Page 58 of Claimed Highland Brides

13

ANNOUNCEMENTS

A ileen smoothed down her burgundy gown, the black velvet sash cinched around her waist. Her hair was swept up in a bun, and she had on pearl earbobs and a black opal necklace.

I do look well if I do say so myself .

With a deep sigh, she made her way downstairs to the dining hall. There was a short silence as she appeared in the doorway, and then everyone began speaking at once.

“Aileen! Ye look sae beautiful. What is the occasion?” Maisie asked, getting to her feet and going over to hug Aileen.

Aileen smiled as she pulled Maisie tight to her before letting her go. “No occasion. I’m just used to dressing for dinner seeing as I’ve been among civilized folk for a few days.”

“Aha!” Maisie slapped her gently on the arm. “Ye think ye’re funny.”

She was replaced by her twin sister in Aileen’s arms, and then ùna threw herself into her sister’s arms.

“I missed ye.”

“I missed ye too, button.” Aileen squeezed her close and let her go, smiling widely, all nervousness gone. She spotted Barclay and his cousins standing to the side and smiling at the reunion. She smiled back at him and his own widened before he stepped forward, pulling out a chair for her.

She sat down as her sisters resumed their seats, and Barclay took a seat beside her. There was silence while everyone watched them as they made a pretense of eating.

Fiona put down her spoon and fixed them with a jaundiced eye. “Alrigh’ then. Clearly, something is going on here that ye’re no’ telling us.”

Aileen took a deep breath. “Ye cannae just let us work up to it, eh?” she asked drily.

Fiona shook her head. “Spill it.”

Aileen exchanged glances with Barclay. “We’re marrit,” she said starkly.

The ensuing silence was deafening.

“I beg yer pardon?” Daividh said.

“We got marrit in Edinburgh, or rather handfasted, in order to convince the governor to help us oot,” Barclay said.

“Ye marrit my sister for yer own ends!” Fiona screeched.

“No, no, it wasnae like tha’,” Aileen tried to soothe her, waving her hands in denial. “We had awready spoken o’ it. But what wi’ Barclay’s grandfather whispering in the governor’s ear, we had tae do something…”

Fiona’s eyes almost bugged out of her head as she shot to her feet. “So ye marrit him? Did he force ye?” she growled.

“No!” Aileen could see that the conversation was spinning out of control. She looked helplessly at Barclay, hoping he would do something. He took a deep breath and smiled.

“Perhaps we are not explaining things well. What Aileen meant to say is that before we left here, we had discussed the prospect of marriage at some point in the future. Once we were presented with a situation in which it would be advantageous for us to be wed, we decided not to wait, on the advice of my solicitor.”

Fiona looked at Aileen. “And ye were agreeable to this?”

Aileen nodded. “O’ course.”

“Why?”

Aileen gasped, not having expected anyone to ask so baldly. She looked to Barclay who simply looked helplessly back. “I…” She exhaled, closing her eyes. “I’ve always felt responsible for him, ever since he came to us, newly orphaned. I didnae have any prospects anyway, and it seemed a good match.”

“Ye have plenty of prospects!” Jamesina objected, looking quite offended on her behalf.

Aileen smiled. “Thank ‘e for the vote of confidence, Jamsie, but I think I ken better than ye. It was to everyone’s advantage for me to marry Barclay. He will make me a guid husband.” She reached out and covered his hand, which lay on the table. He turned his hand and clasped hers.

“I will.”

Fiona looked from one to the other as her other siblings waited to hear her verdict. “Ye’re sure o’ this?” Her voice was gentle, and her eyes were soft as she looked at Aileen.

“Aye.”

Fiona sat back with a sigh. “Vera weel then. May I be the first to offer ye my congratulations then.”

“Thank ‘e.” Aileen smiled.

Daividh got to his feet. “A toast to the newlyweds!” He lifted up his glass of whisky. “Slainte!”

“Slainte!” the room echoed in response.

The servants brought in the smoked pheasant, and everyone tucked in happily, and for some time, there was hardly any conversation. As dessert was brought in, however, Barclay cleared his throat. “As we are so newly family, I hesitate to bring this up, but time is of the essence.”

Daividh blinked at him. “D’ye mean the matter ye wanted to speak wi’ me aboot?”

“Aye.”

“Go ahead, then.” Daividh gestured for him to continue.

Barclay took a deep breath. “I mun’ arrange a meeting wi’ my step-uncle and see wha’ conditions he will come up wi’ to leave my home. But I mun meet him wi’ sufficient force to be persuasive in my argument, ye ken?”

Daividh nodded. “Ye want to borrow some o’ our men.”

“Aye.”

“Have you spoken with your uncle? Has he agreed to meet with you?” Delwyn asked.

Barclay shook his head. “I intend to send him a letter in the morning.”

“Verra weel. We shall wait to hear his reply, and once that is done, we shall plan,” Daividh chimed in.

“Aye, that seems like a plan.”

“Good.” Fiona nodded resolutely. “In the meantime, we can have ourselves a little celebration of your marriage.”

* * *

To his surprise, a reply to Barclay’s letter was delivered by midday the day after he sent his own.

“Gilroy has agreed to meet me at a neutral location,” he informed Daividh. “He says we should converge at Drumacree, at the house of the ‘widow.’” Barclay looked up with a furrowed brow. “Do ye ken this widow?”

Daividh nodded thoughtfully. “I believe I do. I am surprised that yer uncle would choose her abode for a meeting, however.”

“Why is that?”

Daividh looked away. “If’n it is the same woman, she is known as something of a witch.”

“Hmmph. My uncle is a superstitious man. He has always been known to be so.”

“If it is Aifric, that is good because she can be trusted not to allow him to try anything underhanded,” Jamesina said.

Barclay nodded his understanding. “Good.” He turned to Daividh. “Shall we set oot in the morning?”

“Aye. Fiona and I will join ye and Aileen, and we will take a small retinue of men.”

“What of us?” Diego pointed between himself and his brother.

“’Tis best ye stay here. We dinnae want to give him any reason for hostility, ye ken?”

Diego nodded. “Very well. We shall wait here.”

Barclay turned to Aileen. “Are ye agreeable wi’ these arrangements?”

She turned to him, surprised to have been asked. “O’ course. I am happy.”

He nodded curtly. “Good.”

* * *

Once the meal was had, the men retired to the study for brandy while the women gathered in the parlor. Fiona leaned in to speak in Aileen’s ear. “I see ye havenae moved into yer husband’s room. Why’s tha?”

“We havenae discussed it yet.”

“Why not?”

Aileen shrugged. “There hasnae been time, I suppose. We’ve been running hither and thither…” She gave Fiona a helpless look. “He hasnae said…”

Fiona’s eyes narrowed. “Do ye no’ want to sleep wi’ him?”

Aileen’s shoulders slumped. “Our marriage isnae like yers or Jamesina’s. We already”—she lowered her voice considerably—“consummated. So is there really a need to sleep together?”

“Oh, Aileen…” Fiona sounded quite despairing. “What have ye gotten yersel’ into?”

“He is a guid man!”

“I didnae say he wasnae.”

“But ye think I ha’ gotten myself into something. I havenae. I’m quite happy.”

Fiona leaned back, resignation in every line on her face. “If ye say so, lass. But if ye need to talk aboot anything, I am here.”

“I ken tha’, Fee. Thank ‘e, but I dinnae need it.” Aileen looked away, feeling unreasonably annoyed at her sister’s concern. She had married Barclay in part to escape that feeling of being pitied by her siblings. It was infuriating to find that it was still there. She got abruptly to her feet. “I am going to bed. Guidnight,” she announced before flouncing out of the room. Fiona sighed.

* * *

A knock on her door later in the night jolted Aileen out of a nightmare, and she sat up in bed, staring at the door. “Who is it?”

“’Tis yer husband. May I come in?”

Aileen blinked a few more times. “Sure.”

The knob turned, and Barclay stuck his head in, grinning broadly. “Ye went to bed wi’out so much as a guidnight.”

I didn’t think you’d care .

“I’m sorry. I didnae think…” She trailed off uncertainly.

Barclay bounced into the room, closing the door behind him. “I suppose this is all very new for both of us. ’Tis like learning an entirely new way to be, I suppose.”

“Aye.”

He came and sat on the edge of her bed, smiling benignly at her. She was at a loss for words. In the back of her mind, she could not help but fret about what would happen should somebody find him in her chambers, only to remember that he was her husband and perfectly entitled to be there.

He reached out and grasped her ankle. “I should like to kiss ye guidnight. Maybe more.”

“More?” she rasped before clearing her throat.

“More,” he whispered before climbing onto the bed on all fours and stalking towards her like a panther in search of prey. She held her breath, watching him come, feeling as if he held her in thrall. He straddled her thighs, hands coming up to cup her cheeks. “May I?”

She nodded, not really understanding what he was asking for until his lips swooped down to press upon hers. She whimpered involuntarily as her hands came up to grasp his arms, holding on for dear life as he plundered her mouth.

She moaned as his tongue did battle with hers, shuddering as he suckled on her bottom lip and arching into him as he licked into her mouth again. If she was honest with herself, she had been dreaming of this, hoping it would happen again. To have him here with her, in her bed, was everything. He propelled her backward until she was lying flat, his weight atop her like a warm blanket.

She wriggled, savoring the feel of his hardness against her softness, and moaned in disappointment as he pulled back until she realized he was trying to get her shift off. Lifting off the bed to help him, she shivered as the cold air hit her naked skin, but only for a moment because he covered her again, his hands everywhere. She pulled at his shirt, wanting him as naked as she was, and he uttered a sound of impatience before sitting up again and pulling it off. He tore at his breeches, flinging them off together with his stockings and shoes.

He leaped onto her again, spreading her legs wide as he dived between them. She bit her lip to keep the squeal inside as she arched up into his mouth, embarrassed at her leaking wetness. He seemed to revel in it, however, making pleased sounds as he licked and sucked.

Then he was on top of her again, and his hardness was splitting her in two. She cried out as he plundered into her, again and again, showing no mercy and giving no quarter. She loved it.

She loved him .