Chapter 3

The next morning, Madden met Keelin in the inn's dining room to break their fast. "Did ye find ye a lass last night?" she asked, shoving a spoonful of parritch into her mouth.

Madden smiled. "A gentleman never speaks o' such things."

"Ye are nae a gentleman," Keelin reminded him laughing. "I take yer answer tae mean that ye did find a lass." She studied his face for a moment. "Yer eyes are telling me that she was more than just a lass. What happened last night?"

Madden shook his head. "She was unlike anyone I have ever been with. She was fire and passion personified. She was bonnie, intelligent, sweet as honey." He stopped speaking, unable to put the night into words, nor sure that he should.

Keelin's eyes widened. "Ye care fer the lass."

Madden shook his head. "We are strangers. It was just one night. Besides, she is already gone. I asked the innkeeper about her, and he did nae ken anything."

Keelin smiled. "Ye asked after her?"

"Aye," Madden gave her a warning look not to make too big a deal about it. "It was fer naught."

"Can ye nae inquire after her name?"

"She only gave me her Christian name. She did nae tell me her surname. The innkeeper was nae willing tae give me any information about her or the room that she was staying in." Madden shrugged his shoulders. He had not been able to get Isabelle out of his mind, but in the end, he knew it had been for just one night and that was all. "There are many more women in the world." Even as he said the words, he knew that there were no other women such as the one who had shared her body with him the previous night. Sighing, he leaned back in his seat and stared out of the window at the village beyond.

"I am sorry, Madden," Keelin murmured.

Madden shook his head. "Such is life. Let us change the subject, shall we?"

Keelin nodded, giving him a sympathetic look. "I would like tae buy a gift fer me cousin before we arrive at his stronghold."

Madden nodded. "We can visit the village shops this morning afore we set out. It will delay our arrival, but we will still arrive before darkness settles."

"Good," Keelin nodded in satisfaction. "Ye can help me find something that he might like."

"I dinnae ken the man."

"Ah, but ye and he are much alike. If ye like the gift, then chances are high that he will as well."

Nodding, Madden finished his breakfast, then followed Keelin out into the village. There were not very many shops to choose from so it did not take long to peruse the available merchandise. Keelin made her selections, then they returned to the inn for a midday repast. Once they had eaten, they would set out for Arran MacKay's stronghold.

Before they left, Madden made one last attempt at getting the innkeeper to give him any information that he could about the woman named Isabelle, but once again the innkeeper refused.

As he prepared for departure, Madden pulled Isabelle's necklace from his sporran and looked at it once more in the light. It was a simple design, but beautiful in its simplicity.

It had been quite a surprise to find the necklace caught on a thread in his clothes when he had awoken in the morning. It must have fallen onto his clothing when he had stripped her naked.

Madden had tried to return the necklace to her only to find that she had left the inn before dawn had fully crested the horizon. He had considered leaving the necklace with the innkeeper to have him return it to her if she ever returned to the inn, but he had no guarantees that it would make it back to her. It was far more likely that the innkeeper would have done as he wished with it and Isabelle would never have seen it again. Madden placed the necklace back in his sporran for safe keeping. The necklace had been his excuse to try and see her, but deep in his heart he knew it had not been the only reason that he had sought her out. His entire body longed to feel and taste her once more.

I must resign myself tae one night of her heavenly charms and accept the fact that I will probably never see her again. But if I am lucky enough tae meet her again, I will safeguard this necklace with me life.

"Isabelle!" Arran MacKay greeted his sister as she dismounted from her horse and crossed the courtyard to hug her brother. "What a wonderful surprise!" The siblings embraced one another, genuinely pleased to see each other.

Isabelle thought that Bain had sent her brother a missive before setting out. Clearly, he had not. "I missed ye," she admitted, breathing in the warmth of him. It had been so long since they had last seen each other. The guilt that she felt over their parents' deaths was temporarily muted by the joy of seeing her brother once more.

"And I ye," Arran murmured, kissing the top of her head.

"Arran," Bain's voice interrupted the sibling's greeting.

"Bain," Arran replied in kind, the tone of his voice showing that he was significantly less happy to see his brother-in-law than he had been to see his sister. It was clear to anyone with eyes that the two men did not care for one another. "Tae what dae I owe the pleasure of yer company?"

"Might we speak in private?" Bain asked, not wishing to discuss his business in front of an audience.

"Aye, that can be arranged. Let us get ye both settled first, then we can talk." Arran motioned for his men to take the horses and to help carry in Bain and Isabelle's belongings. He turned his attention back to Isabelle. "It is so good tae see ye, sister. It has been tae long since yer last visit." He took her arm in his and led her into the great hall. Lowering his head so that only she could hear, he whispered, "I presume that he wants money?"

"He does," Isabelle confirmed quietly with a slight nod.

"Are ye cared fer?" He met her eyes to gage the truth of her answer.

"I am fed, clothed, and have a roof over me head." It was as far as she was willing to go with the answer. She was not about to tell him the full truth, but she was not going to outright lie to him either.

He grunted in acknowledgement, knowing better than to ask any more questions that might be overheard by others. "Nae matter the reason, I am glad that ye are here."

Isabelle did her best to offer up a genuine smile, but the guilt was quickly returning, and it tainted every emotion that she was feeling. She looked at Bain, who gave her a warning glare, before they climbed the stairs to Isabelle's old bedchamber. When she walked through the door her mind was swept back to her childhood and she was swamped with a myriad of emotions. During the time that Arran had been with her, her childhood had held many good memories. However, once he had gone to France and their father had turned bitter and mean, it had filled with many bad memories.

"I will leave ye tae bathe and rest afore the evening meal. Ye will both join me upon the dais," Arran invited.

"Of course. We thank ye, braither, fer yer hospitality." Isabelle attempted another smile.

"Ye are always welcome here, Isabelle. Ye will always be a lady of the Clan MacKay." Arran bowed to his sister in a gesture of loving respect, then left the room, closing the door behind him.

"He would nae say such a thing if he kenned the truth," Bain snorted in derision.

Isabelle shot her husband a warning look, but immediately turned away to hide it so that she would not anger him further than her mere existence already did. A moment later, there was a knock on the door. "Enter," Isabelle called out in permission.

The door swung open and two strong lads carried in a bathing tub. "The laird has commanded that we bring ye this tub fer bathing, me lady," one of the lads informed her. "He has invited the Laird Sutherland to join him to refresh himself in the nearby loch. The laird states that it is a most invigorating swim."

Isabelle hid the smile that threatened to emerge at his words. Her brother was giving her the gift of privacy to bathe and time alone. It was a precious one. "I will join the Laird MacKay," Bain agreed. "It will give us time tae speak." Turning to Isabelle, he leveled her with a warning look. "I will have me man outside of this door." Having delivered his threat disguised as protection, Bain left the room.

Arran had arranged for hot water to be brought up, along with anything else that she might need. Her brother was a kind and considerate host. Once the lads carrying the water had left, Isabelle shut the door, barring it from the inside. She disrobed, then stepped into the tub, submersing herself in the watery warmth. It was a pleasant sensation after being in the saddle for so long. Being back home was a complicated mixture of emotions. On the one hand, it was the safest that she had felt in many years. On the other hand, it was even more dangerous than her husband's lands. If her husband did not get the money that he wanted, and he told any one of her father's former men the truth, she could be dead by morning and there would be nothing that she could do to stop it.

Sighing, she sank further down into the water. She scrubbed the road from her skin and hair, then rinsed the soap away. She did not linger naked in the tub for fear that her husband would return and claim his conjugal rights. Standing up, she stepped out of the tub and dried herself with the cloth that her brother's men had left for her. Once she was dressed, she sat by the fireplace to allow her hair to dry as she brushed it out. She savored the brief moment of peace.

When Bain returned to the room, he did not look pleased. "What happened?" Isabelle asked, unable to bear the uncertainty of what the future might hold. He had been gone for a lot longer than she had anticipated.

"We were nae able tae speak as Arran was called away tae deal with clan business. I will try again after the evening meal." His tone stated that he felt that he had been insulted, but that he had let it pass for now in view of his more pressing need for money. "Ye will dae yer best tae remind him of his love fer ye tae put him in mind of his duty towards ye and yer husband as his kin." He came over and lifted a handful of her hair from her shoulders. "Make certain that ye look yer best this evening. Remember that ye represent the Clan Sutherland now, nae the Clan MacKay. Me interests are yer only interests."

Isabelle nodded, not daring to refuse his demand. "I will dae what I can fer the sake of the clan."

Bain nodded, dropped her hair back onto her shoulder, then walked over to the window. He stared out at the courtyard below. "I see why yer braither was called away. He appears tae have more guests and one of them is a bonnie lass. I would leave my company too fer the likes of her."

Isabelle rolled her eyes, safe to do so with his back to her.

"She looks a wee bit like ye," he murmured in observation.

Isabelle's ears picked up at this. "Oh?"

"Aye, she has yer eyes, but her hair is as golden as the wheat in the sun before harvest."

"That sounds like me cousin," Isabelle noted. "I have nae seen her in years."

"She is welcome on Sutherland lands any time," Bain replied with lust in his voice. "But she can leave the large lad that she has brought with her behind."

Isabelle bit her tongue, but she made a silent promise to keep her cousin as far away from her husband as she could. No woman deserved to be forced to endure his attentions. "I will inform her of yer invitation."

"Dae that. Perhaps I will have both of ye in me bed at the same time," Bain smiled, pleased at the idea.

Isabelle gritted her teeth.

Over me dead body…