Page 7 of Bride takes a Scot (Highland Vows & Vengeance #1)

D eclan returned with the day’s sentry just after dusk. He’d wanted to ride close to Campbell’s land to spy and learn something to give him the name of the traitorous foe who’d accused him of murder. At one time their clans had been allies, but whatever alliance between them faltered when Leona died. He had married Leona Campbell to maintain peace among their clans and for the years they were together there had been an armistice. When Leona drowned and he’d related the news of her death to her family, they’d accused him of harming her. That they blatantly blamed him for drowning his wife sat most foul in Declan’s stomach.

Their rivalry had begun that fateful day. But then to also accuse him of murdering her father went beyond the means of decency. Declan had respected Leona’s da and would never have harmed the man. Not only did he need to find out who blamed him for Allan Campbell’s murder, but he also sought retribution for his late wife’s father. He certainly hadn’t killed him, but someone else had. Declan aimed to find out who did the foul deed and why they blamed him. What caused his foe to go against him? He wanted answers and wasn’t willing to wait for them.

On his return home, he found Silas in the adjacent woods near their walls. Declan urged his horse into a canter to catch up with his stepbrother. When he reached him, he whistled and his brother slowed his mount, turned, and gave a wave.

“Brother, home at last,” Silas said.

“Aye, I heard ye were trekking near Campbell land recently.” Declan sidled next to Silas, and they rode together toward the gatehouse.

“’Twas uneventful.”

“Were ye trying to find out who murdered Allan?”

Silas bobbed his head. “It was strange that none of the Campbells seemed to be out and about. I found out nothing that would give up the culprit. Their gates and keep are closed. Hardly any of their clansmen were about their fief.”

“My thanks, Brother. We will find out who is responsible sooner or later.” Declan pressed at his horse’s sides, passed his brother, and approached the gate before him.

Returning home, Declan had gained no information that alluded to the cause of his incarceration. He passed the gate, and the guardsman gave the signal that all was well. Lorcan held up his fisted hand and shouted their motto, “Virtue alone ennobles.”

Declan raised his fist in response, gave a firm nod, and rode past. He dismounted, grabbed his saddlebag from his horse, and waited for a stable lad to come forth. Silas hadn’t come inside the walls yet and Declan wondered what kept him, but as he waited, he saw Anse walking toward him in a purposeful stride. There was a grimness in his expression which was unlike Anse because he had an easygoing nature.

“What goes, Anse? You look like ye are about to expire from grief.” His cousin wore a strange look. It wasn’t a frown, but he didn’t smile either.

“Glory be, what a day,” Anse said in a defeated tone. “I am dead on my feet.”

He would have laughed at his cousin’s disgruntlement, but Anse didn’t look as if he was in a teasing manner. “Is there trouble with the soldiers? Is the new training schedule thwarting ye?”

“Nay, ’tis nothing to do with the soldiers.”

Declan grunted. “Are ye going to tell me what troubles you or am I going to have to guess?”

“I met your bonny wife. ’Tis the truth, I never seen a fairer lass.”

“Aye? And what did ye think of her? Let me hear your praises now. Go on, get it over with. I did well, did I not?” Declan chuckled because although he teased his cousin, he had indeed gained a most pleasing wife.

“And she almost killed herself trying to save your lad.”

Declan turned toward him and almost bumped into him. “What say ye?”

“Your lad ran in front of a cart, and she saved him from getting run over. My heart leapt to my throat. Aye, I vow I could not get to her fast enough. God Almighty Himself intervened. If I had allowed her to be harmed on my watch, ye would have been full of wrath and never would have forgiven me. I, ah, well, I did not know ye had yet to tell her about Noah. I opened my big mouth, and she is aware of him now.”

“Aye, what else?” Declan sighed, knowing he would have had to tell Isabella about his son eventually. Yet he should have been the one to tell her about him. She shouldn’t have found out about the lad on her own.

“She seemed pleased that we have a chapel if that means anything to ye.”

He shrugged. “Aye, I supposed she might be a wee bit pious. At least there is that.”

“She misses ye.”

Declan stopped dead in his tracks. “Did she say that?”

“She did not have to. Ye need to spend some time with her, Declan. Ye needs to come clean and tell her about Leona and Noah. Why do ye not go off for a day or two? Get to know her. And whilst ye are at it, do what ye are avoiding. Remember, ’tis like riding a horse…ye never forget.” Anse snickered and shoved his shoulder with a jab of his fingers.

“I need to bathe in the loch, then I will see to her. Can you look after the clan whilst I am gone?” Declan continued onward back toward the gate.

“Don’t I always?” Anse said and laughed. “It would be my pleasure, Laird. I am envious of ye. Your wife is bonnier than ye let on and seems sweet-natured. God Almighty himself blessed ye with that woman. I bid ye to get on your knees and thank Him. Not only is she beautiful, but she’s courageous and has a tender heart. If ye do not want her, ye know that I would gladly take her off your hands. Hell, any man here in the Highlands would take her.”

Declan raised a brow. “Who says I do not want her? Of course, I do. Go on, get back to your duties. Wait, before ye go… Will ye bring her to the loch? I am going to spend the night at my grandda’s cabin.” He didn’t wait for Anse’s answer but left his cousin, whose laughter alerted all within hearing distance of his mirth. Declan marched with quick steps toward the loch beyond the wall. As he disrobed, he peered at the water and his chest tightened at remembrances that long plagued him. The day Leona drowned swarmed his mind with dreadful memories, and he could do nothing to shake the images away.

There was nothing to do about it except continue living in spite of her death. With that thought in mind, he dove into the cold loch. The deep water never seemed to warm no matter the time of year. Between the frigid temperature and the memories of Leona’s death, Declan only stayed in the water long enough to clean himself. He rushed through washing as if the frigidness was grasping hands trying to pull him into the depths as it had Leona.

Once done, he raced from the water and rummaged through his saddlebag for the clean garments he’d placed there for his sojourn to Campbell land. He redressed and waited for Isabella and hoped she didn’t take too long. Declan didn’t much like spending time near the loch and only did so to bathe.

Isabella finally came along, guided by Anse. When his cousin saw him, he bowed to Isabella and turned, leaving them alone.

“Wife.” He’d been away from her less than a day, and Lord, how he missed her. She appeared saddened or distraught about something. Then he remembered what Anse had told him. Declan had much to confess to her. He only hoped that he could explain without becoming emotional.

“Good eve, Husband . Anse said you wanted to see me?” Isabella stood with her hands by her side. She dressed in a fashionable gown of the type worn by the ladies by the border. Though it looked becoming on her, it was too grand a garment to be worn here in the north. It was elegant but far too impractical. It also did little to warm her and provided no protection from the brisk winds.

“This place…” he began, but his throat grew thick trying to come up with the words to begin explaining what had happened. The memories flooded him, all of them terrible and overwhelming. “This place holds disheartening memories for me.”

She stepped toward him. “It’s beautiful here. How can such a place hold such memories for you?” Isabella’s demeanor seemed cold except for the warmth in her eyes as she beheld the scenery around them and the beauty of his land. He suspected her attitude had more to do with his failures. She was angry, rightly so, and felt deceived, but she was willing to forgive him. “Tell me.”

“I shall tell ye, but later. Come, I wish to show ye something.” Declan delayed making his confession for the simple reason that he needed more time to reason how to begin. He needed to explain and intended to and hoped the words would come to him. He held out his hand and she took it. Touching her again brought such a sense of peace to him. He couldn’t account for it, but his mood lightened, and the horrid remembrances were held at bay for now. He held onto her fingers as if she’d given him the only salvation he needed.

“Where are we going?” She tightened her hold on his hand. Somehow, his beautiful, smart wife had read his mind.

“To the other side of the loch.”

They ambled through the trees that touched the edges of the loch and eventually made their way around to the other side. Birdsong surrounded them, and the breeze that whispered through the branches overhead sounded almost like music as the scent of the pine trees filled his nostrils. His sense of peace grew as the beauty of the area surrounded them.

The stone cottage sat amid the pine trees. A thick layer of the trees’ needles sat atop its sloped roof. The windows were covered with wooden shutters and the wooden door had been newly replaced and painted at Declan’s direction prior to his arrest. “This was my grandda’s cabin. He and my grandmother lived here for a time before he passed. She now lives within the walls, where it is safer for her.”

“I see…”

“As a lad, I spent a good bit of time here with my grandda. I come here when I want to be alone, sometimes to ponder decisions, or if something is troubling me. I can think here.”

She smiled at him. “It’s your sanctuary much like the chapel is mine.”

“Aye, I suppose it is. I want you to stay with me here because…” He didn’t know how to broach the subject of his dead wife and son. Declan opened the door to the cabin and waved her inside. “There are things we should discuss. Anse told me what happened earlier this day and that you saved my lad.” He set his saddlebag near the bed, tossed in a few logs and a hunk of peat into the hearth, and started a fire. The small cabin was chilly but would soon warm.

Isabella crossed the one-room cabin and turned. “Oh, he did. Yes, I met your son. Why didn’t you tell me about him?”

“His name is Noah. Come, sit, and I will explain,” he said and motioned to her. Declan sat at the small table, and she took the chair near his and faced him. He disliked the furrow of her brow. Hopefully, she would understand.

“You should have told me, Declan. What is there to explain? He is your son. That is all you should have told me. And perhaps why he does not live in your dwelling or with you.” Isabella folded her hands and set them on her lap. “A lad should have the guidance of his father. You abandoned him. That tells me much about you.” Her tone implied that she’d judged him most dreadfully.

“I did no such thing,” Declan said incredulously. He knew enough about women to grasp that she was a wee bit angry with him. Well deserved, he supposed. “I find it difficult to talk about. Years ago, I married a woman named Leona to unite our clans. She was a Campbell. We were happy for a time and had a son. When Leona died… Noah was about to turn four in years… Leona drowned at that spot by the loch, where ye found me. That is why that place holds disheartened memories for me. I lost part of my life that day. I mourned her for a long time—”

“As you should have.”

“That day when I found her… I could not believe she’d drowned. The worst part was that our son witnessed her death. Something happened to Noah that day, for he has not spoken since and he has not been able to hear either. It might be a good thing that he cannot speak because I imagine he is troubled by what he saw.” Declan sighed about revealing his past when he had only ever wanted to forget the heart-rending situations.

Isabella stood and reached him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tightly. “I am so sorry you bore such heartache. You cared for her, your wife?”

“Aye, we got on well after we were married. I thought we would have a good life together. I never understood how it happened.”

She smoothed a hand over his cheek. “Worry not because I am a good swimmer.”

“So was she. Leona was a good swimmer and grew up near a loch. That spot at the loch is where she would bathe Noah. It made no sense then and even less now.” Declan leaned his head on her shoulder and was eased by her compassion.

“What a dreadful happening.”

He continued, “When she died… Soon after, my father passed to the hereafter, and I had many responsibilities calling me. I could not look after Noah because he was a handful, especially when he couldn’t and wouldn’t speak, an active child who doesn’t hear commands. My grandmother offered to keep him with her. He stays with her in her cottage. She makes sure he is fed, clean, and kept out of trouble. Although, he is an energetic whip, and my grandmother is aging. Noah might be too much for her to handle.”

Isabella set her hand on his head and petted his hair. “I am sorry, Declan, because I misjudged you. And I am sorry that your wife died and that you mourn her. Your son is young and definitely lively from what I saw.”

“Aye,” he said and kept her in his embrace. “I worry for him because he cannot hear. There is naught I can do to help him. What kind of life will he have? He cannot be a soldier.”

“He can be anything he wants to be. I would be happy to look after him if you will allow me.” She caressed his neck and smoothed her hand over his shoulder. The compassion in her touch lightened him.

Declan pulled back from her, looked into her eyes, and noted the sincerity in her gaze. “If ye wish to do so, I will not object. But ye must meet my grandmother first. She will want to know ye will see to him if that is what ye want.”

“I do. He is now my son, and I shall make sure he is cared for. It is the least I can do to honor Leona’s memory.” She paused a moment. “Why do you hide from your family? I met your brothers and sister. Your mother seems to have all in hand though.”

“I dislike having to deal with their petty issues when I have the weight of the clan to see to. I have enough to deal with regarding clan matters, soldiers, and protection. And she is my stepmother, not my mother.”

“Are you not fond of her?” Isabella asked.

Declan shrugged. “I suppose I am fond of her, but she was my da’s second wife. I had little interaction with her and only after my wife died did she come forward to offer her assistance with my siblings. They seem to care for Helena and so I do not involve myself with them too much.” It struck him that Isabella’s situation was identical to Helena’s, but his wife was more warmhearted than his stepmother. Helena had often reproached him when she first married his father. Fortunately, Declan had already begun his training and stayed in the barracks.

“Oh, I understand. I shall try to win their favor even though they seem to dislike me.” She lowered her face.

He pressed her chin upward. “Isabella, no one could ever dislike you.”

“So you don’t dislike me either?” Her pitiful tone alerted him that’s what had bothered her.

“Hell, nay. I chose ye, did I not? You are the only woman the king offered who appealed to me.” Declan grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. He settled her on his lap and leaned his head on her shoulder. Her body was tense, and he rubbed his hand over her back to try to ease her. “’Tis the truth, I am far from versed in wooing a woman. I do not want to disappoint ye though. You are so bonny and I—”

“Shhh. Don’t say that, Declan. I want you as you are. You do not need to be anything but yourself. I could care less about wooing, courtly ways, or poetic verses. You already have me so there is no point to court me.”

“True enough. Then kiss me, Wife, for I want ye like no other.”

Isabella set her lips upon his and as soon as their lips met, all the tension ebbed from his shoulders. Declan held her face and continued to kiss her. He liked the way she responded as her tongue gently prodded his. Her hands held onto his shoulders, and he embraced her with his arm around her back. With his free hand, he petted her hair and was awed by the softness of her tresses.

Declan kept his mouth on hers but lifted her in his arms and crossed the small cabin to the bed. He gently placed her in the center and then pulled back his mouth. Her eyes shone with desire and her gaze stayed on him as he removed the outer layer of his tartan. He couldn’t disrobe fast enough for her because she knelt beside him and helped him remove his belt and lower tartan.

“You are handsome, Declan. Very pleasing on my eyes,” she said huskily.

“Not as bonny as ye are.” He set a quick kiss on her lips. “Now let us remove that gown for I know ye will be just as lovely beneath it.” His hands fumbled with the ties of the bodice and back. Once he had it loosened enough, he pressed the fabric to fall from her shoulders. She wore a silken shift beneath, but he saw the hue of her nipples under the material. The sight of her full, soft breasts with just enough flesh ceased his breath. He set a hand just below them and caressed the soft skin of her torso.

She gasped. “Your hands are cold.”

He found his first smile. “Aye, sorry.” Declan rubbed his hands together and breathed on them to warm his palms, and then set his hand back on her breast. “Better?”

Isabella sucked in her breath as she nodded, then began to untie his tunic. She pressed his tunic upward, over the confines of his abdomen and chest, and removed it. With her hands splayed, she roamed them over his skin. Her touch ignited raw passion within him. It had been too long since he had been touched with such affection, and how he missed being with a woman. He let her have ample time to explore his body, but her touches excited him, and his body responded. Neither spoke. Declan couldn’t take his gaze from her lovely face as she watched him in return.

“I have never been with a man…”

He shifted her back upon the bed and finished undressing. “As it should be. No other will ever touch ye but me, your husband.” He was gladdened by that. “Worry not, Isabella, we will take it slow.”

“But I do not want to wait. Tell me what to do.”

Declan grinned. He’d married a woman who knew what she wanted. That she wanted him pleased him more than he could have hoped for. He knelt next to her and slid the rough palm of his hand over her bare leg. Her creamy skin was as soft and delicate as heather petals. His hand meandered up her body, over her curvaceous hip, over her torso, between the valley of her breasts. He leaned forward and set his mouth on her erect nipple. The sensation drew her gasp and his smile. Declan took his sweet time, enjoying the thrill of hopefully filling her with desire.

Isabella stroked his hair and pressed her hands over his back. He liked her touch. With each passing second, his body grew more rigid, and a fervor to take her swarmed within him. His manhood throbbed and he wanted desperately to join with her. But he reminded himself that she was a virgin with no experience. He had to take it slow, mind-numbingly slow.

“This feels nice,” she said and pulled his face to look at her.

Declan set his nose next to hers and placed kisses on her face. His breath hastened and he closed his eyes, trying to maintain a little self-control. But it was lost on him as his hand found its way to her center. He pressed his finger inside her sheath and felt the heat of her insides. Lord, she was wet, warm, and probably too tight. The thought of being inside her forced a groan from his lips as lust wove its way through him.

“What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.

“I am readying ye, lass. I do not want to hurt ye.”

“You won’t. Promise me you won’t. I don’t want to be a coward…”

“Never.” He stared into her darkening blue eyes and nodded. But damn, he probably would end up hurting her. She was too soft and delicate, and he was too hard and brawny. Declan continued to tease her vagina, delving his fingers and gently caressing her, stroking her with intentional movements. “Can ye not tell how much I want ye?” He shifted her hand to feel his hard length.

Isabella wrapped her fingers around his shaft and gasped. “Your skin is hot.”

“Aye, I burn for ye.” Declan kissed her hard with a purposeful touch to instigate her passion, and as he did so, she continued to fondle his manhood, further hardening him. He pulled her hand away, certain if he allowed her to continue, he would expire long before he wanted to.

“You are hard everywhere,” she said and caressed his arm with her palm.

“Aye, and ye are exquisite.” Declan lay on his side and faced her. He took a moment to settle his racing heart. It clashed madly against his chest. Isabella pressed him onto his back and leaned over him. He lifted the locks of her hair and set them behind her shoulder. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his racing pulse.

“Declan, is it supposed to feel this strange?”

He opened his eyes and grinned. “Aye, lass, and it gets even better.”

“I cannot imagine so because this is wonderful.” She sighed and placed her lips on his neck, then his face, then his chest.

Declan had hoped to take it slowly, but she was making it damned difficult. He pressed her back and shifted himself between her legs. With as much care as he could maintain, he slid into her. Her warmth surrounded his length and he moaned at the tremendous sensation of being inside her. Isabella’s passage tightly encased his erection. Pulses of her desire urged him onward. It took a great will not to thrust hard and give over to the call of his need.

Isabella huffed and pushed at his shoulder. “This doesn’t feel so appealing, Declan.”

He froze. “I know, lass, but do not move just yet. The pain will ease.”

“I think I want you to get off me.”

“Not yet, love.” He set his forehead on her shoulder and took another deep breath. Everything in that moment stilled, and with them joined, he realized the importance of it. “It will ease, love. I promise ye will enjoy it.”

She wrapped her arms around his torso and closed her eyes. “Please…be hasty. I am not afeared of pain if it is over quickly…”

But the last thing Declan wanted was to have it end before it even began. He inched slowly from her and then with as much gentleness as he possessed, he eased into her again. With each thrust, she inhaled and huffed until she lessened her grip on him. He took it as a sign that she was, at last, enjoying their lovemaking.

“Do ye like this, love?” He rasped out, purposely jerking his arse to propel him inside her.

“Declan, it…feels…”

“Wondrous?” he finished for her.

“Oh, yes, wondrous. Keep doing that.” She drew in a breath that spurred him to action.

He thrust harder, deliberately, and each time she met him. Their joining swarmed him with lust and her with desire. Declan’s control crumbled as he drove into her repeatedly, but she was just as wild and shifted her hips eagerly. He gritted his teeth knowing that he would soon expire from the fervor of their passion. Declan continued to splay kisses on her face as he persuaded her body to give him what he most wanted—her climax. Isabella gripped his arms and pressed her knees against his hips. She cried out as the first wave of pleasure overtook her.

Declan smiled knowing that soon, she’d be completely undone. He kept with the motion of their joining and didn’t let up, tauntingly entering her, and withdrawing. As he pressed against her, she moaned and wept. He kissed her lips gently, to let her know she was safe. Isabella opened her eyes and smiled at him, her eyes shimmering with tears.

He released the control he’d enforced upon himself and rammed himself into her. His body had a will of its own, becoming vastly inhibited by his need. There was no controlling his unhinged desire. When his climax came, it immobilized him to the point that every part of him froze. He shouted as he expelled his seed into her, and his legs shook with such intensity, that he couldn’t help but growl. The impact of their joining caused his heart to beat so madly that he gasped for breath. He fell next to her, pressed his hands over his face, and groaned.

“Declan? Are you…all right?”

He grinned but couldn’t answer, so he nodded. It took many minutes for his body to settle, his breath to lighten, and his mind to accept what had just happened betwixt them. Not only was Isabella beautiful, but she was alluring as hell.

There was more to her than beauty. She was kindhearted in offering to look after Noah. Her generous nature affected him, and she was beginning to matter to him even though she’d been his wife for such little time.

Declan had to wonder if his heart already softened toward her. It had taken less than a sennight for her to wedge her way into his heart. There seemed to be enough room in his heart for vengeance and for Isabella. Perhaps he even loved her. From the moment he had seen her in the king’s antechamber, he was awed by her—the outspoken and bonny lass who had teased him. Even so, there was much to learn about her, and he wanted to know every detail: what pleased her, what displeased her, how she spent her days, and what was important to her.

When he glanced at Isabella, he noticed she had her eyes closed. He reached for the saddlebag, pulled out a flask, and took a sip to wet his throat, and then set it on the table by the bed. Relieved the telling was over, the weight of his confessions eased. He should have known Isabella would be accepting because she had such a tender heart.

Declan placed a soft kiss on her lips, yanked the blanket from the end of the bed, and covered them. His sweet wife was already asleep. He settled next to her, threw his arm over her torso possessively, and closed his eyes. Everything would be well now that they’d come together.