скачать книгу бесплатно
Now, his uncle had added courting the Cameron lass to the list of accomplishments required for the one deemed worthy to lead the clan. Glancing up, he saw his uncle’s determined eyes and the look of merriment and victory in his cousin’s.
Oh, aye, Caelan had a way with women, his soft words and caresses wooed many to him and his bed. Practised in collecting and discarding any willing woman, his cousin would use all his experience to soften the Cameron lass’s heart. Brodie held no hopes that the woman who would, who could, be the means of ending the generations-long feud between their families would be anything but attracted to his cousin.
‘Aye, Uncle.’ Brodie would rather be attending to training the new guards or organising the defences of their borders than in this useless bit of courting. But, from the glare of his uncle’s expression and the way he crossed his arms over his massive chest, Brodie knew he would be spending time with the lass, Arabella.
‘Try not to put her to sleep,’ Caelan taunted as he walked away.
As much as Brodie wanted to argue or come back at his cousin with some witty or even caustic reply, he could think of none. He was not known for his wit or sense of humour. He was also not known for his easy manner with women. Brodie let out his breath and strode through the hall into the corridor.
What he did do well was protect his clan and their holdings from the constant incursions by their enemies. He’d wanted an end to this feud for a very long time, even before his parents were murdered in an ambush in the hills around Loch Arkaig. With every new fight or battle that led to losing more of his family, his desire to find a way to peace between the Mackintoshes and Camerons had grown. And if it could be ended without destroying all of them, well, that was even better. He preferred peace through negotiation, but he would take it in any way they could obtain it.
Even if it meant he married the lass who wore a false smile like it was her second skin.
So, in spite of his suspicions and the cynicism he now carried with him as a constant companion, he would follow his uncle’s orders and see to taking her on a tour of some kind. Then he would focus his attentions where they mattered—on being the one chosen to lead the clan next.
And, if that included marrying one of their enemies, so be it.
Chapter Two (#ulink_98fef549-d05d-5a69-969b-54092494cb3a)
It was going better than Arabella had expected when she left the keep in the company of Caelan Mackintosh. With Ailean and a Cameron and Mackintosh guard accompanying them, she rode at Caelan’s side out through the gates and along the road through the village. Though she smiled, this morn it was because he made her smile. And laugh. And truly enjoy herself.
His compliments were not as overwhelming as she usually heard, but he placed them well and not too often. Caelan even brought a smile to Ailean’s face and that was no easy task when dealing with her dour cousin. They rode along the road to the east and then followed the path of a large stream into the forest. For a time, they’d walked along the stream, leaving the others a short distance behind but always within sight.
* * *
When they returned for the noon meal, Arabella was amazed that the hours in his company had passed so quickly.
‘I hope it has been a pleasant outing for you, Lady Arabella,’ he said, lifting her hand to his mouth and touching his lips on her skin. ‘Ailean, your company added much to the morn,’ he added with a nod to the now blushing and stammering woman. Caelan had won over at least one Cameron lass and was well on the way to another.
‘It has been, sir. And a welcome change to have a clear and sunny morn after the recent storms,’ Arabella said.
‘Almost as though the fates were smiling on us.’
Her aunt called out her name and she nodded at her. Time to move on to the next of her duties. At least the day had begun well.
‘I will let you see to your duties,’ she said, nodding at him.
His blue eyes sparkled and the appealing dimple in his chin when he smiled at her drew her attention. Attractive, hospitable and charming were not such bad traits for a potential husband, she decided as she walked up the steps to the doorway and entered behind her aunt. They did not speak until they reached her chambers and Devorgilla sent Ailean on some errand so they had a measure of privacy.
‘From the colour in your cheeks and the light in your eyes, I would guess that this morning went well?’ her aunt asked. A bowl of water awaited her and Arabella accepted the washing cloth.
‘It did. He is...acceptable,’ she said. Dipping the cloth in the water, she smiled as she cleaned her face and then hands.
‘Acceptable? Only that, then?’ her aunt prodded. ‘Of the two, Caelan seems the more pleasant.’
‘Aye, Aunt.’ She handed the cloth back and removed the circlet that held her veil in place. ‘You told me not to favour one over the other, so I am trying to follow your advice.’
At her aunt’s direction, she sat so Aunt Gillie could gather her loosened hair back into a braid and to right her appearance before the noon meal. ‘Though I suspect I am a bit optimistic over my chances for a happy marriage with one more than the other.’ Her aunt shushed her as she tugged at the length of her hair.
‘That is not why this match will be made, Arabella. Keep that firmly in mind as you spend time with these men. Their clan’s elders will make their decision and you will marry their choice.’
Arabella felt the pleasure of the outing dissipate with each word of warning uttered by her aunt. She understood her duty and would do it, but that did not mean she could not enjoy these small moments when all the decisions seemed distant yet. A knock interrupted any reply she would have made. Ailean opened the door and entered.
‘They are calling for the meal now,’ her cousin said.
‘Come, Aunt Gillie. We must not have them waiting on us.’ She stood and shook out her gown.
Ailean led the way down to the hall, for her cousin was becoming familiar with the corridors and stairways of this large, stone keep. Arabella tried to clear her thoughts and not be worried about the next part of her day...with Brodie Mackintosh. He was the exact opposite of his cousin—dark and forbidding to Caelan’s light and smiling countenance. When Caelan laughed and spoke easily with her, Brodie simply stared intensely and with an air of disapproval she could not explain. It was as though he looked at her and found her wanting.
So, it was a relief when his uncle announced that he would not join them at this repast. At least the meal would be pleasant.
And it was. Caelan sat a few seats away from her, next to her brother, and continued to pay attention to her. Her father smiled more and The Mackintosh did, as well. Each day they spent here seemed to ease a bit of the tension that had filled the air on their arrival four days before.
But soon, too soon, the informal repast ended and it was time for her to spend the afternoon with Brodie. She took a deep breath and nodded to her aunt and her cousin. The laird directed one of his servants to escort her to the yard and she noticed that Caelan began to offer, but was stopped by a shake of his uncle’s head. So Arabella stood and followed the man out of the keep and into the yard. When she noticed Brodie standing next to their horses, she waved the man off and walked towards him.
* * *
Brodie leaned down and tightened the belt under the horse’s belly, making certain it was secure. He stroked the animal, not one of theirs, but a beautiful beast, anyway. The Camerons could pick horseflesh and had some of the best in the Highlands. He whispered nonsense as he calmed the horse and finished his task. Or he would have if his friend Rob had not interrupted him.
‘So, she is quite the beauty, is she not?’ Rob said from the other side of the horse. Glancing down at the horse’s rather obvious attributes, Brodie frowned at the man.
‘Aye, he is,’ he said, shaking his head as he checked the other belt and the reins.
‘Are you daft or just trying to be difficult, Brodie?’ Rob leaned in closer, his face just above the horse’s back. ‘The lass. The lass is a beauty.’
‘Oh. The lass. Aye,’ he mumbled out and saw to his task. He was beginning to think that asking Rob to accompany them on this ride had been a mistake. He should have asked one of the men on duty instead of his friend.
‘Come now, you have to admit that it would not be difficult to marry her? To have her in your bed? To see that hair loose. Those eyes? That mouth?’ Rob said in a low voice and then laughed at him. ‘I would not mind ending up with her to wife when this bargain is struck.’
‘A beauty? Aye, she is beautiful,’ Brodie admitted aloud to his friend. Stepping back and giving the horse one more look, he shrugged. ‘To be honest, Rob, I’d rather end up with another dozen head of cattle or horses like this one than her. Cattle and horses would be more useful to us, to me, than a woman who lives by her beauty.’
From the frozen expression on his friend’s face and the sudden silence of those closest to them in the yard, Brodie knew she was there behind him. He closed his eyes for a moment and then let out his breath. His words had been harsh. Not meant for her to hear. She had heard and he needed to apologise. His uncle would have his ballocks if he did not make this right. Trying to think of the right thing to say, he turned slowly to face her.
If he had delayed only a moment more, he would have missed the fleeting dimming of her eyes and the slight downturn of the corner of her mouth. His stomach clenched at the sight. Then she smiled that empty smile of hers and walked up to him.
‘It is kind of you to escort me around your lands,’ she said, smiling at him. ‘I know you have other duties to see to and appreciate your time.’
‘Lady Arabella,’ he began. Then...nothing.
Not the wrong words. Not the right ones. Simply no words.
‘What do you think of him?’ she asked, coming alongside of Brodie. ‘Is he not magnificent?’ She was being gracious and giving him a way out of the insult he’d just paid her. He took it.
‘Aye, he is. Strong and lively,’ he said, slowly sliding his hand over the horse’s withers and nodding. He glanced at the horse’s legs. ‘Stamina, too, I think.’
‘Oh, he can ride for days,’ she said, walking to the horse’s head and rubbing it. ‘He has taken me on many journeys.’ She stepped back and met his gaze. He searched for some sign of hurt feelings or insult, but her blues eyes were empty of any emotion. ‘Should we be on our way?’ she asked, looking at the gathering clouds over them.
‘Mount up,’ he called out to the rest of their travelling group as he assisted her onto her horse.
Once she had settled, he handed her the reins and mounted his own horse. She sat as though born in the saddle, completely in control of the huge stallion. He could not help but stare at the way she looped the leather straps over and around her hands, keeping them at the right tension so that the horse had some freedom, but also could feel her commands. Brodie led them out of the yard, through the gates and in the opposite direction from where Caelan had taken her that morn.
Rob knew where they were going, so he rode ahead and the Cameron guard rode behind them. The lass’s cousin, a young woman named Ailean who wore the frown and had the bearing of an old spinster, positioned herself at Arabella’s side, directly behind him. They’d crossed the stream a mile or so from the keep and continued towards the mountains that ran across their lands, from the loch to the sea. A few minutes after he heard whispering between the two women, Brodie found the lass riding alongside him.
‘So, Brodie, where are we going?’ she asked in a soft voice, her gaze not leaving the uneven road in front of them.
‘You have seen our lands near the loch. We are going to a place up on the mountain for a different look.’ It was his favourite place on all their lands, but he did not say that. ‘A short distance ahead, we’ll take the path up the mountainside.’
She did not drop back to ride with her cousin then. Nay, the lass continued to match his pace and remain there next to him. Which was probably what she had done with Caelan. Unease built in his gut—he’d rather fight a small army of Camerons than have to deal with this one. Worse, she did not even acknowledge the insult paid her—which made it the only thing he could think about as they travelled high up on the path.
After one curve in the road, they entered a clearing, an outcropping that positioned them high above Mackintosh lands. The view was one he liked, one he visited often when he needed solitude. The clouds were low and heavy right now, but when the sun shone and the breezes blew, you could see for miles and miles, across the hills towards the sea and back to the loch.
‘Beautiful.’ Her breathless voice startled him, for he had forgotten for a moment that she was there.
‘Aye.’
He dared a glance and found her usually empty gaze now filled with wonder at the sight before them. Brodie thought, for one daft second, that she might appreciate not only the view but the lands themselves. Lands much larger than those of the Camerons even if you considered the lands they stole all those generations ago. As quickly as it had appeared, her gaze changed at the sound of the others arriving. And the dreaded smile returned.
‘I am confused as to our orientation,’ she said. ‘The loch is...where?’
Brodie turned in his saddle and pointed to the right. ‘Loch Lochy is about five miles that way. Arkaig is north,’ he said. ‘And the sea is about thirty miles to the west.’
‘And Mackintosh lands?’ she asked, glancing from one horizon to the other.
‘To the loch and as far as you can see to the west,’ he said, not keeping the pride from his voice. ‘And miles to the north and south, as well.’ She stared out at the distances in the directions he’d indicated and nodded.
‘You were correct then, sir,’ she said softly, meeting his gaze then.
‘Correct, Lady Arabella?’ He tugged the reins slightly and turned his horse to face hers. A step or two closer and their legs nearly touched. ‘Correct about what?’
Brodie could not remember a single thing he’d said to her other than the direction of their lands. And he knew he was correct about those. He knew their lands in the light of day or dark of night.
‘That additional cattle or horses would be useful to you. Mayhap you should add that to the list of Mackintosh demands in the negotiations before it is too late?’
God save him, but her eyes blazed like icy fire for a moment and the smile left her face. Only when Rob snickered behind them did she regain control over her expression. It was the most he’d heard her say and the only time he thought he might be seeing the lass herself and it was gone. The ice maiden sat smiling at him for a moment more. Then, with a slight motion of her hand, she directed her mount around him and out of the clearing. The rest of them scrambled to follow her, leaving him alone to look out over their lands and ponder the mistakes he’d made so far.
First, he’d been so busy trying to ignore her and the possible match that he had not paid enough attention to her and had missed her true nature. For the man who oversaw the Mackintosh clan’s spies, that was a huge failure.
Second, Brodie had failed at doing what he did best—notice things that affected the clan’s security and preparedness for battle. He’d seen only what the lass wanted him—them—to see: a woman who had no mind of her own and did as she was told.
And last, and worst for his peace of mind, discovering that she was not a mindless, empty-headed beauty pleased him in some way he did not wish to think on or even acknowledge.
Riding out of the clearing and on to the road leading down the mountain, Brodie understood he would need to keep a closer watch on her. Why that brought a smile to his own face, he knew not. He caught up with them and placed himself at her side, edging her cousin ahead with Rob and the guards. He still needed to offer an apology for his coarse words of insult.
‘Lady Arabella,’ he said, slowing his horse’s pace so that there was some distance between them. ‘I would speak privately with you.’
When her maid glanced back across that growing space, the lady waved her off. The lass matched his horse’s gait and they rode for a short time in silence as he tried to choose his words more carefully than he had earlier. Once again, she saved him.
‘Sir...Brodie,’ she began quietly without looking at him. ‘I have been raised to carry out my duty for my family. Marrying whoever is named as the next chieftain of your family is that duty. And I will carry it out, no matter my personal feelings on the matter. I assume you will do the same?’ Her blue eyes rose until they locked with his.
‘I will carry out my duty,’ he said, nodding. Brodie could not be certain what his personal feelings were on the matter when she stared at him so, but later he would sort through it all. For now...
‘Lady Arabella, I...’ He stumbled over the words he now wanted to say. ‘I should not have said such things about you.’
‘Did you mean it? About needing cattle or horses more than me?’ she asked. Neither her tone nor her expression gave away her feelings on his words.
‘Do you wish to hear the truth?’
‘I prefer the truth. I hear so little of it.’
‘Aye, we need more cattle.’
Silence sat between them, but neither looked away.
‘Then the good thing about getting a wife is that she’ll be bringing the gold with which you can buy more cattle.’
The lass shifted in her saddle then, he could tell she was going to move away. Brodie reached out and touched her hand. She startled at the contact of their skin yet did not pull away.
‘Aye. But I still should not have said that.’
‘Aye,’ she agreed as she lifted her hand from beneath his and gathered the reins. ‘You should not have.’
Now, as she rode towards where the others were, he laughed aloud for the first time in a very long time. Arabella glanced back and nodded at him, wearing the first genuine smile he’d seen on her face.
There was more to this lass than he had thought. Mayhap marrying her, if he had to, would not be so bad at that?
Chapter Three (#ulink_a75f41bb-e732-52ca-870f-d5bf5633c495)
Malcolm approached the table, making his way through the crowd of Mackintoshes gathered for the meal. More than once, she noticed that he stopped to speak to one or another young woman. Her brother had that effect on women. Tall and handsome, he drew many an eye as he moved on towards the dais. He smiled at her as he took his place next to her.
‘So, two more days and we will be gone from this place,’ he whispered to her as his cup was filled by a very attentive and buxom serving woman.
‘Two more days and, aye, we leave,’ she said. ‘I, however, will be brought back to remain here for ever in a few short months.’ He stared at her, perusing her face and then her eyes.
‘Are you unwilling to marry here? Have you changed your mind?’ He lifted her chin and narrowed his gaze. ‘Tell me the truth.’
This was the only person with whom she could share her true feelings. They’d shared their mother’s womb and spent much of their lives together since their birth.
‘Willing or not, I will do what is expected of me. You know that,’ she whispered. ‘I just wish I knew more about the two of them. I wish I had more time. I wish...’
She stopped. Her wishes meant nothing in the negotiations or what would come after it. Her throat burned with unexpected tears and she lifted her cup and drank some of the ale to wash them down.
‘What can I do to ease your burden and your worries, sister mine?’ She knew he would help her, if he could.
‘Marry the one selected as tanist?’ she suggested. Malcolm laughed loudly at the inappropriate comment, loudly enough to draw attention. Her aunt frowned a warning, the one that meant her behaviour was unseemly.
‘Think not that I shall escape a marriage bargain like yours,’ Malcolm said. ‘If there had been a daughter, have no doubt that I would have been offered like the sacrificial lamb that you are.’ He leaned in and added, ‘And think not that I can avoid being sold to the next highest bidder.’
Someone, one of his friends, called out his name and Malcolm emptied his cup before leaving her side. At the last moment, his expression grew serious.
