Highland Seer (11 page)

“’Twas on his land yer wagons were attacked?”

“Or on ours. It depends how far beyond the pass the attack took place.”

“No’ very far or auld Fergus wouldna made it, I fear.”

“I canna tell ye how glad I am that ye came along when ye did, and that ye brought him home in time. He’s been like a father to me since I lost mine.”

“I understand. The Lathans suffered similar losses, though no’ as many as ye did here.” Jamie shifted a bit in his chair and passed his cup from his right hand to his left, then back again. “Tell me about yer neighbors. How many do ye have pressing upon ye?”

“Most persistently, MacDuff. But there are four others who border our land. I understand Iain MacIntosh sent ye here. His keep is far from our border with him, but he’s helped us a time or two, rounding up coos that have strayed his way. He isna one of my problems. Fletchers to the southwest and Robertsons to the north have made offers I have declined.”

“Do they still pursue ye?”

“Nay, no’ openly, though their offers stand. But none of them are the kind of man I and my people need.” Ellie hesitated, tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair, unsure of how much more to say. Dare she mention her interest in Donal? Or would that put Jamie off? Perhaps the situation they were in would be enough for Jamie to agree for Donal to stay until she could consolidate her strength and find a husband who suited her...without pressure from the likes of MacDuff.

“I ken ye need a champion.”

Jamie’s tone seemed sympathetic, but Ellie held her breath, nonetheless. Where was he going to go with that? Would he understand what she wanted?

“Aye, one who canna resist an opportunity to save a damsel in distress,” she offered with a quick lift of her lips. Too subtle? Or not subtle enough? A master negotiator, Jamie could continue to hold that as a bargaining chip—one that strengthened his position. Should she tell him she’d seen one in her dreams, and that she believed his clansman was the one she sought?

Running feet in the hallway distracted her. Now what?

One of the lads burst into the solar.

“Ellie, they’re back!”

“Who’s back, Taney?” Ellie rose to her feet, dreading to hear the lad’s news, but certain what it would be. Jamie, ever polite, stood when she did and turned to face the child, one eyebrow raised.

“It’s them that left here earlier today. The men ye ordered out.”

“MacDuff.” Jamie’s tone was flat.

“Aye,” Taney agreed, his excitement at carrying the news falling away to match the seriousness of the expressions on both their faces. “The MacDuff and his men. They say the pass is blocked and they canna get through.”

“Wonderful,” Ellie said. “If the pass is blocked, they may be with us till spring comes again.” Her mind skipped to the thought of housing and feeding so many men through the winter. Jamie’s eyebrow arched even higher. A slight crinkle in the corner of his mouth recalled Ellie to his situation. “Aye, ye Lathans, too. Though I’d rather see ye here than MacDuff and his men.”

“I had hoped as much,” Jamie replied drily.

Ellie rewarded his droll humor with a quirk of her lips that failed to reach her eyes, then sighed and turned back to Taney. “Go tell Sawney I’ll be down in a moment.”

The lad took off at a run.

Jamie eyed her, head tilted to the side, questioning. “What can I do?”

“Nothing, I’m afraid. The MacDuff is my problem.” She moved to the door, then turned back to where Jamie stood, watching her. “Thank ye, though, for yer offer. The day may yet come when I will need yer help to deal with him.”

“Then ye shall have it.”

Ellie nodded, satisfied, and headed downstairs.

****

Donal watched with interest as Ellie greeted her returned guests in the great hall. Jamie arrived right on her heels—a show of support? Had they been in a meeting? Or was it just a coincidence of timing?

Either way, Jamie’s appearance at Ellie’s back seemed to disturb the MacDuff. He gave her a frown, still shaking snow from his hair and shoulders. His men moved toward the fireplace as Ellie confronted him.

“The pass is blocked?”

“Aye. From the looks of it, it’ll stay that way until the weather clears.”

Ellie opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it as if she’d thought better of it. Finally she spoke. “Then ye’re welcome to yer quarters in the south tower. They’ve no’ been disturbed since ye left earlier today.”

Donal hid a grin. Ellie’s expression didn’t look welcoming to him.

The MacDuff nodded. “We’d appreciate something hot to eat. And a dram or two to warm us. It’s bitter cold out there.”

“Aye, of course,” Ellie replied, blushing. “Sit by the fire. The kitchen will have something out to ye in a moment.”

“Will ye no’ sit with us?” MacDuff asked politely enough on the surface, though Donal heard the lash of command in his tone.

“Nay, I canna,” Ellie replied, backing up. There it was again. That hint of fear that slipped out from behind the anger she kept tightly under wraps around MacDuff. Donal nearly stood to go to her, but Ellie turned and moved toward the kitchen. She left the MacDuff glaring after her. He looked irritated enough for Donal to suspect he saw her anger. Donal hoped he didn’t see the fear.

In a moment, MacDuff turned his glare on Jamie. “Ye Lathans are here for the duration as well, aye?”

“So it seems,” Jamie answered mildly. Donal kept his seat, not wanting to escalate the tension. He suspected Jamie used his low tone to work with the warmth of the fire in the hopes of calming the MacDuff down. Jamie kept his hands open at his sides and his stance easy. Finally, the MacDuff did the same, lowering the set of his shoulders. He waved toward the hearth.

“May as well get warm, then, aye? That dram can’t come too soon.”

Jamie nodded his agreement and gestured toward the nearby chairs. “Have a seat. I’ll go find the whisky.”

MacDuff turned to the fire. Donal had no doubt he was used to being waited on. Jamie had taken advantage of that to distract him.

Jamie turned toward the kitchen, catching Donal’s eye as he did. Donal rose and went to join him.

“Well done,” Donal told him quietly as they left the hall and walked down the corridor to the kitchen. “Ye played him like a Highland fiddle.”

“I merely used his expectations against him. The mark of a good negotiator...”

“Ye are that...occasionally.”

They stopped at the threshold to the kitchen. Ellie sat facing the door at a long wooden table, a bottle and several pewter cups at her elbow and a track of fresh tears bright on her cheeks. Behind her, kitchen staff scurried about and fragrant steam rose off of a kettle on the fire.

“Oh dear,” she groaned when she noticed them.

Donal nearly jumped out of his skin when Jamie’s elbow connected with his side. But he set his feet in motion and went to kneel by Ellie. “What’s amiss, lass?”

“I canna go out there.”

“’Tis yer hall, ye can go anywhere ye please,” Donal told her, mystified by her tears. He glanced around to enlist Jamie’s support. Where had he gone? Ach, he’d absconded with the bottle and cups while Donal’s attention was on the lass. And left Donal to deal with her weeping? He’d pay for this.

“Ye dinna understand,” she began. Donal shook his head.

“Nay, I dinna think I do. Tell me.”

“The MacDuff wants my land, my clan. To get them, he’ll use me...and I fear his patience is running out.”

“Ye dinna wish to marry him?”

Ellie looked at him like he had three heads, wide-eyed, mouth agape. “Nay. Never.”

“Then dinna do it. Ye’re laird here. Ye have told him nay.”

“I’ve told him nay. But how do I prevent him? I have no protection...save ye.”

A punch to the gut would have hurt less and left Donal with more breath in his body. He had not considered this aspect of her clan’s vulnerability. That another laird would take her body to gain her lands and her wealth. Honorable marriage was one thing. Forcing a woman in order to compromise her was quite another.

Ellie watched him with brimming eyes, waiting, no doubt, for him to say aye, he’d save her from MacDuff, and from any other man she didn’t want. But could he make such a promise? What would he do when she finally found a man she could accept? Would he stand by and let another man have her?

Suddenly he was right back in the solar with the sensation of her lips soft under his, his need for her barely controlled.

Then another thought occurred to him. That bastard Jamie had set this up. Donal knew he was crafty, but had never considered how crafty he could be. He’d pushed Donal toward Ellie so Donal would be taken in by her tears. So that her tears would soften him toward her and make him willing to stay by her side, to guard her from the harm that seemed to be threatening her from all sides. So that she would sign the godforsaken treaty! With a growl, Donal stood and paced past her toward the kettle in the hearth. The cook saw him coming, took one look at the expression on his face, and darted to the other side of the room as fast as her generous size would let her.

When he turned around, Ellie’s face was in her hands. Silent sobs wracked her shoulders.

Ach, look at her
.

Aye, perhaps Jamie had taken the whisky out to the MacDuff to give Ellie time to compose herself. He was always more attuned to others’ feelings than Donal would ever be.

She needed more time.

Donal gestured to the cook. “Did Ellie ask ye to feed the MacDuff and his men?”

The cook nodded.

“Call yer serving lasses and get whatever’s in that kettle out to them, then. I’ll no’ have him coming in here looking for it.”

The cook scurried to do his bidding and in moments, they were alone. When Donal turned back to Ellie, her shoulders had stilled and she had wiped the tears from her cheeks. Ah good, the storm had passed, then?

Finally she looked up at him and nodded. “Thank ye for doin’ that,” she offered. “I hadna thought, but ye had the right of it. MacDuff would send a man in here if he wasna served quickly enough.”

“He’ll no’ be doin’ that. Jamie took the whisky out to him.”

A broken chuckle escaped her. “MacKyrie whisky is potent. Jamie had best take care.”

For more reasons than the whisky, Donal thought with a grimace. Jamie and his meddling...aye, Donal would get him for this.

Ellie stood and came to him, a little smirk playing around her lips. Then she leaned into him and kissed his cheek. “That’s for ye both.”

Jamie was not the only master negotiator in the place. Ellie still tried to draw him in with her attentions. Two could play that game. His arms went around her even as the thought crossed his mind he shouldn’t be doing this. He fisted his hands in her hair and laid her head against his shoulder, struggling to comfort her, not ravish her as he strongly wanted to do. Then she sighed and melted against him, her arms going around his waist, her hands on the small of his back. His buttocks tightened with their proximity. She moved in his arms, her warmth searing him where their bodies touched. If he didn’t stand away from her...now...he was going to kiss her again.

His hands seemed to move of their own accord, tilting her face up to his. Her breath whispered across his lips. Donal lowered his mouth to hers with all the haste of a man who hurried to do what he knew he should not. But her kiss was so sweet, her body so warm and right in his arms, he couldn’t stop himself. As he deepened the kiss, Ellie opened her mouth to him, moaning into his. He pulled her even closer, as unwilling to let this moment end as he was to let it go further. Then Ellie’s hands drifted from the small of his back down the curve of his backside and he remembered he held no blushing virgin in his arms. He played with fire with a woman who knew what to do with a man. He broke off the kiss, then pulled her grip from his backside and clasped her hands together under his chin. He dipped his head to drop a kiss on her knuckles, then released her and stepped away, hoping his arousal would not be completely obvious to her.

“Ye need no’ do this, lass. I will protect ye from MacDuff. I dinna ken who’ll protect ye from me.”

“What if I dinna wish to be protected from ye?”

Donal gritted his teeth. She was hell-bent to drive him insane with need.

“Perhaps ’tis I who need protection from ye, lass.”

“What? A big strong warrior such as ye needs protection from a mere lass? Never.”

“Ye underestimate yer appeal, Ellie. Dinna try me again, or I may no’ have the will to resist ye.”

For the first time since he’d laid eyes on her this evening, she smiled.

Chapter 7

As she went about her chores the next morning, Ellie could still feel the heat of Donal’s hard body under her palms. Last night, she’d cracked the reserve he wore around him like armor, and instead of drawing back from her, he’d admitted he might not have the will to resist her much longer. Her pulse surged at the thought. And his kiss! His unique taste stayed with her. She wanted many more of his kisses, and more than that. Donal had been on the edge of going far beyond kissing her but had reasserted his iron control at the last moment.

She’d made progress getting through to him. He’d as much as told her he could not defend against her forever. Aye, he was determined to tread carefully around her, though there could be no question that he liked and wanted her. Even respected her, though she could do with a little less respect from him, and more passion. If only he would come to know her well enough to realize laird was just a title. One she wore with pride, but also with reluctance. One that did not make her better than him or out of his reach. One that he could attain with her, if only he wished to.

Nay, she had to put that out of her mind. One step at a time, Ellie. Dinna overreach or ye’ll push him away. That thought stopped her. Nay, she didn’t want to push him away. She wanted to draw him nearer. But if he resisted her advances, she’d have to be more subtle. If she could. Donal offered a temptation she would be hard pressed to resist.

She entered the kitchen in time to hear Cook muttering under her breath as she punched down a mound of bread dough.