Chapter 10

10

M aeve watched him move with speed, like his feet didn't touch the ground as he sliced through the men that came at him. As soon as the last one was dead, he ran towards her again and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Are ye all right?" he questioned, running his hands down her arms and sides to make sure she was not hurt. "Did any of them get to you? Did they touch ye?"

Maeve was still stunned; she couldn't move or breathe. "Maeve," he called in a louder tone, and she gasped back to reality.

"I am all right. I am all right," she gasped as she stared at him. "I was not hurt."

Archer noticed one of the injured men rising to his knees now, and Archer left her to rush to the man and jerk him off the ground.

"Who sent ye?" Archer thundered. "Who gave ye orders to attack us?"

The men coughed and said nothing while staring Archer in the eye.

"Tell me," Archer yelled again, and when the man still said nothing, Archer took his sword and shoved it in the man's gut.

Maeve gasped and closed her eyes instinctively. Right then, she recalled her mother's warning about the Laird.

He is dangerous.

She still shivered even after she opened her eyes and Laird Devlin's man-at-arms Jensen came to her and gently turned her towards him. "Ye are all right, now."

"We should get home before anyone else attacks us," Laird Devlin ordered in a gruff voice as he wiped his sword on his kilt then sheathed it again.

He marched past her to his horse without sparing her a glance. Maeve got on her horse too and she nodded to Jensen, telling him she was all right without words.

They continued their journey after that, but it took some time for Maeve to shrug off the cold tremor that coursed through her.

She needed him to look at her because he had not spared her a glance since the dance at the wedding. Maeve had been so sure he liked her, and at least her life in this new clan would not be as horrible as the one in England.

What if he is just as terrible as Lord Hampton?

The pain in her back felt better now, and even though she still needed to see a physician, she could endure some more if it would make it easier for her to stay peacefully in Laird Devlin's castle.

Time flew past fast as they edged on in the cold. The fleece coat she wore should have warmed her insides, but she still shivered in anticipation anyway. Whatever lay ahead in Devlin was all she could think about.

By the time they finally reached his clan's lands, Maeve was all wound up like a string on a bow. She felt queasy because of all the pent-up energy in her. They hadn't reached his castle yet, but she was already in awe as she took in everything around her.

They had journeyed around the mountains for a long time, and now, they were in Devlin, and she could admire the lovely green, lush, display of nature.

As they walked past the vast bare lands of his village, she wished she could pause and take in all of the beauty.

The flakes of snow dropping down around them were breathtakingly beautiful. It covered the green lands in fragments of white…trees, thatched roofs, everything. She kept staring at everything she could take in—the children running around the fields and the traders pushing carts around, trying to go about their business.

She wondered what being married to the Laird would be like.

Are we expected to share a bed? His bed?

The thought of lying together on a bed with him left her trembling with some kind of sizzling craving she had never felt before.

Maeve was used to dampening her desires. She never wanted a thing for herself because her sisters deserved to have it all. Back in Lord Hampton's manor, she would keep every desire to herself, so Ayda and Erin would not lack.

Protecting them is my job.

"We have arrived in Devlin, Me Lady," Jensen said with enthusiasm, dragging her back to reality, and her eyes landed on him. "Ye will love our castle once we get there. It is only a small distance further, now. Me wife Quinn is expecting us. She will be so excited to see ye and…"

Her horse spooked, shifting suddenly, and she nearly fell off her mount. It took a second for her to steady herself again then she sucked in a deep breath and continued trotting quietly behind Laird Devlin.

They finally arrived at his castle in the early hours of the next morning, and Maeve felt like the weight on her chest would crush her down as she jumped off her saddle.

As Jensen told her already, two women rushed out of the castle's entrance and sped towards them.

"Me Laird," one of them greeted as Archer dismounted from his saddle. He was in her arms before any of them could take another breath. "Thank goodness ye are back."

Another woman ran towards Jensen and hugged him tight before he picked her off the ground and kissed her fully on the lips.

"This is me wife, Quinn," he introduced after pulling back, and Maeve saw the woman's smile widen as her eyes danced with joy.

"I am Quinn, Me Lady," she said in a breathless voice. Maeve could tell she was a happy soul. Her red curly hair flowed down her shoulders with no care in the world, and she wore an apron over her earasaid, making Maeve wonder if she was a maid in their castle.

"I am the clan's healer," she continued as if she could tell what Maeve was thinking in that moment.

"I am Maeve."

Quinn hugged her before she could move, and Maeve gasped from the shock.

"Come with me. I shall have the servants prepare a bath for ye and help ye with a change of clothes.

Maeve's gaze whipped over to Archer for a second, and she saw him speaking to the other woman, his expression softened into a real smile for the first time since they met.

"Me lady," the woman greeted, walking over to where Maeve stood in shock.

"Maeve this is me aunt, Lauren. She is displeased that we moved ahead with the marriage without her. She had made preparations and plans while awaiting our return."

Lauren took Maeve's gloved hands. "I have always wanted to see him tie the knot," she said with a cheery laugh. "He took that pleasure from me too…"

"Lauren," Archer cautioned right then, and Maeve saw his cheeks redden.

Seeing him smile and speak at ease with his people left her wondering if he was only stiff with her.

"Lauren and Quinn shall show ye to yer chambers, and I shall see ye durin' supper."

"My chamber?" she stammered then felt her warm flush reach her ears and cheeks. "I…I thought…" Maeve did not finish her statement before she swallowed hard. The shivers spreading through her intensified when his eyes flickered over hers briefly before he turned and marched away.

Maeve still stood rooted to the same spot when Jensen said to her, "The Laird is like that with everyone. He barely speaks and doesnae take his mind off work until nighttime. Dinnae think he has a grievance with ye."

"Oh…" she gasped, nodding slowly as Jensen smiled softly at her again then bowed his head.

"Welcome home, Me Lady." With that he was gone, and Maeve was left standing with both women who dazzled her with their charming smiles.

"I will show ye around the castle," Quinn announced in her vibrant tone then hooked her hand around Maeve's.

"And we shall discuss yer welcome feast," the older woman added. "I missed me nephew's weddin', but that doesnae mean we dinnae get to celebrate and welcome ye to Devlin the proper traditional way."

Maeve could only smile as they led her into the magnificent castle. She gasped in awe as she took it all in. The walls were ivory with gold encrusted into the corners and Gaelic markings displayed all over the wall.

Maeve could not see everything even if she circled around on her feet. The pillars were just as tall as the roof above them, and the stairway spiraled into the first landing in a curve.

"It's huge," Maeve commented before she could hold back, her eyes widening as she took in everything they showed her.

She could smell the thick flavors of Scottish spices filling the air already. The smells made Maeve's mouth water, reminding her that she hadn't eaten a thing all day.

"Here is the healing chamber. I am always here if ye ever need my help," Quinn said as she showed Maive a chamber on the ground floor then she pointed Maive down the darkened hallway. "The Laird's study is right there, and here is the great hall."

Lauren shoved the door to the great hall open, and they entered the empty hall together. It was far bigger than the hall in O'Kane. Maeve sucked in a deep breath as she took in the drawings on the walls and the heavy drapes shielding the inside of the hall from the rays of daylight outside.

"Nae one comes in here," Lauren explained in a softer tone, and Maeve didn't miss the hint of sadness there when she released a wistful sigh.

"Ye should head to yer chamber now. Ye must be exhausted."

"Thank you," Maeve said to both women, offering them a small smile as she held her chin high and walked with them to the castle's second landing.

Once alone in the chamber, Maeve walked to the window, pushed it open, and stared outside into the brilliant day. The skies were a blend of blue and frosty white. The chilly wind blowing against her face made her draw in a deep breath and close her eyes.

Maive had escaped a horrible fate in England, and she ought to be excited for the start of a better life, but she couldn't rid herself of the tenseness in her stomach.

I'm standing in a chamber alone after marrying a strange man who I am not certain even likes me.

A man her mother mentioned was mad and vile…like his father before him.