Page 12 of Highlander's Rebellious Affair
She was fast asleep, curled into a ball on the bed, and he rose up from where he lay and moved to sit on the floor beside the bed. Her eyes were closed, and she was snoring lightly through her slightly parted lips. Ian swallowed and tried to control the erratic beating of his heart as he slowly reached up and pushed back the strand of hair falling to her face.
She sighed in her sleep, and he touched her hair again, letting their silkiness soft through his fingers, and unable to stop himself, he leaned in closer to her so he could taste her lips again, but stopped halfway and pulled back.
Her eyes fluttered open then, and met with his gaze. They were wide, and he noticed how harsh her breathing was as her chest rose and fell on the bed. “Are ye all right?” she asked him, and he nodded and moved away from the bed.
Ian lay back on the floor and turned over to his other side so his back was to her, but he did not fall asleep. He was suddenly so aware of her, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he gave into this desire burning inside of him. He couldn’t understand or explain it yet, but it was there.
Very early that morning, he went out to practice his sword skills, hoping, it would take his mind off her a little. Even though she was his wife now, he still had to respect her well enough to seek her father’s blessing before he did anything. He also could tell she was inexperienced.
When he had kissed her in the kirk, her lips had parted only slightly and that was after his had lingered. The thought brought tension to his body and he felt the tautness in his muscles increase. He imagined kissing her fully, taking her lips and exploring every inch of her mouth with his tongue.
And his hands moving slowly over her body through the dress she wore so he could outline the shape of her body. He groaned and closed his eyes, shunning his mind so he could continue to practice.This was not part of the deal.
He shouldn’t want Hope so much. She was attractive, and untouched, and it was messing with his mind. Orlaith stepped out of the cottage as he approached it with his sword in one hand, and his chest heaving, and she gave him one long look, then said, “Yer mind is divided, and ye cannae stop thinkin’ about her.”
Shocked, he stared at her, and she smiled. “I see the way ye look at her.” She sat on the front porch, and he wiped his face with the sleeve of the leine he wore before he sat beside her. “Yer marriage will be one of the strongest unions of love the Highlands has ever seen,” she added.
Ian said nothing as he listened to her. He doubted his union with Hope would be one of love. He liked her very much, hell he was deeply attracted to her already, but he still did not believe love was going to exist between them because this was a marriage of convenience for both of them.
“Where are ye from?” Orlaith asked.
“Galloway,” he replied and she looked at him, a wistful expression on her face.
“I used to live in Galloway,” she said, shocking him. “A long time ago, I lived in the village, among the humble men and women who cared only about their families and nothin’ else.”
Curious, Ian asked, “Why did ye live there? Were ye married to a man from my Clan?”
She shook her head. “I was the Laird’s favorite,” she said and smiled. “He loved me, and I loved him.”
9
Ian blinked as he processed what she had just said to him, but the smile on her face was cynical, and he knew he couldn’t take anything she said seriously. She was probably insane. “Laird Galloway wouldnae let me anywhere near his Castle because he feared that the men who hated him would harm me, so he made me stay far away.”
“Who was this Laird?” Ian asked cautiously, his heart pounding. “What was his name?”
Orlaith laughed out loud, and shook her head. “He loved me, and I loved him,” she said again and this time stared deep into his eyes. “The Laird wouldnae let any harm come to me, so he asked me to stay in the village. His name was James.”
Ian nearly stopped breathing. James Cowan was his father’s name and he hadn’t known his father had a mistress outside the Castle while he was alive. Ian knew his mother died when he was ten, and his father had raised him with the help of a nurse in the Castle. His father had been a good man who cared about his people more than he cared about wealth or power.
He led in peace and he had a lot of men and women loyal to him. His death had come as a shock to everyone including Ian. He could never forget his father’s dying words, he still dreamed of that night when his father had sent his most trusted adviser to bring him into his chamber.
“I need ye to be strong, Ian,” he had said. “There is more to the Galloway Treasure than ye can imagine, and ye need to remain strong after I am gone.” Before his father died that night, he had sung to him the Song of the Treasure.
Ian could hear his hoarse, breathless voice even now as he sat with Orlaith.
In the faraway mountains, a wise Laird once reigned. His wife died, and in his sorrow he had traveled through the vastness of the lands and stumbled upon a treasure. This wise Laird took the treasure for himself, and he kept it far away buried in the ground of the earth where no living Laird could ever find it.
“How long did ye love the Laird?” he asked. “How long did ye know him?” Orlaith had blanked out on him, because instead of replying, she continued to smile at him.
She looked away and fell silent, and he closed his eyes.Was this just the rant of a mad woman? Do I need to pay attention to her words?
Ian decided to dismiss them. If his father had a mistress when he was alive, then he would find out from the men who knew his father well. Orlaith turned to him and said again, “How is he these days? Laird Galloway? When I left Galloway, I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. His dear friend took me away and brought me back home. It had been so long since I was away from home, I could barely remember what it was like living here in Cawdor,” she said in a distracted voice.
“What trusted friend? What was his name?” Ian asked, but she said nothing else as she stared ahead into the already rising sun.
Hope stepped out of the cottage then, and Ian turned to her. “What is goin’ on?” she asked.
Ian got up from where he sat and as he walked past her, he whispered, “Yer aunt might have lost her mind.”
