The Highlander’s Promise, page 17
The lad looked undecided.
“It seems ye have completed yer duties for the moment.” Rhona filled a cup with water and placed it on the table. “No one else is up. Cannons Row does nae rise early.”
“My master is awake,” the boy remarked.
Rhona turned so that the boy wouldn’t see her face.
She hoped Lonn Worthings was awake. If ever there was a man who should worry about closing his eyes, it was Lonn.
The man was scum.
The sort who squeezed everything he had out of the people around him. According to the scriptures, he was headed for hell.
“If ye go and get an egg from the hens, I will boil it for ye,” Rhona offered.
The lad had his mouth full of stale bread. He looked at her with bright eyes and nodded. He turned in a swish of his dirty plaid and went out into the yard.
Rhona would have liked to think she was being kind.
Yet the truth was, Lonn Worthings was the sort of man she needed to keep tabs on. The boy was the easiest way of doing so. Her motives colored her guilty, and yet, she had to protect her own. She spared a thought of remorse for the lad who had fallen into Lonn’s service. Life was simply harder for some than others, and the boy clearly had no one but himself at such a tender age. With the T branded upon his hand, he had very few prospects.
He appeared in the doorway with an egg.
His eyes were bright with victory and anticipation.
She’d have liked to have a son like him.
Someone who was happy to see her and content with naught more than an egg. Rhona put a small pot of water over the coals and waited for it to boil. While they waited, Rhone indulged her maternal instincts and filled a basin with warm water from the kitchen copper.
“Come here ye, scamp, let’s wash ye a bit.” She bent the boy over the water and scooped it up with her hands to wet the mop on his head.
By the time the egg was done, the boy was clean-faced, and his newly washed hair combed. He sent her a genuine smile as he cracked the shell off the egg and ate it while steam rose from it. He licked every last crumb from his fingers before he jumped down from the bench.
“Thank ye, mistress.”
Rhona nodded. He turned and headed for the door. He stopped and looked over his thin shoulder. “I am Arth.”
Arth was gone a moment later.
“He’ll be back,” Tete remarked from behind Rhona.
She didn’t answer. Information was protection in Cannons Row. Arth might bring her something that could be used to keep Lonn Wrothings from taking the small place, which was all the shelter Rhona and Tete had.
At least the lad was too young to realize. For the moment, he’d had an egg and his hair washed. He was likely skipping along the street the way a boy his age should be.
She was justifying her own sins.
An imperfect solution in a harsh world.
And there was simply nothing for it but to continue on.
At least she had the memory of his smile. One truly genuine expression to help her remember that there was good in the world.
*
Aife was diligent.
Jasper discovered himself both admiring the girl’s dedication and cursing himself for bringing her up to Larks Point in the first place.
She never left Terins side unless Meghan was in the study.
Two days later, he still hadn’t managed to get Terin alone.
“So frustrated after only two days?” Davonna surprised him.
Jasper jerked around. “Do nae sneak up on me.”
“Ye were so absorbed in yer thoughts, I feared for the stronghold to have such an absent-minded chief,” Davonna remarked.
Jasper sent her a narrow-eyed look. Davonna chuckled.
“Enjoying my suffering, are ye?”
Davonna lifted her hands and made a gesture with her thumb and index finger. “A wee little bit.”
Jasper made a scoffing sound in the back of his throat.
“I suppose I could help ye out a bit,” Davonna said. She stopped in front of him. “Wait here.” She disappeared into the study.
*
“For all that I have assigned ye to the ledgers, do nae think this chamber is yer prison,” Davonna said.
Terin looked up, blinking as she tried to get her eyes to focus on Davonna. The endless hours dealing with columns of figures made her vision blurry as she tried to focus across the chamber.
“I do appreciate yer devotion, Terin,” her aunt added.
“It is fascinating, really,” Terin remarked. “I’m absorbed with learning about how much there is here at Larks Point.”
“I’m happy to hear ye are not disappointed in what ye have found here,” Davonna stopped beside the table. “Some are.”
Terin wasn’t foolish. She could see the work was hard and plentiful. When she tempered the stories she’d heard about Larks Point Tower, she could see how many who journeyed there could think it was not the haven they’d sought.
“I was educated in the running of a large household,” Terin explained. “I know there is no way to generate enough for everyone if everyone is not working.”
“Such seems simple enough to understand,” Davonna answered. “Yet there are many who whisper in the corner about how harsh a mistress I am.”
There was a sound from the corner. Davonna turned to look at Aife.
“It seems ye have heard a few rumors about me,” Davonna took a head-on approach.
Aife looked startled. She rolled her lower lip in and worried it with her teeth. “I am very grateful to be here.”
“Do nae fret, girl,” Davonna informed Aife. “I’d be surprised if ye had not heard a tale or two about Larks Point. What truly matters is what ye see with yer own eyes now that ye are here.”
Surprise spread across Aife’s face. Yet, she held her tongue.
“I don’t put much importance on ceremony here, girl,” Davonna said. “Ye can speak as ye please.”
“That cannot be so,” Aife remarked incredulously. “Ye are the mistress of Larks Point Tower.”
“I was a girl much like ye are now when I was sent here to make sure I stayed quiet,” Davonna said. “The Chattan wanted to keep me dowry in spite of the fact that I remained unwed.”
“But ye were the daughter of a laird,” Aife exclaimed.
“Once I was sent to my betrothed husband, it was up to me to make a success of my future,” Davonna answered. “Such is the plight of every well-born daughter.”
“So very true,” Terin agreed.
“I’m curious what is said in Cannons Row of me.” Davonna looked at Aife.
Aife shut her mouth with a little click of her teeth. Davonna waited for a moment.
“Is it so terrible then?” Davonna pressed Aife. “Ye dare not mutter a word?”
“I do nae wish to lose me place because I am a gossip,” Aife answered. “The chief was clear about his wishes.”
Davonna made a soft sound beneath her breath. “So, I was correct. Ye have heard disparaging things about me.”
Aife’s complexion darkened.
“Do nae fret, Aife,” Davonna continued. “If ye stay, ye’ll see for yerself how it is here. Such is my preferred method of dealing with the matter.”
Aife blinked, clearly surprised to see the matter being dropped.
“What has the chief demanded of ye?” Terin asked.
“Jasper is the chief of Larks Point Tower,” Davonna said. “Since he’s made it clear he intends to wed ye, he will likely have made sure the girl understand he will not take kindly to any spy at yer side.”
Terin drew in a stiff breath. Davonna lifted a finger, warning Terin to keep her thoughts to herself since Aife was there.
“For now, Meghan?” Davonna looked at the other woman in the room. “Take Aife to get some better clothing. Snow is flying again.”
“Aye, mistress,” Meghan replied.
Meghan beckoned Aife to follow her from the room.
“Jasper,” Terin began.
“Is like a son to me,” Davonna informed her.
Terin bit back what she’d started to say.
Davonna smiled, though. “I will nae order ye to accept him, Terin. Such is not my way, for I understand better than anyone else the road ye have had to walk. My choice was to come here or insist on wedding a man who would only grow to hate me because I refused to step aside and allow him to wed the woman his heart had settled on.”
Terin nodded.
Davonna laughed softly. “Ye should have seen the tower when we arrived. Most of the window shutters had rotted, which meant the floors inside were being hit by the weather. The first year here, we resembled a pack of wolves more than anything else, for we had but two chambers between us all to shelter in. But I found two looms, and we worked them to produce our first sellable goods.”
Davonna looked at the ledgers. “Things have not changed all so much. We still struggle to produce enough to survive. That part will not ever change, Terin. Don’t make the mistake of forgetting to live while ye might. Many will say I settled for Fallis. It isn’t true. I simply decided not to overlook an opportunity to taste more of life than the struggle.”
Davonna sent her a knowing look before she left the chamber.
Terin sat for a long minute.
She was hiding…
Terin had been a great many things in her life; however, she was fairly certain that she had never been a coward.
Sniveling didn’t get ye through four hellish years of marriage…
She flattened her palms on the table and stood.
Enough.
Jasper deserved better from her.
Terin left the chamber behind her. The day was waning. She hadn’t realized how crisp the air was because Aife had kept the chamber Terin labored in warm. Now, though, Terin shivered, and she realized it had more to do with just the chill in the air.
She was alone. Maybe Jasper didn’t care to be toyed with.
She could hardly blame him if he went back for Rhona.
Don’t give up without trying…find him…explain…
But she didn’t know where to seek him out. In fact, Terin knew precious little about the passageways of Larks Point. She took a few more steps, listening intently to try and catch any sounds, but it was quiet.
Well, standing here will not help ye any…
No, it wouldn’t.
Terin drew in a deep breath and picked up her feet. She headed toward the end of the passageway.
She never made it.
As she passed a doorway, someone grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the dark room beyond it. She tried to shriek, but the sound became trapped in her mouth as a hand covered her lips. The door was kicked shut, sealing her inside the chamber with whoever had grabbed her.
For a second, she was poised on the edge of panic, but the scent of the hand covering her lips settled her fears.
Terin sank her teeth into Jasper’s hand.
She was free a moment later.
“Ye’re biting me?”
“Ye frightened me half to death,” Terin exclaimed.
There was a spark and then another before a tinder bowl flared to life and illuminated Jasper’s face. He held a candle to it before the straw burned away. The wick caught, and he set the candle in a small lantern.
“Ye have been avoiding me,” Jasper pointed out.
Terin drew in a breath and released it. “I have.”
He lifted one eyebrow at her admission.
“And I was looking for ye just now,” Terin continued.
“For what purpose, lass?”
Terin opened her mouth, but words failed her. She ended up drinking in the sight of him. He was a fair-looking man. Hard-bodied and shaped more than well. But she realized it wasn’t his midnight hair that drew her to him so intensely.
No, it was something else, for she’d seen handsome men before. They had disappointed her with their greed and callousness.
“I…I very much enjoyed ye taking me to dance at Cannons Row,” Terin tried to vocalize her feelings. “It was…fun.”
Whatever Jasper had thought she might say, her words surprised him. He stared at her for a long minute. His expression was unreadable.
He suddenly nodded, having come to some decision.
He turned and blew out the candle. The darkness closed around her, but Jasper renewed his grip on her wrist. This time Terin took solace in the hold. His strength seemed to flow up her arm and into her body, reassuring her in a way no words might ever have done.
He opened the door and pulled her into the passageway behind him.
Did she know what he was doing? Honestly, Terin did in her core. He was taking her someplace private.
Where they might be lovers.
Were there still matters unresolved between them?
Yes.
And still, Terin didn’t have it in her to protest. For to do so would have been a lie. Worse than a lie, really. It would have been a complete deception that went further than just the words.
Going all the way to her soul.
Jasper took her down a passageway and up a flight of steps. The door he opened swung and closed behind her as he spun her loose. Terin felt her skirts rise up and away from her ankles before Jasper was back in front of her. He clasped her head with his hands, holding it steady as he stepped up in front of her.
“Do nae hide from me, Terin,” he rasped out his warning. “I swear I was driven to the edge of sanity these last few days.”
Terin wanted to agree, but he pressed a kiss against her lips. It was a hard kiss, and he held her head in place as he angled his own to seal their mouths together.
Time stopped.
Terin was lost in the sensation produced from that kiss. It stole her breath. Sent her thoughts whirling until they flew apart and left her with nothing but the wave of delight being produced by their flesh touching.
It was bliss.
Terin discovered that she had never really grasped the meaning of that word before. For it wasn’t something that could be taught by a tutor.
No, a person needed to experience it to understand.
Terin wanted to linger inside that moment forever. But she also wanted to kiss him back.
The moment she moved her mouth against his, the kiss changed. There was a jolt of reaction which went through her. Not only was she swimming in a pool of bliss, she was returning that same sensation to Jasper.
She reached for him, flattening her hands on his chest. Her fingertips had become so very sensitive. In fact, all of her senses were keener. She heard their breathing like it was some sort of music. Beneath her hands, she could detect the beat of his heart.
Her own was thumping hard and fast.
But his clothing was a barrier. She caught the button which held his collar closed and opened it. He lifted his head and reached for the tie of her bodice. The chamber filled with the sounds of fabric being pulled and dropped. Terin didn’t shy away from being bared, for it felt so very natural.
So very perfect.
They were both so needy. Terin stroked his bare skin before his last boot was gone because she just couldn’t wait. Suddenly it felt like an eternity since they had been pressed against one another.
How could she have forgotten how perfect it was to be in his embrace?
Jasper scooped her up and bore her to a bed. It was larger than hers, and they rolled across its wide surface until Jasper pushed her down onto her back. He cupped a breast, kneading the soft mound as he renewed his assault on her mouth.
“For certain, there are matters we need to discuss, lass,” Jasper muttered. “But I can nae seem to stop.”
“I don’t want to stop, either,” Terin confessed.
Her belly was a cauldron of boiling need. So hot, being bare was an absolute necessity. Jasper was hot, too. But his skin soothed her in a way she understood only deep down in her instincts. Down at the base of who she was, he satisfied a craving that she had never realized she yearned to have fed.
“Come to me, Jasper,” she whispered.
He needed no further invitation. The bed ropes creaked as he rolled over her. Terin’s thighs parted as he settled between them. Her folds were wet, and he pressed forward without resistance this time.
A moan crossed her lips.
The sound was so needy, it would have shocked her if Terin had been able to think.
Instead, it seemed to fit, for Jasper let out a sound that mingled with hers perfectly. Terin lifted her hips for his thrusts, giving herself over completely to the building pleasure. She knew it would end in a flash of ecstasy, and she was not disappointed.
When her body reached the zenith, she stiffened and cried out. Jasper growled against her temple, thrusting hard against her so that his cock filled her completely. The pleasure seared her from the inside out. It might have lasted only a moment, but she was caught in that time for a small eternity.
He rolled off her, gathering her close.
Perfect?
Aye, that was definitely the word for the moment.
*
Aife ran her hand down her arm.
She was petting the wool fabric of her sleeve, marveling at how sturdy it felt. She had never had such fine clothing. What made it remarkable was the way it would keep her warm. It was also a fine shade of brown, but it might have been as ugly as pitch tar, and she would have adored it for being so sturdy.
“I hope ye see how fine a welcome the mistress is giving ye, girl,” Meghan advised.
Aife nodded.
The supper bells began to chime. The girls working in the room all hurried out of the doorway. Meghan chuckled at their haste.
“Ye’d think they didn’t have a meal just a few hours ago,” Meghan muttered.
Aife had started to head for the door as well.
“Get the candles before ye leave,” Meghan instructed.
“Yes,” Aife answered immediately.
Aife didn’t really mind, though. She took the opportunity to look at herself in the mirror on the wall. She had never seen her reflection before, except in water. The mirror was long, showing her from head to toe, and she got to see her new dress.
It was a whole outfit made of the same fabric. The skirt was cartridge pleated around her waist, and she had a true hip roll under it to help support the weight. It felt like wearing air. The bodice had reeds quilted into its lining to support her breasts. She had a new smock and stockings. Meghan had even handed her a partlet that would tie beneath her arms and cover the open neckline when it was cold. A nice wool flat cap finished off the outfit.
