Legacy of the Mist Clans Box Set (101 page)

Knowing that she had suffered a loss as grievous as his and was still strong enough to find hope moved him more powerfully than he expected. He did not wish to remain in the past. He wanted to share in her hope.

As Connell looked at her, his hand once again reached up to caress her cheek. Then he gently tugged, encouraging her to kiss him. As her lips touched his, he knew he would find his hope in the softness of her kiss.

For the first time since he had met her, Connell did not immediately shove away his desire for her as it grew in strength right along with the intensity of their kiss. Unfortunately, as he tried to push himself onto his elbow and pursue their kiss, his body screamed at him and he recoiled, growling a curse under his breath.

“Easy,” she said softly. “Yer food be growing cold, and ye need tae eat.”

He wanted to tell her he knew exactly what he needed, and it had nothing to do with food. For a moment, he marveled at himself. It had taken only an instant for his change of heart. He scowled as Mairi handed him the tray. He needed to make sure this decision was one he was actually making and not the medicant. At least he could sit up and eat with only a bit of pain.

Mairi repaired the bed while he ate. Or at least she repaired one side then waited for him to finish.

“When ye get done, roll over and I’ll repair this side,” she said.

He noted as he ate that his guilt over Ina and William had eased. He hadn’t said another word about them. But even though Mairi had reduced the dosage of the medicant, it was still making him daft. He struggled to hold a line of thought.

He finished his food and rubbed his tired eyes. “What in the bloody hell be in that potion?”

“Ye feeling all right?”

“It be making me dizzy.”

“I think it’s supposed tae. The apothecary said the better ye feel, the more ye’ll want tae get up and move around. That be the worst thing ye could do right now. I think the draught is meant tae keep ye in bed.”

“If it hits any harder, it will.”

She took his dishes from him then had him roll over. He was pleasantly surprised that the movement didn’t hurt nearly as bad as he had expected. “Perhaps the dizziness be worth it.”

“Now, since I have ye on yer stomach,” she said sitting next to him, “I can take advantage of ye.”

The draught was certainly making him daft because he couldn’t help but think that she could take advantage of him anytime she liked.

He felt her begin to rub oil on his back, and groaned softly.

“This has a bit of ginger in it, so it will be a little warm, but that will help loosen yer muscles.”

He didn’t give a rat’s arse what it had in it. It felt wonderful. Soon he felt as if he floated somewhere between dreams and reality, but Mairi continued to rub the oil into his aching muscles, and he was certain that somewhere along the way he had stumbled into a little piece of heaven.

HHH

Later in the evening, the smith and his wife stopped by the cottage.

“Come in,” Mairi whispered softly. “I’m sorry, Connell and Adam are both sleeping right now.”

“’Tis all right, lassie,” the smith said. “I be glad tae hear ye didna have tae take my hammers tae him after all.”

She laughed as he introduced her to his wife, Fiona. Mairi escorted them to the divan. The smith, although not as tall as Connell, was of course a braw man thanks to his work. He was probably about ten years older than Connell, with gray just starting to touch his dark hair at his temples. His eyes were hazel and sparked with a mischievous glint. His face was handsome, his skin tanned and weathered, with lines around his mouth and eyes that grew more pronounced when he smiled.

His wife appeared close to the smith’s age. Almost as tall as her husband, she was willowy and graceful, her flaxen hair also just beginning to show some gray. She was quite pretty with her quick, warm smile and her soulful green eyes. She carried a pot in her hands. “I brought this for ye, child. I ken ye have yer hands full tending tae two lads, especially the one that be fully grown.” She winked.

“Oh, thank ye, Fiona, but ye didna have tae do this. I found a better answer than Smith’s hammers.” She took the pot into the kitchen.

“What’s that?”

“The apothecary.”

Smith and his wife chuckled as she returned with a bit of watered ale for them. “Now that be a fine answer indeed,” Fiona said as she accepted her cup.

“Thank ye,” the smith said, also accepting his cup and taking a long drink. “How be the lad?”

“Better, but I dinna think he’ll be able tae return tae work tomorrow.”

“Dinna worry over it. Have him take the time he needs. He told me ye had been forced onto the trail for some time before ye came here.”

Mairi ducked her head. “’Twas as if the war followed us wherever we went. Just when we found a moment tae catch our breath, it was upon us again.”

“After I agreed tae hire him and he asked me if I kenned a place for ye tae live, he told me yer story. Yer village burned tae the ground; the English bastards would have had their way with ye if he had no’ picked up a sword and slew them. The mercenary knight who hunted ye because Connell stood before his wife as an honorable man should. Because of that, ye two lost everything and were forced tae run for yer lives with nothing but the clothes on yer backs, yer bairn, and each other.”

Mairi’s heart raced and she forced herself to calm. What the smith said did not match the truth. She could see the parallel, but she had no idea to what depth Connell had gone to in what he had told Smith. She remembered what he had briefly said to the other merchants their first day here, but he hadn’t gone into great detail with them. Was it possible that Smith somehow knew? That he had somehow determined who they were, who Adam was?

God, nay!
She prayed it wasn’t so. They had only just settled in; she didn’t want to run again.

Fiona watched Mairi intently for a moment. “Ian,” she said in gentle reproach. “Dinna upset the lass.”

“Forgive me, but ye arena the only two I’ve seen who have suffered because of this war. Yer tale is only one of many that I’ve heard, and it angers me tae ken what war does tae men that they become nothing more than animals. But yer husband, he be a good lad, I kenned that immediately. That sword he bears is truly a work of art. I couldna believe it at first when he told me he fashioned it on his own. His da was a village smithy, no’ a swordsmith, so he couldna teach him all he needed. But Connell was determined tae try and fashioned that sword without guidance. The laddie has a gift. ’Tis why I was happy tae employ him, even though he be a bit out of practice.”

“I thank ye for that, Smith.” Unexpected tears blurred her eyes. But she managed a smile because Smith seemed to truly appreciate Connell for being a good man and for his talent. “That sword of his saved our lives on many occasion. No’ only was Connell able tae forge it, he is able to wield it with amazing skill. It’s only because of him that we survived.”

“Dinna sell yerself short, lassie. Remember I saw what ye did in the yard with my own two eyes. The laddie be lucky tae have ye.”

Fiona nodded. “Ian told me what ye did. The good Lord was watching out for Connell.”

She ducked her head, suddenly embarrassed. “He said he had an angel at his back.”

The smith broke into a broad grin. “He did, lass. He had ye.” He paused and shook his head. “Mark my words, a few more years before the forge and Connell’s work will be in such high demand he will no’ be able tae keep up with it. But when he started, I kenned immediately he had been on the trail too long. Smithing is no something ye can put down and just pick back up. He isna used tae the work like he once was.”

“That’s my fault. How could he ply a trade when he was constantly having tae defend Adam and I?”

“It’s the war’s fault, no’ yers,” the smith said firmly. “I kenned the lad was pushing himself too hard. I tried tae get him tae slow down but he wouldna listen.”

“And ye still let him do it?” Fiona asked sharply.

“Sometimes the best lesson learned be the hard lesson learned. How long did it take ye tae pound that into my skull, Fiona?”

“I’m still trying,” she said and winked at Mairi.

Mairi’s smile grew and her fear eased. She couldn’t help but like these two. But worry still plagued her. If the smith and his wife were as kindhearted as she wanted to believe, what would happen to them if Adam was discovered here?

I feel as if I have a sign hanging about my neck for all tae see,
she had told him.

If ye act like a frightened mouse, ye will draw their attention,
Connell had said. And he was right. It was time to stop running. Adam needed a good solid home and upbringing. Connell, even though he was not truly her husband, was willing to provide that for him. She didn’t know what the future held, but she longed for the possibility to make something greater. The only way she was going to achieve that was if she threw off her fear and looked forward to the future with a glad heart. She had sensed the same within Connell. His past was holding him back just as much as her fear had done to her. Perhaps in this matter, it was she who would guide and protect his heart.

As Mairi came to her decision, she lifted her head and straightened her shoulders. “I’m certain he has learned this lesson, Smith,” she said.

The smith grinned and drained his cup. “Good. Well, we’d best be off, Fiona. Thank ye for the ale. And dinna worry, if I see the laddie in the shop in the next couple of days, I’ll turn him around and send him right back tae ye.”

“Aye,” Fiona said. “Hopefully he will recover quickly. I ken ye have some commissions that need tae be finished for Christmas.”

Christmas again?
Mairi still needed to speak with Connell about the holiday. Well, it would have to wait. She wouldn’t bring up a potentially painful subject when he was injured.

“I’m certain he will be on his feet soon,” Mairi said, walking them to the door. “Thank ye both for everything.”

She bid them good-bye and closed the door. She thought she heard a noise from the bedroom and hurried to Connell. She found him trying to rise from the bed.

“What are ye doing?”

He sank back and closed his eyes. “I heard Smith speaking tae ye. Forgive me, lassie, but I was hoping to visit with them. They be good folk.”

“Ye will be able tae visit with them soon enough.” She stepped forward and reached for the blankets, noting they had shifted again and barely covered him to the waist. Everything within her tightened. He was a finely made man, that she could no longer deny. His chest and shoulders were pure corded muscle, descending to a narrow waist and lean hips. Even the muscles over his stomach were like cobbled stone. All she wanted to do was admire him. Instead, she tamped down her desire and helped him pull the blankets back up, tucking him in.

“Is there anything I can get ye?”

“Nay,” he said but caught her hand as she started to step away. His blue eyes shimmered with emotion as he looked up at her. He gently but firmly tugged her closer. “Ye take such good care of me,” he murmured, then surprised her with a kiss.

“I wanted tae love her, and I’ll ne’er ken the reasons why I fought so hard no’ tae.”

~
Connell MacGrigor

C
onnell’s eyes flew open, but it wasn’t pain that had awakened him. Instead, it was his arousal. He still wore nary a stitch, but at some point Mairi had come to bed last night. She wore only her chemise, and he was wrapped around her spoon fashion, his arm tight around her narrow waist, her bottom cradled firmly against his thighs, and his cock was painfully hard. He started to lift his head, but muscles in his neck and shoulders grabbed, and he froze. Merciful Saints! He couldn’t move without his muscles seizing painfully, but somehow last night he had migrated clear across the bed to where Mairi slept—so close to the edge she was about ready to fall out of it.

The pain didn’t stop his desire; it didn’t even take the edge off. Again he tried to lift his head. This time he moved slowly, and while the muscles threatened to seize, they did not. He gazed down at her. She still slept, her beautiful face relaxed. The sun was just starting to rise, an earthy golden glow squeezing through the closed shutters. It had always been his favorite time of day, when the sun awakened the earth, and he wanted nothing more than to awaken Mairi by making love to her.

The intensity of his desire made his body tremble. Slowly, he moved his arm from her waist and traced his fingers lightly over her hip, then gradually down her thigh where he felt the edge of her chemise. It would be nothing for him to move it aside just enough that he could take her like this. He could slide easily inside her while his fingers sought out her cleft, and he would make certain she enjoyed it. If she was relaxed enough in sleep, she might even find her fulfillment in that moment.

His body tightened even more with his thoughts, and his fingers slowly traced along the edge of her chemise. Before he realized what he was doing, he was indeed tugging it out of the way. Then his cock was against her bare skin. He felt her damp heat against his shaft. His pulse thudded through his body as his need mounted. His muscles threated to seize again, but so great was his desire he barely felt any pain. His breath rattled hoarsely in his throat.

He heard another noise in the room, but his lust pounded through him, his pulse roaring through his ears, and he paid it no heed.

God, what was he doing? He moved her leg only slightly and the tip of his cock traced lightly over her soft folds. He groaned as his desire slammed into him tenfold.

Mairi’s eyes flew open. “Connell?” She looked up at him, but she didn’t leap from the bed, and she didn’t push him away. It seemed as if she moved slightly, and it was only to make it easier for him.

“Mairi,” he murmured, lowering his head to capture her lips at the same moment he prepared to thrust himself deep inside her.

The noise he had heard before grew louder. The soft cry of a bairn turned into Adam’s hungry wail.

Connell froze. Sweet Mary have mercy, not now . . . please not now . . .

Mairi squeezed her eyes closed. “Adam . . .” she growled through clenched teeth. “Bloody hell!”

Connell arched an eyebrow. The sound of Adam’s cries rapidly stole his desire and his sanity returned, but he had never seen anything like this from Mairi.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “At least ye be feeling better.”

A chuckle rumbled through him, and he rested his forehead against hers. “Forgive me, lass, but I awoke holding ye and forgot my place.”

“Ye mean ye almost found yer place,” she muttered as she rose from the bed.

Connell blinked at her, absolutely stunned. “What?”

She shot him an arched look. “Ye heard me.” She lifted Adam out of the cradle and quickly took him into the other room.

Connell rolled onto his back. His groan wasn’t entirely the result of the pain of his aching muscles but of a far deeper ache that now demanded to be sated. He could only agree with Mairi’s summation. “Bloody hell,” he muttered.

HHH

He wanted to blame everything on the medicant, but an hour after Connell had awakened, he wasn’t sure if he could do that. His muscles were once again so tight he could barely move. When Mairi brought him his breakfast, he needed her help to sit up and was panting for air against the pain. Fortunately with his breakfast, she had made another dose.

“All I have tae do is look at yer face and I can tell ye be hurting,” she said softly.

Connell downed the medicant and winced as the muscles in his neck tried to grab. “Aye, and I be tired of it already.”

“I must get ready tae go tae market. I’ll talk tae the apothecary. Unfortunately, I canna give him a piece of my mind as I wish tae for making yer medicant too strong.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “Why no’, lassie?”

“Ye need more, and I dinna want him tae poison it.”

His jaw went slack. Surely she jested, but her expression was at least partially serious. He heard a low rumbling noise outside and noticed that the light squeezing through the shutters was a bit darker than before. “Was that thunder?”

Mairi peeked through the shutters. “Aye,” she said. “It appears we have a storm rolling in. The clouds approaching the port are black and angry. I’d better hurry.”

“Ye’d better wait until it passes.”

“Nay. I dinna ken how long it will last. The apothecary took forever tae make yer medicant the last time. I will go tae him first, get him started, and do the rest of my shopping while I’m waiting.”

“Fetch any coin ye need from my pouch. I’m suddenly glad the Bruce paid those brigands so well. We will put the coin tae good use while I recover.”

She hurried to fetch what she needed and dressed warmly, but Connell scowled when she picked up Adam. “Lassie, leave him on the bed with me. Ye dinna want tae take him out in this weather, and he will only slow ye down.”

Mairi hesitated. “I want tae, but ye can still barely move.” Ultimately, she shook her head. “Nay, ye just took yer medicant, and ye will probably sleep after I leave.”

“If ye be worried about me being barmy—”

She laughed. “Nay, ye were good with him, barmy or no’. I willna be gone long.” She once again fashioned his extra plaid into the sling and placed Adam in it just as another rumble sounded in the distance.

“Verra well, lass, ye best be off.”

“Aye,” she said and darted out the door.

At least the dosage Mairi was giving him now eased his pain without giving him strange nightmares. After eating, Connell was able to find a more comfortable position, and he dozed for a while, but a sharp crack of thunder brought him bolting awake. He looked around in confusion. “Mairi?” he called.

No answer.

The light in the room had taken on a strange orange tint. If he didn’t know better, he would think it late afternoon. But the approaching storm and the thick clouds could change the angle of the light so it appeared as afternoon when it wasn’t.

A flash of lightning followed by another sharp crack made him jump. “Damnation,” he muttered. That storm was going to be bad. What time was it? Surely Mairi would be back at any moment. The wind began to pick up, gusting against the house.

At least it hadn’t started raining yet. He listened intently for any sound that might indicate Mairi had returned home.

She was no longer frightened of the guardsmen in town and had been able to go to market several times without worry.

But what if she had grown too complacent? The memory of one man riding away while Connell reached for his absent biodag plagued him. He hated that he had allowed the knight to escape. It would be a simple thing for anyone to determine where they were going. He had been an English knight, that much was certain. He could easily get word to the lord governing Edinburgh and put the guards on alert. Damnation! Connell should have realized that afore and not used his real name in the city. But he had never allowed one to escape since they had left Glen Gyle—this man had been the first in a very long time.

The wind increased, a low haunting moan echoing through the house. A chill shuddered down his spine.

“Mairi,” he growled. “Come home, lassie.”

His gaze fell on his sword, sheathed and propped against the wall in the corner of the room. He had created it when he had been at the height of his smithing skills, and it had been the work he had shown Smith to gain his employment. But now the weapon mocked him. What if something had happened to Mairi? He couldn’t even heft the weapon right now. Even if he could get out of bed, he wouldn’t be able to defend her. That knowledge made his gut curl into a sickening knot. Nay, he could not fail her and Adam.

What was taking her so long?

Lightning flashed so brightly in the room that even with the closed shutters it made him blink, and for a moment spots hovered before his vision. The crack of thunder that followed shook the entire house.

With it came the rain. It started as a soft patter and rapidly grew stronger until it pounded on the roof as if a herd of wild horses stampeded across.

He expected to hear the door open and held his breath. But the only sounds that reached him were of the rain as it fell harder and the wind as it howled around the house. He looked to the small lamp lit on the bedside table. The flame flickered in the draft that passed through the house, even though the cottage was solidly built.

Even if she had not completed her shopping, surely Mairi would not stay out in this weather, not with Adam.

The memory of the knight escaping sharpened in his mind’s eye.

An icy fist of fear clamped around his heart and buried its claws.

His gaze again fell on his sword. He slowly sat up. Bracing himself against the pain, he battled to rise from the bed.

HHH

Mairi sprinted as hard as she could for the house. The storm had mounted much faster than she had imagined possible. As she had told Connell, she had gone to the apothecary first to get him started and then completed the rest of her shopping, but even then, when she returned to the apothecary, she still had to wait. His shop was in a row of tall, solidly built buildings rather than being an open booth. Because of the other buildings it was somewhat protected from the growing storm, and while inside she hadn’t realized the weather was worsening so rapidly.

When he finally finished Connell’s medicant, Mairi had opened the door to torrents of rain and a brilliant flash of lightning.

The apothecary had insisted that she stay until the storm passed. But she couldn’t leave Connell alone. The streets were deserted, all of the merchant booths empty, and the wares had disappeared in a miraculously short amount of time. Sheets of rain washed through in waves. She saw not a single soul. Even the guardsmen watching over the market square had vanished.

“Where is everyone?”

“Seeking shelter in buildings like mine,” the apothecary had said, eyeing the weather over her shoulder. “Please, lassie, stay here until it passes.”

She eyed the road leading home. It was a relatively straight path through the small square, up the low hill past the blacksmith’s shop and to home. She had run greater distances on the trail trying to escape those who would harm Adam. She had vowed never to run away from Connell again. This time she would run to him.

“Nay,” she had told him, looping her basket over her arm, then she braced Adam securely against her. Grabbing a deep breath she had taken off, running for all she was worth.

The one thing she did not account for was that the rain sheeting down made the cobbled streets slick and dangerous. She slipped and slid, almost falling, and the powerful wind didn’t help, threating to knock her down at times. She wished the wind was at her back; it would at least help to push her along. But in the market, it seemed to come from all different directions, swirling around her, forcing her to turn away from it at times lest it drive the rain into her face and into Adam’s.

Lightning flashed, and the thunder roared so loudly it made her ears ring. It frightened Adam, and his wail tried to match the howling of the wind. She skittered and scampered up the road, and the small rise leading past the blacksmith’s shop suddenly seemed as steep as a mountain as her feet slid on the wet cobblestones. Dirt and muck that had gathered on the street made a muddy mess as the water on the road flowed down the hill.

Mairi gritted her teeth and plunged onward, knowing she could not stop now. She was closer to home than anything else. She reached the gate and nearly fell to her knees as her foot hit some mud and slid out from under her. But she caught herself on the gate and didn’t bother to close it as she sprinted through.

She was grateful she hadn’t locked the door since Connell was inside. She leapt from the path over the three small stairs and hit the porch where the overhang sheltered her from the worst of the rain. She reached for the door and barely stifled a scream as it was yanked open before she could touch it.

A giant shadow loomed in the frame. Mairi battled to slide to a stop. Lightning flashed again, and for an instant, the giant shadow became a person.

Connell.

He wore only his leggings—no tunic, no boots—but he carried his sword in his right hand, his left gripping the door knob. His blue eyes were wild but also strangely glazed. He stared at her a moment, then blinked rapidly.

“Mairi?”

“Sweet Jesu,” she murmured and bolted past him.

The moment she cleared the frame, Connell slammed the door shut, leaning his weight against it as the wind roared, almost flinging it open again. But as Mairi faced him, she realized he wasn’t using his weight to close the door. He was falling.

“Connell!” She dropped her basket, and was at his side in an instant. If he collapsed, she’d never get him back into bed without help. Fortunately, most of Connell’s weight was against the door. She only had to help him keep his balance.

His sword clattered to the floor, and his arm wrapped around her, holding her awkwardly because of Adam between them. “Mairi,” he choked. His entire body shook violently, and he battled to suck air into his lungs.

“What did ye do?” she whispered. She backed away enough to cup his face in her hands as he looked down at her. Sweat streaked his face and body. His skin was terribly pallid. “Sweet Mary, Connell.” She marveled at him a moment. He had somehow managed to get out of bed and dress himself in his leggings and fetch his sword, then made it to the front door. But now she could clearly see what it had cost him.