Highland Knight (Medieval Erotic Romance) (The One Knight Collection)

All
rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of
the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed
as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organisations, or persons,
living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Highland
Knight

“No
harm will come to ye, lass. Would yer Da send ye off with a scoundrel?”

“But,
Da, he’s a Sinclair! Ye cannae expect me to marry a Sinclair?”

“Anna,
I’m an old man. Yer brothers are yet young and peace beckons. I cannae pass up
the chance to settle the differences between the Sinclairs and the Mackenzies
once and for all.”

Anna
scowled. She understood well enough the importance of an alliance between the
Mackenzies and the Sinclairs. The clans had been warring for many a lifetime
and she had been brought up to hate the very sound of their name.

But
now her father wanted her to marry one? An arrogant, thick-skulled Sinclair?

“I
know, Da, but marriage? Is there no other way?”

Her
father regarded her, his grey eyes softening. “Ye know I’d not ask this o’ ye
if I did not think it necessary. Ye turnin’ into an old maid, lassie, and ye
need caring for. Niall may be a Sinclair but he’s a fine warrior and a good
man. I’d not part with ye to anyone less, Sinclair or no.”

She
folded her arms. “Ack, if Ma were here…”

“She’d
say the same, as ye well know, Anna. She’d have no’ let ye remain unmarried at
nineteen summers. I’ve let ye run wild and now it’s time to do ye duty.”

Wild?
She wasn’t wild. Aye, a little strong-willed occasionally but not wild. “I’ll
no’ expect a Sinclair to want a lass like me. I cannae do submissive, as ye
well know.”

She
remembered Niall from a brief time of peace some five summers ago. He was
several years older than her and as proud as they come. She had been impressed
with his strong build and sandy hair until she had discovered he was a
Sinclair. Anna could not forget years of war as easily as her father could.

Her
father grinned, crossing his large arms across his chest, mimicking her stance.
“Aye, ye need a strong man and Niall Sinclair is such a man. He’ll take good
care o’ ye.”

Anna
shook her head in disgust. Betrayed by her own father! “Ack, I need no taking
care of!” Recognising her father’s determination - one that easily matched her
own - she changed tactics, pasting a serene look on her face. “Da, surely ye
cannae want me to become some meek Sinclair wife? Will ye not miss yer daughter
that looks after yer so?”

“Ah,
I have no fear o’ ye becoming meek, girl, but ye are right, I’ll miss yer.”

Anna
smiled tentatively, feeling the hope light in her eyes.

“So
ye’ll have to make sure to return home regularly. If ye can bear to part from
ye new husband, that is.”

Throwing
her hands up in frustration, she stepped away from her father. “Bear to part?
He’ll be lucky if he survives the wedding night!”

Her
father gave her a secretive grin. “We’ll see, lassie, we’ll see.”

“Ack,
there’s no talking to ye.” Anna spun on her heels and stormed up the stone
steps towards her chambers.

“Put
on something fine fer yer betrothed, Anna!” Her father called up to her.

***

The
Sinclair clan arrived that eve, seeming as smug and as arrogant as ever. She
watched their approach from her window, trying to see if she could get a look
at Niall before he saw her. He had shown little interest in her upon their
first and only meeting, and she expected him to be no different now. Aye, she
was attractive enough with curly dark hair and big brown eyes but Sinclairs
cared for naught but themselves.

A
fair-haired man caught her eye and her heart jolted. God’s blood, was that him?
If she had thought him impressive before, then he was astounding now. He had
become even more of a man in the passing years, with wide shoulders and strong,
solid looking arms. Just looking at him made her pulse race. His hair curled
erratically, windswept from the journey and his face was burnished by the sun.
Anna couldn’t see his eyes or lips properly but she imagined they would be just
a perfect as the rest of him.

Curse
the man. Why could he not be vile? She’d have no problem retaining her
indifference then.  The womenfolk did little to hide their admiration for him
as the men gathered in the bailey but if Niall noticed it, he paid little heed.
Likely he was used to it, thought Anna snidely.

Her
father stepped out to greet them and Anna realised that she should join him. As
much as she hated to dance on attendance to a Sinclair, she didn’t want to risk
her father’s wrath. As soft-hearted as he was when it came to his daughter,
he’d not let himself be shown up by her and he was known for his temper.

Smoothing
down her plaid and adjusting her broach, Anna pulled herself tall and perfected
a look of disinterest.  Ha, let’s see if she couldn’t knock a dent in Niall
Sinclair’s pride!

***

Niall
considered the stone keep with a practised eye. Well defended and ready for war
at any time, he concluded. In spite of the promised peace between the two
clans, Niall could feel the tension that clouded the air. He looked up at the
four storey stone giant once more. Somewhere behind those thick walls was the
woman he was to marry.

Laird
Mackenzie strode confidently across the drawbridge that led from the bailey
into the keep. Mackenzie was a dark haired bear of a man and a vicious warrior
at that. Niall was grateful that the only thing his daughter had inherited from
him was her dark looks. It had been some years since he had seen Lady Anna but
he remembered her as a pretty young thing. Hopefully she had not declined too
much with the passing of time.

Mackenzie
greeted his father genially but Niall didn’t miss the look of distrust that
flickered in both men’s eyes. His father was equally well built but shared
Niall’s fair hair and the contrast between the two men was not lost on him.

For
too long, the clans had battled, neither one ever gaining; only paying for
their losses in blood. Now it was on his shoulders to settle their differences.
He had expected an arranged marriage but never to a Mackenzie lass. For all her
prettiness, she would be as self-righteous as the rest of them. It was said
that Anna Mackenzie was the true leader of the Mackenzie clan, for her father
buckled to her every whim. Niall looked forward to showing her that he would
bow down to no woman. Let’s see if he could not shatter some of that misplaced
pride.

Laird
Mackenzie turned to Niall and greeted him with an unexpected twinkle in his
eye. What did the man know that he did not? He was aware that this union still
hung by a thread so he would have to tread carefully.

“Laird
Sinclair! ‘Tis an honour to welcome ye to my home. My daughter shall be along
shortly. She is just makin’ sure she’s fit to see ye. Anna is as overjoyed as I
at the thought of a union between our two great clans.”

“Thank
ye, my laird. I look forward to seeing yer daughter again. ‘Tis said no finer
beauty can be found in all o’ Scotland.”

Mackenzie’s
grin widened with amusement and Niall decided that the rumours he had heard
could not be true. It was likely the years had not been kind and mayhap the
rumours were spread by the lady herself. Ack, he hoped he could bear to look
upon her.

“Aye,
she’s a fine lassie is my Anna, but ye’ll have yer hands full, I promise ye
that.”

Niall
smirked inwardly, he could handle a mere lass. Even an ugly one at that.

But
as the words swam through his mind, his eyes were drawn to a proud looking lass
who was hurrying across the drawbridge. Holding herself tall, her shapely
figure was barely disguised beneath her red plaid.  Her wide, dark eyes locked
onto his and he was sure that he felt his heart in his throat. Her hair was a
riot of dark curls, barely tamed into a thin braid around her head as the rest
of them tumbled down her back. Her skin begged to be touched and his hand
reached out. Realising his idiocy, Niall clenched his hand into a fist and
watched as she scurried down the stone steps and into the courtyard.

When
she reached the last step, her plaid caught and she spilt forwards. Niall
rushed towards her and grabbed at her before she fell. His hands came around
her waist and he almost groaned aloud as he felt the heat of her skin through
the thin material of her tunic.  As he helped her upright, he kept his hands
upon her, determined to prolong the contact for as long as he could. She looked
up at him sheepishly, a rosy tinge to her cheeks, and smiled.

Ack,
but his mind was addled by such a look. While Niall grinned foolishly back, her
dark eyes seemed to snap into a cold reserve and she pulled herself from him,
straightening her plaid.

“Thank
ye, my laird,” she said coolly.

“My
pleasure,” he replied, trying to school his face into a look that no woman had
ever been able to deny.

It
had little effect on the lass and he scowled as she brushed past him to stand
at Mackenzie’s side. It took a while for his mind to decide to function again
but as she settled herself next to the laird it dawned on Niall…

“May
I introduce my fair daughter, Lady Anna Mackenzie.”

Niall
gulped before falling back in line with his father. Remembering himself, he
bowed his head to her. “My lady.”

“My
laird.” She dipped carefully to him, her movements coy and elegant, but he
could not fail to notice the fire that simmered behind her eyes.

God’s
blood, the rumours had been true. And now Anna already had an advantage over
him because he seemed to have little effect upon her. His jaw clenched. Niall
would not have a lass make a fool of him, beauty or no. Niall met her gaze with
a disdainful one of his own and he was relieved to see a flicker of hesitation
beneath her cold mask.

Laird
Mackenzie interrupted their mute exchange with a cough. “My lairds, shall we
adjourn to my solar to discuss the betrothal? Yer men can take advantage o’ our
hospitality. Lady Anna shall see they donnae go without.”

Niall
caught the look of disgust that Anna shot at his clansmen and his gut
tightened. Aye, he would have to show Anna the error of her ways. And he would
take great delight in doing so.

***

It
was several hours before the three lairds joined the clansmen in the hall. Anna
was already exhausted from entertaining the Sinclair and Mackenzie men. It had
been tense initially, the men crowding into the Great Hall and sitting along
the long tables on opposite sides of the room, but once the wine and ale flowed
freely, it seemed that all hatred had dissipated.

Anna
snorted. The folly of men. With a touch of wine, all sins were forgotten. But
she would not forget. Nay, her ancestors would be horrified at such a sight.
She may have to marry a Sinclair but she would always remain a Mackenzie and
never would she bow to the will of a Sinclair laird.

Even
if he was the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes upon.

Sweet
Mary, she would never forget the feel of his hands upon her. She had been
surprised by his reaction to her. There had been an odd look in his eyes and
she wondered if she had been wrong about him, but it was quickly replaced with
the arrogance that she had expected.

The
three men assembled themselves upon the raised dais and her father motioned for
her to join them. Her stomach sank. So it was done.

“Kinsmen!”
her father bellowed over the raucous shouts of the inebriated. “Tonight we
celebrate not only the joining o’ two young people, but the joining o’ two
great clans. I’ll challenge ye to show me a greater power in Scotland now that
the Sinclairs and the Mackenzies will be joined by the union o’ Laird Niall
Sinclair and Lady Anna Mackenzie!”