Enchanted Lover (21 page)

Wynne popped in the door before Jared could answer.
“Good morning, Laird Jared,” she said. “I hope you’re getting yer dear wife to
go down for some food. She wears herself out with her vigilance.”

Turning to Asilinn, she smiled. “I'd be glad to watch
Ian while you get something to eat.”

“Come,” Jared urged, taking Asilinn’s hand and
pulling her to her feet.

When they had reached the hallway, he draped his arm
around her casually. She pulled away. “I understand from Morven not all was
peaceful here during my absence. Your quick thinking saved Wynne's life.”

“Aye, I believe henbane was used to poison her.”

“The poison was meant for you.”

Asilinn's brow furrowed. “Mayhaps, but who is behind
this?”

“I wish I knew,” Jared replied as they started down
the steps.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Wynne didna come to help me
dress the morning before you left. Later she showed up and apologized saying it
was because she had heard of my father's planned attack on Cock Bridge. Even you did not hear of it until much later in the day. I was there when Morven
told you.”

“Do you suspect Wynne of treachery? I see no motive
for her actions to be false. She has gained much by being your attendant.”

“I only mention it because it made no sense. I
hesitated to call her on it. Is there some way she could have known earlier?”

“It seems unlikely. Mayhaps she had some other reason
but used that as her excuse when she came to you. I'll check into it.”

Flanna greeted them when they entered the kitchen and
hurried to fetch them some food. Jared sat studying his wife. She had slept all
night in her dress and she still looked lovely. Her shining, golden locks fell
in disarray across her shoulders and her eyes were the color of wet violets.

The door swung open distracting Jared from his
scrutiny of Asilinn. Skye sauntered through the door in her groom's clothing.
She jumped when she saw Jared was present in the kitchen. She started to turn
and run but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

“Where have you been dressed like that?” Jared
fingered the coarse clothes she wore.

Skye swallowed hard and looked to Asilinn for help.
“Tell Jared about what you saw in Burnum Woods,” Asilinn said.

“Burnum Woods! You should never venture far a field
without an escort.” Jared turned to Asilinn. “You knew and allowed this?”

“I found out and told her not to go again, but she is
your sister and I can see she has your stubborn streak.”

“I was going to obey, honest I was, but I….” Skye
glanced around the room and lowered her voice. “The other night I rode out to
see if I could spot you returning from Cock Bridge. When I got to Burnum Woods,
I heard strange moaning and people's voices. I started down the trail towards
the sounds and saw a big man on horseback coming. He wore a mask and a bloody
tunic. I was terrified. I lit out before he saw me.”

“After such an experience you returned?” His sister
had clearly lost her mind.

“Last night after I left Ian's room I saw Osred going
to the stable. I put these clothes on and followed him. He met a masked figure
in the woods. It was dark. I couldna tell who it was. Some other rider
approached and they both became wary. I had to hide in the woods the rest of
the night.”

“Osred?” Jared rolled it over in his mind. “I've
never cared for the man but I would think he has little to gain from betraying
me. Let's keep this between us until I can look into it further, and Skye, no
more night expeditions outside the castle. Is that understood?”

Skye grinned. “Aye.”

“Will you be awake enough after your escapade to
watch Ian for us this morning? Asilinn and I have an errand.”

“Oh yes,” Skye assured him, beaming. “I would be
delighted to be of assistance. I'll hurry and change.”

Jared raised an eyebrow and gazed into his wife's
blue eyes. “She's taken with him,” Asilinn explained. “She told me she thinks
he's beautiful.”

Jared laughed and shook his head. “Poor Skye, I have
neglected her in my preoccupation with this damn war. I'm glad to see you have
befriended her. She needs someone to nurture her womanliness. At twelve, she is
already as tall as some of my shorter men. She seems all legs and arms.”

Asilinn smiled at him. “Your sister is turning into a
beautiful, young lady and you shall be privileged to watch her transformation.”

“The imp is growing up,” he murmured.

“Come, Jared, we must make one last check on Ian
before we go.”

“All right,” he agreed.

***

Ian was resting comfortably but still lingered in a
haze of semi-consciousness. Asilinn walked over and stroked his brow. “The
medicine will take away this veil from your eyes,” she whispered. She bent and
placed a kiss of his cheek.

Skye flew into the room already changed into a more
suitable outfit. Asilinn noted it was the gown had been patterned after her
favorite. “Doesn't Skye look lovely in that color?” Asilinn gave Jared a
quizzical glance.

Jared looked at his sister. With a grin, he brushed
her mahogany hair back from her face. “How did you become such a young lady
without my permission? I can see I shall soon have to fight off suitors after
your hand.” Skye beamed at the suggestion and actually blushed.

“You two go along now,” Skye directed. “I'll make
sure nothing happens to Ian.”

Thus dismissed they retrieved their mounts from the
stable and headed out of Dunbocan. They rode out across the drawbridge and
started the gentle climb into the surrounding mountains.

As they moved deeper into the moors, Asilinn drank in
a breath of the fresh mountain air. She enjoyed the soft kiss of sunlight on
her face and the wind teasing her hair. Looking over at Jared, she saw he was
watching her with those luminous, dragon eyes

“Some of what I need grows far up in the moors and
other herbs can be found in Burnum Woods.”

“We'll go to the moors first then come back by way of
the woods,” he suggested. “You seem to be an accomplished rider. I'll race you
to the top of the hill.”

They had just reached a wide-open meadow that sloped
upward toward a ridge. Asilinn kneed Faileas in the ribs urging her to a flat
out run up the steep incline. Jared and Ailleagian were hot on their heels but
the mighty stallion refused his master's commands to pass the delicate filly.
Instead, he chose to match her stride for stride until they crested the rise
and drew up.

“A dead heat,” Asilinn said, laughing. “I fear
Ailleagian is smitten with Faileas. He refuses to leave her.”

“It would be nice to have a wife with those
feelings.” His eyes crinkled a little around the edges when he smiled at her.
“Alas, that is not my fate.”

“I have given my word I wilna try to escape again,
Milord.”

“Aye, so, but was it fear of further punishment or
desire to stay that brought the oath to life?”

He had her there. “Mayhaps if my husband would see
fit to let me learn to care for him before he made me pliant beneath his
fevered touch, I too would want to stay.”

Pulling his horse up close he leaned over and kissed
her long and lingering on the mouth.

When he pulled away she stammered breathlessly,
“I—I—ask you for time and you attack me with your desires.”

He laughed so loud it echoed off the surrounding
mountains. When he had recovered sufficiently he let out a deep sigh and
settled back in his saddle. “It was just a kiss. What am I to do to win your
favor Asilinn—leave off touching you at all?”

He was watching her with his sparkling, green eyes.
She shook her head to clear it. “I must remember what I came here for. I dinna
want to leave Ian too long.”

“‘Tis just as well,” he said with groan. “The moors
hold little privacy for lovers. Anyone who rode over the hill would see us.” He
looked over into Asilinn's slack-jawed expression and burst out laughing again.
“Have I offended you sensibilities with my suggestion?”

“You would take me out here—outside?” Asilinn
straightened in her saddle shocked but intrigued by his suggestion. “You've
made me forget the task at hand," she scolded half-heartedly. “I think
we'll have to walk the horses part of the way. It is too steep.”

He fell in beside her while she led the way further
up. Dismounting she ran up to see the view from the top of the rocky peak.

Jared came up beside her. “Asilinn, come to me. Not
because I can make you want me but because you want to.” He ran his finger
seductively across the swell of her breast to make his point.

She flushed and stepped away. He could see the flash
of anger in her eyes but he could not fathom what he had done to incense her.
“How many times must you take me, my Dragon Lord, to be assured I am yours?”
She ran her hands across her stomach. “I forget I am just a brood mare for the
stallion of Dunbocan. I suppose I must take you inside me until you fill my
womb with your offspring then mayhaps you will leave off this constant ill
use.”

“You saw your mother raped. That was ill use. I only
asked you to come to me and you accuse me of this. You have but to say no.”

Asilinn felt tears welling in her eyes. She blinked
them away. “No,” she murmured. What would he say if she told him she suspected
she was with child?

Asilinn could feel his looming presence behind her
but she dared not turn to face him. Nothing he had ever done to her was
anywhere close to what she had seen happen to her mother. Now he tried to do
what she asked and she still could not help the flare of anger it created.
Silently she collected her herbs.

At length he came up beside her. “Asilinn let me help
you.” She nodded and together they completed her task.

When they finished, they mounted and rode for Burnum
Woods. As they approached, Jared slowed their pace. “Have a care, Asilinn,” he
warned. “We must conclude our business here quickly. Liam and I found a
campsite deep in the woods and I fear the traitors who attacked us use this
place for their meetings.”

“Do you think Osred is behind all this? He is the
cousin of the bishop of the church in Edinburgh.”

“That's what perplexes me,” Jared admitted. “Osred
cannot gain my position by unseating me. He is not a MacLean.”

“Who could?”

“Any of the high council members except Osred could
lead the clan. Ross is too young and seems very agreeable. Keith longs for
power but I think not so much as to try to take it from me. Liam and I used to
be the best of friends. If it had not been for our misunderstanding, he would
now hold Morven's place as second in command. Garrick is old and I think he has
no ambitions to bear the weight my position brings. Who does one accuse?”

“What are you going to do about Osred?”

“I'll have him watched by someone I trust.”

“Thank you for confiding in me.” She looked him
square in the eye. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I have not suffered ill
use by your hand.”

“No, you have not. You never will.” He spoke with her
as if she was a trusted confidant and surely was not the case. Jared told
himself to keep up his guard around her, but still he felt compelled to give
her more assurances. “If it was one of my kin who raped and killed your mother,
it was not with my father’s knowledge or consent. He was not that kind of man.”

“I pray it is so.”

Together they collected the rest of the cures she
sought and headed back towards Dunbocan. As they made their way through the
woodland trail, Jared heard hoof beats coming their way. He motioned for
Asilinn to be silent and led her quickly off the trail into a small thicket.
The clatter of hooves grew closer. Three horsemen came into view. They pulled
up only a hundred feet from where Jared and Asilinn watched silently from the
thicket.

“He's goin’ to be furious we couldna find them,” the
taller man commented. “He wanted to know where they were going and what they
were about.”

“I, for one, have no desire to tangle with the Laird
of Dunbocan again,” the shorter man said. “He almost killed me the first time.
Perhaps we should re-think our alliances. Laird Jared might not be undone by
this treachery.”

“You may be right, but would you dare say that to our
benefactor?” the other man responded.

“It would surely be my last remark,” the man mused.
“Come on, let's keep looking.”

Jared was torn between the desire to unmask these
villains and the need to protect his wife. Even with odds of three to one, he
felt confidant in his ability but he could not put Asilinn in jeopardy.

When the men disappeared in the dense woods, he led
Asilinn out of the thicket and back to the safety of Dunbocan Castle.

The kitchen staff watched while Asilinn concocted her
brew. Jared could see the servants were abuzz about the cure she was making. He
didn't like the tone of things and worried for Asilinn's safety since the
stoning incident.

It would be easy for them to attack her on the basis
of their fear of her magic powers. He determined that in the future he would
urge her to set aside a portion of the tower room for her medicines.

At last, she was finished and hurried off to Ian's
room with the preparation. Jared stayed behind and had some of the servants
move all of her ingredients up to the tower. When the task was done, he went to
start his investigation into Osred.

***

Asilinn found Skye asleep in the chair while her
brother tossed restlessly in a sweat. Asilinn didn't like Ian's color. Easing
her potion gently between his parched lips she forced him to swallow it or
choke.

Satisfied she had given him a good dose she sank into
a chair near the bed to wait. Skye stirred and made her apologies for falling
asleep on duty. Asilinn laughed and sent her off to take a nap. Tired from the
night before, Asilinn dozed herself.

A haunting vision woke Asilinn with a start. Jared
was alone on a trail when three men ambushed him. She saw him fall—his plaid
red with his own blood. Was this a foretelling of Jared's death?

She rose to go and find him. Ian stirred, tossing agitatedly.
His words halted her in her tracks.

“Traitor!” he cried, looking straight into her
sapphire eyes. “You feed your people to the dragon!”

“No, Ian,” she gasped tearfully. “I am not a
traitor.”

He sought to continue but his words were lost in the
jumble of his muttering. He became combative and it was all she could do to
keep him in bed.

Frustrated she ripped up some of the sheeting and
tied him down. Ivy walked in with more broth from the kitchen just as Asilinn
finished. The housekeeper’s eyes grew wide when she saw Ian struggling against
his bonds and cursing his sister. A slick sheen of sweat covered his body. He
reached out for Asilinn. With a ragged cry, he fell back to unconsciousness.

Asilinn knew from Ivy's expression she should offer
some explanation, but she was too tired to deal with the woman's superstitions.

“Put the broth down and go,” Asilinn directed. The
woman said nothing mutely obeying with distrustful glances. As soon as she had
done her task, she fled the room.

A short time later, Friar Hoban came to the door.
“Lady Asilinn, Ivy has suggested I might wish to purge Ian of his evil spirits
by bleeding him.”

“Never,” Asilinn snapped.

The priest stared at Asilinn. “I shall take this up
with Laird Jared,” he threatened.

“Please do. My brother has lost too much blood
already. I'll not have you take more.”

“My child I think you risk his life with your
ignorance,” the man insisted.

“You have my answer friar. If you wish to overrule me
you shall have to talk with my husband.”

The friar walked over and sprinkled holy water around
the bed. Some of it splashed on Ian who let out another anguished cry. “He is
possessed!” the friar declared.

“He is delirious with fever. As soon as my medicine
takes effect he will be fine,” Asilinn said sharply. “I ask you to please
leave.”

Giving her a last penetrating stare, Friar Hoban left
the room.

Asilinn took a cloth and wiped Ian's brow speaking to
him in soft, comforting tones until he finally began to rest.

***

Intent on his task, Jared bent to examine the feet of
the horses in his stable. A voice called to him from the doorway.

Jared straightened and stood to greet Liam. “Did you
get word to Laird Innes about Ian?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Liam said, shifting
uncomfortably under Jared's inquisitive stare. “They took their dead and Laird
Innes listened to my message but he presented me with a stone face and didna
give me any inkling of his thoughts on the matter.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me I had delivered enough ill tidings for
one day and he would not grant you favor of reply. When I left, men wearing his
plaid ambushed me on the trail. The men I took with me were killed.”

“How is it your men are killed and you remain alive
to tell the tale? Perhaps you killed them yourself and never gave word to Laird
Innes.”

“You do me a great injustice with your accusation,”
Liam replied testily. “I was knocked from my horse and rolled down a small
ravine. They left me for dead. When I came to and climbed back to the road my
men lay dead. I walked for miles before I recaptured my horse.”

Jared's rigid stance relaxed a little when he noted
the huge lump on the side of Liam's head. “Forgive me if I've wronged you. The
traitor among us has me lashing out at shadows. Go and get some rest.” Liam
gave Jared a fiery glance and turned heading for his cottage.

The next intrusion on Jared's privacy came when the
good friar walked into the barn. Not wishing the man to observe his actions,
Jared urged him to talk while they walked toward the main gate.

“Milord, please, I….” The fat little man huffed and
puffed while he tried to keep up with Jared's long strides. “I must speak to
you about Lady Asilinn.”

Jared stopped in his tracks and stared at the man.
The friar ran right into Jared's chest and jumped back apologizing. “What about
my wife?”

Friar Hoban whispered, “Perhaps this discussion
should take place in private.”

With a scowl, Jared led the man into one of the
deserted cottages lining the east gate. “Talk,” he ordered.

“Well….” The friar seemed to be suddenly speechless
but one look at Jared freed his tongue. “I fear your wife may be consorting
with the devil. I found her in her brother's room. She had the poor man tied
down and fed him some potion of her own creation. The very air in the room
reeked of evil. He's possessed and she refused to let me remove his bad blood
to free his spirit. In short, Lady Asilinn is a witch.” The man gazed up at
Jared with an earnestness that was frightening.

It was all Jared could do to keep from striking him.
“This is ridiculous. Lady Asilinn knows about cures from her grandmother. I'll
hear no more of your lies! I warn you if you breathe one word of these
accusations to anyone I'll cut out your tongue and hang it on the castle gate.”
The rotund cleric turned pale and drew back from Jared. “Do you understand?”
Friar Hoban nodded. “Good, now leave me before I lose my temper.” The man flew
from the room so quickly he ran right into Morven. The friar fell down and
Morven picked him up and sent him on his way.

Jared looked up. “What ill news do you come to
deliver?”

“Keith is giving speeches in his home village urging
the people not to support your peace plan,” Morven said.

“Does he do this openly?”

“Nay, Milord, they gather in secret in various houses
depending on the night. Perhaps he is the villain you seek.”

“His whereabouts were accounted for the night of the
attack on Laird Innes and Ian.”

“He could have sent others to do his bidding.”

“Perhaps,” Jared said evenly.

“You have never asked me where I was that night.”

“I know where you were. I checked myself.”

“Even I am not above suspicion. Does that mean you
will no longer keep counsel with me?”

“There are things no one can know but me. I'm
protecting you by keeping you in the dark.”

“I canna say I like it, Milord.”

“Nor do I,” Jared replied.

***

Asilinn's silent vigil was rewarded when her brother
awoke with clear eyes and recognized her for the first time. “Asilinn,” he said
in a hoarse whisper. “Where am I?”

“You are in Dunbocan Castle. Jared brought you here
after you were injured.”

“I was wrong about him. When the masked riders began
the skirmish, he saved father's life and my own. Thanks to his actions and
quick thinking a major battle was averted.” Ian lay back breathing deeply. “How
long have I been here?”

“Two days,” Asilinn said, tears of joy streaming down
her cheeks.

“Dinna cry,” Ian whispered. “I'll be fine.”

She wiped her eyes. “I'm not crying for you. I'm just
relieved to know Jared dinna lie to me.”

Ian broke into a wide grin. “You care for him.”

“You’re daft. I only feel relief I am not married to
a murderer.”

“So you say, but either way I'd fix myself up a bit
if I were you. You look like you havena slept in days.”

“And you should talk. You are the reason,” she
taunted.

“Well leave me to rest and go and see to yourself,”
he said.

Just then, Skye breezed into the room in a filmy
white gown. “Oh Asilinn, I'm sicker than I thought. Look, an angel has come to
take me,” Ian joked.

“Behave Ian,” Asilinn scolded good-naturedly. “This
is my sister-in-law Skye, and though she is a beauty, the girl is only twelve
years old. Have a care or Jared will change his mind about saving you.”

Skye was totally captured by Ian's charm and begged
to take up Asilinn's post. “All right,” Asilinn relented. “I shall follow Ian's
instructions and make myself presentable now he is his ornery self again.” Skye
grinned and Asilinn made her way to the tower room for the first time in two
days.

A quick glance in the glass told her Ian had not
exaggerated his appraisal of her appearance. She slipped out of her rumpled gown
and brushed the tangles out of her long, silken mane. The Dragon's Spring would
be the perfect ease for her weary bones. Slipping on her robe, she made her way
through the passage.

The bathing chamber was empty. She let her robe drop
and sank into the soothing water. Using the scented soap Wynne had given her
she washed away several days of grime. The lone torch she brought with her gave
the room an eerie glow. She luxuriated in her bath lost in thoughts of her last
trip to the Dragon’s Spring. Was Ian right? Did she care for Jared more than
she thought?

Asilinn didn't hear the door when it eased open but
the draft caught her attention briefly. Unable to pinpoint its source she soon
was back to her daydreams.

The hot water made her drowsy and she decided to take
a nap before Jared returned. Rising from the water, she walked over and picked
up her cloth, drying her hair as rivulets of water rolled across her ripe body.
She raised her hands above her head stretching in the warm, steamy air.

A sigh came from a dark corner of the chamber.
Startled Asilinn covered herself with the towel.

“Jared,” she called out.

There was a shuffle in the darkness and a tall figure
dashed for the door. It closed with a resounding slam when he retreated.
Asilinn shook with fright. The man who had been watching her was not her
husband, but who?

Quickly she dried off and donned her robe. Heart
pounding she checked the hall for the intruder. Not seeing anyone, she hurried
back to the safety of the tower room.

The room was empty and Asilinn fought to regain her
composure. Some stranger had seen her most intimate parts. She blushed crimson
at the thought. Sitting by the fire, she pressed most of the moisture from her
hair.

The warmth of the room eased her tension and she
wrapped herself in a cozy nightdress and climbed into bed. It was only minutes
before sleep overtook her.

Asilinn was in such a deep sleep. She never even
stirred when Jared came in and joined her in their bed. Gently he pulled her
against him, until she snuggled into him, encasing herself in his sheltering
arms.

Inhaling the sweet scent of her freshly scrubbed hair
Jared drifted into a restless sleep.

When the gray light of morning seeped into the
chamber, Jared woke to a loud commotion below. It sounded as if a fight were
progress in his old chamber.

Muttering a low curse, Jared snatched his plaid and
wrapped it around him. He rushed to the room Ian now occupied. He burst through
the door with a bare chest and no weapon to find Skye riding piggyback on a
masked intruder. She was trying to cover the man's eyes while Ian struck weakly
at him with a sword.

Jared shoved Ian back to the bed and grabbed the
sword. The man sought to escape when he saw his new opponent. He turned to flee
and Jared pulled Skye off the man’s back.

“Stay here!” he ordered, running after the would-be
assassin.

The man ran out on the balcony above the great hall.
Jared followed, but the man had vanished.

Jared stood confounded for a moment and then he
noticed a slight movement of one of the tapestries on the wall. He walked over
and ripped the heavy covering off. The masked man behind it ran full tilt and
leaped over the balcony. He fell two stories down to the stone floor of the
great hall. Rushing to the balcony, Jared peered over.

Ivy entered the room below. Seeing the man, she let
out a shriek that brought people running from all corners of the castle.

Jared dashed down the steps, taking them two at a
time and ripped off the mask of the dead man. Wynne, who stood at the front of
the crowd, gasped. “You know this man?” Jared questioned.

“Aye, Milord,” she murmured. “It is Sherwood, son of
Thurlow of Cock Bridge.”

Jared's eyes narrowed. “I want to speak to you in
private, Wynne,” he said. “Morven, get him out of here.” He took hold of
Wynne's arm and led her into one of the small chambers on the same floor. “Did
you know this man was in Dunbocan?”

Wynne stared at her feet. “Aye, Milord,” she
whispered fearfully. “But, Milord, I had no idea what he was about. He came
early in the morning of the day you left to defend Cock Bridge and told me of
the impending attack. He said his father Thurlow sent him to be with me in
order to keep him safe. You had other things on yer mind, so I let him stay
without thinkin’ it wrong. Please forgive me, Laird,” she begged.