The Condemned Highlander by Donna Fletcher

14

They entered the village and Brogan gathered everyone around.

Brogan kept hold of her hand as he spoke. “I have news. We thought not to share it at first, but with all that has gone on, Annis and I believe it is best you all know.”

Annis was pleased he included her in the decision.

“What I am about to tell you remains here with the group until otherwise told,” Brogan said, glancing around and pleased to see everyone bobbing their heads.

“We can keep a silent tongue,” Seward said with pride and ‘ayes’ rang out in agreement.

“We knew we could trust you,” Brogan said, and smiles broke out on all the faces, even the MacRae warriors.

“Tell us,” Maddie urged.

Brogan smiled and announced gleefully. “Annis and are wed.”

Seeing the joy that filled him as he spoke, Annis believed their marriage truly made him happy.

Cheers filled the air and the men approached Brogan to shake his hand.

Una hurried to hug Annis, then gasped and stepped back. “Forgive my audacity, Lady Annis.”

“Nonsense, Una. We are friends and you will call me Annis like you have always done.” She prevented any argument by reminding, “Our marriage will be known if you address me any other way.”

Una gasped again. “You are right. I did not think.” She smiled. “Annis.”

Annis hugged the woman, Maddie as well when she drifted over, and Luella and Odell also gave her generous hugs. It did Annis’s heart good to have the women there, joyful for her. Her sisters would be joyful if Annis was happy, if the choice had been hers. It actually had been, but for a far different reason. That reason had now changed.

Everyone returned to work while Brogan took Rudd and Iver aside. He let them know that Annis and he would be leaving in the morning to continue their quest. He shared no details but assured them Annis and he would return to make this their home.

Iver was pleased. “I look forward to serving you and Lady Annis.”

Rudd lingered after Iver walked away. “I would like to serve you as well, my lord. Is it possible for me to remain here with you and not return to your father?”

“I was going to speak to you about that. My father urged me to choose a warrior to serve me permanently since I have finally appeased him and wed.”

“I would be honored, sir, to be chosen and I would serve you well,” Rudd said eagerly.

“Good, since I have already chosen you. I will need you to oversee the building and protection of the village while I am gone.”

Rudd squared his shoulders. “You have my word, my lord, that the work will get done and the clan will be well-protected. Some of the other men wish to remain here as well.”

“I see no problem in arranging that. Are any of them wed?” Brogan asked.

“Two, my lord.”

“Once dwellings are built for them, have their wives brought here,” Brogan said. “I know there is much work to be done here and I do want my cottage finished before winter sets in. You will need more hands to accomplish that. Take a message to my father requesting more men and whatever else you need. Also tell him that all goes well, and he will soon have what he wants.”

“Aye, my lord, and may I say again how pleased I am for you and Lady Annis. It is heartening to see a husband and wife who truly love each other. May God bless your union.”

Brogan smiled as Rudd walked away. He was counting on love to seal their marriage, so it was heartening that Rudd had spotted it. He hoped it would not take long for Annis to see it for herself. He may have offered her freedom, he only hoped she realized she was free being wed to him.

Night settled in fast, and all had been made ready for Brogan and Annis to take their leave in the morning.

Annis approached the cottage she shared with Una to find, Iver, Una, and Brogan standing outside it.

Brogan held up his hands as if defending himself. “They insist we have the cottage for the night.”

“Aye, we do,” Iver said.

“It is only right and proper,” Una said with a firm nod that meant she would brook no argument. “You are wed, and you should share a bed, especially after you have been apart since arriving here.” She smiled wide, opened the cottage door, and stepped aside for Brogan and Annis to enter.

Annis froze not sure what to do. She was not ready for this. She looked to Brogan, and he hurried to her, slipping his arm around her and guiding her through the door to close behind them after thanking Iver and Una for their generosity.

A pleasant scent filled the small cottage and the blankets had been turned back on the bed that looked to have been freshened. Annis stared at the bed. She had only shared a bed with her sister Elysia. She had not given thought to sharing a bed with a man.

Annis turned to Brogan. “I am not ready for this.”

“I will not force anything on you, Annis,” he said softly, feeling a slight tremble to her body.

She hurried to grab the pouch the witch had given her that she had hung from the hilt of her dagger at her waist. “The witch gave this to me to prevent a bairn from taking root.”

“Do you not want bairns?” Brogan asked, slipping his shirt off.

She spoke her concern. “I do not think I would make a good mother.”

“Why when you have so much to offer a bairn?” he asked, slipping her cloak off her shoulders and taking the pouch from her hand to place on the table.

“What do I have to offer?” she asked, shaking her head, not agreeing with him and trying to keep her eyes off his defined chest that tempted more than her eyes.

He kissed her cheek. “Your hunger for knowledge. Something many lack and is much in need.”

She scrunched her brow confused.

He went to the bed and sat to remove his boots. “You strive to learn and when you have bairns you will share your knowledge to help them grow into fine men and women.”

Annis nipped at her lower lip. “You could give me all lads, then I can teach them how to build and you can teach them to master weapons.”

His heart beat rapidly that she would even suggest they have bairns. It meant she gave thought to the possibility. “I will do my best to see we have many sons.”

She shook her head, realizing what she had said. “This must wait. I cannot be distracted from my quest. Bliss must come first.”

He stood and went to her. “You are as ready for sleep as I am and that is what we will do.”

Relief had her nodding.

“Let me help you out of your tunic,” he said, his hands going to her sides to gather the garment in his hands.

She grabbed his hands, her eyes wide with uncertainty.

“Only your tunic, wife,” he said, reminding her they were wed, and all was proper.

She nodded again and Brogan quickly rid her of her tunic, hanging it on one of the pegs on the wall.

He took her hand to walk to the bed, but she would not budge.

Her eyes turned wide. “If we seal our vows, we seal our marriage forever.”

“I can still release you,” he said, the thought not setting well with him.

She shook her head. “Nay. Vows are vows. They must be honored. They cannot be broken.”

“A thought we will keep in mind,” he said. “Now come to bed and sleep.”

“Brogan,” she said on a whisper.

His hand cupped her cheek and he kissed her gently. “You have my word, though it is most difficult to give, that I will do nothing more than sleep beside you tonight, unless you decide otherwise.”

“I am not ready,” she said firmly and for a third time and wondered if it was an excuse.

He tugged her to follow him to the bed. “We sleep.”

He took her boots off to place them with his by the fire and ushered her into bed, but she backed away.

“I will not sleep by the wall.”

“You want to be able to escape me?” he asked with a chuckle and climbed into bed, rolling over by the wall.

She followed him into bed, clinging to the edge. “I will not be trapped.”

Brogan was about to wrap himself around her and stopped. “You are never to feel trapped with me. I will never hold you against your will.”

Annis turned on her side to face him. “Your word on that.”

“You have my word,” he said, placing a gentle hand at her waist. “A kiss goodnight?”

Did she trust herself? His kisses sparked a passion in her that she feared she might not be able to contain. Yet, surprisingly, lying here close to him was more pleasant than she expected.

She moved closer to him. “One kiss.”

Brogan brought his lips to hers, reminding himself to be gentle and brief, but once their lips touched, passion chased all other thoughts away.

Annis sighed when his lips rested upon hers and gently coaxed her lips to respond, not that she needed much coaxing. The last few days they barely had had time alone and she had missed his kisses and the way they would tempt and tease her. And the way he had made her feel that day in the woods continued to linger in her mind. She might have said she was not ready for this, but it was more that she was not ready for what might come of this.

At the moment, she did not care, all that mattered was their kiss and the pleasure it brought.

She cuddled closer to him, and his arm went around her to hug her against him. He loved the feel of her and though he would prefer her naked, this was at least a prelude to future intimacy. He just needed to keep control of his raging desire for her.

He could have gone on kissing her, coaxing and teasing her into submission, but that was not what he wanted from her. He did not want her surrender… he wanted her to love him freely.

He kissed her brow after he ended the kiss and hearing her sigh of disappointment was pleased to know she had enjoyed the kiss as much as he had. He was also surprised when she rested her head on his shoulder.

“You are a decent man, Brogan of the Clan MacRae,” she said, cuddling against him.

“Shhh, you will damage my reputation,” he whispered on a chuckle.

“The damage was done when we wed. You are bound to me now and no other,” she warned with a tap to his naked chest.

That she laid claim to him did much for his ego, but far more for his heart. “Aye, wife, I am bound to you.”

A thought struck her that brought light tears to her eyes. They were not bound together until their vows were sealed. Was she ready to commit to a life with him when Bliss’s fate had yet to be decided? Too many thoughts, too many decisions, not enough clarity for either.

His hand caressed her arm, leaving a tingle to whisper through her.

“Sleep, wife,” he said softly, his arm snug around her. “Tomorrow is another day.”

* * *

Annis foundherself teary-eyed once again when she bid goodbye to Una and the others in the village. They all wished her a safe journey and hoped that she would not be gone long from home.

That they had made it known that this was her home and they looked forward to her return is what caused her tears. She had unexpectedly found a home. She just hoped her new home would include her sisters.

Annis was pleased her quest would continue on a horse. It would enable her to go farther in a given day than when she walked. Brogan helped her mount before mounting Belle and they were soon on their way.

They had not spoken much this morning, Annis having woke before Brogan to find herself straddled nearly on top of him and his manhood poking her and causing all sorts of mayhem in her nether regions. She had quickly disentangled herself, dressed, and rushed out of the cottage to the welcoming brisk air.

Brogan cast a glance to Annis, seated rigid on her horse and lost in her thoughts, and he wondered if her thoughts mirrored his own. He had woken with a raging need for his wife after finding her wrapped tightly around him and that private little place of hers he so desperately wanted to get to know had been far too close to his manhood, which of course rose to the temptation.

He had been relieved when she had slipped out of bed and left. Her absence cooled his ardor, and he was able to get out of bed.

He did not see any point in ignoring last night and asked, “You slept well.”

Her shoulders relaxed and she turned a smile on him. “I slept better than I thought I would.”

“I have a soothing effect on you,” he teased and was surprised when she agreed.

She chuckled. “You do and a prickly effect as well.”

“That is good, it keeps you alert.”

“Something we both need to remain on this quest,” she reminded, her mind far too occupied with thoughts she had little time for. The witch existed, which meant it was possible to break the curse and he needed his concentration on that and was glad he turned the conversation to the problem at hand.

“My father and the other lords believed it was Gunna, Lady Aila’s servant, who gave her the power to curse them. But the witch admits she gave Lady Aila the power to cast a curse. How was she able to meet with the witch in the hills?”

“I thought the same,” Annis admitted. “How had Lady Aila made contact with the witch? How had she even known about her? The witch made no mention of it, but do you think Gunna could be the woman with the limp we search for?”

“I suppose it is possible, though I find it difficult to believe that she would have remained in this area. If she valued her life and that of the bairn, she would have left here many years ago.”

“Perhaps she has returned with the bairn, now a full-grown woman, for a reason,” Annis said.

“What might that be?” he asked, though he had a good idea.

“Revenge? Justice?”

Annis’s words echoed his thoughts.

They rode in silence for a while, Brogan keeping a keen watch on their surroundings.

Annis finally asked, “Are there any villages nearby?”

“There are crofts scattered here and there and a small village or two on the outskirts of my clan.”

“What clans border Clan MacRae land?” she asked.

“Clan MacClaren, Rannick’s clan, borders us to the north, Clan MacBridan, Odran’s clan, to the south, and smaller clans flank us to the east and west, Clan MacFarden, the one stirring trouble with Clan MacBridan, being one of them.”

Curiosity had Annis asking, “What of the Clan MacWilliam? What happened to their land?”

“The land was divided between the three cursed lords.”

“Equally?” she asked, her curiosity far from settled.

“More was granted to the Clan MacClaren since Lord Lochlann had led the group against the Clan MacWilliam. And the reason many believe the Clan MacClaren suffered worse than the other two clans.”

Brogan suddenly rose up on his horse, his head turning as if expecting to see someone.

“What is it?” Annis asked, casting a glance about as well.

“Do you hear that?” Brogan asked, his eyes darting about.

Annis listened and was about to shake her head when she caught a sound, a rumble of sorts. She listened intently, trying to make out the sound and smiled. “The rumblings of a cart along the rutted path.”

“A cart that draws near,” Brogan said, keeping a watchful eye.

“Someone we can inquire about the woman with the limp,” Annis said, pleased.

Brogan was not as pleased. “Or trouble heads our way. You will watch your tongue with strangers.”

Annis bristled. “Is that an order?”

“It is a strong suggestion, mo ghràdh,” Brogan said with a wink.

“You think I would speak unwisely to strangers?”

Brogan grinned. “The fun of having you as a wife is that I never know what you will say or do. I only ask that you take pity on me, since if you stir someone’s ire, it will be me who defends and protects you.”

“I do not need you to fight my battles,” Annis said with a proud lift of her chin.

“We are wed which makes your battle my battle.”

Before Annis could say that his battles were hers as well, she spotted the cart in the distance.

“Keep a keen eye around you. Thieves sometimes send out a lone traveler to trick others,” Brogan warned.

Annis did as he said, not that he had to tell her. She had thought the same herself, having heard tales from travelers who stopped by her old clan.

It wasn’t long before they were nearly on top of the cart, a lone man sitting atop it and keeping the lone horse to a slow gait.

“A fine day to you,” the elderly man said with a nod when they approached.

“A fine one to you as well,” Brogan said. “A moment if you would?”

The man eased the horse to a stop. “What may I do for you, kind sir?”

“We search for an old woman with a limp. By chance would you have seen her?” Brogan asked.

The elderly man scratched his head, giving it thought and Brogan reached in his cloak and pulled out a coin to hand to the man. “For your troubles.”

The man’s aged face brightened. “Most generous of you, my lord, but I can be of no help. I have crossed no paths with a woman who limps.”

Brogan continued speaking with the man, asking a few more questions.

“You questioned him wisely,” Annis said, impressed when they were once again on their way. “At least we know where not to go since she has not been seen there. Hopefully, we will come across some news about the woman with a limp sooner rather than later.” She gave her head a tilt when she cast a quick glance at him. “Do you doubt the witch’s word that the MacWilliam bairn lives?”

“What I question more is that if she truly lives, that means my father lied and that has me wondering why?”

She offered an explanation she was certain he must have thought himself. “Not necessarily. He could have believed that the bairn he and Lord Lochlann killed was the MacWilliam bairn.”

“I would argue since my father is no fool and would have wanted to make certain he murdered the correct bairn.” He cringed at his remark. “I cannot imagine taking the life of a wee bairn.”

“An honorable man would not, he would find a way to avoid it,” she said.

“You do not believe my father honorable?”

“I do not believe any of the three cursed lords who took part in that horrible day are honorable.”

“If anything, you are honest, wife.” He smiled not only at her truthful response but how good it felt to call her wife.

“Always, husband,” she said with a grin.

Two words he hoped he would hear for years to come. Nay, that was not true. Two words he intended to hear for years to come. He did not intend to let her go, not ever. He loved her far too much.

“I would never grow tired of hearing those words fall from your lips.”

His smile was soft and there wasn’t a hint of teasing to his words—he meant them. She did not know how to respond and was relieved he saved her from doing so.

“The forest grows dense from here on, a perfect spot for thieves. We need to remain alert,” Brogan warned. “If we are attacked along the way, you must flee while I fight. And you must fight the urge to faint if there is blood, for you will leave yourself vulnerable.”

Fear mingled with courage at the possible thought. Strangely, it was not the thought of blood that worried her, it was what could possibly happen to Brogan.

The words shot from her mouth. “I will not leave you.”

“Aye, you will,” he ordered sternly. “I will survive, and I will see that you do as well, but if you faint while I am fighting, I cannot come to your rescue. And I will not have that. You will do as I say. You will ride off and hide and stay hidden until I come to find you. I will have your word on that.”

“I cannot give it,” she said with a forceful jut of her chin. “I do not know what I would do in such a situation.”

Brogan went to argue when out of the corner of his eye, he caught the first man fall from the tree just missing him from being dragged off his horse. He did not wait for others to attack, he smacked Annis’s horse on his rump, and the animal raced off.