Page 74 of Highland Jewel
“I can’t lose you.”
Suddenly, she understood. From the first moment whenFiona went missing, he’d tried to protect her by keeping her at arm’s length. He didn’t want Maisie to be used in the same way that his sister was. And yet, fate had taken a turn. They were here, married. The stars had aligned somehow. And in a moment, they would be presented as husband and wife to the household and everyone at Dalmigavie, friends and enemies alike. She guessed, it was the enemies that worried him. She wanted to remind him that there were no dangers at this fortress in the Highlands. Of any place in Scotland, she was safe here.
“You won’t lose me. You can’t.” She tugged on his arm as Morrigan waved to them to come into the Great Hall.
CHAPTER29
From the celebration that followed, Maisie would never have thought any effort was spared in planning the wedding. The festivities that began in the morning in honor of her and Niall continued throughout the day and far into the night. A sumptuous feast was served to the accompaniment of music, dancing, and far too much drinking. Maisie realized that revelry of this magnitude would never have taken place in Edinburgh. But it became increasingly clear as the day progressed that the Mackintosh clan was fond of carousing. She mentioned exactly that in thanking the laird, and for the first time in her presence, Lachlan smiled.
Regardless of the merriment, Cinaed was well protected. Blair never strayed far from him, keeping a wary eye on anyone who sat next to him or spoke to him. Even his food, Maisie noticed, came out separately from the kitchens. Perhaps it had been the same before Niall arrived, and she hadn’t noticed it, but the eyes of a vigilant clan were looking after their native son.
It was sometime around the fiftieth raising of theglasses to Gaelic toasts, followed by cries of “Slàinte mhath… Slàinte mhòr!” that Niall whispered against Maisie’s ear. “I don’t think anyone will notice if we were to slip casually from the hall.”
She set down her glass on the table and met his gaze. A thrill of anticipation and desire welled up within her. She wondered if he could hear her heart pounding over the sound of the pipers. All day, Maisie had been thinking about the bedchamber that Isabella and Cinaed had arranged for them to use up the stairs from the Great Hall.
Once again, calls of “Slàinte!” rang out in the hall.
She leaned close to whisper, and their cheeks brushed. “They’re still raising their glasses to us.”
“Though there are a few lads and lasses out there who are probably seeing at least two sets of us sitting here.” Instead of drinking, Niall put his glass next to hers. “I am Clan Campbell. They are Mackintosh. The rogues are trying to get me so drunk that I won’t be able to…”
He paused. His gaze slipped from her eyes to her lips and back. She felt warmth prickle through her.
“… do my husbandly duty,” he finished.
“I’m quite new to this,” she whispered coyly. “Would you be kind enough to explain to me this ‘duty’?”
Under the table his hand slid along her leg. Desire flared in the pit of her stomach.
“Better if I show you, I think.”
She didn’t need to be asked twice. Maisie rose to her feet and, as Niall went to speak to the laird and Cinaed, she looked around to tell someone they were leaving. Morrigan was watching her, and they met by the end of the table. The two of them pressed their foreheads together, their arms clasped around each other.
“So… tonight you become with child?”
“Behave yourself.”
“Do you need to make love more than once to procreate?”
“Morrigan!”
“Twice? Thrice?”
“You really need to think first before speaking.”
“Getting pregnant. Must it happen the same night, or over several days?”
“Morrigan!” Maisie had to gather her wits and hide the smile. “Stop.”
“There are a number of positions for having sex.”
“How do you know?”
Her eyebrows went up and down. “Books, illustrations. We lived with two doctors. Do you want me to go get it?”
“You brought the book with you?”
“No, but I can show you.”
