My Notorious Highlander (Highland Adventure 5) (2 page)

Difficult?
Did he not think it was difficult for Jessie, watching her "husband" frolicking with another woman?
Bastard.

"Lady Jessie must have been hurt and angry," Torrin said, as if only vaguely interested.

MacBain shrugged. "Aye, she glared at me a few times. Gave me the cold shoulder. But I'm certain I can warm her up again."

"'Haps."
Ha.
The man was full of horse dung. Jessie was more likely to dirk MacBain in his sleep than smile at him. And he hoped she would.

"She's a fiery one."

Torrin glared at him, not wanting to hear one more word or he might choke the bastard before they made it to
Durness
.

"Why are you pursuing her instead of some other lady?" Torrin asked. "Surely, '
twould
be easier if you didn't have a history with the woman."

"Her dowry is…" MacBain clamped his lips shut.

"Aye?" Torrin prompted.

MacBain eyed him suspiciously. "Well, I suppose I can tell you. You won't tell anyone, will you?"

Torrin shook his head. "Nay. Who would I tell?"

"I heard that her brother increased her dowry, and added some land in."

"Ah." Money-hungry whoreson. All he wanted was the dowry. Not Jessie. Torrin knew this happened with a lot of marriage arrangements. Land was important to him as well, so his clan could grow more food and not starve. But for him, the woman he took to wife would be far more important than the land she brought to the marriage.

"You won't tell her I said that, will you?"
MacBain's
brows scrunched together.

"I barely know her." But he intended to change that, though it might take some time. Besides, he wouldn't need to tell her why MacBain was pursuing her again. She'd know. She was one of the canniest women he knew. He hadn't talked to her much, but he'd watched her plenty during the month he'd been at Dunnakeil last winter. He knew her to be friendly and caring, quick with a smile. Not for him, of course, but for those she was close to. She'd been managing the servants at that time and 'twas obvious everything was spotless.

She would make a perfect wife for him. He looked forward to convincing her of that.

***

During supper at Dunnakeil Castle, one of the guards approached Lady Jessie MacKay at the high table. "We have visitors, m'lady," he said, raising his voice over the roar of conversation in the candlelit great hall.

Halting her knife in the midst of cutting a piece of venison, she glanced up at him with trepidation.
Please don't let it be Haldane.
She couldn't deal with her outlaw younger brother. Although Dirk hadn’t exactly left her in charge of the castle, she was the next oldest of her siblings and of the highest rank here. Dirk's sword-bearer, Erskine, and the guards were to handle defense. But if they had noble visitors, she was the one left to entertain them… along with her other brother, Aiden. But his method of entertainment was music. She would have to deal with everything else.

"Who is it?" she asked with dread.

"Chief MacLeod and Chief MacBain," the guard informed her.

"What?" Jessie's mouth hung open. Noticing a few people staring at her, she snapped her mouth closed and tried to contain her shock. Those were two names she'd hoped to never hear again. "Are you certain? Torrin MacLeod and
Gregor
MacBain?"

"Aye."

"What on earth are they doing here?"

"They would not say, but they're requesting entrance."

"How many men with them?" her younger brother, Aiden, asked beside her.

"Just over a dozen."

"I'll see what they want." Aiden stood.

"Wait." Jessie grabbed his slender arm. "I'll go, too." Why couldn't Dirk have been here at a time like this? He and around twenty-five had left, traveling south, a few weeks ago. They'd been planning to stop by
Munrick
Castle, Torrin MacLeod's keep. He knew Dirk wasn't here. Was that why he'd come? To harass her about marrying him? "Where is Erskine?" she asked. Her older brother's sword-bearer would ken what to do if conflict broke out.

"Outside," the guard said. "But he wanted your permission before we allowed them entrance. We're fair certain the
MacLeods
are allies, but we don't ken about the
MacBains
since… eh…" The guard's face flushed.

"Aye." Since her
handfasting
with him had gone sour three years past.

"I don't think Torrin MacLeod wants to wage war with you, sister." Aiden smirked, his boyish face taking on a pixie charm.

She rolled her eyes. She could guess why Torrin was here, but MacBain? The man whose castle she'd spent a year and a day at. She'd hoped to never see him again. Of a certainty, at the time, she'd fallen for him, but since being away from him, she'd come to realize what kind of knave he truly was. He cared for no one but himself.
Gregor
MacBain was incredibly selfish and changed his mind as often as the changing weather in the Highlands. He'd entered into a legal marriage with another woman. Jessie had naught to say to him.

After pushing herself up from the table, she crossed the great hall on shaky legs. But never could she let either of the men outside see a smidgen of weakness from her. They would circle and close in like hungry buzzards.

Stepping into the courtyard, she saw that gloaming had settled over the land with a purple light just after sunset, and a brisk breeze blew in off the North Sea. She, Aiden, and the guard moved toward the iron portcullis.

Erskine joined them, his short brown hair ruffled by the wind. He wore leather armor and carried a sword at his hip. But he did not appear overly concerned. "M'lady." He gave an abbreviated bow. "Both MacLeod and MacBain appear to have come in peace. They wish to speak to you."

Jessie's stomach knotted worse than the ropes used on the galleys.
Saints!
She gave a brief nod, though she did not want to face either man, but for different reasons. She took a deep breath and placed a hand upon the hilt of the foot-long dirk in the scabbard on her belt. She was never without it. Not that she expected to have to use it on either man. But it gave her more confidence.

As they approached the gate, her breathing grew shallower and her sweaty hands more fidgety. She clasped them before her.

Remain calm.

Her gaze landed on Torrin MacLeod first. A wave of panic and something far more disturbing washed over her. The man was just as striking and attractive as the last time she'd seen him, mayhap more so, with his compelling green eyes, long chestnut hair and tall, lean frame. He was one of the few men who towered over her. But looking into his eyes filled her with a mixture of dread, fear, and something she didn't want to think about.

She quickly switched her gaze to
Gregor
MacBain. His black hair was much longer than it had been the last time she'd seen him and a scruffy short beard covered the lower half of his face. His dark-brown eyes had once completely bewitched her, but now she could hardly tolerate the sight of him. She had been so young and naïve when she'd first met him.

"Lady Jessie,"
Gregor
said in a cheerful tone, then bowed deeply. His conciliatory smile annoyed her greatly. "I'm so glad to see you, lass."

"What do you want,
Gregor
?" she demanded.

Torrin snorted, one side of his lips kicking up in a half smile as he watched her with pronounced interest.

Heat rushed over her and she immediately felt even more edgy than before. No matter how disconcerting she found him, she simply needed to ignore Torrin, but remain ever vigilant around him for he was a dangerous man. She had seen firsthand what kind of lethal warrior he was.

"Is that any way to greet your husband?"
Gregor
cajoled.

"You are
not
my husband," she stated firmly, sending him what she hoped was a cutting glare. "You married another woman."

"Aye, but she passed giving birth to my son. I made a mistake. I never should've left you for her. I ken you must have missed me."

"You're wrong. I hardly remember much about you. And our marriage was not a legal one, so you were never my husband, in truth.
'Twas
only a
handfasting
." She detested the Highland practice of trial marriage for a year and a day, to see if the woman would conceive a
bairn
, before the legal marriage took place. This, of course, benefited the man, usually a chief who needed an heir. She would never willingly enter into one of these arrangements again. She'd much prefer to remain unmarried and be of service to her family and clan.

Gregor
sighed. "A storm is blowing in off the sea. Will you not let us in and feed us supper? What of Highland hospitality?"

"I have no hospitality or sympathy for you," she said, only now noticing the strong wind whipping her hair and cooling her overheated face.

"Allow me to talk to the lady alone."
Torrin's
tone was low and deep, but most disturbing of all, he never took his eyes off her.

"
The lady
has no interest in talking to you alone," Jessie told Torrin through the gates. Besides, she wished to go back inside before the storm hit.

Torrin merely gave her that enigmatic hint of a smile again. He then switched his attention to MacBain and gave him a warning look. "Give us some privacy."

MacBain narrowed his eyes. "I think not, MacLeod."

"Would you like shelter during the coming storm? Or do you prefer staying out here?"

MacBain surveyed the turbulent sky. "Very well, then. Let us see if you can sweet talk her into allowing us entrance. But I doubt it." MacBain and his men moved twenty feet away.

"Could I have a moment to talk to her, Aiden?" Torrin asked her brother, his tone respectful.

"Are you in agreement with this, sister?"

"Aye. I'll be fine." She didn't want Torrin to know she feared him.

Aiden stepped back a good distance, but continued to watch them. Not that he could beat Torrin off her if he decided to reach through the iron bars and grab her.
'Twas
likely that Aiden, with his slight frame, weighed only half as much as Torrin did with his warrior strength.

"How long have you been friends with MacBain?" Jessie asked, making sure she stayed more than an arm's length away from the gate. But he had long arms that were thick with muscle.

Torrin frowned, looking more ominous than the dark, cloudy sky above. "I'm not friends with the daft man. They came upon us while we were traveling. Once I heard where he was headed and why, I suggested we ride together. I came to protect you."

Jessie forced an ironic smile. "I have no need for your protection." Besides, that would be like a wolf protecting a herd of sheep. After all was said and done, he'd feast on a few of them.

"Nevertheless… I consider Dirk a friend. He is not here to protect you from this knave, so I felt it my responsibility."

"How could it possibly be
your
responsibility? We've barely spoken."

He allowed an amused look combined with a look of determination. "I intend to speak to you far more, m'lady," he said in a lowered voice.

The feverish chills covering her, head to toe, had little to do with the whipping wind and far more to do with his intimate tone. "Why?"

He raised a brow. "I think we both ken the answer to that."

Aye, she knew he'd asked Dirk for her hand in marriage last winter. "I'm not marrying anyone. Not MacBain, and certainly not you."

His smirking, confident smile made her grind her teeth. Could naught dissuade him from his ridiculous objective?

"Are you thinking I would marry a man with a paramour and children in the village?"

Torrin frowned, his amusement vanishing. "Who are you speaking of? MacBain?"

"Nay. You."

"I don't ken who has been spreading rumors, but I have no paramour in the village and certainly no children that I'm aware of."

Ha.
Of course he would deny it. But her sister-in-law, Isobel, had told her this and the information had come from
Torrin's
own brother. He'd said Torrin was in love with the village lass.

"Who told you this?" he demanded.

"It matters not." She didn't want to get Isobel into trouble. It wasn't her fault if his outlaw brother had lied. "What is he planning?" She nodded toward MacBain.

Torrin eyed her a moment longer, making it obvious he didn't want to drop the subject of the rumors. "MacBain thinks he can convince you to marry him, a legal and binding marriage this time." Torrin shrugged. "But he has far more interest in your dowry. He is the least trustworthy man I've ever met."

Hmph
.
He was one to talk. "I would imagine you also have a great interest in my dowry." Torrin had to know that Dirk had added the hundred-and-fifty acres that Chief
MacKenzie
had given him, which joined his own. Everyone knew he was keen on acquiring that land for crops.

Torrin's
dark green eyes were troubled. "
'Tis
not my main interest."

"Of course not," she said doubtfully.

"I would like for us to get to know each other better, Lady Jessie." His voice was sober and his eyes hopeful.

'Twas
true she was not well acquainted with him, but the most significant thing she knew about him was that he'd killed her foster brother,
Lyall
Keith, eight years past. She'd watched the whole horrific incident take place from her hidden vantage point in the old oak. She'd been sixteen summers at the time and had nightmares for months afterward—nightmares that featured Torrin, hunting her down and killing her, the only witness to his crime. She hadn't known who he was and, without a clue to his name or clan, the
Keiths
could not seek retribution. What would Torrin do if he knew she'd witnessed his dark deed? She would put him and his clan in danger. He might then be more interested in killing her than marrying her.

Lightning flashed behind her, over the sea, and thunder rumbled.

"A storm is approaching," Torrin said.

"I can see that, but why would I want to allow you and MacBain within these gates?"

"MacBain isn't trustworthy, but I don't believe he means you or your clan harm. My men and I certainly mean you no harm." Torrin lowered his voice. "In fact, we'll act as guards. I've secretly assigned one of my men to each of his to keep a very close eye on them."

"What makes you think I trust you and your men any more than I trust the
MacBains
?"

He shrugged. "I ken trust has to be earned. And that's what I'm here to do—earn your trust." His expression was so sincere, she found herself wanting to believe him, but she knew too much about him.

"You have an uphill battle ahead of you."

"'Twill not be the first time." The determination in his eyes made her stomach ache and her pulse rate increase.

She switched her gaze to MacBain. Even though he was annoying, he didn't knock her out of kilter half as much as Torrin. "I don't want that bastard anywhere near me."

"He thinks you still carry a torch for him." Torrin sounded amused.

"Ha."

"Do you?"

Against her will, her gaze was pulled back to Torrin and his expression of dark humor. Why did he find her so entertaining? "Of course not. He's a scoundrel who has no inkling how to be faithful to one woman."

"Prove it to him, then, and mayhap he will leave you alone."

"What do you mean?" The fearsome wind off the sea blew her hair into her face and she pushed it behind her ear.

"Prove you think he is lower than a worm, that you despise him, and he will no doubt leave in a hurry." Torrin glanced up at the sky. "But to deny him Highland hospitality, especially during a storm, would bring you down to his level. You don't want to sully the MacKay name by being unfriendly to an ally, do you?"

She rolled her eyes. "How can the most notorious Highlander in these parts ask me that?"

"Notorious?"
Torrin's
eyes widened. "Me?"

"Aye. Who else would I be talking about?"

"Very well. I ken I have a reputation because of the battles I've fought, but that has naught to do with hospitality."

As far as she was concerned, his reputation had everything to do with the heinous deed he'd performed with cold calculation. Aye, she was certain it had been him, though they'd both been much younger.

"If you appear angry with him, he'll get the impression that you are still smitten with him. But if you seem bored with him, 'twill be clear you've forgotten him. 'Haps he will leave tomorrow. Who knows?"

She could only hope. "Will you convince him to leave tomorrow?"

"I'll do my best."

She prayed Torrin would leave at the same time. Aye, he was too disconcerting by far.

"Very well, but everyone must leave their weapons in the guard house," she said.

Torrin nodded. "Wise move." He winked.

Heat flashed over her like the approaching lightning… along with annoyance at herself that she would feel any sort of attraction to him. The longer she glared at him, the more pronounced his grin. He then turned to MacBain. "The lady has agreed we might enter, but we must disarm ourselves."

MacBain strode forward, his glare switching from Torrin to her, but he didn't immediately remove his weapons. His men scowled and muttered amongst themselves.

Loud thunder boomed out over the sea.

"Search them and make certain they are not armed, save for the knives they need to eat with," she instructed the nearby MacKay guards. "Your men may stay in the barracks this night," she told MacBain. "I'm certain you'll want to be on your way in the morn."

Gregor
said naught, but his smug grin told her what he was thinking. He was going to try to win back her hand. '
Twould
never happen.

The MacKay guards disarmed the men of both clans outside the gates, then allowed them entrance.

Her gaze darted to Torrin as he handed over his dirk and sword in the leather baldric. She hadn't remembered how tall he was, several inches taller than
Gregor
, who was about an inch shorter than Jessie. She'd always thought that was one reason he'd not been happy with her. He had to look up at her and likely felt like less of a man. She almost smiled.

She headed back toward the castle's entrance just as the first cold drops of rain spattered her hair and clothing.

Torrin fell into step beside her. "You look very pleased with yourself, m'lady."

"Nay. Why should I be, when two men I didn't want to see have shown up at the gates?"

With a hint of a smile, he sent her an amused glance beneath his dark lashes. If not for his past and what she knew about him, she could see herself being incredibly drawn to him. But obviously he was not who he appeared to be. 'Haps he had a benevolent side and a monstrous side. Or maybe all the benevolence was an act.

When they entered the great hall, Jessie motioned Torrin and
Gregor
to the high table. "Please make yourselves comfortable and your supper will be served."

She had been almost finished with her meal earlier, when she'd been interrupted. But even if she hadn't been, she had no appetite now. She directed the servants to bring their visitors food and drink. Most of the men, aside from Torrin and
Gregor
, would sleep in the barracks on the opposite side of the bailey. She headed up the stairs in search of the chambermaids. She would have them prepare two bedchambers for the chiefs in a separate wing from where her own chamber was located. She could only hope they would behave themselves and remain in their rooms the whole of the night.

Gregor
MacBain was like a thorn in her
arse
. She wished she'd never met the man at the Keith's residence. He'd seemed interested in her from that first meeting when she was nineteen summers, and she'd thought him a handsome man. Later, after she returned home to Dunnakeil, he'd sought her out and talked to her father about arranging a trial marriage. Her father preferred they have a legal and binding marriage, but MacBain wouldn't hear of it. He much preferred a trial marriage because he needed an heir first and foremost. For that reason, he needed to know if she could conceive before the legal marriage took place.