Bride of the Solway (35 page)

Ross lay on top of her, kissing her mouth and stroking one breast through the layers of fine cloth. Cassie could feel her nipple peaking against his fingers. It was as if there was no barrier between her skin and his.

He readied himself, but hesitated.

Cassie could not wait. She bucked against him and he slid fully into her warmth with a long moan of desire and satisfaction. He had barely begun to move within her when her spasms started. 'Ross!' she cried. 'Oh, my love!' She clung to him as she
spiralled
higher. Her final cry of ecstasy contained no words. It was as old as woman herself.

It took Cassie a long time to come back to earth. When she did so, she saw that Ross was lying naked beside her, absently stroking her inner thigh with one finger. He was smiling into her eyes, a deep contented smile.

His wandering finger nudged against the bulge in her stocking. 'What, pray, madam wife, is this?' His dreamy smile had disappeared. For a moment, he looked startled.

Cassie's eyes widened. Heavens! She had completely forgotten. She might have injured Ross with that knife.

Slowly and deliberately, he extracted it from under her stocking and unwrapped it. He tested the edge with a finger. 'Ouch! That's sharp.' He glanced at Cassie's face, then back at the knife for a second, and then gazed at her face once more. Suddenly, he was grinning wickedly at her. 'Were you planning to cut off my manhood if I failed to satisfy you, Cassie?'

'No. Of course not.' She closed her eyes, thinking quickly. Was there any way of avoiding the truth? 'You know very well that you satisfy me in...er...every way.'

'I'm glad to hear it.' His grin had turned into a rather self-satisfied smirk. 'So why is it here, Cassie?'

Oh dear. There was no way out. 'I.. .I.. .I could not have let him touch me, Ross. I belong to you. Only you. If you had not rescued me, I was going to use it on Robert Munro.'

'But that would have been
mur
—'

'And afterwards on myself.'

'Oh, God. Cassie!' He hurled the little knife to the floor and pulled her into a fierce embrace. 'Cassie!' His strong, proud body was trembling against hers. Probably thinking how close they had come to losing each other for ever.

She held him tight against her until his trembling stopped. It would have been better if he had not known at all, but... At least he could now be in no doubt of just how much she would have sacrificed for him, and just how much she loved him.

She touched a hand to his chest and allowed her fingernail to graze his nipple. He groaned. She smiled towards the ceiling. Very satisfactory.

'Cassie, I have said before that you are a witch. Your very touch makes my whole body burn with desire. I love you, wife of mine.' His voice sank even lower. 'I love you to the depths of my soul.'

Cassie's breath caught and her heart began to race. Had he really said he loved her? Had she imagined the words? She had so longed to hear them.

He was starting to stroke her hair once more, and letting her curls wind themselves around his fingers. Ah, my love, my darling wife, I think I have wanted to do this since the first time I set eyes on you, with your mane of wet and tangled hair hanging down your back and Lucifer's reins wrapped tight around your hand.'

A great calm surrounded Cassie, like a velvet cloak, soft and rich, settling on her skin. It was true. He did love her. It made everything complete at last. She lay completely still, not daring to move lest she break the spell of his
mesmerising
touch. His loving touch.

He dropped a kiss on her lips. It surprised her. It was not a kiss of passion, but of love and commitment. As if to seal their bargain. Their love. '
Mmm
. You taste divine, Cassie. Exactly as a wife should taste. Nectar and rose petals.'

She sighed deeply and relaxed into the soft mattress. She had nothing more to wish for. She would like to stay here for ever, sharing this intimate feeling of
fulfilment
alongside the man to whom she had given her heart. And who had given her his.

At last, very gently, Ross pushed down Cassie's skirts. Dropping a

final kiss on her brow, he said, 'I should like to lie here for ever, Cassie, my love, but it may not be. Beyond that door, they are waiting for us.'

Cassie gasped. In the heat of passion, she had forgotten the others. What had they heard through the panel?

Ross leaned back in the wing chair in their private
parlour
in the Graham Arms at
Longtown
. Its name no longer intrigued him; he had discovered more than he needed to know about the history of his appalling family. He intended to forget them, if he could. And he would never use his father's name. Never. That was certain.

He smiled across at Cassie. 'We'll be off as soon as Fraser arrives. It is a long way to London, I'm afraid, and liable to be very uncomfortable for you, even in a post-chaise.'

'I'm sure it cannot be more uncomfortable than my journeys to school in Edinburgh,' Cassie replied equably. 'My father insisted I attended the best possible seminary—he would not allow any child that carried his name to associate with the lower classes—but he did not see a need to pay a
groat
more than necessary to get me there.'

'Well, this time, we shall travel in as much comfort as I can contrive. You understand, I hope, my love—' he attempted a leer, but she only laughed '—that post-chaises are not made to accommodate three persons. Morag will have to travel separately. You are going to travel with me.' He grinned. 'Alone.'

She beamed at him. 'There will be post-boys, however, will there not?'

'Sadly, yes. But if they dare to look round to gaze on their betters, they will lose all chance of seeing my extra guineas. And so I shall tell them.' Cassie was blushing again, just a little. Delightful. He dropped a kiss on the end of her pink nose.

'Ross! What if someone should come in?'

He shrugged. 'You are my wife. Or rather—' He looked suddenly very serious. 'Cassie, you told me, at Springfield, that you wanted to be married in church. And I promised that you would be. I intend to keep my promise.'

She smiled up at him. 'Thank you. A church wedding would make everything... feel right. Everything was so quick, at Springfield, and—' She stopped dead, blushing fierily. Everything had indeed been quick. And she had been the one responsible.

Ross patted her hand. 'When we reach London, I will arrange for a special
licence
so that we can be married at once. Would St George's, Hanover Square, suit you, ma'am?'

'I don't know. I have never been to London. I'm sure that any church you choose would be splendid.'

'Good. That's settled. One thing more, Cassie.' He took her hand. 'Until we are properly wed, in church, we will sleep apart.'

'No!'

'Yes, Cassie. As you yourself said, we need a church wedding to make us feel truly married. What happened.. .er.. .at Springfield... It was necessary then, but it will not be repeated. Not until we have been joined in church.'

Cassie did not like the sound of that at all. Yes, she wanted their union to be blessed by the church. But they were married. And married couples should share a bed. She did not want to sleep alone. 'Ross, I—' she began tentatively but, before she could start to argue, the door opened.

It was Fraser, looking remarkably grimy from his long ride. He grinned at them. 'Afternoon, ma'am. Sir.' He put his whip on the table and began to strip off his gloves. 'I've brought Lucifer for ye, ma'am,' he said with quiet satisfaction.

Cassie jumped to her feet. She almost wanted to kiss him. Instead, she seized his hands and danced round the room with him.

'Miss Cassie!
Mrs
Graham, ma'am! Stop!'

Cassie did not stop until she was almost out of breath. Then Ross caught her round the waist and pulled her to a seat beside him.

Fraser stood in the middle of the floor, straightening his
slock
and trying not to look flustered.

'Did you have any difficulty in bringing Lucifer away?'

'No, sir. None.
Langrigg
is all at sixes and sevens. No one appears to be in charge.' ;

'My brother—?'

'Your brother, ma'am...well, he...'
'
'He is not
dead?'Cassie
had gone pale.

Fraser hastened to reassure her. 'No, ma'am. Not dead. He.. .he rushed back to
Langrigg
, right after you left Annan. They say he went to get the money from his strongbox and to make off with it. It was five thousand pounds and more, so they said.'

Cassie and Ross exchanged glances.

'But he was not quick enough.
Mr
Munro was furious that he had not got himself a bride in return for all that money. He insisted that the gentlemen should go straight back to
Langrigg
with him and demand the return of his cash. When they arrived there, your brother was still in the house. As soon as he heard their horses, he barricaded the door against them. He was at the window with his pistols.'

'Did he fire on them?'

'No, sir. He.. .he seemed to have some kind of seizure, they said. One minute he was ready to shoot them, the next he was screaming like an injured animal, according to one of the
manservants
. And he appeared to
recognise
no one, not even his own henchmen. When the steward saw how the land lay, he opened the door and let the gentlemen in.
Mr
Munro just took his money and left. It was Colonel Anstruther who took charge of the household. He...he had your brother restrained. And then the doctor said he had to be taken to the Bedlam. For his own safety. I'm sorry, ma'am.'

Cassie took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second. 'God have mercy on him. But it may be for the best,' she whispered at last. 'I had begun to wonder, some months ago, if James might be going slowly mad. His tempers were becoming ever more violent. As were his threats, to me. and to others. And the risks he was taking... I shall write to Colonel

Anstruther and ask him to ensure that James is well cared for. Then I—' She stopped and looked up at Ross. 'Forgive me. I should have consulted you first. Do you think that—?'

'I think that you are doing exactly right, my love,' Ross said gently. 'He may be a wicked man, but if he is stark mad—and I can well believe it, given some of the things I have seen and heard about him—he needs to be restrained, and to be cared for. Do you write to Colonel Anstruther as you suggest. I will ensure that there is money enough at
Langrigg
to pay for your brother's care.'

'Thank you,' she said quietly. 'After what he tried to do to you, that is more than generous.'

'I do it for you, my love, and for your peace of mind. Not for him.'

Two post-chaises, each with four horses, stood in
Longtown
High Street outside the Graham Arms. The three riding horses were tied on behind the second of them.

Cassie gazed thoughtfully down at the scene from the
parlour
window. Her husband was certainly sparing no expense to ensure that their trip to London was as speedy and comfortable as possible. But the horses... ? Surely that was strange?

Fraser came back at that moment to fetch the last of their travelling valises. He was to collect the rest of Ross's baggage in Carlisle.

'Are you not riding, Fraser? I thought my husband—' she stumbled a little over the unfamiliar word '—I thought the captain had said that you were bringing the horses to London by easy stages?'

Fraser could not quite meet her eye. 'Er...Morag...she...um...she suggested that we might share the chaise for a stage or two, ma'am. Just to be companionable, like. '
Tis
only as far as
Penrith
, ma'am. I'll be bringing the horses on from there.'

'Oh. I see.' Cassie had to bite her lip to stop herself from grinning with delight. Goodness, what a surprise! Fraser and Morag?

She was almost certain Fraser was blushing as he hurried out of the room. The moment the door closed, Cassie began to dance round the furniture, humming a reel. Fraser and Morag! Nothing could be more wonderful.

A moment later, her husband caught her round the waist and lifted her into his arms.