The Highlander's Bride (30 page)

He practically fell over his feet, running towards her until he reached her side. Brion was a member of MacInnes’s elite guard, and the privilege of escorting Lady Laurel was an honor. He had been stunned by her beauty that morning. She was a golden vision, somehow managing to look regal and graceful despite carrying what appeared to be a very large bairn. It was easy to see the MacInnes resemblance. The golden hair, the fierce blue eyes, the rigidity in her mannerisms when mad—each characteristic was clear proof of her MacInnes blood.

As Brion approached her, they strode out of the gate at a much quicker rate than he would have expected from someone carrying such a large load.

She smiled at him and continued walking. “Hello. My name is Laurel, and I assume from your plaid that you arrived with my grandfather.”

The soldier’s eyes rounded in surprise. “Aye, milady.”

“Would you mind escorting me to a cottage just outside the curtain walls? It is not far, I assure you, but my husband feels that I need to have an escort wherever I go, and you appeared to be the most available.”

“It is an honor, milady.”

Laurel was bemused. “Not an honor. A duty, perhaps.”

The soldier shook his head deliberately. “You are wrong, milady. I have long looked forward to meet the granddaughter of my laird.”

“How so? You cannot tell me that you are old enough to have known me as a child?” she asked.

He smiled. “No. Unfortunately, I did not join your grandfather’s guard until several years after your last visit. But, let’s just say stories of your days at the MacInnes castle still echo the walls.”

Laurel rolled her eyes. “Oh Lord, please tell me you are not serious. All my adventures, I believe, were quite innocent.”

Chuckling aloud, he said, “Aye, milady. But the stories bring laughter and smiles back into our great laird’s eyes.”

The idea that her grandfather had been anything but happy during these past years was quite upsetting and silencing. When they arrived to Aileen’s cottage, she could hear Finn’s son bellowing about something. He was getting quite mobile and causing much chaos.

Brion waited outside when she quickly entered to see if she could lend a hand. “Here, let me do that,” she said as she freed Aileen’s hands of potatoes so she could chase down her ever-a-handful son. Aileen watched Laurel absentmindedly work on the potatoes, taking a much longer time with the task than was warranted. After a few moments, she decided to prod Laurel into the conversation her friend so desperately needed to have.

“Are you here to discuss Brighid’s nuptials?” Aileen asked calculatingly. She had heard the story of what Laurel had done from an irate Finn.

Slowly, Laurel confided her emotional battle. “No. I am hoping that you can provide me some perspective on a problem I have. I am afraid that if I see my husband right now, I will explode, and then he will explode. I feel like I have all the facts, but they just do not agree with what I know to be true of Conor.” She felt like she were about to cry.

“So, does this morning have anything to do with your problem?” Aileen tried to sound casual, as if marching nine months pregnant into a war zone were an everyday occurrence.

Laurel let go of a large sigh. “No, not exactly, but it is related,” she responded absently. Seconds later, Laurel realized that Aileen was aware of what had happened. “How did you…You know what happened?” she whispered in a squeaky voice, grasping the answer before she saw a smiling Aileen nod her head.

“Aye.” Aileen chuckled. “I have never seen Finn as angry as he was today when he returned for noon supper. I was glad all that energy was directed at you. He actually said that he wondered how Conor had the patience to remain married to you.” The growing grin that enveloped Aileen’s face told Laurel that Aileen thought her friend’s confrontation wonderful, even if her husband did not.

Laurel felt a wave of embarrassed warmth go through her. “He didn’t! How could he? Didn’t he realize what was going on?”

“Aye, and that is the reason why he was so upset about your stubbornness. He was afraid you would get hurt.”

Laurel waved her hand, dismissing the idea. “Nonsense, I was never in any danger. Neither Conor nor my grandfather would have let me be injured.”

“Only if they saw you. The way Finn describes the scene, they had no idea of your presence until you started shouting.”

“Oh my,” Laurel sighed, never having seen it from that point of view before. Perhaps she had been in more danger than she had thought. “Finn must think me stupid.”

“No, but mayhap a little foolish. Do not feel bad. I think what happened today is absolutely fantastic!” she said with such enthusiasm and happiness that it sparked curiosity in Laurel.

“Why, Aileen? Why did putting myself in a wee bit of danger make you so happy?”

“Why, Finn, of course. I think for a long time he has placed a high value on your consistent displays of what he used to call ‘courage’ with Conor. Finn has always been besotted with me—and I with him—but I think now, he is even more glad to be married to me. He told me after he ate today’s meal that I have just the right amount of feisty in me, without being so much that it causes him to worry.” She grinned back at her friend. “Yes, you can do me those kinds of favors any time.”

Laurel just stared at her friend, not knowing whether to join in laughing and grinning or be horrified that Conor’s guard thought so little of her. “I didn’t mean to be so obnoxiously ‘feisty.’ I was just trying to avert a war. The least he could do is try to understand.”

“Don’t worry. Finn is still one of your greatest admirers, but I hope that you two don’t have to go head to head again for a while. Hurts his ego when he loses.”

“Aye, but it seems to do wonders for yours,” Laurel pointed out.

Aileen just beamed with mischievous joy. “It certainly does.” Then both women started giggling. It felt good to release some pent-up tension.

Once they settled back down, Aileen finally got her son down for a long nap. She turned back towards her friend and tried again to find the source of stress in Laurel’s eyes. “So, if it wasn’t this morning’s activities that caused the pain I’m seeing in your eyes, what is it, then?” she asked directly and then sat back, waiting for Laurel to respond.

“Conor lied to me,” Laurel said sadly.

Aileen sat straight up and looked her friend in disbelief.

“Well, not lied exactly,” Laurel corrected, “but he definitely misled me. I don’t understand why he would hurt me like this.”

“Are you sure he misled you on purpose?” prompted Aileen, trying to pull out more facts before she said any more.

“Very sure. Of that, there is no doubt. He knew I was a MacInnes, Aileen. And he knew that I was worried about my grandfather. He deliberately led me to believe otherwise.”

“You are right, that doesn’t conform to what I know of our laird’s character.” Aileen sat still for a moment and asked, “Do you think that the laird expected Laird MacInnes’s arrival?”

Laurel tried to recall what Conor had said when he left her in that awful lower room in the warden’s tower. “Yes, I think he was expecting him. Just not so soon, and not so angry.” She looked up. “In fact, I am sure that he was fairly surprised at my grandfather’s hostile arrival.”

“So, maybe Conor was reserving it for a surprise?”

“Believe me, I wish that were true, but it just doesn’t explain why he let me believe that my grandfather was in danger.”

“But your grandfather
isn’t
in danger.”

“But I didn’t know that until this morning! I had no idea that he was chieftain of a large and powerful lowland clan. I believed him to be vulnerable and unable to defend himself against attacks. Conor knew otherwise. He knew how worried I was, but instead of correcting those apprehensions, he continued with the masquerade.”

Aileen sighed in understanding. “Ah, I now see.”

“You do?” Laurel asked with hope.

“Mmm-hmm. It makes perfect sense. You were right to come to me. I actually think I may have the perspective you were hoping for.”

“Then speak! How could Conor deceive me so?”

“You are forgetting highlander pride. What is the one thing that Conor desires to do for you above all else?”

“I assume ‘make me happy’ is not what you are aiming for.” Laurel looked at her friend, who was sitting so pleased with herself that if Aileen had feathers, they would be colorful and quite beautifully displayed along her peacock backside. Laurel rolled her eyes. “He wants to keep me safe.”

“Exactly. Highlanders protect their own. What’s more, they take great pride in it.”

Laurel nodded. It was true. They did. “So?”

“First, now be honest, were you truly anxious and worried about your grandfather throughout the winter?”

Laurel thought on the question and realized that, while she was sensitive to her grandfather’s vulnerability and perhaps curious as to how Conor was going to protect him, she was not truly worried about him.

“I suppose I was at first. Then, Conor promised that my grandfather would be safe and that I no longer needed to worry. After that, I was no longer troubled, now that I think about it.”

“Now I ask you. From a
male highlander’s
point of view, what man is going to intentionally remove himself from being a hero to his love’s eyes by correcting her and saying, ‘But save your gratitude and admiration, because it will not be necessary for me to protect your grandfather.’ Ha! Every man I know, especially the chieftain of a powerful clan who is married to one of the most desirable women…” Laurel opened her mouth to protest, but Aileen cut her off and continued, “Yes—you are. Every man would bask in the idea that his woman believed in his ability to save her family from harm. No highlander would ever say anything to change that, especially if he knew that he had succeeded in making you feel confident of your grandfather’s safety.” Aileen sat back in her chair and crossed her arms and legs, completely smug, knowing that she had made the right assessment of the situation.

Laurel knew Aileen was right, too. She had never thought of it from Conor’s point of view, only from her own. Why, this way, yes, he
was
being slightly devious, but there was no malevolence involved. Only pride that he could make his wife feel safe and happy, with the possibility of arranging a surprise for her in the spring. It wasn’t Conor’s fault that her grandfather had reacted so much more quickly and strongly than anticipated.

“Of course, it isn’t,” Aileen interjected, as she listened to Laurel murmur her thoughts out loud. Aileen was about to add something more when a commotion was heard outside. She was going to kick some young men around if they woke up her son. She strode over and opened the door just in time before Conor knocked it down.

When Fallon had entered the great hall to ask who was the MacInnes escorting Lady McTiernay outside the curtain walls, Conor’s heart had stopped. His first thought was that they had taken her, just as MacInnes had sworn to do that morning.

The old man had seen the blood disappear and then rise again in his godson’s face. He could imagine exactly what was going through the lad’s mind.

“My man didn’t take her.”

“Who was it?” Conor growled, trying to keep this fury from exploding.

MacInnes held Conor’s gaze. “I do not know, but my men are as loyal to me as your men are to you. No one would move without my explicit command.”

“And is that command forthcoming?” Conor asked directly. For hours they had skirted around the issue of Laurel’s removal from the McTiernay lands and from him.

“No, it is not. Laurel made it clear that she wants to be here with you. Unless that is…wrong?”

Conor’s mouth tightened. “No. It did not matter your answer, but I am glad I will not have to fight you. She’s mine.”

“So you said earlier.”

“Earlier, your men had not taken my wife somewhere.”

MacInnes spread his hands out. “Maybe it was the other way around. Maybe it was your wife who took my man somewhere.”

Conor winced. “Unfortunately, you may be correct. She does have the MacInnes obstinacy and bullheadedness. You saw an example of what I live with every day this morning. Here’s another.”

The older laird smiled at the young man’s frustration. It was clear that he had a love-hate relationship with Laurel’s independent personality. “I am glad that time has done little to diminish that trait. She was always a self-governing child. Impossible to tell her what to do. Tell me, do you have to run after her every day?”

“In truth, I do not. But about every four months, there is a bad week or two where it seems that I do nothing but. I have a feeling you have arrived on such a week.”

The old man laughed and then again harder when Conor tried to intimidate him with one of his daunting glares. “Then I guess you only have a about two years worth of bad weeks to look forward to in your lifetime with my granddaughter. If you are lucky. Come,” said MacInnes, clapping Conor on the back. “Let us find my granddaughter and ensure her health.”

However, it was not nearly as easy at it had first appeared. Conor had surmised that she had asked a MacInnes to escort her to their camp to see that they were cared for. But no one there had seen the Lady since that morning. It also seemed that Brion had disappeared. MacInnes recalled that he had been most anxious to meet and bring Lady Laurel home.

By the time it occurred to Conor that she may have gone to visit Aileen, he was extremely tense. He did not like having to search for his wife, especially his very pregnant wife. By the time, he, MacInnes, and now Finn had arrived at the cottage, he was very close to panicking with thoughts of her going into labor without any help. When he saw her well and in good spirits, all the apprehension turned into anger.

Seeing the tension boiling underneath the surface, Laurel immediately knew that she was the source. “Don’t scowl so, husband. I took an escort,” she said defensively, pointing to the warrior outside the cottage.

“He’s a MacInnes,” Conor bellowed.

Stubbornly and knowing that it would irritate him, she shrugged. “And he is an escort. I do not recall you specifying that the only escorts I may have are McTiernay soldiers. In fact, the argument—which I won by the way—ended with the compromise that any able-bodied person could escort me as long as I did not venture any farther than the immediate cottages from the curtain walls.” Laurel quoted. “I saw no one else, and Brion was gracious enough to join me.”