Page 26

Ten months later

“Ye want me to do what?” I demanded of Colin, as I gripped my wailing son and daughter in my arms.

He gave me a patient smile. “I want ye to give me the bairns, and ye go down to the loch and have a nice relaxing swim, and wash—” he said, thrusting the tallow soap toward me, “and then return here where a tray of food will be waiting for ye, and ye can take a nice long nap while I watch the children.”

I gaped at him while curling my fingers tighter around my bairns. “Nay,” I said with a shake of my head in case he somehow did not understand my answer, because clearly the man had lost his mind if he thought I was going to leave my children out of my sight.

With a sigh, he sat on the edge of the bed beside me and put the soap down. “Freya,” he said, his tone gentle. “Ye stink.”

I felt my eyebrows shoot up. “I dinnae!” I protested. “That must be one of the bairns. Mayhap Magy wet herself or Roan spit up on himself,” I said, laying them beside me to unravel them from their blankets and have a look.

I quickly uncovered a wailing Magy and then did the same to an equally unhappy Roan. Then I bent down and sniffed each bairn and smiled at their sweet smell. I sat up and settled a glare on Colin. “Ye are mistaken. The children smell divine. They are washed and fed.” I frowned. I had seen to their every waking need since they had been born a month prior, never letting them out of my sight, so I could not understand their sudden unhappiness that had started a day ago. “I do nae ken why they will nae quit fussing,” I said, warm tears trickling out of my burning eyes. I could not recall the last time I’d slept through the night.

Colin scooped up both children as I protested, brought them to his broad chest, and began to coo to them in his deep voice as he stood and walked around the bedchamber to bounce them. To my astonishment, they both fell instantly quiet. He faced me with a tender look on his face. “They like movement.”

“I ken,” I protested. I’d been moving since the day they were born it seemed, because they loved to be held and bounced and walked and bounced. My brain felt rattled from all the bouncing.

“My love, ye are exhausted. Ye have nae let me or anyone else aid ye. And ye have barely slept, or eaten, and I love ye, but ye do smell. When was the last time ye bathed?”

I tried to recall but couldn’t to my mortification. My cheeks instantly heated.

“Let me help ye.”

I wanted to, but I was afraid to leave them.

Colin closed the distance between us and bent down to press a kiss on my lips. When he rose, he said, “I vow to ye, I will guard them with my life, just as I do ye. I love them just as much as ye.”

“I know. Of course I do,” I said. I did feel itchy. And when I discretely tilted my nose to my shoulder, a stench rose that made me wrinkle it. Was that spit up or urine? I wasn’t sure which I preferred it to be and that made me laugh. “Alright,” I relented, rising off the bed and picking up the soap. “Maybe just a quick swim in the loch.”

“A verra wise decision,” he said in a teasing tone.

I looked at the bairns now sleeping—traitors—and said, “Roan likes—”

“To sleep on yer chest,” Colin finished. “Aye, I’ll put him on mine.”

I pursed my lips at Colin. “Are ye trying to prove ye ken what to do?”

“Aye,” he said with a chuckle. “I want ye to have a moment to yerself, so ye will want to have more bairns someday.” He gave me a heated look. “Which means we will eventually join again.”

My dormant desire since giving birth awakened with a burst of yearning through me. I reached out to him and traced my nails over his rounded bicep. “Verra tricky, husband.”

“Aye. But with the best intentions,” he said with a wink.

“Mayhap Katherine could watch the bairns for a bit when I return?” I said, the tingling of need already building within me.

“She can.”

“Ye already asked her?” I said, surprised.

“Aye. It’s almost as if I can read what ye want.”

I gave a little mock shudder. “As long as it’s because ye ken me that well, and nae because ye can read my mind.” I turned toward the door, but Colin said, “I almost forgot, ye received a raven this morning.”

“From Vanora?” I asked. She was the only one who had sent ravens to me since I’d been at Eilean Donnan, but she was supposed to be coming for a visit. “I hope she is nae cancelling her visit,” I said, on a sigh, thinking of the raven I’d just sent her telling her that Connor was wedding the Lord of the Isle’s daughter to gain a strong alliance for Colin.

“Actually, ye received two ravens,” he said. “I set the missives just there,” he added, tilting his head to the washstand.

I went to them and glanced down to find that one was indeed from Vanora and one was had to be from Elena as the Clan Gordon crest sealed the missive. As Colin lay on the bed and settled both twins on his chest, I read Vanora’s missive first.

I’m coming at once to declare my love to Connor. Did ye tell him of yer vision? That we are destined to wed?

“Is she coming this instant?” Colin asked with a chuckle, knowing of Vanora’s feelings for Connor, or the ones she thought she had, and knowing of the vision I’d once had of Vanora and Connor standing before the priest.

“Aye,” I said, rolling up the missive.

“She kens she’s a child compared to Connor, aye?”

“Apparently, nae,” I said. “Connor will be gone by then, so Vanora will nae be able to cause him trouble.”

“Well, even if he were still here, Connor can hold his own with yer wee sister.”

“Ha!” I said. “That wee lass has changed. I hear tell from my uncle that she has become quite stubborn and insists upon sitting on the clan counsel.”

“And he lets her?”

“Aye, he says it’s more trouble to try to stop her, and that she actually has quite the keen mind for politics.” I smiled. “I believe she got that from me.”

“Oh, aye, of course,” Colin replied with a chuckle to which I served him the appropriate scowl.

I reached for the other missive and unrolled it .

Dear Freya,

I am still working to control my gift. ’Tis nae as easy as I had thought it might be.

I sighed in understanding of that.

I intend to use it, once I can control it, to destroy Laird Campbell and his clan.

Elena’s line made my gut ache for her.

I’m going to infiltrate Laird Campbell’s stronghold, pretend to be a healer, and use my power to read minds to take all he has and all he killed for. What I want to ken is this: Was there any price to pay for yer gift? It seems almost too good to be true. Morgana had said I would have the power to read minds, but I would grow to rue the day I wished for the gift. I cannot imagine that. Can ye?

I rolled up the missive and looked to Colin to find him watching me. My heart thumped hard in my chest. “I’ll be a little longer than just a swim in the loch.”

He nodded. “We’re fine. Is all well with Elena?”

“Nay,” I said, shivering when I considered her words. Was there a price to be paid for her gift? Aye. I had to warn her. Mine was a life. I had no notion what hers might be, but she needed to be reminded, before dire consequences were set in motion, that it was a curse, not a gift.

“Go have time to think,” Colin said. “We will be here waiting, the three of us, yer family.” I smiled as I walked out of the door. I had made a wish, and it had gone terribly wrong, but in the pain and the suffering, I had met Colin, and he had given me the gift of strength to find myself. Not who I was. But who I wanted to be, and when I had found that woman, and let go of the beliefs I’d blindly clung to, I found the love I’d longed for and so much more.

Thank you for reading The Laird’s Magical Lass ! I hope you loved Colin and Freya’s story!

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