Highland Grace (26 page)

Alleck’s lower lip extended in a pout and his
brows slammed together. “Why must we live at the cottage again? I
like it here!”

It didn’t escape Branwenn’s notice that her
brother looked uncomfortable with the subject as he answered, “Your
mother has decided that she prefers it there, and we men must make
sure that she is as comfortable as can be. Especially while she’s
still got your wee brother or sister in her belly.”

“I don’t want to,” Alleck said sulkily.

“Aye, but you must. Your mother wants you
with her.”

“But I want to stay up here with Nora!”
Alleck balked, pressing himself against Branwenn’s skirts.

Branwenn grinned and settled her hand on
Alleck’s shoulder, thoroughly enjoying watching her brother try to
deal with this stubborn lad. Especially after Bao’s own willful
insistence that she remain ignorant of some vital piece of
information about his past. She was still quite determined to speak
with him regarding that slight, but with all the discord happening
around her, she’d thought it best to defer that conversation to a
later day.

Bao’s eyes narrowed as they rested on her
briefly before returning to his stepson. “You’ll be able to come
visit her again on the morrow, but for now, you must say your
farewells and come down to the cottage with me.”

Alleck picked at a scab on his knee through a
hole in his hose. “When’s my brother goin’ to be finished bein’
made?”

Bao sighed, and Branwenn thought ‘twas no
doubt because he knew the lad was stalling for time. “Around
Bealltainn
, in May.”

Alleck cocked his head to the side and peered
at Bao through narrowed eyes. “How long away is that?”

“‘Twill be a few more moons ‘til then,
Alleck,” Bao said, his tone holding a bit less patience than
before.

Alleck crossed his arms over his chest and
gave him a mutinous look. “That’s too long!”

“Mayhap ‘twould be best for Alleck to stay
here,” Lady MacGregor interjected, “at least for this first
night.”

Her brother studied the obstinate set of
Alleck’s countenance a moment before reluctantly agreeing. “Aye,
all right,” he said with a brief nod, “
if
Jesslyn agrees to
the arrangement as well—all right, Alleck?”

Branwenn thought that a good plan, as she
suspected Alleck’s behavior was in reaction to the strained
dealings between the adults around him.

“All right,” Alleck agreed dejectedly.

* * *

Jesslyn had remained on her bed with a sick
head since before Lady Maclean departed a bit over an hour past,
but she jumped up off it and rushed to her doorway when she heard
the front door of the cottage open, followed by the clomp of heavy
footsteps across the threshold.
Bao!
Her palpitating heart
sank into her stomach. “What do you here?”

His eyes narrowed on her, studying her. “You
are supposed to remain in bed. Grandmother said you’ll risk losing
the babe if you don’t. Go to bed Jesslyn. We can speak of this
later, after you’ve rested awhile longer,” he said, then he
continued directly to Alleck’s bedchamber with the wad of clothes
that filled his arms. She heard the
shwish-plop!
of male
garments landing on the mattress in the next instant and it made
her grit her teeth.

“I only had a headache, ‘twas naught to harm
the babe. Why would she say such?” Her own eyes narrowed then and
she stormed over to stand in the doorway of her son’s room and
crossed her arms over her chest. “
Get out!
I told you before
that I didn’t want to see you again!”

He turned and faced her, miming her stance.
“That’s certainly a pity. But, as I intend to live where you live,
at least until my babe is born and I know it’s well, my visage is a
thing which you will need to grow accustomed to seeing quite
often.”

“Nay!”

“We are wed,” he said matter-of-factly, “and
we will live as husband and wife, whether it be here, at the keep,
or up a tree. I assure you, I care not where you choose.”

Jesslyn sputtered, too stunned by the man’s
audacity to retort.

In the meantime, he turned back around and
proceeded to re-fold the few articles of clothing he’d brought with
him.

Jesslyn ground her teeth together and
swallowed back a scream of frustration. A mental image floated
across her mind of manfully tossing the vexing man out on his ear.
If only she had the strength!

Forcing a calm into her voice that she didn’t
feel, she said, “You cannot stay in this chamber. Alleck will be
here soon.”

“Nay, he will not. He was not keen on the
idea of moving back here—quite adamant against it in fact—and
begged that he be allowed to remain at the keep with the others.
When it became clear the only way to get the lad here would have
been to carry him out, Maggie thought it best we allow him to
remain there for this one night and, because of the tension between
you and me, I agreed with her and left him behind.”

A sense of utter defeat filled her. “Why will
you not just let me be?”

Bao stopped what he was doing, but didn’t
turn, simply stared down at the pile of folded clothes on the
mattress. “I think you know why, if you’ll only believe it.”

Jesslyn’s heart did a giddy flutter before
she forced reason to pound it into pulp. She straightened. “I will
not allow myself to be gulled again. Not by you, or any other man.”
She walked with as much dignity as she could muster to her
bedchamber and shut the door behind her. Leaning against it, she
gulped air into her lungs and dabbed the tear from her cheek with
the back of her hand. She hadn’t realized until this moment that
she’d even shed it.

* * *

Bao stood with his arms akimbo, staring
blankly at the closed door to his wife’s bedchamber. ‘Twas clear by
the color in Jesslyn’s cheeks and her vigor that she was not as ill
as his grandmother had led him to believe. Still, she’d done him a
favor. For he was now well-entrenched in this cottage with his
wife, and he intended to take heed of his grandmother’s sage advice
to remain so.

The rest of the day and night passed with no
further words exchanged between them.

Once Bao realized Jesslyn didn’t intend to
leave her chamber if he was in the front room, he returned to his
own bedchamber and closed the door. He was glad when he heard her
preparing a meal for herself about an hour later; he’d begun to
worry that she would forego eating while he was in the cottage.

After having his own meal of stale bread and
a bit of cheese, he lay on his back on the bed and pondered what
tactic he might use to soften her hatred of him.

The only thing he was good at was sex and
soldiering. He’d just have to cull from both pursuits in his
efforts to wear her down.

* * *

The next morn, Jesslyn sat on the edge of her
bed and listened for any sounds of movement in the front room of
the cottage. She was desperately hungry, but her pride wouldn’t
allow her to exit her bedchamber until Bao had left to go to the
training field for the morn.

She hadn’t slept well. Every sound that had
come from the direction of the other chamber had awakened her. And
the babe had been restless as well, kicking and jabbing her rib
cage all night long. Tho’ it angered her to admit it, she’d also
missed having Bao next to her, as she’d grown used to having him
there these past sennights.

She let out a despondent sigh. Why, oh why,
must she keep falling in love with faithless men? What was it in
her makeup that attracted her to such vile creatures? Just look at
how her heart refused to melt for Daniel. Nay, it seemed clear to
her now, he was simply too trustworthy for her twisted heart to
love. If a man did not charm her to her marrow and proceed to treat
her as if she were naught, then she simply could not want him.

A scratching noise on the door jarred her
from her musings and she looked up.

“Are you well?” Bao said.

Why did the sound of his voice always produce
a heart flutter? She gripped the side of the mattress. “Aye, I’m
fine! Go away!”

* * *

Bao sighed and walked back into his
bedchamber to finish dressing. After tying his hair back in a
thong, he strode out into the front chamber, checked to make sure
there was fresh peat on the hearthfire as well as plenty of water
and food for Jesslyn, and then left the cottage. If he was ever to
try and seduce her into mellowing her feelings toward him, he must
find a way for them to be in the same place at the same time. An
idea struck him, and he started to jog. He must speak with Maryn
right away if they were to put this new plan into action by this
eve.

He grinned. Jesslyn wouldn’t say nay to her
good friend. Of that, he was certain.

* * *

A clamor sounded from the front room with the
distinct sound of a door banging open. Jesslyn jumped up from her
prone position on the bed and stared at the closed door to her
chamber, afraid to open it, in case it was Bao. Tho’ she felt
guilty for her idleness, she was still so weary from lack of sleep
and worry that she’d lain back down after her meal earlier in the
morn.

“Mama! Mama! Guess what?”

All the muscles in Jesslyn’s body relaxed at
the sound of her son’s voice. “Aye,” she said cheerfully, pulling
the door open, “what have you to tell me, my wee lad—and don’t I
get a hug first?”

“Aye!” Alleck shouted, and jumped like a
rabbit over to her, then threw his arms around her and rested his
cheek on her rounded belly.

Laughing, she said, “You’re getting really
good at that!” Jesslyn stroked her fingers through her son’s
tousled hair. “So, what has you in such good spirits this
morn?”

Alleck craned his neck to look up at her.
“We’re having a feast this day! With lots and lots of sweet
things!”

Her brows lifted. “And why are we having a
feast?”

“For Nora! ‘Cuz she’s just borned and Aunt
Maryn wants us to have a merry time,” he answered, bouncing up and
down in excitement, which forced Jesslyn to reposition her feet in
order to keep her balance.

“Ah!” she said, nodding her head in
understanding. “When are we to go to the keep for this glorious
feast?”

“After the chimes at sext.”

“That leaves us just enough time to wash and
dress, then.”

“Why do I hafta wash? I’m not dirty—I haven’t
even been over to me and Niall’s fortress yet!” he complained.

Jesslyn bent back one of her son’s ears and
looked behind it. “Alleck! You’re filthy! Didn’t you bathe before
you went to bed last eve?”

Her son dropped his chin to his chest and,
clasping his hands behind his back, shuffled his feet. “Nay,” he
mumbled, “Branwenn said I didn’t hafta.”

“Aye? Well, you’re having one now—and one
again before you go to bed!” she said, moving him toward the
hearth. “First, I must heat some water.”

“I hate baths! They’re for lasses! Lads are
s’posed to get dirty—Bao said so!”

Alleck had no idea that he’d said the one
name that would bring Jesslyn’s temper to a boil. “Well,
Bao
can remain as
filthy
as he
pleases
, but
no
son
of
mine
will walk around like a
ragamuffin!
”

Alleck plopped down on the stool by the
hearth, crossing his arms over his chest and sticking out his lower
lip, but wisely held his tongue.

Jesslyn worked silently for a time, preparing
the water for her and her son’s bath and slowly allowing her temper
to decompress a bit before speaking again.

Alleck broke the silence. “I don’t wanna live
back in this ol’ cottage. I don’t hafta, do I?” he asked,
agitatedly kicking the air with one foot while he rested on the
stool.

Jesslyn looked up from her task. Sighing, she
said, “You can
sleep
at the keep, if it pleases you, but I
want you here each morn to break your fast.” It seemed the best
solution until she could oust the belligerent man who’d taken up
residence in Alleck’s chamber. Alleck didn’t need to be privy to
the problems she and Bao were having, in any case. Not, at least,
until they’d come to a decision regarding the future of their
marriage.

“Good!” Alleck exclaimed, clapping his hands
and bouncing on his seat.

“And!” Jesslyn had to yell to be heard over
the ruckus her son was making. “You must have your bath
here
each eve.”

That deflated his glee a bit. Sighing loudly,
he said, “Aaall riiight.”

* * *

Bao’s sister cornered him in the courtyard,
outside the chapel. “I understand there’s actually something I
don’t know about you,” she said bitingly, “that
everyone
else
does!”

“Well, not
everyone
else,” he replied
half in jest.

Branwenn slapped him on his bicep. “You know
what I mean.”

Pressing his lips together, he scrubbed his
fingers across his brow. “Aye,” he said at last.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Pray,
enlighten me.”

Bao looked away, scanning the top of the
curtain wall. When he turned back to her, all earlier humor was
gone. Lifting his hand to her cheek, he held it a moment in his
palm, stroking the rise with his calloused thumb. “You’re so
young
,” he said, “so innocent. I can’t bear to ruin that
with my tale of shame.”

She lifted her hand to cover his. “Not
so
young, not
so
innocent. Remember you that I’m old
enough to wed...and that I understand things that other unwed
lasses my age may not,” she said, pinkening with the gentle
reminder of her eavesdropping adventure at the waterfall.

Bao shook his head.

She nodded hers.

He relented. “I...,” he started, “I was
a...whore,” he said the last rapidly. His sister’s violet eyes
became as wide as saucers, taking up, it seemed to Bao, the whole
of her face. Her throat flexed as she swallowed.