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Chapter Ten
Cullen pressed a kiss to the top of Evelinde's head, then began to slide out from under her to get out of bed.
"Are you getting up already?"
He heard the disappointment in Evelinde's voice and merely smiled to himself as he found his plaid and laid it out to work folds into the strip of cloth in preparation of donning it. While it was early morning, it was not as early as it had been when he'd woken her with kisses and caresses and made love to her. The memory drew his gaze back to his wife, and he found himself transfixed as she stretched in the bed with a feline grace.
"Are you disappointed?"
Cullen glanced to her face as she drew the linens up, covering herself. "In what?"
"I am not as buxom, or big, or tall as little Maggie," she pointed out quietly.
He almost laughed, but then realized she was serious. Women were a strange breed, Cullen decided. The truth was he liked her body. He'd liked Maggie's, too. They were both beautiful in their own ways. Evelinde's was slim and graceful like a rosebud rising out of the earth. Maggie had been full and ripe like a rose in full bloom. Both were roses and both beautiful.
"Well?" Evelinde asked, the worry in her voice growing more pronounced.
"I'm no disappointed," Cullen answered. When that did not seem to reassure her, he recalled his duty, and frowned. "I like yer body. Yer short, but please me. "
"Short?" she squawked, appearing affronted.
"Aye. Yer like to make me a gnarled old man with a twisted back having to stoop to kiss ye all the time, but 'tis worth it," he teased.
Evelinde's expression was priceless. Her mouth opened and closed several times, then she grumbled under her breath, but her cheeks were flushed from her exertions, and her expression was not the troubled and unhappy look he'd become used to. She looked satisfied and at peace.
And all it had taken was giving her a tumble and a compliment or two, Cullen thought with a shake of the head. He'd ridden for three days without sleep to get her away from her stepmother, but she hadn't seemed to appreciate that. Yet he said a couple of words of praise and bedded her—definitely not an effort—and she was happy.
He would never understand women, Cullen thought as he donned his plaid. His gaze slid back to his wife as he drew the end of the plaid over his shoulder to fasten it in front, and he paused when he saw the way she was watching him.
"Stop that, or I shall never get out of this room," he growled, feeling his body respond to the hunger in her eyes. When she just smiled, Cullen shook his head, and forced his attention to finding the broach that he used to fasten his plaid. A frown claimed his lips when he couldn't find it in the rushes by where the plaid had lain.
"What are you looking for?" Evelinde asked curiously.
"Me pin," he muttered, and shrugged impatiently and moved to his chest. He had another there and would find the missing one later. Cullen had knelt and opened the chest when Evelinde suddenly cried, "Here it is!"
Pausing, he glanced toward the bed to see her grab something off the bedside table and scoot off the bed.
Cullen straightened as she rushed over to offer it to him, his eyes moving over her. When Evelinde paused in front of him—instead of taking the pin—he used his free hand to sweep her against his chest and lowered his head to kiss her soundly. He squeezed her behind and urged her closer as he did, but then Evelinde moaned and wiggled against him, and he felt his body responding. Cullen immediately set her away and took the pin from her before temptation could become irresistible.
"Pack a picnic for the nooning," he ordered, temptation nagging at him as he fastened the plaid in place with the pin.
"Why?"
He glanced to the surprised expression on her face, but merely said, "I've a mind to return to the clearing with ye. "
Cullen heard her draw in an excited breath as he turned away and smiled to himself as he walked out of the room. He was now very much looking forward to the midday meal.
Evelinde watched her husband go, a slow smile curving her lips and her toes curling into the rushes beneath her as she considered why he might wish to take her back to the clearing. The smile faded, however, as she glanced down at the open chest beside her.
What with one thing and another, Evelinde had quite forgotten all about losing his pin until Cullen had gone in search of it. She was thinking of it now, however, and knew she had to find it, which meant a trip down to the paddocks. Evelinde grimaced at the thought, but it was either that or telling her husband she'd lost it.
Finding it was definitely the preferred option, Evelinde decided and straightened her shoulders with determination as she moved to the basin on the table for a quick wash before getting dressed. She had her chemise on and was just picking up the gown she'd decided to wear that day when Mildrede arrived.
The maid helped her, chattering on about her impressions of Donnachaidh as she did. Distracted with her worry about finding the pin, Evelinde wasn't really paying much attention until Mildrede said, "I could hardly believe it when she said the men go about their swordplay while the women do all the real work around here. "
Evelinde scowled, recalling her intention to talk to Cullen about the unfair division of labor at Donnachaidh. Perhaps she should do so this evening, or while they were on their picnic. This evening, she decided, not wishing to ruin the afternoon's outing and discourage her husband if he wished to once again show her that he "liked" her. Evelinde quite liked being liked. It was turning out to be the best part of marriage so far.
"Ugh," Mildrede muttered as she followed her out of the chamber a moment later. "How anyone can see in this light, I don't know. I am like to do myself an injury do we not get some light in this hall. "
"Aye. " Evelinde sighed, taking her arm to lead her to the stairs. "I shall talk to Cullen about it this evening. "
Mildrede grunted her approval and continued her earlier chatter as they descended the stairs.
Evelinde tried to leave the keep at once to go start her search for the lost pin, but Mildrede wouldn't hear of her leaving without seeing she first broke her fast. The maid had her sit at the table while she fetched her some mead and one of Biddy's delicious pasties, then sat and told her she thought Biddy was a love while she watched Evelinde eat.
Evelinde listened with amusement and affection, glad to have the woman with her again and grateful to her husband for it. Cullen really was very considerate, she acknowledged. And now that he was speaking to her a little, she was beginning to think everything might be all right after all. Evelinde did not think they would ever have deep and long-winded conversations, but perhaps that wasn't important. She wasn't sure.
Once Evelinde had finished eating, Mildrede rushed off to see to straightening the bedchamber, and Evelinde was finally able to slip out of the keep.
She didn't see her husband as she made her way to the paddock, and was glad for it. Did he ask her where she was headed, Evelinde would not feel she could lie outright and would have had to tell the truth. Something she'd rather not have to do. She would not mind explaining that it had been briefly lost after she found it, but would rather Cullen not know until she'd found it again.
Evelinde started her search where she'd left off the day the Comyns had arrived, on the path she thought they'd taken when leaving the area. She followed that path all the way to where Cullen had hauled her out of the paddock but had no success.
Sighing unhappily when she reached the fence without finding it, Evelinde got back to her feet and peered into the paddock. She didn't see Angus, but had learned her lesson from her last walk through the enclosure. Evelinde followed the fence all the way to the end to check the entire area. The paddock ran alongside the one where Cullen had been breaking his horse with just a ten-foot span between the two, then turned and ran along the back of it to a small barn with doors both in front, opening into the horses' paddock, and another on the side, opening into Angus's paddock.
The door to Angus's paddock was presently closed, and there was no sign of the bull. This was probably the best time to search the paddock for the pin if she was going to do it, Evelinde realized, and cast one last glance toward the closed door before hurrying back along the fence to where Cullen had pulled her out.
Hitching up her skirt, she quickly climbed the fence and dropped into the paddock. Evelinde then paused to glance around one more time to be sure Angus was still inside the barn before dropping to her hands and knees to begin searching the grass in the enclosure. She moved much more quickly here, just running her hands over the grass in search of the pin, then moving on to the next spot and doing it again. She didn't wish to be in the paddock any longer than necessary. She also wished to avoid being seen at her search. Evelinde had no doubt that Cullen would be furious if he caught her in here, and that was without even knowing that she'd lost his pin.
She was halfway across the paddock when she spotted the missing broach. Giving a happy cry, Evelinde snatched it up and sat back on her heels to examine it, releasing a small sigh of relief when she saw it was undamaged. She was just getting to her feet thinking she'd been very fortunate to come when the paddock was empty as well as to actually find the pin when the thunder of hooves drew her head around. Her eyes widened at the sight of an angry Angus charging down the paddock toward her.
For one moment, Evelinde was frozen, then she broke into a run, Cullen's pin clutched in her hand like a talisman.
"Ye'll manage?" Cullen asked Mac as he led his mount out of the stables. He'd just finished giving the man a tour of the stables and introduced him as the new stable master to Scatchy and his daughter, Loa.
Scatchy appeared happy enough with the new arrangement. Cullen wasn't surprised. The man had told him more than once that he was getting too old to be sitting up all night with ailing or birthing horses.
Much to Cullen's surprise, however, Loa didn't appear to be taking the new arrangement well at all. She'd been grim and stiff ever since he'd introduced Mac and explained his new position. Cullen would have expected the woman to be relieved to have someone remove the burden from her. Scatchy had been little help the last few years, and the task of managing the stables had fallen on her shoulders.
He glanced to the woman now to find her standing in the shadows of the stable doors, glaring out at them.
"Shell settle," Mac said.
Cullen turned back to see that Mac was watching her, too.
"She just needs a little handling," the stable master added mildly. When Cullen raised his eyebrows, he shrugged. "Women are like horses; keep them fed and watered, rub them down of a night, and whisper a sweet word or two in their ear, and they'll follow ye anywhere. "
Cullen released a bark of laughter, but then tried to smother it as Scatchy came out of the stables. The old man walked toward them with a smile that turned into a perplexed expression as he glanced at something to his left.
"Is that not yer lady playing with Angus again, me laird?" the old man asked as he reached them.
Cullen glanced sharply toward the paddocks, his heart lodging itself in his throat when he saw Evelinde in her red gown, running willy-nilly around the field trying to outrun the bull, which was almost on top of her.
Cursing, he leapt onto his mount and spurred him into a dead run. Cullen knew he'd never make it even as he charged toward the enclosure. Evelinde didn't have a chance at outrunning the beast, he thought, but quickly realized he'd underestimated her. While she might not have been faster or stronger than the bull, she was definitely smarter. Just when Cullen thought she would be caught up in the bull's horns and tossed through the air, Evelinde suddenly dove to the side, throwing herself to the ground.
Unprepared for the action, Angus stamped past her a good distance before managing to bring himself to a halt and turn back. By that time, Evelinde had already rolled back to her feet and was again racing toward the nearest fence. Angus was immediately after her again, her red gown drawing him on.
Cullen leaned low over his mount's back and steered him straight at the fence. His horse was leaping the top rail when Evelinde next threw herself to the side to avoid being gored. Angus was more prepared this time, however, and managed to stop and turn much more quickly. But Evelinde had nearly reached the fence when she threw herself to the ground and rather than get up and race the last few steps and try to climb it as he feared—which would have seen her gored ere he could reach her—his clever wife simply rolled several times, rolling herself right under the fence to safety.
