Love Letters from Largs: Brodie and Celestina (Highlander Clan Grant Series Book 3) (7 page)

Brodie shot out of his chair. “What in hellfire does that mean?”

“It means you are the same way I was with Maddie. I could no’ listen to reason when it came to her. I barked and bellowed enough to scare the lass away.”

Brodie laughed and sat down again. “Aye,
so you did. ‘Twas a wonder the lass ever came near you. Do you remember the time in the lists when she came to thank you for saving her?” Brodie stopped to chuckle again. “She kept thanking you for not hurting anyone on her behalf. She made you completely daft. You mentioned what would happen if the two men came to the keep for her. Your voice got louder and louder until you shouted ‘No one will every touch you again.’ Maddie turned around and fled. You bellowed so loud every guard stopped what they were doing to stare at you after she left.” Brodie laughed so hard, he had to change his position to get comfortable.

Alex chuckled. “Och, then I about had my arm cut off fighting you
and Robbie after she left.”

“She still does that.”

“Does what?”

“Walks away from you when you start shouting.”

“Aye, I know it. And I’m glad of it, too. The point is, when I first met Maddie, I could no’ control myself. The lass made me daft. Still does.”

Brodie tilted his head toward his brother. “When did you know?”

“Know what?” Alex drawled as his head rested back against the soft cushion of the settee.

“Know that Maddie was the one?” Brodie swirled his small glass of whisky, hoping the fiery
liquid would take his mind off his loss.

“Och, you ask a tough question, brother.”

“Think, will you? Did you know when you first met her? Or was it later on, after she came to the keep?”

“Hm
mph.” Alex stared at the ceiling before answering. “A part of me knew right away, but I did no’ want to admit it. I never wanted to admit to myself that a lass could control me the way she did—the way she still does.”

“Control you?”

“Control is the wrong word, mayhap. She become such a part of me that she swayed my decisions without me even noticing.”

Alex
stared into the caramel colored
breath of life
in his glass before taking another swig it.

“So
, when did you know?” Brodie pressured him.

“You’re already in trouble,
brother, because you will no’ listen to reason when it comes to your lass. You reacted instinctively tonight, and that’s exactly the kind of reaction that can get you killed. Be careful.” He leaned his head back and his forehead creased with thought. After a moment, he said, “I should have known after I rescued her from her stepbrother and carried her in my arms through the tunnel. Maddie could barely walk. ‘Twas the first I ever laid eyes on the lass, but something happened inside of me when I carried her, when I noticed her beaten face, and it was no’ rage and disgust for those who had hurt her that way. It was something so much more. ‘Twas different with Maddie. Always was.”

“You knew
then that you would marry her?”

“Och, nay.
I fought it most of the way. I never wanted to admit how she consumed my mind and my whole being, but she did from the start.”

“Then when did you
first know you loved her?”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Now you sound like my wife. Lads don’t discuss the idea of love.”

“Aye, never until now did I care, but I am asking you, brother. When did you know for sure she was the one?”

“Hm
mph.” Alex stared into the flames. After a few moments, a smile lit up his face and he nodded his head. “You’ll know, lad.”

“How?”

“You’ll know when you want her around all the time, when you can only think of touching her, and…”

“And what?”

Alex grinned. “When you want more. When no matter how much she gives you, you want more. You want her around during the day, you want her next to you at night, and you want to see her when you wake up every morn. You just want more.”

Brodie absorbed his brother’s thoughts as he reviewed his experience with Celestina. “Well,
it seems as though there could be trouble.”

Alex
cocked his head to look at his brother. “Why is that?”

“Because after only five minutes with the lass, all I want is more.”

“Aye, I knew that. ‘Tis going to be difficult, all right.”

“Why?”

“Because the only way I see to get her free is to kidnap her after she marries Ivarsson. And you better hope our king is in desperate need of our warriors in order to forgive such a crime against the crown.”

Brodie’s face fell into his hands in despair
because he knew his brother was right.

Chapter Eight

Promises, Promises

Two nights later, Brodie crept around the outside of the tower house. Skilled at stealth after years of training, his goal was soon in sight. The king’s guards didn’t concern him; after observing the three guards by the front stone wall, he knew they’d each taken a few too many swigs of ale. Inside the bailey was no different; the chanting of drunken lads echoed through the trees. No wonder the king was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Alex’s warriors to protect the castle. These men were poorly trained.

He slipped a knot in the rope
he was carrying and threw it up into the oak tree. As luck would have it, the rope caught a solid branch on the first toss. Testing its weight, Brodie decided it would hold him and shimmied up the rope to the tower window. Determined not to frighten the lass, he stood for a moment in the direct moonlight after climbing onto the window ledge, hoping she would recognize him and not scream.

“Celestina?”
His whisper echoed in the quiet chamber. She was asleep on her side, and he could tell her breathing followed a soft deep pattern. He waited, looking around her chamber, noting things he had missed before. She had none of the items someone of her station would normally have. No thick fur coverings on her bed or her window, no beautiful tapestries on the walls. The rushes on her floor hadn’t been changed in a long time. The ewer and basin on her table were old and chipped. He repeated her name and her breathing changed.

Celestina
, clearly startled, sat up in bed and paused, allowing her vision to adjust to the dark. “Celestina, ‘tis me, Brodie,” he whispered. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and finally beckoned to him.

Basking in her beauty in the moonlight, Brodie
came into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, fingering the threadbare coverlet. “Lass, if you want me to take my leave, just say so and I will.” He held his breath as he awaited her answer.

She pulled her knees up to her
chest, the thin coverlet still wrapped around her, and rested her chin on them. She smiled, and, pulling him closer with her shy look.

Her whispers caressed his ear. “Why are you here, Brodie Grant? I fear for your life should my father discover you
r presence. You are aware of the extra guards, are you not?”

He scooted closer to her on the bed and reached for her hand. He had to touch her; he just had to
feel her soft skin next to his. He inhaled her floral scent before he answered. “The five minutes we shared were no’ enough for me, lass.” He grinned as she squeezed his hand.

“Nor for me.
I must thank you again for trying to save me from my father.” She brushed her thumb across the small open wounds across his knuckles. “You are hurt. Did this happen at the king’s castle when you tried to protect me from my father? Does it not hurt?”

“Aye,
‘tis from then, but there is nae pain.” He saw the sparkle in her eye in the moonlight and wondered what she was about. “‘Tis naught.”

Tugging him closer, she pulled his hand to her sweet lips and kissed each finger. “Perhaps, it is n
aught to you, but not to me. Your fingers are precious and I wish to ease your pain.” When she finished, she released his hand and dropped her bent legs, swinging them out from under the covers.

Her white night rail was threadbare but
she looked unbelievably beautiful. She sat next to him and placed her hands on either side of her on the bed. “How I wish things could be different, Brodie Grant.”

“Aye, as I do, Celestina. I fear your beauty will haunt me
every night until the day I die.”

She giggled
and turned toward him, but he held his finger to her lips. “Shush, we do no’ want the guards to hear us.”

He hadn’t realized how close they were
when he looked down at her rosy lips and realized they were merely inches away from him. “Lass, what have you done to me?”

He cradled her face in his hands and covered her lips with his. Powerless against the sweet siren, he had to taste her again. He pushed his tongue at the seam of her lips and she opened for him. A small groan erupted before he
could squelch it. He reached for her waist and pulled her in tight. She had nothing on underneath her gown and the soft mounds of her breasts pressed against his chest, lighting a fire in him that threatened his control. How he wanted her, ached to make her his. She made a small mewling sound in the back of her throat as he angled his mouth over hers, possessing her.

He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, content to listen to the soft panting she
tried to hide. “Know that I want you with every ounce of my being, Celestina. There is naught more I want on this earth than to make you mine. If only the king had approved my request.”

He held her face again and saw the tears
gather her eyes. He kissed them away. “Nay, please do no’ cry. I could no’ bare it.”

“Brodie, I do not want to marry
Fredrik Ivarsson. He frightens me. Take me away. I will run with you anywhere.”

“Lass, I can no’ do that. The king would hang me. We are almost at war with the
Norse. He would find us. There is too much riding on your wedding.”

“Please, Brodie,” she whispered. “Make me yours. If I must marry him, please do not allow him to take my virginity.”

Brodie pulled back to gaze into her eyes—her pleading, beautiful blue eyes. “Think what you ask. Celestina, I can no’ risk anything happening to you. What would Ivarsson and your father do if they found out you were no longer a virgin?”

“Perhaps they would release me from this nightmare.”

“Or beat you, or worse. I could no’ live with myself if anything were to happen to you.”

“T
hen take me with you, please.”

“Hush, Celestina,” he whispered. “Naught would make me happier than to make you my wife. Alex believes war is imminent and the king needs Ivarsson’s support. He says it would be best if you marry him. The man has promised the king that he and many others in the Western Isles will support the Scottish if he marries you. Your father needs Ivarsson’s money, and the king wants the galleys and needs the support of the Isles against Haakon. He can no’ win without their support. Marry him so all that takes place, then after a short time I will steal you away. Are you willing to go with me to Grant land?”

“Aye, I will go anywhere with you.”

Her pleading made it difficult for Brodie to think clearly. “But, lass, do you want
me
, or do you just want me to take you away?” Afraid to hear her answer, he held his breath.

She reached up to cup his cheek. “Brodie, I want you. I love you. I know you don’t believe me because we just met, but I know what is in my heart, and it is you.
You are brave and honorable, so strong yet your touch is gentle. I want you to plant your seed in me tonight.”

Brodie closed his eyes, the only
way he could think. “Celestina, here is my wish. I want you, but I can no’ risk any danger to my brother’s family, and the king would require satisfaction if I whisked you away tonight. I need you to think about that before you decide whether to lie with me.”

“Brodie, I do not need to think. Take me, make me yours.”

“Hush, lass, listen to me.” He brought his thumb up to her lip as he cradled her face. “I will do as you ask under one condition.”

“Yes, anything.
I will do anything for you.” She gripped his legs tight.

“Handfast.
We must handfast first. I will no’ take your maidenhead without handfasting my troth to you. I want to do this right. I will pledge my life and my love to you, but you must be willing to do the same.”

“I will do it. I have heard of this. Nothing would make me more pleased than to pledge myself to you.” The desperation in her eyes tore at his heart.

“Think on this until the morrow. If you still wish to handfast with me, leave a flower in your window and I will come to you again at night. I need you to be sure. Celestina? Will you do this?”

“Aye, but I
already know what my answer will be. Do you promise to return on the morrow?” She closed her eyes as she clung to him.

He kissed each
of her eyelids before speaking. “I promise. We will do this right.” He stood and pulled her to him, holding her tight. She fit perfectly in his arms. He gave her one last kiss and snuck back out through the window and shimmied down the rope, whistling for Nicol, who had helped him arrange his clandestine visit, to bring his horse.

He knew what he had to do, but how could he prevent any backlash for his actions
? He would think of something.

He had to.