Alex’s nostrils flared as he cocked an eyebrow, an arrogant look sweeping his face. She frowned. She had never seen him appear pompous before, and she didn’t care for it.
“I did as I was ordered, did I nae?” he countered.
Lena gasped at his words, which both struck like a blow and made her worry about what the king—and his quick temper—might do.
“Alex!” Bridgette cried out.
He flicked his gaze to his sister momentarily and seemed to stiffen, but then he turned back to the king.
King David glowered at Alex. “I tire of yer insolence, MacLean. First ye argued with me over this marriage, and then ye offend the MacLeod with this show of distaste for his sister.”
The swell of pain mingled with shame put an ache in Lena’s breast.
“I’m certain,” Iain growled while moving from behind Lena to stand face-to-face with Alex, “that Alex is well pleased with his marriage to my sister. Are ye nae?” he demanded.
Iain’s dark look frightened, irritated, and embarrassed Lena. She refused to be thought of as a helpless woman her brothers needed to protect. “His kiss did nae disappoint me,” she said in as firm a voice as she could manage, hoping to end this conversation before any more was said. She stole a glimpse at Alex and found him staring at her with a look that she would vow was admiration. But that made little sense to her.Hemade little sense to her.
“I say the MacLean was insolent,” the king barked, “and for this insolence, I hereby strip ye of Cairnburgh Castle.”
“It’s the taking of land as ye please that’s brought a rebellion to yer feet,” Alex bit out. Lena’s jaw dropped at his flagrant defiance.
The king’s face turned a mottled red, and his hands fisted in front of him. “Leave me now, before I have yer head for yer disloyal tongue.”
“Sire,” Iain interrupted, but the king turned a narrowed gaze to Iain while holding up a silencing hand.
“I am king,” King David said, his voice lethal. “Unless ye are prepared to challenge me for my throne, keep yer silence.”
Lena’s heartbeat galloped in fear. Of course her brother did not want the throne, but she feared what angry words he might say. She could see his jaw tense, and she imagined him clenching his teeth in an effort to temper his response. Marion set a hand to her husband’s arm, and they exchanged a quick look. When he visibly relaxed, Lena exhaled with relief. Iain inclined his head in submission to the king, though her brother’s gaze wandered to her and settled there with obvious worry.
“When I call ye from Duart to return to me,” the king continued, clearly addressing Alex as he stared daggers at him, “be prepared to bend the knee and fill my chests with two bags of gold as repentance.”
“As ye command, Sire,” Alex bit out. Then, in a manner completely surprising and unmatched to the anger he was showing, he placed a gentle hand against Lena’s back, and said in a low tone, “Come, Lena. I’m sorry to say my banishment includes ye as my wife.”
His voice, so sincere and apologetic, confused her. Publicly, he was behaving as if he didn’t want to be wed to her at all, yet he took such care with her when he handled her and seemed genuinely concerned about her feelings.
“David,” Iain said, “surely ye will allow my sister to at least gather her things before ye send her away with Alex?”
“Yer sister is free to stay if she wishes,” the king announced, surprising Lena and clearly surprising Alex. His mouth parted briefly, and then a fierce look swept his face and his lips pressed into a thin line.
She looked from Alex to her family. They stood clustered with tense looks on their faces. Her family represented safety but also unhappiness, for she was not truly happy at Dunvegan, nor was she whole. She did not have a real purpose here, though everyone kept assuring her she did. The silence stretched as she cast her gaze over her siblings and their wives, and then brought her focus to her husband, who looked dark and dangerous at the moment. They may not have wanted to wed each other, but they were married now. And while she still feared being touched, she could not deny that when Alex touched her, it inspired more than fear. That little bit of desire gave her hope, and she would choose hope, for without it, what was there to live for?
She swallowed as she kept her eyes locked with Alex’s. “My place,” she said slowly, “is with my husband.”
The moon was the only light in the sky as Alex gave the order for his men to begin rowing the birlinn that would ferry them home to Duart Castle. The Isle of Mull, where Duart stood, was off the west coast of Scotland and would take a fortnight to reach from Dunvegan. That meant he had a fortnight to hopefully ease some of Lena’s fears about being married to him, which required him to maintain absolute control over himself and distance from her when he slept. The latter would be difficult on the birlinn, but when he did take a bit of respite, he would do so away from her and have his clansman Donald stand guard to rouse him should the nightmares that often plagued him besiege him on the ship.
He trusted Donald completely. He had been his right hand since Alex had become the MacLean laird at fifteen summers when his father had died. Donald had been his father’s right hand, too. Donald was the only one who even knew Alex had nightmares. Not that Alex had told him. He shared his secrets with no one. He’d merely made the mistake of sleeping too near the man on a journey once, and had nearly choked Donald to death when he’d rolled into him.
Once Donald had managed to pry Alex’s hands from his neck and awaken him, Alex had steeled himself for Donald’s questions about the nightmare, but the man had never inquired. The only thing he’d ever said in reference to the nightmares that led Alex to believe he might have revealed more that night than he would ever wish, was when they had been at a feast with the Steward and he had mentioned his “honorable brother,” Gillis, who was long dead at the time. Donald had turned his head and spit toward the ground, a gesture they all used to show dislike of a dishonorable man, and then Donald had mumbled,May the sick bastard rot in Hell.Alex had seen and heard it, though no one else had. His eyes had locked with Donald’s, but Alex had not discovered pity or disgust in their depths. He saw nothing there but admiration, and their bond had grown stronger ever since.
The oars creaked as Alex’s men rowed away from shore, Dunvegan still large against the moonlit sky. The wind blew over his skin and cooled him from the heat of the work it had taken to prepare the ship on such short notice. The night was the coldest they had seen in a while. Summer was at an end, and fall was fast approaching. He looked toward the back of the birlinn to find Lena. She stood over Marsaili, who had offered to come with Lena to Alex’s home so Lena would have a friend. Marsaili retched over the side of the boat as Lena held her hair back. She helped her half sister to stand some moments later, before leading her to a pallet of blankets and aiding Marsaili in lying down. Seconds later, Lena strolled back to the back of the birlinn. She stood alone, her back to him—to them all—as she no doubt watched her home disappear.
A yearning to go to her, wrap his arms around her, and offer her comfort gripped him, stunned him. The tenderness she was able to bring out in him was strange and new. He was unsure how to handle it, given his past and hers, and he was uncertain if that tenderness could ever extend into the night and into his mind when he slept. His doubts pressed down on him, so he stood watching her from a distance.
He knew she was sad. He’d seen her lips tremble as she said farewell to her family, but she had not shed a tear. She possessed such bravery, though she often seemed timid around men. She had to be strong to have survived what she had. She was curious about him, too, and that gave him hope. He’d felt her watching him as he exchanged his own tense farewells with her brothers, who he knew were baffled by and angry about what had occurred with the king. He’d hoped to have a private moment with Iain to try to reassure his friend that he would take good care of Lena, but King David had ensured there was no time for Alex to draw Iain away. Moreover, the king had ordered one of his guards to stay by Alex’s side, which Alex suspected was because the king feared Alex might break his earlier vow to keep silent about their deceit.
David need not have worried. Though the desire to explain all to Iain and his brothers burned in Alex’s gut, he would never betray a vow to the king, who he had sworn to serve for the rest of his life. It vexed him to think those who knew him best might actually think he would forsake his king and his vows, and that he would ever treat Lena as anything other than the gentle creature she was.
Even his own sister, who he had assumed would support him, had tried to box his ears and snapped at him, telling him he’d have the devil to pay from her if he hurt Lena. Of course, he knew well it looked as if he was being heartless and disloyal, and that pricked him something fierce. His da had always said that loyalty and honor made a man, and Alex always tried to live up to the high standards his da had set. Alex had done his best to watch over Bridgette and raise her well after their mother and father had died. At first, he’d thought to shelter her, knowing from experience the evil men that lurked just outside the safety of their home, but Bridgette had proven too headstrong and determined to be sheltered. He was glad of it, in retrospect. If she’d not been the brazen lass that she was, she’d never have survived the horrors she’d endured at the hands of Colin Campbell. Thoughts of Bridgette’s forced marriage and abuse from the Campbell clan turned Alex’s mind abruptly back to Lena.
