Kilts and Kisses (7 page)

“I wasnae following ye—well, I was, but I was coming to warn ye as your friend.”

“Warn me? About what?”

“Your father.
A bheil fhios agad
?”
Do you know?
“He’s found ye a bride.”

Luthais stopped his mount, and suddenly everything around him became very still. He could hear his own blood pumping in his ears. “
Chan eil mi a ’tuigsinn.
”
I don’t understand.

“I wouldnae be too upset if I were ye, especially since it seems ye already favor the lass.”

Luthais rubbed his hand over his brow. “What the hell did he do?”

“Your father sent a messenger to Laird Gunn this morn. He offered your hand in marriage to the Gunn’s daughter and an alliance with the clan.”

A
s soon as the stable hand took their mounts, Ceana pulled Samuel through the bustling courtyard. Having him open his mouth to her uncle, her aunt, her cousin, or even her sister would not bode well for her, especially after lecturing Anna about Samuel and their secret trysts. Frankly, she’d never hear the end of it.

“Nae a single word. Do ye understand?”

“What were ye doing with that MacKay man? And what was he doing on our lands?”

She stopped before the entrance to the great hall. “That is nay concern of yours, but if ye must know, I was the one who trespassed on his lands.” Welcoming Samuel’s confusion, Ceana took a moment to catch her breath.

“But why?”

That was indeed the question. “I needed a respite from my cousin and my aunt.”

He chuckled. “Ye donna need to tell me twice. I’m nae sure how ye and Anna manage to put up with the lot of them. They’d drive me mad. But that doesnae explain why ye entered MacKay territory without an escort. That could’ve been verra dangerous, a lass alone.”

“I traveled to the standing stones.”

Samuel’s eyes lit up as if he held a secret. “Ah, I understand now what ye were doing. Ye were seeking a husband. Anna and I have talked about
na tursachan
many times
.
Ye know the tales. Your sister has asked me to take her before, but I’m nae foolish enough to travel onto the MacKay’s lands.”

Ceana squeezed her fingers over the bridge of her nose. “I was hoping to hear ye say that ye arenae foolish enough to believe the tales, but the fact that ye and my sister are even thinking about marriage frightens me. I’m letting ye court my sister. Give me your word that ye will nae tell anyone what ye saw, especially Anna.” Ceana shifted from foot to foot. “What did ye see anyway?”

His eyes grew amused. “I didnae witness ye lock lips with the MacKay man, if that’s what ye’re asking.” When he winked at her, she slapped him playfully on the arm.

“Samuel...”

“Ye can trust me.”

She hoped that was true. Needing to change the subject, she displayed an ease that she didn’t necessarily feel. After all, she wasn’t overjoyed to be speaking about such a private matter with Samuel. “Do ye know what my uncle wanted?”

“He asked to see ye and Anna after a messenger arrived this morn.”

A deep voice spoke from behind her. “Is my brother troubling ye?”

She whipped her head around to find Raonull standing there with observant eyes and his hands placed on his lean hips. This was just what she needed—the loosest tongue and the biggest rogue of the castle involved in her private matters.

He was tall, rawboned, and beardless, with an ingenuously appealing face. His hair was the color of field oats, and his skin was pulled taut over the elegant ridge of his cheekbones. She could almost see why women flaunted themselves at him in a discomfiting way. Almost. The way he stood there told everyone that he knew he was handsome, and that irked her even more. No one should be that beautiful. Thankfully, she and Anna were not among the many foolish women who had shared Raonull’s bed. Although the rogue was indeed a rougher version of Samuel, he lacked Samuel’s kindness and compassion.

“Your brother hasnae been troubling me at all.”

“Mmm...I’ll take certain precautions and make sure that he doesnae.” Raonull slapped his hand on Samuel’s shoulder. “Come along, Brother.”

When the men walked away, Ceana released the breath that she didn’t know she held. If she could start the day over, she would, especially its beginning with Luthais at the loch. She brought her fingers to her lips, smiling because she knew she’d always remember her first kiss. A part of her was glad the moment was with Luthais, even though he was a MacKay. He’d made her feel special, something she didn’t experience often enough. She turned as Anna was coming out of the great hall.

“Anna!”

“Where have ye been? Uncle John has been looking for ye because he wants to meet with us. I donna think my nerves can handle whatever ‘tis he wants to speak with us about. He ne’er wants to talk with us privately behind the closed doors of his study. Do ye think this has something to do with our mother and father? Mayhap they finally found the vagrants who left them for dead on the—”

“Anna, it’s been two years. Uncle John couldnae find the men responsible then, and I doubt he’s found them now.”

They walked into the great hall and stopped dead in their tracks. Three wooden basins were placed in a line on the hearth as Aunt Marta blindfolded Sorcha.

“What are they doing now?” asked Ceana.

“I’ve seen Aunt Marta do this before,” whispered Anna. “One of the bowls is filled with clean water from the well, another with muddy water from the stream, and the last one is empty.” Aunt Marta handed Sorcha a stick, and Sorcha pointed to one of the basins. “After each time Sorcha chooses, Aunt Marta will change the position of the bowls. Sorcha has to choose the same one twice before she can stop.”

“And what is that supposed to do or tell, or should I even ask?”

“Aunt Marta told me that if Sorcha chooses the basin with the pure water, she’ll have an honorable marriage. The choice with the muddy water means marriage in dishonor. And if she chooses the one with no water, she’ll ne’er be wed. Should we stay and find out Sorcha’s fate?”

Ceana grabbed her sister by the arm. “Come. If Sorcha thinks basins will tell her the future, so be it. But neither ye nor I should be witness to this madness any longer. Let’s find out what Uncle John wanted to speak with us about.”

“W
hat the hell have ye done?” Luthais ran his fingers through his hair as he paced in front of his father, who sat behind the wooden desk in his study. “I told ye that I met Laird Gunn’s daughter. I told ye that I wanted more time. God’s teeth! I wanted to see if she’d be suitable as my wife. I wanted to woo her, and ye didnae even give me the chance.”

His father chuckled. “Woo her? There’s plenty of time for that later...after ye’re wed.”

“Lest ye forget, that choice was to be my own!”

“Luthais, I told ye that I was proud to see ye considering this matter with the importance ye should, but ye know making an alliance with the Gunns would be in the best interest of the clan, and sooner rather than later. The more I thought about your words, the clearer they became. Your marriage would bring with it powerful allies. The MacKays and Gunns would be a force to be reckoned with. I couldnae let ye foul up our...er, your future.” He sat down and rested his arm on the desk.

“And there lies the truth to it all, Father.”

“I understand ye may be cross at me for—”

“Cross doesnae even begin to describe how I feel. Ye want me to make decisions for the clan, but how can I do that when ye make them for me at every turn?”

His father stiffened in the chair. “Ye are my son. Ye will learn there are things in life that ye must do even when ye donna want to do them. I must travel to Edinburgh every year, and ye know that isnae something I favor.”

“Ye go to Edinburgh because the king orders all the Highland lairds to attend court. I take my vows seriously, Father. Once I say them, there will be nay turning back. The choice was to be mine. The last I needed was my sire forcing me to the altar and choosing my bride. I am a man. Ye need to stop interfering in my life and worry about your own.”

His father’s mouth twitched with amusement. “And the last time I didnae interfere I believe there was a sheep and rope involved.”

Luthais rose to his feet in exasperation. “Is that all ye see? I will nae apologize for thinking that other issues have greater importance than sheep stealing and tupping. I want to know what ye said in the missive.”

“I merely told Laird Gunn that if his daughter hasnae chosen a suitor, my son wishes to be among them for consideration. And of course I mentioned that if ye took her to wife, the MacKays and Gunns would become powerful allies.”

Luthais couldn’t help himself when a growl escaped him. “So ye sealed my fate by a missive. Did ye ever think this would’ve been better had I approached Laird Gunn himself when I was ready and asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage?” When his father didn’t respond, Luthais spoke for him. “Of course nae.”

“While we wait for Laird Gunn’s response, why donna ye spend your time wooing the lass? That is what ye wanted, eh?”

“Donna make light of what ye did. I disagree with everything about this.”

His father rose and walked around the desk. “Aye, but ye will do what is expected of ye. Ye are a MacKay. I’d be proud for ye to take my place one day as laird.”

“And one day I promise ye that I will. But when will ye realize that we are two different men? We will nae see things the same way, and to think that we could is foolish. Ye are my father, but if ye do anything like that again, I swear that ye may nae live to see the morrow.”

Luthais walked to the stables, placing as much distance between himself and his sire as he possibly could. He loved his father, he truly did, but sometimes he felt like throttling the man. He supposed the feeling was mutual between any father and son. He opened the wooden door to the stables, and the smell of hay engulfed his senses.

“Would ye like me to saddle your mount?” asked one of the stable hands.

“I’m only going to brush him. Thank ye.”

Luthais picked up a brush from the bucket on the ground and opened the door to his mount’s stall. He swept the brush down the horse’s flank while pondering over Mistress Gunn. The kiss with her had stirred something within him that he hadn’t felt for a very long time. He wasn’t sure what, but he liked talking with her, and he certainly enjoyed touching her. He couldn’t help but wonder what she’d say when she found out she might be his wife.

L
aird John Gunn gazed at his two nieces sitting across from him in his study. The younger one moved restlessly in her chair with her fingers tensed on her lap, and the older one was studying him intently. The two lasses were barely women and nothing but a necessary thorn in his side. Sorcha had never cared for the girls, and Marta only tolerated them out of respect for his brother.

He realized now that he should’ve given much more thought to his nieces’ existence before he’d taken care of the other pain-in-his-arse and his busybody wife two years ago. But his brother had rarely traveled with the girls. Any scheme would’ve been difficult to execute on Gunn lands. But now he had to deal with the scraps that remained of his brother’s legacy.

“I wanted to meet with ye both to discuss your future. As ye know, Sorcha has had many suitors, and I am trying to arrange a marriage for her. After my daughter is settled with her new husband, I will be making marriages for the both of ye as well.”

Anna paled, and Ceana sat forward, placing her hand on the desk. “Uncle John, Anna is but fifteen years old. I donna think we need to rush into—”

His eyes narrowed. “Who do ye think ye are to question my decisions? I am your uncle and your laird. Ye will show me respect.” Responding to the tone of his voice, his niece wisely removed her hand from the desk and sat back in the chair. He remembered his brother’s wife acting much the same... And then he thought back on how he’d ended her life.