Tyler, Lynn - For Her Honor [For Her] (Siren Publishing Classic) (11 page)

Jocelyn was short, but her curves were well proportioned. Her breasts were perfect for her height, neither too small nor too large. Her belly was softly rounded and invited the gentle kisses he longed to string along her torso. Her hips were wide enough to comfortably bear children but not so wide as to overwhelm her. Her thighs curved pleasingly, with enough flesh for a man to hold onto while he buried his head between her legs.

Oh, God, his cock hardened even more at the idea of tonguing her. What would she taste like? Would she spill lots of honey against his mouth or would he feel it rushing around his cock when he took her instead?

Every second he went without bedding her was a second longer in Hell. Luckily they were not far from the keep. It had come into view some time ago, and he could now clearly hear his men along the wall giving the order to open the gate.

They rode through the gates to an enthusiastic welcome, although Robbie knew the welcome was more for his brothers than for himself.

He dismounted and helped Jocelyn down from the horse before handing the reins over to a stable boy. “Give him extra today, lad,” Robbie told the boy.

He took Jocelyn by the arm and led her into the keep, looking around the great hall with pride. The servants glowed with health and bustled around busily. The walls were freshly whitewashed, and there were new rushes on the floor. A tempting aroma floated in from the kitchens. In short, everything was perfect. Jocelyn would not have to worry about a thing until he managed to plant a bairn in her belly.

He guided her through the hall, surprised when she gently extricated her arm from his hand. “Is everything all right?” he asked.

She shot him a wry look. “Aye, husband,” she said. “I can, however, walk on my own.”

Confusion wound through him. Of course he knew she could walk on her own. Escorting her was just the proper thing to do, not that anything they had done in the past could be considered proper. Besides, he wanted,
needed
, to touch her. He watched as she walked ahead of him, taking in the hall. “Your home is very well kept, my laird,” she said softly.

“Thank you,” he said proudly. “It is just the way my mother always kept it. You will never have to lift a finger.”

She nodded and pursed her lips. “And your healer?” she asked.

“Ah,” he said. “Aye. Our healer died last winter. We have been taking care of our own wounds and illnesses ourselves ever since. It has not been the best of situations, but it is the best we can do. Do not worry about it, imp. We will find someone in time.”

“It is a good thing I arrived then,” she answered. “I am quite a skilled healer. I will tend to your wounded and ill.”

He shook his head, bewildered at the idea she would want to do something like that. “It is not necessary that you worry yourself over it, lass.”

When she didn’t acknowledge his last comment, he looked at her with concern. She looked tired and worn, and she was probably hungry. “Would you like something to eat before you rest?” he asked gently.

She sighed and turned to face him. “I would bathe before I do anything,” she said with a sharp edge to her voice.

He looked down at himself and, realizing he was filthy, decided to order baths for the both of them. Once again taking her arm, he led her to the stairs. “While the hall is large, there are only four chambers above. One for us, one for each of my brothers, and a nursery next to our chamber. There is a tub in our chamber.”

Jocelyn’s expression turned cold, and once again, she jerked her arm from his hold. “You seem very concerned about bairns, my laird,” she said softly.

“Well, of course,” he said reasonably. “Why else would I marry? While we are not wealthy, we have no need for any coin. The MacDonald Clan is one of our staunchest allies, so we do not need protection. I cannot, however, bear and birth my own children.”

“Ah,” she said, her eyes glittering like icicles. “So, the only value I have to you is my ability to bear and birth your children?”

He quickly realized the error of his words and sought a way to mend his mistake. “No. You are very pretty, and no doubt your skills will be needed in running the keep,” he answered, hoping he had smoothed over his blunder.

“So you married me because I can have your babes, I am pretty, and I can help you run your keep?” she asked, her voice getting even colder.

Robbie was saved from answering by an army of women coming up the stairs carrying steaming buckets of water for her bath. He opened the door and stepped aside so they could fill the tub. He waited until the women departed and turned to his wife. “I will assist you in your bath,” he said huskily, pulling her against him and beginning to undo the laces of her borrowed tunic.

She stepped back from him, all but pushing him away. “I do not need assistance. Why do you not go and see to your horse?”

Robbie’s heart sank at her frosty dismissal. It was his first wife all over again. Jocelyn was finally figuring out she would be waking up to a man she hadn’t wanted to be tied to, and she was already finding excuses to send him away.

Nodding slowly, Robbie made his way to the door, turning once, only to see her gown hitting the floor and her shapely leg lift over the edge of the tub. Her heart-shaped ass flexed as she eased herself into the hot water and sighed with bliss. She leaned her head back against the edge and stretched her arms out over the sides. The action pushed her breasts to the surface of the water, and her nipples hardened in the cool air.

Swallowing around the sudden lump of lust that had ridden in his throat for days, he backed to the door, his eyes glued to her beautiful breasts.

“Robbie?” he heard Will say from down the hall. He shut the door quickly, unwilling to let Will see Jocelyn naked. Never mind he already had seen her naked. Now she was his, and he didn’t share.

He cleared his throat and reminded his hard cock that his wife was suddenly horrified at the idea of bedding him. “Aye,” he said hoarsely.

Will looked at him funny but continued speaking. “Jamie and I were just informed we are missing more than twenty head of cattle and at least ten sheep. We are not sure what is happening. We have been raided before, of course, but never this often or this badly.”

Robbie felt like hitting his head against the stone wall. They had lost at least a quarter of their herds. They depended on the cattle for the meat to feed their people and those in the surrounding villages. The wool they gathered from their sheep was sold to tartan makers for enough coin to maintain the keep and its defenses. If they lost much more, their winter would be a lean one.

What was worse, whoever was raiding their keep was somehow able to do so in complete secrecy. They always struck when the men were changing watch. He suspected Henry Campbell was behind the raids. Ever since his sister and Robbie’s first wife, Eileen, had died, he had made it his mission to make Robbie’s people suffer. The man seemed to have a silver tongue and could talk merchants out of visiting and other lairds into reconsidering any treaties they may have with Robbie. He had even gone so far as to hire mercenaries against Robbie and his brothers in the past.

The problem was, Robbie had absolutely no evidence to back up his suspicions, only hearsay. He refused to confront the other laird without rock solid proof. Blood feuds had been started by less.

Then there was the issue of how the raiders knew when the watch was changing. There had to be a traitor inside his walls, but he was at a loss as to whom it could be.

He followed Will down the stairs and out the keep door, joining Jamie at the stables. “Change the time the men change watch and increase their number. I will join first watch tonight.”

Jamie arched his eyebrow just as Will cocked his head and looked at him with confusion. “I think our brother has finally lost his mind,” Jamie commented. He knocked on Robbie’s forehead and peered into his eyes with mock concern. “Have you forgotten you are newly married? And that you have not even consummated your vows? You are laird here, Robbie. You do not need to even lift a finger, let alone take a watch.”

Robbie shoved his brother’s hand away and nearly growled at him in his irritation and frustration. Of course he knew he had yet to consummate his marriage. His cock was constantly reminding him. “A good laird does not set his people to do something he himself is not willing to do,” he said.

“Fine,” Will said reasonably. “You can take the first night watch while your new wife attends your wedding feast on her own.”

Robbie swallowed a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Fine,” he bit out. “I will attend the feast and take a later shift.”

He stalked over to the stable and yanked a bag of oats from the hook, offering it to his giant roan stallion. He could hear his brothers following him inside. “Robert, what is wrong with you?”

He froze, and the words came tumbling out of his mouth without his permission. “Lads, I really do not want to see her flinch away from me. Like all the lasses.”

Jamie sighed with exasperation. “Robbie, we have told you before. It is not your scar the women flinch from. It is your reputation. Why do you not just clear up the rumors of Eileen’s death once and for all?”

“Even if it was my reputation, I will not tell anyone the truth. Would you tell anyone that your wife chose to kill herself rather than to wake up next to a gruesome, disfigured half of a man for the rest of her life?” Robbie growled.

Will kicked at a rock as they walked back toward the main building. “Robert, it did not look as if Jocelyn was concerned about your scar while she was kissing you rather enthusiastically by the river.”

Robbie mulled over Will’s words. It was true she had responded passionately each and every time he had touched her on their journey to the keep. But it seemed as soon as they had arrived she had turned cool and distant. Now that he thought about it, she had not seemed to mind his scar at all.

He really couldn’t decide which was the real Jocelyn. Or rather, what he’d done to instigate her attitude shift. “Aye, well, perhaps I will let the two of you organize the watch. I have a marriage to seal.”

Cock twitching at the thought of a wet, naked Jocelyn, he sprinted through the great hall and took the stairs two at a time. He skidded to a halt in front of his,
their
, chamber and eased the door open.

Robbie was greeted not by the sight of a nude wife but by a blonde maid he didn’t recognize. She was bending over the satchel he had removed from her back just after discovering her fighting the horse thieves. He had stashed it in his saddlebag and had forgotten about it. One of his brothers must have retrieved it and delivered it. The maid was shaking out a gown she had obviously just pulled out of the bag. “Who are you and where is my wife?” he all but growled.

The maid jumped and spun around, paling when she caught the look on his face. “I am Elizabeth, my laird. I started as maid here only a few days ago. My lady has gone to look at the healer’s old apothecary,” she squeaked, clearly terrified of him. She may be new but had obviously already been informed of the rumors surrounding him. It never took long for those rumors to rear their ugly head.

Robbie rubbed the back of his neck and swallowed his irritated words. “I am going to wash now,” he said gruffly. When the maid paled even further, he sighed. “You may leave.”

She dropped a quick curtsy and scurried out, her long blonde hair swinging behind her.

He shut the door and quickly stripped off his clothing. Stepping into the now lukewarm water, he scrubbed his body free from the dirt that had accumulated during the trip.

* * * *

Jocelyn stared around the old apothecary in dismay. The stores of medicinals were woefully small, and those that were plentiful were nothing more than garbage. Leeches left to die and rot in jars gave the room a rancid smell that competed with the musty smell of some sort of mold growing out of a vial in the corner. She would have to completely restock and reorganize the room with proper medicinals. Good God, how had these people survived?

She backed out of the room, careful to shut the door behind her so the smell didn’t waft into the hallway, and went in search of someone, anyone, who would know where the kitchen garden would be. There were probably some plants she could use in it, and she could scour the forest and fields for the rest before the cold weather came and killed it all.

Jocelyn spied a tall brunette hurrying down the hall and had to run to catch up. “Excuse me,” she said loudly. When the woman stopped and turned, Jocelyn smiled. “Would you be able to direct me to the kitchen garden?”

The woman’s eyes widened, and she immediately dropped into a clumsy curtsy. “I am sorry, my lady. I did not see you coming.”

Jocelyn patted the woman on the shoulder reassuringly. “Please, get up. I will not have anyone curtsy to me. And how did you know who I am?”

The other woman smiled slightly as she straightened up. “The men at the wall informed us all the laird was home with his new bride. Since yours is the only unfamiliar face I have seen, I guessed who you were, my lady.”

Jocelyn threw back her head and laughed. It was nice not to be the only female willing to show her intelligence around here. Not that she’d met all that many people yet. The blonde maid, Elizabeth, who had helped her lace her dress, didn’t seem very intelligent though, and she supposed she had begun to judge everyone by the blonde’s standards. “Please, call me Jocelyn,” she invited, linking arms with the woman. “And you are?”