In Bed With A Stranger (21 page)

He stiffened as though fighting to regain his composure and not shout. A muscle on the side of his jaw ticked.

“I’m nae the one to be understanding, and ye, my sweet wife, will nae shelter anyone who’s behaved shamefully while I’m away protecting this castle.”

He captured her hand. This grip was very different from the one he’d used to pull her out of the stable. Her hand was a caged prisoner in his larger one. He tugged her along with him, her feet hurrying to keep pace with his longer strides. At the entrance to the eating hall, his cousin Druce stood watching them approach, a frown on his lips.

“My lord, there are many other matters that are more important.”

Brodick froze, his shoulders stiffening. His head turned to catch his cousin in his sights.

“Hold onto my wife, Cousin. I’ve a few issues to sort out with my staff.”

“Brodick…”

He pressed her into his cousin’s embrace, a hard look on his face. It was the sort of anger that she’d known he would have in him if he was ever crossed. That thing that she feared would be cast unto her when he discovered her true identity.

“Yer too kind, Wife, for yer own good. I’ll nae tolerate such from any member of this house. Nor will I have ye use my name to wheedle me into bending when I have good reason to quarrel.”

“Tolerance is a virtue that brings many rewards.”

Brodick shot a stern look at Druce. “Hold her here. I’ll deal with her when I’ve finished with my staff.”

Brodick didn’t wait for a response as he turned in a tightly contained motion of lean strength. Fury radiated from him as he shouted for Ginny.

Anne stepped after him only to have Druce grip her upper arms. She turned an incredulous look on him, having to look up to see the man.

“Release me, sir.”

“Now dinnae go getting all flustered. Ye heard the man.” The large Scot gave her a stern look but she found that it didn’t impact her in the same manner Brodick’s displeasure did. All Druce stirred in her was temper.

“I said, release me.”

Druce pressed his lips into a tight line. “Nae. Yer to stay right here and dinnae make me sit on ye. I dinnae need to fight with my cousin because he thinks I’ve handled ye roughly.”

Anne growled for the first time in her life. Every bit of self discipline deserted her as she heard a crash from inside the eating hall. She rounded on Druce in a ball of fury.

“I am not going to stand here arguing with you while Brodick sets down what is best for me. I’ll be the judge of what I need.”

It was a bold statement. Druce frowned, clearly thinking her daft.

“The man is yer husband.”

“Very newly so. He does not know my strengths and he never will if I allow him to whip every maid for not lavishing me with comforts. I assure you, I can endure as well as every one of them.”

Anne gave a hard shrug, but Druce stubbornly retained his hold on her arms.

“I am warning you, sir. Release me now.”

“Nae.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Brodick held onto his control but it was not easy. Ginny offered him a stubborn, defiant look that wasn’t sorry a bit. The maids lined up beside her, clearly supporting her behavior. He’d known to expect it but was still stunned by the open animosity shining on their faces. If his bride were a mean-spirited woman, he might understand. He aimed his first comment to the cook, who was also staring straight at him without reservations.

“I’d never suspect ye to be so hard-hearted. Ye’ve daughters of yer own who’ll be marrying soon.”

Bythe flinched, not because he shouted, but because his voice was so soft. Most of the maids shifted, faltering in their determination to remain unmoved. A few even cast their eyes at the floor.

“The lot of ye should consider what it must be like to marry so far from home with nae a single familiar face in sight. She didnae even bring a maid but I’m thinking that was a miscalculation on my part. I thought that surely Sterling staff were worthy of taking care of its mistress without an English maid being set above ye all.”

More than one face turned pale. Brodick had no pity for them. “Ye’ll be telling me the reason behind such disrespect. Was my wife…difficult?”

Some of the younger girls looked toward Bythe and Ginny for leadership. The two senior women held their tongues.

“I’ll discover the truth of this matter and I will know it today.” Scanning the line of uniformed girls who all drew pay from his coffers, he pointed at one.

“Mogen, tell me what prompted there to be no service. If ’twas by my wife’s dictate, say so.”

“That will solve nothing, my lord.”

His wife strode into the kitchen, stiff pride shining in her eyes.

“I told you to keep her in hand.” Brodick glared at his cousin, wondering just when his life had turned inside out.

Druce scowled at the sweet smile Brodrick’s wife cast toward him. He lifted his finger and pointed at her.

“She bit me.”

“Christ in heaven! Is there no one left in this castle who recalls I’m the lord here?”

“Berating your staff will not change how they truly feel, my lord.”

Brodick stared at her, a crease appearing in the middle of his forehead. “And what do ye mean by that?” He kept his voice tightly controlled but she heard his frustration straining against his control.

“I might have dressed them down myself, if that was the answer.”

His expression became guarded. “So why didn’t ye?”

Opening her hands, Anne shook her head. “It is not my way to order others to like me, my lord. I prefer to be judged by and on my own merits. Be it to the good or ill. I do assure you that I am strong enough to survive without a fire or candles. The spring sun is warm and bright and I am not so dim-witted as to not fetch my own surcoat when night falls.”

He stared at her again, admiration crossing his eyes. Seeing it on his face humbled her, but it also stiffened her resolve.

“It is not necessary to worry about me so greatly. As Agnes told you, I am healthy.”

Brodick swung around to fix Bythe with his attention once more.

“Explain yer dislike, woman.”

The cook stiffened, her eyes narrowing. “Ye said she tried to poison ye. Right at the table. Plenty heard it. Wife or no wife, ye be my lord and my loyalty is to ye.”

“Are ye daft?” Druce sounded ready to drag the cook to Bedlam himself. “She may be English but I’ve nae seen evidence of a sinister bone in her body.”

“She bit you.”

Druce shook his head before he laughed. The sound was loud, shaking the copper lids hanging on the wall between the ovens.

“That’s nae sinister. It makes me cousin a damn lucky man, to have that fire in the lass as he does.”

There was a touch of heat in Druce’s voice that made Anne stare at him. The large Scot sent her a smug look that drew a snort from Brodick. Druce shrugged at his cousin.

“Can’t blame a man for noticing. Seeing as how ye put her into me arms yerself.”

“Now don’t you start telling me what I can’t be taking offense at. I’ve got enough o’ that at the moment.”

Brodick turned his attention back to Anne. His jaw was tight as he battled the urge to deal with the maids the way he wanted to. Anne wanted none of it.

“Be at peace, my lord. There are some things that should never be ordered. I prefer to earn my loyalty. A few weeks is nothing compared to the true value of knowing that each bit of respect shown to me is truly meant.”

There was more than one gasp from the row of maids. Bythe looked confused.

“Ye said it in front of all, my lord, refusing to eat. I heard the tale from twenty different men and women.”

“She didnae try to poison me but it is possible the woman means to drive me mad.” He shook his head but raised a dark eyebrow. “She was cooking under yer own nose. Are ye telling me that ye dinnae know what’s going on in this kitchen?” He pointed to the ring of keys attached to the cook’s belt. “Are ye so careless with those that anyone might get into the herbs without yer permission?”

Bythe covered her lips with a hand that shook. Brodick scanned the rest of the maids.

“Did it nae cross any one of yer minds that there would have been witnesses a plenty to such a deed? Or am I to assume that such harmful herbs are kept unlocked?”

Blythe’s face turned red, one hand covering the ring of keys hanging from her belt. Being the cook meant she was charged with the costly herbs that served as flavoring and as ease for ailments. No one took such costly, hard to come by things without her unlocking the small drawer they were kept in. The keys were the symbol of her position at Sterling; they never left her sight. Her mouth opened but no words made it past her horrified lips. Anne turned her back on it all. More certain than ever that her guilt showed.

She was not worthy of Brodick’s defense. It was a solid truth that she was doing something harmful to him. Stealing the dowry that he had invested so much effort into securing with her father. Two years of work that she would not bring him the reward of. She was convinced that God was working through the staff to force her to confess.

Her stomach heaved, the guilt making her sick. Anne ran from the eating area before she lost everything in her belly.

“The mistress has been very kind to me.”

Brodick turned to stare at the single voice raised in praise of his wife. Coming through the doorway, young Enys used her hands to feel her way.

“Why do ye say that?”

Enys tilted her head towards him, lowering her head as if she could see him looking at her.

“The mistress has spent many days helping me spin. She does the things I don’t have the sight for and she’s a good carder. One who doesn’t quit when the hours grow long.”

He was suddenly tired, more fatigued than he could ever recall being. The wall of hatred between Scotland and England looked near impossible to scale. His wife had been sitting in the spinning room instead of taking control of Sterling. Yet she had not been lazy. He didn’t know what to make of it.

He might be lord of the castle and of the land but it didn’t seem to lend him any weight in this battle. That angered him. But it was not the sort of emotion that had sent him into the kitchen, ready to thrash a few maids.

It was a deep rage against injustice toward his wife. He wanted to spare her the ill will between their countries. The hope to unite that had seen him negotiating with her father was struggling to survive amidst the animosity. The woman he’d looked forward to returning home to was worth more than quick judgment.

“No one of us chooses our parents. I’m disappointed in the lot of ye. Sterling has nae ever been such an unjust place as I find it today.”

He left. Druce followed him, the other man looking as confused as he felt.

“What man ever understood the way a woman thinks?”

Brodick wasn’t able to shrug off the problem so simply. “Why would she sit in the spinning room instead of taking her place as mistress of Sterling?”

Druce frowned. “Are ye sure ye want to become suspicious of her again, Cousin? That didnae do so well for ye before.”

“It doesnae make sense.”

And even if Druce was right, there was no stopping the suspicions that clouded his thinking. Mary was hiding something. He was sure of it.

“T
he lord asks ye to come down to the inner yard to go riding with him.”

The maid lowered her head before quitting the room.

Anne sighed. Respect meant nothing when it was forced. She knew it so well that the sight of the maids scurrying to attend her made her ill. Tears stung her eyes because it was so distressing, but weeping would not help her.

Maybe confessing would…

She was tempted. But she was frightened, too. Brodick would put her from him. She knew it in her heart and it made her ache. He had the right. There was no doubt about it but she wanted to delay the moment when he’d stop looking at her so tenderly.

Stop touching her so intimately…

Anne had to blink rapidly to banish the tears before the two maids helping her dress noticed them. There wasn’t enough for them to do, but they picked at her hair and clothing, finding things to straighten. She didn’t have the heart to be ill tempered with them.

Even feeling her guilt so keenly, she could not stop herself from wanting to join Brodick. Her lust had truly destroyed her, exactly as the church preached. Having listened to the song of Satan, she was now a disciple unwilling to mend her ways.

One last time and then she would confess.

But she would lie with her lover a final time first.

A smile brightened her lips as she turned and hurried down to the courtyard. She was suddenly happy. Full of such bright joy that she felt as though she might burst with it.

The reason was simple. Brodick awaited her. The earl and master of Sterling had thought to send for her to ride with him. They would end up trysting and that made her move faster. Even if she had come to him by deception, he wanted her. He hadn’t plowed her and left her bed for that of a mistress. She would savor it. Soak it up while the spring sun warmed the earth.

It was the only thing she’d have once the bitter truth was known.

Brodick was a magnificent sight.

Strong and perfect.

Anne paused on the steps, smiling at the way he waited for her. He wasn’t in the saddle but stood waiting by the mare she’d ridden to Sterling extending a hand to her when she appeared, to help her into the saddle himself.

“I believe it’s time I showed you a bit o’ McJames lands.”

He lifted her as though she were a child, placing her atop the mare and handing her the reins.

“Thank you, my lord.”

He frowned at her, wrinkling his nose like a boy.

“I could not use your name in front of everyone.”

He mounted his steed and cast a look over the curious eyes watching them. There was a hint of smug satisfaction in his midnight eyes. He cut a firm glance back toward her.

“Do it.”

Anne suddenly understood and it reduced her to wanting to weep once more. He was making a public display of affection, dealing with the staff without ordering them to like her. It was clever and so touching she had to look down to hide the sparkle of tears in her eyes.

“You’re too kind, Brodick.”

“’Tis nae something that should be absent from a marriage, lass.” A warm hand reached across the space between them to cup her chin. “Just because ours is a noble union, that doesnae mean it must be unhappy.”

He smiled and tossed his head. “Come with me, lass. The day is fresh and ’tis time I introduced ye to a bit of Scotland. ’Tis a bonny land.”

Brodick gave his steed his freedom. As they cleared the gate, the pair of horses took to the road with zeal. In just moments the castle fell behind them, leaving her alone with her lover.

The sun was warm on her cheeks, spring finally dominating over winter. The mare felt it, too. She charged forward, her muscles flowing. They crested a hill and Anne gave the powerful animal her freedom. A valley lay below them, rich and green with new crops. Time and cares blew past her as fast as the ground beneath the pounding hooves of the horse.

Anne did not stay her but leaned over her neck, becoming one with the animal.

Brodick reached over and pulled the reins. The mare started, frustrated at having her run cut short. She pranced in a nervous circle but her husband held firmly.

“McQuade land begins over that river.” There was a serious note in his voice that drove Anne’s light mood away. His eyes scanned the ridge above them, searching it thoroughly.

“You do not get on well with your neighbors?”

Philipa’s words about Scots raiding one another surfaced. The last two months had nearly driven all thoughts of her away.

“The old lord is nae friend of the McJames.” Brodick shrugged. “He holds an old grudge against my father and in turn me. ’Twas his men I was chasing for the last month and a half.”

“I see.” She really wasn’t sure what to make of Brodick’s words; he’d told her little.

“You cannae ever cross the river, lass. Stay away from it.” His eyes swept the area once more. His hand was still in command of her reins and he tugged on the mare, turning both horses around.

“Even then, the McQuades cross onto my land as bold as be. You should nae be riding alone at all. My men know to stop ye if ye stray onto unsafe ground. I’ll be instructing the captain to nae allow ye outside the walls without good escort.”

Clearly he considered the matter closed. Anne frowned, his tone rubbing her pride. He noticed the disgruntled expression.

“Dinnae be vexed with me for protecting ye.”

“’Twas more that I do not appreciate you taking up my reins, as if I can not heed a warning. Or understand the wisdom in not questioning why you tell me to do something as understandable as remaining inside your borders.”

He scoffed at her but released control of the mare. “Ye dinnae ken, lass. McQuade would extract payment from ye for the wrong he thinks my father did him. Scotsmen can hold a grudge for a very long time. His men still burn down the farms of my people without a care for the loss it inflicts on them.”

“And what was the grievance?”

Brodick frowned, his lips set in a hard line of refusal. He shook his head, denying her question.

“If he’s angry enough to act out revenge on me, shouldn’t I at least get to know the reason why?”

Brodick led them to the top of the rise before he pulled up his stallion.

“My mother was betrothed to McQuade but he lost her contract in a game of dice to my father.”

“That’s absurd.” But it was exactly the sort of thing that she’d heard tales of at Warwickshire.

“Nae in Scotland, it isnae.” Brodick grinned in the face of her astonishment. A wicked gleam twinkling in his eyes. “Didn’t I claim ye as boldly?”

She shook her head, caught between the need to reprimand him and laugh because he spoke the truth.

“You’re a devil, I’ll agree to that much.”

His expression changed, darkening with passion. “Be careful what words ye place on me. I might decide to live up to them.”

“I can hope.”

A tic appeared on the side of his jaw. Hard need glittered in his gaze. Anne stared back at him, boldness firing her blood. An insane urge to taunt him flowed through her.

“Yet hopes will not satisfy me. I simply need more.”

“Yer a bold wench. Careful. Act so brazen and ye’ll reap the crop ye’ve sown.”

Her mare pranced in a circle, feeling the emotion. “And what might that be…my lord?” She drew his title out, knowing full well that it would frustrate him.

He glared at her, but the look in his eyes was not angry, it was demanding. “Maybe ye need a taste of what a raiding Scot does with his captured prize.”

“That is only if you can catch me.”

She slapped the reins, giving the mare her freedom once more. The animal dug into the soft spring ground, bolting forward. Leaning low over her neck, Anne laughed as she hung on tightly. Excitement surged through her veins as she looked back over her shoulder.

Brodick was hot on her heels. Just like a raider, intent on making her his captive. His midnight eyes glittered with determination as his stallion snorted. He bared his teeth and let out a yell that heightened her excitement.

Turning back around, she urged the mare forward. They raced up a hill and into the wooded patch. Her heart was hammering inside her chest, the blood speeding so fast through her veins it was hard to hear. She had never felt so alive.

She heard Brodick, heard him closing the distance between them. His horse surged up beside hers, the noses of the two animals becoming even. A hard arm snaked around her waist, pulling her across the distance between the animals. The ground was still flying past beneath her and her breath caught for one wild moment as she was on neither horse.

Brodick tossed her all the way across his saddle, her head sailing right over the body of the animal. He pressed a hard hand into her back as he pulled up on the reins. His stallion rose onto its hind legs, pawing at the air. A crazy shaft of need went through her clitoris, the sensitive bundle pulsing.

“Now what have I caught here?” Brodick dismounted in a quick motion, standing near her head. He grasped her hair, pulling it just enough to send little nips of pain across her scalp. In the oddest manner, she found the sensation arousing.

“A bonnie lass ripe for ravishing.”

His brogue thickened, hinting at his enjoyment of the moment. He pulled her from the horse, letting her feet touch the ground. His hand remained in her hair, holding her captive.

“Aye, I’m going to enjoy having ye at my mercy.”

His mouth pressed down on top of hers, demanding submission.

She didn’t yield.

Reaching down, Anne touched his bare skin where his kilt stopped. His tongue stabbed into her mouth, stroking across her own. Sweet need filled her, her own tongue tangling with his. Her hand slid up until she felt the sac at the base of his cock. Boldly cupping it, she teased him with her fingers.

“
Christ.
”

“Are you so sure who will be ravishing whom, my lord?” She gently squeezed and his lips curled back to show her his clenched teeth. “Maybe you should think again. It does appear that I hold the trump card.”

“I admit that yer telling me what to do, in private, is beginning to grow on me.”

She curled her hands around his staff. “Is it now?”

“A bit. But ye can nae put that card down without losing its power.”

A challenge coated his tone. A challenge she was in the mood to answer. Kneeling in front of him, she pushed his kilt up. The wide belt that held the pleats in place made a perfect place for her to tuck the end into. His cock was erect, the head swollen and ruby red. Running her hand up to the top of it, she teased the slit on its head with a fingertip. Seeing the thick pole in daylight didn’t make her blush. A deep enjoyment filled her as confidence kept her eyes open, even enjoying looking at it.

“Now about playing the card in my hand…”

The wicked delight he’d given her had planted its seed in her mind. Leaning forward, she licked that slit, intent on giving him the same pleasure.

“Sweet blessed virgin.”

Satisfaction filled her, stiffening her confidence. His hand stroked over her head as she worked her hand up and down his cock once again. Leaning forward, she added a long lap to the head. The hand in her hair clenched, telling her that she was succeeding. Opening her mouth, she closed her lips around the girth.

“Ye can tell me what to do all ye like as long as ye keep sucking me.”

His hips thrust toward her mouth, pushing his cock deeper. She relaxed, allowing it to penetrate. He tasted good, a slightly salty fluid weeping from the slit. But his skin was warm and male, filling her with hot need. He held her head in place, his hips pulling back before thrusting forward once more.

“Tease the underside of the head with yer tongue.”

His brogue had thickened further. She complied as he slid deeper into her mouth. She heard him take a ragged breath when her tongue touched his cock. She lost track of time, intent only on drawing more harsh sounds from him. His grip tightened, pulling her hair, and she didn’t care. The little nips of pain combined into a desire that seeped into her. Between her thighs, her clitoris begged for attention. She felt her passage heating, clamoring for the hard flesh inside her mouth.

“Enough.” He pulled her away from his cock. The grip in her hair tightened to keep her obedient to his will.

“My seed willnae be spilled in your sweet mouth, lass. Nae today. I plan to ravish ye properly.” He knelt down, holding her head steady so that his breath brushed across the wet surface of her lips. “With a hard fucking.”

Reaching down, she grasped his cock again. Her fingers slipped along its hard length easier now that it was slick from her sucking. He drew in a sharp breath, his eyes closing as she worked her hand up and down his cock.

“Are you sure, my lord? You appear torn. Quite indecisive.”

The muscle on the side of his jaw twitched. Working her hand faster, she listened to his breathing increase. “Maybe the captive will ravish you, after all.”

He chuckled but it wasn’t a pleasant sound. Determination flickered in his eyes as he thrust his cock up into her hand, shuddering in delight.

“I think ye have forgotten who yer master is. I’m just the man to remind ye.”

He pushed her head down, while sitting back on his haunches. She ended up across his thick thighs, her head over one side. He tossed her skirts right over her head as he clamped a hard arm over her back.

“Aye, ye need a wee bit of discipline.”

“Brodick!”

She braced her hands on the ground, trying to push her body off his legs. She might as well have been trying to move a mountain. He held her down as he yanked the tail of her chemise up as well. Cool air hit her bare bottom, brushing across the fluid that seeped from her passage. She felt the touch of the sunlight and the brush of the breeze on her bottom. Her skin began tingling in anticipation.

“I could become used to the sight of yer ass waiting for my hand.”

“I could not! What if someone is watching?”

“Then they shall see what a fine wife I’ve made out of ye. There are men aplenty that didnae think I might get my English bride to suck my cock.”