Ann Carr (11 page)

Chapter Twenty

Elizabeth kicked her heels into Dancer’s sides to quicken his pace, eager to return to Duncan’s side before he woke up. Energised after what had taken place between them earlier and with many different arguments swarming through her mind, Elizabeth had needed escape into fresh air, to try to clear her mind and quiet her body.

Without thinking where she was going, her feet had taken her straight into the stables and to Dancer’s stall. William, the old stableman, whom she had got to know over the weeks during her daily visits to Dancer, had popped up beside her. He had that knack, she smiled as she thought of him, and it was as though he had some sort of sixth sense that made him aware of everyone’s presence around his charges. She was yet to get used to him just appearing by her side whenever she ventured into his domain, he moved like a ghost, without any sound and Elizabeth was convinced that he must tiptoe around just especially to catch people off their guard.

Of all the misfortune! Elizabeth lamented and pulled on the reigns to turn Dancer around and then galloped back in the direction from which she had just come. She'd just realised that she hadn't picked up her shawl from where she'd hung it on a branch beside the fast paced river where her ride had instinctively ended. Oh, but she had no chance of returning home before Duncan woke up! Disappointed because she had wanted to be the first person to greet him after his sleep, she spurred her horse on to move faster. She didn't bother to slow down as she neared the trees surrounding the river, they weren't too thick, and she had already memorized a safe path through them to the river, and besides she argued, as her natural caution sprang to life at the risk she was taking, the quicker she made it through the forest the sooner she would be able to return home.

Cresting the hill, Duncan swore loudly to disguise the pain he felt in his chest as he watched Elizabeth disappear into the forest before him. Even through his anger and certainty that she was running from him had been the burning hope that he was wrong. Now, watching her ride away from him banished any illusion that he might have had on that notion. There, in front of his very eyes, was irrefutable evidence that she was running from him. Not just running, fleeing!

Well, he’d be damned if he was going to allow this to happen to him twice in his lifetime!
He thought. If she thought she could escape him then she would shortly be proved wrong! Spurring on Shadow, he too picked up his pace to follow her into the forest, he knew every path in these forests, had roamed them freely since he was a child, and had no need to slow his pace for the inherent dangers associated with travelling through a group of trees at high speed. If he felt a pang of fear for Elizabeth, then he quickly squashed it, ignoring the danger that she was taking to evade him.

As they raced through the forest, Shadow made up a lot of ground and before they approached the river Duncan was within touching distance of her. Without thinking of what he was going to do, his strong arm shot out to grab Elizabeth around the
waist. Still at full speed, he smoothly pulled her across the narrow gap between the two horses and onto his lap. Without slowing his pace, Duncan directed Shadow down another path which circled away from the river, ignoring the woman he now held in his arms with all of his conscious effort.

Screaming, Elizabeth’s heart stopped beating in her chest as she was roughly plucked from Dancer’s back. Kicking out she tried to dislodge the man’s hold on her, anger at her own stupidity gave her more strength than usual, but lack of skill meant that her blows failed to hit their target. She hadn’t even heard his approach; she berated herself, too caught up in her fantasies of her husband to care about what was going on around her. Well, it served her right she fumed, as she landed in his lap, hard.

Unwilling to admit defeat, she blindly sent her limbs swinging out, hoping to make contact with something, anything! In the process she somehow managed to twist around so that she was facing the direction of her captor. For the second time, her heart seemed to stop dead in her chest, because she found herself looking into the eyes of.... her husband. Eyes which only a few hours before had gazed down at her with such passion and tenderness now burned into her very soul. The smile that had automatically come to her lips when she had
realised whose arms she found herself wrapped in, froze on her face with his cold stare. What...? She couldn’t imagine what had brought that look of anger to his eyes. Surely it wasn’t because he’d woken up alone? Wanting to ask, to figure it all out, but too apprehensive to let the words escape from her lips, Elizabeth remained silent.

With a frown on her brows, she bit her lip to stop herself from crying, from mourning the beautiful time that they had spent together. All she could do was
wait. Wait for the inevitable.

Riding Shadow deeper into the forest, Duncan willed his mind not to think, not to remember the hurt, confused look that had been directed at him, that had made his resolve waiver just for a second. Perhaps he was making a terrible mistake, he thought, trying to clamp down on his own unease, he couldn't allow his mind to take that path. He wasn't wrong in his assessment, the fact that he wanted to query it highlighted his own weakness. A weakness he would never allow anyone to witness, especially the woman he now held in his arms.

Chapter Twenty-One

Pulling up beside a small stone cabin in the heart of the forest, Duncan jumped off Shadow’s back. Once his feet were firmly on the ground, he reached up and lifted Elizabeth down to stand beside him, more gently than he had intended. Angry at his own weakness, he took her delicate wrist in his rough hand and dragged her behind him towards the little door, which hung crookedly from its frame. Letting go, he shoved the door open with so much force that it clattered ominously against the wall behind it.

The loud crash of wood against stone worked to revive Elizabeth out of her confused stupor. Jumping as Duncan propelled her through the door, she turned to look at him with big questioning eyes, “What’s this about Duncan?” she somehow managed to form the words in her dry throat.

“Dinnae give me that innocent act!” he thundered, slamming the door closed with an equally loud bang. “And stop looking at me like that! I’m not the one in the wrong here!”

The tension engulfing Elizabeth finally snapped as a result of his outburst.
Her own anger now bubbling to the surface, all fear forgotten. Anger was an emotion that she had witnessed countless times through her life; all of the men in her family gave in to frequent outbursts, dragging in anyone who happened to be nearby. She could handle anger, she thought, straightening her shoulders. Hell! She could give back just as much as she got. No, it had been the icy fury which had terrified her. She had never before witnessed anyone who possessed such calm control over their anger. It had almost seemed as if she would never be able to penetrate that cool exterior, and that had scared her. Now, however, she just let rip.

“How am I in the wrong here?” she aggressively questioned.

Taken aback for a second, Duncan’s mind went blank. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had dared to argue back at him, certainly never a woman.

Before he could respond Elizabeth continued her tirade. “And for your information, the reason I look innocent is because I am innocent! Not because it’s some elaborate act!” Knowing from experience that the best way to deal with a man’s anger was to put him on the
defense, she took a step towards him, “although I have no idea what I’m supposed to be looking guilty about. So perhaps you might get around to telling me instead of talking in riddles?”

“I’m talking about
ye running away from me! I’ll be damned if I let ye go running back home! Yer my wife, and yer staying here with me! Even if i have to make ye!” He too advanced.

“I wasn’t running away!” she screamed.       

“Dinnae even try to deny it! I saw you leaving with my own eyes!” He took another step forwards.

“Why would I be running away?” she questioned, hating the pleading quality that was creeping into her voice. “I came out for a ride, thought I’d be back before you woke! I asked
Mrs MacTavish to tell you where I was if she saw you!”

“She never told me”, he sliced his hand through the air, unable to look at her. Disappointed, still believing she was lying to him, he spun around.

“But did you give her a chance?” Elizabeth beseeched, knowing with all her soul that she had to convince him of the truth. Hesitantly stepping towards him, she placed a tentative hand on his arm. “Look at me Duncan” she pleaded. When he reluctantly turned she continued, “why would I want to leave? I’d just had the best experience of my life. You had given me the best experience I’ve ever had.”

“Then why did ye leave me?” the vulnerable note in his voice melted her heart right then and there. Sensing that there was more to this than what met the eye, she determined to get to the bottom of it.
Later. Now she had to work at convincing her husband that she wanted to be with him.

“I was just so happy, and so...” looking for the right word, she left him to pace the room and sitting down heavily on the small bed pushed against the far wall she looked up, spreading her hands, “energized! I had too much
energy, I needed to get out; to move!”

“Why
dinnae ye wake me?” he moved towards her, wearily, still not wholly believing her.

“Because you looked so tired!
You needed some sleep and I didn’t want to disturb you!” Jumping up, she reached out to grip his hands, “you have to believe me Duncan! I was already on my way back home, but I left my shawl down by the river and had to go back to get it. That’s the reason you saw me riding away from you, I was rushing so that I could get back home, back to you before you woke up and found me gone. The last thing I wanted to do was cause you any worry or pain.”

Laying tender hands on his cheeks, Elizabeth looked into the endless depths of his stormy eyes, what she saw
there gave her hope, raising up on her tiptoes, she pulled his head down slightly, “please believe me, I’d never do anything to hurt you”, she whispered sincerely, before closing the gap between them to lay her warm lips softly against his. When he made no response, she increased the pressure, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, leaving him no escape.

On a groan, Duncan gave in. His arms wrapped so tightly around Elizabeth that she could barely breath, not caring, she closed her eyes and give herself over to him. His hands began to move possessively over her body, frustrated with the barrier of her dress he quickly loosened it and leaning back he pulled it down over her body and was only satisfied when it landed in a pooled mess around her feet so that his hungry eyes could devour the body now exposed to him. Yes, he thought, this woman belonged to him and he wasn’t going to allow her to forget it.

All thoughts disappeared when she stared up at him with passion dazed eyes; desire took over stronger than he had ever felt before. Eager to feel her body engulf his he
swooped her off her feet and all but threw her on the bed. Raising his kilt, he followed her down and in one fluid movement impaled his hard penis into her soft, wet centre. Both moaned in excruciating pleasure as one, Elizabeth dug her head into the lumpy mattress beneath her, raising her hips to take more of his length inside of her. Frantic desire took hold of them, they both had the same goal, and both pumped their bodies rhythmically, reveling in the friction of their joined flesh. This was no tender love making, just a primal act of staking a claim, his claim over her, hers over him, together they gave over to their instincts, allowed their bodies to guide them. Pumping harder and faster, gasping for air, Elizabeth’s body erupted in an earth shattering climax. As her body contracted around him Duncan let out a rough growl and pumping through his release spilled his seed inside her.

All energy spent, he collapsed on top of her. Panting he tried to regain his breath while threading his fingers through her damp hair. “I wish I could be sorry for that, but I’m not” he mumbled against her, rolling to his side to remove his weight from her and mumbled, “
damn sword!” before raising himself to his knees to remove the sword from where it was still attached to his kilt.

“You didn’t remove your sword?” Elizabeth asked, positively
scandalised, she too raised up so that she was holding her weight on her hands behind her. “Or your cloths” she continued taking in his fully dressed appearance. “Oh my! You still have your boots on!” Groaning at her own nakedness, she flopped back down, covering her flaming face with both hands.

Laughing, Duncan followed her down, taking her hands away from her face, not letting her hide from him, “I
dinnae have time, I was too eager to be inside you!” He laughed all the more as her colour deepened and she tried to roll away from him in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry! I
couldnae resist! You look so adorable with bright red cheeks!” he teased.

“So does this mean that you believe me?” she asked peeking through her fingers.

“I guess it does” he leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose, but when he raised his head he was frowning.

“What is it?” she questioned, running a finger over the ridges on his forehead.

“Did I hurt ye?”             

Shaking her head, Elizabeth answered truthfully, “I feel a little bit sensitive now, but you didn’t hurt me”

Nodding he rested next to her, curling her body into his. Both were silent for a long time. Both had hundreds of questions that they wanted to ask but neither one wanted to disturb the warm glow surrounding them.

Eventually, Duncan was the first to break the silence, “Did I hurt
ye earlier, when I dragged ye off yer horse?”

“No”, she lied, but at his raised eye-brow she found herself nodding the truth.

“I’m sorry” he whispered so quietly she was left wondering if she had heard it at all. “The last thing I wanted to do was hurt ye”.

“Really?” she couldn’t suppress the surprise which crept into her voice, “you certainly gave a good impression of it!” she smiled, hoping to make the observation less hurtful.

“No. I’d never intentionally hurt ye Elizabeth. I dinnae want ye ever to be afraid of me. Aye, I have a temper. And aye, I was angry with ye, but I just wanted ye back. I dinnae want to do ye any harm!”

“I think I believe you Duncan” she whispered and deciding to push the boundaries of their relationship she pressed, “why were you so convinced that I’d run away?”

“At first I wasnae convinced at all” he ran his hand up her silky arm, “I thought ye’d been taken. But when I learned that ye’d left by yerself, I..” he breathed out heavily, “well! I just assumed that ye were running from me, I couldnae think of any other reason for ye to go off riding, especially after what had just happened between us”.

“But Duncan, there were lots of reasons why I could have been out riding; and all good reasons too” she rose up so that she was now looking down at him. “There has to be more to this”, holding her fingers over his lips, she stopped the flow of words which were about to burst forth, “you don’t have to tell the details, but is there something that made you think that of me?”

“My first wife, Juliet” he started, “after our wedding night she ran away from me. Oh! not the way I thought ye had, but she moved out of my bed, down the hall. We barely spent any time together after that, I went away as often as possible so that I dinnae have to be here. I’ve no doubt she took other men to her bed in my absence, but truth be told, I dinnae really care. Neither did she. She’d achieved her goal; she wanted the position, the title, and an easy life as she called it.”

“What about Ewan?” Elizabeth questioned no doubt in her mind that Duncan was his father.

“I dinnae even know she was expecting a child until I came home and found her in labour. I certainly dinnae expect the child to be mine!” there was wonder in his voice, “after Ewan was born, they couldnae stop the blood loss. She knew she was going to die and she made me promise to raise the child as my own. I agreed. What else could I say?” he broke off, lost in his own thoughts as he remembered that hideous day.

“Nothing!”
Knowing the kind of man he was, Elizabeth never would have expected him to say anything else. Laying a tender, comforting hand on him, she stated with certainty, “But he is yours Duncan. He is a part of you. Surely you can’t still doubt that?”

Smiling again, Duncan shook his head, “aye, I know he’s mine. The entire world can see that I’m his father. But it took me years to see and to accept what everyone else did. I think a part of me will always feel guilty for doubting it in those first few years”.

“You have nothing to feel guilty about!” she sat up now passionately “Your wife deceived you! She gave you every reason to doubt that you had fathered him. You have a good relationship now Duncan! He’s a great boy! You’ve done so well with him. Seriously Duncan, please stop beating yourself up over this, you have more than made up for any doubts that you harboured!”

Uneasy with her passionate
defense of him, Duncan left the bed, “We’d better start heading back before it gets dark” he stated.

“Ok”, knowing he needed to change the subject, she hurriedly pulled on her dress with Duncan’s help to fasten the laces, which he did with swift efficiency. “You’re very good at that!” she teased a smile from his face.

“Perhaps I’ve had occasion to practice once or twice!” he joked back.

As she finished dressing, she let her eyes roam around the small stone room. At some time since they had entered Duncan had lit some candles to help illuminate it and banish away the shadows. It was an old building, not lived in, but
clean. There was a small wooden table in the middle of the room, where one of the candles was now sitting. Around the table were two sturdy looking chairs, solid enough to hold a man’s weight easily.

“Who lived in this building?” she questioned suspiciously.

“No one has lived here for many years”, looking rather sheepish, he eagerly pushed her towards the door.

“Then who uses this building now?” she asked. When no answer was forthcoming, Elizabeth dug her heels in, causing Duncan to bump into her back. Turning she said more pointedly, “Are you the person who uses this building?” When again no answer was forthcoming, she drew her own conclusions. Spinning, not knowing whether to laugh or be furious she sputtered, “you bought me to your....your.... little love house!”

Unable to contain his laughter at seeing her so lost for words, Duncan nearly doubled over with his humour. Grabbing the back of the closest chair for support he managed to gain a small measure of composure. “Why shouldnae I have a little.... love house? I wasnae married. I had no wife!”