Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

T adhg turned over Blane's request in his mind as he headed back to the chambers he shared with Alana. He had agreed to go on the scouting trip for her sake, not out of any wish to assist Blaine. He did not trust Blaine one iota, but he figured he could look after himself if there was any trouble. The problem was, he felt uneasy about leaving Alana alone at the castle with Blaine while he was gone. Which was the reason why he intended to ask her to accompany him. He did not hold out much hope that she would agree though.

Alana gave a shrill scream as he entered the room and ran behind to hide behind the bed curtain. He caught a tantalizing glimpse of bare white limbs disappearing. "Can ye nae knock before ye come bargin' in?" she complained, her head peering out from behind the curtain. "I'm gettin' dressed."

Tadhg sat down in an armchair by the fire and stretched out his legs. "'Tis me

room as much as yers," he pointed out, "and we're married. I'm yer husband, remember? Husbands can be present when their wives are dressin'."

A loud huff came from behind the curtain along with some rustling. With a pang of excitement, he wondered what she was doing. He imagined her in her skimpy shift, putting on her stockings, pulling them up over the silky soft thighs he had once been allowed to stroke and kiss.

"I dinnae ken what ye're pretendin' tae be so modest about," he said, shifting in his seat to relieve the sudden pressure at the front of his trews. "Like I said, I already ken every inch of yer body from before."

A slipper flew at him from behind the curtain, and he dodged it before it hit him in the head. There was more rustling, then some curses uttered in a low, frustrated voice. He looked up as Alana appeared from behind the curtain, her cheeks glowing pink. She approached him, appearing to be fully dressed until she stood before him and turned around.

Tadhg stared helplessly to see that her stays needed lacing, and the back of her dress was gaping open, revealing white, naked skin above the collar of her shift. His arousal ramped up once more.

"Can ye dae me up, please? I cannae dae it by mesel'," she said, clearly unhappy about having to ask.

"Aye, of course." Tadhg stood up; glad she could not see his state of excitement. He towered over her, his large fingers taking hold of the laces of her stays and pulling them tighter, nipping in her already slender waist and emphasizing her hips. He longed to slip his hands inside and feel the soft, warm curves he remembered so well. At the same time, his eyes drank in the flawless beauty of her neck and shoulders. "How's that? Nae too tight fer ye?" he asked, his voice suddenly hoarse.

"Nay, that's fine," she replied, and he tied off the laces. "Can ye dae up me dress now, please?"

"Aye, stand still." He took his time doing up the fastenings, feasting his eyes on her skin, breathing in her floral scent, sad to see her disappearing inside the gown when his arousal was such that he burned to get her out of it.

"Blaine wants me tae go on a scoutin' mission fer him, and I've agreed," he told her when he had finished doing up her gown and she turned to face him.

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. "What sort of a mission?"

He repeated what Blaine had told him. "So, it seems yer faither could be bein' held captive by this clan somewhere in that area. He wants me tae locate him and report back on it so he can send a rescue party."

She went to the vanity and sat down to brush her hair. She looked at him in the looking glass, her lips pursed. "Why did ye say ye'd go?"

"Ye want tae see yer faither, d'ye nae? Even if 'tis only tae tell him how much ye despise him. If he can be brought back alive, then ye'll have a chance tae maybe find out the truth of what happened with him and yer maither."

"So, yer goin' fer me sake?" She paused in her brushing, staring at him in the mirror.

"All this is fer yer sake, Alana."

She resumed brushing. "Well, it sounds very dangerous. Especially if ye go alone. I dinnae like it. Why does he nae send his own scouts," she asked, a dubious expression on her face.

"He thinks I have more experience than his own men," Tadhg explained, half mesmerized by her graceful movements. He longed to go over to her and take over the task of brushing out her long, dark hair, to run his fingers through it, to lift it aside and press his lips to her white neck. Stop! Stop thinkin' that way! All ye're doin' is torturin' yersel', ye fool. Once again forced to conceal the evidence of his desire for her, he sat down hurriedly and crossed his legs.

However, he could not tear his eyes away from her, continuing to watch as she twisted her hair up into a bun and pinned it, revealing the soft nape he yearned to kiss. She got up and came to stand before him, her hands on her hips. "I dinnae like it all. I dinnae think ye should go alone," she told him.

He shrugged. "Well, there's nae one else tae come with me, except maybe Knox, and he mentioned last night that he might be leavin' today. Besides, ye ken I can take care of mesel'. 'Tis nae goin' alone that's worrying me."

"What then?"

"Leavin' ye here alone with Blaine. I just cannae find it in me tae trust the man."

To his surprise, Alana's expression softened. "Ye're worrying about me again. Ye're always tryin' tae protect me, eh?"

"A man protects what he cares about with his life," he replied frankly, meeting her eyes. She gave a small smile and turned away as if to hide her face. Then she turned again to face him.

"I'll come with ye," she said decisively. "That'll kill two birds with one stone. Ye willnae be alone, and ye willnae have tae worry about me bein' alone here while ye're gone."

"D'ye mean it? Ye really wantae come with me?" he asked, genuinely taken aback that she would offer. He had been sure that if he asked her to come with him, she would refuse, unwilling to spend any more time with him than necessary, and especially not just with the two of them. Warmth suddenly glowed in his chest at the realization she actually wanted to go with him.

"I just said so, did I nae?" she answered.

"It could be dangerous," he warned her.

"It could be dangerous if I stay here without ye," she pointed out. "When shall we go?"

"Early tomorrow, before there's too many people about."

"All right." She nodded. "Mayhap we will find me faither. That would be somethin', eh?"

"Aye, that would be somethin' indeed," he agreed, happy that she trusted him to take care of her.

Not long after they had finished their discussion and had just agreed to go for a walk together in the garden to bolster the illusion they were happily married, Angus the steward knocked on their door. Tadhg opened it, but Angus barely acknowledged him before peering around him and addressing Alana directly.

He bowed before saying, "I beg yer pardon fer the interruption, Lady Alana, but Blaine is requestin' yer presence at an emergency council meetin'."

"Now?" she asked.

"Aye, now, he says," the steward replied.

"Ach, very well. We'll be down in a minute or two."

Angus eyed Tadhg doubtfully. "I dinnae think yer husband's presence is required." he said.

To Tadhg's satisfaction, Alana rounded on the servant. " I require his presence," she told him in no uncertain terms.

Angus frowned, but he nodded. "Very well, me lady. I'll tell Blaine ye're on yer way." He bowed again before rushing off down the hallway.

"Thanks fer stickin' up fer me. I appreciate it," Tadhg told her, secretly thrilled at her insistence that he accompany her. That, plus the fact she wanted to go with him on the scouting trip, made him feel like he was slowly winning back her trust. It was what he craved, apart from her love, of course.

"I'm nae goin' tae one of these bloody meetins without ye," she said, taking up her shawl and putting it around her shoulders. "I wonder why 'tis an emergency meetin'. D'ye think there could be news about me faither?" she asked as they headed down the hallway towards the staircase.

"Maybe," Tadhg said, hiding his skepticism for fear of upsetting her. "But I wouldnae get yer hopes up."

It turned out the council meeting was already underway when they arrived, and a spirited discussion was in progress as they entered the room.

"Quiet, gentlemen, Lady Alana is here," Blaine said in commanding tones from his seat at the head of the table—the seat belonging to the abducted laird, Tadhg noted as he pulled out a seat for Alana near him and then sat down next to her. Once they were seated, Blaine signaled for the discussion to continue.

"We still havenae settled the matter of what will happen tae the clan if the laird daesnae return," said one of the councilors.

"He's been gone a week, Robert, ye cannae give up on him after so short a time," Roger Huston pointed out. "We need proof if he's been killed."

"Well, 'tis obvious that if he is dead, Lady Alana is the next in line."

"Aye, she's his blood!" another man exclaimed.

"But she's illegitimate," another argued. He looked apologetically at Alana.

"Nae offence, me lady." Tadhg was pleased to see she ignored the comment.

"That daesnae matter. Blood prevails," Huston insisted.

"But the Laird raised Blaine here as his heir," the other councilman countered,

waving in Blaine's direction. "Lady Alana is his daughter, aye, but she's a stranger tae the clan."

"It disnae matter how many times we keep goin' over it," chimed in a man with thinning red hair, "the obvious answer is fer Lady Alana and Blaine tae marry."

"Aye, we all ken that, Raymond, but she's already married… tae him!" he pointed at Tadhg with an expression of disgust.

"But she's a born lady, and he's a nonentity," his neighbor declared, also pointing a disparaging finger at Tadhg. Now we're gettin' near the truth of the matter, Tadhg thought to himself, his anger starting to boil in his gut.

"He may be a nobody, but he's still married tae her!" Huston shouted, growing red in the face. Tadhg noticed how Blaine did nothing to control the situation or put a stop to the gross insults being heaped on his head. A nonentity, am I? A nobody, nae fit tae be wed tae Alana.

It took everyone by surprise, including Tadhg, when Alana suddenly stood up, banged her palm loudly on the stable, and shouted, "Be quiet, all of ye!"

All eyes swiveled in her direction, accompanied by expressions of shock. Tadhg recognized the fury flashing in her eyes and wondered what was coming.

"How dare ye speak about me husband that way when we are both right here in the room? 'Tis appalling that ye should be so rude. I'll nae have it, I tell ye." As if to emphasize her words, she put a hand on Tadhg's shoulder, surprising him yet again.

"Tadhg is me husband, and nae matter what ye say, he's the best husband a woman could have. Better than any woman could dream of. He's far better a man than any of ye in this room!"

Tadhg was stunned and deeply touched that she would defend him so vociferously. His heart swelled in his chest, and he could not resist a small smile as he met the councilors eyes.

"Ye say ye want our help with findin' the laird and the future of the clan. Well, insultin' me husband is nae the way tae go about gettin' it. Is that understood?" Tadhg felt proud of her as she glared around at all the faces with a haughty expression.

"Aye, we understand, me lady. I apologize tae ye and Mr. MacTavish on behalf of the council fer speakin' out of turn," Roger Huston said eventually in a placating tone.

"Good. I wish tae hear nae more of such disrespectful talk," Alana said imperiously, earning Tadhg's further admiration and gratitude. "I dinnae see that our presence is needed any longer at this meetin'. Me husband and I shall take our leave now. Good day tae ye, gentlemen ." She pronounced the final word scathingly.

Tadhg stood up and offered her his arm.

"Thank ye, dearest," she said, sticking her nose in the air and sweeping the council with a dark glance as she and Tadhg made for the door. Tadhg ushered her out before him. It was when he went to close the door behind them that he briefly glimpsed Blaine's expression. The man was frowning, his lips a thin line of disapproval, and he was drumming his fingers on the table as he cast black looks at his advisors.

"I dinnae think Blaine liked that," Tadgh murmured to Alana as they retraced their steps along the hallway. "He looked downright annoyed just then."

"I dinnae care how annoyed he is," Alana shot back, her eyes flashing with anger. "He'll nae make a good laird if he lets his council treat guests with such disrespect. I'm so sorry ye had tae put up with that, Tadhg," she told him apologetically, gazing up at him as they walked.

But his hopes that she was thawing towards him were dashed when he found himself sleeping on the floor again that night.