Kate Robbins - The Highland Chiefs Series (13 page)

Aileana trembled. She’d never been treated wi
th such disrespect in her life.

“Your judgment does not concern me. Only your conduct, and as much as I would like to believe you, I cannot.” James crossed his arms over his chest. “You claim you and Gawain were not lovers, yet you were crying the day I revealed your uncle’s letter. You admitted you expected him to be your husband and I later saw him in the garden, no doubt waiting for your signal to steal away for a tryst.”

“You saw Gawain in the garden? When?”

James shook his head. “Oh you play the game well, Lady. When I came to collect you. He watched you from the hedge. Do not try to tell me you did not know he was there.”

“I did not.” Was Gawain trying to capture her even then?

“And I don’t believe you. It is of little matter, however, as I will leave here on the morrow and gain the king’s blessing to break this contract. Without your uncle available to concede, it is the proper way to handle this situation. Once all the particulars are explained, I’m certain he will assist in wiping this blemish clean.”

That’s what she was, a blemish? She bowed her head. How much further abuse would he dish out this day? She didn’t deserve it. James MacIntosh may have all the power in this situation, but she was not about to lie down and take it. If no one else would stand up for her, she’d damn well stand up for herself. Aileana raised her head to meet his gaze.

“Oh the king will assist will he? Of course he will. You may give him my regards from my dead father while you’re at it. It appears that man will be forever responsible for my unhappiness.”

“What did you say?” James cupped her face with his strong hand.

“Nothing that matters to you, my lord.” She wrapped her small hands around his forearm to shove him off but he would not budge. She should be afraid; instead she wanted to drive a dagger in his gullet.

“You mentioned your father and I will hear your meaning. Now.”

“Surely you know of my father’s involv
ement with your precious king?”

“I confess I do not. Your father was a good friend to my family and I was told he died while travelling to London.”

“Of course that’s what you heard. Especially if the king had any part in the falsehood.”

“You border on treason with those words.”

“I care not for treason! I’ve lost a beloved parent to that man’s cause and I will not be silenced for it!”

His grip on her face tightened. “I don’t believe one word that falls from your lips. You have the gall to claim King James is responsible for your father’s death. Lady, you go too far.”

“I don’t care what you believe!” Aileana twisted enough to break free from his grasp. Her hands fisted at her sides and her chest heaved.

James’s eyes darted from her face to her bosom. “But you will care. Do not think for a second your crimes against me will go unpunished. I regret the feast tonight, but we will both suffer through it and I will leave here tomorrow for Linlithgow. It is unlikely you will see me again.”

He could go with her blessing. Aileana tilted her chin up. “You may go with my good riddance, but know that I am no liar. My father was sent to England for surety of King James’s ransom. How much was it again? 40,000 merks?” Now that she was out of his grasp, she couldn’t resist making her point. “It seems to me the palace at Linlithgow becomes more lavish by the second. Perhaps the king never intended for my father and the others who were sent away from their families to ever come home.”

“Enough! I’ll hear no more of th
ese villainous words from you.”

It was good to see him rattled for a change. “And as for the crimes against you? I have been the victim here. Twice. Yet by your account I am faithless and a treasonous liar. However do I manage it?”

“Do not mock me,” he warned.

He stepped toe to toe with her, so close their bodies almost touched. Her breath came in short gasps. Their faces were so close she could feel his breath as he fired his hateful words at her. Hers were no better, but at least they were the truth. He was so blinded by his devotion to his king,
he couldn’t see anything else.

She had never been so incensed by anyone in her life. She couldn’t fathom what her future held with him bearing down on her. She needed to get away from him and clear her head. As she turned to leav
e, James caught her by the arm.

“Where do you think you’re go
ing?” he asked.

“To see to the dinner preparations.”

James turned her to face him, holding her arms in his large, strong hands and stared into her eyes. “You’ll go nowhere without me this day.”

“I’ll go where I want, my lord, and with whom I choose. You can rest assured, it will not be with you.”

“Oh no? We’ll see about that. You’ll do what I want while I’m under this roof and responsible for you.”

He held her arms too tight. The distance between them had disappeared again and she could scarce draw breath.

“Tell me my lord. What do you want?” She dared ask.

James didn’t answer with words. His hand grasped the back of her head and drew her forward to capture her lips. This kiss was not like the first one. His mouth moved over hers with urgency, his tongue hungry for her response. She was frightened by the intensity of her own reaction when it came. A great surge moved through her body urging her towards him. Her hands moved up to curl around his neck as his hands moved to her waist to pull her in tight. She was lost in the liquid heat coursing through her veins as th
ey pressed against one another.

As the kiss deepened, her head swam. James carried her to the bench and pulled her onto his lap. His hand gripped her thigh. He traced the outline of her hip and slid his hand further up to rest on her full, round breast. She stiffened at this touch, but he did not break the kiss or his hold on her. He reached up to slip her gown off one shoulder, his fingertips traced her neck, collarbone and further down to the top of her breast.

She should stop him. That was the right course of action. She despised this man who made her feel like she would burst into flames at any moment. His mouth and hands sent thrills of sensation through her. He burned kisses all along the path his fingers explored and her head fell back a little as he tasted her neck. Oh God his mouth must be a cardinal sin. He reached the rosy pink bud jutting out from her breast and moved his tongue over it, encouraging its fullness. He took her nipple into his mouth and sucked hard, the sensation jolting through her was almost too much. She grew desperate for something she didn’t yet understand.

Her blood pounding, her breath in shallow pants, Aileana gripped his hair tighter as his hot mouth tortured her body. She could feel his hard muscles beneath her thighs and wanted him to tou
ch and taste every inch of her.

“James.” His given name was on her lips before she could correct herself.

He grasped her hips and turned her way from him. His fingers dug into her soft flesh as he pulled her backside toward his thighs. She pressed down against him, the hard length of his shaft pressing against her bottom. Only their clothing separated what she desired more than anything - he desired it too. The intense urgency raging through her was frightening and her whole body went rigid.

He stopped. “We must cease this madness.” His voice was strained.

His tortured words sobered her just enough and she jumped off him. Her body pounded with desire as she fixed her gown over her quivering flesh.

He stood abruptly and walked toward the door. She wanted to say something to him, but no words seemed fitting. Before she could think on it any further, he opened the door to reveal Father Addison with his fist raised about to knock.

Chapter Eleven

Aileana dashed to the door to greet Father Addison. His raised eyebrows told her he had some sense of what had transpired between her and James. Her cheeks heated and she clasped her hands together in front of her, not making eye contact with either man. It was awkward, cons
idering she stood between them.

“My dear, your aunt was worried you came in here to have heated words with his Lordship.”
Father Addison turned to James. “I assume, m’lord, because you were leaving, all has been resolved?”

Aileana peeked up to see James’s expression. She caught a light pink flush cross his features.

“All is well Father.” His voice was flat. Controlled. “Some heat passed between us, but we are discovering the limits of our discourse. I thank you for your concern.”

She was sure she sensed increased tension in his body, as if an invisible tether joined them and she would forever detect any change in him. If the fates were kind, a large hole would open up beneath her and swallow her up. She would not be so lucky, and despite the lack of sudden and immaculate interve
ntion, she forced a weak smile.

“Aye, we are quite well, Father. How are the preparations coming for this evening?”

Father Addison looked heavenward and smiled. “My child, everything is in order. Your delightful presence is all that is required.”

With that, she turned to James, but still could not meet his eyes. Instead, she fixed her gaze on the stubble on his chin. Her skin tingled at the memory of it scraping across her flesh moments ago.

“I won’t take up any more of your time, my lord, I must see to my guests.”

She bobbed a curtsy to him and left the solar. Once outside she tried to clear her muddled thoughts before anyone else could see her. She walked toward the great hall hoping no one noticed her shaking legs. Inside she trembled, sure she would come apart at the seams. Anger at the man’s heartlessness and her desire for him warred inside her. She prayed the result wouldn’t vanquish her in the process. As she turned the corner she encountered Andrews.

“M’lady, it is good to see you up and about.” His smile was tight and his gaze darted from her eyes to the floor and back again.

“Is it John?” She was irritated enough and didn’t have the patience for this.

“M’lady, considering last evening’s horrible event, I believe it is time I disclosed your uncle’s motives.”

“And you don’t think that’s a little late, and just a bit obvious?”

“Maybe so, but my duty to you and your uncle have altered. You should know everything.”

“Very well, please come into the dining hall. ’Tis unlikely we will be interrupted in there.”

Once seated by the stone hearth, John wrung his hands. It was strange, she was about to learn the information she had coveted just a day ago, yet she didn’t care anymore why Gawain had fallen out of favour with her uncle. It all seemed so irrelevant. Andrews would not reveal anything she couldn’t already suppose. Still, the man appeared shaken and if unburdening himself would give him peace, she would not deny him.

Andrews drew a deep breath. “I was present when your cousin first came to visit us many years ago. One day I witnessed his bath and noticed marks on his back that I couldn’t make sense of. I mentioned it to your uncle so he and Father Addison examined the boy closer and concluded someone had attempted purification on him.”

“Purification? You mean beating?” The thought of it was horrifying and while she knew some parents believed their children to possess evil spirits, she had never seen one harmed. It was not something people discussed. Still, a bubble of pity swelled inside her for Gawain, and a little nausea.

“Aye,” Andrews said. “We estimated by the number of scars on his back it had been occurring for quite some time.”

“My God.” She swallowed hard. She knew little of her uncle’s first cousin and was glad the man had never accompanied Gawain on his visits.

“No. Not God. In the name of God in someone’s twisted mind perhaps. Your uncle, generous soul that he was, tried to adopt Gawain and at least salvage something of a life for him. His father would hear none of it and insisted upon the laird’s commitment to secure the boy’s future at Chattan Castle. As you can imagine, we all worried about the state of the boy each time he visited. It took the first couple of days to even get him to talk.”

“I never knew.”

Andrews rubbed the back of his neck. The information was a burden to him. It also belonged to her now as well.

“Gawain was often here for two or three days before you were ever aware. The laird tried hard to protect you from the horror.”

“Is that why he wouldn’t commit me to him?”

“Not entirely. As the years passed, the boy grew into a man and where there was once a sliver of hope he could be salvaged, time revealed a growing seed of cruelty in him.”

Andrews reached for her hands and squeezed.

“Cruel? In what way?”

“At first it was in how he mistreated livestock. Then he degraded and beat some of the peasants from the village. He preyed on the weakest souls he could find. The laird was beside himself with rage. He arranged for Gawain to take the knight’s training to teach him to discipline his mind.”

“Uncle did that?” So much had been kept from her. Aileana understood her uncle’s need to protect her, but her ignorance had not served her well last evening.

“Aye, and once knighted, the man appeared transformed
—so much that the laird hoped for Gawain’s salvation once again. Your uncle offered him the constable position here and believed Gawain had come into his own.” Sadness swept Andrews features. “Then we received more disturbing reports.”

“What sort of reports?”

“I will not provide you with details except to say several young maidens in the area will never be the same.”

“He raped them?” She was going to be sick.

“He brutalized them. Your uncle wanted to be rid of him, once and for all. While he lamented the man Gawain could have been, the laird was not about to put any more of his people at risk. He was about to fire him and banish him from the family.”

Aileana placed her hands together and raised them to her lips. “Was Gawain there the day Uncle died?”

“Aye.”

No. After all her uncle had done for Gawain. Her thoughts raced back over encounters she’d witnessed between the two men. Her pity vanished and blood pounded in her ears.

“Did he—” She couldn’t say the words.

“I cannot say. Gawain followed us and neither he nor the Laird was in my sight when the tragedy occurred. I couldn’t prove anything so couldn’t move to have him arrested. Thankfully, he’s in the king’s dungeon of his own doing and you’re safe and sound.”

Safe and sound indeed. How wrong she was to trust in anything she saw on the surface of Gawain Chattan. She’d mistaken his cool demeanour for shyness, instead it held his cruelty.

“John why didn’t you warn me after Uncle died?”

“Because there was no reason for me to think he meant
you
any harm. One would expect with the laird gone, he’d woo you to earn your favour.”

“I do not wish to point out how wrong you were.”

“You may, m’lady, but I don’t think you can punish me any more than the hell I went through last night.” Andrews lowered his head, his shoulders slumped.

“I am fortunate for your counsel and your service, John.” She meant it. Of all the people who could harm her, John Andrews was not one of them. Truth be told, she was pleased to have this quarrel over with. She needed all the support she could get.

When he looked up, his eyes were misted. He cleared his throat and smiled. There was the kind man who would throw himself in front of a battering ram to protect her.

“Aye, well enough of that, lass. You are away from danger and with an honourable man who will never mistreat you. As your uncle wanted.”

Therein was the problem. Aye, James was considered honourable, but on the score of mistreatment, she could not concur.

“Not so honourable I fear.”

Andrews puffed up his chest. “Oh I am certain you will make a fine couple. He might turn a few heads lass, but he’s a well-respected man, well admired by his tenants and at court.”

“That he may be, however, he believes Gawain and I were lovers, and is bent to break our betrothal once he leaves here tomorrow.”

Andrews deflated. “No.”

“Aye, ’tis true. He even called me a liar when I told him about the king’s involvement in father’s fate.”

“Your father. How did that topic arise?”

“It is no matter.” Aileana shook her head. “There is no convincing the man of my innocence either, although I do not understand why he will force us to go through with this dinner tonight, only to ruin me tomorrow.”

“Aileana, you must be mistaken.”

She would relish the error if it were so. “Father Addison said the MacIntosh required much convincing before he would sign the contract in the first place. Now, he has a falsified reason to get out of it. And if that is his desire, he can go - with my blessing.” With her uncle dead and Gawain a marked criminal, she had no one. Her betrothed would become her ward to do with as he saw fit, and considering his pigheadedness thus far, she wasn’t hopeful of any sort of peace in her future.

“I don’t know what to say. Would you allow me to speak with him on your behalf?”

“No, ’tis no point. He would counter you by saying I put you up to it. I don’t know of any way to prove my credibility.”

“What can I do?”

“God bless you for asking, but there is nothing except to help me get through this night and tell no one what we spoke of here.”

“I will do as you wish m’lady.”

“Thank you John,” she said and kissed him on the cheek. Aileana left him before her overcrowded emotions could betray her.

She struggled to rationalize her thoughts. What had passed between her and James in the solar, and what she’d learned about Gawain, were heavy burdens. She pulled every ounce of strength from within to give her the courage she needed to face her guests. No doubt they would bombard her with questions and insist on every last detail of the previous night. The topic of Gawain Chattan would consume most conversations for many hours to come. She must endure all this speculation whilst under
his
scrutiny. The fates were cruel.

Once she arrived at the great hall, she was greeted by her aunt and several of the guests, all rested and ready to celebrate the betrothal and the rescue. She turned her attention to the conversation and focused on it, trying hard to keep her thoughts clear. She was awash with such a span of emotions from nervousness to residual fear and fought hard to remain calm. The anti-climax of the previous night and the unexpected desire for James left her shaky and unsure how to behave. An uncommon feeling for her,
and she didn’t like it one bit.

One night. That’s all she had to suffer through to put an end to these hellish events. Her body and mind couldn’t take much more and it would be a rel
ief when she had her home back.

The question was what then? With the contract broken, James would be responsible for arranging another for her. If only the king weren’t involved. She might plea with a sheriff to let the contract lie dead and find a way for her to keep her home without the shackles of a husband, but she wouldn’t even know where to begin to make this happen. Either way, between James and his precious king, she would have no say in what was to come.

Aileana entertained her guests throughout the afternoon with grace, but there was no way for her to hide the fact that James was absent. He’d already broken their arrangement. Why was he torturing her by forcing her to endure this pretense? Alone.

Aileana straightened her back and forced a smile while she envisioned sticking a dagger in him. Each moment he remained absent, she seethed. He dared think her capable of every lecherous act and then attempted to seduce her. Vile man. He was a raving lunatic. She’d show him. If he thought for a moment he could humiliate her and get away with it, he was mistaken. She’d find a way to retaliate, somehow.

* * *

The priest stopped him b
efore he could leave the solar.

“Lord MacIntosh, you’re an honourable man to be sure. You’re well respected amongst your clansmen. That much I know. I also know you are a man of the world and have never been married. What I’m trying to say, if you will permit me, is that young woman is near and dear to us. I would not want to see her, or you for that matter, in a situation where you’re both miserable.” He paused. “These last days have been filled with a great deal of activity and emotion. I trust there are no decisions being made in hast
e?”

It took him a minute to digest the priest’s meaning. “Father, I’m aware of Lady Aileana’s attributes.”
More than you know
. “You’re correct. Much has transpired in the past days by way of excitement. You may be assured, all will turn out as ’tis meant and with the proper balance of justice.”

Father Addison seemed satisfied with that and unaware of the real reason for the tension between he and the lass. What the devil was he thinking anyway? What was he doing with this woman? Rather, what was she doing to him? He wanted to make her squirm for her deceit, but he might just be the one to squirm. In truth, he’d rather hoist her over his shoulder, bring her back to the benc
h and finish what they started.