Highland Grace (13 page)

“Aye, you’re right. But Lara was insistent
that I not explain things in a missive. She’d promised her father
that the details would never be written out nor given to anyone
outside the family.”

“When were you told of her condition?” Bao
asked.

“The morn after we consummated our
union.”

“Convenient,” Daniel said.

Callum shook his head. “Nay, do not think ill
of her. She did as she was told to do by her father. And she had no
idea that I would have stayed with her, regardless of the timing of
the confession, to keep the peace between the clans.”

“Know you who fathered the babe?” Bao
asked.

Callum sighed and combed his fingers through
his hair. “Nay, she will not tell me.” Looking from one to the
other of them, he said, “But I care not. I claim the babe as my
own, and he’ll be raised a MacGregor.”

Daniel exchanged a quick look with Bao.
“Jesslyn’s with child also. She’s a bit over four moons along.”

Callum’s brows slammed together. He shook his
head, clearly shocked. “Who on earth fathered the babe?”

“I did.”

Callum gave Bao an intent look. “Is that why
you two wed then? Because of the babe?”

“Nay, I can admit that now. But the babe did
help me to gain my purpose more quickly.”

“Come, I’ve a thirst for some ale,” Daniel
said. “Let us continue this discussion in the great hall.”

Bao and Callum nodded and the three left the
courtyard behind. With long strides they moved in the direction of
the keep.

“I still cannot believe it. You and Jesslyn,”
Callum said in wonder, shaking his head.

“Believe it,” Bao said.

* * *

“Ahh, ‘tis glad I am I found you.”

Jesslyn’s hand stilled on the handle to her
bedchamber door and she turned toward the voice. “G’day to you
Lara. Are you in need of something? I could find a servant for
you.”

“Nay, ‘tis you with whom I crave a word.”

“All right. Would you like to come
inside?”

“Nay, here will do. You have no notion of who
I am, do you?”

For reasons Jesslyn had no understanding of,
her heart started to pound. “Aye. You are Callum’s new wife.”

“There is that, aye. But you and I, we have a
much older relationship. Can you not guess?”

Thoroughly confused and growing more wary by
the moment, as Lara’s smile held venom and smug conceit, she said,
“Nay. Who are you?”

“Why, I’m your dear departed husband’s
favorite lover—you do remember Graeme kept a lover, do you not? I
suppose you just weren’t enough for him.”

Jesslyn felt dizzy. She swayed and placed her
palm on the door for balance. “That was only the one time.”

“Is that what he told you?” Lara’s head went
back when she laughed. “Nay, ‘twas
many
more times than just
the one. Our dalliance started while he was still wed to Janet, in
fact, and carried on into your own marriage for quite a time.”

Jesslyn felt faint.
Graeme had continued
the affair, even after assuring her he’d broken ties with the
woman?

Lara studied her nails. “He was quite smitten
with me, you know. He would have wed me instead of you, I’m sure,
if I had been there when he arrived back home to find his wife
dead.”

“I-I have to go.” Jesslyn scrambled blindly
for the door handle and fled inside, leaning heavily upon it for a
moment before staggering over to the bed and flinging herself face
down on the fur covering.

He’d deceived her. Betrayed her and deceived
her. What a fool she’d been all these moons, pining away for her
perfect, lost love. Had it all been a lie? Even up to the end? A
whimper escaped and she closed her throat to hold back another one.
No. She’d not believe it. Graeme had loved her, been devoted to
her. They’d shared a life together, built a family.

Laura, her words and her smug grin flashed
through her mind, followed swiftly by the image of Bao and the lass
in the wood, and all her doubts came tumbling back into place.

She covered her face with her hands. What was
wrong with her? Why did men think ‘twas all right to forget their
vows when wed to her? She was weak, she didn’t stand up for
herself, that was why.

She sat up.
If Bao ever does it to me
again, I’ll leave him.
She’d tried her best to forget the last
incident, since their union had not truly started at that point,
but now that it had—well, except for the bedding—she’d not stand by
like some pitiful fool while her husband collected lovers.

* * *

Bao was feeling a bit woozy after partaking
in two hours of drinking, so he used the curving stone wall for
support as he ascended the stairs to his bedchamber. Daniel was
decidedly a bad influence on him. He’d drunk more since he’d come
back to the holding than he had in the entire year prior to that.
Granted, he’d only had two flagons of ale, which was his normal
consumption. ‘Twas that
uisge beatha
that Daniel later
brought out that had got his head to spinning. At least he’d only
had the one portion this time.

* * *

Lara, having grown bored with her own company
these two hours since her successful encounter with Jesslyn, slowly
descended the stairs in quest of a bit of entertainment. Mayhap, if
she were lucky, she’d meet up with Bao, and she could pursue her
desire to revisit the passion she’d shared with him.

Because of her need to watch her step, Lara
accidentally bumped into someone as she went around the curve.
Barely lifting her gaze to the man, she said, “Beg pardon, sir.”
Then as recognition dawned, she smiled and said, “Good day to you,
Bao.”

‘Twas clear by his struggle to focus upon her
that he was a bit into his cups, which Lara decided might work in
her favor, since he might be resistant to performing a service
while visiting his family.

“‘Tis good seeing you again, Lara,” he
replied at last.

She did a slow scan of him with her eyes. The
man was still as carnally captivating as he was on their last
encounter a year ago. And he was enormous
everywhere
. A
thrill shot through her. But, she wondered, would he service a
pregnant woman? After the rigid performance of her wedding night,
Lara had not allowed her husband to touch her again, even tho’ he
was not badly proportioned. She supposed she was simply too angered
by the fact that she had been forced to wed him to ever enjoy
coupling with him. And her stepbrother’s awkward rutting between
her thighs had been more an act of violence on both their parts
than about pleasure—unfortunately for her, this last time had
produced a bairn as well. “‘Tis good to see you, too,” she purred.
Would
Bao give her the sensual pleasure she craved? She was
more than willing to find out. She swayed. “Oh, my!” She swept the
back of her hand up to her forehead and fell forward with as much
grace as she could manage.

His arms lunged out and caught her in a light
embrace. “Where is your bedchamber?” he asked, his gaze sharp with
concern. “I shall carry you there, if you wish.”

She nodded and bit back a smug smile. “‘Tis
just above, on the next level. The third door down.”

After lifting her into his arms, he quickly
climbed the remaining stairs and strode through the door she’d
indicated. As he placed her on the bed, he said, “I’ll summon a
maid for you.”

She grasped his hand when he began to turn
away. “Nay, stay a moment. I’m feeling less faint now and wish to
become better acquainted with you.”

She could tell he wanted to say her nay, but
evidently deciding ‘twould be rude to do so, pulled up a stool next
to the bed and sat down. “What would you like to know?” he
asked.

“How much you would charge a woman round with
child?”

* * *

It took Bao a moment to realize her meaning.
Sobering even further, he sat forward and narrowed his eyes at her.
“Pardon?” he said.

“How much would you charge to fuck me now
that I’ve a child in my belly.”

Bao’s ears started ringing. “I’m out of
commission.”

She gave him a knowing smile as she scooted
off the bed and walked over to her clothes chest. She bent and
retrieved something then turned and, when she did, Bao gasped.

“Ah, so you
do
remember me. Come now,
once more for old time’s sake?”

Bao stood up. “You!” She was wearing the mask
one of his clients always wore, for discretion. Warm damp soaked
the shirt under his tunic, quickly becoming clammy. “How?”

Her laughter trilled, scraping over Bao’s
nerve endings, as she sauntered back over to the bed and sat down.
“The first time ‘twas my sister’s doing—Edina? Edina Stewart? Her
husb—”

“I know who she is, to whom she is wed.” He
crossed his arms. Edina had been the lady he’d been with last. The
one whom he’d not been able to complete the deed with who’d been so
angered that she’d thrown him out.

“Well, she is the one who purchased you for
me that first time five years ago. ‘Twas after my lover married and
refused to continue our affair. Edina had heard that you could give
satisfaction to even the most notoriously unresponsive of the
ladies at the royal court and, until that first time with you, I
had had that same problem, even with my lover.”

“I’ll not do it.”

“But I’ve an entire casket of jewels from
which you may choose! Do you not want to add to your coffers?”

“Nay,” he said, his voice harsh now, “I’ve
plenty already. And I’ll never fuck the wife of my cousin.”

“How about just the thing you do with your
mouth, then?” She lifted her skirts and spread her legs wide and
all Bao wanted to do was bolt. He got to his feet and threw her
skirts back over her legs. “Nay.”

Did she know of her stepbrother’s vile plot
to take Branwenn from him and make her his slave mistress? “My
sister knows naught of this, so do not tell her.”

She inched the skirts back up a bit, showing
off her bare legs and Bao gritted his teeth. “That little innocent?
Nay, I’ll not say a word.”

“And your stepbrother? Where is he?”

“Giric? Oh, he’s still in Perth I assume,
why?”

“’Tis a privy matter between him and me.”
Mayhap she didn’t know that side of things. Praise be. “I think it
time for you to get a bit of rest.” He turned and stormed toward
the door. He was halfway through it before he swung back around,
saying, “Don’t try this ploy on me again. I’m wed. Happily so.” And
then he left, shutting the door with a loud
snick
.

* * *

Bao leaned against the wall outside his
cousin’s bedchamber door with his eyes squeezed tightly shut.
Breathing hard, his brow damp with sweat, he relived the past
moments, horror, shame and dread commingling in his chest to form a
painful vise. He pushed himself away from the wall. Taking the
stairs two at a time down to the lower level, he continued on, not
stopping until he’d made it through the arched entrance of the
lower bailey. He needed the demands of physical exertion to tamp
down his demons.

* * *

Laird Donald arrived the next morn, and on
his heels, Lady MacGregor, Callum’s mother and Lady Maclean’s
daughter.

The preparations for the
Hogmanay
feast were at their peak. Maryn, who was still obliged to stay
abed, was supervising the activities from her bedchamber, with the
help of Branwenn, who was the youngest and most agile of the ladies
and, therefore, able to make numerous trips up and down the stairs
to receive Maryn’s instructions.

Lady Maclean and her daughter were busy
overseeing the household staff as the entire keep was cleaned. The
floors were cleared of their rush mats, swept, and replaced with
new ones, the hearths were cleared of ashes, silver was polished,
tapestries were shaken of their dust and rehung on the walls. Casks
of ale were being brought from the tower cellar and the kitchens
were filled with cook staff bustling about preparing the many
courses for the feast.

Jesslyn and Lara were called upon to have
branches of the rowan tree placed above doorways for luck and to
see that the wine, made from its fermented berries, was ready for
the celebration. They also made certain that mistletoe, to prevent
illness; holly, to keep out mischievous faeries; and hazel, for
protection, were all placed in each chamber.

The scent of juniper enveloped the hall. It
was being burned throughout the keep as the cleaning and
preparations were made, to clear out any evil spirits that may have
moved in during the past year. The doors and windows would be flung
wide to air the chambers out before the feasting began.

The men had been sent out to the upper bailey
to build the pyre for the bonfire later that night.

“Do you mind if I step out for a while?” Lara
asked Jesslyn. “I feel a bit ill from the biting smell in
here.”

Jesslyn, who’d been swallowing her dislike
and anger for the sake of keeping the peace, lifted her eyes from
her task and, noticing Lara’s pallid complexion, replied, “Nay, do
as you must. We’ve almost finished with the preparations
anyway.”

* * *

Lara walked out of the keep toward the upper
bailey. Ever since Bao had left her chamber the day before, she’d
been dwelling on the conversation they’d had, and his parting words
to her. He’d said he was happily wed and it hadn’t taken her long
to find out to whom. The fates were surely smiling on her. How
wonderful to rub salt in Jesslyn’s wound, to say that she’d had
both
husbands rutting for her! Especially after Graeme had
crushed her pride, first by wedding Jesslyn and then by sending her
a letter attempting to curtail their affair.

Lara laughed. Of course, once she’d arrived
back there, he’d soon forgotten his decision. ‘Twas near a year
later that he’d broken their arrangement in truth—all for that
lady
Jesslyn.