The Highlander’s Promise by Mary Wine

Chapter Six

Davonna came to the training yard just after midday.

Knox let out a whistle. “Chief!”

Jasper straightened up. He’d been instructing the older men on dagger fighting. He patted his partner on the shoulder before pointing at Knox to take command of the exercise.

Davonna had stopped on the top step.

But that was merely a courtesy, for she was not a complete stranger to training.

“Mistress,” Jasper addressed her.

“Chief,” Davonna answered in kind.

It was a performance they both tended to engage in when there were so many eyes upon them.

“Ye are fortunate to do so well with so little sleep,” Davonna remarked.

Jasper tilted his head to one side. “Ye are well informed about my affairs.”

Davonna smiled at him. She pointed at the doorway. “Only because there is a little half-starved girl here claiming ye offered her a position as maid to Terin. Ye must have been at Cannons Row last evening.”

Jasper cleared his throat. He felt the collar on his shirt biting into his neck. For the first time, he enjoyed the sting of being unmasked because it just carried him one step closer to claiming Terin as his wife.

“I want to wed Terin,” Jasper spoke clearly. “I have told her as much.”

Davonna remained pensive. “For all that Seana bore ye, Jasper, I think of ye as my son.”

“Larks Point is me home,” Jasper confirmed.

Davonna drew in a breath. “Terin may not be able to trust a man enough to wed again.”

“She trusts me.”

Davonna sent him a sobering look. “I would enjoy being proven wrong.”

“My plan precisely,” he assured her.

Davonna ended up smiling at him. “Fine. Fine. I will await yer triumph. In the meantime, the girl is a stranger. Are ye certain ye want her near Terin? As chief, there are plenty of people who would think to plant a spy next to ye.”

Jasper became serious. “Aye, ye have a point. Still, Aife is a pitiful thing at best. And ye have many who are grateful to ye who will turn her in if she is a spy.”

“Ye should be the one to discuss her position if that is yer choice,” Davonna remarked.

“Aye,” Jasper tugged on his cap before he went to deal with Aife.

*

“Ye are distracted,”Meghan clicked her tongue at Terin.

Terin couldn’t deny the charge.

“And ye clearly slept poorly last night,” Meghan continued. “For there are dark circles beneath yer eyes.”

Terin felt her cheeks heat.

And Meghan didn’t miss the increasing color spreading across her face.

“So that’s how it goes…”

Terin sent her a look.

Meghan offered her a wry smile in return. “That will do ye no good, Mistress Terin. Larks Point is a place of women, and there is no hiding the blush staining yer cheeks. Or the way the chief looks at ye.”

“Really, Meghan—”

Meghan made a sound under her breath. “Do nae squander yer chance, lass. As ye well know, life has plenty of harsh edges for ye. Best to enjoy the moments ye can.”

Meghan disappeared, leaving Terin to groan in the empty chamber.

Why are ye groaning?

It was a very good question, really.

Meghan hadn’t been scandalized.

No, she encouraged ye…

Terin discovered a whole new flood of emotions filling her. It was so very strange to find herself in a place where all of the rules she’d been reared with were suddenly not the only way she was to be judged.

No, at Larks Point, the work in front of her would determine her worth.

As for her chastity, it was hers to bestow or not at her choosing.

Her own woman…

Somehow, Terin had managed to land in the place she’d set off to find. It wasn’t a fable after all.

Of course, it wasn’t free, either.

Terin smiled, though. Even the stacks of ledgers and letters waiting for her to deal with couldn’t dampen her mood.

Her own woman.

She truly was free to be Jasper’s lover if that was what she wanted.

He wants to wed ye.

Terin tried to focus on her work, but her mind refused to return to the columns of figures when she heard Jasper’s voice from the night before declaring how he intended to make her his wife.

He would not take her rejection well.

Another oddity. This time, instead of a girl being left without her lover honoring her, Terin might be the one to abandon Jasper at the altar.

Clearly, Larks Point was a mythical place.

Why won’t ye wed him?

Terin simply wished she wasn’t so torn by it.

Someone knocked on the door. Terin looked up.

“Mistress,” Aife stood in the doorway.

“Ye came,” Terin stated the obvious.

The girl nodded.

“She’ll see to yer needs, Terin,” Jasper emerged from behind Aife. “Whoever else ye require, send them to me.”

“But…”

Jasper didn’t give her time to protest. He sent her a firm look before he disappeared.

Terin shouldn’t have been so stunned by his actions.

No, she’d been raised in a world where men ruled. And a good man made sure his household had the necessary people in place. With no income of her own, Terin wouldn’t have hired Aife even if she wanted to, for not even a single meal at Larks Point was Terin’s to give until she earned her place.

But Jasper had a way of making sure she had what she needed.

Is that such a bad thing?

No, it wasn’t, but the way she questioned the entire matter made her realize that she had forgotten how to be happy.

And it was possible she might never be able to recover the skill.

*

When the supperbells began to chime, Aife didn’t really know what they were.

“I suppose we should go to the hall,” Terin spoke from the table she’d been working at all day.

“Yes, mistress,” Aife answered quickly.

“You need not call me mistress every time ye answer me, Aife,” Terin said.

Aife found herself tongue-tied as Terin stopped next to her and smiled.

“We will get to know one another and be friends,” Terin informed her before she went through the doorway.

Aife hurried to keep up.

In the passageway, there was a rich aroma of food. Aife drew in a deep breath, and her mouth began to water. Other women were coming through the doorways they passed, the main passageway becoming full. Everyone was chatting, their voices cheerful, and there was laughter as well.

It was as if she had stepped inside one of the stories her mother had told her as a child. Tales from a time when her parents had lived in a fine manor house before the lady of the house died, and her descendants let it fall to ruin.

Her first sight of the great hall made Aife freeze in her tracks.

There were long tables. Women had lined up along the side of the hall. Terin was no different.

“Go on.” A woman behind Aife pointed at the moving line of women. “Get yer bowl and stew. And then on to the tables to enjoy it.”

Aife stumbled on her first step because she couldn’t quite believe it was so simple to get supper.

And a very fine supper at that.

She made her way to where over a hundred pottery bowls were stacked up. She reached for one, and no one scolded her. Instead, she followed the line of women up to where a woman was ladling up servings of steaming soup.

Only it was truly stew.

Aife stood and stared at the contents of her bowl. It wasn’t just hot water with a few vegetables in it. Maybe some bubbles of grease left from the sides of the cooking pot.

No.

Her bowl was crowded with vegetables and even pieces of meat. It smelled rich and fragrant.

“Aife?” Terin called out to her. “Come and sit with me.”

Aife stared at Terin. “I could not sit beside ye, mistress.”

The bowl of stew was already so much more than Aife expected for her service.

“Everyone sits at the same tables here at Larks Point,” Meghan instructed her. “Just as we all get our own supper. No one is expected to serve the tables. We all labor together, so we break bread together.”

“Right here, Aife.” Terin patted the bench beside her.

Aife lowered herself to the spot. She was cupping her bowl tightly between her hands. Her fingers had become hot as the pottery transferred the heat of the stew to them.

Aife wasn’t willing to release her bowl. Beside her, the rest of the women were enjoying their supper.

“Eat, Aife,” Terin spoke softly. “Ye can have more if ye like.”

Aife turned wide eyes toward Terin.

“Only if ye get to it before the pot is empty,” another woman informed Aife.

Aife looked toward the end of the hall. The line had ended, but the pot was still there with the ladle resting beside it. A girl got up and went over to refill her bowl.

Aife grabbed her spoon so quickly, she fumbled it, and it clattered onto the tabletop.

“There is plenty to eat here, Aife.” Terin pointed at the center of the table.

Platters of bread and cheese were sitting there.

“It’s simple fare,” a woman across the table from Aife said. “Yet there is plenty for all.”

Aife looked up and down the table. Women were not rushing through their supper.

There was no fear of going without.

No fear…

Yet Aife saw her brother’s young face in that moment.

She had fear.

Aife knew men such as Lonn. They were men who were greedy but worse yet, they enjoyed cruelty as entertainment. Arth was less than a dog to a man such as Lonn. Aife didn’t doubt that he would send her Arth’s fingers to make her obey him.

She had abandoned tears long ago, but as she reached for some bread, she felt her eyes stinging.

It was so simple to reach for the bread. One moment she decided she wanted it, and in the next, there was flour on her fingertips as she lifted a piece and brought it to her plate.

So magical.

Yet impossible for her to remain inside of unless she was willing to sacrifice Arth.

Aife blinked, and her eyes cleared. Crying was useless. Life was harsh.

She knew that very, very well. She might sit here and lament the fact that if they had managed to make it to Larks Point before Arth was caught stealing that they would both be enjoying the supper.

But they hadn’t.

So, she would have to protect Arth.

*

“Knox,” Jasper calledout to his man.

Knox was walking away from the great hall with a chunk of bread and cheese in his hand. Alec and Woden were there as well. They both tugged on their caps and started to withdraw.

“I could use ye all for this matter,” Jasper said.

His men clustered around him. Jasper looked both ways before he began to speak.

“I’ve brought a girl up from Cannons Row to tend to Terin,” Jasper began. “Keep an eye on her for me.”

“We saw her,” Woden muttered. “Ye suspect her of something?”

Jasper felt a pang of guilt. But he dismissed it. Aife would not suffer by being observed. There was nothing wrong with making the girl prove herself a bit.

“I plan to wed Terin Campbell,” Jasper informed his men. “So anyone serving her needs to be loyal.”

His men nodded.

“Just keep yer eyes open,” Jasper clarified.

“She’s a half-starved thing,” Alec chimed in. “She’d have to be a fool to not see the opportunity she’s being granted.”

“Let’s hope so,” Jasper said. “Ye have me thanks.”

His men reached up to tug on the corners of their caps.

Jasper didn’t want his men to discover anything. He wanted Aife to settle in.

Ye want Terin to settle in…

Jasper grinned. The sun had set. Anticipation was brewing inside him. With his duties seen to, he was free to seek out Terin and enjoy what his labors earned him. Larks Point had been a place he’d run away to when he’d been rebellious. In those years when he was in a man’s body, yet still a youth in his mind and too cocky to understand the difference.

Davonna had found a way through his pride by challenging him to take on a man’s duty, for she had not promised him any respect unless he earned it.

He’d almost left.

But he’d always enjoyed a good fight.

More than his mother had been willing to tolerate.

But Davonna had seemed to know that it was a facet of his character which could be used to help him grow into a man. As the son of the Chattan laird, everyone in the Chattan stronghold had shown him respect.

Davonna and her collection of widows, orphans, and cripples were the first to ignore him until he earned their notice.

He’d become addicted to it.

Earning his way at Larks Point.

And now? Well, now, Jasper was face to face with a sense of satisfaction for knowing what he had to offer to Terin was something that he’d earned. It wasn’t a position his father had given him. Davonna had raised Larks Point from a crumbling old keep.

And Jasper had spent the last decade helping her make it prosper.

Aye, what he brought to Terin was a place he’d carved out for himself.

And she brought to him the skills which would help Larks Point prosper even more. They’d both help build a future home for their children.

Jasper grinned.

He was going to enjoy making those children, as well.

*

“Yer lady isnae alone, Chief.”

Jasper stiffened. Woden emerged from a shadow near the entrance of the chamber Terin slept in. He tugged on the corner of his cap.

“The mistress has young Aife in there,” Knox continued.

Jasper turned his head to look at the closed chamber door. He propped his hands on his hips as he faced the fatal flaw in his actions.

Of course, Terin had Aife in her chamber. No resources were ever wasted. The chamber Terin was in had a double bed on one side of it and a small cot at the other end. It was still rather grand accommodations to only have to share a chamber with three people. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised to find a trundle bed tucked beneath the double bed, which would be pulled out for two more people.

He needed to make arrangements for Aife.

Well, that will nae change anything tonight.

And Knox was smirking at him.

Jasper pointed a finger at his man. The gesture was something Knox recognized well. He chuckled before he turned and headed down the passageway. Jasper fell into step beside him, the two of them ending up in the lower yard where the Retainers slept and drank.

*

Cannons Row…

Rhona had neverhad many skills.

At least not ones that put any coin in her palm.

The only real talent she had was the ability to charm a man with her smile.

Well, and a peek at her cleavage.

Men craved her body. That fact had brought her both pleasure and sorrow, for so often she was a thing to be conquered before those men moved on to the next challenge.

She let out a little sigh and warned herself not to become pensive.

She’d be the only one to suffer her melancholy if she allowed herself to sink into despair.

“More ale!”

Rhona looked around the common room. A man was half falling out of his chair, yet he slapped the tabletop and looked for her to refill his tankard.

“More ale, I say!”

Rhona lifted a pitcher and carried it over to him. But he reached for her as she drew near.

“Out with ye!” Tete hollered from the corner where he kept watch over the common room. He beat his open hand with a club in warning.

“Come with me, sweet.” The man attempted to lure Rhona away with him.

“Ye are too full of ale for that, sir,” Rhona replied.

The man swayed on his feet. “Aye…aye, I am at that.”

He reached into his doublet and dug out a coin. “Let me sleep it off.”

Business was business. Rhona stuffed the coin into her cleavage.

Rhona turned and let him drape his arm along her shoulders as she guided him through the common room. There were cots in the back, set up after the kitchen closed for the night. She settled her customer on the one which was hers before she turned around and left him to his sleep.

She sighed. With her own bed rented for the night, she took off the piece of wool that hung down her back as an arisaid. Giving it a good shake, she wrapped it around herself and lay down on the floor. Tete was closing the door and sliding the bar across it.

Close to midnight, Rhona didn’t worry too much about the late hour. Cannons Row did not wake early.

Yet someone was scratching at the front door just after first light.

Tete was snoring.

Rhona rubbed her eyes and turned over to sleep some more. It was hours before opening time.

But whoever it was circled around the building and came in through the kitchen door.

Rhona was completely awake in an instant. The maids often made coin by rolling in the hay. She doubted there was anyone in the kitchen at all.

She was just reaching for the cloth curtain which hung between the kitchen and the common room when she heard her customer.

“Why are ye bothering me so early?” the man groused.

“The master sent me to find ye,” a young lad answered.

“Humph,” her border answered. “As if Lonn needs to worry about me loyalty. I just wanted to sleep a bit. Would have found my way back soon enough. There was no need to send a little thief after me.”

Rhona pressed her back against the wall. Lonn was a name she knew well. He ran most of the shady dealing in Cannons Row.

There were heavy steps on the floor as the man stumbled out of the building through the back door.

His sort preferred the back door, of course.

She drew in a deep breath and went to fetch her arisaid. At least she might enjoy her bed for a few hours before the maids made their way back into the kitchen.

Rhona froze, though, with the curtain in her hand. A boy was standing in the kitchen. His eyes were bright as he looked at the remains of last night’s supper. Just some stale bread that had been left on the worktable. He looked down at his hand, rubbing at something there.

“Are ye hungry?” Rhona asked softly as she came into the kitchen.

“I wasn’t going to steal,” the boy defended himself quickly. He’d jumped back and buried his hands in his kilt.

“I offered it to ye.” Rhona stepped past him and picked up the tray, then held it out to the boy.

He looked at her and then at the bread. A smile lifted his lips before he reached for it.

He had a T branded on his right hand.

The mark of a thief.

He was so young, yet it mattered not in the eyes of the law.

Rhona watched him gather up as much of the bread as his young hands could hold.

“Sit down and enjoy it,” Rhona encouraged him. “Ye may eat it all if ye like.”

The lad looked undecided.

“It seems ye have completed yer duties for the moment.” Rhona filled a cup with water and placed it on the table. “No one else is up. Cannons Row does nae rise early.”

“My master is awake,” the boy remarked.

Rhona turned so that the boy wouldn’t see her face.

She hoped Lonn Worthings was awake. If ever there was a man who should worry about closing his eyes, it was Lonn.

The man was scum.

The sort who squeezed everything he had out of the people around him. According to the scriptures, he was headed for hell.

“If ye go and get an egg from the hens, I will boil it for ye,” Rhona offered.

The lad had his mouth full of stale bread. He looked at her with bright eyes and nodded. He turned in a swish of his dirty plaid and went out into the yard.

Rhona would have liked to think she was being kind.

Yet the truth was, Lonn Worthings was the sort of man she needed to keep tabs on. The boy was the easiest way of doing so. Her motives colored her guilty, and yet, she had to protect her own. She spared a thought of remorse for the lad who had fallen into Lonn’s service. Life was simply harder for some than others, and the boy clearly had no one but himself at such a tender age. With the T branded upon his hand, he had very few prospects.

He appeared in the doorway with an egg.

His eyes were bright with victory and anticipation.

She’d have liked to have a son like him.

Someone who was happy to see her and content with naught more than an egg. Rhona put a small pot of water over the coals and waited for it to boil. While they waited, Rhone indulged her maternal instincts and filled a basin with warm water from the kitchen copper.

“Come here ye, scamp, let’s wash ye a bit.” She bent the boy over the water and scooped it up with her hands to wet the mop on his head.

By the time the egg was done, the boy was clean-faced, and his newly washed hair combed. He sent her a genuine smile as he cracked the shell off the egg and ate it while steam rose from it. He licked every last crumb from his fingers before he jumped down from the bench.

“Thank ye, mistress.”

Rhona nodded. He turned and headed for the door. He stopped and looked over his thin shoulder. “I am Arth.”

Arth was gone a moment later.

“He’ll be back,” Tete remarked from behind Rhona.

She didn’t answer. Information was protection in Cannons Row. Arth might bring her something that could be used to keep Lonn Wrothings from taking the small place, which was all the shelter Rhona and Tete had.

At least the lad was too young to realize. For the moment, he’d had an egg and his hair washed. He was likely skipping along the street the way a boy his age should be.

She was justifying her own sins.

An imperfect solution in a harsh world.

And there was simply nothing for it but to continue on.

At least she had the memory of his smile. One truly genuine expression to help her remember that there was good in the world.

*

Aife was diligent.

Jasper discovered himself both admiring the girl’s dedication and cursing himself for bringing her up to Larks Point in the first place.

She never left Terins side unless Meghan was in the study.

Two days later, he still hadn’t managed to get Terin alone.

“So frustrated after only two days?” Davonna surprised him.

Jasper jerked around. “Do nae sneak up on me.”

“Ye were so absorbed in yer thoughts, I feared for the stronghold to have such an absent-minded chief,” Davonna remarked.

Jasper sent her a narrow-eyed look. Davonna chuckled.

“Enjoying my suffering, are ye?”

Davonna lifted her hands and made a gesture with her thumb and index finger. “A wee little bit.”

Jasper made a scoffing sound in the back of his throat.

“I suppose I could help ye out a bit,” Davonna said. She stopped in front of him. “Wait here.” She disappeared into the study.

*

“For all thatI have assigned ye to the ledgers, do nae think this chamber is yer prison,” Davonna said.

Terin looked up, blinking as she tried to get her eyes to focus on Davonna. The endless hours dealing with columns of figures made her vision blurry as she tried to focus across the chamber.

“I do appreciate yer devotion, Terin,” her aunt added.

“It is fascinating, really,” Terin remarked. “I’m absorbed with learning about how much there is here at Larks Point.”

“I’m happy to hear ye are not disappointed in what ye have found here,” Davonna stopped beside the table. “Some are.”

Terin wasn’t foolish. She could see the work was hard and plentiful. When she tempered the stories she’d heard about Larks Point Tower, she could see how many who journeyed there could think it was not the haven they’d sought.

“I was educated in the running of a large household,” Terin explained. “I know there is no way to generate enough for everyone if everyone is not working.”

“Such seems simple enough to understand,” Davonna answered. “Yet there are many who whisper in the corner about how harsh a mistress I am.”

There was a sound from the corner. Davonna turned to look at Aife.

“It seems ye have heard a few rumors about me,” Davonna took a head-on approach.

Aife looked startled. She rolled her lower lip in and worried it with her teeth. “I am very grateful to be here.”

“Do nae fret, girl,” Davonna informed Aife. “I’d be surprised if ye had not heard a tale or two about Larks Point. What truly matters is what ye see with yer own eyes now that ye are here.”

Surprise spread across Aife’s face. Yet, she held her tongue.

“I don’t put much importance on ceremony here, girl,” Davonna said. “Ye can speak as ye please.”

“That cannot be so,” Aife remarked incredulously. “Ye are the mistress of Larks Point Tower.”

“I was a girl much like ye are now when I was sent here to make sure I stayed quiet,” Davonna said. “The Chattan wanted to keep me dowry in spite of the fact that I remained unwed.”

“But ye were the daughter of a laird,” Aife exclaimed.

“Once I was sent to my betrothed husband, it was up to me to make a success of my future,” Davonna answered. “Such is the plight of every well-born daughter.”

“So very true,” Terin agreed.

“I’m curious what is said in Cannons Row of me.” Davonna looked at Aife.

Aife shut her mouth with a little click of her teeth. Davonna waited for a moment.

“Is it so terrible then?” Davonna pressed Aife. “Ye dare not mutter a word?”

“I do nae wish to lose me place because I am a gossip,” Aife answered. “The chief was clear about his wishes.”

Davonna made a soft sound beneath her breath. “So, I was correct. Ye have heard disparaging things about me.”

Aife’s complexion darkened.

“Do nae fret, Aife,” Davonna continued. “If ye stay, ye’ll see for yerself how it is here. Such is my preferred method of dealing with the matter.”

Aife blinked, clearly surprised to see the matter being dropped.

“What has the chief demanded of ye?” Terin asked.

“Jasper is the chief of Larks Point Tower,” Davonna said. “Since he’s made it clear he intends to wed ye, he will likely have made sure the girl understand he will not take kindly to any spy at yer side.”

Terin drew in a stiff breath. Davonna lifted a finger, warning Terin to keep her thoughts to herself since Aife was there.

“For now, Meghan?” Davonna looked at the other woman in the room. “Take Aife to get some better clothing. Snow is flying again.”

“Aye, mistress,” Meghan replied.

Meghan beckoned Aife to follow her from the room.

“Jasper,” Terin began.

“Is like a son to me,” Davonna informed her.

Terin bit back what she’d started to say.

Davonna smiled, though. “I will nae order ye to accept him, Terin. Such is not my way, for I understand better than anyone else the road ye have had to walk. My choice was to come here or insist on wedding a man who would only grow to hate me because I refused to step aside and allow him to wed the woman his heart had settled on.”

Terin nodded.

Davonna laughed softly. “Ye should have seen the tower when we arrived. Most of the window shutters had rotted, which meant the floors inside were being hit by the weather. The first year here, we resembled a pack of wolves more than anything else, for we had but two chambers between us all to shelter in. But I found two looms, and we worked them to produce our first sellable goods.”

Davonna looked at the ledgers. “Things have not changed all so much. We still struggle to produce enough to survive. That part will not ever change, Terin. Don’t make the mistake of forgetting to live while ye might. Many will say I settled for Fallis. It isn’t true. I simply decided not to overlook an opportunity to taste more of life than the struggle.”

Davonna sent her a knowing look before she left the chamber.

Terin sat for a long minute.

She was hiding…

Terin had been a great many things in her life; however, she was fairly certain that she had never been a coward.

Sniveling didn’t get ye through four hellish years of marriage…

She flattened her palms on the table and stood.

Enough.

Jasper deserved better from her.

Terin left the chamber behind her. The day was waning. She hadn’t realized how crisp the air was because Aife had kept the chamber Terin labored in warm. Now, though, Terin shivered, and she realized it had more to do with just the chill in the air.

She was alone. Maybe Jasper didn’t care to be toyed with.

She could hardly blame him if he went back for Rhona.

Don’t give up without trying…find him…explain…

But she didn’t know where to seek him out. In fact, Terin knew precious little about the passageways of Larks Point. She took a few more steps, listening intently to try and catch any sounds, but it was quiet.

Well, standing here will not help ye any…

No, it wouldn’t.

Terin drew in a deep breath and picked up her feet. She headed toward the end of the passageway.

She never made it.

As she passed a doorway, someone grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the dark room beyond it. She tried to shriek, but the sound became trapped in her mouth as a hand covered her lips. The door was kicked shut, sealing her inside the chamber with whoever had grabbed her.

For a second, she was poised on the edge of panic, but the scent of the hand covering her lips settled her fears.

Terin sank her teeth into Jasper’s hand.

She was free a moment later.

“Ye’re biting me?”

“Ye frightened me half to death,” Terin exclaimed.

There was a spark and then another before a tinder bowl flared to life and illuminated Jasper’s face. He held a candle to it before the straw burned away. The wick caught, and he set the candle in a small lantern.

“Ye have been avoiding me,” Jasper pointed out.

Terin drew in a breath and released it. “I have.”

He lifted one eyebrow at her admission.

“And I was looking for ye just now,” Terin continued.

“For what purpose, lass?”

Terin opened her mouth, but words failed her. She ended up drinking in the sight of him. He was a fair-looking man. Hard-bodied and shaped more than well. But she realized it wasn’t his midnight hair that drew her to him so intensely.

No, it was something else, for she’d seen handsome men before. They had disappointed her with their greed and callousness.

“I…I very much enjoyed ye taking me to dance at Cannons Row,” Terin tried to vocalize her feelings. “It was…fun.”

Whatever Jasper had thought she might say, her words surprised him. He stared at her for a long minute. His expression was unreadable.

He suddenly nodded, having come to some decision.

He turned and blew out the candle. The darkness closed around her, but Jasper renewed his grip on her wrist. This time Terin took solace in the hold. His strength seemed to flow up her arm and into her body, reassuring her in a way no words might ever have done.

He opened the door and pulled her into the passageway behind him.

Did she know what he was doing? Honestly, Terin did in her core. He was taking her someplace private.

Where they might be lovers.

Were there still matters unresolved between them?

Yes.

And still, Terin didn’t have it in her to protest. For to do so would have been a lie. Worse than a lie, really. It would have been a complete deception that went further than just the words.

Going all the way to her soul.

Jasper took her down a passageway and up a flight of steps. The door he opened swung and closed behind her as he spun her loose. Terin felt her skirts rise up and away from her ankles before Jasper was back in front of her. He clasped her head with his hands, holding it steady as he stepped up in front of her.

“Do nae hide from me, Terin,” he rasped out his warning. “I swear I was driven to the edge of sanity these last few days.”

Terin wanted to agree, but he pressed a kiss against her lips. It was a hard kiss, and he held her head in place as he angled his own to seal their mouths together.

Time stopped.

Terin was lost in the sensation produced from that kiss. It stole her breath. Sent her thoughts whirling until they flew apart and left her with nothing but the wave of delight being produced by their flesh touching.

It was bliss.

Terin discovered that she had never really grasped the meaning of that word before. For it wasn’t something that could be taught by a tutor.

No, a person needed to experience it to understand.

Terin wanted to linger inside that moment forever. But she also wanted to kiss him back.

The moment she moved her mouth against his, the kiss changed. There was a jolt of reaction which went through her. Not only was she swimming in a pool of bliss, she was returning that same sensation to Jasper.

She reached for him, flattening her hands on his chest. Her fingertips had become so very sensitive. In fact, all of her senses were keener. She heard their breathing like it was some sort of music. Beneath her hands, she could detect the beat of his heart.

Her own was thumping hard and fast.

But his clothing was a barrier. She caught the button which held his collar closed and opened it. He lifted his head and reached for the tie of her bodice. The chamber filled with the sounds of fabric being pulled and dropped. Terin didn’t shy away from being bared, for it felt so very natural.

So very perfect.

They were both so needy. Terin stroked his bare skin before his last boot was gone because she just couldn’t wait. Suddenly it felt like an eternity since they had been pressed against one another.

How could she have forgotten how perfect it was to be in his embrace?

Jasper scooped her up and bore her to a bed. It was larger than hers, and they rolled across its wide surface until Jasper pushed her down onto her back. He cupped a breast, kneading the soft mound as he renewed his assault on her mouth.

“For certain, there are matters we need to discuss, lass,” Jasper muttered. “But I can nae seem to stop.”

“I don’t want to stop, either,” Terin confessed.

Her belly was a cauldron of boiling need. So hot, being bare was an absolute necessity. Jasper was hot, too. But his skin soothed her in a way she understood only deep down in her instincts. Down at the base of who she was, he satisfied a craving that she had never realized she yearned to have fed.

“Come to me, Jasper,” she whispered.

He needed no further invitation. The bed ropes creaked as he rolled over her. Terin’s thighs parted as he settled between them. Her folds were wet, and he pressed forward without resistance this time.

A moan crossed her lips.

The sound was so needy, it would have shocked her if Terin had been able to think.

Instead, it seemed to fit, for Jasper let out a sound that mingled with hers perfectly. Terin lifted her hips for his thrusts, giving herself over completely to the building pleasure. She knew it would end in a flash of ecstasy, and she was not disappointed.

When her body reached the zenith, she stiffened and cried out. Jasper growled against her temple, thrusting hard against her so that his cock filled her completely. The pleasure seared her from the inside out. It might have lasted only a moment, but she was caught in that time for a small eternity.

He rolled off her, gathering her close.

Perfect?

Aye, that was definitely the word for the moment.

*

Aife ran herhand down her arm.

She was petting the wool fabric of her sleeve, marveling at how sturdy it felt. She had never had such fine clothing. What made it remarkable was the way it would keep her warm. It was also a fine shade of brown, but it might have been as ugly as pitch tar, and she would have adored it for being so sturdy.

“I hope ye see how fine a welcome the mistress is giving ye, girl,” Meghan advised.

Aife nodded.

The supper bells began to chime. The girls working in the room all hurried out of the doorway. Meghan chuckled at their haste.

“Ye’d think they didn’t have a meal just a few hours ago,” Meghan muttered.

Aife had started to head for the door as well.

“Get the candles before ye leave,” Meghan instructed.

“Yes,” Aife answered immediately.

Aife didn’t really mind, though. She took the opportunity to look at herself in the mirror on the wall. She had never seen her reflection before, except in water. The mirror was long, showing her from head to toe, and she got to see her new dress.

It was a whole outfit made of the same fabric. The skirt was cartridge pleated around her waist, and she had a true hip roll under it to help support the weight. It felt like wearing air. The bodice had reeds quilted into its lining to support her breasts. She had a new smock and stockings. Meghan had even handed her a partlet that would tie beneath her arms and cover the open neckline when it was cold. A nice wool flat cap finished off the outfit.

It was not new.

Aife took a moment to look at the long rack of clothing the dress had come off of. At Larks Point Tower, clothing was traded in when new items were needed. Aife was thin, and the dress she wore had likely been too tight for whoever had traded it in.

If she stayed, she might need a larger one, too.

Aife smiled and hurried to pinch out the candles. But when she left the workroom, she froze in the passageway because she didn’t know which way to go. She’d dawdled too long, and now there were no others to follow toward the great hall.

“Can I help ye, mistress?”

Aife was startled. She blinked and realized there was a young Retainer standing in the passageway.

“Alec,” he told her his name as he reached up to tug on his cap.

Aife worried the fabric of her new skirt between her fingers as she tried to decide if the man had been waiting for her.

Of course the chief was having her watched.

But instead of being upset over that fact, Aife enjoyed knowing that she had shelter from Lonn’s reach.

What of Arth?

She looked at the floor, her elation dampened by the thought of just how impossible it would be for her to truly have a happy life at Larks Point Tower.

“I’ll show ye the way to the hall,” Alec offered.

He was a fine young man with a cheerful smile and honest eyes. But Aife didn’t miss that he had the ability to turn serious if needed. He was young but still a full Retainer. He was every bit as bound to Chief Chattan as she was to Lonn Worthings.

“Ye look very fine, mistress,” Alec said as he extended his arm out to show her the way.

“I do?” Aife really shouldn’t have spoken. Yet the words just tumbled right out of her mouth while she was caught up in the way Alec looked at her.

Like she was someone.

Instead of a beggar.

“I think so,” Alec insisted. “Ye have a very pretty set of eyes.”

Aife followed him down the passageway. She didn’t know how to answer him. But the surface of her face was turning hot. She reached up to rub one cheek, and Alec watched her do it. His expression became pensive as he led her down the passageway and into another one before she caught the scent of supper.

“I hope to see ye again, Mistress Aife,” Alec said with a tug on his cap. He turned in a flare of Chattan plaid and went toward the men’s side of the hall before she managed to regain her ability to speak.

“Thank ye.” The words were a whisper that the supper time conversation swallowed.

*

Cannons Row…

“That scamp willbe back again and again since ye feed him,” Tete groused at Rhona.

Arth was back in the yard looking for eggs.

Tete was frowning.

“He is a boy,” Rhona admonished Tete.

The burly doorman started to open his mouth, but she held up a finger.

“A boy who Lonn Worthings believes to be insignificant.” Rhona looked out of the window to make certain Arth was still searching the nests.

“I’m surprised to hear ye say ye would use the lad,” Tete remarked.

“It’s not as if the boy will not benefit from us finding a way to be rid of Lonn’s rule over Cannons Row.”

Tete nodded reluctantly.

“I’ll be surprised if he brings ye anything of worth,” Tete finished sharing his opinion.

“It’s better than never trying,” she said.

Tete shrugged in response. Arth was coming back, saving Rhona from saying anything else. Arth happily handed her five eggs.

Rhona used a spoon to lift an egg out of the hot water she’d boiled it in. She placed it in a small pottery bowl. Steam rose from it, quickly leaving the shell dry.

Arth began to peel it soon after as he swung his feet back and forth beneath the table. Rhona swallowed her distaste and turned to look at him.

“Ye said Lonn was yer master, Arth,” Rhona kept her voice soft and subtle. “Do ye fetch eggs for him?”

Arth licked his lips, his expression remaining sunny and without any suspicion. “My master has a cook.”

“Ah,” Rhona remarked. “I’m sure ye do other things for him.”

She cut a slice off a chunk of cheese and offered it to him. His eyes glittered with happiness.

“Mostly, I fetch people up to his study,” Arth informed her.

“He is an important man,” Rhona said. “But ye are so young to be working. Have ye no family?”

Arth was nodding. “I have my sister Aife. Master sent her up to Larks Point Tower.”

Rhona shared a look with Tete over Arth’s head. The doorman was far more interested in Arth now. Tete came forward and ruffled the top of the boy’s head.

“How is that cheese? Rhona keeps a fine kitchen, and that’s a fact.”

“Yeah, but she makes me scrub me fingernails like a girl,” Arth whispered when Rhona had her back turned to them.

“Me too, lad,” Tete answered as he held up his hands.

Arth finished up the cheese and was on his feet a moment later. He tugged on his cap before he raced out of the back door.

“Seems I need to send a message to Jasper,” Rhona muttered softly.

Lonn Worthings was a cancer. If he’d sent someone up to Larks Point, it could only be for the wrong reasons.

*

Someone scratched onhis door.

Jasper opened his eyes.

Terin was sleeping peacefully by his side. He eased from beneath the bedding, scooping his shirt up on his way to the door and shrugging into it. The single garment would suffice for modesty’s sake for no female would be at his door so early in the morning. The decency rules at Larks Point Tower applied to women as well as men. There was a thick rod hanging on the wall in the great hall to remind everyone that moonlight liaisons would not be tolerated.

As it was, he and Terin would be in for a taste of that rod if they were caught and didn’t marry. The local priest, Father Peter, was mostly amiable toward his flock.

But he had clear lines which he abided by when it came to morality.

More than one Retainer had witnessed what happened when a man came to Larks Point Tower and thought he might carouse and cavort at his pleasure with no mind to the scriptures.

Knox was outside the door. His man had turned his back to the door so he wouldn’t catch even a peek of anything Jasper might object to him seeing. Jasper closed the door softly behind him.

“Message for ye from Rhona,” Knox spoke once Jasper had joined him. “She has something to discuss with ye.”

Jasper drew in a stiff breath. Rhona was often his eyes and ears in Cannons Row. It was a place he needed to watch because it was so close to Larks Point Tower. Davonna had built something worth taking. It was one of the reasons he’d stayed and taken the title of chief. He was, after all, a Chattan son.

Jasper nodded. “Get the horses ready.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d dressed in the gray light of early morning.

But it was the first time he’d sat back on his haunches because the soft breathing of his companion captivated him so much.

He watched the light increasing in the chamber. It afforded him the view of something breathtaking.

Terin was just a lump in the bedding. Her hair was a tousled mess, and he grinned as he recalled precisely how those silky strands had gotten messy.

He couldn’t wait for it to grow long again.

Jasper bent down to continue folding his kilt. It was a familiar motion—one that had meaning beyond his Highlander identity.

He was the chief of Larks Point Tower.

And now, he was buckling the plaid around his waist before true first light because he would make certain Terin never feared inside the home he was making for her.

Perhaps that was the measure of a man.

It was definitely the mark of one in love.

Jasper felt heat warming his heart as he carried his boots out of the chamber to ensure Terin didn’t wake up.

He wasn’t certain when he’d decided he truly loved her. All he knew was that he suddenly understood what his mother meant by fate being something that happened. It simply was.

Had it happened in those first moments when he’d seen her in the common room?

Possibly, for he’d taken her under his wing and been unwilling to question himself.

“Look at ye,” Knox muttered as he chewed on a thick slice of cheese that he had put on top of another slice of bread. There were a few crumbs in his beard because he was wise enough to know he’d better fill his belly while he might.

Knox pointed at him. “Grinning like a besotted fool.”

Jasper finished securing his bootlace and stood. Knox smiled at him before offering him another portion of bread and cheese as a peace offering.

Jasper took it, but he sent his man a smirk. “I do seem to have quite the appetite this morning.”

“Oh…so that’s the way it is now?” Knox groused as they headed toward the stables.

Jasper stopped and sent his man a serious look. “It is very much the way things are.”

*

Late in theafternoon, Aife began to anticipate the supper bells.

Snow was flying, but her new dress kept her warmer than she could ever recall being. Terin was happy, too, a smile on her lips as she worked through more of the stacks of ledgers on her worktable. When the cook rang the bells, Terin looked up.

“Supper already,” Terin said.

Aife nodded. Terin stepped beside her and hooked her arm through Aife’s.

“We are going to become friends, Aife,” Terin declared happily as they left the chamber. “I will not take no for an answer.”

Terin stopped, though, as she spied Alec waiting in the passageway.

“Mistress,” Alec reached up and tugged on the corner of his cap.

The Retainer looked at Aife. Terin suddenly unhooked their arms.

“I need to speak with Meghan,” Terin declared. It was a poor excuse at best, but Terin hurried away as Aife turned and offered Alec a hesitant smile.

The Retainer did not return it.

Aife felt her heart stop. There was a look in Alec’s eyes that cut her to the bone.

“The chief has sent me to fetch ye,” Alec informed her in a low tone. “He does nae want the mistress to know.”

Aife had been disappointed before.

This was so very much worse, though.

She looked at the ground as she fell into step beside Alec. He stayed near her, clearly not trusting her to follow obediently.

Even knowing she was guilty, Aife didn’t want to flee.

Who would want to leave such a haven?

She wouldn’t have to flee, though. The look in Alec’s eyes made it plain that she was going to be put out.

Or hanged.

Perhaps whipped and put out.

She drew in a deep breath and forbade herself to cry.

Weeping solved naught.

And anyway, there would be plenty of time for tears after she learned her fate.

*

Jasper wasn’t inthe great hall for supper.

He’s not the sort of man who blends in…

She smiled at her own wry humor.

“Ye can stop stretching yer neck,” Meghan said from beside her. “Seems the chief got called away to Cannons Row this morning.”

“Humph,” a woman remarked across the table. “He favors that Rhona far too much.”

Terin recalled Rhona very well.

“Ye do nae know the chief went down to see Rhona,” Meghan defended Jasper’s name. “It might have been some other bit of business.”

Terin discovered her appetite evaporating.

Ye don’t have the right to be jealous.

That was partially true. She had been the one to tell Jasper she wanted to be his lover. Jasper had said there were matters he wanted to discuss with her.

Well, he was missing this morning…

Terin poked at her supper, trying to decide how she felt. Her feelings had never been so tender before.

Jasper sent ye into upheaval for certain…

She ended up heading for her chamber, needing to think. But the chamber was dark and cold, Aife nowhere in sight.

Terin sat for a long moment.

“The day was too bloody long,” Jasper declared as he came through the door.

Terin turned to face him, stunned and relieved at the same time. He had his jerkin in his hand, and his hair was still wet. He sent her a smile. “Long and yet, I bathed, lass, so ye will not have to suffer the sweat on me.”

Jasper tossed his jerkin aside. No matter if it was forbidden or not, Terin still felt the draw between them. Her insides tightened, and her clit throbbed as she caught the freshly washed scent of his skin.

“Now, sneaking in here was a wee bit of a chore I don’t mind telling ye I could live without,” Jasper informed her. He sent her a wink before he sat down and started to unlace his boots. “Do ye mind having a winter wedding, lass?”

“Wedding?” Terin discovered herself stunned by the idea.

Men enjoyed bedding women. They didn’t crave wedding their conquests.

Jasper looked up at her. “Ye think I would nae honor ye by wedding ye, Terin?”

“I do nae wish to wed again.”

Jasper’s expression hardened. He stood.

“Ye would be my woman but not my wife?” he asked pointedly.

Terin discovered herself uncertain as she faced his displeasure. “I suppose…I have not thought the matter through.”

Jasper took a step toward her. Terin truly wanted to stand in place, but the look in his topaz eyes made her belly twist.

He backed her up until she hit the wall. Jasper flattened his hands on either side of her head, caging her. A warning flashed in his eyes.

“Perhaps I have nae proven myself just yet,” Jasper muttered. “Now it’s very true that I enjoy a challenge, lass. Good of ye to notice that trait.”

His tone was husky.

It was also edged with determination.

“Let’s discuss this matter.” Terin flattened her hands on his chest and braced her arms.

“I’d rather let me actions speak for me,” Jasper declared.

Her elbows remained straight because Jasper was big enough to lean over and press his mouth against hers.

The kiss was devastating to her logical, well-thought-out plans.

Terin let out a sound which was half dismay and the other half elation.

It drew a growl from Jasper. He peeled her hands off his chest by gripping her wrists. A moment later, he pressed her hands to the wall.

Terin gasped, her senses filled to the brim with his scent. She was melting beneath the onslaught of his kisses.

“Would ye have me leave ye now, lass?”

Terin blinked, her mind having trouble functioning. “I…do nae know what I want.”

The words felt like they came out her soul.

She was fairly certain she had never muttered anything as truthful in her life. She yearned for him.

“In that case, Terin,” Jasper responded. “I am going to make ye scream.”

He released her wrists and scooped her off her feet. For some reason, she often forgot how large a man he was, feeling so very at ease with speaking her mind to him.

Jasper reminded her of his strength as he cradled her against his chest, bearing her weight with ease. He turned and deposited her on the small table.

“What are ye about?” Terin asked incredulously.

Jasper caught the back of her head. “I told ye, lass, I’m going to make ye scream.”

He pressed another kiss against her mouth. Jasper took complete advantage of her confusion, pressing her lips open so he might give her a hard kiss that left her gasping.

He broke away from her, taking a moment to look into her eyes before he grasped her skirt and flipped it up to bare her thighs.

“Jasper…”

He cupped the inside of her knees and pulled them wide.

Her eyes widened as she felt the evening air hit her folds.

Jasper chuckled. Only it was a dark sound—one which hinted at a knowledge she had no inkling of.

“I am planning to have my way with ye, Terin,” Jasper answered. “Be very sure of that, lass.”

He sunk down to his knees.

“Ye can nae mean to…”

He did.

Terin watched as Jasper leaned in and kissed her folds. Her heart nearly burst at the scarlet nature of the matter.

“Do not!” she ordered.

Jasper clasped her hips to hold her in place instead.

His shoulders kept her thighs spread wide open when she tried to close them. His mouth was so hot against her flesh, she gasped, arching back while he teased her most sensitive spot.

It felt good.

No…it felt amazing.

One moment Terin was struggling with her disbelief, and in the next, she couldn’t remember why she needed to be so horrified at all.

Because the pleasure was so very intense.

Jasper was using his tongue to sweep up the center of her folds. All the way to the top where her little pearl resided. He teased it. Flicking it before he closed his mouth around it and sucked hard.

Terin cried out.

Her back was suddenly arching. She had to flatten her hands on the table behind her, or she’d have flopped back like a newly caught fish.

“It sounds a bit like ye enjoy this, Terin,” Jasper taunted her.

Her eyes popped open, and she looked down her body to see Jasper’s eyes glittering with mischief. Her belly twisted with anticipation as her clit throbbed for more.

Jasper didn’t disappoint.

He pressed his mouth back against her.

Terin let out another cry. There was simply no way to contain it. She was twisting and lifting her hips up as he tongued her clit. She was being driven ruthlessly toward the edge of endurance. Her heart was racing, pumping so hard, it was likely to burst.

Terin didn’t care.

“I will not make it so simple for ye, Terin.”

Jasper suddenly rose to his feet. He drew his forearm across his mouth before he leaned down over her. She caught the faint scent of her own juices on his lips as she was flattened on the tabletop.

“Do ye think I should satisfy ye when ye have rejected me, lass?” Jasper asked her as he hovered over her.

She needed to climax.

The urge was so strong, she grabbed two handfuls of his shirt and growled at him.

“Be my wife, Terin.”

His voice was edged in demand and authority. Something inside her rebelled against it.

“I will be yer lover!” she declared.

He’d flattened his hands on either side of her head and braced his arms straight. For the first time, his greater size proved to be an advantage for her. Terin slipped off the table, dropping to her knees on the floor in front of him because there was enough room.

Terin cupped his knees and slid her hands up his thighs beneath his kilt.

“Terin…” Jasper started to protest, but she felt a tremor shake his legs.

“A lover gives as much as they receive,” Terin informed him.

Her cheeks were flaming, but excitement was filling her, too.

Terin kept moving her hands upward. She reached to the top of his legs and moved her fingers inward.

“Terin.” Jasper sucked in his breath as her fingers grazed his cock.

The sound of his voice filled her with confidence because he was clearly as enraptured as she’d been.

His cock was smooth.

The skin was hot and like silk, but beneath the surface, it was hard.

“Christ,” Jasper braced his hands on the edge of the table. “Are ye sure, lass?”

“Ye are not the only one who needs to prove things, Jasper,” Terin informed him.

She wanted to drive him to that same moment of desperation that he’d introduced her to. Now, her clit was throbbing, the hunger he’d kindled in her belly was still burning.

She closed her fingers around his length, enjoying the rasp of his breath through his teeth. She drew her hands down to the head of his member before pushing them back toward the base.

But she wanted more.

Terin realized that she wanted to see him as well.

“It’s yer turn to be against the table,” she declared.

Terin stood and pushed Jasper toward the table that she’d just been at his mercy on.

He moved at her command. When she looked at him, she caught the smirk on his lips. Only instead of the expression being sarcastic, it simply was a reflection of the rascal that Jasper truly was at his core.

She reached for his belt.

“I suppose I cannot refuse ye when I have just demanded the same from ye,” Jasper remarked.

He caught the end of it and popped it open for her. Jasper straightened up. For a moment, she feared he was going to scoop her up once more, denying her the dominant position.

But he only reached behind his neck and pulled his shirt up and over his head. He settled back against the edge of the table, waiting for her.

He was glorious.

Huge and hard. Terin realized she’d never had the chance to really look at him. He had hair covering his chest. She reached out and threaded her fingers into it. There was something about the feeling that renewed her desire to be bedded by him.

Deep down in her bones, there was a need that seemed to answer to the feeling of his skin against hers.

But she wanted to prove herself, too.

Would he react to her the same way?

Terin suddenly needed to know.

She reached into her cleavage and pulled the top of the lace holding her bodice together. His attention slipped to her fingers as she loosened the lace and freed herself from the garment.

“I could grow to appreciate yer need to be my lover, Terin,” Jasper said as she worked to remove her hip roll and skirts.

Her view of him was blocked out as she drew her smock up and over her head. Terin gasped as the fabric went over her head, for Jasper was no longer sitting on the edge of the table. He’d straightened up and caught her arms while they were above her head.

“Yet, I doubt I will ever tire of making ye breathless with my kisses, lass,” he muttered as he trapped her arms in the fabric of her smock.

So suddenly, she was his prey once more.

It was an abrupt shift, and it stole her breath.

“But I also enjoy claiming ye, Terin,” he said darkly. “Especially when ye will not agree to be mine.”

“I said I’d be yer lover.”

But her tone betrayed how her insides were quivering.

“Well, being my lover is indeed tempting.” Jasper scooped her off her feet and carried her to the bed.

Terin sprang away from him the moment he released her. There was nowhere to go except across the bed, but the wall caged her.

Jasper had one of his feet on the frame of the bed as he loosened his bootlace and tugged it off. He made short work of the other boot while she watched.

Why are ye quivering?

Did ye not enjoy being in charge?

She had, and his member was sticking straight out at her.

Why should she shy away from the sight?

Life was too damned short to waste the moments she might feel so intensely.

Terin moved across the surface of the bed. Jasper was still finishing his second boot as she put her face forward and placed a kiss on the head of his cock.

“Holy!” he exclaimed.

He stood there, eyeing her with surprise.

“Lovers are often bold,” Terin informed him.

Her tone shocked her, for it was sultry.

Like Rhona’s had been.

That pleased her very much.

“Oh,” Terin let out a little sigh.

Jasper’s eyes narrowed. “Are ye sure, lass?”

“Were ye sure when ye put yer mouth on…my lower part?”

Jasper moved back toward her, but he thrust his hand into her hair and held her there on her knees as he lowered his mouth to just an inch above hers.

“I promise ye, lass,” Jasper said in a whisper. “It will not be the last time.”

Her clit throbbed.

She reached out, closing her hands around his member one more. “I need to be more than taken, Jasper.”

She drew her hands up the length of his staff. His grip in her hair tightened. Jasper held her head steady as she worked her hand up and down his member. He closed his eyes, releasing her as he straightened up, offering his cock to her.

It couldn’t be so different.

Terin opened her mouth and took the head of his cock inside.

“Damnation…” he muttered harshly.

Terin recognized his tone.

Recognized it as the same one she’d used when he’d been sucking on her little pearl.

She opened her mouth wider and took more of his length inside as she stroked with her hands.

She felt him jerk.

And it kindled a desire in her to continue.

She worked her hands and mouth together. Judging her actions by the way his breath rasped between his teeth. He caught the side of her head, holding her in place as he thrust toward her mouth. She increased her efforts, wanting to drive him to the breaking point, just as he’d done with her.

But he pulled her away.

“Jasper…”

He rolled over her, landing on the bed so suddenly that the bed rope creaked ominously.

Yet, they held, and he clamped his arms around her until he had her pinned with one leg thrown over her right leg and his left hand in her hair to hold her still.

They had pushed one another to each other’s limits. Terin witnessed it in his eyes as she felt her body refusing to wait any longer. She reached for him, letting out a moan of sheer ecstasy when he rolled over her.

Never would she have believed she might feel so complete as she did at that moment.

This time there was no pain when he thrust into her passage. His member was hard, stretching her, but the fullness only added to the satisfaction building inside her. Terin wanted to hold back. She wanted to delay that final moment, but her passion was burning too brightly.

Every inch of her was too sensitive.

Terin felt herself tumbling into climax far too soon.

He ground himself deeply into her as she clasped him between her thighs. The bed rocked frantically as they strained toward one another.

Jasper snarled as his seed began to flood her. It was hot and searing against her insides, but it set off another ripple of satisfaction, leaving her so spent, she didn’t even bother to smooth the hair back from her face.

He recovered faster, rolling onto his side to pull her close. He smoothed the hair back from her face as she rolled against him, so content, she marveled at how easily she seemed to have decided to trust him.

It was simply there, in her heart.

“Why will ye not wed me, Terin?”

There was true frustration in his tone.

“Why must I promise to be yer chattel for ye to be content?”

Terin opened her eyes to lock gazes with him. For a moment, they were both silent.

Jasper finally grunted. “A man has much to shoulder in marriage as well, lass. For it falls to me to provide for ye. Make sure ye sleep in a safe place.”

Terin opened her mouth, but he pressed a finger to her lips.

“What I offer ye as my wife is something I have earned,” Jasper informed her. “I am chief because I came here when no one else wanted to be stuck at Larks Point. ’Twas a place of widows and orphans and cripples. Not more than a handful of grown men to be seen. Me men followed me, and I knew they resented being assigned to the third son of the laird.”

He reached over and grabbed the bedding. Jasper shook it out and covered them both. He pulled her close beneath the blanket, securing her to his side.

“Davonna had a vision for this place,” Jasper said. “I believed in her. We built everything that is here. What I offer to ye as me wife is not a place me father has gifted to me. I offer to plight ye me troth and share everything I have earned through me own sweat.”

He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head.

“For all that I was not a virgin when we met, I tell ye upon me soul that I have never held a woman as I am holding ye. Never declared to her why I deserve to be her husband. Me mother claims fate brought ye and I together, and I find that I believe it for naught else explains the way I would not leave ye in that common room to sit on the floor. From that moment, ye have been bound to me, Terin. I dare ye to argue with me.”

He was correct.

Terin wanted to think of some reason why he was wrong.

Are ye daft?

Maybe she was. After all, wasn’t love a madness? Terin pushed up against the bed. She looked down at Jasper’s face as the last of the light faded from the room.

His words had sunk into her heart.

“I love ye, Jasper Chattan.”

She truly did. It wasn’t something she decided upon. It was simply there, just as unexpectedly as the moment when he’d plucked her from the grip of harsh reality and offered her shelter.

Offered to share what he had with her without asking anything in return.

Offered to plight to her his troth.

She suddenly smiled. Too full of happiness to hold it inside. Jasper lifted an eyebrow.

“Does that mean ye will be my wife, Terin?”

“I will,” Terin answered clearly.

Satisfaction filled his eyes. He hugged her close, rolling her onto her back before pressing a kiss against her mouth, which felt like it seared her all the way to her soul.

When he lifted his head, she thought she caught a simmer of unshed tears in his eyes.

But it might have been the tears in her eyes that made her think such a thing.

The chief of Larks Point Tower surely did not weep from emotions.

Even if he did answer to fate just as surely as she did herself.

“In that case, I will allow ye to sleep, lass,” Jasper informed her softly. “But know that if ye turn stubborn, I will spend every hour of the night proving to ye how much ye cannot resist being mine.”

The bed rocked as he lay back down beside her. They never truly parted. Sleep claimed them both quickly while Terin discovered that the sound of his breathing was the thing that had been missing from her nights without her knowing it.

*

Aife fingered thewool of her skirt.

So fine.

The partlet kept her neck warm even as the snow drifted past in thick clumps. There was well over half a foot of it on the ground, and it wouldn’t melt until spring.

She drew in a deep breath.

It was time…

Her belly was twisted into knots, but she didn’t hesitate any longer. Arth’s face was in her mind, and it fueled her determination to do what she had to in order to ensure her brother didn’t suffer.

She would face Lonn Worthings.

*

Larks Point Tower…

“Are ye leavingagain so early?”

Jasper was surprised to hear her ask the question. He looked up from where he was folding his kilt on the floor.

“Aye, lass,” he muttered. “As I said last night, a man has things he shoulders in marriage, and I have matters to make sure are done well.”

Terin blinked the last of the sleep from her eyes. She sat up and shivered.

“Lay back down, wife,” Jasper instructed her. “It is not yet dawn.”

“Should I not give as much as ye to this union?” She pushed the bedding back.

Jasper stood. She gained a glimpse of his thighs before he was sitting on the bed next to her. He cupped her shoulder, pressing her down.

It really didn’t take much to convince her to return to the warm bed, but there was something in his eyes which hooked her attention. A seriousness she had only seen before when they had first met.

“What is wrong?” she asked.

Jasper’s expression became guarded. “I am the chief of Larks Point, Terin. There is a serious matter which I must handle in Cannons Row. Do nae be concerned.”

“Of course I am concerned!”

The sides of Jasper’s mouth rose into a quick grin. “I enjoy hearing that as much as I loathe it.”

He returned to the floor. Terin worried the sheet between her fingers as he finished dressing. As he stood, she started to get up.

“Stay there, Terin,” Jasper ordered her firmly. He turned to study her. “Let me see ye, comfortable and well kept. I want to remember why I stand firm as chief.”

Her belly twisted.

But she understood.

Duty.

It was a word full of many meanings, and so often, it translated into tasks that were unpleasant at best. She tried to put a contented smile on her lips, calling on all of her strength to make sure the expression carried up into her eyes.

At least the time her mother had made her practice in front of her dressing table mirror was at last of some use.

Jasper nodded. He picked up his cap and tugged it over one side of his head. There was a single feather sticking up on the leaf side of it. Such a simple thing to denote his standing at the tower. He reached up and touched the corner of his cap before he turned and left.

Terin sprang up and out of the bed. She reached for her hip roll, suddenly thinking of Aife.

Jasper did say it took some doing to sneak into yer chamber…

Making sure they had privacy was likely most of that effort. Terin hurried through dressing, happily pulling her wool skirt on to shield her from the chill. She went down the stairs as dawn was breaking. She wanted to see the sunrise as hope for a bright future.

But what she caught a glimpse of was Jasper riding out of the yard with a full thirty Retainers behind him.

No wonder he had appeared grim.

No wonder at all.

*

“She’s here,” Doratinformed Lonn.

Lonn pounded the tabletop with his fist. “What took ye so long?”

Aife came into the room. She looked at Arth, where the boy was huddled in the corner. The room itself had only a single candle burning on the table near Lonn. Such an arrangement made certain the corners were deep shadows where men might hide until Lonn needed them.

“I told ye,” Lonn said ominously. “If ye disobey me, yer brother will pay the price.”

“Ye said…ye told me the chief would have me watched.” Aife swallowed her fear. “He did. I had to wait for the right moment. He got deep into his cups tonight. I had to wait until he passed out.”

Lonn tapped the tabletop. “Passed out, ye say?”

Aife nodded. “I’ve never seen anyone drink so much.”

Lonn leaned forward. “Did ye serve him?”

Aife nodded again.

“Anyone else?” Lonn pressed for details.

“The chief was nursing his temper over the young mistress rejecting his offer of marriage.”

Lonn was still for a long moment. He suddenly smiled. “At last.”

Aife retreated from the expression.

“Dorat, take the lad back to the stable,” Lonn instructed. “Feed him well.”

Arth hesitated, though, standing beside his sister and clasping her arm.

“Have I not treated ye well, Arth?” Lonn questioned the boy’s apprehension.

The boy was shifting from side to side with indecision. Dorat clasped his shoulder.

“Go on and eat yer fill,” Lonn encouraged Arth. “Yer sister will be there as soon as she finishes her assigned task.”

Aife pulled her brother’s hand off her arm and patted it. “I will be just fine.”

Arth looked up into her eyes and smiled. He looked at Lonn, reaching up to tug on his cap before he left the room.

“Ye’re wise to send the boy on his way,” Lonn praised her. “No need for him to witness this next bit.”

Lonn looked at one of the other men in the room. He pointed at the door. “Do nae let anyone in.”

Aife looked at the door nervously. She let out a yelp as another man gripped her by the hair. It was a vicious hold, and the grin which split his face made it clear he enjoyed hurting her.

Lonn stood. He made his way around the table, stopping there to lean against it.

“Ye’ve done me a fine service, Aife,” Lonn began.

“Release my hair,” she demanded.

Lonn gestured to his man. Aife stumbled forward as she was set free. She stopped and looked at Lonn in confusion.

“Ye’ve managed to help me achieve something I have wanted for a long time, Aife,” Lonn began again. “I but need ye to make it through this last bit of unpleasantness to ensure Chief Chattan is hanged before sunset today.”

“Hanged?” Aife asked in horror.

“Aye,” Lonn said gleefully. “He had my only brother fitted with a noose in front of Larks Point, and I will have my revenge.”

“I know nothing of the chief,” Aife exclaimed. “Surely nothing that would carry such a high penalty.”

“Ye do nae need to know anything,” Lonn explained. “Ye will accuse him of raping ye while he was drunk.”

Understanding went through Aife. Horrible, clear understanding of just how Lonn intended to carry out his plan.

Lonn raised an eyebrow at her. “Or shall I have Arth brought back here, lass, so we can discuss the matter?”

Aife swallowed hard. She appeared to be mustering her courage. “What do ye want me to say?”

“That’s a good, lass,” Lonn said. He held up his hand and gestured to the man who was still hovering behind her.

Aife shot forward, but she wasn’t fast enough to evade the man’s grasp. He caught her skirts and yanked her backward.

“Knowing what to say is important,” Lonn stood and came toward her.

Aife’s eyes were wide as the man behind her twisted her arm behind her back until she cried out.

“However,” Lonn stopped in front of her, “ye need to look the part and…well…ye need to be deflowered, as well. Davonna will not be hanging her precious chief without confirmation that a crime was committed.”

Lonn stopped just in front of her. Aife was breathing hard, her body straining against the hold her captor had on her.

“Now, are ye going to be a good lass and behave? If so, I could let ye choose who ye want to have ye. But if ye decline, it’s better still, for yer bruises will be truer to having been raped.”

“Ye are blackhearted and the spawn of Hell itself!” Aife declared.

Lonn chuckled. “Ye have some spirit after all. Good. Dorat likes a fight more than anything else. He works hard for me, and I do like to reward him now and again.”

Lonn gestured to the door. One of the shadows in the room parted as a man made his way to the door to open it. The panel swung inward to reveal the burly figure standing guard.

“Dorat, I have a treat for ye…”

Lonn suddenly stiffened. The man at the door came inside the chamber where the single candle burning on the table illuminated his face.

Jasper was in front of Aife before Lonn registered the horror of having his private space invaded. There was a crunching of bone as the man holding Aife was dealt with. His cursing filled the room but only for a moment because Knot yanked him into the hallway, and someone else drug him away.

“Lonn Worthings,” Jasper identified him. “It seems ye are no better than yer brother.”

“Do nae ye dare speak of Owen!” Lonn shouted. “Ye murdered him! And for what? Tumbling a maid? He was yer Retainer. A man who protected Larks Point. He was due a bit of comfort.”

Jasper shook his head. “He nearly beat that girl to death. Just as ye have ordered done to Aife here.”

Lonn shook his head. “Ye were outside the door. Ye cannae testify against me, and I run Cannons Row. There might be ten men looking in right now. Not a one of them will speak for fear of what I will extract from them in return when ye go back to yer Larks Point Tower where the wretched of this place cannot go.”

“No one needs to speak.”

From the very back of the room, an older man came forth. His steps were soft. Lonn made a strangling sound as he recognized Father Peter. With the door open, the rising sun was filling the room with light.

More and more people had come to crowd around the open office door. There was a collective gasp as they recognized the priest.

“I have heard yer confession with my own ears,” Father Peter declared. “Any man who stands beside ye Lonn Worthings will be denied the sacraments.”

There was a scuffling on the floor as the men who had come to defend Lonn abandoned him. Father Peter nodded with satisfaction. “I am relieved to see the men of Cannons Row mindful of their immortal souls.”

Lonn’s eyes narrowed. Rage darkened his complexion. “Ye street bitch.”

He reached out, grasping a handful of Aife’s hair. He jerked her back toward him, reaching around to cup her chin. One moment he was starting to twist her neck, and then, he sucked in a breath and went still.

Aife blinked.

She was certain she must be dead or in those last moments when her mind still functioned, but it would only last for a slim moment. She blinked, and her lungs burned for air.

“Move away, Aife.”

Jasper had his hand in her hair, prying Lonn’s fingers from the strands. Aife stumbled across the floor.

“Here now.” Someone caught her before she hit the wall. “It’s over.”

Aife lifted her head and looked at the man holding her. Alec’s expression was still stern, but his eyes were not cold anymore.

“Come with me, Aife,” Alec told her gently as he started to lead her from the room. “Do nae look.”

But she couldn’t stop herself from turning to see what had become of her tormentor. Jasper stood with one hand on Lonn’s shoulder. He was looking into the man’s eyes as Lonn blinked. Lonn’s lips were gasping, but the dagger through his throat prevented him from drawing breath. Rich dark blood was flowing down his front while Jasper stared at him.

It had been him or her. Aife knew it, and yet, her mind simply refused to accept the necessity. She blinked, and then darkness closed around her.

*

Terin couldn’t standthe wait.

She finished her breakfast but going to her worktable felt impossible. She ended up walking toward the back door of the kitchen and out into the yard. Her feet made crunching sounds on the snow.

Had she found the man she thought didn’t exist only to have him taken from her?

Ye are jumping to conclusions.

She was, but she simply couldn’t seem to stop.

“Terin.”

Davonna called to her. Terin didn’t want to stop, but she could hardly ignore the mistress. She turned to see Davonna standing on top of one of the walls.

“Come join me,” Davonna instructed.

One of the Retainers came down the ladder and offered Terin his hand.

Terin grabbed a handful of her skirts and climbed up to where Davonna stood looking down on Cannons Row.

“Ye cannot go to his side,” Davonna said.

“So, I must wait?”

“Terin,” Davonna admonished her gently. “If ye go to his side, Jasper would have to worry about ye as well as the fight he is engaged in.”

In some corner of her mind, Terin recalled her mother giving her a lesson that sounded the same.

“Larks Point is a haven,” Davonna continued. “It is also a prison, for we must stay here or risk becoming the Achilles heel to those we hold dearest.”

“I know ye are right,” Terin conceded.

“As I see ye are in love with Jasper,” Davonna mentioned.

“I am.”

“Will ye wed him?” Davonna asked.

Terin lifted her chin. “Yes.”

Terin realized she’d never been so certain of a decision in her life. The journey she’d undertaken had led to a life she hadn’t even dared to dream might be found in reality.

She’d have to shoulder the responsibilities of being the chief’s wife. Terin felt her cheeks warm as she looked at the way Davonna stood so solidly in her stance. She embodied the idea of a mistress of a stronghold, showing not a bit of weakness, in spite of knowing full well that Jasper was dealing with a matter which would, without a doubt, have dire circumstances.

Terin mimicked her. Davonna was making Terin’s position clear to everyone at Larks Point. Without children of her own, Jasper was her son, and Terin was the daughter-in-law being welcomed into the stronghold.

Terin was home.

*

Aife opened hereyes.

She blinked, wondering if she was in heaven.

If so, it was very much colder than she would have imagined the afterlife to be.

She sat up and looked around. She’d been placed on a bench outside the stable door. Just a couple of feet away, she could see a blanket of fresh snow.

Well, she was alive, but she had still been discovered as a spy.

Tears stung her eyes, in spite of how useless she knew weeping to be.

“Here now.” Alec suddenly appeared.

Aife was stunned to see the Retainer. He frowned at her before going down to one knee and using his sleeve to dab at her cheeks.

“Are ye still frightened, Aife?” Alec asked quietly. “Lonn Worthings is well dead. We’ve hung him from the gallows as a warning.”

Alec had the kindest eyes. Aife was lost in them until he mentioned Lonn Worthings. She stiffened.

“I’m not scared,” Aife said.

Alec tilted his head to one side. “But ye are crying. Are ye upset that Lonn is dead?”

“No,” Aife exclaimed.

Alec seemed to be pondering her.

“I should find my brother,” she said.

She sounded miserable because she was. Life was simply so unfair to make it so she could not have a future at Larks Point.

“Do nae worry about that scamp,” Alec stood. He reached down and hooked Aife under her arm to help her up. “Woden took him to get some food from Rhona. His belly was growling, but he was determined to stay here until ye woke. I promised to stand by, so ye would not be alone when ye opened yer eyes.”

“Arth is always hungry.”

“That’s because he’s going to grow into a fine man,” Alec informed her. “I’ve five brothers. They eat constantly. But do nae worry any, me mother keeps their bellies from rumbling. Arth will do well there. Plenty to eat, and me mother will dote on him, I swear.”

Aife stopped. She looked at Alec, wondering if she had heard him wrong. “But, Arth cannot go to Larks Point…he…has…a T branded on his hand. He stole the bread to feed me. He is not bad. I swear it.”

“He is too young to have such a harsh punishment,” Jasper came from inside the stable. “Stealing is wrong, but a lifelong sentence is overly stern in this case.”

Jasper looked at her for a long moment. “I am sorry things did not go smoothly, lass. Yet I am grateful for yer help in dealing with Lonn.”

“In truth, ye rescued me,” Aife said. “For I had no way to escape doing his bidding. I swear I would not have harmed yer lady. Upon me life, I swear it.”

Jasper nodded. “It’s over now. Ye can return to Larks Point with us.”

Aife knew she had heard him wrong. She fingered the fabric of her skirt as she tried to decide what Jasper had actually said.

“And ye have no need to worry about yer brother,” Alec added. “Me mother will take him in.”

“Aye,” Jasper said. “Arth is a wee too tender to be without a mother just yet. He can come into the yard in a few years.”

“But…” Aife was blinking rapidly. “The T on his hand, is it not against the rule of Larks Point?”

“It is,” Alec confirmed.

“Yet Arth’s age makes him a unique case,” Jasper continued. “I will be clear with ye, mistress, there will be no leniency in the future if there is another incident. Ye must both be honest and loyal.”

“Why are ye helping me?” Aife asked quietly. For certain, she should have jumped at what he offered, but the truth was, she just couldn’t believe that it was real.

“Larks Point is stronger for every person who makes it their home,” Jasper told her firmly. “Ye told me clearly what Lonn was about. Ye did not try to deceive me, and ye never once lied.”

“Me mother taught me right from wrong,” Aife insisted. “I can nae disgrace her.”

“There is a home for ye at Larks Point because I think ye understand that naught is being given to ye, Aife.” The weight on her shoulders was suddenly lifted. She drew in a breath and felt as though the entire world had suddenly become bright.

“I understand,” Aife exclaimed. “Truly I do, Chief. For the life ye offer at Larks Point is one I must help build.”

“Do nae ever forget it. We’ll head out soon. Do nae wander off.” He returned to the stable.

Aife knew she wouldn’t.

She was so giddy, she actually twirled around, her skirts flaring up. She slapped them down when she stopped.

“Ye have a pretty smile.”

Aife gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth. Alec was still standing there. He had a grin on his face.

“Ye’re lovely,” he told her.

Aife was suddenly blushing.

But Alec’s face was darkening, too. He scuffed at the ground before finding the courage to lock gazes with her again.

He thought she was pretty…

And she knew he was perfect.

*

Terin had awinter wedding.

As far back as she might remember, Terin had been told to wed in winter was to invite hardship to her union.

Foolish, groundless gossip!

The inhabitants of Larks Point Tower knew how to celebrate. They filled the great hall, as those with any talent at making music set up in one corner. The very walls felt like they were shaking from the number of hands clapping along with the music.

The Retainers took advantage of the moment to mingle freely with the women. They clasped hands and made circles that wove in and out all over the hall.

Through it all, Jasper kept Terin close. Davonna smiled as she ordered cask after cask of cider to be opened. It flowed freely while everyone enjoyed the moment.

The matrons finally came for her, but it was Davonna who gripped Terin’s elbow as the bride was escorted to the groom’s chamber.

“Out,” Davonna ordered once they’d reached Jasper’s rooms. “Each and every one of ye go away!”

Her people didn’t argue. There were a few disappointed looks, but they appeared to be in good jest.

Davonna firmly shut the door behind the last matron. Terin looked at her as she turned around.

“I’ll help ye get the dress off,” Davonna said as she went behind Terin to work at the eyelets that Terin couldn’t reach.

“Thank ye,” Terin said. For a moment, there was only silence in the chamber.

The dress was soon over the back of a chair, and the dried flower crown Terin had worn was sitting on its seat. The bedding was already pulled down, dried rosemary sprinkled on the sheets.

“No inspection nonsense here,” Davonna informed her. “Just me wishing ye a happy union.”

“Thank you.” Terin hugged her aunt.

Davonna sent her a knowing smile before she opened the door. Terin caught sight of Fallis lingering on the landing outside the door. He’d turned his back but waited for Davonna.

A place of dreams.

Larks Point Tower truly was.