Regency Romance: A Duchess in Disguise (Historical 19th Century Victorian Romance) (Duke Fantasy Billionaire Romance) (6 page)

''What have I ever done that was witch-like?'' she asked. The man couldn't answer and turned away.

Laurie was standing outside the small house that served tea, among the farmers and greengrocers. He'd spotted
Eana
walking in the market and was immediately impressed by her beauty.

''Who is that?'' he asked the fat man who handed him his tea.

''Ah, you should keep away from her,'' he said. ''She's Laird Irving's daughter. They say she has special powers, but I, like many others, think she's a witch.''

''Whatever, she's certainly very beautiful,'' Laurie said as he scratched his
kilt-covered
leg. 

''She is, but she's very strange. What's your interest in her?'' he asked.   

''I have no interest in her at all,'' he lied.

Auchen Castle was the seat of Laird Muir. It was more pleasing
on
the eye than Drummond Castle which was a fortress, but Auchen Castle was much more homely looking. When Laurie arrived back at Auchen Castle, Alexander was waiting for him in the hall where swords, spears and swathes of the Muir Clan's tartan hung on the walls.  

''Did you see her?'' he asked anxiously.

Laurie took off his Tam O' Shanter and swept back his hair. ''She's extremely beautiful.''

''What does she look like?''

''She's tall for a woman. She's blonde and has a perfect body,'' Laurie made the kind of gesture men do when talking
of
a woman's breasts. Alexander smiled. ''Her face is so pretty it will melt your heart, but....''

''But what?''

''There are a lot of rumors about her.'' Laurie's eyes dropped to the floor, afraid he was about to disappoint his friend.

''Spit it out Laurie or you'll be landing on your ass again,'' Alexander joked.

''They say she's a witch.''

''What? A witch? Then how could my father possibly agree to a marriage?'' Alexander stroked his strong jaw and though about what his spy had told him. He certainly would not marry a witch. He believed they were evil and should be burnt at the stake. ''It can't be true, the daughter of Laird Irving can't possibly be a witch.''

''She looks too beautiful to be a witch,'' Laurie added.

''And how many witches have you met?'' Alexander asked. ''But if there are rumors about her, she must be strange in some way.''

''I only know what I have told you. She's
beautiful,
and there are rumors about her.''

''Then I will tell my father that I don't want to marry her,'' Alexander said steadfastly. It was bad
timing;
his father heard him as he was walking into the room.

Almost as tall as his son and covered in battle scars, he was an intimidating character. ''We need the alliance to help us against the Sutherland Clan. Laird Irving's daughter is the perfect solution. The marriage will go ahead, like it  or not.''

Alexander grunted. He had to find out if she were indeed a witch. ''May I, at least, meet her first?''

*****

It was an unusually sunny day when Laird Irving brought
Eana
to Muir Castle. She'd flatly refused to accompany him, so he'd picked her up and carried her. Eventually feeling faint hanging over his shoulder, she'd relented.

''I'll meet him, but
I'm not promising
anything,'' she'd said. Her father had  laughed at her stubbornness.

When the castle door swung open, Alexander got his first glimpse of his bride to be, and he wasn't disappointed. She was as beautiful as Laurie had said. Her hair was
plated
in a single
strand,
and her eyes were highlighted with
woad
. Her skin was pure, without a single blemish, and her body so perfectly proportioned that it made him instantly lustful. Her eyes looked like emeralds and despite being a hugely powerful man they made him feel humble. Indeed, too beautiful to be a witch.

''I am very happy to meet you at last
Eana
,'' Alexander said.

Eana
could hardly bring herself to look at him, but when she
did,
she was in awe of his physical presence. Her father was a big man and battle hardened, but Alexander was altogether different. He looked so
strong,
she wondered if he knew how to harness his strength when handling a delicate woman.

''I think we should leave them to it, don't you Laird Irvine?'' Laird Muir said. The two Lairds walked into the castle and left Alexander and
Eana
alone.

''Would you walk with me,'' he asked. She nodded and took the offer of his arm. 

The castle had a small garden, for the growth of vegetables. Alexander took
Eana
to a seat in the corner under a tree. In the
shade,
it was pleasantly cool, and
Eana
felt herself relaxing in his company.

''Are you a shy man?'' she asked.

''No, I am certainly not shy. It wouldn't be right for the heir to the Laird of Muir to be shy.''

''I am shy,'' she pointed out. ''I'm very shy, and I find it hard to talk to people. I prefer to be alone. If we are to be
married,
it would be better if one of us wasn't shy.''

Alexander was taken by surprise at her honesty. ''Why do you think you are shy?''

''I keep out of the way because people don't like me. ''

He couldn't understand how people could dislike such a beautiful woman. He liked her but more, it was her raw sexual appeal that he found irresistible. ''Why would anybody dislike you? You are so
beautiful,
and you look as though you wouldn't harm anyone.''

''I don't really know. There are a lot of rumors about me.''

Alexander thought for a moment. This woman was no witch. It was clear that
rumors
were just
rumors
. ''When you marry me, nobody will ever say anything unpleasant to you again, and if they do, they will pay dearly for it.''

******

The marriage took place under the walls of Muir Castle, on a piece of ground the clan always used for baptisms,
marriages,
and funerals. The ladies of the village had decorated wooden poles with
wild flowers
and
shrubbery,
and arranged them in a large circle within which the guests sat.
Eana
and Alexander were married by the local minister under an arch of wild roses. Guests watched  as
Eana
arrived, dressed in white, carrying a sprig of wild heather for luck. When Alexander turned around to see her, he was was floored by her. He'd never thought he would find such a beautiful bride, and today he was marrying the most alluring woman in all the clans of Scotland.

When Laird Irvine handed his daughter over to Alexander, he took her
hand,
and the power she felt exuding from him gave her the strength and confidence, to stand in front of so many people and give herself to him.

Once the marriage ceremony was complete, Alexander bent down to his new wife and whispered in her ear. ''You no longer have to be shy. You are my
love,
and you are able to move freely
between
the people without fear. They will admire you for what you are. The most beautiful woman alive.''

Afterwards
, everyone gathered in the great hall for a celebratory meal and dancing.
Eana
and Alexander sat together on a long table at the head of the room between their parents.
Eana
saw a young woman sitting at a table opposite, staring at her.  She seemed kind and when the dancing started,
Eana
got up and spoke to her. She was Alexander's cousin. and
Eana
discovered that she lived with Laird Muir because her parents had been slain in a terrible robbery just three years before. Her name was Davina, and
Eana
found her charming company. She was slender and delicate looking, and like
Eana
, she was strawberry blonde

''When Alexander is away fighting battles, I would like you to keep
me
company,''
Eana
told her.

''I would like that very much,'' Davina replied.

Alexander broke their conversation when he told
Eana
it was time for them to dance. As everyone
applauded,
she took his arm and walked with him to the dance floor. He led her with an agility that belied his size, and once again
Eana
let herself be swept along on a wave of strength. She was so light her barely felt her as she clung to him.

Never before had
Eana
been the subject of so many wishes of goodwill. Either people didn't know about her, or they were hiding it because they were in awe of Alexander, and didn't want to offend such a strong man, she thought. Although she found the attention flattering, she knew that years of hurt weren't just going to disappear in one day. She decided to remain vigilant. She was proud of her new husband, and she knew she would learn to love him in time, but she was convinced that people would still view her with suspicion.

Soon Alexander had had enough of the wedding reception. He was sexually charged, and he wanted nothing more than to take his bride to his bedroom and make passionate love to her.  He swept her
from
her feet and carried her from the hall, up the staircase, and into a large room that overlooked the rolling landscape below.

He put
Eana
on the floor in front of the window and stood behind her. As they took in the view, he stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. ''We will rule over this land, treat our people kindly and never let anybody take it away from us,'' he said.

''I admire your strength and purpose. I know you are loyal to the people of your clan and now to those of the Irvine Clan. It is wonderful to behold.''

He turned her to
him
and kissed her. As their
lips
locked,
Eana
felt a charge of pleasure surge through her. She reached up and put her arms around his neck. When he straightened, she was lifted from her feet. He put his hands
onto
her buttocks to support her.  He wanted to take her, and the speed with which his fingers untied the back of her dress confirmed it. Soon his hands were on her naked back, rubbing her, pulling her to him. Her skin quivered at the feel of his manly hands as they explored the smoothness of her. He set her back down and in one fluid movement pulled her wedding dress down, revealing her white under dress. He put his hands into her cleavage and ripped the under-dress from her, making her gasp at the sheer power of him. Throwing the strips of material to the floor, he bent down and clamped his mouth onto a nipple. As it swelled in his mouth, his hand found her womanhood and rubbed over the soft folds. The urgency with which he wanted
her
thrilled her. As his hand spread her lips and played in the moisture of her vulva, she bit into his shoulder.

He picked her up, threw her onto the bed and spread her legs, wide. When he placed his mouth
onto
her,
she screamed, and when his tongue found her clitoris, she thrust her fingernails into the material of his shirt. He continued to lick her as she gasped and moaned under him, her long smooth legs folded back onto her
chest.
He didn't
stop,
and soon she wanted to push him from her as her level of sensitivity became too much. She pushed her hand against his head, but he didn't relent. Mercifully her hypersensitivity gave way to wave after wave of pure pleasure. Her belly
tightened,
and her legs began to wobble
uncontrollably
as he rolled her tiny bud between his lips. She cried out and thrust into his mouth as her orgasm rolled over her.

When he stood up, he noticed for the first time how lovely his new wife looked post orgasm. She beamed up at him, breathless, a heap of satisfied femininity, waiting for him to lower his trousers and thrust himself into her. When he revealed himself, she cried out in fear. His member was in proportion to the rest of him, large.

'Don't hurt me,'' she gasped. He laughed at her backhanded compliment.

''Relax, I will be gentle,'' he replied. But their respective ideas of gentle were at odds with one another, and soon
Eana
was clinging to him, screaming with the pain and pleasure of his heavy thrusts. She gritted her teeth and pushed back at him. As he pumped her, he started to rub her clitoris with his thumb. She opened her legs as wide as she could and came once more. Her response turned him
on,
and he felt his balls tighten, about to release their load into to her. Suddenly, he placed his hand on her jaw and lifted her face from the bed. ''Look at me,'' he said, ''I want you to look at me.'' As her eyes burned into his, she felt his seed flowing into her. The thought that she'd turned him on so much made her come again.