The Laird of Stonehaven (30 page)

The day after the king’s messenger left Stonehaven, Graeme began to make plans. After a sleepless night, he summoned Heath.

“What is it, Cousin?” Heath asked.

“I’m going to ride to MacKay’s stronghold and demand the return of my wife. I’ll require as many men as can be spared to ride with me.”

“ ’Tis raining,” Heath said. “The ride will be an uncomfortable one.”

“Since when did you worry about the weather?”

Heath stared at Graeme a moment, then shrugged and hurried off to do his bidding.

Graeme knew Heath considered his efforts to rescue Blair futile, but he didn’t let that stop him. An hour later, mounted on his swiftest horse, pelted by rain and hunched beneath his plaid, Graeme led his men though the gate. If God willed, he would soon have Blair back at Stonehaven where she belonged.

Graeme grew watchful when he crossed the border onto MacKay lands. He could see little through the sheet of rain, but an uncomfortable feeling deep in his gut made him extra cautious. His horse shied as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and thunder rattled the ground.

Graeme feared he was seeing things when a lone rider materialized through the thick curtain of rain. He signaled for his men to remain behind as he rode ahead. The back of his neck prickled when he became aware that the rider was a woman, her skirts flying in the wind behind her. His heart pounding, he reined in sharply.

Blair’s mare was disinclined to stop, and since she had no reins, all she could do was cling to the flowing mane. Graeme must have sensed her dilemma, for he plucked her off the mare as she passed him and drew her into the saddle before him.

“Away,” Blair gasped. “They canna be far behind.”

Jerking on the reins, Graeme turned his horse and sped back toward Stonehaven, trusting his men to follow.

Graeme felt Blair shivering against him and covered her with his plaid. “Did you bring the rain, lass?”

“N-n-not this time,” she stuttered.

“What happened? Did MacKay let you leave?”

“N-n-not exactly.”

“Think you he is following?”

“Mayhap, unless the lightning stunned him more than I meant it to. He was still lying on the ground when I left.”

Graeme threw back his head and laughed. “You frightened him with lightning?”

“I had to do something,” came her muffled answer. “He wasna going to let me leave, even though I fulfilled my part of our bargain.”

“I will have the whole story when I get you back home where you belong.”

Blair peeked at him through an opening in the plaid. “Dinna you know? We are no longer wed. The king has set aside our marriage.”

“I will not allow it,” Graeme said through gritted teeth.

His confident tone offered Blair a wee bit of hope. Snuggling against him, she savored his scent, the warmth of his big body and the strength of his arms folded protectively around her. Nothing could hurt her now. The spirits had been right. Graeme was her future. They were fated to be together.

A tiny frown gathered between her brows. She had nearly forgotten the last obstacle that stood in the path of true happiness.

Trial by stone.

Relief washed through Graeme when he finally reached Stonehaven. After ordering the gate closed to all except his clansmen, Graeme continued through the rain to the steps of the keep, where he carefully lowered Blair to the ground. He dismounted behind her and held her against him as a lad ran up to take his horse.

Lifting her into his arms, he carried her up the stairs. Jamie opened the door, grinning from ear to ear.

“Welcome home, mistress.”

The moment Graeme set Blair on her feet, she was nearly bowled over by Alyce, who flung herself at Blair. “Ye’re home, lass! What did that bastard do to ye? Is it true that Niall was neither dying nor ill?”

“Let Blair catch her breath,” Graeme said. “She’s in need of dry clothes and a place beside the hearth.”

“I’ll take care of her, my laird,” Alyce said. “Jamie, my lady needs a hot bath and something warm to drink.”

“Aye, I’ll see to it immediately,” Jamie replied.

“Go help Jamie,” Graeme said. “I can take care of Blair.”

Graeme swore he heard Alyce chuckle as she scurried off. And even Jamie’s mouth had a suspicious tilt to it.

“We are no longer wed,” Blair repeated as Graeme carried her up the stairs.

“Dinna fret, lass, I hope to remedy that soon.”

“How?”

“I’ll explain later.” He carried her into their chamber and gently set her on her feet before the hearth. “Let’s get you out of these wet clothes.”

Blair shivered as he stripped her gown and underclothing from her and dried her with a towel. When her skin was glowing from his brisk rubbing, he dragged a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her. Alyce arrived moments later with a hot toddy, followed in close order by servants bearing a wooden tub and buckets of hot and cold water. Blair sipped her toddy until her bath was prepared. Then Graeme dismissed the servants with a curt nod and locked the door behind them.

“Are you ready for your bath, sweeting?”

“Get out of your wet clothes first. If you catch the ague, I will have to nurse you back to health.”

Graeme grinned and began stripping. When his damp plaid lay at his feet and his trews and shirt had been carelessly tossed aside, he plucked the blanket from Blair’s shoulders, swung her into his arms and placed her in the tub. Then he knelt and began washing her with the fragrant soap Alyce had provided.

Blair relaxed beneath Graeme’s tender ministrations. His hands were gentle, his touch comforting. This was the man she loved, the man with whom she was fated to spend her life. And he loved her. She had to believe it; otherwise the Prophecy that had ruled the MacArthurs for generations was false.

“Lean your head back, love, so I can wash your hair,” Graeme said.

Blair obeyed without protest, surprised at Graeme’s willingness to act as her maid. There were many facets to Graeme’s personality she had yet to discover; she looked forward to finding every one of them.

Dipping into a bucket of clean water, Graeme rinsed the soap from Blair’s hair, then sat back on his heels and stared at her. She was so beautiful to him, it nearly hurt his eyes to look at her.

Graeme rose, took a drying cloth from a bench beside the hearth and held it open for Blair to step into. He dried her hair first, then moved the cloth seductively over her body, her breasts and between her thighs, taking great care to dry all her hidden crevices. By the time he finished, Blair was glowing inside and out.

“I want to look at you,” Blair said, stepping back so she could take in every inch of his magnificent body. “You’re a braw, bonny man, Graeme Campbell. I missed you.”

Graeme trembled slightly when she moved against him and licked his nipples. She continued down to his stomach, caressing him with her lips. He knew he was big and strong, and that the lasses seemed to like his looks well enough, but Blair was the only woman whose opinion mattered. Her words produced a heady feeling in him. He knew she loved him, and that stirred him deeply.

Graeme groaned, wanting her lips on the place that ached for her most. When she took him into her hand, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

“You are verra manly,” she whispered, caressing him gently. “Silk over steel. I canna look at you there without wanting you deep inside me.”

“You have me so full and aching, I dinna know how much more I can stand.”

“A great deal more, I hope.” Smiling with secret glee, she lowered her head and began to love him with her mouth. The heat of her mouth, the strokes of her tongue, her clever hands, nearly brought him to his knees. For as long as he could stand it, he watched her love him. Then the ability to think left him as he lost himself in the pleasure she gave him, praying he could find the will to endure for a very long time.

His climax was nearly upon him when with a low growl he lifted Blair to her feet and carried her to the bed, laying her down on her stomach. A shiver went through her as he kissed his way down her elegant spine, then kissed and nipped at her taut little backside.

“Graeme!”

Laughing, he flipped her over, sliding his hands up to her breasts. Narrow-eyed, he watched with appreciation as her nipples hardened beneath his touch and her breathing quickened. Slowly he traced his fingers down her taut belly and slid them between her legs. His heart pounded as her violet eyes watched him stroke her, becoming glazed as her passion escalated.

“Ah, love, you are entrancing when flushed with passion.” He gazed raptly at the place between her legs where his fingers stroked. “And so beautiful here.”

Leaning closer, he feasted on her firm little breasts until he felt her body tremble. Then he began kissing his way down her slender body. She tensed when he reached his goal and put his mouth upon the swollen petals of her sex.

Blair arched and cried out, the heat of his mouth causing her body to burst into flame.

Suddenly he reared up. “Shall I stop, love?”

“Nay. I couldna bear it.”

She threaded her fingers through his hair, urging him to return to his intimate feast. The intoxicating pleasure of his tongue and mouth upon her was driving her toward completion. She arched beneath him, crying out his name as her release tore through her.

Moving up her body, Graeme thrust hard and deep inside her, relentlessly stoking her passion. The second time she peaked, Graeme came with her, roaring his pleasure aloud.

Blair’s wits were slow to return. When she finally regained her senses, she found Graeme dousing the lingering heat between her thighs with a wet cloth. She smiled at him, knowing in her heart that he loved her.

“You love me,” she whispered.

Graeme went still. “What did you say?”

“Admit it. You love me.”

Graeme inhaled sharply. “Nay.”

“Dinna lie, Graeme Campbell. My powers have returned. They left me for a short time; there was only one way they could have returned.” She grinned at him. “You finally realized that you love me.”

His face wore a worried expression. “God knows I tried to guard my heart.”

“Our love was meant to be,” Blair said. “I knew it long before we were wed, but fought it when I learned you loved another.”

Graeme lay down beside her, pulled a blanket over them and took her into his arms. “I adored Joan the Maid. I mistook adoration for love, and believed I could never love another when she died.”

“Joan was a saint,” Blair said. “She gave her life for God and her country.”

He grasped her chin and raised her face so he could look into her eyes. “Listen well, love. You must guard yourself against those who wish you ill. Joan was accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake because she believed God spoke to her, that He told her to lead an army against the English. If someone accused you of using witchcraft and brought the matter before the king, the same thing could happen to you. That’s what I’ve been trying to avoid. You mustna give anyone cause to accuse you of evildoing.”

“ ’Tis true the spirits guide me and watch over me. Sometimes I use my powers to heal when other means fail, but I amna a witch. There is a world of difference between a witch and a Faery Woman.”

“I know that, love, but I fear I am the only one who understands. Promise you willna give people cause to judge you harshly.”

Blair sighed. “I will try, Graeme. But when the spirits speak to me, or warn me of danger, I canna ignore them.” She searched his face. “You love me, Graeme. I can feel it in my heart and see it in your eyes.”

“I’m afraid for you, love, verra, verra afraid. I fear something terrible will happen and you will be taken from me if I give voice to my feelings.”

It wasn’t precisely what Blair wanted to hear, but it was enough for now.

Blair awoke to a day as gray and stormy as the previous one. Not that she minded. She was feeling too happy to care about the weather. Though Graeme had not said the words she craved, she knew he loved her. Smiling, she stretched out her arm and reached for him, surprised to find his side of the bed cold.

“Were you looking for me?”

She followed the direction of his voice and saw him sitting in a chair beside the hearth. He wore his plaid this morning, affording her a glimpse of long, bare legs stretched out before him.

“How long have you been sitting there?”

“Long enough. I’ve been watching you sleep. You’re as beautiful asleep as you are awake.”

“If you’ll wait, I’ll dress so we can go to the hall and break our fast together.”

Uncoiling himself from the chair, he walked the few steps to the bed and sat down beside her. “We need to talk, love. I want to know everything that happened.” He sent her a stern look. “Leave naught out. If MacKay touched you, I shall have to kill him.”

Blair sat up in bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

“Naught of consequence happened . . . except,” she admitted sheepishly, “I did tell Niall I would shrivel his manhood and render him impotent if he didna release your men and Father Lachlan. Did they return safely?”

“Aye. They were upset for letting their guard down at Gairloch. Aiden didna suspect a trick until Niall’s guardsmen confronted them. There was a short but fierce battle. Outnumbered, they were quickly disarmed and imprisoned.”

“I didna see Father Lachlan. Is he at Stonehaven?”

“He’s been in the chapel on his knees since he arrived. You’ll see him soon enough. Tell me what happened at MacKay’s stronghold.”

“MacKay wanted something from me,” Blair began.

Graeme spit out a curse.

“ ’Twas not what you think,” Blair was quick to explain. “Have you ever heard of the MacKay treasure?”

“I’ve heard some such tale but didna believe it. ’Twas said one of MacKay’s ancestors hid a fortune in gold and jewels when the keep was under siege. As far as I know, the treasure doesna exist.”

“Oh, it exists all right. MacKay didna want to wed me because he cared for me. Nay, he wanted to exploit my powers to satisfy his greed. He ordered me to find the treasure. He promised to release me once the treasure was in his possession.”