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  Cotswold turned on his silken, slippered feet, and to call his dash out the door a run would be assessing his gait slightly off kilter, but as he sprinted down the corridors, Audrina watched, half raised from her chair in an attempt to chase after the man that murdered her. Her rage boiled in her as Colin held her back, and she hissed at him when he tried to speak to her calmly.

  “Ye cannae attack him, lass,” he whispered.

  “You know what he did! I don’t have to say it, you know!” she gritted out through clenched teeth.

  Colin looked in her eyes filled with rage and then embraced her in front of the whole clan. “Aye, I ken wha’ he did, but now is no’ the time or place fer wha’ ye seek.”

  CHAPTER 25

  “Why has he been allowed to continue living!” Audrina demanded.

  Once the great hall doors were shut behind the soldiers, most of the people cleared out and went about their business. Word spread like wild fire of Cotswold’s unexpected appearance, and they were sure to be spreading rumors about his reaction to Audrina.

  The few remaining people in the hall looked between Colin and Audrina, before Colin turned and commanded, “Out w’it ye! Go aboot yer business!”

  They hastened to leave with the exception of Mary, Donal and Alisdair.

  “Alisdair, take Donal on a horse ride w’it Fergus, will ye?” Colin asked Alisdair.

  “I doonae want tae go! I want tae stay here!” Donal protested.

  “Nay lad, tis no’ a conversation yer privy tae hear jest now,” Colin commanded.

  “But…” Donal protested.

  “Out w’it ye, lad, and tha’s an order or t’will be a lashing fer yer wayward tongue!” Colin roared.

  Colin’s anger seemed to break through some of Audrina’s. She knew she was in another time, but she had never abided by the idea if beatings administered to a child.

  “Colin…” she chastised.

  “Och, I’m verra sorry, lad. Ye ken I’d ne’er lay a hand on ye, but I need tae speak w’it Maeve on this. Alone, aye?” His voice softened.

  Donal looked between them, then nodded. He gave Colin a quick hug around the middle, and Colin in turn patted him on the head. What surprised Audrina was when Donal then squeezed her waist briefly. He usually ducked out of embraces.

  “You’ll no’ let Cotswold take her again, will ye, Colin?” His innocent face was upturned to Colin as he asked the question that had been really burning in his heart.

  “Nay, o’course I willnae. He cannae ha’ her again. She belongs tae me,” he told him firmly.

  Donal finally seemed satisfied with this answer, because he got up and dutifully left the hall with Alisdair walking behind him.

  Audrina began to walk the length of the main table with her hands behind her back. Her emotions were so intense, she didn’t know how to begin. Colin and Mary watched her apprehensively before she paused in front of them and said,

  “I’ve told you both my story. You know both sides of it, and I can’t change what you may or may not believe. But what I don’t understand is why that man has been allowed to continue murdering people. You saw the way he looked at Aine. If she has a prospective in her future, she is just as doomed as I, as Maeve was. You know, deep down he never just, ‘let me go.’ I didn’t just wander off into that field. Yet why was Maeve’s death not avenged? I know I’m asking you to stand on faith here, but I need an answer to this, please,” she asked, looking between Mary and Colin.

  “Because, tis no’ tha’ simple, lass. I lay broken and bleedin’ aft Cotswold’s men beat me down. It took me three days tae rise from me bed and when ye didnae return…we had little tae go on aboot where ye were. Certain, formalities are exchanged betwixt the Lords in the Highlands. As Laird o’ the Claran clan, I had tae first formally make an inquiry tae Lord Cotswold’s close friend and neighbor, Lord Weatherby. The courier was ri’ quick w’it his messages, but there’s a discretion amongst the English Lords. Although Cotswold isnae like outside his circle o’friends, the ones he is close tae will dismiss racism tae a certain level. The English look at us Scots as lesser beins.’ E’en the Lairds among us. Aft Lord Weatherby informed us he didnae ken anything aboot murdered brides, he was fair certain tae believe his friend’s word that they went missin’ I set off for the ride tae Cotswold Castle. Aft that, it had been near a fortnight that ha’ passed. When I arrived, Cotswold told me he had set ye loose, and ye had wandered off. T’was his word against mine and if I acted against him, he had and still has the right tae claim me lands and people tae do w’it as he sees fit.”

  Colin fell silent as Audrina digested the words. It seemed no matter what Colin did, he was never going to win against Cotswold. He could raise the highlands in search of her, but if Cotswold deemed it so, he could take everything from Colin that he had ever loved, including her.

  “Colin was ready tae avenge ye, lass,” Mary said quietly. “Tis no’ that I doonae love ye as me own, tis me tha’ was the one tae convince him tae bring tae light all the evil that Cotswold has done, and no’ at the price of his kin and home.”

  Audrina understood what Mary was saying. Colin would have given it all up had she not intervened. She couldn’t bring herself to be mad at Mary for it. Were she in her shoes, she might have done the same thing.

  She walked over to Mary and gave the woman’s hand a squeeze. “There must be some way to bring Cotswold down,” she mused out loud.

  “We’ve thought of e’rything we can think of, lass, without the aid o’Weatherby…” he trailed off.

  Audrina asked them, “What would happen if the murders were discovered? If Lord Weatherby learned of it and it was proven? Would he be tried and hanged?”

  “Nay, the English favor their own. Most like, they would send him back tae London in exchange fer a less deranged relative. But e’en then, he’s got powerful connections in London.”

  “But, so does Lord Weatherby right?”

  “Aye, he does.”

  “So, it’s worth a try then? It could be done?” Audrina asked them. A small glimmer of hope began to shimmer in her chest. Justice in medieval times might not be fair, but if it were at all possible, she would seek it out, even if it was given in minute increments.

  Colin began stroking his beard and Mary’s eyes became unfocused as they both became lost in thought. They, if anyone, would know how to catch Cotswold in his treachery.

  After a long moment, Colin said, “Aye, tis possible. But I doonae ken how we might go aboot doing it yet, lass, so doonae think on it anymore this day.”

  Audrina nodded, recognizing the topic was being dismissed.

  Colin strode to a door on the side of the hall and called a command. Maids rushed in and began clearing the tables, as he had just given them leave to enter the hall again.

  Audrina walked to the window and looked out. The day had formed into a beautiful day with a cool breeze to keep the hot rays of the sun at bay, and she didn’t fancy spending the rest of it locked away in her chamber or cooped up in the tower.

  “Colin,” she called.

  He had been standing with one of his men and issuing instructions. He looked up and held up a finger to indicate he would be with her in a moment. Mary had wandered off in search of her embroidery and Audrina waited near the window. After a few moments, Colin returned to her side with a puzzled look on his face.

  “Aye, Maeve?” he asked.

  “I was just wondering, if you have a lot to do today?” She bit her lip. She was sure he had a ton of responsibilities, and she didn’t want him to shirk his duties, but after coming face to face with Cotswold, she needed the reassuring feel of his presence.

  “I always have things tae do, lass, but what do ye need?” he asked.

  “Oh, I don’t want to bother you. It’s alright,” she tried to reassure him, but he didn’t take the bait.

  “Lass, I’d move mountains fer ye if it meant makin’ ye happy. Movin’ a wee bit o’me tasks isnae goin’ tae cease the operations of runn
in’ the keep. What do ye need?” There was a twinkle in his eye as he told her this. His words caused a small blush to color her cheeks, and the quirk of his lips widened when he saw it.

  “I was just wondering, if you have a horse, if you could teach me to ride, and maybe we could ride out and meet Donal?” she asked tentatively.

  Her request seemed like a lot to her and she wouldn’t mind if he couldn’t. Her next request if he was too busy was to ask if she could tag along with him as he carried out his duties.

  He looked surprised for a moment, but then amicable as he said, “Aye lass, I’ve a horse we can ride. T’will take too long tae teach ye tae ride. Donal and Alisdair will be back long afore yer seat holds enough tae ride on yer own, but ye can ride astride w’it me and me stallion.”

  Audrina nodded and secretly reveled in the opportunity to be so close to Colin. Luckily, she had on some trousers under her dress.

  He led the way back out to the stable and introduced her to a great brown stallion named, Ewan. Audrina had doubts about her request when she saw the size of Ewan, but Colin stepped up to the horse and calmed him. He grabbed her hand and held it up, so the horse could catch her scent, and her fingers twitched when Ewan nuzzled her, and the softness of his muzzle, tickled her palm.

  Colin led Ewan into the corridor and then grabbed Audrina around the waist. He lifted her with ease onto the back of the horse, and then used a block of wood to step up on and swing his own leg over the horse’s back. Ewan seemed undeterred at the weight upon his back and set off at a brisk trot out into the courtyard. The gate keeper waved them on as they rode out, and multiple people waved at them as they passed through the streets of the town. Once they were clear, Colin allowed Ewan to open up into a long canter, which made the passing fields and forests blur by.

  Audrina laughed as she became caught up in the adrenaline of the ride, and it wasn’t long before she and Colin caught up to Donal and Alisdair. The pair of them looked at the two of them, but said nothing as they slowed to a walk alongside them, and Audrina realized, she didn’t mind the warm feeling of Colin’s palm pressed against her belly.

  CHAPTER 26

  That night, Audrina returned to her chamber feeling refreshed but tired from her bout of fresh air. It didn’t take her long to sink into a stupor in her aromatic bath water. Audrina’s thoughts were a jumble of how to approach Lord Weatherby and convince him to listen to her without accusing her of witchcraft and recounting the fond memory of an afternoon spent with Colin and his brothers. They had teased her mercilessly and she had laughed alongside them.

  They had ridden to a clearing in the woods and Audrina recognized it as the area just before the cover of the rowan trees where the pool formed in the creek. They had paused and let the horses rest on the banks of the creek and have a drink. They had wiled away the afternoon hours, mostly in entertainment watching Colin teach Audrina how to duel. She hadn’t really dueled. Even young Donal had been able to best her because it took years of practice with a claymore or broadsword for someone to become skilled at sword fighting. They did teach her the grip that was necessary to hold a sword and Audrina found them to be quite heavy and difficult to pick up. Once her muscles determined she was not quitting, and quivered with exertion, they taught her a few thrusts with the sword, so that if she were ever attacked by the English, she would know where to strike.

  “Does this mean I get my own sword?” she asked Colin hopefully.

  He laughed and told her, “Nay, lass. I cannae risk ye cuttin’ someone’s head off w’it yer temper should they e’er displease ye. Mostly, mine tha’ is.”

  “Well how am I supposed to thrust a sword into an Englishman, if he attacks me, if I don’t have one?” she demanded with her hands on her hips.

  “Because you willnae be havin’ tae defend yerself. If ye meet a Sassenach, ye run like hell, while I protect ye.” He laughed.

  Audrina was unaccustomed to medieval chivalry or effeminizing ways. She had grown up learning to fend for herself. And although she had never been attacked with a sword, his words stung her pride a bit.

  “I don’t need a protector!” she declared, and he raised his eyebrows at her.

  “Nay?” he asked.

  “No. Besides, you weren’t there to protect me when Cotswold…” she trailed off at the hurt look on his face. She’d wounded his pride and she hadn’t meant to. “Colin, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant,” she said quickly.

  “I ken wha’ ye were tryin’ tae say, lass. And ye must believe me, I would ha’e raised Cotswold Castle tae get tae ye afore he harmed ye if I had been able.”

  “I know, Colin. I know.” She walked up to him and out her hands on either side of his face. He had been sitting on a rock, close to where he and Maeve had been kissing the night she had the dream about him. His whole body bunched as his muscles tightened in anticipation. She bent low and kissed his forehead, offering a truce, but still remaining guarded. “Now, attack me,” she commanded stepping back.

  Donal and Alisdair snickered, but she raised an eyebrow at them.

  “Are ye daft, lass?” Colin asked her. He didn’t bother to move from his seat.

  “Oh no. I’m very serious. I want to show you how I will defend myself sans a sword if I should be attacked by an Englishman again,” she told him.

  Colin and the others looked at her skeptically, but she shrugged off her tartan, in favor of the less cumbersome simple dress. She could still perform the moves she needed to in the dress to prove her point.

  Colin got up and danced around a bit, clearly showing off, as he had no inkling of what she was about to do, and she suspected he thought he would easily better her in an instant. Up against brute strength, he was clearly the favored. That and with a sword, but she had a few moves that would at least bring him to his knees, so she could prove she had the opportune moment to scamper away if necessary. Sometimes all she needed was but a moment.

  Colin clearly had no idea what was coming, nor did his brothers because they stared at her open-mouthed and wide-eyed when she used one of Colin’s pressure points that she had learned about, courtesy of Mr. Tanaka’s teachings. He began laughing when she demonstrated the move for him so that he might learn it, and they all rode back to the castle together, talking about battle techniques and strategies. The day had been a refreshing distraction from the more pressing matters that weighed heavily on her mind when she finally laid down to sleep.

  After Audrina got out of the bath, she put on a slip of a nightgown and crawled into bed, letting her eyes flutter closed.

  SHE WAS LYING on her back with her eyes closed, talking to the cows. She was in the stable, the rain had been lashing against the roof all afternoon and the cows were lying down in their stalls. She had wrapped herself in Colin’s plaid for warmth and was singing and talking cheerfully when her eyes popped open, but only for the briefest moment as she felt the familiar kiss of Colin’s mouth upon hers. Maeve smiled into his mouth as she deepened the kiss, and she felt his warm palm caress her stomach as it trailed along her thighs. It dipped under her skirt and slowly slid up her inner thighs as she moaned into his mouth. His fingers found her thatch of curls between her legs, she hated the restrictive pantaloons. He smiled in turn to discover her wicked indecency. Her legs parted as his fingers probed her wet folds. He stoked her in time with his tongue and she clung to his neck as he covered her body with his. He shielded her from discovery and she rode him like she fantasized about doing every night in the loneliness of her bed. She wasn’t sure she could deny him any longer. He had been asking for her hand for months now and she had been denying him, but her resolve was waning the more he explored her body with his hands. The maddening thing was, he wouldn’t let her touch him, apart from the contact through his trews, and he knew it drove her to the brink of madness. She desperately wanted to please him as he was her, and he denied her, claiming she could have all of him when she agreed to marry him. His fingers found the rhythm that drove her to the edge, and
just as she was about to plummet over, he stayed his hand, causing her to whimper into his mouth.

  “Colin, doonae stop, please!” she cried.

  “Say it, lass, say ye’ll have me. Tomorrow night. We’ll wed in secret, so no one can ken o’our elopement,” he persuaded her. “Say it and I’ll give ye the touch ye need, lass.”

  He kissed her forehead and she nodded.

  “Nay, say it. Say ye’ll ha’ me. Tell me ye love me,” he urged.

  “Och, Colin. Aye, I’ll ha’ ye. I’ll wed ye because I love ye. Please!” she gasped.

  His mouth closed over hers.

  She screamed his name, “Colin!” as his fingers plummeted into her depths, shattering her soul into pieces as she gave herself up to him and in turn, he gave her the orgasm she desperately needed.

  AUDRINA AWOKE and found herself crying Colin’s name. “Colin! Colin, I need you!” she called.

  He was there in an instant. Through the door and at her side.

  “Lass, what is it? Wha’s the matter?” he asked.

  He checked her all over to see if she had been harmed in some way, but she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her. She initiated the kiss, delving her tongue into his surprised, open mouth.

  He responded instantly, taking back control as he wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her to him. Her fingers raked into his hair and he dragged his tongue down the column of her neck, tickling her with his beard.

  Audrina gasped as his teeth found her collar bone, and he nipped his mark into her flesh. His hands roamed her back and bottom, and he dragged her shift up and over her head.

  She clawed at his tartan, nearly strangling him in it in her haste to get it off, and he chuckled as he grabbed her wrists and held them wide, so he could stare down at her naked form. He stood her up and in front of him, so he could get a full look at her, never having seen his wife completely nude before. She shivered in anticipation to the hungry look her wore on his face as he stood and circled her.