Authors: Stephanie Sterling
“Have ye eaten?” Isla asked, wriggling a little closer to where he was sitting. Roan encouraged the action by draping an arm around his wife’s shoulder and drawing her closer.
“I had something while looking over a few maps Graem wanted me to see,” he nodded, letting his eyes drift shut as he reveled in the feel of simply holding Isla close.
“Maps?” she questioned curiously. “Maps of what?”
“The MacRae borders,” Roan yawned, forgetting that he had meant to avoid the subject.
“Borders? MacRae-
Cameron
borders?” she gasped, fighting to wriggle out of his hold, but Roan was too strong. When Roan deigned to open his eyes again he found that Isla was glaring at him.
“Tis nae what ye think,” he chuckled.
“How do ye ken what I think?”
Roan caught her by the chin and tilted her head until her eyes met his - the urge to pop a kiss against her lips was damnably strong. He didn’t try to resist it. Isla was his wife after all. He leaned forward and crushed his lips against hers.
She blinked at him in surprise, fluttering her long eyelashes in enticing bewilderment. “What was that -” she began, breathlessly - and the hitch in her voice reverberated all the way through Roan’s body until it seemed to echo in his groin. “Oh nae ye don’t, Roan MacRae!” Isla huffed, recovering quickly. “I will nae be distracted by yer – yer -”
“My?” Roan purred, infinitely preferring the new vein that the conversation had taken to the old one.
“Ye ken what!” she gasped, her cheeks flushing. “Yer trying to - to change the subject.”
“I was nae,” he chuckled. “But it seems to have changed itself.”
“Ye kissed me!”
“I wanted to,” Roan grinned calmly. “Are ye saying I canna kiss ye whenever I want to?” he asked, his eyes glinting wickedly. Isla opened her mouth, but not a sound came out. “Say I want to kiss ye now?” He leant a little closer. “Would ye try and stop me?” He murmured, his breath whispering hotly against her skin.
“N - nae,” Isla whimpered, as if against her will, her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. It was the last little temptation that Roan could endure. He closed the tiny distance that remained between them and captured her mouth, ending the argument completely.
..ooOOoo..
Dawn came spilling through the castle windows, waking Isla from her happy slumber. The dream she had been having quickly started to fade from her mind, but she was sure that she could recall Roan doting proudly over a little blue eyed baby who was lying snugly against her breast. She smiled sleepily.
They hadn’t discussed it, but Isla had taken it for granted that, as Lady MacRae, providing Roan with an heir would be one of her most important duties – assuming that Roan ever took advantage of his husband’s rights. He seemed to enjoy kissing her, at least. Isla was confident that they were moving closer. She felt a flare of hope, perhaps that would make her more acceptable to his mother and the clan? But when she considered how many grandchildren her mother-in-law already had that flare spluttered and died. As for the clan, would they take to a child of Cameron descent any better than they had taken to her?
“I suppose we have to get up?” Roan said. Isla didn’t know how long he had been awake, but he was smiling at her with affection.
“Do ye think so?” Isla asked, wrinkling her nose.
“’Fraid so, lass,” Roan chuckled, sitting up. He threw his legs over the side of the bed, stood up and stretched.
“Ye’ll be busy all day again?” she asked quietly. She didn’t mean to cling, but she felt lost without him.
“Aye, I expect so,” Roan nodded, picking up his breeches. “It canna be helped.”
“Oh I ken,” Isla said quickly. “I do understand,” she added, “I just - I miss ye I suppose,” she mumbled, color staining her cheeks once more. When she looked up, she found that Roan was grinning at her again. “What?” she demanded defensively, but her husband simply shook his head, still smiling.
He finished dressing and was ready to go before Isla had even rung for her maid. Roan dropped a kiss to her lips in farewell and then turned to leave. He was just opening up the door when she called to him.
“What am I meant to do, Roan?” she asked quietly. He looked over his shoulder uncertainly. “I can help - with the running of the castle - with
something
- my aunt used to -”
“It might be best if ye dinna try to do too much just yet, lass,” Roan said carefully. “Just let people get used to ye first -”
“Stay out of the way ye mean?” Isla frowned, hurt. “Roan I’m nae useless!”
Her husband sighed, and turned around fully to face her properly. “Aye, I ken, lass. Just - give it time,” he implored. Isla continued to stare at him unhappily, but Roan had apparently said all that he was going to on the subject; he turned away again, and left the room.
..ooOOoo..
Isla’s mood was no better by the time Liane arrived to help her dress. If she wasn’t allowed a proper role within the castle than she would surely be bored to death. She bemoaned this fact to Bridghe too, when her sister-in-law arrived as promised to check on her.
“Ye’ll have roles enough when Roan’s the laird,” she pointed out. “Ye should enjoy lounging around with naught to do while ye can.” Liane gave a vigorous nod of her head, probably wishing that she had a little less to do around the castle herself.
“
When
Roan’s the laird?” Isla repeated hopefully. “Ye really dinna think I’ve ruined it for him then?”
Bridghe frowned. “Roan’s the best man for the position by a long way,” she argued. “People might be a little upset about things now,” she admitted, “but they are nae stupid. Most people will come around, given time.”
“I hope yer right,” Isla sighed. “But in the meantime, what am I meant to do?”
Bridghe smiled innocently. “Have lots of little MacRae babies? Roan is nae exactly getting any younger,” she giggled.
“Bridghe!” Isla gasped, embarrassed.
“Well he
isn’t
,” Bridghe continued to giggle. “Besides, my two need some playmates,” she added more seriously. “Eithne and Sorcha have lovely children, but they’re so much older than the twins.”
“Roan and I have nae really talked about having children,” Isla murmured. She stared down at her hands, all of a sudden glad of the distraction of Liane fixing her hair.
“Well, tis nae exactly something that needs discussing, is it?” Bridghe raised an eyebrow at her sister-in-law. “Ye forget how long I’ve kenned my brother,” she said, rolling her eyes, before then staring pointedly at Isla stomach. “I can almost guarantee that the twins will have a new little cousin before twelve months pass,” she smirked.
Isla choked. “My goodness! Ye really do say what ye think, dinna ye?”
The older woman smiled cheekily. “The consequence of spending too much time with one’s brother when growing up I fear.”
“Well I have two brothers, and I never -”
“Ah aye -” Bridghe interrupted Isla, her voice suddenly serious again. “Sorcha was telling me, one of them is the tanist?”
“Ian’s the war captain,” Isla frowned. “How did yer sister -”
“Graem told my mother, and my mother told -”
“Everyone?” Isla whimpered.
“Oh tis nae as bad as that,” Bridghe assured her.
Isla thought that it was ever so kind of Roan’s sister to befriend her. She knew that Bridghe had originally been acting out of a love for her brother, but Isla thought there might be the spark of a real friendship between them.
“What are yer plans for today, Isla?” she asked, sitting down in front of the fire while Liane put the finishing touches to her mistress’s hair.
Keeping out of everyone’s way…
Isla almost replied. She managed to stop herself however, and answered instead with a shrug.
“I suppose ye could come with me to see Eithne,” Bridghe said slowly. “I’m sure she will nae mind. Sorcha’s going too, so ye could meet the whole family.”
Isla wasn’t sure that she wanted to meet the whole family, at least not without the protection of her husband. If Eithne and Sorcha were just like Bridghe then she would be fine, but if they took after their mother the prospect was far less appealing.
“I would nae want to intrude,” Isla said carefully.
“Yer family now though,” Bridghe continued, apparently warming to the idea. “And if we leave it up to Roan to introduce ye it might happen sometime in the next decade,” she snorted uncharitably. “Eithne might even throw some kind of gathering for ye,” Bridghe continued, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
“Gathering?” Isla croaked. She loved feasts ordinarily, but a MacRae bash was something that Isla wasn’t sure she was quite ready for yet.
“Eithne holds the best feasts,” Bridghe nodded, although the look on her face seemed to imply that she didn’t care too much about gaining such labels herself. “I hate to say it, but it would really help if Eithne was seen to show ye such favor,” she added gently.
Isla nodded nervously. “Yer sister does nae live here at the castle?” She asked quietly.
“Nae, her husband has a large holding of land, with its own house, a couple of miles away from Erchlochy Castle,” Bridghe explained. “So, what do ye say, are ye going to come?”
Isla paused thoughtfully. It was definitely tempting to leave the chamber and explore a little. Even the prospect of meeting someone new wasn’t wholly disagreeable. But it was daunting, and Isla wasn’t entirely sure if Roan would approve of her leaving without him. She would be with his
sisters
though. Surely there was no harm in that.
“Isla?” Bridghe pressed, tired of waiting for an answer.
“Oh, sorry, aye,” Isla blurted. The words tumbled out of her mouth before she’d really finished considering them.
“Excellent,” Bridghe smiled. “Ye seem quite like Eithne,” she mused thoughtfully. “I’m sure ye’ll get along famously.”
..ooOOoo..
I’m sure ye’ll get along famously.
That wasn’t quite how Isla would have put it. Eithne took after her mother, in both looks and demeanor. She met Isla with a glacial smile and then bid her a frosty welcome to her home - a large, manor house. Sorcha hadn’t joined them after all. She had sent one of the maids to tell Bridghe that one of her boys had fallen ill, so she was staying at the castle to nurse him.
“So, yer the one everyone’s talking about?” Eithne asked without requiring an answer. “Hmm,” she mused, looking Isla up and down as if she were in a cattle market. “I thought ye’d be prettier.”
Isla scowled and opened her mouth, it was one thing to grin and bear the insults from her mother-in-law, but quite another to take them from Roan’s sister. However Bridghe spoke before she had a chance to respond.
“Isla’s tired from her journey,” she said.
Bridghe’s voice held a little note of warning, but from the way that Eithne simply tossed her hair carelessly over her shoulder Isla doubted very much that she was taking any notice of her younger sister. Their hostess showed them through to the main hall and offered them both a seat and refreshments.
“I hope ye are nae feeling unwell.” Eithne asked sweetly, looking as though she dearly hoped that the answer would be yes.
“I’m perfectly well” Isla replied silkily. “We Camerons are a hardy bunch, ye ken,” she added innocently, stirring sugar into her tea calmly. This time, Bridghe’s warning glare was directed at Isla. Eithne’s lip curled in sneer that matched her mother’s.