Highland Grace (14 page)

She nibbled her nail. She just had to have
Bao again. Not only for the pleasure he offered, but because her
chaste little nemesis had him. And this time, she’d make sure that
Jesslyn was full aware of her new husband’s adultery. That should
put a damper on their passion for some time to come. Jesslyn had
ruined Lara’s relationship with Graeme, ‘twas the least she
deserved to have Lara ruin her relationship with Bao.

Aye, she’d do or say whatever she must to
attain that goal. The promise of jewels had not moved him, but Lara
had no doubt her next ploy would.

She strolled up and stood next to her quarry.
As she watched Callum and Daniel lift another log onto the pyre,
she said, “My husband certainly does his best to prove his strength
matches the two of yours.”

He gave her a pointed look. “His strength
does
match ours. And his warrioring skills are some of the
best I’ve seen. You’d do well to be thankful for the good fortune
you had in wedding such a man.” He left her side and took Callum’s
place, indicating to his cousin with a jerk of his head that she
was near.

Her husband grinned and jogged over to
her
.
As he halted in front of her, he
said, “How are the preparations coming for the
Hogmanay
feast this afternoon?”

“Quite well. I was feeling a bit ill from the
smell of the burning juniper, so I came out for a bit of fresh
air.”

He put his hand on her arm and it was all she
could do not to cringe. “Mayhap you should rest awhile.” He looked
around and then took hold of her hand. “Let us walk to the well. I
shall lift you up onto the edge,” he said, leading her away from
the pyre.

* * *

Bao gave a mental sigh of relief when he saw
his cousin stroll away with his mischief-making wife. He could see
that Callum was trying very hard to make the best of his unenviable
situation. He treated the lady with a gentleness and consideration
that was clearly not returned.

Daniel followed the line of Bao’s vision. “He
seems to care for her,” he said.

Bao nodded grimly. “Aye.”

Taking his gaze from the couple, Daniel
turned it on Bao. Narrowing his eyes, he stated, “You like her
not.”

Shrugging, Bao turned and picked up the end
of another log. “‘Tis more that I do not trust her. She is like the
restless ladies of the court.”

“Because she wears fine clothes and
jewels?

Bao shrugged again. He would like naught more
than to confess all to his brother, but he could see no good coming
from it, only more heartache for Callum, more problems for him and
Jesslyn, and more danger for Branwenn.

“I hardly think that a good reason to judge
her so harshly.”

“I suppose you are right,” Bao replied. “Are
you going to pick up the other end of this log before the sun sets?
I grow tired of holding it.”

Daniel laughed good-naturedly and lifted his
end of the wood. “Let’s finish this and go to the loch to retrieve
my father-in-law and Alleck. I doubt not that they’ve caught a few
trout by now, tho’ this was their first attempt at ice
fishing.”

Bao nodded. With so many people visiting the
keep, surely Callum’s wife wouldn’t solicit his services again. But
she’d be leaving in a few days in any event, so he’d simply make
sure he stayed clear of her until then.

* * *

“The woman hasn’t stopped complaining since
she arrived, Mama,” Maggie, Lady MacGregor, said. “The furniture
isn’t nice enough, the food doesn’t taste good, the wine is off,
the staff are prone to idleness. I’m at the end of my
patience.”

Lady Maclean looked up from her task and
gazed at her still-youthful looking, though middle-aged daughter.
She’d gotten her black hair from her mother, but had inherited her
green eyes from her father. Evidently, she had inherited his
impatience towards indulgence as well. “Have you spoken to Callum?
What says he?"

“He says that she’s captious because of her
condition. He refuses to speak to her about her behavior—in fact,
he seems set on pampering the lass.” She fluttered her hands in the
air in agitation. “He buys for her whatever she asks,” Lady
MacGregor replied irritably.

“Does he love her then?”

Lady MacGregor shook her head. “Nay...nay, I
do not believe that he does.” She made a quick count of the number
of candlesticks placed on each trestle table and nodded her
approval to the servant who waited close by before continuing,
“But, he cares for the babe. And he wants its mother to be
happy.”

“How has Chalmers reacted to her spoiled
behavior?”

“My husband said naught for a long time,
hoping Callum would deal with his wife. But, finally, a few days
prior to their departure to journey here, he had a discussion with
her.” Grinning, Lady MacGregor said, “In the same way he’d deal
with a spoiled bairn, he sent her to the priest for lessons in
humility. The priest made her put on old, scratchy clothes and dust
and polish the pews!”

Nodding, Lady Maclean said, “Mayhap that’s
the reason she hasn’t given us as much trouble.”

“Aye, that seems likely.”

* * *

“‘Tis a shame your uncle could not attend the
feast,” Lara heard Jesslyn say to Callum. They were seated at the
table on the dais enjoying the last course of their meal.

“Aye, but I’m glad he at least allowed my
mother to attend. The MacGregors celebrate
Hogmanay
in much
the same fashion, and he, as chieftain of the clan, was obliged to
o’ersee the thing. Actually, my mother had thought it best if she
stay, since it is her first
Hogmanay
as the laird’s wife,
but my uncle insisted that she visit her mother instead. After all,
she’s not been back here since she left almost a year ago.”

“Aye,” Lara interjected, “your uncle is
such
a dear soul.” She hoped he choked on a bone in their
absence. Every time she remembered the torment he and that evil wee
goblin of a priest put her through, she had to fight back a shudder
of hatred.

Her husband took her hand and raised it to
his lips, kissing her fingers. “You’re kind to say so, my
dear.”

Lara gave him a wooden smile. He was a fool.
Could he not see what an ass he was making of himself? ‘Twould be
best for all involved if they simply tolerated each other. His
constant show of concern, which she was beginning to understand was
genuine, was more than she could bear. She only hoped that he would
cease his attentions to her once the babe was born. “When will we
go out to view the bonfire?”

“The players are to entertain us first,” he
replied.

Lara nodded. After taking a sip of wine from
the silver cup, she leaned forward a bit, pretending to inspect the
area where the players were to perform. In fact, she was avidly
watching Bao from the corner of her eye. She’d been unable to get
him alone these past hours as he seemed to be in constant company
of another. But the bonfire would serve her purpose, and she had
the perfect plan.

* * *

A drop of wine nearly ran down Jesslyn’s chin
before she stopped it with a sweep of her tongue. She felt her
husband’s gaze on her just before he dipped his head and whispered
into her ear, “You look lovely this eve. The color of your gown
matches the ruby of your lips.”

Her breath hitched. “My lips are not so
deeply tinged,” she countered.

“Aye, they are. Deep and red and full. Like
the tender petals of a rose. Beautiful.”

Jesslyn trembled. The feel of Bao’s mouth so
close to the shell of her ear made her long to feel their caress on
other, more sensitive, portions of her body. “My thanks.”

She’d made her decision. This night, after
the celebration, she would give herself to him. He’d proven himself
to her over and over again these past sennights with his kindness,
his devotion to her, to Alleck, to the babe in her belly. And what
was more, he’d barely even glanced in Lara’s direction. In fact, it
seemed to her that Lara vexed Bao, for each time he heard her
speak, Jesslyn saw his jaw tighten, tho’ he was careful in all
other respects to keep an amiable façade.

Aye, she was through with her reticence, her
fear. She turned her gaze on him. “Will you meet me later? I’d like
to speak with you alone.”

A spark of intrigue lit his eye. “Aye.
When?”

“We’ll wait until after the bonfire is lit. I
don’t want to seem rude and leave too early.”

He nodded and his thumb stroked her cheek.
“How do you feel? Are you too warm?”

Jesslyn smiled. “Nay, I’m fit. My thanks for
your concern.” She turned her mouth into his palm and bestowed a
kiss upon it.

* * *

Bao’s manhood shot to full attention. He
longed to rock against the ruby-red lips he’d been speaking of in
truth as her hot sheath squeezed him in its grip. Bao swallowed a
groan of pure agony and slowly took his hand from her grasp.
Turning on his stool, he stared blankly at the players, who’d begun
their entertainment while he and his bride spoke.

He was close to his limit for biding her
surrender to him. He’d wanted to wait for her, and he had. He
hadn’t found relief since that morn in Perth when he’d awakened
from the nearly tangible dream of their only time together.

So, he hoped fervently that with a bit of
luck and a lot of skill, this might just be the night that saw the
end of his celibacy for good.

* * *

Lara waited until she saw Jesslyn walk with
Lady Maclean around to the other side of the bonfire before she
excused herself from her husband, saying that she was weary and
would retire to their chamber. After receiving a nod from him and a
quick peck on the cheek, she walked in the direction of the keep.
She saw Bao standing with Laird Donald near the entryway. Perfect.
“Good eve, Bao. Good eve, Laird Donald,” she said as she
approached. Turning her gaze to the dark-haired object of her
forbidden desires, she said, “Jesslyn asked me to tell you that
she’d like to meet you in the top chamber of the store tower.”

Bao smiled and nodded. The store tower. This
night might prove to be more interesting than he’d originally
hoped. He turned to Laird Donald and said, “It seems I’ve been
summoned.”

Laird Donald laughed. “Aye, lad, that you
have. And you mustn’t keep your lady waiting.”

* * *

Lara nodded a brief farewell to the two men
and walked past them to enter the keep. But she didn’t go up to her
chamber. Instead, she made her way across the great hall and
through the door in the back wall that led toward the kitchens.
She’d get to the store tower via the herb garden.

* * *

Using the flint and striker he found just
inside the door at ground level, Bao lit one of the candles that
intermittently hung from sconces along the wall of the stairs.
After climbing the stone steps and entering the room above, he made
a quick scan of the chamber. Jesslyn hadn’t arrived yet, it seemed.
But she’d evidently planned this interlude quite well; there were
blankets and pillows on the floor, and a flagon of wine was resting
on a crate with a silver chalice sitting next to it.

Moving around the chamber, he lit the candles
in the two sconces on the wall and then placed the taper he held in
his hand onto the bronze candlestick positioned next to the chalice
on the crate.

He turned toward the door when he heard the
soft pad of footsteps coming from the stairs. When he saw who it
was that entered, his heart dipped into his stomach and catapulted
back to throb in dread against his breast bone. “What the hell are
you doing here?” he said. ‘Twas Callum’s mischief-making wife that
stood before him in a state of dishabille.

She leaned against the door frame, her arms
crossed beneath her breasts, pushing them up so that they spilled
from the loosened bodice of her chemise. She’d removed her gown
sometime prior to entering, for it was not in sight. Tho’ her belly
was round with child, she was still quite slim and, he already knew
from past experience, she knew how to make herself alluring to
men.

“Giving you another chance to change your
mind, of course,” she replied, straightening and moving further
into the chamber.

She shrugged and her chemise dropped off of
her shoulders, leaving her breasts bare, her nipples pebbling as
they came in contact with the chill air of the room. “After all,
what’s so terrible about a friendly fuck between cousins-in-law?
Especially now that there’s no danger of getting me with child.”
She giggled. “Nay, that deed has already been done by Giric!—Damn!”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “That was supposed to be a secret.”

“Are you drunk?”

“Mayhap a wee bit, but isn’t this the night
for such behavior?”

“Get the hell out before my wife finds you
here.”

She laughed throatily. “You foolish man, have
you still no apprehension? Your wife remains below enjoying the
bonfire—‘twas I who created this lover’s bower.” She walked toward
him, her arms outstretched and her chemise slipping to the floor.
“Show me heaven, do to me all the things you’ve done before.”

“Nay,” Bao said, striding around her toward
the open door.

“Not even for the entire casket of jewels?”
She pointed to the corner where the container lay. “You can look
inside if you like.”

Bao halted in the doorway, his back to her,
grasping the doorframe in both his hands. “Go to your husband for
your pleasures. I’ve no desire to bed you, for any amount of
riches.”

Her purring voice turned spiteful. “But would
you, in exchange for your sister’s freedom? Or do you want my
stepbrother to know where your precious Branwenn dwells? ‘Tis not
in a nunnery as you’ve convinced him, is it,
dear
Bao?”

He fisted his hands at his sides to keep from
strangling her then and there and whirled to face her. “You’ll not
say a word to your brother about my sister’s whereabouts. Not a
word.”