“The one about your straying husband,” he said, pulling me against him. “And your freedom to seek satisfaction elsewhere.”
“I would hardly refer to it as a ‘discussion,’” I seethed, struggling against his grip. “Besides, you’re wrong. My husband hasn’t strayed. He assured me of that. And I believe him.” Aleck’s boldness angered me, coupled as it was with unrelenting force and this daft misinterpretation of the situation: he seemed to honestly believe that I was interested in a tryst. Withhim.In the wake of my recent enlightenment, I was irritated enough to lash out at him, unthinkingly. “As for your insinuations, Aleck, forget it! Put it out of your mind altogether. You’re the last person I would ever seek out, even if Ihadalready—”
I realized my mistake as soon as I uttered it. I attempted to backtrack. But Aleck’s eyes narrowed with understanding. “Had already what?”
“Had already felt inclined to seek satisfaction elsewhere,” I said quickly. “Which I would never do, by the way. My husband provides more than enough satisfaction.” I hoped my indignation and the honest truth to that statement would put Aleck’s suspicions to rest.
But the strategic ambition and sudden understanding in his eyes sent bolts of icy fear through my veins. “He won’t force himself on you, will he? He’s too honorable for such treachery, isn’t it so?” Aleck was practically gloating with his dawning realization. He spoke quietly, with a note of gleeful disbelief, as though unintentionally voicing his thoughts aloud. “Those Mackenzies pride themselves on it. Honor.” This last word he saidwith some distaste, clearly not consumed by its premise, as my husband was. Aleck looked at me, studying my face, finding there the regret of my mistake. The turn of his calculating intent played clearly across his face. “Your marriage has not yet been sealed,” he said quietly. His hand slid farther, settling on the swell of my hip.
But I jerked away from him and was able to escape him. I ran to the kitchens, taking refuge among my sisters and the kitchen staff. Aleck wouldn’t dare abduct me, or whatever it was he might do, so publicly. At least I hoped it.
And my hopes were confirmed, at least for now. Aleck did not follow me.
This was a very bad development indeed: that Aleck even suspected that my marriage to Kade was not yet truly sealed was not only disturbing, it was dangerous. I knew Aleck coveted the lairdship of our clan with every fiber of his being, and had from the time we were children, when he’d sought my affections even then. I’d suspected his betrayal and so had Kade. I’d wondered if Aleck had had a plan all along. And I’d wondered at the lengths he’d go to.
I needed more information from someone inside the ranks of our clan’s army. Someone who’d known the inner workings of the clan before Kade’s arrival, and before the threats of Campbell’s attacks. Someone who might sense a shift, or who might hear rumors from both sides of the divide. I had an idea of who that someone might be.
I found Bonnie, seated at one of the tables, foldingthe linens for the evening’s place settings. Even Bonnie and Maisie, of late, had taken an interest in the more mundane workings of the manor, when they’d seen how enthusiastic Clementine and I had become. Maisie, it seemed, had a flair for flower arranging. And Bonnie was clever with a needle and thread.
“Bonnie,” I said. “Can you lead me to Jamie? I need to speak to him.”
Several of my sisters overheard me, and moved closer. And Bonnie looked at me, taking her time to study the difference in me since we’d last had a real, sisterly conversation. I’d been preoccupied and had so far managed to avoid discussions on the more intimate details of marriage, which my sisters asked about at every opportunity. And here was another opportunity, which Bonnie, it appeared, intended to take full advantage of. Her mouth eased into a knowing smile. “Stella, I daresay marriage suits you to the extreme. What they say about Kade Mackenzie must indeed be true, and then some.” She lowered her voice. “Isit true? Is he asbeastlyas we’ve heard? You’ve hardly told usanything.”
I knew I wouldn’t get away with skirting her questions entirely. It was bad enough that Aleck suspected the secret of my marriage’s yet-to-be-consummated status. I didn’t want my sisters to suspect the same, especially since it was a detail I planned on addressing sooner rather than later. To hell with my husband’s oaths and his honor. There were bigger problems to consider than an outdated vow that I’d never even asked him to make in the first place; I intended to convince him ofthis at my very next opportunity. I needed to make my reply convincing. “Aye,” I replied, attempting to match the worldliness of Bonnie’s tone, “he’s exactly as beastly as a wife would want him to be.”
Bonnie’s eyebrows shot up. Hoping she was placated enough to allow us to change the course of the conversation, I said, “We’ll talk more of that later. But first, I have something urgent I must ask Jamie. Do you know where he might be?”
“Aye,” Bonnie said. “He had an idea for a new sword design, and he’s taken it to Caleb to see if he could fashion one.”
Maisie had come up next to me. She smoothed a wrinkle in the fabric of my dress, in a gesture of hopeful entreaty. “Couldthathave anything to do with the urgency of your question, dear sister?”
I had not forgiven her either for her betrayal or for her hurtful outburst. “Nay,dear sister.I asked to speak to Jamie, not Caleb. At present, my hope is to avoid Caleb. My husband has forbidden me to speak to him.”
“Of course he has,” said Maisie. “He knows of your desire.”
“He knows of our history, or lack thereof. That’s all there is to know. I’m married now, Maisie. There’s no future between Caleb and me. It wasn’t meant to be.” I realized it then: I meant the words as I spoke them, even though I hadn’t realized, fully, how I felt until this moment. I no longer yearned for Caleb. I yearned for only one man. The one I was now married to. The one I would share a bed with tonight. The one whoseincreasingly infuriating countdown numbered...fewer than eight full days.
I was furious enough—by both the countdown and my unresolved dispute with my sister—to brush her off. I began to follow Bonnie, who had already risen to accompany me to the blacksmith’s hut. But Maisie walked along with us. I looked at her as we walked, and she read my gaze but didn’t rise to it, nor did she comment on it. The trace of guilt in her was etched with the lingering traces of sorrow that her disappointments had introduced. My own damages, I could now consider, had been tempered just slightly by the security and comfort—among other things—that my husband had now introduced. Maisie wished for what I had: a husband—a Mackenzie, no less—whose growing devotion to me had been convincingly demonstrated. With that thought, I began to forgive her. Whether or not she’d had my interest at heart or her own didn’t really matter. This was more about my relationship with Kade than it was about Maisie. My sister couldn’t help herself. She was in love with a man she would possibly never see again, let alone have. A man who resembled my husband as only a full-blooded brother could.
But my husband didn’t want Maisie. He could have had her. She had been his for the taking, only to be refused.
He wants you,my father had said.
And Kade had confirmed it, more than once. Words spoken in the heat of the night, followed by the sensual,devastating pleasure of his claim and his desire as he confirmed his declaration.
I felt mildly flushed when my thoughts were interrupted. We were being approached by the very men we sought out. Jamie and Caleb. We were out of doors, but had only started on the path toward the tradesmen’s village.
I couldn’t help looking around the vicinity, to see if Kade might be around. We were near the manor’s picturesque rose gardens, at the side entrance. In the distance were the orchards, which sloped down a gentle incline to the loch below. I could see the small, moving figures of several gardeners pruning and tending to the trees, readying them for the winter. Mackenzie gardeners perhaps. Or our own, now newly trained and productive.
It was unlikely Kade would be in the orchards or nearby. His place was in the weapons sheds and the sparring yards, where he bested men one by one and slowly but surely earned their hard-won loyalty. Nevertheless, I wanted to make this quick. It wouldn’t do to be caught again in Caleb’s company. I could only imagine what punishment a second offense would bring.
Caleb’s appearance had improved somewhat after our last brief encounter. He had washed and put on fresh clothing. He didn’t appear quite so gaunt. His hair gleamed with strands of gold, and his white shirt suited the lightly browned skin of his face and his neck. His hands, as always, were dirtied with a perpetual film of soot. Once, this image of him, healthy and sunlit, wouldhave clutched at my heart, inspiring me to follow him to the ends of the earth, no matter what the cost.
But now I felt little. Nay, I feltsomething.What Ifeltwas the shadowy effects of Kade Mackenzie’s fingers in the most intimate place imaginable. I felt his biting teeth. I felt the hard heat of his body next to mine and the fierce, devoted greed of his kiss.
Caleb reached out to me, as though he’d forgotten Kade’s warning. Abruptly, I flinched back. Caleb’s hand dropped to his side, his expression hurt and confused by my odd response.
“Caleb,” I said softly. “Please. You mustn’t touch me. My husband is very...possessive. You must take his warning seriously. He meant every word of it.” I had a brief, outlandish desire to reach for Caleb’s hand, to hold his coal-blackened fingers in my own, not to feel him, but to inspire a repeated punishment at the hands of my jealous husband. But it wouldn’t do. Such an act might put Caleb’s life at risk. Tempers were too high. Danger lurked and war threatened. So I took a small step back from him.
