My sisters went silent, staring up at my husband, mutely agog. I couldn’t help feeling a sense of gratitude as my eyes met Kade’s. His pronouncement afforded me with a small, nourishing power that was all but unfamiliar to me: I feltsupported.Andlistened to.Thedepth of feeling caught me off guard. It made me want to reach out to him, to return the favor.
To me, Kade said gently but with that same ingrained authority that left no room for argument, “My guard is awaiting you outside the door. As soon as you are ready, he’ll escort you to me. Do not take too long.”
And with that, he again took his leave.
* * *
WILKIEANDROSESwere ready to depart for Ossian Lochs. Their travel party was not overly large and required only four carriages, along with a number of guards and officers who rode on horseback. Each carriage had been loaded with trunks of supplies and belongings. Despite the fortuitous turn of events surrounding Roses’s newly discovered status as the daughter of the King of Scotland, which resulted in her inheritance—and Wilkie’s lairdship—of the most coveted estate in all the Highlands, the mood was heavy.
I did not know my husband well at all. But I could detect that he was deeply saddened by the departure of his brother. He stood next to Laird Mackenzie as Wilkie shook the laird’s hand. The laird, unexpectedly, embraced his brother in a heartfelt hug, patting him roughly on the back. It was known that these brothers were especially close. Their skills on the battlefield were discussed far and wide; their success as a team in maintaining and growing the wealth of Kinloch was often emulated but rarely equaled. Now their close collaboration was at an end. Wilkie was leaving now for Ossian Lochs, a three-day ride, and Kade would depart forGlenlochie tomorrow. I could see the sorrow in Knox Mackenzie’s eyes, which to me was one of the more pronounced aspects to his character despite his obvious staunchness. He had ruled without a wife since her death several years ago, and now he would rule without his brothers. His sense of loss was palpable in the set of his shoulders and the low light in his unusual pale gray eyes.
Wilkie put his hands on Laird Mackenzie’s shoulders. “I’ll expect a visit soon,” he said. “Perhaps you’ll favor one of the Stuart lasses. The time is overdue for you to find another wife, brother.”
Laird Mackenzie, in a rare vulnerable moment, kicked the ground, raising a small tuft of dust.
Wilkie turned to Kade. Kade held out his hand for a handshake, but Wilkie grabbed his brother in a bear hug, cursing and disengaging with a flinch when one of Kade’s blades poked his muscular bicep. They both laughed as Wilkie rubbed his arm. “Once you’re settled at Glenlochie, we’ll expect you and your new wife without too much delay.”
Wilkie Mackenzie’s eyes turned to me, and he contemplated my face, my hair, my dress. It was the closest I had been to him and I could see now more than ever before why he was legendary for his looks. His eyes were an almost royal blue, darker in the middle and lightening at the edges. His features, if studied individually, were perhaps overly bold, but when placed together presented a perfect configuration, a symmetry. He resembled his younger brother strongly but there wasan ease to him that Kade lacked. Where Wilkie’s inner glow conveyed reassurance and strength, Kade’s relayed volatility. It was a volatility, however, I could reflect in the light of all that had so far happened, that intimidated me less than it had even one day ago. Wilkie smiled lightly at my scrutiny and leaned to kiss my cheek. “’Til soon, sister. Do not fear him. He’s bullheaded as a mule, but I think you’ll tame him easily enough. His bark is worse than his bite.”
At this, Roses, who stood next to Wilkie, linked her arm through mine and gently led me from the men. I followed willingly, although somewhat surprised by her closeness. Her long white-blond hair was loose and strands of it brushed against my arm, as soft as feathers. Her scent was of sunshine and youth, floral somehow, and earthbound. “I hope you don’t mind if I speak with you,” she said. Her speech was inflected with the lightest hint of an accent I could not place, with rounded vowels that caught the ear. Her voice conveyed a strength, I thought, that belied her slender, small shape and the fairness of her hair. And I knew her story, as an outcast—a servant—swept into the arms of a most coveted, handsome nobleman. I couldn’t help feeling a touch of admiration for her. To elevate herself through such a vast social divide, from the kitchens of the Ogilvie keep to the private chambers of Wilkie Mackenzie, even before he knew of her bloodline, was inspiring indeed. To undertake such a journey—both social and geographical—on her own and with such apparent poise and honesty, and toadmither very humble origins: itstirred something in me. Awe, maybe. Or a yearning to possess courage of that kind. I thought she deserved her good fortune.
“Of course not,” I said, and she smiled.
“I do not know him well, your husband. Yet I see the way you look at him, if you’ll forgive me. And I know your marriage was arranged by your father.” She paused, as though awaiting a confirmation of sorts.
I gave it. “Aye.”
“I wanted to tell you that I was very afraid of him at first. His first impression is one of danger, and he does little to assure one otherwise.”
Again she paused. I agreed, wondering where she was going with this.
“Yet I have never had anything but kindness from him. He is thoughtful, and honorable, as all the Mackenzies are. I’ve seen him with his family. He is trusted, and adored, and he gives love as much as he receives it.”
I looked at her, struck by her beauty. Her hair caught the sun and glowed white. Her eyes reflected the shade of the grass.
“I’ve never had a sister before,” she said, somewhat shyly. “I know you have many. But I hope you’ll think of me as such. We’re so looking forward to visits from you, and Wilkie plans for us to visit you as well in the coming months.”
I appreciated her kind words. “I would enjoy that very much, Roses. I wish you all the best with your new life at Ossian Lochs with Wilkie. I know you’ll have every success.”
Unexpectedly, she hugged me to her, holding me close. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Roses,” called Wilkie. “’Tis time.”
We drew apart, and we walked back to where the men were congregated. Roses smiled and waved as Wilkie helped her into the largest carriage.
“You might see us sooner than you think,” Kade said to Wilkie. “If Campbell’s rebellion reignites as it threatens to.”
Wilkie’s half smile was laced with the confidence of a warrior who knew his own strength. “Unlikely,” he said.
“Be well, brother,” Laird Mackenzie called after him as Wilkie climbed into the carriage after Roses, “and send your messengers at the first sign of trouble.”
We watched their carriages grow smaller for a time, the prance of the horses, the clouds of dust that rose then settled in the midday sun. Kade stood next to Laird Mackenzie some distance from me. And as I contemplated my husband, I saw for the first time not only a fierce, brawny warrior but a man who might be capable of sadness, of kindness and, most of all, of love.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MYOPTIMISMWASshort-lived. Immediately after Wilkie and Roses departed for Ossian Lochs, my husband reverted to his most boorish. As though he’d overheard my conversation with Roses and was determined at all costs to disprove it, he was as cold and callous as I had ever expected of him.
Tomorrow we would depart for Glenlochie, and Kade had ordered a brigade of workers to help him prepare for our departure, which would take place early tomorrow morning. That he was less than pleased, in these final hours, at the thought of leaving his beloved Kinloch was more than obvious. He had done his duty, secured a necessary alliance and successfully staged a bonded union. If he may have once found me pleasing during our private moments, that admission seemed now to have escaped his mind. He seemed more preoccupied by thoughts of his new clan, his new laird—at least until he took over the role—and his permanent separation from the only home he’d ever known. Wilkie’s fresh absence only appeared to heighten Kade’s fuming state of mind, serving as a trigger that reminded him very convincingly that life would never be the same.
