IntoEternity (25 page)

When their sexual ecstasy finally found them, tossing them
into the height of orgasm, Gusty was not prepared for the astonishing savagery
of her feelings. Vivid, wild torrents of satisfaction swept her senses. Mighty
waves of pleasure washed over her again and again as Alexander threw back his
head and joined her with a devastating roar.

With one last shudder, Alexander rolled over and collapsed
beside her. He pulled Gusty into his arms and settled her against his chest
then placed a kiss on the top of her head and grunted. Gusty smiled at the
obvious sound of male satisfaction. She felt as if her bones had melted. Her
breathing slowly returned to a semblance of normality. After some time she
finally trusted her voice to speak.

“I love you, Alexander,” she whispered, threading her fingers
through the springy hair on his chest as she listened to the thundering of his
heartbeat beneath her ear. “I love you for oh, so many reasons. Shall I tell
you the whys and wherefores?”

He didn’t reply to her declaration and Gusty dared a peek up
at him. He lay fast asleep, apparently worn out by their loving. She smiled, not
minding one bit.

“Aye, my love, it is true. You are a good, honorable man. A
man who cares for his family and takes his responsibilities to heart. You love
Duncan no matter what foolish pranks he pulls. His is like a son to you and I
would not have it otherwise. If not for him I would never have met you that
day.

“You are a proud man. The condition of your keep and your
people who live there and work for you are proof of that. You keep them safe
and well cared for.

“You are a brave man who rides through the dark night to
face Viking raiders who threaten your crofters, to chase them from your
holdings so your people are safe. You came to rescue me from freezing to death
out on a lonely rock in the middle of the sea.

“You are a caring man who aided his crofters. You take the
time to sympathize with parents whose sons died protecting their elderly mother
and father. I know about the hay fire, Alexander. I know how that raid must
have brought back the horrible memory of your own cousins and the way they died
in just such a raid.

“You are a strong man who came to my rescue more than once.
The Wolf of the Highlands. You train long and hard as do your warriors. You
hold your family’s honor tight. You hold your land through cunning and hard
work.

“And lastly you are a loving man. You have proved so to me
over the time we have known each other. You took me in when I stumbled into
this ancient time. You loved me well enough to handfast with me and take me to
your home. There you fed me, clothed me, saved me from your obnoxious uncle.
Aye. I love you well.”

Gusty lay for a long while thinking about the man sleeping
next to her. She smiled. Aye, she would tell him again…later.

* * * * *

Maeve studied the dark pool at her feet. She shifted
forward, leaning closer to get a better look, but the water suddenly rippled,
blurring the image.

“You old fool, stop interfering,” she snapped.

Hagen ignored her and swiped his hand through the water,
causing the image to fade and disappear. Maeve sent her spouse a chagrined
scowl over her shoulder before she bent back to her important work. She took a
pinch of crushed herbs from a pouch she wore tied to the belt at her waist and
sprinkled it into the dark water. Then she added a bit of ash from the hearth
and stirred the mixture with her long, crooked finger, chanting a few words
until the pool began to lighten with an image.

She gazed down into a well-tended herb garden and upon the
small woman who toiled there. A wimple covered the woman’s head, hiding all her
hair but one long, flowing black curl, which would not be contained by the head
covering as she worked with deft hands, weeding her garden. She cared for her
great variety of herbs as one who held the vast knowledge of the capability of
each tiny plant. A healer, one who tended to the ill and suffering and eased
the pains of the dying as best she could with gentle and expert hands.

Maeve had been watching Isabelle off and on all day long.
But there was something about the vision that bothered her. Something about the
lady and her labors was not right. A darkness invaded the mirrored vision in
her pot…one she could not dispel no matter how many times she invoked the
spell. It was as if a fierce storm threatened and dark clouds rolled in,
blocking the bright rays of the sun. The scene disturbed Maeve, as she could
not determine from where the imminent danger came. She was meticulous in her
work and she was almost certain whatever evil lurked in her manifestation, it
was somehow linked to Gusty and her sudden and unprepared arrival in the past.

“This bothers me greatly, Hagen. There is an evil aura
surrounding this image. Something is wrong and I cannot decipher from where it
commences.” Maeve touched the water with her fingertip and the image faded away,
leaving the pool black as night.

She stood and extended her hand to her husband. As they left
the secret cave near their home she remained deep in thought.

Hagen shook his head. He too was greatly troubled. But his
worries originated from a different source. He wanted to tell Maeve she wasted
her time trying to decipher her odd feelings and visions she could do nothing
about. His concerns were more earthly and they were all for their beloved
Gusty. Mad family members, feuding clans and her own dangerous enemies drew his
dear lassie into a whirlpool of conspiracies. More than one faction was even at
this moment plotting her demise. He felt a terrible guilt for his part in
altering Gusty’s path in life by giving her to a man who had not been part of
that plan. She was to have been the Sinclair lass to end the feud between the
clans but he had let his sense of romance sway him into letting the Sutherland
have her. Now he felt even guiltier about meddling in her life since she had
been dragged about the Highlands. If Maeve hadn’t been so busy staring at her
pool, she might have noticed his mood. He felt certain he’d worn a guilt-ridden
expression like a cloak since he had returned from his visit with Malcolm
Sinclair. He could not help but think he had just made yet another tremendous
mistake and it was, in the end, going to cost Gusty. It was going to cost her
dearly.

She plucked the ugly weeds that would destroy the latest
crop of plants she so desperately needed to fulfill her greatest ambitions. The
sun shone brightly, making her grimace. If she did not need to care for her
garden, she would never have come out in the brilliant light of day. She hated
the sunlight. It had a way of aging a person with its hot, penetrating rays.
When the smoldering heat beneath her wimple became too much to bear she pulled
the cumbersome headgear off and threw it to the ground beside her. Her mass of
snow-white hair fell in a wild array of curls down past her wide hips to touch
the rich soil she worked in. One errant strand of black hair that she had
cursed often enough hung in her face, until she managed to tame it by caging it
behind her left ear. She needed to finish up her gardening so she could get
back to planning the better part of her well-charted revenge.

“I cannot say I’m sorry to see you gone, Sutherland,”
Donovan remarked as he stood on the top step of his magnificent keep. A wry
twist to his lips gave him an almost boyish look when he added, “Your wife,
however, is another matter altogether. She is welcome to stay as long as she
wishes. In fact if she would but change her mind, I would announce the wedding
immediately. Unfortunately she is a stubborn woman and though I have tried to
talk her into accepting me in your stead, she seems to be blind to your faults.”

Alexander glared at the huge red-haired laird of Clan Ross
and refused to succumb to his ribbing. He knew Gusty was not attracted to the
Highlander but he still felt a stab of jealousy at the man’s words.

“It would seem my lady has more sense than the rest of these
Sinclair females. You will have to look to one of them for your future wife.”

“What about me, Uncle Donovan? Can I stay as long as I want?”
Duncan piped up as he emerged from the doorway of the keep.

The boy’s appearance defused the tense situation that had
Alexander close to issuing a challenge, if necessary, to retrieve his dear
Gusty from the clutches of the Ross. The man came close to insulting him,
insinuating he could not hold his wife. But his nephew’s timing saved him from
losing his temper completely and he merely glared at Donovan.

Donovan ignored the surly laird and turned his attention to
the rest of his visitors.

Davin, the giant, fierce-looking Norseman who guarded the
Sutherland’s back with a vengeance, followed young Duncan. The small maid,
Violet, reputed to be mute, stood at his side. Donovan breathed a sigh of
relief. Both Lady Augusta and his nephew were in good hands.

The youngster had proven to be a handful in the short time
he had been there. He had been bouncing off the walls all night long and had
worn out everyone who slept in the hall. The lad seemed excited to visit the
dreaded enemy camp and had the time of his life visiting with his wicked Ross
uncle.

Donovan crouched down so he was at eye-level with the lad.
He had not been around children much in the last few years and he’d been at a
complete loss regarding how to handle this little demon when Alexander foisted the
boy off on Donovan yesterday afternoon. Now as he looked at the child his dear
sister Aileen had given birth to, his chest tightened and his words stuck in
his throat.

“Aye, Duncan. You shall be missed as well. Perhaps you can
come for an extended visit sometime in the future,” he finally managed to
whisper in a harsh tone that sounded more angry than emotional. “But in the
meanwhile remember what I’ve instructed you, lad.”

“I will, Uncle.” The boy chewed on his bottom lip before
reciting word for word. “If the Sutherland should ever treat me badly, I am to
come here and live with you while you take care of the heartless bastard.”

Donovan patted the lad’s head and Duncan smiled.

“Good, lad. You do exactly that.”

“Aye, Uncle. But you know…I don’t think it will ever happen.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I’ve been a fiendish little imp ever since I could
walk and Cousin Alexander has never laid a hand on me.”

Duncan’s unrepentant grin had Donovan thinking twice about
wanting to take on the raising of his sister’s orphaned child. Perhaps it was a
fitting punishment for Alexander Sutherland to have this willful boy under his
care. A lifetime spent chasing the lad down every time he took a notion to go
adventuring might prove to be the greatest of revenges.

“Good fortune with your bride search, Donovan.”

Alexander’s smile reminded Donovan of Duncan’s impish grin.

Donovan turned his attention to Gusty, who was already seated
on her mount.

“I want to thank you for your generous hospitality, Laird
Ross,” she said. “It has been…interesting meeting you. I wish you the best of
luck finding the bride who will fulfill your every need. I know you will find
your perfect match eventually.”

“Thank you, Lady Augusta, I pray you are correct.”

Alexander mounted Caesar. “Let us go, Duncan, before we wear
out our welcome. I extend my sincerest thanks, Ross, for all you have done for
my lady. I owe you a great favor.”

Struck speechless once again, Donovan nodded. He had never
expected to hear such sincere words of appreciation from Alexander Sutherland.

As the small party turned their mounts toward the gates, a
loud shout from the top of the wall caught their attention. They looked up to
see what was causing all the commotion. The guard called out a warning, alerting
the Ross to the presence of a large contingency of armed men approaching the
fortress.

“They bear the king’s standards!” Another guard announced.

Donovan made his way across the bailey up the steep steps to
the top of the wall, aware his guests had dismounted and followed along in his
wake. The three of them reached the rampart and Donovan looked down at the
messenger expectantly.

“Yes,” he called out, “what is it?”

“War, Laird Ross. The northern horde even now pushes toward
Inverness and the king’s stronghold. King Edgar has sent out a call to arms to
all his clans. We came to deliver his missive and to take into custody the Lady
Augusta Sinclair. The king has declared her his ward.” The king’s messenger
announced.

Alexander could not believe his ears. “Her name is
Sutherland now. The Lady Augusta already has a husband. Therefore she cannot be
Edgar’s ward,” Alexander roared. He gripped the stones of the sturdy wall in an
attempt to keep his temper in check.

“It is known that the lady is only handfasted, Laird. Unless
she is breeding, her marriage can still be dissolved and another husband found
for her. Those are the king’s orders. Is she breeding, by chance?” The
messenger’s face turned as red as his hair.

“By law I have a year and a day with her. If she is not
breeding by the end of that time, she has the choice of whether she wishes to
seek another husband. Until that time she is mine!” Alexander exploded. Another
option would be for them to marry now, but they had yet to discuss the issue in
any great detail and his Gusty deserved much more than a speedy wedding with
none of her family present to witness her taking her vows. But Alexander had no
intention of giving up Gusty…not now and not at the end of their year. She was
his wife and she would stay that way.

“Nevertheless it has been brought to the king’s attention
that the lady’s presence in the Highlands has been causing a disturbance and he
would take control of the situation. Allow us to do our duty while you prepare
for war. I suggest you, Laird Sutherland, gather your men and supplies and
answer the king’s call for arms without delay.”

“By God—”Alexander began in a thunderous voice that rivaled
anything the All Mighty could summon but Gusty’s hand slipped into his and
squeezed, turning his attention. The fear he saw in her eyes had nothing to do
with being taken away by the king’s men. He could see by her expression she
feared for him and his safety.

“Please, Alexander, do not interfere,” she said, her voice
laced with steely determination. “It will only take a visit with the king to
straighten out this misunderstanding. I beg you do not cause them to raise
their weapons against you or any of our clan. I could not stand it if something
happened to any of you.”

“What she says is true, Alexander. Talk to Edgar and state
your case before his court. If someone is challenging your handfasting, you
have the right to know who it is. Then you can defend your legitimate claim.”
Donovan spoke with rational calmness from Alexander’s other side. “In the
meantime, it appears we are to be embroiled in another fight with the Viking
hordes.”

Gusty squeezed his hand and nodded up at him in apparent
agreement with Donovan’s words.

“If you don’t let them take her now, you run the risk of
displeasing Edgar. Don’t risk it, Alexander. He is a fair king, an honest man.
But you are not in his good graces at the moment. Clear this up and she will be
yours once again.”

Alexander’s muscles had grown so taut he felt as if he’d
turned to stone. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Gusty’s face nor had she broken
their gaze. He pulled her against his chest and wrapped her in his arms. In a
low, rumbling whisper, he let her know his feelings.

“I do not want to let you go, my love. My first instinct is
to throw you on a horse and race away from here and this farce. I will not lose
you because of a royal decree. You are mine! You have always been mine.” He
gave her a soft kiss on her neck before he drew back.

Tears filled Gusty’s eyes and she blinked rapidly. He held
her close, infusing her with his strength.

“Davin and I will return to Sutherland Keep to ready my men
and then I will join you in Inverness as soon as possible, I promise. You won’t
be alone for long.”

“I should hope not,” she replied through her tears. She
lifted her head and kissed his chin before she continued. “I expect you to
follow at my heels. Don’t disappoint me, my Alexander.”

His mouth covered her trembling lips and he kissed her
deeply, passionately—not a gentle caress but rather a claiming that would never
let her forget she belonged to him…and in turn he belonged to her.

“I love you, little selkie. Always remember that,” he
murmured against her lips before he lifted his head and took her arm to lead
the way back down to the ground and across the bailey to their waiting horses.
He grasped her about the waist and lifted her on to her saddle. He stood beside
her, his eyes never leaving her face.

Gusty leaned toward Alexander and held out her arms. He
clasped her in a hug as she held his head close to her breasts. He kissed her
there through her clothing.

“I love you so much, my great Highland warrior. Do not do
anything foolish. We will speak to the king. I will wait for you there. Do not
keep me waiting again.” Tears clogged her voice and she swallowed before
continuing. “Remember I will always love you. Remember that.” Then she put her
hands on his shoulders, pushed him away and turned her mount toward the gate.

Just before she joined the king’s men, who awaited her just
outside the walls, she turned in her saddle and looked back at him, mouthing
the words,
I
love
you
.

As Gusty rode away from him with Violet riding at her side, a
guard of lethal-looking warriors surrounded them. Alexander and the rest of his
party stood at the gates, watching until they disappeared into the thick green
forest. His Gusty had ridden away like a queen with her back straight and head
held high. The only telltale sign of her apprehension was that she turned in
her saddle at the last moment and watched him until she disappeared.

For a long moment Alexander stood in the middle of the road
without moving. He wondered if it might not be worth it to put out a little coin
for a good clerk just to keep track of his little selkie. The man could fill
several parchments with her outlandish happenchance to get herself into strange
predicaments that carried her across the length and breadth of Scotia.

With a shake of his head he made his way into the bailey.

Gusty was determined not to weep. Tears would do her no good
and she would just make herself sick. So she willed her eyes to remain dry even
though she was filled with dread over her uncertain future. The only thing that
gave her any comfort was Alexander’s promise. He would follow her and she would
see him very soon.

Violet tapped her on the leg to get her attention and then
with hands flying, tried to communicate her assurance. Gusty smiled wryly at
the little maid’s gestures and nodded her agreement.

“I know he won’t let me spend more than one night alone at
court. I don’t think he trusts the courtiers much and I can’t say I blame him.
From what I’ve heard a trip to court is similar to stepping into a spider’s web
constructed of lies and intrigues.”

Violet nodded vigorously and rolled her eyes.

“You’ve been to court?” Gusty queried, distracted for the
moment.

Violet shook her head and gestured what Gusty took to mean
that Violet wouldn’t be caught dead at court.

“I am sorry for dragging you along. But I feel much better
having someone I can trust with me.” Gusty took hold of Violet’s hand and
squeezed gently.

Violet nodded solemnly and returned the gesture.

“We ride!” Alexander’s bellow filled the bailey as soon as
the departing contingent of king’s men disappeared from sight.

Alexander returned to Caesar and in one mighty leap, he
swung up into the saddle, whirled the beast about and headed for the gate. His
mind was set on the target but he had matters to attend to before he could ride
for Inverness. The situation in which he found himself was completely
ludicrous. In all his years he had never heard of a man who could not keep his
wife in his custody. At one time he had known Edgar quite well. He had fought beside
the man in many battles and he respected his king and liege lord greatly, but
he didn’t understand what was going on. Who had the audacity to usurp his claim
to his new bride? He would demand an immediate audience with Edgar so this
matter could be cleared up as quickly as possible. Then he would take his wife
back to the Sutherland keep and lock her in her rooms, if necessary, to keep
her safe. At least a dozen of his finest solders would surround her at all
times just to keep her secure once and for all.

“Sutherland!”

Startled from his silent musings by the Ross’ great roar,
Alexander swung his horse around to see what the great red beast was making
such a racket over. Donovan stood in the middle of the bailey, his fists on his
hips and his head thrown back.

“Is your mind so filled with your woman that you have
forgotten your other responsibilities? Look around you, Laird. What have you forgotten?”