Stealing the Bride (12 page)

The midwife reached out and cupped one of her breasts and then the other before she gave another nod of her head.

“The lass is fine and healthy. The sheets prove her innocence and I’ll swear to that if asked.”

Elspeth hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath. Relief flooded her and she couldn’t help but look at the two maids to make sure they had heard the midwife. They both smiled and went to collect her clothing from where it was scattered about the chamber. Sara offered Hayden a quick curtsey before she left the room.

“I’ve never seen such a shoe.”

It was barely a whisper from one of the maids as she held up one of the heeled shoes. Her companion shook out the chemise and stared at the wispy garment in silence as well.

“Daracha Dalry told me they were French.”

The older of the two maids raised wide eyes toward her. “Ye’ve been up to the Dalry fortress? Well, I’ve heard a few tales of the things that go on there.”

She pressed her lips together in a tight line and snapped her fingers at the other girl.

“Pherson Dalry took her with intention to ransom her but she slipped away from him.”

The older maid froze. “Well, ye be right lucky to have escaped. There are stories about that man, ones that will fill yer sleep with haunted dreams.” She picked up the green silk corset and had to swallow roughly. “I see that some of them are true.” She ran her fingers along the silk before recalling what she was doing and placing it around Elspeth.

Elspeth fought the urge to giggle. The garments themselves were nothing more than clothing, but the way that people reacted to them was very interesting indeed.

Especially the way Hayden had responded.

Between the two women, Elspeth was dressed quickly. Hayden finished first though, and was just finishing tying his boots when she turned to see what he was about. She suddenly felt shy, unsure how to face the daylight now that everyone knew they had shared the bed as lovers.

“Come, Elspeth, I’ll not rest easy again until we are on my own land.”

“But aren’t ye taking me back to my brother?”

He frowned at her. “Yer home is no longer there.”

“Ye do not even plan to allow me to say farewell?” She wasn’t sure why it mattered, but it did. Tears stung her eyes before she found a way to control the emotions churning inside her. Hayden snorted.

“That is nae fare of ye, Elspeth.”

“What …” she sniffled, “what do ye mean?” It shamed her but she could not banish the emotional tempest.

He shook his head and pulled her into his arms. “Crying. Ye have never shown me tears and I cannot stomach them.”

She pushed against his embrace, wiggling free but only because he allowed her to escape. That bit of knowledge only made more tears flood her eyes. She was completely helpless now and dependent on him. She felt off balance, as though she were going to fall off a cliff any second. Everything she knew was gone, and what she felt for Hayden was so new that trusting it felt foreign.

“I am not crying.”

She turned her back on him and wiped her eyes. Her fingers came away wet, confirming that she was a liar.

Hayden growled behind her. He wrapped his arms around her once again, his back solid and firm pressed against her.

“Fine, ye are nay crying and I will take ye home to bid farewell to yer kin. But we will nae be staying long, Elspeth. Pherson is not the only man in Scotland who makes his living by stealing it from others. I need ye back at Rams Court to rest easy and secure in the thought that ye are well protected.”

He pressed a kiss on her head before releasing her and stomping toward the door. He stopped and turned to look at her.

“We’ll get married there, in yer family church. That will be a good use of the trip.”

The door shut behind him and tears flowed down her cheeks. Elspeth Leask found herself sobbing like a child and the worst part of it all was that she had no idea why.

Hayden rode next to Skene.

“How do I talk to her?”

Skene shrugged. “I don’t know why ye’d be asking me that.”

Hayden snorted. His captain let out a short laugh. “Well, since ye pointed it out, I do have a way with the lasses. But I’m not a bragging man.”

“Ye’ve been in the stocks too many times to count and all on account of the women chasing you.”

Hayden felt his frustration growing. His captain smirked, beaming under the praise.

“So tell me how to soothe her.”

Skene aimed a look to where Elspeth was riding back far enough to keep her safe should anyone challenge them.

“She looks right content, Laird.”

“She wept this morning.” And it was eating a hole in him hours later. Hayden had spent most of the day trying to think of the reason behind the tears that had suddenly filled her eyes. “She enjoyed herself last night, so why did she cry?”

Skene chuckled, low and deep.

Hayden wasn’t interested in being teased over taking Elspeth to his bed. “Ye know full well what we were doing so stop yer smirking and tell me how to soothe her.”

Skene sobered, his eyes taking on a serious cast. “Ah well, yer a good man to see that one has nothing to do with the other.” He lifted a single finger into the air. “There’s the difference between me and most of these men. The lasses, they need something more than the tickle between the sheets. Not that I’m saying that is nae important, mind ye.”

Hayden ground his teeth together but his captain wasn’t impressed. Skene pointed at him.

“And there is the root of the matter that makes the lasses flock to me. Patience, Laird, ye need to do things with a gentle hand. The lasses, they tend to get a wee bit shaken if ye just drop things on them without giving them time to adjust. For all that this world tells us men that we run it, that does nae mean that the lasses like being considered property. Ye need to tell her that she rules yer heart.”

Tell her?

All right, he hadn’t done that, at least not in words. Hayden considered his bride and chewed on his thoughts. She’d known what his coming to Leask land was about, but now that Skene’s words were floating around in his mind, he could see how she might be fretting over what her place was in his life. The church would tell her she was his wife, his chattel, his property, but a vision of her sitting so proudly on her brother’s stallion rose up from his memory. The ideas were in conflict with the proud woman he’d first met. It was that woman who drew his attention, so it stood to reason that she would not be pleased to hear him announce his plans without asking her first.

“Thank ye, Captain. I shall try not to be such an ass tonight.”

Skene reached for the corner of his bonnet and gave it a tug but the man returned to smirking too.

They didn’t reach the Leask tower until sunset. The horses had been run for two days straight, making it necessary to allow them to walk. Elspeth had never believed that a day could drag on so endlessly. Someone began ringing one of the bells that hung in one of the lookout windows. Another one answered quickly and then a third. Villagers poked their heads around open doors and through windows to see who was arriving. Excited voices began to raise above the horses’ hooves.

Dunmore appeared on the lookout balcony. There were scores of men camping around the tower. Elspeth suddenly realized why her brother hadn’t come after her; he had been calling in all her clansmen first. She shivered, realizing how much blood might have flowed. Pherson’s castle would have been impossible for a land force to take, but she doubted that her kin would have returned home.

“Mistress Elspeth! Mistress Elspeth!”

One woman ran from her home, her voice rising above the others. Her husband followed her, their daughter sitting high on her father’s shoulders. The others made way for them and Elspeth pulled up on the reins of her horse.

“Thank ye, ma’am, I can nae thank ye enough for saving my daughter.” The man’s eyes shone with gratitude and he shifted his attention to Hayden when he rode up beside her. “Laird Monroe, I owe ye too large a debt to ever pay.”

“Seeing ye together is payment enough.” Hayden reached down and gently cuffed the child on the side of her face. She laughed with the carefreeness of a child.

“May ye be blessed with many children.”

Elspeth had to move forward because of the number of men trying to reach the tower. Her horse wanted to seek out its feed too and began to move along with the others. Elspeth didn’t think she had ever been so happy to see the courtyard. Dirt or not, it was home.

A pair of hands cupped her waist and she looked down to find Hayden lifting her from the saddle. He had barely placed her feet on the ground when Dunmore swept her up into a hug. He clasped her so tightly she feared her ribs might crack.

“Good God, man, I never thought ye’d bring her back so quickly.”

Her brother set her aside and offered Hayden his hand. Elspeth felt the women gathering around her and pulling her toward the tower.

It was much easier to do as they liked, and following them she soon found herself being bathed while they tried not to whisper about the undergarments beneath her wool clothing.

The sun set completely, leaving her seeking out a fire to dry her wet hair. Elspeth sat down in front of the small fireplace in her chamber and began brushing her hair. Wearing only a clean chemise and loose surcoat, she drew her comb through her hair, lifting it up so that the heat might hit it.

“Ye are beautiful, Elspeth.”

Hayden wore a small smile that looked very genuine. He cast his gaze around the chamber and frowned. “But that bed is too small.”

“It has served me very well.”

Hayden offered her a smile that was no longer appreciative but one that looked hungry.

“We will not fit in it.” He scooped her up and cradled her once more in his arms. “Besides, I have something else to show ye.”

He carried her out of the chamber without hesitating even for a moment. She found herself battling tears again, but angrily pushed the impulse aside. It was only a chamber, one that it was coming time to leave. But there was still a tiny part of her that felt the parting keenly. She understood why Lot’s wife had turned around in spite of being warned not to look back. She was tempted to cast a longing glance back at the chamber she had spent so many years in.

“I know it is a day late, but I hope ye shall enjoy it.”

The chamber Hayden carried her to was sweetly scented with heather. Candles flickered inside it, but not common candles. These were expensive beeswax ones that normally only burned in the church.

Or in wedding chambers.

Elspeth gasped because the chamber was indeed set with all the finery she would have expected to find the night of her wedding. The bedding was turned down and fresh rosemary scattered across it. Heather was lying on the table, and there was even a garland of spring greenery hung from the pole where the bed curtains were attached. It must have taken quite an effort to dress the chamber when there had been so little sunlight left when they arrived. Hayden hadn’t had to do it. That idea sent two tears down her cheeks. It was tender and kind beyond anything she had dared to expect. A true sign of affection even if he had not voiced any words. She tried to stifle a sniffle but failed.

Hayden snorted.

“I meant to soothe away yer tears, not induce more.”

Frustration edged each word and she cupped his face to keep him from looking away from her.

“Sometimes women cry because they are happy.”

He cursed and put her down and aimed a hard look at her.

“The chamber is beautiful, thank you.” Elspeth wiped the two tears away and smiled at him.

He crossed his arms over his chest, still not content. Suspicion clouded his face.

“You weren’t crying this morning from happiness.”

Elspeth propped her hands onto her hips. “Well, ye certainly don’t need to yell at me, Hayden Monroe. I know I wasn’t crying from joy this morning but I was tonight. And I thanked ye for the kindness, so can we not be content?”

He snorted but looked at her with eyes that were full of a need to understand her. He drew in a deep breath.

“I did nae mean to hurt yer feelings this morning.”

“You didn’t.”

“Then why did ye cry, woman?” He was back to demanding, which made her smile because this was the part of him she was drawn to. He was a man who was used to being obeyed; there was nothing courtly about him. Plain spoken words were his preferred style. Hayden growled when her lips curved up. He pointed a finger at her but a naughty little idea blossomed inside her mind before he figured out what he wanted to say.

“Are ye going to tell me I need a spanking again, Hayden Monroe? Well, I believe we are in the correct setting.” Loosening the tie that held her robe closed, she shrugged out of the garment. Only her chemise remained. And she propped her hands on her hips while glaring at Hayden. “Well then. I’ve little tolerance for a man who cannot follow through with what he says he’ll do.”

She was pushing him. Something drove her to challenge the man. It wasn’t the wisest thing she had ever done; in fact it might be one of the most insane, for he looked frustrated enough to take the chance to work out his ire on her soft bottom. But it was better than returning to the churning confusion that had seen her eyes flooding with tears. How could she explain it when she did not understand it herself?

So she stuck her chin out and challenged him, hoping they would end up between the rosemary-strewn sheets.

One dark eyebrow rose in rakish question. “Is that a fact, lass? No tolerance at all?” He pulled his belt loose and her breath froze in her throat, but he gathered up his kilt and draped it, along with his belt, over a chair.

“Ye don’t need to disrobe in order to spank me.” But now that the belt was set aside, her mind offered up an image of his bare hand connecting with her bottom. He was already missing his boots, so the only garment left was his shirt, and his cock was standing hard and ready. She could see its shadow cast by the flicker of the candle set on the table.

“Ah, but I do, Elspeth, because there is more than one sort of spanking that a man does with his wife.” He rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with mischief.