Page 30 of Highland Sky

“Allies?” growled Tomas. “That’s a bold-faced lie. The MacKeefes have been our enemies for many years now.”

“Ever since they killed Robena and Avery,” added someone else.

“Nay, listen to Nash. It’s true,” Ciaran spoke up. “I have made an alliance with the MacKeefes through the marriage of Nash MacKeefe and my daughter . . . my niece . . . Kellina.”

“Kellina’s married a MacKeefe?” asked Alice, pulling out of Kellina’s arms to look at her in disgust. “Why would ye do such a thing, lass? Ye hate the MacKeefes more than any of us since they were the responsible for the deaths of yer parents. They are nothin’ but murderers, yet ye took one of them to yer bed? How could ye? That is no’ right, lass. No’ right at all.”

Kellina’s stomach twisted in a knot as she listened to Alice’s words. Her own clan looked at her as if she were a traitor, or perhaps some kind of monster. All this talk of the MacKeefes killing her parents was doing nothing but bringing her hatred for the MacKeefes back to the surface once again.

“I had no choice in the matter,” she told them, her eyes darting over to Nash. Nash slowly shook his head in a silent warning for her to stay quiet.

“When did this happen?” asked Tomas. “Lass, if the marriage hasna yet been consummated, then it is no’ too late. Just tell us it isna so, and we can still kill these three MacKeefes right now without objection.”

“Have ye consummated the marriage, lass?” asked Alice. “We need to ken.”

“I – I . . .” Kellina wanted to tell them the truth, but when she looked over to Nash, he was begging her with his eyes not to say a word about what they’d really done to trick the clan. If word got out, Nash and North, as well as Aidan, would be dead by her clansmen in minutes. Her uncle would be powerless to stop it. Revenge was a strong emotion, and one that couldn’t be reasoned with at all. She knew this from experience. If these warriors knew the truth, they would kill the MacKeefes, and not think anything was wrong with their actions.

“Tell them, Wife,” said Nash, making it clear what he wanted from her when he called her Wife.

“I . . . I mean, I . . .” Her eyes darted back to Nash – her husband. Even if she wasn’t in love with him, and didn’t really want to be his wife, could she let him die? His life, as well as the lives of his brother and friend, now rested in her hands. One word was all her clansmen needed from her, and Nash and the other MacKeefes’ fates would be sealed.

“I think my bride is just shy about this,” said Nash with a chuckle, walking over and slipping his hand around her waist. “Everyone here can vouch that the marriage yesterday has been consummated. They all heard loud and clear last night what transpired in our marriage bed. Isna that right, North?” he asked his brother.

“Huh?” North looked like a deer in the torchlight, being put on the spot. His eyes darted back and forth. It was obvious that he wasn’t sure how to answer. Mayhap he just needed more of Nash’s guidance.

“Didna ye say ye heard our cries of passion in the marriage bed last night?” he asked North. “After all, the roof of the infirmary was no’ in place yet, and sound travels.”

“Well, aye. I did hear yer cries of passion in the marriage bed. We all did.” North nodded furiously, not saying anything more.

“I heard them, too,” agreed Caitlin. She was followed by others who had been there, saying one at a time that they had heard the consummation that had occurred.

“Well, I didna hear them,” growled one of the older men of the clan.

“Forbes, ye are nearly deaf,” said the chieftain. “Ye wouldna hear me bangin’ on yer head either.”

“What’s that?” asked Forbes, cocking his head and cupping his ear, trying to hear over the noise of the crowd.

“My point exactly,” said Ciaran, holding out his arm. “Now, all of ye, put away yer swords. I willna hear another word about harmin’ a single MacKeefe.”

“For those of ye who are still in doubt, I’ll display proof that we are man and wife and that the marriage is real,” said Nash, dipping Kellina down and kissing her. The passionate kiss in front of everyone lingered so long that she actually felt herself becoming excited by it.

Then Alice’s words rang out in Kellina’s mind, and everything changed. She decided she didn’t like Nash making a display of her. She didn’t appreciate him speaking for her either. It infuriated her that Nash even thought to put her in this position.

Men shouted out a few things that weren’t respectable, and some of them whistled and clapped, apparently enjoying the show.

When Nash pulled her back up and broke the kiss, Kellina decided to slap him. But when she raised her hand up, Nash quickly grabbed it, kissing it, trailing more kisses all the way down her arm.

“All right, that’s enough,” said Ciaran, waving a hand through the air. “Save some of it for the marriage bed later.”

“Marriage bed?” asked Kellina, her heart jumping into her throat. “Uncle, we already did that, so why would we be in the marriage bed again tonight?”

“Since the roofs of most of our huts are still open to the elements, I’m afraid half the clan will be sleepin’ in the infirmary until ye finish repairin’ all the thatch,” stated her uncle.

“Well, what does that have to do with the marriage bed? And me?” she asked, not understanding. That box bed in the infirmary was only used once by newly married couples. After that, they slept on pallets on the ground, surrounded by all the others of the clan.

“Ye two have just become wed,” her uncle reminded her. “Ye’ll sleep in the marriage bed until the rest of the roofs are repaired. After that, ye and Nash can decide what kind of cottage to build for yerselves and the family ye’ll have soon.”

“Thank ye for the offer of the new cottage, but that’s no’ necessary, Chieftain,” said Nash. “Ye see, we’ll be livin’ with the MacKeefes as soon as I finish my punishment.” Nash spoke up, never having talked this over with Kellina. Then again, since they weren’t really married, the conversation had never come up between them in the first place.