“We soon became separated from the others on the hunt, and I saw the look in Robertson’s brothers’ eyes, cold and calculating, as if they were in league with the devil. I sensed…” She paused, realizing she almost revealed her abilities of second sight. “I tried to stay with the others, but he and his brothers had cut me off from my people. I found myself with the hulking, brawny Scotsman, his harsh blue eyes demonic, his lips curved up in a sinister smirk. He had no intention of hunting deer or any other quarry. He planned to bed me before our wedding vows could be exchanged. What I say to you, I have never told a soul, though Mai suspected as much. I killed him in self-defense, but I told everyone it was an accident, that I thought he was a deer, and I turned and shot the animal. In truth, I shot him after he tore my gown and tried to have his way with me. Though I killed him in self-defense, I always felt it was my fault.”
“Nay, Anice—”
“I wished him dead, Malcolm. I wanted it! I prayed for it! And I killed him.” She hung her head low.
“You would no’ have done such a thing if he had not tried to violate you.”
“His kinsman did not believe me and wished me put to death for killing their brethren. But my clansman and King Alexander put a stop to their cry for vengeance. My uncle did not try to marry me off again, and when he died, Alexander hustled me off to his sister, hoping King Henry would have better success at finding me a husband.”
Anice looked at Malcolm. “I am cursed when it comes to betrothals, just like the missive stated.”
“Ah, lass, ‘tis nay such thing as a curse.”
“For years the ugly rumors have followed me.”
“Anice, mayhap…” He thought for a moment, then smiled. “Mayhap your kissing me broke the curse.”
“Och.” She frowned at him, disbelieving he would say such a thing.
“You’d never kissed one of your betrothed before. Mayhap by…showing your gratitude to me, you ended the spell.” Malcolm had nearly said choosing him for her own may have broken the curse, but he figured he’d have a joust on his hands if he intimated it.
“Mayhap,” she said, her gaze focused on her hands, as if she were considering the matter favorably.
“Aye, lass, think naught more of it.” At least he truly didn’t believe in a curse, only that the lady had a horrible case of bad luck when it came to her family choosing husbands for her.
As they approached Whitehaven’s castle in the fading light, they removed their monk garb and hid them under their bedrolls. They proceeded to the gatehouse, where the guard permitted them entrance to the inner bailey.
Once they dismounted, Whitehaven’s steward hastened to greet them. “Lord Whitehaven is pleased you are here, Lord MacNeill. He says you finally caught an English lady to be your wife, and I must say she is lovely.” The steward winked at Malcolm.
Anice fumed. She knew he couldn’t be trusted. Malcolm didn’t correct the gentlemen and avoided looking at Anice’s scowl.
Laird Whitehaven greeted them in the hall where the meal was already in progress. Tall, and dark-haired, he was a stately gentleman. “Come, sit with me.” He smiled broadly at Anice. “And this is your lovely bride, Lady MacNeill. ‘Tis a pleasure to meet ye.”
“Aye.” Malcolm wrapped his arm around her waist. “But the lady is Scottish, not English as your good steward had presumed.”
“Honest mistake as the last time I heard, you were seeking an English wife. So where are you headed?”
“Glen Affric, to her estates.”
The laird raised his brows. “The lass has properties?”
“Aye.”
She glared at Malcolm. What happened to the plan to say he was the new steward at Brecken and he was her husband? Not a lady who owned a castle.
They took their seats and Malcolm reached for Anice’s hand clenched in her lap, but she pulled away from him. He patted her thigh instead, and her blood heated. ‘Twas all right at Brecken because her people would know she wasn’t married to Malcolm, but she did not like the ruse they played in front of the earl and his people.
“I will make sure you have the privacy you need with your lovely new wife, Malcolm.”
Malcolm didn’t object. Was he afraid to have the laird think there was something amiss between Malcolm and his wife?
There was! They weren’t married! She punched Malcolm in the leg. He grabbed her hand and uncurled her fist, then held her hand securely to keep her from hitting him again.
“Mayhap for the eve since we are in a strange new place, it would be best if the lady slept with some of your ladies,” Malcolm suggested.
She held her breath, ready to release it when the earl agreed.
“Nonsense. I would not think of it. The two of you would sneak around the castle to share treasured moments alone. This way you will be assured of spending the whole night with your lovely wife without interruption.”
Och, she wanted to scream. She tried to jerk her hand free to poke Malcolm again, to encourage him to change the laird’s mind.
“Would it be possible for the lady to have a bath after the meal?”
Now she could really scream. Did he want her cleaned up so she could smell nice for him on their bed of straw?
“Aye, and for you, too. It would bode ill if your fair lady smelled of lavender and you of your horse.”
Malcolm laughed. “You are right, of course. I cannot thank you enough for sharing your feast and hospitality with us.”
“You took an arrow for me once. I will always be indebted to ye.”
Anice frowned at Malcolm. He said he’d met the laird at the king’s court. When did the arrow incident happen? And why hadn’t Malcolm told her he’d saved his life? No wonder the laird wanted to ensure Malcolm and his new wife had a night of marital bliss.
“Have you come across a Lady Anice and her escort on your travels?”
The wine Anice attempted to swallow slipped down the wrong way. She sputtered and coughed and Malcolm patted her back. “Are you all right, lass?”
With watery eyes, she nodded, then coughed some more.
When she’d settled down, Malcolm said to the earl, “Where was the lady coming from and where was she headed?”
“She had been at Arundel and was headed for Brecken Castle.”
“Have you any idea what she may look like?”
“Nay, the baron said His Grace remarked she was a fair lady who would be any man’s pride and joy.”
“Aye.” Malcolm smiled. She scowled, furious over the bath and bed arrangement.
“She travels with a lady companion and four gentlemen, but the baron fears some harm may have come to her and her escort.”
Malcolm cut up his beef. “Why would he come to that conclusion? Has there been evidence of foul play?”
“He thought he should have met up with her by now.”
“Women can be a bit slow at times.”
Anice sat taller. “Who wanted to hunt and delay our journey?”
The earl smiled at her. “I like this lass of yours.”
“Aye, she is a verra good catch.”
Was she a fish now? “You are treading on verra swampy ground,” she whispered in warning to Malcolm.
He responded by kissing her cheek. “I love ye, too, lass.”
She stabbed her beef with her knife, lest she do what she had the urge to do. Slap him for his impertinence. If he thought he was sleeping with her that eve, he was gravely mistaken.
* * *
“I have a special surprise for you and your wife,” Lord Whitehaven told Malcolm. He motioned to a servant following the meal. “Take Lord and Lady MacNeill to their quarters off the kitchen.”
He turned to Malcolm. “The kitchen heat warms the room we use for storage, and there is ample space to take a bath and sleep. I oft use it for special guests.”
A maid waited quietly until Laird Whitehaven nodded to her.
“We cannot do this, Malcolm,” Anice whispered to him. “He and all his staff will
know we slept together, unwedded, when he learns who I truly am.”
Malcolm rubbed his whiskered chin. “I cannot think of a way to get out of it.”
“’Tis because you do not want to.”
He smiled. She frowned back at him. How could he not see how much trouble they were buying with their actions?
They stepped into the room where the servants were filling the half-barrel tub with water. The tub looked oversized and owing to the surprised expression Anice must have expressed, the maid smiled. “’Tis the lord’s pleasure to bathe with his wife.”
Ladies sometimes bathed together in a tub off their kitchen, but never had she heard the laird and lady would do such a thing. Anice’s cheeks grew hot, and she turned to Malcolm in a panic. “You will have to wait outside.”
“But the earl will think I do not appreciate my wife verra much.” His lips curved up like a rogue’s, who was about to steal the lady’s jewels, and his eyes darkened with intrigue. He was enjoying her discomfort entirely too much.
“If you do not wait outside, I will tell the earl the whole story.”
Malcolm glanced back at the tub and smiled. “We will have to have one of these made for us, lass.”
When he stepped into the kitchen, the earl walked in. “Have you seen a tub like that before?”
“Nay, I was telling my wife we need to commission one. I can see the advantage of bathing together. Saves water and time.”
The earl laughed. “You always did have a sense of humor.”
Watching the servants fill the tub, Anice folded her arms.
“The servants will help you to undress, and after that, they can stay to wash ye, or—”
“Laird MacNeill will bathe after I do,” Anice said, her voice raised with determination.
Malcolm shook his head. “’Tis not that she does not appreciate the offer, but she is shy.”
“The servants will be dismissed then, and you shall be left alone with your lovely bride.”
Anice’s blood couldn’t have boiled any hotter. Now what was she to do?
After the servants added lilacs to the water, they left.
Malcolm moved toward the room, but Anice held her hand out. “You will not join me.”
“But, lass, we will have our privacy.”
She was certain he would turn his back and wouldn’t watch her bathe, but that wasn’t the problem. ‘Twas the fact everyone else in the castle would think they had bathed together. If the word got out she was Lady Anice and not married to Malcolm...it would be a disaster.
“I will let you haggle this one out for yourself,” the earl said, grinning.
As he turned to walk away, Anice said, “We are not married, and I am the Lady Anice.” She slammed the door closed and proceeded to struggle with her gowns. After she removed her wimple and veils, she opened the door to find both men staring at her with their mouths agape. “Beg your pardon, milaird, but if one of your maids could assist me with my gowns, I would appreciate it.”
She closed the door again, only gentler this time.
“A word with ye, milord,” the earl said gruffly to Malcolm. “And Elizabeth, attend to Lady Anice like a good girl, if you would.”
After Anice’s actions, the king would have to give Malcolm a dukedom to marry such a woman. Of all the gall. Hadn’t they been in perfect agreement she would pretend to be his wife? Hell, she was the one who suggested it in the first place! He walked with the earl to his solar, and they sat down at a table.
“Fetch us some wine,” the earl said to a servant. Then he turned to Malcolm. “What is this all about? I give you my hospitality, and this is how you repay me?”
Malcolm explained how they had come to believe the baron had killed her uncle. The evidence was only circumstantial, though, as they could not prove the baron had paid the mercenaries to murder what they thought to be Lady Anice’s escort. The only way they had escaped detection was to wear monks’ garments while the baron and his men searched the countryside for them.
The earl waved for a word. “I do not understand why you would tell me the lady is your wife.”
Malcolm took a deep breath, realizing if he didn’t tell the truth, not only would the baron undoubtedly soon learn about his staying with Anice alone, Laird Whitehaven would also. The secret was slowly getting out, and soon he feared, the king would hear of it, too, the way news traveled. He could think of no other reason for lying to his friend.
“’Tis a delicate matter, milaird, and I would not wish to ruin the lady’s honor, as there is nay basis for it. But we ran into foul weather and were not only separated from my brothers, but from each other for a time. I discovered a farmhouse, but the occupants had left. Chilled to the bone, I began a fire. Then to my heartfelt relief, the lady arrived, but sick with cold. You must believe me when I say I had only her health in mind. She was near death, and I warmed her in every way I could.”
Lord Whitehaven took a deep breath. “Yet this secret of yours never need have been told. Which means something else happened. You made love to the lady?”
“Nay. She was verra ill. I only wished to warm her so that she would not die.”
“Again, I say you would never have told me this unless something else occurred.”
“The baron arrived with some of his knights.”
The earl stared at him, his face lined with concern. “They saw the lady and you together?”
“Nay. I had donned my trewes, and she was buried beneath the blankets. I feared the baron would ask, and so I said she was my wife. They planned to kill me before when I was Lady Anice’s escort. If he had known I was alone with Lady Anice like she was, he’d have felt justified in killing me on the spot. Nay one would have questioned his actions. I would have killed him and his men before he did me, but then where would I have been with His Grace? We have to prove the baron’s guilt. Should the men have killed me instead by some luck, then the lady would have been in the murderer’s hands.”
The earl stared at the table, then opened his mouth to speak, but his butler returned to serve him wine, and the earl waited. He motioned for the man to leave after their tankards were full. When the man left the solar, the earl faced Malcolm. “You must marry the lady then.”
“I have sent word to His Grace that I wish to ask her hand in marriage.”
“We have nay time for that if the baron has killed her uncle like you believe, and from the sounds of it this is the case. If you are married to the lady, you can still uncover the baron’s plot, and you will not be in danger of the baron killing you for having lain with the woman, as innocent as the situation might have been.”
“She is the king’s ward. I do not believe he would be pleased if I married her without his permission.”
The earl stroked his beard. “Is the lady agreeable to marrying ye?”
Not at the moment, Malcolm didn’t believe. “Aye, she wishes a Highland laird to wed.”
“Then I will have you married in my chapel this very eve. The word will not reach His Grace of the news for a long while. I have heard the lady is his wife’s favorite cousin. I would think he would allow Lady Anice this transgression.”
“I would hate for you to be involved if His Grace should take offence to your aiding us.”
“If the Earl of Northumberland can aid ye and think naught of the consequences, I can also.”
“If the lady is agreeable,” Malcolm muttered under his breath. Then again, they could always have the marriage annulled. He straightened his back. Surely she would be amenable to that. Even if he had no intention of having the marriage annulled.
A maid approached the door. “My Lord Earl, the lady has finished her bath and says if Lord MacNeill wishes to use the tub, he may do so.”
“Aye,” Malcolm said jumping up. “I will propose your plan to the lass.”
“Good luck with the lady. She seems to suit ye.”
If that were the case, why was Malcolm already contemplating how to talk her out of an annulment
?
When he strode into the kitchen, Anice was sipping from a tankard. She glanced up at him and frowned. “I’m sorry, Malcolm. I could not live the lie. Is the Lord Earl ready to throw us out for our deceitfulness?”
“Nay, I explained what had happened.”
Her eyes grew big. “Not all of it.”
“Ye gave me nay choice, lass. I had to tell him why we lied.”
She rubbed her temple. “Och, Malcolm you should not have.”
“He says the only way he can see around this is to have us married this verra eve.”
“Nay, we cannot without His Grace’s permission.”
Did that mean she didn’t disagree with his marrying her, except on the grounds the king might disapprove? His heart soared upon hearing her words. “The earl is a verra good friend of the king. He even said he would put in a good word for us.” ‘Twas a little lie, but the longer he enjoyed Anice’s company, the more he desired the Scottish lass for his own, despite her shifting temper...mayhap because of it. She certainly added spice to his life. He couldn’t see being married to a woman who had little spirit.
Anice’s bottom lip quivered and her eyes widened.
Malcolm furrowed his brow, not liking the way Anice reacted to the idea. “You do not think being married to me will be all that bad, do ye?”
“The baron will kill you.”
Then she was concerned about his health, which pleased him. He could handle that. “Ah, lass, the baron would kill me once he realizes who you are, and that you were naked with me at the farmhouse.”
“Malcolm, what have we done?”
“Naught we cannot fix by getting married.”
She ran her fingers over the tankard, then faced him. “We can have it annulled once we expose the baron for the murderer he is.”
The notion irritated him, and he gritted his teeth. He was the one who meant to say it could be annulled if she fought him over it. The fact she brought it up first didn’t bode well with him. What was there about him that didn’t appeal?