreciate yer help, my lord.”
Patrick nodded, then stood with his wife at his side as the Brodies of Killiecairn departed the courtyard at Glenkirk Castle. When they had disappeared across the drawbridge, Flanna shook his arm from about her shoulders and walked away from him back into the castle. That night he found the door between them locked. Gritting his teeth, he climbed into his empty bed. He would let her sulk for a time. She would surely come to her senses shortly.
What she needed to do, she knew she couldn't do without help. But who would she trust with her plan? Angus? Or would he think her silly and refuse to help her. Aggie? Or perhaps Ian More, who had shown an interest in Aggie of late? Flanna knew she must consider very carefully before revealing her plan, and then the solution came to her. She would not hide from Patrick at all as his grandmother had hidden from his grandfather long ago in some equally ridiculous dispute. But, instead, she would leave Glenkirk Castle with his permission. He could not refuse her, for he had given her his word in the matter. Flanna called for her horse, but the servant returned saying Angus had forbidden it.
Flanna sought out her uncle. “Why hae ye told the servants that I canna hae my horse?” she asked him irritably.
“The duke, yer husband, doesna wish for ye to ride now that ye are wi' bairn,” Angus answered her. His blue eyes were dancing with his amusement, for he knew this order would not sit well with his niece. To his great surprise, however, Flanna didn't burst into a tirade. Instead, she smiled and sighed deeply.
“How verra like a man, uncle. Was my father as overprotective of my mam when she carried me in her belly?”
“Nay, he wasna but then he hae already fathered six sons,” Angus answered her. “Yer husband is naturally fearful that ye will miscarry of the bairn.”
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