Page 49 of Kilgannon #1

A LEX AND I WERE VERY CONSIDERATE OF EACH OTHER FOR weeks, as though we could shatter the fragile peace between us with the wrong word or deed.

But there was, though we continued to share a bed, little passion.

After our explosion we both had retreated into courtesy, and while part of me was relieved, part of me missed the intensity of our former relationship.

He was careful to tell me most of what happened each day, and I did the same, although there was little of consequence to tell.

The weather continued fair and warm, and the second planting was done with little delay.

Everyone in the glen helped with the planting, and I carried food to the workers as they sowed the entire length of Loch Gannon.

Arable land was scarce and the MacGannons made use of every bit of it.

Alex let the tacksmen and crofters tend their own fields as they would, but the land that belonged to him he oversaw himself.

This was, he’d explained, not his favorite duty, but an important one, and he spent hours on the far side of the loch where the land rose in gentle waves before sharply rising to meet the mountains.

It was there that the oats and barley were sown and there that I would go and find my husband.

And Angus, Matthew, and Malcolm as well.

And there that I first saw the ruins of the house where Angus had lived with his Mairi, the house he’d pulled down with Alex’s help after Mairi died and Angus swore he’d never live in it again.

And it was there, on a breezy beautiful day when the air was so clear it almost hurt to look across the water, that Malcolm made his first overture to me.

The evenings we spent in the library had grown more comfortable and we laughed more than before, which pleased us all.

Knowing Malcolm was leaving made all of us more tolerant of him.

On this day, while I stood with Ellen and watched the men, stripped to their kilts, their backs growing brown as they worked in the welcome sunshine, Malcolm came to stand next to me.

“I have a favor to ask of ye, Mary,” he said.

“Oh?” I was polite but could hear the wary note in my voice.

“Aye.” His gaze followed mine to where Alex stood up the hill with a tight knot of men, wiping his brow with the back of his hand and gesturing to the field as they talked. “Ye ken I’mto marry and go to Glonmor with Sibeal,” Malcolm said, shifting his gaze to me.

“Yes,” I said, still watching Alex.

“Aye, well …” He paused, and for a moment he sounded so like his brother that I glanced sharply at him.

But there was no smirk this time, no conscious imitating of Alex, and I relaxed.

They are brothers, I reminded myself, and if he can look like Alex, then he can sound like him as well. I must be more receptive.

“My favor is this,” said Malcolm as his blue eyes found mine, his tone charming.

“Alex tells me yer a wonder with the accounts. Would ye show me what I need to learn before I go to Clonmor so that I can manage better this time? Ye ken I did not do so well the last time I was handling business affairs?” His grin was infectious and I felt my reserve thawing.

“I will be handling my own money this time, ye see, and I’d like not to make such a muddle of it.

” I nodded, careful not to speak. The comments that had sprung to mind would all sound bitter, and I had only suspicions, no proof.

I watched him watch Alex. This is your brother-in-law, Mary, I told myself, and if there is a rift i nthis family, you will not cause it.

So I nodded and smiled and told Malcolm that of course I would teach him what little I knew.

And I did. Some of our evenings and many afternoons were spent poring over Kilgannon’s accounts while I showed him what were the easiest and clearest ways to record all the earnings and expenses.

He was an apt student. Sometimes I even forgot that I did not like him, and we would spend hours in amiable conversation, Alex watching us.

The days flew by, and while I could not bring myself to say I was fond of Malcolm, I was pleased to have peace between us.

And then one afternoon, when the two of us were alone in the library, Malcolm made his second overture.

I was showing him how the expenses were recorded for each ship and each voyage, but he was not looking at the page.

“Here, Malcolm,” I said, pointing.

“How can I pay attention when ye look so beautiful, Mary?” He brushed a fallen lock of hair off my shoulder and leaned toward me. I was caught off guard and stared at him. He leaned closer and nuzzled my neck, and I jumped up, knocking over the chair.

“No,” I said as I backed away, but he was unfazed. He shrugged and smiled at me as he leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. It was an Alex gesture and I stared at him, wondering what to do next.

“It’s yer fault, Mary,” Malcolm drawled. “Ye are exquisite. No wonder Alex pursued ye.”

I looked at him through narrowed eyes. “The lessons are over,” I snapped, moving to the desk and slamming the ledger.

Malcolm stood with slow, deliberate movements, stretched, and left with a backward glance that included a sly smile.

It was hours before I realized that he’d made his overture when we were looking at the Diana ’ s ledger and days before I realized the ledger was now missing.

I never told Alex, though I wrestled with it, recognizing that by keeping my silence I was now doing what I had chastised him for .

I could see no useful purpose for the telling.

Malcolm would be leaving soon and that would solve the problem.

I had no illusions that Malcolm had found me so attractive that he could not control himself.

It was quite simple. He had not wanted to discuss the Diana.

This must have been how he had ensnared Sibeal, I thought, outrageous lies and a smooth manner.

Malcolm and Sibeal were married in a festive celebration on Skye, the MacDonald playing host and every MacDonald within a fifty-mile radius attending.

MacDonnells and the Maclean brothers were there as well.

Never let it be said, Sir Donald had told me during the wedding feast, that MacDonald of Sleat was not a generous man.

I told him it could never be said, and he roared with laughter.

But I had spoken the truth. The food was lavish and the entertainment lively.

All that was missing was a loving bridegroom.

I was not the only one to notice that Malcolm seemed more concerned with his own comforts than his bride’s and that he left her alone for long periods while he drank or danced with other guests.

Alex and I ignored Malcolm’s behavior and danced until we could not take another step, then headed to a quiet spot to catch our breath.

On our way we were cornered by a man who talked loudly of James Stewart.

Alex listened for a moment before excusing us and moving on.

“Kilgannon,” the man shouted. “Ye should be listening. Ye ken that Queen Anne has designated Sophia as the Electorate and that if peace is signed and the French agree, then James Stewart will not sit on the throne? A German will.”

“I know that well, MacDonald,” said Alex, turning back to him. “This is not new, ye ken, man.”

The man nodded. “Aye, but it’s closer than before, lad. Will ye no’ drink with me to the king over the water?” He raised his glass high, the Jacobite toast hanging in the air.

“I have no glass, MacDonald. Ye can drink for me.” Alex nodded and pulled me away.

“Welcome to Jacobite territory, lass,” he said in a low tone as we threaded our way through the crowd then stood for a moment watching the celebration.

Even Angus danced with abandon, his face flushed with laughter.

Malcolm and Sibeal were leading the couples, and Seamus was right behind them, Lorna on his arm.

Alex smiled and led me to a quiet corner on the far side of the room, where he sank into a chair next to me.

“Just like yer aunt’s drawing room in London, aye, lass? ”

“Not entirely.” I smiled and then turned back to the room.

Men in plaids and velvet spun women in silk around, the bright colors of their clothing lit by hundreds of candles in the chandeliers overhead.

MacDonald of Sleat’s home had been, like so many of these structures, originally a fortress and it still retained many of those features, but this hall was alive tonight with music and light, and the dancers in their finery enjoyed the huge room with not a thought of its history.

I turned to find Alex watching me. He looked wonderful tonight, his blond hair tied simply back, the dark blue of the jacket emphasizing his eyes.

“Ye look like a goddess tonight, Mary Rose,” he said tenderly, and brushed my hair back from my bare shoulder, his fingers lingering on my skin.

I tried not to remember Malcolm using the same gesture, but when I saw the desire in Alex’s eyes I forgot his brother.

This was the man I’d met in Louisa’s ballroom, the man who had so entranced me then.

And now, more than a year later, I was still captivated. I felt the desire flair between us.

“I am happy,” I said quietly, and took his hand in mine behind my skirts. He lifted my hand and held it to his mouth.

“As I am, lass, as we always will be. I kent from the start.”

“I was thinking of the night we met.”

He met my eyes. “So was I.”

“You’re even more handsome now.”

He laughed and put our joined hands between us. “I knew with the proper guidance ye’d be worth my efforts.”

“Worth your efforts?” I stared at him .

” He grinned at me. “Speechless. It’s so easy.”