The Highlander's Enchantment Read online

“I suppose I should make the announcement afore I finish this jug of whisky and canna walk straight.”

  Blair laughed. “I’ve never seen ye not walk straight, Da.”

  “I’ve never had to give away my youngest daughter afore, either.”

  She glanced up at him then, taking in the crinkles at his eyes and the slight sheen of what was likely tears. “Ye’re not giving me away. I’ll always be your daughter.”

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then cleared his throat. “Aye, always.”

  They made their way down the stairs to the great hall, where everyone was slowly trickling in to break their fast after having attended Mass.

  Blair met her mother’s eyes and grinned with pleasure. She then sought out Edan. He stood at the back of the great hall, leaning against the wall, his muscular arms crossed over his chest. She flashed him a smile, which seemed to have the power to make him thrust off the wall as though the stone were burning him. He started to move forward through the crowd, and with every inch he drew nearer, the more tingly she felt.

  And then he was there before her, and her father was saying loud enough for all to hear, “Congratulations are in order. Laird Rose has asked for my daughter’s hand, and she has agreed to the union.” Then more quietly, he said, “It is my opinion we should perform the ceremony here, before ye head back to your castle.”

  Edan grasped her father’s arm and shook it as he gave his thanks, then he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Ye’ve made me a verra happy man, lass.”

  Blair grinned. “And I am a happy woman.”

  Her mother approached next, tossing herself around Blair in a great hug before doing the same to Edan.

  Cora and Liam joined them, as did her Aunt Aliah, Uncle Blane and her two cousins.

  Cheers went up all around the great hall, reverberating through the rafters.

  Blair’s belly was buzzing with excitement. She slipped her hand in Edan’s and smiled up at him. This was a new adventure she was about to embark on, and one that promised to be full of surprises and pleasure.

  “If ye’ll excuse me one moment.” She let go of his hand and hurried toward Aurora and Aislinn. “I suppose I have the two of ye to thank for my happiness.”

  “Nay, Cousin,” Aurora said, “’twas all your own doing. We thought ye’d gone addled when we read the missive. And to think he actually came!” They fanned their faces with their hands and laughed as if it were all a great jest. “Aye, thank goodness I had the forethought to switch out the vials. I knew ye’d not go through with it. Indeed, when I slipped the vial into a satchel of goods being exported over the firth, I never thought it would actually arrive anywhere. Dear me, we thought he was going to massacre the lot of us when he rode over the moors.”

  Blair smiled wanly, nodded and then backed away from them, wishing she’d not said anything at all. To hear them laugh in jest at the danger they’d caused… She was certain she could never hold them in her respect again.

  Chapter 13

  Blair sat with Cora, her cousins and the other ladies on a hill after a walk to gather more flowers for the great hall. It had been decided she and Edan would wed on the morrow. Only her mother and aunt were missing from the crowd, as they worked with the castle servants to prepare for the big day. The men in the field below were training, and from where the women perched, it was easy to pick out who was who.

  Edan and Liam engaged each other heavily in sword play, which had Cora and Blair grasping hands. The clangs from their blades reverberated up the hill and through their bodies.

  “It is a testament to their skill that they do not kill each other,” Cora murmured, as though she were trying to reassure herself of that fact.

  “Aye. They are both verra skilled indeed.” Watching Edan was causing her breath to hitch in ways she’d not imagined.

  Edan’s body moved in fluid, powerful motion. He matched her brother in breadth of shoulder but towered over him by several inches. Despite his added height, from what she could see, neither had an advantage over the other. For all the civilities they had to keep, this seemed to be the one moment they were able to unleash their control—to a point. Neither would kill the other or hack off a limb. But she wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up drawing blood.

  It would seem the ladies were not the only ones interested in the mock battle and display of might. The other men had slowly stopped their own training to watch, her father included. He stood off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest.

  Part of her wondered if her father had put Liam up to the challenge, to see if Edan was worthy of her in marriage. To see if Edan could protect her. Blair almost laughed at that. The man had ridden from his castle upon receiving her message in a bottle, intent on saving a woman he didn’t know. To think he wouldn’t protect her now that she was to be his wife was preposterous.

  “Edan is very skilled,” Cora said in her delicate English accent.

  “Aye.” Blair was discovering this now, too, and admiring greatly the way in which he controlled his body as though it weighed no more than air. The power he must have…

  Of course, thinking of his strength brought the memory of his arms around her, the muscles of his chest beneath her finger tips, the corded bunching she’d felt of his shoulders. It was amazing to her how very different her body was from his. Where his body was hard, hers seemed soft. Where he was broad, she was slender, and where he was slender about the hips, she was wide. Made for each other, they fit together like the pieces of a puzzle when she was in his arms. And, oh, how she wanted to press her softer parts to his harder ones.

  She sighed, leaning her head on her hand, her elbow resting on her knee. The sound of her contentment drew the attention of most of the women present. A few laughed faintly, and others outright teased her for watching her future husband so intently. Color rose in Blair’s face, but she couldn’t help observing him.

  “I could watch them all day,” Cora mused. “In fact, there have been days I did just that.”

  Blair smiled. “I could do that, too.”

  She was glad that Cora would only be a day’s ride or so away. Her oldest sister Bella was the farthest, Niall’s lands being more northern than Dunrobin, and Greer was closer to Dunrobin as well, though on the southern border. She missed her sisters and her brother Strath, whom she hadn’t seen in the longest time. Mayhap this year they’d all be able to get together at Yule again, as they had in years past.

  Messengers had been sent out to her siblings, but she didn’t expect they’d be able to reach Castle Ross before she was wedded and on her way to her new home.

  The thought of a new home had her heart doing little palpitations. She turned to Cora, seeking sisterly advice.

  “What was it like when ye first came to Castle Ross…as a new bride and mistress?”

  A soft smile covered Cora’s lips as she glanced down toward the field where all the men were fighting. “It went better than I expected,” Cora said. “Took the people a little while to get used to us being here, more so because I’m English, but they did accept me.”

  “Aye.” Blair did have the advantage of being Scottish. And Edan and Liam were similar in that they were both not the original lairds, though Edan was at least brother to the old Laird of Rose. Liam had had to win over a clan that had gone against their king in the name of serving Ina Ross and her vile husbands—both of whom had been English. “Do they ever worry that ye’ll…turn your back on Scotland?”

  Cora pursed her lips and a flicker of hurt flashed in her eyes. Blair instantly felt terrible for what was implied, even though that wasn’t what she’d meant.

  “When I first met King Robert, he asked me the same thing. I am loyal to my husband and to his country, which is Scotland. I hope that one day our two countries will be at peace with one another, but that does not mean I’ll ever betray Liam, or the trust King Robert has bestowed upon me.”

  “I didna mean it like that. I’m so sorry.” Blair touched
her shoulder, realizing that though Cora and Liam had been married for some time, the subject was still a wee bit touchy.

  “Liam has had many hurdles to cross,” Cora said, toying with an amber stone pendant. “And now this latest rumor that he might have had something to do with Edan’s brother’s death.” She shook her head. “It breaks my heart that anyone would think he could do such a thing.”

  “Mine too. I know that Edan wants verra much to find whoever is at fault and see they are punished, that my brother’s name is cleared. I’ll do my best to convince those at Kilravock that he had nothing to do with it.”

  “I know you will.” She stroked her hand over Blair’s, where it still rested on her shoulder. “You’re a good sister.”

  “So are ye.”

  The men on the field caught their attention once more as cheers went up. Edan and Liam were shaking hands, their bodies slick with sweat and great big grins on their handsome faces. Blair felt her insides warm with love for her brother, and a giddy excitement for the man who would become her husband.

  Blair studied Edan, mesmerized by the strong lines of his face, and the dark hair the clung with perspiration to his forehead. Lord, but he was gorgeous.

  She couldn’t wait to marry him tomorrow, and then be able to kiss him, touch him, whenever she wanted, every day for the rest of her life. The priest had been called, and her mother, aunt and several women of the castle they’d employed were hard at work preparing her trousseau and a new gown for her to be wed in.

  Through all the excitement, there was still the lingering dark cloud of Edan’s brother’s murder, and the fact that someone had tried to pin it on Liam.

  She’d not been lying or exaggerating when she’d told Cora she would do whatever it took to convince the Rose clan that her brother was innocent.

  Blair barely slept all night. Flutters in her belly and tingling in her limbs kept her awake. As dawn burst in through the window, she leapt from bed and rushed to the basin to splash cold water on her face.

  Today, she was going to get married.

  Her cousins, who’d shared her bed the night before, roused slowly, stretching, and Aislinn whined, “Why are ye awake already? Should ye not sleep in as ye’ll likely be up all night?”

  Up all night? Blair wrinkled her nose and picked up a brush to run it through her hair. Having barely slept last night more than an hour, she was certain she would sleep like a bairn tonight. Besides, tonight she wouldn’t have to worry about an upcoming wedding. The deed would be done, and she could rest easy.

  “We’ve hours yet to get ye ready,” Aurora murmured and patted the bed. “Come back to bed, ye’ve left a cold spot.”

  “I barely slept a wink, and I’m wide awake. I could get married right now.”

  “Nay,” they both said in unison groans. “Your hair isna done.”

  They both climbed begrudgingly from bed to help her get ready, practically dragging their bodies across the floor, as though they’d been called to the stocks.

  The morning went by in a whirl, and when Blair finally did make it downstairs with her mother and father at her side, she barely saw any of the faces they passed on the way to the kirk. Her hands shook, sweat trickled down her spine, and she couldn’t feel her feet. Her breaths were coming quickly, and she was fairly certain if she didn’t find a chamber pot right then and there, she would throw up all over the beautifully embroidered gown made for her. The blue of the fabric was a near match for her eyes, and tiny bluebells were embroidered into the cuffs, hem and neckline—all of which would be ruined by the unsightly clumps of regurgitated porridge.

  And then she saw him.

  Standing on the stairs of the sacred building was Edan, his gaze riveted on hers. Gone were his trews, replaced by a Rose clan plaid of muted red, green and blue. His leine looked crisp, and his boots polished. So neatly put together—all save for that wild dark hair that waved gently with the breeze. Seeing him standing there, she was suddenly no longer full of nerves. She picked up her pace now, practically dragging her parents to the altar.

  Blair heard the priest ask if she came to wed willingly, and she heard herself say, “I do,” but the rest of the words uttered were a blur. The only thing she remembered vividly was a stormy-gray gaze holding hers captive, and the slow grin on his lips before he leaned down and claimed her mouth in front of one and all.

  His lips slid over hers softly, much like he had kissed her in the alcove. Tingles raced over her skin, and he was pulled away much too quickly, leaving their kiss brief and filled with promise.

  The rest of the day was packed with celebration, dancing and bonfires. Pipers serenaded them, and they kept being whisked off in opposite directions, until they were finally brought together once more at the feast.

  Edan fed her bites of their meal as they sat side by side, but she wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone what was served, only that food had never tasted so good. And neither had wine. Her cup was never empty and being nervous and needing to do something with her hands, she may have imbibed a bit too much.

  When her eyes started to get droopy, Edan stood beside her and lifted her into his powerful arms. He was so warm. His heat sank into her, and she smiled lazily up at him, tracing her fingers along his jaw and then the scar over his eye.

  “Ye’re so handsome,” she said, her words a little slurred.

  He grinned down at her. “And ye’re a wee bit sauced.”

  She giggled. “Is that why I feel so sleepy but also like laughing?”

  “Aye. Say goodnight to everyone.”

  “Goodnight everyone,” she shouted and then planted a kiss on his stubbled cheek.

  The crowd cheered and started to chant a bawdy song, but Blair wrapped her arms around Edan’s neck and rested her head on his shoulder, completely oblivious to it. He carried her up the stairs, and her mother followed, stopping Edan on the stairs to ask if she could prepare her daughter for bed, but Blair shook her head.

  “Edan can help me, Mama.” She passed her mother a wistful smile. “All will be wonderful.”

  Lady Arbella glanced toward Edan, who nodded. “All will be well, my lady. And if we’ve need of ye, we shall have ye fetched.”

  “Take care of my daughter well, Laird Rose.”

  “Upon my life, my lady.”

  When they reached Blair’s chamber and barred the door, Edan set her down and slid his palms along her cheeks. “Alone at last,” he murmured.

  “Aye.”

  And then he kissed her so thoroughly her knees buckled. He caught her up against him, carried her to the bed and laid her gently upon the mattress. Blair felt a bit like she was floating. Her entire body was tingling with anticipation of what was to come, all the kisses from Edan would be wondrous, and perhaps she was suffering from a wee bit of nerves.

  But the way Edan’s gaze roved over her body, hunger clear in his features, made her own need for more kissing light up inside her and squelch the nerves that threatened.

  “Ye’re so beautiful,” he murmured, looking incredibly serious when he said it.

  How could he find her as such when she was so different than everyone else? “Dinna tease me, Husband, for I am Blair the Not So Fair.”

  Husband. She thought it sounded funny on her tongue, and so she laughed and slapped her hands over her mouth as she hiccuped.

  Edan grinned down at her, teasing in the crinkle of his eyes. He bent forward and kissed her again as he pulled the blankets up around her. “Beautiful and intoxicating.”

  “Intoxicated,” she corrected.

  “Aye,” he chuckled.

  This time when he kissed her, she drifted off to sleep.

  Edan slowly undressed, chuckling to himself over the lass drunk and asleep in bed a few feet away. His wife. Drunk as a warrior after a battle, and all kitten purrs and soft touches. She thought him handsome…and herself not beautiful. He shook his head. How the tables seemed turned in that respect.

  He glanced over at her, arms flung ove
r her head, mouth slack, and soft snores puffing against the sheets. A brute might have doused her with cold water to wake her and take what was now rightfully his, but Edan wanted Blair to enjoy every moment of their first time together. Hell, he wouldn’t be able to enjoy it unless she did.

  And so he slipped into bed beside his snoring wife, tugged her supple body into his arms and dreamt about making love to her instead.

  Upon the morrow, he’d see to it she was sighing with pleasure instead of sleep.

  Chapter 14

  Blair peeked shyly at her new husband as they rode toward his home at a pace that could only be described as stops and starts. Whenever Edan seemed to be getting into his own head, the pace would quicken, and then he’d appear to remember she was there and slow down. It was dizzying, but not so dizzying as the thoughts running amuck in her head.

  Had they made love last night?

  She didn’t feel sore…and there hadn’t been any blood on the sheets. But the last thing she remembered was him sliding into the bed beside her and kissing her. A lass ought to remember her wedding night, and Blair was ashamed she had not even an inkling of recollection.

  Oh, what shame!

  When she’d woken that morning, Edan had already been gone from their chamber, and she’d been too mortified to ask. Married only a day, she was already failing as a wife.

  She couldn’t seem to find her tongue and was unable to hold a conversation with the man in question. She even taken to counting the hairs in her mare’s mane to keep from looking at him.

  The ride to Kilravock was not overlong, and they arrived in the very late afternoon, an hour or two before sunset. She’d barely paid attention to where they were going. All of the sudden, the castle stones were looming up in front of her, and they were hurrying through the gate. The clan had been informed of their arrival by a scout and were waiting for them in the bailey. A cheer to their laird’s return went up while they cast curious glances at Blair.