Page 6 of Seduced By the Squire (Diamonds in the Rough #1)

“I think I will take a walk to the lake this morning,” Llinos announced, placing her eating knife down. “I lost an earring the day us ladies went last week. It might not be there but I wish to make sure.”

Lord Masterson raised his head from his bowl of frumenty. “You cannot go alone; it is not safe. The outlaws still have not been apprehended. They could be anywhere.”

She made a face, even though he had said precisely what she had wanted him to say. “Oh. Well, perhaps you could accompany me? Surely they will not dare attack a woman placed under such a powerful man’s protection?”

He tilted his head in acknowledgment of the compliment she had thought prudent to use to soften him up. “Indeed they would not. But alas, the bailiff is coming to see me today. The meeting was arranged days ago. I cannot possibly leave the castle.”

Of course Llinos knew that, otherwise she would not have asked him to go with her. The prospect of a ride with Lord Masterson was not an exciting one. His conversation was not what she would call stimulating and since the other day, when he had revealed his penchant for spying on people making love, she had been uncomfortable in his presence.

Still she pouted as if disappointed and dipped her fingers into the bowl of scented water.

“I dare not wait another day, in case it gets washed away or stolen… It is quite precious to me.” She sighed. “But if you say it isn’t safe to go unescorted then I suppose I shall just have to wait until someone is available to go with me.”

Lord Masterson looked at the door through which Duncan had just disappeared. Llinos started counting in her head, knowing she had timed her intervention well. When she reached four, he said the words she’d been hoping to hear all along.

“MacQuarrie is going to the village this morning on my behalf. It is just beyond the lake. He will escort you if you don’t mind making a small detour.”

She tilted her head in consideration. “Indeed not, and that way I can buy some new thread for my sewing while I’m there. ‘Tis the perfect solution, thank you.”

It was hard to hide her smile. People were so easily manipulated when one made sure to appear innocent and malleable. When she had heard Lord Masterson instruct his squire to go and see the brewer earlier, she had known he would not be going alone.

A moment later they were in the inner bailey. The sun was still hiding behind sliver-coloured clouds but the day promised to be glorious.

“MacQuarrie.” Lord Masterson called out to Duncan, who was saddling a sorrel gelding with quick, efficient gestures. Llinos let out a sigh of relief. They were just in time, he had not left yet. Even the most carefully laid out plans could sometimes go awry. “You won’t be needing the horse. You are to escort Lady Llinos to the lake on your way to the village and she told me that she preferred to walk.”

Of course she did. It would take them longer on foot. Had she been able to, she would have insisted they crawled there and back. She wanted to be with Duncan as long as possible.

As impassive as ever, Duncan nodded and set about removing the saddle from the gelding’s back. Llinos turned to Lord Masterson, eager to be alone with his squire.

“I wish you a good day, my lord.”

With a nod he left.

A moment later she and Duncan walked out of the gate .

“When did ye decide to go to the lake?” Duncan asked, keeping his gaze on the path ahead. “Before or after Masterson asked me to go to the village?”

She smiled. “During.”

He gave a snort, as if he had expected no less from her. “Ye’re a wee minx.”

“And you’re…”

“Aye?” Abruptly he stopped and planted himself in front of her, all brooding intent. “Tell me, lass. What am I exactly?”

“Tall,” she croaked.

A corner of his mouth lifted. The mouth that had coaxed such pleasure out of her the other day. It was impossible to look at his lips without thinking of where they had been. She swallowed hard as her centre started throbbing in remembrance.

“I’m tall. Is that all I am?”

“No. You’re also very broad.”

“Be careful, lass. Ye’re starting to sound like Lady Janet,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Next ye’ll demand that I carry yer wee bag and tell me that I’m strong.”

“Well, you are strong,” she said in a breath.

“I’ll tell ye what I am if ye really want to ken. I’m a bastard,” he said, the word cutting harshly through the banter.

“No!” Was he berating himself for his behaviour the day before? Did he think he had been too forward and deserved to be punished? They had agreed he would take her maidenhead but perhaps he thought she would have preferred it if he’d done it in the normal way. She did not. What had happened had been too spectacular for her to regret anything. “I… You know I wanted you to… Well… You did not take advantage of me!”

“Aye, I ken that, lass, and I would ne’er do anything like that,” he said, shaking his head. “But I mean, I’m truly a bastard, born out of wedlock.”

She blinked. Why would he tell her that now? “Oh, I see,” she said, feeling at a loss.

They walked some more until Duncan started to explain. “My father was a commoner. My mother was a laird’s daughter, from clan McDonald. Her father had high hopes of a good marriage for her.”

“Oh no.” Llinos’ heart sank. She had a feeling she knew where this was going. Was Duncan the result of a rape?

But once again he surprised her. The man truly was unpredictable, one of the many things she liked about him .

“She took a fancy to my father as soon as they met and pursued him until he gave in,” he carried on without looking at her. “Not that it took much persuasion, I imagine. There is only so much teasing a man of twenty-five summers can take from a beautiful woman before he loses control, whoever she is, however unwise it is.”

The slanted look he threw her made her waver on her feet. She distinctively remembered him telling her he was five and twenty just a few days ago. And she knew he found her beautiful, it was clear from the way he looked at her. He was effectively telling her that it was no wonder he had given in to her demand, however unwise it was. Her heart sank. She was not special in any way, nor did he sympathise with her predicament, he was simply a virile young man finding it impossible to resist his bodily urges and he had done what anyone else would have done in his place.

“I guess that her parents never accepted the affair?” she asked quietly.

“Affair?” Duncan snorted as if the word did not describe what had happened. “They ne’er found out about the ‘affair’, or the fact that it resulted in a bairn. Neither did my father. He was a minstrel, ye ken, and had been hired to play music at a gathering. After a few days of entertainment, the troop left the castle. And he didn’t realise he’d left the beautiful lady with child. ”

“But then how…” Llinos closed her mouth. It was not her place to ask questions.

Duncan’s lips twisted as if her inability to keep her comments to herself amused him and carried on with his explanation. “Later that year the MacDonald’s daughter disappeared for a few months under the pretext of visiting a sickly cousin on the Isle of Mull. When the babe was born she handed him to nuns and rushed back to the castle to marry the man she had been promised to all along, a wealthy clan chief.”

Silence fell in the forest around them, only broken by the sound of their feet stomping on leaves. Llinos’ stomach was churning with nausea. A well-born lady betrothed to a rich lord going to a handsome commoner for a few nights of pleasure and then disposing of him when she’d had what she wanted out of him… The story sounded too familiar for comfort.

“My father told me ne’er to trust nobles. They only take what they want and discard ye once they are finished wi’ye.”

She couldn’t answer because of course she had planned to do just that. Once Sir Benedict was back, he would be told she was not a virgin. Then, hopefully, he would break off the engagement and as soon as she was free, she would leave Pitcairn Castle – and Duncan – behind.

It had never been her intention to hurt him but how had she not anticipated that it would make him feel used and soiled?

“I-I’m so sorry,” she stammered, feeling suitably chastened. “I never thought beyond these few weeks and ensuring the wedding never took place. But I see now that I should never have — ”

“Dinnae fash yerself,” Duncan cut her embarrassed apology short. “’Tis not the same. Ye were honest wi’me. I kent from the start where I stood. Ye told me what ye wanted from me, and why. Ye didn’t pretend to be attracted to me or anything of the sort.”

He made a derisory sound, as if to indicate he thought such a thing would be impossible. Oh, if only he knew! She had been attracted to him from the first. Now she might well have gone from attracted to infatuated. And he had not bedded her yet! There was no telling what she would feel once he had.

Would it not be wiser to stop seeing him now? What she had wanted to achieve had been achieved. She was no longer the virtuous bride Sir Benedict needed and she had the means to prove it. Although admittedly she had not bedded anyone yet and was in no danger of birthing a bastard child, all her betrothed would see was that she had lied about her virginity. After this betrayal he would be unable to trust her ever again.

Yes, she had done enough to get her betrothal cancelled and the wise thing would be to put an end to what she was doing with Duncan. But she might as well decide to stop breathing. The handsome Scot intrigued her more than ever, which was no wonder after what he had done to her. But it was not only his beauty and skill in pleasuring a woman that drew her to him. Now that he had shared his story with her, she wanted to know all there was to know about him. So many questions remained unanswered… For one, if he had really been abandoned by his mother, and his father had never been told about his existence, then how come he knew who his parents were and how they met? And he’d said his father had warned him about nobles taking advantage. When? How?

She did not dare ask so she simply walked on. Then, as they reached the edge of the forest and she thought the subject was closed, Duncan spoke.

“Ye have nothing to blame yerself for, lass,” he said slowly. “I agreed to the bargain.”

*

Yes, he had agreed, Duncan thought ruefully, not thinking for a moment that he would lose control of the situation. But after their fiery encounter, he was more desperate for Llinos than ever. Not just for her body, but for her presence. It was not just the fact that he had not possessed her yet that bothered him, but that he had not found out all there was to know about her.

He needed to enter her body and her soul.

He felt like a man who had stepped into a wild cat’s lair thinking the beast inside could be easily mastered, only to find out it was not a kitten after all but a fully grown, menacing adult. And he was out of his depth, a most unpleasant feeling. Duncan never felt out of depth.

Fool that he was, he’d thought he would enjoy taking a beautiful woman, teach an arrogant lady a lesson, and not risk his heart in the process. He’d thought that he would derive satisfaction from humiliating her and not end up feeling like a low cur for using her so.

It had not happened like that because Llinos was not like the woman he had imagined.

He had not expected her innocent charm, her disarming spontaneity, her smiles, her unexpected brazenness, her responses to his caresses. At no point had she made him feel unworthy, he had done that all on his own. She didn’t mock him, he mocked her , and instead of flying into a rage, she simply took it on the chin. She made him laugh, she made him see things that had not caught his attention before, she calmed him and last, but not least, she allowed him to be himself. When they were together there was no need to change the way he talked because she did not think his accent ridiculous, there was no need to hide the fact that he was a Scot because she was not English either and there was no need to guard his tongue because she did not take exception to his bluntness. On the contrary, she seemed to like it.

So where did that leave him? Somewhere he was not comfortable.

“Will you forgive me for being so thoughtless?” she asked in a voice that tugged at his heart. “I did not know about your past when I came to you but that is no excuse. I should have seen that I could only hurt you with my selfish demands.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Och, I will forgive ye if ye forgive me for treating ye like a — ”

She stopped him with a hand on his arm before he could utter the word, for which he was grateful. “You never did that, so there is nothing to forgive. I don’t regret any of what happened between us. I couldn’t have chosen a better man to introduce me to the art of lovemaking and I can’t wait to see the rest.”

Lovemaking.

Mo chreach but the woman would never give up, would she !

“I dinnae make love, lassie,” he said, running a possessive hand over the swell of her breasts. It was time they re established what they were doing. It was not making love. “I told ye. I only fuck.”

Her smile unnerved him. It was clear she was not in the least chastened. “Yes, well. You told me as much but perhaps I don’t believe you. What you did yesterday was…” Whining noises interrupted Llinos on the verge of a confession Duncan wasn’t sure he wanted to hear. It would only end up confusing him more. “What could that be?” she exclaimed, eyes wide. “A child in pain?”

Before he could forbid her to go when they had no idea what was waiting behind the bushes, Llinos had disappeared in the direction of the noise. He had no choice but to follow. Had she forgotten about the outlaws already? He had not, even if for a crucial moment he had been too stunned to react as he should have. But this could be a trap. Dirk in hand, he ran after her.

He found Llinos on her knees next to a dog lying on its side. The animal had got its back leg tangled in a rabbit snare, and it was so wee it could not muster the strength to free itself.

“Look at this little cutie!” she exclaimed, favouring him with a blinding smile.

Little cutie ? Duncan barely repressed a snort. Never had a dog – or indeed any creature – looked sorrier. Its fur looked about as soft as wire and as if that was not enough, it was caked in mud. Duncan slid the dirk back into the sheath strapped to his forearm.

“Leave it, it’s most likely full of fleas,” he said, when Llinos made to stroke it.

“So? That’s nothing a bath won’t solve!” she answered, patting the puppy on the head.

“Och aye, and who’s going to do that exactly?” he drawled, crossing his arms over his chest. He was not touching the beastie with a barge pole.

“Why, me of course!”

“Ye? Lady Llinos, attending to the needs of a dirty mongrel?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” she said, throwing him a slanted look.

Well, damn if she didn’t have the knack for rendering him speechless! Duncan found himself fighting a smile. The lass was impossible. Wasn’t he supposed to tame her? Perhaps it was time he started.

“I should make ye regret yer words,” he growled, rubbing the back of his head.

“I don’t see why, when I’m speaking nothing but the truth,” she said as she set about freeing the animal’s leg with gentle tugs. She was so careful, so gentle! It was mesmerising to watch and he could not help imagining her hands on him. Wishing to feel her hands on him. “There. Now, do you think he can walk or will I have to carry him?”

Duncan was incredulous. “Ye are not seriously considering taking him back to the castle wi’ye?”

“When I was young I wanted a dog and on my twelfth birthday, I was presented with a greyhound,” Llinos said instead of answering. “A more magnificent beast you had never seen. All silver fur and elegant limbs.”

“Aye, I can weel imagine.” Nothing but the best for the spoiled lady. All she had to do was ask and she got her wish. A dog, a horse, a bejewelled pendant… Nothing would be too fine for the little girl.

“I was beside myself with joy because I had been pestering my parents for years to have one but they always pretended not to hear me.” Duncan arched a brow at the admission. Well perhaps her wishes were not always instantly granted… Still. “That same day the dog bit me,” she carried on. “That beautiful animal with all the pedigree you could wish for was a monster. All I wanted was to play with him and cuddle him. But he never once allowed me to touch him.” She ruffled the scruffy puppy’s head as she spoke. “Now I will have all the hugs I have dreamed about since I was a child. ”

“Ye would take yer hugs from a dirty half-breed?”

“Yes.” She looked at him straight in the eye, magnificent in her confidence and placed the dog on the floor. “I will take them from whoever wants to give them and count myself lucky.”

This was it.

Duncan’s blood roared and his cock surged, demanding satisfaction. The wretched dog had provided him with the long-awaited opportunity to do what he had been requested – and was aching – to do. He and Llinos were alone in a clearing, and the animal would warn them should someone approach. This time they would not be interrupted until he had reached his pleasure as well.

Perfect.

It was time to show the lady what it felt like to be under a man.

“Ye will take whatever embraces rutting half breeds want to inflict on ye?” he growled, feeling like a randy dog himself.

Llinos winced, as if she did not like to hear what they were about to do – or him – described thus but she didn’t lower her eyes. “Yes.”

“Weel then.”

*

Finally.

Llinos inhaled sharply. Finally she was about to know what it felt like to have a man inside of her. Her whole body started to quiver in anticipation because that man was Duncan, the man she had chosen for herself. Nevertheless, because it was Duncan, and in view of what he had just told her, she felt compelled to speak first.

Her desire for him would have to come after his need to know she was not just using him as his mother had used her father.

“You know… After what you did the other day there is no actual need for you to actually…” Her voice trailed.

“To actually…?” he repeated, a corner of his lips curling.

The wretched man was going to force her to be clearer. He really had a thing for making her say the lewdest things out loud.

“There is no need for you to actually take me,” she breathed, unable to be more explicit. “After what happened I’m not… Well, you said I was not a maid anymore.”

Unless he had lied? How would she know? She had always heard that being deflowered hurt, and she could not be said to have experienced any real pain when he had pushed his fingers inside her. True, with his tongue distracting her, she had been in no state to evaluate the true extent of the discomfort it had caused her but still she knew she would have realised it if he had hurt her. So perhaps her maidenhead had not really been breached. Perhaps that was why he still thought it necessary to bed her. Perhaps a man’s fingers could not do what his manhood could do.

“Nay, ye’re not a maid anymore,” Duncan answered the silent question in her eyes. “But ye still dinnae ken what it’s like to have a man surge inside ye, fill ye over and over again until ye cannot take it anymore and are desperate for release.”

“Oh.” Indeed she didn’t know anything about that. And it sounded very much like something she wanted to experience – with Duncan, at least.

“Ye wanted yer betrothed to ken ye’ve been wi’ a man, to see the difference in ye without even asking, didn’t ye?” he asked, cupping her face in his hands. “This will only happen if ye actually allow a man to bed ye.”

Yes, indeed, she had hoped she wouldn’t have to actually say she was not untouched anymore. In her dreams, Sir Benedict would take one look at her, see her for a fallen woman and turn on his heels faster than a coward fleeing a battlefield. Such a result would save her the trouble of having to explain herself or, even worse, name her seducer. All of a sudden dread crept up her spine. How had she not thought of that? What if Sir Benedict demanded to be told who had deflowered her and robbed him of the bride he had found to secure his inheritance? Would she have the strength to hold on to her secret? If he found out what Lord Masterson’s squire had done he might well kill him and everyone would agree he was within his rights to do so. And if he found out that she had been the one going to Duncan, then what punishment would he think up for her?

Her fear must have shown in her eyes because Duncan shook his head slightly. “Lass. I will ne’er tell yer betrothed or anyone that ye were the one coming to me.”

“I-I would like to tell you I will never reveal your name but I’m not sure I’ll be strong enough to sustain his interrogation without betraying what happened,” she stammered.

“Aye, I ken it. Dinnae fash yerself. I can face my responsibilities. I told ye, I agreed to this,” he said firmly. “And I ken that ye need him to doubt ye as soon as he arrives because otherwise it will all have been for naught. If he realises only on yer wedding night that ye are not untouched, then ye will already be his wife. It would be a much uglier business.”

“Yes,” she breathed .

To her surprise he twisted his lips, a sign of hesitation she would not have expected from him. Duncan MacQuarrie was all about masculine confidence. “Of course, if ye dinnae want me to take ye, I willnae. I dinnae force women, and strictly speaking, what ye wanted has already been accomplished.”

Llinos bit her lip. She should tell him she didn’t need anymore since, rather unexpectedly, he was giving her the option to walk away without actually sharing the shocking intimacy of having a man inside her. She should…

The words were out of her mouth before she could finish the thought.

“No, I want you. Take me.”

A heartbeat later she was flat on her back, trapped under a hard body. Hard everywhere. Lord, this was really happening. She let out a strangled groan, which Duncan took for a sign of fright.

“Are ye scared, lass?”

“N-no.” She wasn't scared exactly, but still she could not deny being apprehensive. He was so strong, so determined, and he was so close to her. His face was inches away from hers, the whole length of his body was pressing down on her, pinning her to the grass.

“It willnae hurt, I swear,” he said, bringing his forehead to hers. “I will e’en do my best to make it pleasurable for ye.” Absurdly her eyes filled with tears. So much for just fucking her… Hadn’t she known it would be an empty threat? She let out a shaky breath and once again he mistook her reaction for fear. “I swear I will be careful, but if ye’d rather I pleasured ye first I — ”

“No.” How had this man ever thought she would take him for a thoughtless beast? She smiled, not wanting to cause him any distress. “I trust you.”

From the moment he heard her agreement he became a different man, or rather he reverted to his usual commanding, masculine self. Llinos was left wondering which was the real Duncan. The forbidding Scot or the attentive squire.

“Open for me, lass,” he instructed softly, brushing his fingers up along her inner thigh. “Let me prepare ye. Ye need to be nice and wet for me.”

“I already am,” she breathed, past all shame.

He growled when she spoke and again when he felt against his fingers the proof that she was not lying. “Och, aye ye are,” he rasped, evidently pleased. “As I am ready for ye. I cannae wait anymore.”

He fumbled with the laces of his hose. A moment later something nudged at her entrance, and started to push its way in. Something enormous.

“Duncan, wait!” Now she was scared. This was nothing like what had happened before on the table. “There must be a mistake. This not going to work… It’s too big!”

He gave a throaty laugh. “Nay, lass, it’s not. It’s going to fit just perfectly, and it shouldn’t hurt, since I made sure to take yer maidenhead already and yer body has had time to recover. ‘Twill be just fine if ye relax, and breathe. Ye trust me, remember?”

Llinos tried to do as he asked. It helped. “I trust you,” she repeated.

“Ye want me, aye?” She nodded. Despite her wariness, she did, more than ever. “Ye wanted this, ye came to me for it. Here then, take it.”

Oh!

In one thrust he was inside her, buried to the hilt. Or… Llinos had no idea if this was actually the case because she had nothing to compare it to. Then she realised that Duncan was still poised over her, and that she could not feel his pelvis against hers or his legs against her inner thighs. Mmm. Not quite to the hilt then, or even anywhere close.

He moved again, pushing in deeper as if to prove there was still a long way to go yet. Llinos focused on breathing .

“Am I hurting ye?” Duncan sounded gruffer than ever, strained with the effort of holding back.

“No.”

“Dinnae lie. Ye’ve gone all stiff.”

She could not help a snort. He thought she was stiff? “You are not hurting me,” she said honestly. “It is odd, that’s all, not what I imagined, nothing like your…” She blushed. “Like before.”

“Like my fingers and tongue,” he clarified in her stead. “Aye, likely it isn’t.” His eyes darkened. “Ask me to move. I need to move. Ye feel so good, so tight around me.”

“Yes, move.”

When he did, it was different, his progress was less difficult.

And soon he was buried to the hilt inside of her. She had never been closer to any human being. Duncan was everywhere, looming over her, pressing against her, surging inside her.

“See, lass. What did I tell ye?” he purred into her ear. “A perfect fit.”

*

Now. Duncan had to withdraw now, or he would spill inside her. Llinos had reached her release moments ago, crying out and going all tense around him, squeezing him for all she was worth.

God’s bloody teeth but this was bliss. He gave another thrust. And then a last one. He reared up, preparing to leave her heat and explode in a climax such as he had never experienced before. Whether that was because she was a virgin, a lady that should have been out of his reach or simply because he usually didn’t wait when he wanted to bed a woman and the expectation had sent his blood to boiling point, Duncan didn’t know. Whatever the reason for it, he felt as if he was about to pass out in ecstasy in Llinos’ arms.

Just when he clenched his teeth in preparation for leaving her blissful hot sheath she wrapped her arms around his waist to hold him in close. At any other time he would have found the strength to push her away but right now a feather could have knocked him to the ground.

There was no choice. With a roar he emptied himself inside her and then collapsed, utterly sated.

He should have been angry, furious at Llinos for the trick she had played on him but, deep down, he knew she had not tried to trap him into anything. The innocent little minx didn’t know anything about men, she’d had no idea he had been about to come, she would not have recognised the signs.

After a while her voice reached his ear. “ Duncan, please. I can’t breathe.”

He moved faster than if she had stabbed him with a red hot poker. “Apologies.”

But she didn’t look inconvenienced in the least. On the contrary she was smiling dazedly, looking as drained as he felt. He didn’t tell her that with her hair spread on the grass and her cheeks flushed she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, that he’d never felt this way about anyone before or that he’d nearly lost his mind with the pleasure of this possession.

That he wanted to do it again.

“Now ye ken,” was all he said.

“Yes, I do,” she agreed with a contented sigh. Then she said something in Welsh.

“What was that?”

“Mm?” She sounded sleepy.

“What did ye just say?”

“Nothing.”

He could not allow her to ignore his request, not now that he had obeyed her silent command to stay inside her to reach his release. He needed to regain control of the situation. He was the one in charge, not her, and she had already taken more of a hold over him than he was comfortable to admit.

“Ye had better answer me, lass. What did ye say?”

Llinos opened her eyes, surprised at his gruffness. For a moment he feared she would recoil. He did not want her to, not now, mere moments after their joining. Then her eyes softened and she placed a hand on his cheek. “I said that yes, now I know how it feels like to have a man inside me. And I don’t think I will be satisfied until I have felt it again and again.”