A Man of Honor
Date: 2017-12-06 05:00:00+00:00

A Man
of

Honor

The McCabe’s Book 5

Bethany Hauck

Copyright © 2017 by Bethany Hauck

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2017

KDP Publishing

Books by Bethany Hauck

An Honest Mistake

The McCabe’s Book 1

(Jacqueline and Connor)

A Good Man

The McCabe’s Book 2

(Ross and Angela)

The Man of Her Dreams

The McCabe’s Book 3

(Ham and Flora)

A Nightmare Marriage

The McCabe’s Book 4

(Fiona and Logan)

A Man of Honor

The McCabe’s Book 5

(Alastair and Mairi)

Coming Soon:

Her Brave Knight

The McCabe’s Book 6

(Owen and Emilia)

Characters: (so far)

Gleann: McCabe’s

Hamish McCabe
-father and Laird of Gleann

Annabell e-mother (deceased)

Children:

Eadan

Ross  and Ham (twins)

Alastair

Craig and Rory (twins)

Owen

James and
Jacqueline
(twins)

Eadan Hamish-
Eadan and Nessa’s son

Nessa (McDougall) McCabe
-Married to Eadan

Flora (Munro) McCabe
-Married to Ham

Ina
-Healer and Midwife

Mairi (Scott) McCabe-
Married to Alastair

Tarmon: Fraser’s

Connor Fraser
-Married Jacqueline McCabe

Fiona
-Connor’s sister

Caiden
-Conner’s father and Laird of Tarmon

Alyssa
-Connor’s mother (deceased)

Jacqueline (McCabe) Fraser-
Married to Connor.  Grew up at Gleann

Alyssa and Annabelle
-Connor and Jacqueline’s twin daughters

Angus
-Tarmon guard

Helga
-Tarmon midwife.

Edith
-Ladies Maid and friend to both Fiona and Jacqueline.

Brayden
-Was Betrothed to Fiona

Tioram: McCarthy’s

Iain McCarthy
-Laird of Tioram  Angela’s Da.

Catrina
-Angela’s mother

Kenna
- 18 Angela’s sister

Rhona
- 15 Angela’s sister

Angela
-Married to Ross McCabe

Ross McCabe-
Married Angela.

William
-Captain of the McCarthy guard.

Deacon
-Messenger

Dunnottar: Stewart’s

Logan Stewart-
Laird.  Married to Fiona Fraser

Gregor Stewart-
Logan’s brothe r

Fiona (Fraser) Stewart-
Married Logan.

Brody-
Logan’s best friend and Captain of the Guard.  Marries Edith

Seamus-
One of the guards, befriends Fiona

Blair-
Seamus’ wife and maid at Dunnottar

Branxholme: The Scott’s

Mairi Scott
-
Marries Alastair McCabe

Emilia Scott-
Mairi’s sister

Cameron Scott-
Mairi’s brother and Laird of Branxholme.

Douglas Scott-
Mairi’s Da

Grace (Kerr) Scott-
Mairi’s mother

Finlay Kerr
-Mairi’s Grandfather.  Laird of Ferniehirst.

Villains:

Catherine McCoy
-Connor’s mistress before              marriage.

Lachlan Stewart
-Tried to force Angela into marriage

Isobe l-Betrothed to Logan before he wed Fiona.  Now imprisoned in Edinburgh.

Lord Stephen Thompson-
Wants Mairi.

Donovan Thompson
-His brother.

John and Melinda Murray
-found Mairi after her accident

Samuel Grant-
Mairi’s dead husband

Who knows...they may turn up in later books:

Robert, Elaine and Angu s-Children rescued by Flora and Ham

Suzan
-Their mother and a seamstress

Wynda
-Tavern girl in Edinburgh

John Sutherland-
Owens English friend.

Note:
Highlighted names appear in more than one place due to marriages.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 A Chance Encounter

Chapter 2 Trust

Chapter 3 Safe at Last

Chapter 4 Mairi’s Story

Chapter 5 A Wedding and a Bairn

Chapter 6 The Right Way

Chapter 7 A Trip to the Village

Chapter 8 Punishment

Chapter 9 Fever at Gleann

Chapter 10 I Remember Everything

Chapter 11 Mairi’s Mistake

Chapter 12 Guests

Chapter 13 For My Da and Mither

Chapter 14 Home

Epilogue

C hapter 1 A Chance Encounter

“Thank you again, Alastair, for everything you did for my sister,” Connor Fraser said to his brother by marriage as Alastair prepared to leave.

“Fiona assured me she was well and happy before I left,” Alastair explained to him once again.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Connor said, “When she was first brought out of the dungeon, I was going to kill her husband, maybe it’s a good thing that I didn’t.”

“Stop it,” Jacqueline, his wife, and Alastair’s sister said laughing, smacking Connor playfully on the arm.  “You have to quit threatening to kill Logan.  Fiona loves him, and he loves her.”

“I wouldn’t have blamed him for killing Logan Stewart when we first arrive at Dunnottar,” Alastair said to her, trying to hold back a smile. “It’s a good thing he was still recuperating and didn’t come down into the hall.”

“But everything has turned out well for them, and I think it’s a good match,” Jacqueline told them both before asking Alastair,  “you’ll be careful traveling home, brother?”

“Your husband is sending more men than I possibly need to accompany me.  I’m sure to be safe,” Alastair assured her.

“I’ll make sure he makes it to Gleann in one piece,” said Angus as he joined them.  Angus was in charge of the guard at Tarmon castle and would be accompanying his men as they escorted Alastair back to the McCabe keep.

“Then let’s ride,” said Alastair, giving Jacqueline one last hug before mounting his horse.  “Hopefully, it doesn’t snow before we get there.”

“Keep aware in case you run into those highwaymen,” Connor warned both men.  “We’re patrolling further out, as are the rest of the clans, but we still haven’t caught them.”

“I’ll be watching,” Angus said, “I wish we would run into them.”

“If you do, make sure none of them survive,” Connor said seriously to him.  “They’ve created enough unrest for travelers.”

“Aye,” Angus agreed.  “I think they may be out of the area for the winter. But if we catch them, I guarantee, none will walk away.”

“I love you, little sister, and I’ll see you in the spring, at Tioram,” Alastair said, he then turned his horse and rode through the gates of Tarmon, finally beginning the last leg of his journey and heading in the direction of Gleann.

Alastair was quiet as he rode, glad to be heading back to the family keep he’d left three months before.  He missed Gleann, and once he arrived there, he didn’t plan on going anywhere until spring, when the McCabe family would gather at Tioram for the birth of Ross and Angela’s new baby.

He’d left home with the majority of his brother’s for the best of reasons.  To rescue Fiona Stewart, Connor’s sister, from Dunnottar castle.  She’d been locked in the dungeon there after being falsely accused of trying to kill her husband, Logan.  The Fraser, McCabe, and McCarthy clans had banded together and gone to demand she be set free.  After Fiona’s release and Logan healed, knowing his wife would never have tried to hurt him, he’d come to Tarmon to make amends, and begged her to return home with him. Logan’s brother, Gregor, and his once betrothed Isobel had been the ones to try and end Logan’s life and then laid blame on Fiona.  Their assassination attempt was unsuccessful, and instead of dead, Logan Stewart had been left unconscious and severely wounded.

Fiona hesitantly agreed to go back home to Dunnottar, after hearing about Gregor’s death and Isobel’s trial, and Alastair volunteered to accompany her.  He didn’t mind going since he and Logan had been friends many years before, and the visit had given them time to rekindle the friendship.  He’d spent a month at their castle, as Fiona and Logan Stewart’s guest.  The couple seemed more than happy with the marriage, and each other, when he left.

He’d departed Dunnottar with a group of guards that accompanied him to his brother Ross’ home at Tioram, less than a day’s ride away.  Ross lived there with his wife Angela and her family.  Since Ian McCarthy only had daughters, and Angela was the oldest, Ross would one day take over as Laird there.

Alastair had only planned on staying at Tioram one night, until a snowstorm moved in, making his visit last three.  He wasn’t upset by it; he’d enjoyed spending time with his older brother and sister by marriage.  The entire McCarthy family had been very welcoming during his extended stay at their keep.

Ross and Angela had bid him farewell and sent him on his way with their own guards to escort him to Tarmon, where his baby sister lived with her husband and twin daughters.  He’d again only planned on staying one night, but his sister Jacqueline had ideas of her own.  He’d always had trouble telling her no, and the visit there had lasted another three days.  He’d finally put his foot down, and told her it was time for him to go home.

The weather was good as they traveled.  The snows so far in the highlands had only left a few inches on the ground, but Alastair knew that could all change soon.  Winters in the highlands were unpredictable, with large snowfalls one day, that melted three days later.

“Let’s stop and take a rest,” Angus said, riding up beside Alastair.  They’d already been traveling for more than half the day.  “The horses could use some water and food, and so could the men.”

“Agreed,” Alastair replied.  “I need to step into the woods for a minute myself.”

“There’s a small river up ahead,” Angus told him.  “We can rest and water the horses there.”

“I know where it is,” Alastair replied, nodding his head.

They quickly rode the short distance, and the Tarmon guards unmounted their horses and led them over to the river, which wasn’t much more than a creek.  While the animals drank, the men unpacked the provisions Jacqueline Fraser had prepared for them and sat down to eat.  It was a quiet bunch as they enjoyed the peaceful sounds of nature around them and ate their meal.

“Did you hear that?” Alastair asked Angus, who was sitting next to him, as he quickly stood up.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Angus replied, although he quickly stood up too.

“Shhh, listen,” Alastair said, walking quietly towards the road they’d been traveling on, with Angus following.  “I thought I heard a woman scream.”

“I believe you’re hearing things,” Angus told him, as he joined Alastair on the road, where they both stood silently, listening.

“There, did you hear it?” Alastair asked, as again the faint sound of a scream floated on the wind that blew towards them.

“I heard something,” Angus answered, turning to his men he said quietly, “mount up.  We’re going to move out as quietly and quickly as possible; there may be trouble beyond the next rise.”

The Tarmon guards were well trained and followed Angus’ orders without question.  They all mounted and rode towards the sound only Alastair and Angus had heard.  As they came to a stop at the top of a small hill, Alastair finally got a look at what was causing the screams.  A wagon was sitting just off to the side of the road, and searching through it were three men.  They pulled out crates and satchels, throwing things onto the ground, breaking some, and ruining others as they landed in the melting snow and mud.  Some of the more valuable items, they were stuffing into their pockets or setting them on the edge of the wagon to grab later.  Off to one side of the wagon was a young woman being held between two other men.  They laughed as a third taunted her, grabbing at her cloak and skirts.  Two more stood next to the wagon on the opposite side, where a man’s body could be seen lying in a pool of blood, these men were also laughing, as they watched what the others were doing.

“We’ll all get a turn with the lady won’t we, Kirk?” one of the men next to the wagon yelled.

“Yeah, Kirk,” said the one standing next to him.  ‘It’s been a fortnight since I’ve had a good romp.  I’d like some time with the lass.”

“No one touches her,” the skirt grabber, who must have been Kirk, answered.  “Lord Thompson wants her brought to him alive and well.”

“He’ll never know,” one of the men said.  “Afterall, she was already married, so she isn’t pure anymore.”

“You may be right,” Kirk called back, smirking.  None of them had even noticed the group of highland guards that were bearing down on them until it was too late.

Alastair was angry, angrier than he’d ever been in his entire life, as he watched the men manhandle the girl.  He wouldn’t have been able to explain why, but he felt an unstoppable need to protect her.  He pulled his broadsword from its sheath on his back as he charged towards them.  Angus and his men were with him, and they did the same, following Alastair’s lead.

By the time the highwaymen looked up, it was too late for them to defend themselves.  Alastair rode as close to the men who were still holding the girl’s arms as he could and brought his sword down with as much force as he could muster, severing the arm of the one on the right.  Angus was right behind him and did the same to the man on the left.  Although Angus’ hit didn’t severe the arm, he felt his blade hit bone before he pulled it back.  Both men fell to the ground, the first dying quickly as blood spurted from the stump that was still there, and the second, in too much pain to be a threat any longer.

Once again the girl screamed, falling to the ground with her arms around her stomach as if she was protecting herself.  The Highlanders made short work of the outnumbered highwaymen, and they were all dead or dying within minutes.  Alastair unmounted his horse and checked the body of the lass’ companion, an obviously older man, that was lying near the wagon.  The man was dead already; there wasn’t anything they could do to help him.   He slowly approached the girl, who lay on the ground with her eyes tightly closed, crying quietly.

“Lass?” he said softly as he knelt down next to her, trying not to frighten her anymore than she already was.

“Please don’t kill me,” she pleaded with him.

“You’re safe now,” he said quietly, trying to soothe her.

“Please, just go away and leave me be,” she said, still keeping her eyes tightly closed.

“I’m afraid I can’t-do that,” Alastair said.  “I won’t leave you out here alone.  I’m sorry, but you’re Da is dead.”

“He wasn’t my Da,” the girl answered so quietly Alastair barely heard her.  “He was my husband.”

Alastair was stunned by that revelation.  The dead man lying next to the cart must have been close to his own Da’s age, if not older.  This young girl lying in the snow and mud couldn’t have been more than twenty.  “Then I’m sorry to tell you, lass; your husband is dead.”

“I’m not sorry,” she said, finally opening her eyes and looking at Alastair, he could see she was still fearful of him.

“What’s your name?” he asked, offering her his hand, which she shrank back from, seeming to be afraid he was going to grab her.

“Mairi,” she answered quietly.

“I’m Alastair McCabe,” he introduced himself.  “If you tell me what clan you belong to, I’d be happy to escort you home safely.”

“I don’t belong to any clan,” she answered.  “We were heading to Edinburgh but got caught in the snows last week.  My husband is a...I mean, was, a traveling tinker.”

“Do you have family in Edinburgh?” he asked, again offering her his hand, which this time she took, tentatively, as he helped her to her feet.

“Nay,” she said, stunned by the warmth that coursed through her as Alastair enveloped her hand in his and carefully pulled her to standing.

“Do you have a home there?” he asked, holding onto her hand just a few seconds longer than necessary, he gave it one last reassuring squeeze before finally letting go.

“Nay,” she answered again.

“Do you have the means to rent a place to stay for the winter?” he asked.

“I don’t know what Samuel has,” she answered, motioning towards her husband’s body.  “He never told me much.”

“Do you have another name besides Mairi, lass?” he asked.

“I won’t use his name,” she said, once again motioning towards her dead husband.

“What was your name before you married him?” Alastair asked.

“I don’t know,” she answered, tears filling her eyes.

“How can you not know?” he asked her.

“I was an orphan,” she explained, shrugging.

“What do you want to do now, lass?” he asked her.

“I don’t know,” she said again, looking defeated.

“Load her wagon back up,” Alastair said to the guards that were standing around, others were busy pulling the dead men off to the side of the road and stacking them, while one last group was picking her husband up off the ground to lay him in the quick grave they had dug.  “We’ll be taking it with us.”

“You’re going to steal my wagon?” Mairi asked, a little fight coming back into her.  “How will I make it to Edinburgh without it?”

“Nay, lass,” Alastair said, “but I can’t leave you out here alone.  I’m on my way home to Gleann; you’ll be coming with me.  Your welcome to stay there until you figure out what you want to do.”

“I don’t even know you,” Mairi said to him.  “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“You have a choice, lass,” said Angus, interrupting the pair, “you can go with Alastair to Gleann, or you can travel back with me and my men to Tarmon, but we won’t leave you out here alone.”

“You can’t make me go anywhere,” she said to them both.  “Just leave me be.” As she spoke, she put her hand on her belly, her very round belly.

“Are you with child, lass?” Alastair asked her, noticing the large bulge for the first time.  It’d been well hidden by her skirt and cloak up until now.

“I am,” she said, her eyes again filling with tears.  “I won’t let you hurt my babe.”

“I would never hurt a bairn,” Alastair said, a bit offended.  “What were you doing traveling on a cart in your condition?  You must be due to deliver soon.”

“In about a month,” Mairi answered.  “My husband said it wouldn’t hurt the bairn or me to travel another sennight, or two.”

“Have you seen a midwife recently?” Alastair asked.

“Quit asking me so many questions,” Mairi said to him.  “What I’ve done or haven’t done is no concern of yours.”

“Stop with the attitude, Mairi,” Alastair warned.  “Babe or no babe, there are ways of correcting a woman.  I’m trying to help you, just accept the kindness I’m offering.”

“I didn’t ask for your kindness or your help,” she said.  “Just leave me be, and I’ll be on my way.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Angus said.  “Gleann or Tarmon lass, your choice.”

“I don’t understand why you can’t just let me be,” Mairi answered.  She looked at the faces of the two men and knew she wasn’t going to talk either one into leaving her alone to travel on her own.  Instead, she decided to be agreeable, while beginning to plan how she could get away from them later.  She’d had enough experience with men to know none of them could be trusted, and she’d escape from them the first chance she got.  “I’ll go to Gleann.  Could one of you help me back up on the cart?”

“You’ll be riding with me, Mairi,” Alastair said to her.  “I don’t care what your husband told you; you’re too far along with your bairn to be riding on that bumpy cart bench.  I’ll have one of the guards drive it for you.”

Mairi could see there was going to be no talking the big Highlander out of it.  “Alright,” she said, nodding.  “I’ll ride behind you.”
“You won’t be safe riding behind me,” he said, mounting his horse.  “Hand her up to me, Angus.”  Before she could protest, Angus gripped her gently around the waist and easily lifted her up to Alastair, where he carefully sat her sideways across his lap.  “Comfortable enough?” he asked her once he got her settled.

“Does it matter?” she asked.  “I’m assuming I have no other choice.”

“You’d be correct, lass,” Alastair said, as one of the guards climbed up on the bench of her cart.  “We’ll head back to the river where we watered the horses, and bed down there for the night.  I hope we can make it to Gleann tomorrow, but with that cart slowing us down, it may take another day.”

“I’ll lead the way, stay alert, we don’t know if there are any more of those bandits out there,” Angus called out to the rest of his men, as he moved forward and the rest of the group mounted their horses and followed.

“At least those highwaymen won’t be attacking any more travelers on the road,” Alastair said.  “I wonder if that was all of them?”

“They weren’t highwaymen,” Mairi told him.

“What do you mean, Mairi?” Angus asked, slowing his horse and letting them ride up next to him since he couldn’t help but hear the conversation they were having.  “Who else could they have been?”

“I don’t know,” she answered, “but they said Lord Thompson paid them to bring me to him.  I think they must have mistaken me for someone else; I don’t even know who Lord Thompson is.”

“You don’t know why the man would want you?” Alastair asked.  He glanced down at her, she was a beautiful girl, he had a feeling he already knew why a man would want her.

“Nay,” she said.

“Where are you originally from, Mairi?” Angus asked her, still riding alongside them.

“I don’t know,” she answered again.

“You’re making no sense, lass,” Alastair said to her.

Mairi sighed, not knowing how much she could trust these men.  She’d never met a man she could trust before, at least not one she could remember.  “It’s a long story,” she said to them, “one I’m not willing to relive today, maybe one day I’ll tell you my tale.”

“I look forward to hearing it,” Alastair said to her, as they continued riding towards their camp.

They weren’t aware of it, but as they rode away, three sets of eyes peered out of the woods, watching them.  “Those idjits,” said one of the men, “I told them to grab the lass and hurry back, but they insisted on taking whatever was of value the tinker had on his cart.”

“What do we do now, Donovan?” asked one of the others.

“I’ll ride back and tell my brother what happened and that she’s being taken to some place called Gleann. You two, follow them, and if you get the chance to grab the lass, do it and get out of there,” the man named Donovan answered.  “If not, leave word at a tavern near this Gleann on where you’ll be staying, and I’ll find you when I return with more men.  Stephen isn’t going to be happy about this.”

“Why’s he want the lass anyway?”

“That’s nothing you need to know, but he’s paid you a lot of coin to find this woman and bring her to him,” answered the man named Donovan. “I wouldn’t worry about the reason.”

Chapter 2 Trust

“This spot seems to be secure enough,” Angus said to Alastair, as they rode back into the clearing near the river.  “What do you think?”

“Looks safe enough to me, but I’d feel better if we posted guards for the night,” Alastair said, as he stopped his horse and carefully lowered Mairi to the ground.  “You feeling alright, lass?”

“I’m well,” she answered as her feet touched the ground.  She didn’t want to admit it to him, but it was the gentlest she could ever remember a man treating her.  Alastair McCabe seemed kind enough, but she knew better than to let her guard down and trust any man ever again, she’d learned that lesson too many times before.

“Set up a watch,” Angus said to one of his men.  “Those highwaymen could still out there somewhere.”

“Sure Angus, I’ll make sure it gets done,” the guard answered, walking off to do what was asked.

“Are you hungry, Mairi?” Angus asked her.

“Do you have extra food?” she asked hopefully, not wanting them to know how hungry she was. It’d been a long time since her last meal, and since she’d been carrying her babe, she always seemed to be hungry.

“We have plenty, but even if I didn’t have extra, I’d give you what I have,” Angus said to her.

“As would I,” Alastair agreed.  “Luckily, my sister Jacqueline made sure we had more than enough provisions, just in case we were delayed on our journey.”

“You’ll give me some of your food then?” Mairi asked, hoping it wasn’t some kind of trick.

“Of course we will, Mairi,” Alastair said.  “Why do you sound so surprised?”  Mairi just shrugged her shoulders and looked away.

“Didn’t your husband make sure you had enough to eat?”  Alastair asked.  He had a feeling he already knew the answer to his question, and it made him angry just thinking about her going without.

“There wasn’t always a lot of food available.  Samuel said he needed to keep his strength up to work, so he needed more than I did,” Mairi said, giving the reason her dead husband had always given her when she went to bed at night still hungry.

“Eat your fill, Mairi,” Alastair said, holding out the sack of food, “there’s plenty here.”  Mairi tentatively took the satchel with the food in it from him, waiting for him to snatch it back from her, after a few seconds she realized he was really giving it to her to eat. She opened it quickly and smiled at what was inside, she pulled out cheese and bread and quickly began eating it.  “Slow down, lass.  No one’s going to take it from you.”  Mairi didn’t even look up at him as her cheeks turned red, but she slowed and continued eating.

“Looks like we’ll have a fire tonight to keep us warm,” Angus said as some of the guards came out of the surrounding woods with dry pieces of timber.

“That’ll be good,” Alastair said.  “We’ll put Mairi close to it.  She can use my plaid tonight since the bedding in her cart is too wet to use.”

“What about you?” Mairi asked.  “Won’t you be cold?”  She didn’t want to let on that she intended to be gone before the night was over.

“With my cloak on, I’ll be warm enough from the fire,” he told her.  “It’s only for one night.  It’s more important that you stay warm.”  Mairi nodded, beginning to feel bad for what she was planning to do.  No, she quickly decided, she wouldn’t let her guard down, no man had ever told her the truth about anything.  They all lied, she’d learned that lesson well enough.

Once she finished eating and was full for the first time in a very long time, Alastair led her over near the fire where his plaid was already laid out.  “You get some rest, Mairi,” he said to her.  “I’ll keep watch over you tonight and keep you safe.”

“Thank you,” she said as he helped her down onto the ground.  Her belly had gotten so big it was beginning to get difficult to get on and off the ground without some assistance, but she’d have to manage it alone later if she planned to get away.

She watched as the rest of the men wrapped their plaids around them and found a place to sleep for the night near the now blazing fire.  The heat from it felt wonderful.  Two guards went into the woods, but she made sure she knew where they went, so she’d be able to avoid them when she made her escape.  Alastair found a place not too far away, where he leaned against a large rock.  He sat down, pulled his cloak tightly around him, and closed his eyes.  Slowly, things quieted down as the men began to fall asleep.  She waited until after the first guard change a couple of hours later; watching as the ones that had been on duty laid down, and new ones took their place.  She waited again until she was sure they too had fallen asleep.

She slowly got to her feet, which was a much greater effort than she thought it would be.  The cold ground and the struggle with the men earlier that day had made her muscles stiff.  She moved as quietly as she could and made her way over to where the horses were tied.  She found and untied one of the pair that pulled the cart her and Samuel traveled on since they knew her already, she’d taken care of them often enough.  She began to quietly lead the horse out of camp, wanting to be far enough away when she mounted so that no one would hear her.

She was just beginning to think her plan was successful and she was going to get away when she heard noises behind her.  “Well you made this easy on us, lass,” a raspy voice said.  “Come along quietly now, and you won’t get hurt.”

“Who are you?” Mairi asked, trying to hide her fear, “and what do you want with me?”  She began regretting her decision to sneak away, and knew she was probably too far away from the camp for anyone to hear her if she screamed for help.

“Who we are isn’t important,” the man said.  “Lord Thompson paid us good coin to bring you to him, and that’s where you’re headed.”

“You must have me confused with someone else,” Mairi said, backing away.  “I’ve never even heard of Lord Thompson.”

“You’re the right lass,” the man answered.  “We’re sure of it.  Come along now without a struggle, so you don’t get hurt.”

“She won’t be going anywhere,” Alastair said, as he walked out of the shadows, with his broadsword already drawn and raised, ready to fight.

“How are you gonna stop us?” the man said, laughing menacingly as both men pulled their own.  “There’s two of us and only one of you.”

“Do you really think I came alone?” Alastair asked as Angus, and three other Tarmon guards stepped out behind him.

“I want one of them alive,” Alastair said as he unexpectedly swung his sword at the man, “but he doesn’t have to live long.”  His sword connected with the man’s arm, leaving a large gash that immediately began bleeding heavily.

“You’re making a big mistake,” the man said as he dropped his sword and put his hand over the wound.  He began backing up.  “I already know who you are and where you’re taking the lassie.  Lord Thompson’s brother is already on his way home to let him know that information as we speak.”

Alastair watched as Angus pierced the second man's chest with his sword, killing him instantly.  “Why does this Lord Thompson want the lass?” Alastair asked him, as he grabbed him by the throat to keep him from falling.

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” the man sneered at him, as he clamped his hand down more firmly on top of the wound.  It didn’t do any good, and the heavy bleeding continued.

“You’re about to die,” Alastair told him, squeezing his neck just a little tighter.  “You were trying to kidnap a pregnant woman.  Do you want that to be your last act before you leave this world?”

“Lord Thompson didn’t tell us why.  He just said he needed the lass to get what he truly wanted,” the man answered, after thinking about what Alastair had said.

“Where is this Lord Thompson?” Alastair asked.

“He’s an Englishman,” the man explained as he began to fade.  “His castle isn’t too far across the border.”

Before Alastair could ask another question, the man died.  “Damn it,” Alastair said frustrated, letting go and dropping the body to the ground.  He turned to Mairi, asking her loudly, “what did you think you were doing lass?”

“I..I..,” she began, all of a sudden scared of this big angry highlander.

“You were running away, lass,” Alastair answered for her.  “Why?  And where did you think you were going to go?”

“Edinburgh,” she answered softly.

“Do you know how far that is?” he asked angrily.  “You’d never make it there alone in your condition.  Don’t you care about the bairn you carry?”  He knew he needed to calm down, but never had he felt so protective of a woman, except for his sister Jacqueline.

“I’m sorry,” Mairi said quietly.  “I just wanted to get away.”

“Why?” Alastair asked her.

“I don’t know,” she answered.  “I thought I’d be safer on my own.”

“Can you leave us?” Alastair turned and asked Angus and the other men.  “I need a private conversation with the lass.”

“Remember she’s with child,” Angus reminded him.  “What do you plan on doing?”

“I’m going to make sure she understands I won’t let her put herself in danger, and doesn’t wander off alone again,” Alastair answered.

“A switch works well on a woman like Mairi,” Angus said as he grabbed one of the dead men and began to walk away, pulling the body into the woods.  He motioned for the rest of the men to grab the other and follow.  He called back over his shoulder, “I’ve used one on my own wife a time or two when she was expecting our bairns.”

Alastair nodded as they left, making eye contact with Mairi, which she quickly broke and looked at the ground.  “What do you plan on doing?” she asked him.

“I’m going to make sure you don’t run again,” Alastair told her as he stepped towards her.  Mairi instantly put her arms up protecting her face.  Alastair knew exactly what she was trying to do.  “Did you think I was going to strike you like a man, Mairi?” Alastair asked her, shocked by her actions.

“Weren’t you?” she answered his question with one of her own.

“I’d never strike a woman in the face,” he told her honestly.

“It wouldn’t be the first time a man has done it to me,” she told him.

“No man strikes a woman that way, only a coward does.  I know a much better place to strike a woman,” Alastair said as he cut a branch from the tree that was closest to them.  “One that won’t do any permanent damage.”

“You’re going to beat me?” she asked him fearfully, as she watched him strip the bark from the thin branch.

“No, lass,” he said gently, “I’m going to spank you.”

“You have no right to do this,” she said, backing away from him a bit more.

“I have every right,” he told her.  “You’re under my protection for the time being.  Do you know what could have happened to you tonight if I wouldn’t have heard you and followed?”

“You’re no different from any other man I’ve ever come across,” she said to him.  “They all say they’re going to protect me, but the only one I need protection from is them.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, lass,” Alastair said, “come, let’s get this over with.”

“I won’t run off again,” she said, again taking a step away from him.  “I promise.”

“I know you won’t,” he said confidently, “I’m going to make sure of it.”  He walked over and took her by the arm, gently, leading her to a large log that had fallen near the trail.  “Lean over and put your palms on the tree lass.”

Mairi sighed, she knew there was no way she was going to be able to run from him in her condition, she just hoped he didn’t beat her too badly.  She’d taken some hard blows from first John Murray and then from her husband Samuel; she wasn’t looking forward to it happening again.

Mairi leaned over, putting her palms on the tree just like Alastair instructed.  She was trying not to panic, but began to shake when she felt him start to lift her skirt in the back.

“No please,” she pleaded with him once more, knowing what a man could do when she was in this position.  Samuel had made that clear to her on more than one occasion.  At least once she was with child, he’d left her alone, visiting the whores at the taverns in each village instead.

“Calm yourself, lass,” Alastair said quietly, although he was fuming inside.  His anger wasn’t because of Mairi trying to run away.  Instead, it was from the way the lass was acting.  He knew someone had beaten her much worse in the past than the spanking he was about to give her.  He was hoping that in some small way, it might help her trust him when she realized he would keep his word, and not do more than leave a few switch marks on her legs.

Mairi began crying softly.  Alastair pulled her skirts up just high enough so that he had access to her bare calves, not wanting to bare any skin up higher.  “I’m going to give you twenty, lass,” he said calmly.  “Don’t move out of position.”  He raised the switch he’d cut up high and let it lash across both calves.  He didn’t even use half his strength, knowing the lass wouldn’t need more force than that.
Swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack.
Mairi flinched each time the switch landed on her legs but didn’t cry out.  “You’re doing well, lass,” Alastair said, putting his hand on the middle of her back.  “We’re half done.”

Mairi was surprised when he stopped and talked to her so kindly.  The switching hurt, but not nearly as much as some of the beatings she’d been subjected to in her life, most of them at the hands of John Murray.  She wasn’t sure if she was crying because of the switching, or if she was crying because Alastair McCabe was being so kind to her in the process.

“Are you ready for me to finish this, Mairi?” he asked her, speaking softly, so he didn’t startle her.  Mairi just nodded as he raised the switch again.
Swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack, swish, crack.
“That’s it,” he said, dropping the switch and quickly pulling her skirt back down to cover her.  He helped her up and pulled her into his arms where she clung to him and cried.  “There there, lass,” he said softly to her as he stroked her hair.

Mairi couldn’t explain it, but for some reason, she’d never felt as safe as she did at that moment in Alastair McCabe’s arms.  She clung to his tunic and cried, not just because of the switching he’d just given her, but for everything she’d been through the last few years.  She had a feeling that she was going to have to explain everything to him soon.  It would be the first time she’d told anyone her tale; she hadn’t even told her husband.  But then why would she have, she had despised the man from the moment John Murray had given her to him.

“Let’s get back to camp,” Alastair said, picking her up in his arms.

“I can walk,” she said, although she rested her head against his shoulder.

“I know, lass,” he said, “I just like the feel of you in my arms.”  The two said nothing more to each other as he carefully carried her back to the fire.

Mairi couldn’t explain the thoughts running through her head.   Alastair McCabe confused her, as he treated her like the most delicate piece of glass.  For the first time in a long time, Mairi felt safe.  Maybe she should give Alastair a chance; she was going to have to trust someone, eventually.

Chapter 3 Safe at Last

“This is your home?” Mairi asked Alastair as they rode through the gates at Gleann, and she got her first look at the keep and castle.

“It is,” Alastair told her.  “I know it’s not as big as some of the keeps in the area, but we make sure our villagers are well fed through the winter, and their needs are taken care of.”

“Who all lives here?” Mairi asked, motioning towards the castle.

“My Da, my brother Eadan with his wife Nessa and new son, my brother Ham and his wife Flora, and my brothers Rory and Craig.”

“Five boys?” she asked, “And you have a sister?”

“Eight boys actually.  James attends the University in Glasgow, Ross lives with his wife at Tioram, and Owen is serving the King,” Alastair explained.  “My only sister lives at Tarmon with her husband, Connor.  They have two children; twin daughters.”

“Twins?” Flora repeated, putting her hand on her own rounded middle.

“There are a lot of twins in my family.  My brothers Ross and Ham, my brothers Craig and Rory and the youngest set would be Jacqueline and my brother James.”

“Oh my,” Mairi said.  “Your Mither must have been very busy.”

“She died when I was just a lad,” Alastair told her.

“That’s so sad,” Mairi said to him.  “Was she ill?”

“Maybe it would be best if we didn’t talk about that now,” Alastair said to her.

“You must miss her very much,” Mairi commented.

“There were times when I was a lad I wished that she was here.  Jacqueline probably missed her most with only boys to teach her.  You’d like my sister, she can out ride all of us except me, she’s more accurate with her bow than everyone but Eadan, and we were teaching her how to use a sword and dirk when she married.  My brothers and sister and I were very close growing up.”

“What about your Da?” Mairi asked.

“He grieved for a long time after my Mither died,” Alastair explained. “But he always provided for us well, and we’re all close to him now.  What about you, Mairi?  No brothers or sisters?  What happened to your parents?”

“I told you,” Mairi answered.  “It’s a long story.  One I’m not ready to tell yet, but maybe one day soon.”

“I’d like to hear it,” Alastair said to her, as two men came down the steps of the castle to meet them.  Mairi knew right away they must be Alastair’s family, as the older one had the same dark brown hair and green eyes, and the younger had the same strong chin and build.

“It’s about time you came home,” Hamish McCabe said to him.  “I was beginning to worry, son.”

“I’m fine, Da,” Alastair assured him.  “I’m glad to finally be here, and I don’t intend to leave again for a while.”

“And who do we have here?” Hamish asked, nodding at Mairi. He didn’t wait for Alastair to answer before looking at her, smiling and saying, “welcome to Gleann, lass,” as he put his arms up to help her off the horse.

“This is Mairi, Da,” Alastair said.  “We found her on the way home.  It’s a bit of a story, and I’ll tell you all of it once we get Mairi settled inside where it’s warm.  Mairi, this is my Da, Hamish McCabe, and my oldest brother, Eadan.”

“Welcome, Mairi,” Eadan said, curious about how Alastair had arrived with an obviously pregnant young woman.

“Thank you,” she said to both of them shyly, as she slid off the side of the horse, with Alastair’s help, into Hamish’s arms.
“When’s your bairn due, Mairi?” Hamish asked as he gently set her on the ground, he too couldn’t help but notice her large belly in the process.

“I’m not exactly sure,” Mairi told him.  “Maybe in another month, or less?”

“When’s the last time you saw a midwife?” Hamish asked her.

“I haven’t seen one,” Mairi answered, slightly embarrassed.  “My husband and I traveled often, and we didn’t have the coin it would cost.”

“Eadan, go find Flora,” Hamish instructed his oldest son, who nodded, turned and went back into the castle.

“You mentioned a Flora,” Mairi said to Alastair, “who is she again?”

“Flora is my daughter by marriage,” Hamish explained.  “She’s married to my son, and one of Alastair’s older brothers, Ham, but she’s also a healer and midwife.”

“I don’t have the coin to see a midwife,” Mairi protested.

“Don’t worry, lass,” Hamish assured her.  “She’d be more upset if we didn’t have her look at you.  She’ll not expect payment.”

Before Mairi could protest again, a young woman, not much older than her, came out of the castle and joined them.  “You wanted to see me, Da?” she asked, kissing him on the cheek and smiling at him.  Mairi didn’t know what to make of the scene at first, this man was as old as her husband had been, and she’d never looked at him the way this woman looked at Hamish McCabe. What was really shocking, was the woman had on a tunic and trews, and none of the men seemed to notice or care.  Mairi didn’t know what to think of her until she turned and gave Mairi the most genuine, welcoming smile.  Mairi knew right at that moment she was going to like her.

“This is Mairi,” Hamish introduced the woman, “Mairi, this is me daughter, Flora.”

“Hello, Flora,” Mairi said shyly.

“Welcome to Gleann,” Flora replied.  “I see you’re going to have a bairn.  How much longer do you have?”

“That’s why I sent for you, Flora,” Hamish explained, “Mairi hasn’t seen a midwife yet.”
“Oh,” Flora said, again smiling at Mairi so warmly it helped put her at ease.  “Let’s get you upstairs then, and we’ll have a look.”

“Wait,” Mairi said, glancing back at Alastair.  She didn’t know why the idea of leaving him made her so nervous.

“It’s alright, lass,” Alastair said softly to her.  “I’ll see you soon, after you’re settled.”  He then turned to his sister by marriage and asked,  “Flora, could you find Mairi a room?  She’ll be staying with us for a while.”

“I haven’t agreed to that,” Mairi said to him.

“Where are you going to go, Mairi?  It’s winter, and you’re going to birth your bairn soon.  You’ll be safe here,” Alastair reassured her.  “Think about it, lass, have I lied to you even once yet?”

Mairi thought about it for a moment.  She quickly came to the conclusion that so far she’d been able to trust Alastair McCabe.  He seemed like an honorable man, although if he was, he was the first one she could remember knowing.  “Alright,” she reluctantly said, “I’ll stay for now.”

“You’re more than welcome to stay with us, Mairi,” Hamish McCabe assured her, he’d been quietly watching the interaction between his son and this young woman.  He had questions for Alastair, but they could wait until Mairi wasn’t with them.

“Thank you, Laird McCabe,” Mairi said nervously.

“Come along, Mairi,” Flora said.  “Let’s see what’s going on with you and your bairn, and then I’ll find you a room where you can rest for a while.  Are you hungry?”

“Just tired,” Mairi answered truthfully, as she followed Flora into the castle.

Once the women were gone Hamish turned to Angus and asked, “are you and your men planning on staying the night and sharing a meal?”

“We’ll be heading back towards Tarmon immediately,” Angus answered.  “But thank you for the offer.  I need to let Lady Jacqueline know I fulfilled my promise and seen her brother safely home.”

“Safe travels,” Hamish said,  “tell my daughter I love her, and look forward to seeing her and those little lasses in the spring.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Angus said, then signaled to his men, who turned their horses and headed back in the direction they’d just come from.

“Let’s get us a cup of ale and sit, Alastair,” Hamish said, smacking him warmly on the back.  “You show up with a beautiful, young woman, about to birth a bairn, and I see no husband with you. I have a feeling you’ve got quite a tale for me.”

“I do, Da,” Alastair said.  “I’d like my brothers to hear it too.”

“I’ll find everyone,” Eadan said, “we’ll meet you in the hall.”

It wasn’t long until Alastair and Hamish were joined by Eadan, Rory, Craig and Ham.  “We’re all here, Alastair,” Eadan said, taking a seat, “tell us about this girl.”

“Her name is Mairi,” he began.  “Just Mairi, she said she doesn’t have a second name, at least not one she can remember.”

“How can that be?” Craig asked.

“She said she’s got quite a long story to tell, but I haven’t heard it yet either,” Alastair said to them.  “But when we found the lass, she was being attacked by what we thought were the highwaymen that have been in the area.  They’d killed her husband already; there was nothing we could do for him.”

“I hope you took care of them,” Hamish said.  “I’m tired of hearing about them attacking travelers.”

“We did, Da,” Alastair said, nodding, “but it turns out they weren’t just highwaymen.”

“Explain,” Hamish said.  “Is this lass going to be trouble?”

“I don’t know,” Alastair admitted, looking around the table at all his brothers.  “What do any of you know about a Lord Thompson?”

“Not much,” Hamish told him.  “I believe he’s an Englishman, not far across the border.” None of his brothers had ever heard of the man and knew nothing.

“On our way here, Mairi tried to sneak away,” Alastair told them.

“Why would she do that?” Rory asked.

“I still don’t know,” Alastair said, “but I heard her get up and followed to see what she was going to do.  Two men again attacked her.  I heard them say this Lord Thompson paid them a good amount of coin to bring her to him.”

“Did you ask the lass why?” Eadan asked.

“Of course I did,” Alastair answered.  “She claims she hasn’t any idea who Lord Thompson is and doesn’t know why he would want her.”

“Looking at her, I have a good idea why he might want her,” Eadan said, disgusted, “she’s beautiful.”

“I’m a bit confused by the lass,” Hamish said.  “She seemed very skittish, and from what you say she seems to not know much.  Do you think she’s telling the truth?”

“I believe her, Da,” Alastair said. “Before he died, one of her attackers told me that Lord Thompson needed her, to get what he really wanted.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Craig asked.

“I have no idea,” Alastair admitted.  “I think tonight at supper we need to get her to tell her story, something just doesn’t seem right.”

“Well,” Hamish said.  “I think the most important thing we need to do is make sure we let the lass know she’s welcome and safe here.”

“I agree,” Alastair said.  “I believe Mairi has had a very hard, unhappy life up until now.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting her,” Rory said, then looked at Eadan and asked,  “you said she’s beautiful?”

“You’ll keep your distance,” Alastair snapped at him, making Hamish grin.  “She’s expecting a bairn soon.”

“You sound jealous brother,” Ham teased.

“I’m not jealous,” Alastair said defensively, “I just feel responsible for the lass.”

“Of course you do,” Hamish said, patting him on the back and again hiding his grin.  He had a feeling there was more to what his son was feeling than responsibility, he’d seen the way Alastair had looked at Mairi.  Eadan was right, she was a beautiful woman.  “Let’s see if we can get her to open up tonight.  We can’t help her unless we know what we’re facing.”

“Agreed,” the McCabe boys said before going back to finish their duties for the day.

**********

“Everything looks fine,” Flora said to Mairi.  She’d just examined her, which had embarrassed Mairi so much she didn’t even want to look up.  “Don’t be embarrassed Mairi; I’ve delivered a lot of babes.  It’s just what has to be done.  I do have to tell you; I believe you’re going to deliver much sooner than you thought.”

“How soon?” Mairi asked.

“I’d say anytime now,” Flora answered honestly.

“I’m scared,” Mairi admitted.  “I’m not sure what to expect, but I’ve heard it’s very painful.”

“It can be,” Flora told her, not wanting to lie.  “But I’ll stay with you through it all.  There’s some tonics I can give you that will help you relax a bit and manage the pain.”

“Will I die?” Mairi asked her.  She had guessed from her conversation with Alastair earlier that his mither must have died in childbirth, or shortly after.  She’d heard that happened to some women.

“Everything looks fine,” Flora said sitting down on the bed next to her.  “Some women do die giving birth, but you seem to be healthy and strong.  Didn’t your Mither talk to you about birthing a bairn?”

“I don’t remember my Mither,” Mairi said.

“Did she pass when you were young?” Flora asked.

“I don’t know,” Mairi shrugged and said.  She decided to be truthful with Flora, “I don’t have any memories up until a few years ago.”

“What do you mean?” Flora asked, curious about this young woman.

“I had an accident,” she explained.  “I was told I’m an orphan.”

“Have you explained this to Alastair?” Flora asked.

“Nay,” Mairi said.  “I”ve never told anyone what happened to me.  Do you think I should tell him?”

“I think it would be good for you to tell your story,” Flora told her.  “You could talk to me if you’d like.”

“I’ll think on it,” Mairi said, trying to hide a yawn.

“Why don’t you rest now, Mairi,” Flora said, pulling back the cover on the bed and helping Mairi get comfortable.  “Just remember, I’m here if you’d like to talk.”

“Thank you, Flora,” Mairi said, her eyes filling with tears.  “I haven’t been shown kindness like this in, well, I don’t remember ever being shown kindness like I have here at Gleann.”

“Rest, Mairi,” Flora said, leaning down and kissing the young girl on the forehead.  “You’ll feel better after you rest.”

Mairi nodded her head and closed her eyes.  The last sound she heard was the chamber door shut as Flora left, before she fell into the first sound sleep she’d had in years.  The McCabe’s seemed like good people so far, and it had been a long time since she’d felt this safe.

Chapter 4 Mairi’s Story

Mairi couldn’t remember when she had enjoyed a meal so much.  She’d been invited and joined the McCabe’s at the Laird’s table where she met the rest of Alastair’s family that lived at Gleann.  Not only Laird McCabe, but all of Alastair’s brothers made her feel comfortable and safe.  They told stories of Alastair growing up that made her laugh, as she enjoyed eating her fill of a hot meal, the first one in a long time.  It wasn’t until the servants had cleared the table and the people from the village had returned to their cottages, that she realized none of the McCabe’s had left the table.

“I don’t want to worry you, Mairi,” Hamish McCabe began.  “This isn’t an interrogation, but Alastair has told me a bit about what happened on the way here.  I need to know if this Lord Thompson is going to come looking for you here.”

“I don’t know,” Mairi answered, all of a sudden becoming nervous.  “I don’t even know what the man wants from me.  I never heard of him before.  At least I don’t think I have.”

“No worries, Mairi; we’ll help you figure it out.  You have no idea why he’d be after you?” Eadan asked her.  “It seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through to find you and bring you to him.  Did you and your husband meet him in a town or village?”

“I’ve thought about it a lot the last two days, and I can’t figure out why he’d want me,” Mairi told them truthfully.  “I can’t recall ever meeting the man.”

“Tell me about your past, lass,” Hamish said gently.  “Could there be a connection there?”

“I’d tell you if I could, Laird McCabe,” Mairi answered, then in almost a whisper she added, “but I don’t remember much of my past.”

“I don’t understand, lass,” Hamish said kindly.  “Maybe you could start at the beginning?”

“I’ve never told anyone this before,” Mairi whispered, afraid to relive her story.

“Just take your time, Mairi,” Alastair said, putting his hand on top of hers and giving it a comforting squeeze.  “We aren’t asking you to hurt you, but to help you.  If this man is going to come here looking for you, we need to know as much about him as possible.”

Mairi took a deep breath and thought about where to begin.  It took her a few minutes before she finally began to speak, once she did, the story poured out of her. “I have no memories up until five summers ago,” she began.  “I came awake on the side of a river.  I remember hurting everywhere, and I had a large bump on my head.  My clothing was wet and I was so cold.  John and Malinda Murray found me lying there.  They seemed so kind at first.  They helped me up and took me back to their home where they nursed me back to good health.  They wanted to know who I was and where I came from, but the only thing I could remember was that my name was Mairi.”

“You don’t remember a second name?” Hamish asked her.

“No, Laird,” she answered.  “I could only remember Mairi.”

“Go on, Mairi,” Alastair encouraged her, “you’re doing well.”

“At first I thought they were going to help me.  I was just barely more than a girl at the time.  I would guess about ten and two summers.  Once I was well enough, John and Malinda started having me help around their farm.  I didn’t mind the chores, but they had to show me what to do.  Sometimes, John would get angry when I did things wrong,” Mairi said, once again fighting back the tears.  “I don’t know if it’s because I’d forgotten how to do things or if I’d just never done them before.  John would tell me how stupid I was, and that I wasn’t good for anything and they should have left me lying on the side of the river.”

“That’s terrible,” Flora said, her cheeks flushing red with anger.  “Did they look for your family?”

“They said they were going to, but I don’t think they ever did.  I stayed with them for four summers, and I hated every minute of it.  John Murray wasn’t a kind or generous man.  Then Samuel Grant came along.  He was a traveling tinker, and I could tell right away he was no good.  He’d say things to me that made me want to get away from him.  He asked the Murray’s if he could marry me, and at first, they said no.  He was old, and I didn’t really like him,” Mairi said.

“I noticed he was quite a bit older than you,” Alastair said to her.

“How old was the man?” Hamish asked.

“Probably older than you, Da,” Alastair said.

“Go on, Mairi,” Craig encouraged her this time, seeing her embarrassment at Alastair’s words.  “There’s no shame in anything you’ve told us.”

“They sold me to him,” Mairi whispered.  “They said I had to be his wife.”

“The Murray’s sold you to a tinker?” Hamish said, becoming outraged and bringing his fist down on the table, making Mairi jump.  “They had no right to do that.”

“They said that since they’d taken care of me the last years, they had every right,” Mairi told them, a tear finally escaping and rolling down her cheek.

“No, lass,” Hamish said to her gently, “they didn’t.  So tell me about your husband.”

“Samuel wasn’t a horrible man, at least not as mean as John Murray, he just thought about himself first all the time.  He didn’t really want a wife.  He wanted a son, and he wanted a maid and cook,” she said.  “He would get angry if supper wasn’t cooked perfectly, or his clothes weren’t cleaned or mended right.  Just like with John and Malinda, I couldn’t do anything right.”

“Oh, Mairi,” Hamish said, fighting the urge to get up and hug this young woman.  “You made the best of the situation.  Did they at least give you a nice wedding day?”

“Nay,” Mairi said. “They just said I was his wife and I had to go with him.”

“There was no priest?” Rory asked. “No kirk?”

“Nay,” Mairi said again.  “He just took me with him that day.”

“You spoke no vows, Mairi?” Alastair asked her, making sure he understood what she was telling them.

“Nay,” Mairi answered once more.  “Does that matter?”

“It matters.  If you spoke no vows, then you weren’t married to the man,” Hamish explained.

“But that can’t be,” Mairi said alarmed, as she realized what they were telling her.  “That would mean my bairn is a bastard.”

“Nothing that happened is your fault, Mairi.  We’ll figure out your bairn later,” Hamish said to her.  “Right now, I’m more worried about this English Lord who’s wanting you.”

“Maybe he doesn’t even know where I am now,” Mairi said hopefully.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Alastair said to her.  “You heard what that man who tried to kidnap you said, about sending a messenger to inform Lord Thompson that they’d found you.  They knew where I was taking you.”

“Didn’t you tell us that man also told you Lord Thompson needed Mairi to get what he really wanted?” Eadan asked.

“He did,” Alastair confirmed.  “I wish I could have learned more.”

“What am I going to do?” Mairi said, more tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.  “Maybe I should just leave.”

“Nay,” all the McCabe’s said together.

Alastair added, “as long as you’re here at Gleann, we can all help you figure out what to do next and keep you safe.  You’ll stay with us until at least your bairn is born and spring comes.”

“Mairi,” Flora said to her, “can you tell me more about your injuries when you were found?”

“I was mostly just bruised,” Mairi said to her, a sudden cramp forming in her stomach.  She took a deep breath and waited until it finally went away before continuing.

“What about the bump on your head?” Flora asked.

“It was here,” she said, pointing to a spot just above her ear.  “I don’t know how I got it.”

“And you have no memories at all of what happened before that?” Rory asked.

“None,” Mairi admitted.  “I have a dream sometimes about running away and men trying to catch me.  I just can never remember where I’m running from, or where I’m trying to get to.”  Another cramp formed in her belly, making her gasp.

“Are you alright, Mairi?”  Flora asked, seeing the look of discomfort on the young woman’s face.

“I think I maybe ate too much,” Mairi answered.

“Are you having pains?” Flora asked, getting to her feet and walking over to where Mairi was seated.

“More like cramps,” Mairi said.  “I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.” Another pain gripped her as she finished talking, this one a bit worse than the one before.

“I think you’re going to have your bairn today,” Flora said, smiling at her gently.

“What do I do?” Mairi asked, instantly scared.  “I’m not ready yet.”

“You’re ready, and you need to do nothing yet,” Flora answered.  “You’ve got plenty of time before the birthing.”

“Are you alright to answer more questions, Mairi?” Hamish asked her.  “If the pains are too much, we can stop.”

“Nay, Laird McCabe,” Mairi said.  “I’m fine for now.  It’s actually a relief to finally tell someone.”

“Tell me more about this dream you’ve had then,” he prompted her.

“It’s just a dream,” she told them.  “In it, me and a younger girl and older boy, almost a man really, are running.  I don’t know who the men are chasing us, but they see us.  The man that’s with us tells us to keep running as he goes another way.  We run along a river, and they catch up to us, I trip and fall in.  I can hear the girl yelling my name as I’m taken by the current.  Then I hear her screaming for me to help her.  I try to swim to the shore, but I hit my head on something.  That’s when I always wake up.”

“You might be remembering, Mairi,” Flora said to her.  “I’ve heard about people hitting their heads and losing their memories, but I’ve never met anyone it’s happened too.”

“Do you think I’ll ever remember what really happened?” Mairi asked, then hugged her stomach as another pain gripped her.

“We’ll worry about that another time,” Flora said to her.  “I think it’s time to move you upstairs and get ready to welcome your bairn.”

“Will you come with me?” Mairi turned and asked Alastair; she didn’t understand why she seemed to feel so safe when he was near.

“If you want me to, Mairi, then I will,” Alastair said, getting out of his seat and picking her up gently.

“I can walk,” she said to him, but not wanting him to put her down, it felt right in his arms.

“I know, lass,” he said to her, “but this just feels like the right thing to do.”

“Come, Alastair,” Flora said.  “Let’s get her up the bedchamber, so I can make her comfortable.  It looks like there’ll be a new bairn in Gleann today.”

Chapter 5 A Wedding and a Bairn

Alastair carried Mairi up to her chamber and gently laid her on the bed.  “You’ll stay with me won’t you?” she asked him.

“Mairi,” Flora said, “a birthing is no place for a man.”

“Do you want me to stay?” Alastair asked Mairi, ignoring Flora.

“Aye,” Mairi answered, gripping her stomach again with one hand, and Alastair’s hand with the other.  She just knew that if he was with her, everything would be alright.

“Then I’ll stay, lass,” he said soothingly to her, brushing the hair off her forehead with the back of his hand.

“Can you at least give us a few minutes so I can get her into a nightdress?” Flora asked, not wanting to upset Mairi and insist Alastair leave.  “You could go get Ina for me.”

“I’ll be back in just a few minutes, Mairi,” Alastair said to her.  “You just try to relax now, I promise, I’ll come back.”

By the time Alastair returned with Ina, Flora had Mairi in a nightdress and tucked into the bed.  She looked so young and frightened that he just wanted to gather her into his arms and tell her all would be well.  “Are you doing alright?” he finally asked her, not knowing what else to say.

“I’m scared,” she admitted.

“What are you scared of, Mairi?” he asked.  “You’ll be well taken care of here.  Flora and Ina have delivered many bairns.”

“But what about after?” she asked.  “My babe is going to be a bastard; it’ll never be accepted.”

“No one will need to know that, lass,” Alastair tried to assure her.  “Only my family knows, and they won’t tell anyone.”

“They’ll find out,” she said, a tear rolling down her cheek as another pain gripped her.  “People always find out.”

Alaistair’s heart seemed to tear in two as he watched her struggle, not just with the pain of birthing her babe, but with the pain of knowing that she’d never really been married.  What was it about this lass that affected him so, he wondered silently.  “We’ll figure it out, Mairi,” he tried to assure her.  “There’ll be plenty of time once the bairn is here.”

“There’s nothing to figure out,” she said, the tears trickling down her cheeks even faster, “I’ll be labeled a whore, and my child a bastard.  I’ve been to enough villages to know what happens to women like that.  I don’t even know how I’ll be able to provide for him or her.”

“Oh, Mairi,” Alastair said, not being able to hold himself back any longer, he sat down on the bed next to her and pulled her into his arms.  She began to sob against his chest.

The longer Alastair sat holding her, the more he realized how perfectly she seemed to fit there.  He wanted to hold her and protect her forever.  He began to think of a plan, and the more he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him.

Finally, she tried to pull away, telling him.  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I’m not,” Alastair told her.  “I can solve your problems, Mairi if you trust me.”

“How?” she asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks and then grabbing her stomach as another pain came. Alastair sat next to her, rubbing her back, not saying anything until the pain went away.

“Marry me?” he said, making Mairi, Ina and Flora all gasp.

“You don’t have to say that,” Mairi said.

“Can’t you speak of this after the babe is born?” Flora asked them both.

“Right now, Mairi,” Alastair said.  “I’ll get the priest, and we’ll marry now before the babe is even born.”

“But that’s not fair to you,” Mairi said.  “This babe isn’t even yours.”

“I’ll raise it as mine,” Alastair said.  “I’m sure if it’s a part of you, I’ll love it as my own.  This feels right, Mairi; I really want you to marry me.  Tell me you feel the same.”

“I feel it, but I don’t think I can,” Mairi said quietly, glancing at Flora.

“Can you leave us for a few minutes?” Alastair asked his brother’s wife and Ina.

“Do you want us to leave, Mairi?” Flora asked, ignoring Alastair.  Mairi nodded at her, and they quietly left the room, with Flora going to find her husband and father by marriage, to let them know what Alastair was trying to do.

“I can’t marry you,” Mairi said once the door closed.

“Why?” Alastair asked.  “Do you think I’d be a terrible husband and father?”

“Nay!” Mairi said quickly.  “I think you’d be a wonderful husband and Da.  It’s me; I couldn’t make you happy.  I couldn’t make Sam happy.”

“What do you mean?” Alastair asked.

“I don’t like the duties of a wife at night,” she tried to explain, her face turning bright red.

“Are you speaking of the marriage bed, lass?” Alastair asked.

“Aye,” she answered, not being able to look at him.  “In fact, I hate it.”

“Why?” Alastair asked.

“It hurts,” Mairi said.  “I hope never to have to do it again with any man.”

“If it hurt you, Mairi than your man didn’t take care of you,” Alastair said to her quietly.  “It should never hurt.  I promise not to do any more than you’ll allow.  I’ll make you enjoy it if you let me.”

“What if I never want you to do that to me?” she asked, knowing he was going to change his mind.

“I’m not worried, Mairi,” he said.  “I’ll do everything I can to make you happy and feel safe.  You and the bairn.  It’ll be my bairn.  We can work on the marriage bed in time; I won’t rush you.”

“I want to,” she admitted.

“Then say yes,” he prompted.  “Please, Mairi, say yes.”

Mairi gripped her stomach again, and Alastair put his hands on top of hers, rubbing her hardened stomach softly and not saying anything until again the pain began to go away.  Alastair didn’t rush her to speak afterward, seeing she was thinking about what he’d suggested.

“Yes,” she finally whispered.

Alastair smiled at her and brought his lips down on hers firmly for a quick kiss before pulling away.  Mairi barely had time to react, but her face turned red, and she smiled as she looked up directly into his eyes for the first time since their conversation began.  “I liked that,” she said.

“So did I,” Alastair told her.  “I’ll get Flora and the priest.”

“You’ll still stay with me, won’t you?” she asked.

“Do you want me to stay while you birth the babe?” Alastair asked.  Mairi nodded at him, she did feel safe when he was with her, but more importantly, he made her feel strong and brave, stronger than she’d felt since the Murray’s found her.  She knew if he was beside her, she’d bring her babe into the world with no problems.

“Then I’ll be right here until it’s over,” he assured her.  “Even Flora and Ina won’t be able to drag me away, and believe me; they’re going to try.”  Mairi laughed when he said the last part.  “I’ll be back in just a few minutes, Mairi.  Let me get my Da, and he’ll take care of everything.”

“Will he be angry you want to marry me?” she asked.

“It won’t matter if he is,” Alastair said to her as he left the room, making her worry again.

“So are we having a wedding?” Flora asked as she and Ina came back into the room.

“Aye,” Mairi said.

“I’m so happy for you,” Flora said to her.  She really liked this young woman.  “Let’s get this babe birthed so that we can make plans.”

“We’re getting married now,” Mairi told them both.

“Now?” Ina asked.  “But you’re going to be birthing a babe in a few hours, lass.”
“I know,” Mairi said, as again a pain gripped her belly and she stopped talking until it passed.  “But Alastair wants to marry me before the babe is born.”

“Is he going to claim it?” Flora asked, grinning at Mairi, happy for her.

“He said he’d raise it as his own,” Mairi said, thankful that Alastair had found her and was going to make her part of this kind family.

**********

“You may kiss your bride,” the priest said.  It had been an unusual wedding with the bride in bed experiencing birthing pains and the groom sitting next to her holding her hand.  All the McCabe’s had been allowed into the room to witness the ceremony.  There was Eadan, Ham, Rory and Craig.  Even Nessa, who rarely left her room anymore, had arrived and stood next to Eadan as he held their infant son, Eadan Hamish.  Alastair pressed his lips to Mairi’s once more, binding them for life.

“Everyone out, now,” Ina said as soon as the ceremony was over.  “The birthing room is no place for men.”

“Just let me congratulate my new daughter before we go,” Hamish said, walking over to the bed and taking Mairi’s hand.  “I want you to know, I knew my son was going to marry you the first time I saw the two of you together.  Welcome to our family, Mairi McCabe.”

“Thank you, Laird,” she answered, the pains were coming closer together now, and sweat was beginning to drip down her face and neck.

“Nay, lass,” Hamish said to her.  “You’re me daughter now; you’ll call me Da, like me other daughter’s by marriage do.”

“Thank you, Da,” Mairi said, tears forming in her eyes.

“No crying,” Hamish said, as he leaned down and kissed her cheek.  “We’ll talk more after the birthing.  Come on boys; we’ll wait in the solar.  It looks like I’m going to be a grandda again.” As he finished talking he walked over to Eadan and plucked Eadan Hamish from his arms, carrying him out of the room, the other McCabe’s followed.

“You too, Alastair,” Flora said as he stayed on the bed next to his new wife.

“Nay!” Mairi protested, gripping his hand tightly, “you said you’d stay with me.”

“And I will, wife,” Alastair said, looking at Flora and Ina, daring them to try and make him leave.

“This is not right,” Ina protested.  “Men don’t belong at a birthing.”

“I’m staying, Ina,” he told her.  “My wife wants me here, and I won’t leave.  There’s no reason to argue with me.”  Ina just huffed and went about her preparations for the birth.

Mairi wasn’t sure she could have done it without him.  For hours he sat next to her as she labored, gripping his hands as the pains became worse.  He talked softly to her when she would cry out, and encouraged her to keep at it when she didn’t think she could do it anymore.  Finally, he sat behind her, helping her sit up as Ina and Flora told her to push, after what seemed like forever, she gave a final push, and Alastair watched as their babe slid into the world.  It was the most amazing thing he’d ever witnessed.  He already knew that Ina and Flora weren’t going to like it, but if they had more children one day, he planned to be in the room to see each one born.

“You did well, Mairi,” Alastair said to her, “that was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you here,” she said to him honestly.

“It’s a boy,” Flora said, smiling as the babe began to wail. “He’s small, but seems strong.”

“Can I see him?” Mairi asked as Alastair wiped her face with a cool, damp cloth.

“Just let me get him cleaned up and swaddled,” Flora said, as Ina did the things that needed to be done after delivery.  Mairi and Alastair were so occupied with watching Flora with the babe; they didn’t even pay attention to her.

“Here’s your son,” Flora said, placing the babe in Mairi’s arms for the first time.

“I have a son,” Mairi whispered, grinning.

“We have a son,” Alastair corrected her, gently brushing his finger across the babe’s cheek.

“We do,” Mairi said, once again a tear sliding down her cheek.

“Why are you crying, wife?” Alastair asked her, as he used his thumb to wipe it away.

“Because I’m happy,” she said, turning her head and smiling up at him.  “I haven’t been happy in a very long time.”
“I promise to try to always keep you happy,” Alastair said.  “What are we going to name our son?”

“Most first boys are named after their Da’s,” Ina said.

“That name should wait until we have your son,” Mairi said, looking down at her baby.

“This is our son, Mairi,” Alastair told her, turning her face so she looked at him.  “I’d be proud for him to have my name.”

“Are you positive?” she asked him, seeing him nod she told him, “you are a man of honor, Alastair McCabe.” She looked back down at their son.  “Alastair Cameron,” she said softly,  “we can call him Cam.”

“Alastair Cameron McCabe,” Alastair said to her.  “Why Cameron?  I like it; I’m just wondering.”

“There’s just something about that name,” she told him.  “It just seems important to me; I can’t explain it.  Maybe it has something to do with my past?”

“It’s possible,” Alastair said.  “What do you think, Flora?”

“I think you could be right,” Flora answered.

“Can we come in yet?” Hamish McCabe said as he peeked in the door.  “There are people out here who would like to meet their new niece or nephew, not to mention a new grandda.”

“Come in,” Mairi said, actually happy to see them all as they entered the room. She couldn’t believe she was now part of this wonderful family.

Alastair took the baby from Mairi and carried him over to his Da.  “I’d like you to meet Alastair Cameron McCabe,” he said to him, putting the babe in his Da’s arms.

“A lad,” Hamish said smiling.  “Now I’ve got two of each,” making his son’s all laugh.  The man went insane around his grandchildren, making faces and sounds they’d never seen before.

“Are you going to let us hold him, Da?” Rory asked, getting a dirty look from his father.

“Look, but don’t touch,” Hamish told them, making them all snicker again.

“He’s so small,” Craig said, reaching out to touch the bairn’s hand, but getting a look from his Da, and pulling his hand back.

“But strong,” Flora said.

“He’s got good lungs,” Ina agreed as the babe made a face and let out a loud wail.

“He’s probably hungry,” Flora said.  “Everyone out now so we can show Mairi how to feed him.”

“I’m staying,” Alastair said.

“Good,” Mairi muttered.  “I don’t want you to leave.”

“I’ll be here, lass,” Alastair said, “as long as you want, and hopefully forever.”

Chapter 6 The Right Way

“You’ve healed well, Mairi,” Flora said.

It’d been a month since she’d had the baby.  Mairi felt better than she could ever remember since Alastair made sure she ate well and rested often. How she had lucked out and married such an incredible man she still wasn’t sure.  In fact, the entire McCabe clan had been nothing but welcoming to her and young Cam.  Hamish treated the babe the same as the rest of his grandchildren, and his brothers and their wives had treated her like family from the day she’d arrived at Gleann.  Mairi couldn’t wait until spring when she’d get to meet Jacqueline, Ross, and Owen, who she’d heard so much about.

Alastair had told her about the family meeting up at Tioram for the birth of Ross and his wife Angela’s babe.  He also wanted to plan a trip to Glasgow in the summer, so that she could meet James.  She was excited about making the trip, she’d never been there before, or seen a University.  The feeling of being part of this large family was overwhelming at times, but in a good way.

“I feel better than I have in a long time,” Mairi said, cradling Cam to her breast.

“I’m glad; you look healthier than when you arrived too.  The next bairn will most likely be easier,” Flora said.  “The first is always the hardest.”

“If there is a next bairn,” Mairi said, then became embarrassed when she realized she’d spoken the words out loud.
“Of course there’ll be more bairns,” Flora said reassuringly.  “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but your delivery was easier than most, and did no lasting damage.”

“I hope to have more one day, and I love being a Mither, but,” Mairi said, beginning to say more and then stopping.

“I’m a healer and midwife, Mairi,” Flora said, “you can talk to me about anything.”

“Even about the marriage bed?” Mairi asked nervously.

“Since I’m also your friend and sister now, even about the marriage bed,” Flora assured her.  “What’s wrong, Mairi?  You look scared to death.”

“I am,” Mairi said, then asked,  “Do you enjoy the marriage bed?”

“Well, of course,” Flora said, her own face turning red.

“I don’t,” Mairi admitted.  “In fact, I hate it.”

“What don’t you like about it?” Flora asked.

“It’s just that, it hurts,” Mairi asked, “the only good thing I can say, is at least it doesn’t take long.”

“Oh, Mairi,” Flora said, sitting down next to her and thinking about what she wanted to say next.   “It shouldn’t be over quickly.  If a man is patient and prepares you correctly, then relations with your husband can be quite pleasurable and should never hurt you.”

“I never found pleasure,” Mairi admitted.

“You haven’t had the right man take you to bed yet,” Flora said, grinning at her.  “In another week or so, you’ll be healed enough to have relations again.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Mairi said.

“Don’t be,” Flora told her.  “Alastair will take care of you.  Have you talked to him about your fears?”

“Aye,” Mairi answered, “he said we could take things slow; but what if I still don’t like it?”

“Trust your husband,” Flora told her.  “Alastair is a good man, Mairi.  If he’s promised to take things slow, he will.  He won’t hurt you.”

“You think he’s the right man?” Mairi asked.

“I do,” Flora said, “I’ve never seen him treat anybody the way he treats you.  I think he loves you a lot, Mairi and would never want to hurt you.”

“I hope your right,” Mairi answered.  “Alastair is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I know I love him; I’d hate to be a disappointment to him.”

**********

“Did Flora see you today?” Alastair asked as they got ready for bed that night.

“I see Flora every day,” Mairi said, teasing him.  She had learned over the last month that Alastair loved to laugh, it was what she was finding she loved most about him.
“You know what I mean, wife,” Alastair said, laughing softly.

“I do,” Mairi said, “and aye, I did.”

“What did she say?” Alastair asked.

“She said I’m healing well,” Mairi told him.  She waited for him to ask more, when he didn’t she said softly, “we talked about the marriage bed.”

“And?” Alastair asked, wondering what Flora might have said to her.

“I told her that I didn’t enjoy it,” Mairi explained.  “Is it alright that I talked to her about that?”

“Of course it is, Mairi,” Alastair assured her.  “I’m glad that you have another woman to talk to.  What did she tell you?”
“She said that I just haven’t been with the right man yet and that the marriage bed can be very enjoyable,” Mairi said, her face turning red.

“It can be, lass,” Alastair assured her.  “Did she say anything else?”

“Just that I’d be healed enough in another week or so to resume having relations,” Mairi said, then admitted, “but I’m scared.”

“Oh, Mairi,” Alastair said, sighing.  “There are things we could do now that would maybe make you less scared.  You might even enjoy them.”

“Like what?” Mairi asked.

“I’d rather show you than tell you,” Alastair said, grinning at her.  “Will you let me show you, Mairi?”

Mairi thought about it for a few moments before nodding her head and whispering a very soft, “aye.”

“Come to bed, wife,” Alastair said, blowing out the candles in the room before taking off his plaid and tunic.  He’d been sleeping in the bed with Mairi naked since they married, but they hadn’t done more than share a quick kiss each evening and another in the morning, something Alastair insisted on.  Mairi had yet to complain, although her face turned red most nights.

Alastair climbed into bed next to her.  He’d been trying to be patient the last month and not scare Mairi each evening.  The first few nights she had scooted over in the bed as far away from him as she could.  After the first week, she seemed to become more comfortable and trusting and quit hugging the edge of the bed.  The last week, even though she had fallen asleep with space between them, Alastair had awoken with Mairi pressed against his side.  He’d rolled towards her as quietly as possible and gently put an arm around her, pulling her against him.  She was a perfect fit.  Mairi awoke the first morning in that position and seemed to stiffen.  Alastair didn’t move and was pleasantly surprised when she eventually relaxed against him once again.  As the days had gone by, she seemed to enjoy being close to him and even snuggled against him the last few nights, without his prompting her to.

“I’m not sure what to do,” Mairi said to him.

“You need to do nothing,” Alastair said to her.  As he rolled her onto her side away from him, put an arm over her and pulled her back firmly against his front.  “Just close your eyes and relax.”

“I thought you were going to show me?” she asked him.

“Shhh,” he said as he began rubbing his hand up and down her arm gently.  “There’s more to the marriage bed than just relations, Mairi.”

“Like what?” she asked again.

“Do you enjoy when we lie here together and I just hold you?” he asked her.

“I do,” Mairi told him.  “It makes me feel close to you.”

“So do I,” Alastair said.  “I love the feeling of you in my arms, some mornings I don’t want to get up and let you go.”

“Oh,” Mairi said.  “I love being in your arms, especially when you hold me tight.”

“Good to know.  No more talking,” he said.  “Just feel.  If I do anything that you don’t like, all you have to say is stop, alright?”  Mairi nodded.

Alastair continued to stroke her arm, feeling her become more and more relaxed as he went on.  He moved her arm in front of her and continued the stroking up and down her side, from right under her arm down to her hip.  He was grateful when she didn’t protest and even seemed to enjoy what he was doing.  He moved her long braid so he would have access to her neck and began placing gentle kisses on the back of it, and on the side of her throat.  He pulled her earlobe into his mouth and sucked on it gently.  Mairi let out a small groan.

“I think you like that,” Alastair whispered into her ear and then ran his tongue from her ear down to her shoulder, making her groan again.  “I think you like that too.”

“I’ve never felt like this before,” Mairi said, breathing a bit harder.

“This is just the beginning,” Alastair said, as he gently rolled her over onto her back.  He propped himself up on an elbow so he could look down at her as he said,  “Do you trust me, Mairi?”

Mairi only had to think for a second before nodding her head and saying.  “More than I remember ever trusting anyone, Alastair.”

Alastair grinned down at her for just a second before bringing his lips down on hers, giving her multiple quick, gentle kisses as he placed a hand on her stomach and again began to stroke his hand from underneath her breasts down to below her belly button over and over again.

Mairi wasn’t sure what was happening to her, but she knew she didn’t want it to stop.  Samuel had never treated her like this.  He never even kissed her during relations, not that she would have let him.

She didn’t know if it was right or wrong, but she wanted Alastair to continue, so she brought her arms up and wrapped them around  his neck, holding him in place as he kissed her over and over again.  Even his hand on her stomach didn’t bother her.  The way he was caressing her, made her wish his hand was on her bare skin, instead of over her nightdress.  As Alastair pressed his lips more firmly to hers, she tightened her arms around him, pulling him even closer, until she felt his tongue touch the seal of her closed lips, making her gasp.

Alastair moved slowly, not wanting to frighten Mairi in any way.  He was already in love with his new wife; now he just needed to make her understand that the marriage bed wasn’t something to fear.  When Mairi wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down even closer to her, he decided to push things just a bit further.  He began to make the kisses they shared last just a little longer each time.  When he went to pull his head back, Mairi again pulled him towards her, letting a small moan escape at the same time.

This time when Alastair pressed his lips to hers, he let the tip of his tongue run across the seam of her lips, as she gasped he quickly slipped his tongue in and just touched it to the tip of hers before pulling it back out.  Mairi pulled him down once more, and this time when he slid his tongue to her lips, they were already parted, and she tentatively touched her tongue to his on her own.  Alastair slid his hand up further, cupping her breast, and again caressing it ever so gently.

Mairi couldn’t believe how Alastair was making her feel.  She had loved the feel of his tongue when it touched hers; it made all her lady parts seem to tingle.  The next time he kissed her, she was already hoping he’d do it again, and when he did, she experimented by rubbing her tongue against his.  She was so lost in sensation that she didn’t even realize it when she tightened her arms around his neck once again, pulling him down for one kiss after another, each lasting a bit longer than the one before as she became bolder.  When Alastair cupped her breast in his hand, she thrust her chest forward, wanting him to do more, although she wasn’t sure exactly what.

Alastair grinned as his wife pulled him down to her once again.  Her breathing had become quite heavy, almost to the point of panting.  He knew if he pursued it, he could probably take her this night, although he wouldn’t until Flora said she was fully healed again.  He knew Mairi didn’t even realize she was doing it, but each time he squeezed her breast she would thrust her chest up towards him, seeming to want more.  He took his thumb and began to rub it back and forth across her nipple, which was already hard.  He gave her nipple a small pinch making her moan.

“We need to stop now, Mairi,” he said to her, rolling onto his back beside her, his cock had become so hard that he knew he needed to end it.

“Why?” Mairi asked, breathing heavily.  “Did I do something wrong?”

“Nay, wife,” Alastair said to her.  He took her hand and laid it on top the covers where his cock lay underneath.  “I promised you not to go too fast.  If we don’t stop now, I’ll end up taking you tonight.”  He was shocked when Mairi gave his cock a squeeze.  “Stop, wife.” He said although he laughed as he grabbed her hand.

“I’ve never felt like this before,” Mairi said to him.

“Did you like it?” Alastair asked.

“Aye,” Mairi said, “ I liked it.”

“Go to sleep, wife,” Alastair said, pulling her back against him, “we can play more tomorrow if you want.”

Mairi tried to relax as Alastair said, but she couldn’t stop thinking about what they had been doing.  Her breasts tingled, and the area between her legs seemed to throb.  She couldn’t stop squirming and thinking about him touching her.

“What’s wrong, Mairi?” Alastair finally asked.

“I don’t know,” Mairi answered.  “I just feel funny.”

“What do you mean funny?” he asked.

Mairi blushed.  “I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Are you thinking about us?” he asked grinning.  “Do you want me to touch you more.”

“Aye,” she said.  “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“We can’t have relations yet.  Not until Flora or Ina says it’s safe again, but if you trust me, I can make you feel better.”

“How would you do that?” she asked.

“We’d have to pull up your nightdress,” he told her.  “If you think you can do that; I’d rather show you than tell you.”

Mairi blushed again.  “Would you have to touch me down there?”

“I would,” Alastair said, he again turned her onto her back so he could look into her eyes as he continued,“but I promise not to hurt you.  Remember, I said you can say stop at any time.”

Mairi stared into his eyes for just a few moments before she again nodded her head.  “I’ll try,” she said.

Alastair again brought his lips down on top of hers.  He was nervous about what he planned to do next; he hoped Mairi didn’t panic and ask him to stop. As he kissed her, he thrust his tongue against hers.  He pushed the covers off of them both and began to pull her nightdress up slowly.  He’d prefer to take it off but knew that would be more than Mairi would be comfortable with.  Once her nightdress was up around her waist he began to stroke his hand across her pelvic bone; he felt her stiffen for just a moment before she again relaxed, putting her arms around his neck and pulling him back down to her.

“Spread your legs, Mairi,” he whispered, as he broke their kiss.  She hesitated for just a moment before parting them ever so slightly.  “More,” he whispered when they broke apart again.  He put his hand on her thigh and pulled ever so slightly and was overjoyed when he felt no resistance and her legs parted.  He brought his lips down on her neck this time, kissing and sucking softly as his hand began to slide between her legs, one finger running across the seam of her cunny, but not pushing inside.

‘More, more, more,’ was the thought that was going through Mairi’s head.  Never had she wanted to be touched down there like she did right now.  As Alastair ran his hand across the hair between her legs, she thrust her pelvis up towards him.  “Please, Alastair,” she said, not sure what she wanted, but needing more.

Alastair couldn’t help it; he chuckled as he pushed a finger between the folds of her cunny, finding that little nub that women seemed to like to have touched and rubbed.  He began to flick his finger across it ever so softly. Then he’d press down a little more firmly and rubbed around it.  He worked her clit continuously making her squirm and moan, back and forth across it, and then swirling his fingers around it.  He brought his fingers down to her opening and gathered some of the juices that were leaking out of her before running his fingers back up to that now very hard nub.

“Why do your fingers feel wet?” Mairi asked.

“If a woman enjoys what a man is doing to her, her cunny will get wet,” Alastair explained.  “That’s supposed to happen so when I do take you; it won’t hurt.”

“I’ve never been wet down there before.  What are you doing to me?” she gasped and moaned as he pinched her nub slightly.

“Close your eyes, Mairi,” he said, not wanting her to see what he was going to do next.  Mairi stared up at him for a moment before again nodding, and closing her eyes.  “Keep them closed.”

He waited until she had done as he asked before scooting down the bed and settling himself between her legs.  He kept his fingers on her nub, rubbing it to keep her distracted.  Once he was settled, he used his other hand to push her folds apart.

“What are you doing,” Mairi asked alarmed, looking down at him.

“I told you to keep your eyes closed,” Alastair said jokingly, giving her hardened clit another pinch, just a bit harder this time, which made her squeal and giggle.

“But you can see everything,” she said to him.

“And it’s a beautiful thing to see,” Alastair said to her as he lowered his head and licked her from her opening to her clit, Mairi squealed again, but this time with pleasure.

“Alastair,” she again started to protest.

“Unless you’re asking me to stop, I don’t want to hear another word from you,” he said, licking her again.

Mairi closed her eyes tightly and laid her head back.  Her brain was telling her to say the word ‘stop’, but her body wanted Alastair to keep doing what he was doing.

Alastair continued licking her, shifting his weight slightly to the side to adjust for his once again hardening cock.  He kept running his tongue from her opening to the top of her clit, each time he crossed over it, he would feel it harden more and pulse under his tongue.  Mairi began thrusting her hips up each time.  Once her nub was as hard as he thought it could get, he ground his tongue down onto it firmly, gliding back and forth across it as he slowly worked one finger up inside of her.

Mairi was so lost in sensation she didn’t know what was happening to her.  She had always hated any thought of relations between her and Samuel, but with Alastair, she couldn’t seem to get enough.  Never had her body tingled like it was at this moment.  She thrust her hips up again as her whole body became taut.  She kept wanting him to do it again and again.  Finally, she saw white as her body began to spasm.

“Stop, Alastair, stop,” she screamed, not really sure she wanted him to.

Alastair chuckled as he pulled his finger out of her and gave her a quick kiss on her pelvic bone.  “How was that?” he asked.

“I..,” she began to say as Cam, who still slept in a cradle in their room, began to wail.

“Seems like you woke our son with all that noise you were making,” Alastair said, laughing softly, “I guess it must have been alright.”

“It was, wonderful,” Mairi said, again turning red.  “I need to get our son from his cradle, but I don’t know if I can move.  What happened to me?”

“I’ll bring him to you,” Alastair said, getting out of the bed and collecting their son and bringing him back for Mairi to feed.  “What happened is you experienced pleasure.  You’ve never had that happen before?”

“Never,” she said, pulling her nightdress down and putting the babe to her breast.  She’d felt embarrassed the first few times feeding him in front of Alastair, but he’d insisted on staying in the room after Cam was born, and now it felt natural.

“Than I’m glad I was the first, and I’ll be the only to ever give that to you,” he said, grinning at her.

“Do most women experience, that?” she asked, curiously.

“I think so,” he answered, stroking the babe’s head while he suckled.

“Thank you,” Mairi said, looking up at him.  She hesitated before she added, “I love you, Alastair.”

Alastair smiled at her and kissed her.  “I love you too, Mairi,” he said.  It was the first time they had shared those words.

“I have to tell Flora she was right,” Mairi said to him.

“About what?” he asked.

“About the marriage bed being pleasurable with the right man,” Mairi said.

“Do you think I’m the right man?” he asked.

“I know you are,” she said to him.

“And we haven’t even had relations yet,” he said to her chuckling.  “We’ve only just begun, wife.  It’ll only get better.”

Chapter 7 A Trip to the Village

`        “What do my daughter’s plan on doing today?” Hamish asked the next week as the McCabe family sat breaking their fast together.

“Ham is going to take me to the village,” Flora answered.  “The market is running today, and I need some herbs that I know they sell there.”

“That sounds like fun,” Mairi said.  She hadn’t been out of the keep since she’d arrived.  Alastair was afraid that Lord Thompson might be watching for a chance to take her.

“Would you like to go?” Flora asked.

“Can I?” Mairi asked Alastair.

“You’re going to be with them?” Alastair asked his brother Ham.  “I’d go with you, but there are some new horses that I need to see to in the stables.”

“I am,” Ham said.  “Rory said he’d accompany us too.  We’ll keep her safe, brother.”

“I
’ll keep my grandson for the morning if you’d like,” Hamish spoke up.

Alastair sighed, although he’d like to, he knew he couldn’t keep Mairi in the kee p forever.  “As long as my brothers are with you, then it should be safe enough.  Just be careful, and don’t wander away,” he told Mairi.  “I still don’t trust this Lord Thompson.”

“Would you like to go too, Nessa?” Flora asked.  It was rare when Nessa joined them for a meal, but she seemed to be doing so a little more frequently lately.

“I’ll keep both grandsons if you’d like,” Hamish volunteered, making everyone at the table smirk.  Hamish McCabe was crazy about his grandchildren.

“I think I’d like that, Da,” Nessa said quietly.

“Then it’s settled,” Hamish said.

The women were discussing the trip and what they needed to purchase.  Mairi was excited, although she’d met many of the people from the village at the keep, she hadn’t been to the village itself yet, and the last time she’d been to a market had been months ago.  Hamish finished his meal and got up from the table, heading upstairs to be with the children.  The rest of the McCabe’s were just finishing their own meal when the door to the hall opened, and two men stepped inside.

“Owen?” Alastair said, standing up.

“Hello, brothers,” Owen McCabe said, as he walked towards the table.

“Owen!” Rory, Craig, Ham and Eadan all exclaimed as they came around the table to greet their brother.

“What are you doing here?” Rory asked as he gave him a quick hug.

“We were in the area, and I asked for some time to stop and visit my family,” Owen said with a big smile.  “Da sent a messenger last month to let me know I have a new sister, and I wanted to meet her.”

“Good to see you, little brother,” Ham said as he greeted him.  “You’ve been missed around Gleann.”

“I miss all of you too,” he said.  “I did stop and see Jacqueline and Connor a fortnight ago.  The twins are growing fast.  Our sister wasn’t happy to have missed your wedding, Alastair.”

“Good thing we won’t be seeing her until spring then,” Alastair said, and all the brothers laughed.  “Come meet my wife.”   Alastair led him over to Mairi who was still at the table.  “Mairi, this is my brother Owen McCabe, Owen this is my wife, Mairi McCabe.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mairi,” Owen said, giving a small bow in front of her.  “You’re far too beautiful to marry someone like my brother Alastair.”

Mairi laughed as Alastair playfully punched Owen in the arm.  She loved being part of this family.  “I think so too,” she replied, whispering loud enough for everyone to hear, “but don’t tell my husband I said so.”

“Behave now, wife,” Alastair said, swatting her on her bottom as he laughed.

“This is my friend, John Sutherland,” Owen told them, introducing the man that he arrived with.

“Welcome, John,” Eadan said.

“He’s English,” Owen said grinning, “but I promised him that no one here would hold that against him.”

Alastair laughed, then said, “at least we’ll try not to.”

“What brings you to Scotland, John?” Eadan asked.

“My mother was Scottish,” John answered.  “I wanted to learn more about my family on her side.”

“Do you know what clan she was from?” Craig asked.

“The Stewart’s,” John answered.  “I’ve heard that you know the clan well.”

“That we do,” Alastair answered.  “Logan Stewart, the Laird at Dunnottar, is a friend of mine.”

“I’m hoping to get a chance to visit the keep while I’m in Scotland,” John told them.  “Owen talked to your brother by marriage Connor for me.  He offered to take me there in the summer if I visit.  I understand his sister is married to Logan Stewart.”

“I’m sure Connor would be glad to take you,” Eadan said, “I’ve known him since we were lads.”

“We did run across something a few miles from here that you need to see,” Owen said, becoming serious.

“What is it?” Eadan asked.

“Are any of Gleann’s livestock missing?” Owen asked.  “There was more than one dead carcass not far from here.”

“No one has reported any of them missing, but it’s hard to keep track of them all in the winter.  We better check this out,” Ham said.

“But you were going to take me to the village,” Flora said to him.

“We’ll have to put that off until another day,” Ham said, giving Flora a quick kiss and heading out the door.

Alastair kissed Mairi and followed the rest of his brothers, leaving the women sitting at the table alone.  “Well,” Flora said, “then I guess I’ll have to go alone.”

“I’ll go with you,” Nessa said.

“Da has the children,” Mairi said.  “I’ll go too.”

“You know our husbands won’t be happy if they find out,” Flora warned Nessa and Mairi.

“I know,” Mairi answered.  “But I’m tired of being in the keep all the time.  If Lord Thompson were still around, I would have thought he’d have tried something by now.  Besides, it’s winter; I can’t see them staying in the area with nowhere to  keep warm in this weather.”

“Then if we’re all in agreement,” Nessa said, “I say we head to the village.”

“Let’s go,” Flora said as the women got up from the table, grabbed their cloaks, and headed out the door.

**********

“I don’t like the look of this,” Eadan said as he examined the carcass of what was once one of Gleann’s sheep.

“Do you think it was reivers?” Ham asked him.

“Reivers don’t usually make a fire,” Rory said as he kicked at the area where a fire had been put out.

“Or kill the animals before taking them back home,” Owen added.

“Maybe it was the highwaymen that have been in the area?” Alastair asked.

“This close to the keep?” Craig said.  “I don’t think that’s likely.”

“We’ve got two sheep carcasses and one cattle,” Eadan said, looking around the area.  “Whoever it was, they’ve been here for a while.”

“Spread out and check the area,” Ham said to the guards they’d brought with them.  “Let me know if you find anything.”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Alastair said, looking around himself.  “Something just seems wrong here.”

“I agree that something just doesn’t seem right,” Eadan said.  “I just can’t put my finger on it.”

“What’s this?” Craig said, leaning over and picking up a small dirk out of the brush.  Craig was a skilled blacksmith and had made many dirks and swords, after examining the dirk he said, “this doesn’t look Scottish.”

“Can I see that?” John asked, and Craig handed the dirk to him.  John examined it closely before saying, “this is English.”

“How do you know?” Eadan asked.

“Look at the way the blade is shaped and the handle is made.  I’ve seen this crest on the handle before; I just don’t remember where,” John told them.

“Why would the English be this far into the highlands?” Craig asked, “especially at this time of year.”

“Mairi,” Alastair said, all of a sudden becoming very concerned.  “We need to get back to the keep.”

“They’re safe inside the castle, Alastair,” Eadan said.

“I’ll still feel better once we’re back and I can see her for myself,” Alastair said.

“What do the English have to do with your wife?” Owen asked.

“We don’t know,” Alastair told him.  “Let’s get back to the keep, and I’ll tell you Mairi’s story on the way.”

“What clan does Mairi come from?” John asked.

“That’s a question we’d all like to know the answer to,” Eadan answered, as they mounted their horses and turned them back towards Gleann.

**********

“This has been fun,” Mairi said to Nessa and Flora as they walked through the village.  “I haven’t been out with other women in so long I’d forgotten what it was like.”

“It has been a fun morning,” Flora said, “and not too cold for January.”

“I love my son,” Mairi said, “but I have to admit, it’s been nice to be away for an hour or so.”

“I need to get out while I can then,” Flora said.

“What do you mean?” Nessa asked, then Flora’s meaning came to her.  “Are you going to have a bairn, Flora?”

“We are,” Flora said, a huge smile was now on her face, “but you have to promise not to tell anyone yet.  Ham wants to make the announcement in a few weeks.”

“I’m so happy for you,” Mairi said.  “You’ll love being a mither, won’t she Nessa?”

Nessa sighed.  “I wish I could feel as happy as you, Mairi.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my son, I just don’t want to have another.”

“Why?” Mairi asked.

“I had a horrible time carrying my bairn,” Nessa said.  “I was sick the entire time, and then the delivery was awful.”

“You did have a hard time,” Flora said.  “It’s just like that for some women. Just because you were sick the first time doesn’t mean the next one would be the same.”

“Does Eadan know you don’t want any more bairns?” Mairi asked.

“He does,” Nessa said.  “We argue about it often.”

“I’ve told you before Nessa, I can give you a drought to drink every morning to help prevent you getting pregnant again,” Flora said.  “As long as you have Eadan’s permission to take it.”

“You also said it doesn’t always work.  I won’t take the chance of going through that again,” Nessa said.  “I don’t share the marriage bed with Eadan anymore.”

“Oh, Nessa, no wonder you’ve seemed so sad lately,” Flora said to her.

“My marriage is surely not a happy one anymore,” she answered, sighing as they passed by another group of villagers. “Does it seem as though a lot of people are coughing?”

“I noticed that too,” Mairi said.  “I hope sickness isn’t coming to the village.”

“I also noticed,” Flora said.  “I was going to ask Ina about it if we ran into her.”

“Mairi,” they heard a man call out.  “Mairi Scott.”

Mairi turned towards the man who stood on the edge of the village.  “My name is Mairi,” she answered, “but it’s Mairi McCabe.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, “you look just like a woman I used to know named Mairi Scott.”  When he finished speaking, he turned and began quickly walking away.

“Wait,” Mairi called after him, “I’d like to talk to you,”  She ran after him.

“Mairi, wait,” Flora yelled.

But Mairi didn’t listen.  Not because she didn’t hear Flora, but because there was something very familiar about the name Mairi Scott.  “Stop,” Mairi called after the man again, “Please, stop.”  The strange man kept walking, leading her out of the village and into the woods on the outskirts.

“Well that was easier than I thought it would be,” said another man, as he stepped out from behind the trees, “good work Donovan.”

“You’re right, brother,” Donovan answered, “it was easy to get her to follow.”

“What’s going on?” Mairi asked.  “Who are you?”

“My name is Lord Stephen Thompson,” the man said.  “You’ve been very difficult to track down Mairi Scott, but now that I’ve found you, you’ll be coming with me.”

“She won’t be going anywhere,” Nessa said, as Flora and her caught up and walked up behind Mairi.

“And who is going to stop us from taking her?” Lord Thompson said, laughing softly.  “Three women again me and my men?”

“What men?” Mairi asked.

Lord Thompson let out a shrill whistle, and ten men dressed in various chainmail and armor also stepped out of the trees.  “These men,” he told her, smirking.

“What do you want with me?” Mairi asked.  “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“I’ll explain it all on the way back to England,” Lord Thompson said as he grabbed Mairi by the arm and pulled her towards him.

“Let her go,” Nessa said, jumping on his back and hitting him repeatedly as Mairi struggled to get free, kicking at his legs and hitting his arm.

“Get off me,” Lord Thompson said, not letting go of Mairi and trying with his other arm to grab Nessa.  “Donovan, help me.”

“Leave her alone,” Flora said, kicking Donovan in the shin as he approached.  Donovan raised his hand and struck Flora, knocking her to the ground.

It was at that moment they heard the sound of horses approaching them.  Mairi and Lord Thompson turned at the same time to see the McCabe men, and at least two dozen of the Gleann guards charging towards them.  Eadan reached behind his back and pulled his broadsword, the rest of the men followed his lead and did the same.  The look on Alastair, Ham, and Eadan’s faces, were enough to strike fear into most men.  Lord Thompson let go of Mairi and quickly said, “you’re safe this time, Mairi, but I’ll be back.  Let’s get out of here.”  He then took off running back into the trees with his men close behind to where their horses had been hidden for a quick getaway.

Mairi and Nessa were helping Flora back up on her feet when the men arrived.  “Follow them,” Eadan yelled to the rest of his men and brothers as Ham and Alastair quickly dismounted and ran to their wives.  “If you catch them, bring one back alive, but you can kill the rest.  No man hits one of the McCabe women and lives.” The men took off in pursuit of the women’s attackers.

“Are you alright?” Alastair said as he reached Mairi, pulling her into his arms.

“I’m well,” Mairi told him.  “A bit shook up, but not hurt.”

“Did they hurt you?” Ham asked Flora, placing his hand on her stomach, which didn’t go unnoticed by any of his brothers.  “Do you need to see Ina?”

“We’re alright,” Flora assured him.

“I’ll kill that bastard for striking you,” Ham told her, pulling her towards him and wrapping her in his arms.

“Nessa?” Eadan said, walking up to her.

“No harm was done,” she assured him, stepping back from him.

“Did I see you jump on that man’s back?” Eadan asked, not being able to keep the smirk off his face.

“I couldn’t let him take our Mairi without a fight,” she answered.

“My wife, the hellcat,” Eadan said to her, getting a small grin out of her.

“What in the hell are you women even doing out here,” Alastair just about yelled.  “You were told not to leave the keep without one of us.”

“I needed those herbs,” Flora tried to explain.

“I thought it would be safe,” Mairi chimed in.  “There hadn’t been any sign of Lord Thompson for over a month now.”

“Until today,” Alastair said, now that he knew Mairi was safe, he was very angry.  “You and I will be having a private discussion in our room once we get back to the keep.”

“Why can’t we discuss it now?” Mairi asked him.

“Because while we’re discussing, you’ll be over my knee with my hand being applied to your backside,” Alastair told her.

“I’m sorry, Alastair,” Mairi tried again, suddenly a bit afraid.  “I won’t leave without an escort again.”

“You’ll be sorrier by the time I’m done with you,” Alastair told her.

“We thought it would be safe,” Flora said, trying to help Mairi.

“We’ll be having the same discussion,” Ham told his wife quietly.

“But I’ve been to the village by myself many times,” Flora said.  “You’re being unfair.”

“Would you like to discuss it now in front of everyone?” Ham asked.  “There’s a perfectly good log over there for me to sit.”

“I’ll wait until we’re in our room,” Flora said, her face turning red.

The three McCabe men led their wives over to their waiting mounts, once their women were safely settled in front of them, they turned towards the castle and the safety of home.

Chapter 8 Punishment

Alastair never even looked at who was in the hall as he led Mairi through, passing his Da on the way.  “Is something wrong?” Hamish called as they went by, seeing the look on their faces.  Alastair looked angry and determined, while Mairi looked almost afraid.

“Rory or Craig will tell you,”Alastair called over his shoulder, not stopping, “I’ll be down to get Cam soon.”

Hamish watched as Ham and Flora entered next, with Ham leading Flora with the same determined look that Alastair had, but Flora being much more vocal than Mairi had been.

“This is as much your fault as mine.  Damn it, Ham, you’re not even listening to me.” Flora was saying as they passed.  “If you would have taken me like you promised, this wouldn’t have happened.”  Ham never responded as he led Flora out of the hall and up the stairs.

Next came Eadan and Nessa.  The two walked side by side but were not touching.  The relationship between them had been worrying Hamish a lot lately.  He wished they’d work out their problems.

“Can you watch Eadan Hamish for a few more minutes, Da?” Eadan paused and asked.  “I need to speak with Nessa in private for a few minutes.”

“Of course,” Hamish told them.

The two followed the same path as the two couples before them, before Rory and Craig came into the hall.  “What the hell is going on?” Hamish asked them.

“I think our sisters are going to be sitting very carefully at the evening meal tonight,” Rory answered.  “It’s been an eventful day Da.  Let us get a cup of wine, and we’ll tell you all about it.”

**********

Alastair led Mairi into their room and closed the door behind him.  “Take your gown off,” he told her.  ‘I’ll let you keep your shift on this time, since this will be the first serious punishment you’ve had.”

“Alastair, please,” Mairi began.  “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”  A tear slid down her cheek, and she began to shake.

“Mairi?” Alastair asked confused, “why are you crying?”

“Please don’t hit me,” she said through her tears.  “I won’t do it again.”

Alastair walked over and picked Mairi up, carrying her over to a chair that sat in the room, he settled her on his lap with his arms tightly around her.  “I was so scared when we returned, and you weren’t here,” he whispered against her hair.  “I love you so much; I couldn’t bear it if anything happening to you.”

“If you love me, then why do you have to hit me?” she asked, another tear rolling down her cheek.

“I’m going to spank you, Mairi because I love you,” he explained.  “You put yourself in danger today, that’s something I won’t allow.  I want to make sure you never put yourself in a situation like you did today, ever again.  This spanking is to help you remember that.”

“But I didn’t know that those men would be out there looking for me,” she told him.  Then she remembered something the man named Donovan had said, “Alastair, one of the men called me Mairi Scott.  Do you think that could really be my name?”

“Scott?  I’ve heard of the Scott’s before.  They’re a lowland clan, so I’ve never met any of them,” he said.  “We could send a messenger there to see if they might know you.  Does that name sound familiar to you?”

“Nay.  But I’d like to know for sure.  How far are the lowlands?” she asked him.

“At least a sennight of traveling,” he told her.  “Maybe more with it being winter.”

“Will you send a messenger right away?” she asked him.

“I’ll look into it as soon as we’re done here,” he told her, lifting her off his lap and standing her on her feet.  “Trust me, Mairi, take off the gown.”

“I’m scared,” she admitted.

“I’m going to spank you hard, Mairi,” Alastair told her, “but I promise, when I’m done the worst that will happen is you’ll be a bit tender sitting for a day or two.  Do you think I’d really hurt you more than that?  I’m spanking you because I love you and want to keep you safe.”

“I don’t understand,” Mairi told him.

“I’m going to make sure you never place yourself in danger like you did today again, and when it’s over I’ll hold you as long as you need me too,” he said to her.

Mairi was still scared, but Alastair was the first man that she could remember who had never lied to her or been unkind. With shaking hands, she undid the fastenings on the top of her gown and let it slide off onto the floor.  Once she was standing in just her shift, she stared at the floor, embarrassed to be standing this way.

“Look at me, Mairi,” Alastair said firmly, but not unkindly.  Mairi looked up, her eyes once again filled with tears.  “Come lay across my knees, let’s get this over with.”

Mairi knew there would be no talking Alastair out of the spanking that she knew she deserved, she put herself in the position that he’d asked her to.  Alastair reached down and grabbed the bottom of her shift, pulling it up to her waist, baring her.

“Nay, Alastair,” Mairi said, “can’t you leave my shift down?”

“Wives get spanked on the bare, Mairi,” he explained.  “In the future, I’ll have you strip down to nothing, but with this being the first punishment since we’ve married, I didn’t want to make you feel that uncomfortable.”

“I’m still scared,” she said so quietly he barely heard her.

“Do you think I’d ever really hurt you?” Alastair asked, putting his hand on her bare arse and rubbing softly.

“I don’t think so,” she answered truthfully.

“Besides,” he said grinning, “the first time I see you naked I’d rather be loving you, not spanking you.  Are you ready to get your punishment over with?”  Mairi didn’t answer but nodded her head in agreement.  “I’m going to give you fifty with my hand.  If you ever put yourself in danger like you did today, the next time it’ll be fifty with your hairbrush.”

Alastair said no more as he raised his hand and began bringing it down repeatedly on her arse, striking first one side and then the other.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.

“That’s ten, Mairi.  Do you need a break?” Alastair stopped and asked.

“Nay,” Mairi said to him.  “I just want to get it over with.”

“And I want you to think about why this is happening,” Alastair told her as he began again.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack
.  “You are never to put yourself in danger again.”
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
“What would our son do if something happened to you.  I know I couldn’t live without you”
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.

By this time Mairi had tears dripping off her face onto the floor below, not because Alastair was hurting her, but because the words he spoke showed how much he loved her.  She couldn’t remember anyone loving her like this.

“I’m sorry,” she said, sobbing.  “I’m so sorry.”

“Last ten, Mairi, and then we’ll be done,” Alastair said, wanting to finish as much as she did.  He had tried to make the punishment as easy on her as possible, using only his hand.  He knew from the talks they’d had that the other men in her life had not been so gentle with her.  He not only wanted her to never put herself in danger again, but also to trust him to never truly hurt her.  He raised his hand again and began the last set, this time striking just a bit harder, alternating between her sit spots.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.

“Ouch, ouch,” Mairi yelled as the last swats landed.

Alastair finished and lifted Mairi to sit on his lap.  He wrapped her in his arms and rocked her silently as she held onto his tunic and cried into his chest.  He rubbed her arms and back, comforting her as much as he could.  “Please don’t ever scare me like that again, Mairi,” he whispered into her ear before kissing her on top of her head.  “When we returned to the keep, and you weren’t here, I was sick with worry.”

Mairi lifted her head and looked into his eyes.  She was surprised to see them filled with tears.  “Are you still angry with me?” she asked him.

“I was never angry with you,” Alastair explained.  “I was angry at myself and my brothers.  If one of us had stayed back with you at the castle, this never would have happened.”

“It’s not your fault,” she said.  “We should have listened and stayed inside like we were told.  I am sorry, Alastair.  I’m just glad you came upon us in time.”
“We hurried back because of what we found,” Alastair explained.  “There were three dead carcasses at a camp that must have been used for some time.  We also found a dirk that Owen’s friend John identified as English.  That’s why we came back so quickly.  I had a feeling something wasn’t right.”

“I’m glad you did,” Mairi said to him.  “Alastair?”

“Yes Mairi?”

“Will you kiss me?” she asked him.  “I just want you to kiss me.”

“Always,” he said, bringing his lips down onto hers.  He kissed her again and again, each one lasting just a second or two longer than the one before.

Mairi wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer.  Loving the feel of his tongue as it tangling with hers.  Soon she began breathing heavier, and she couldn’t stop thinking about what it would feel like for Alastair’s naked body to be against hers.  She wanted that more than anything.

“Alastair?” she panted when their lips once again separated.

“Yes, Mairi?” Alastair answered softly.

“Do you still want to see me naked?” she asked him.

“More than anything,” he said to her, looking her in the eye.

“Then take me to bed, husband,” she said.

“Are you sure?” he asked her.

“I’m sure,” she said, grinning at him.  “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

Alastair picked her up and carried her over to the bed they shared.  He set her down slowly until her feet touched the floor.  Still looking her in the eye, he caught the bottom of her shift and began to pull it up until he pulled it over her head.  For the first time, he let his eyes wander down her body and back up again.

“Beautiful,” he said to her.  “You’re absolutely beautiful.”

“And you have too many clothes on,” she said to him, grabbing his tunic and trying to pull it up and over his head, he bent down to make it easier on her.  Once his tunic was off, she ran her hands down his bare chest, through the slight smattering of hair that covered the bulging muscles there.

Alastair again picked her up and laid her on the bed; she watched as he pulled off his trews, leaving him as naked as she was.  He climbed on the bed over the top of her, once again bringing his lips down on hers.  He brought his hand up and gripped her breast, squeezing it softly at first and then a bit harder as he ran his thumb back and forth across her nipple until it hardened.  He dipped his head down, catching it in his mouth and sucking on it, getting a taste of the milk their son needed to survive.

Mairi moaned and arched her back, wanting him to take more, and to suck harder.  Never had she thought she would want a man doing this to her, but with Alastair, she couldn’t get enough.  She was a bit worried about when he’d stick his cock into her.  It had always hurt before, and she was hoping with this husband it would be different.

Alastair continued to suck her breast as his hand slid lower onto her cunny, making her jump slightly.  “Are you sure, Mairi?” he asked again.  “We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready.”

“I’m sure,” she said to him.  “Please, Alastair, I want this.”

Alastair nodded and began using his lips and tongue everywhere on her body.  Kissing her neck, sucking her earlobes and breasts, kissing her cheeks and chin, Mairi was so lost in sensation she didn’t even care when his fingers parted her cunny and began to play with her clit.  Alastair brought his hand lower to her opening, finding it very wet already, he pushed one finger deep up inside her.  He began pumping his finger in and out, slowly at first, before adding another and pushing both back in and continuing the rhythm.

“That doesn’t hurt,” Mairi said, more to herself.

“It’s not supposed to,” Alastair said to her.  “It should never hurt, unless you want it to.”

“Why would anyone want it to hurt?” she asked him.

“Shhh,” he said, grinning at her.  “I’ll show you another time.  This time is only for pleasure.”

Alastair again brought his lips down to hers, pulling his fingers out of her cunny he lined his cock up at her opening to take their place.  He felt Mairi tighten.  Instead of pushing in he put his fingers on top of her hardened clit and began to rub over it fast, not letting her think.  Mairi again thrust her hips up towards him.  To take her mind off what he was about to do next, Alastair took her clit between his finger and thumb and pinched it, hard enough to make her gasp.  At that exact time, he slowly began to push his cock inside of her, watching her face to make sure he wasn’t hurting her in any way.  Once he was fully inside, he held himself still, waiting for Mairi to notice.

“It didn’t hurt,” she said, looking up at him with a smile.

“I’d never hurt you,” Alastair said to her, pulling out a small ways and pushing back in.  “I only want to make you feel good.”

“Do it again,” Mairi said, then laid still as Alastair again pulled a small ways out and pushed back inside, making her moan slightly.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Alastair asked, grinning down at her.  Mairi nodded, smiling back.  “Wrap your legs around me, and I’ll make it feel even better.”

Mairi wrapped her legs around his waist, anxious to see what he was going to do next.  Alastair again pulled out, this time almost all the way before pushing himself back fully inside of her.  He started off slowly, letting Mairi get used to him until she began lifting her hips to meet his every thrust.

He began going faster and thrusting harder.  “I’m not going to last long, Mairi,” he said to her.

Mairi nodded at him, “do it faster, Alastair,” she panted.  “I need you to do it faster.”

Alastair didn’t need to be asked twice.  He lifted himself up higher and slid his arms underneath her shoulders, hanging onto her as he began thrusting into her faster and much more forcefully.  Mairi was panting harder, and rising up to meet his every thrust.  Alastair again reached his hand between them and began working her nub which was now as hard as a little pebble.  He felt her begin to tighten around him as she screamed.  She was squeezing his cock so tight he was only able to thrust into her a few more times before he too came, shooting cum far up inside of her.

Alastair laid on top of her for just a few seconds before shifting his weight to the side and pulling her up against him.  Mairi snuggled into his body, not saying anything and making Alastair nervous.

“Are you alright?” he finally asked her.

“I’m wonderful,” she said, her voice sounding funny.

“Are you crying?” Alastair asked, concerned.  “Did I hurt you?”

“You didn’t hurt me,” Mairi replied.  “I’m just so happy.  I never thought I’d enjoy doing that.”  She then giggled and added.  “Now I can’t wait to do it again.”
Alastair laughed and gave her a small swat on her arse.  “You’re going to have to give me a few minutes wife; then I’ll be happy to fulfill your request.”

“I love you, Alastair McCabe,” Mairi said to him.  “I’m so glad you found me that day.  I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”

“I love you too, Mairi McCabe,” he answered.  “I’m glad I found you too.  I’ll always try to make you happy.”

“I hope Flora and Nessa aren’t in too much trouble,” Mairi said to him.  “Do you think they’re spankings are over with already?”

“I’d be surprised if Eadan spanked Nessa,” Alastair said to her, “but Flora is another story.  Hers is probably still going on.”

“Why do you think that?” Mairi asked.

“I’ve known Flora since she was a little girl.  She’ll not give in without a fight,” he said chuckling.  “Rest now.  Soon we’ll need to get our son and tomorrow we start your training.”

“What training?” she asked confused.

“I’m going to teach you to use a bow and a dirk,” Alastair said to her.  “I won’t have you be defenseless again.”

“You don’t mind if I learn?” she asked.

“I insist you learn,” he told her.  “If it was spring I’d take you to Jacqueline, and have her train you on the bow.  She’s better than most men I know, I hate to admit it, but she’s better than me.”

“You’ve talked about her so much I can’t wait for spring so I can meet her!” Mairi exclaimed.

“Just don’t let her talk you into any of her schemes, she ends up over Connor’s knee often enough,” Alastair said, laughing.

**********

Ham McCabe led Flora into the room they shared.  He was not happy with his wife and intended to make sure she understood how unhappy he was with her.  Not only had she endangered herself, but also their bairn.

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing, Ham,” Flora said to him.  “We’re all fine.  No one was hurt.”

“Do you realize what could have happened to you?” Ham said, trying to stay calm.  “Or to our babe?”

“If you would have taken me to the village like you promised none of this would have happened,” she sassed at him.  She had said the same thing to him many times on their way back to the keep and each time it just made him angrier.

“You’re blaming me?” he asked, shaking his head in disbelief.  “I suggest you don’t say another word.  In fact, you can strip and then put yourself right in that corner over there to think about what could have happened if my brothers and myself wouldn’t have shown up when we did.”

“I don’t think you’re being fair,” Flora said, stamping her foot at him.  “I won’t do it.”

Ham moved quickly, sitting down on the edge of their bed, pulling a pillow onto his lap and pulling her down on top of it, she didn’t even realize it was happening until it was too late.  “Let me know when you’re done arguing with me,” he calmly said to her, grabbing her hairbrush off the table next to the bed and pulling her gown and shift up, leaving her arse bare.

He began bringing the brush down, alternating sides, making her scream each time it connected with her bare skin.
Splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat.

“Are you wishing you were standing in the corner yet?” he asked her after the first ten.

“Stop it, Ham,” she said to him.  “I mean it, damn it, stop.”

“Language, Flora,” he said, “we’ve talked about your language before.  Maybe ten more will help you remember.”

“You’re a real arse sometimes, Ham McCabe,” she said to him right before the brush began to land again.
Splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat, splat.
By the tenth time the brush landed she was ready to do whatever he asked.  “I’ll do it,” she said to him.  “Please, stop.  I’ll stand in the corner.”

“I don’t want to hear one word out of you,” he said to her as he put her back on her feet.  Flora glared at him, wanting to say something to him, but knowing what would happen if she did.  “Take off your clothes.  I want you in the corner with your nose touching the wall.”

Flora stomped her foot but took off her dress and shift before walking towards the corner and standing as she’d been directed to do.  She was already sore and didn’t know how much more she could take.  Ham left her standing there for at least a quarter of an hour before he began to speak.

“Are you calmed down enough to listen?” he asked.

Flora nodded and said, “I am.”

“Good,” Ham said to her.  “I want you to listen and not say anything until I’m done.  Then we can finish this punishment and put it behind us.  I’m sorry that I couldn’t take you to the village today, but you knew better than to go on your own.  I know you’ve done it many times before, but I don’t trust this Lord Thompson that’s after Mairi one bit.  I shouldn’t have to explain that to you, since I’ve told you already before.  We found animal carcasses and a camp that’s been being used for some time less than ten minutes ride from the keep.  We hurried back because we had a feeling that the people making camp there, are probably with this man that’s after Mairi.  You not only put yourself in danger today, but you put our babe in danger also.”

Flora hadn’t thought of the danger she had put their child in until Ham pointed it out to her.  Tears began to fall down her cheeks.  “Can I speak now?” she asked.

“You can,” Ham answered.

“I’m sorry,” Flora said.  “I wasn’t even thinking about what could have happened to our bairn.  I just wanted to get the herbs I needed.  Many of the villagers are beginning to cough.  I was thinking about them and what I’d need if disease runs through the village.”

“I understand that, Flora,” Ham said to her.  “I know how important your work as a healer is to you.  When we rode up and seen that man trying to take Mairi, and the other strike you, all I could think of was how much I love you, and I couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to you.”

“I love you too,” Flora said to him, hoping he’d forget the rest of her punishment now that he was calm again.

“Let’s get this strapping over with then,” Ham said to her.

“A strapping?” Flora asked.  “But you’ve already spanked me.  I’m already sore Ham.”

Ham walked up behind her and placed one hand on the wall next to her head as the other began to rub her already red arse.  “If you ever put yourself in danger like that again Flora, you won’t be able to sit down for a week,” he said to her, raising his hand and bringing it down firmly one time on each cheek.

“I won’t,” she said.  “I promise.”

Ham continued to rub her arse, going down her leg and then moving his hand to the inside of her thigh as he brought his hand back up towards her cunny.  Flora moaned, wishing he would touch her there.

“Are you enjoying that, wife?” he asked her, a grin now on his face.

“I want you to touch me, husband,” Flora said to him.

“Touch you here?” he asked as he brought his hand up higher and cupped her cunny.

“Aye,” she said to him.

Ham pushed his fingers between her folds, finding her already wet and ready for him.  He picked her up and carried her to the bed where he put her down facing it and pushed her forward.  “Spread your legs, Flora,” he whispered to her.

“Are you still going to strap me?” she asked him.

“Nay,” he said to her.  “I should, but I’d rather love you instead.”

Flora spread her legs apart as Ham pulled off his trews, letting his already hard cock spring free.  He again brought his hand up to her cunny, finding her already hardening clit and rubbing it just enough to make his wife moan again.

“I need you, Ham,” Flora said to him.  “Don’t make me wait.”

Ham didn’t need to be told twice.  He lined his cock up with her opening and with one thrust fully seated himself inside her.  He grabbed her by the hips and began pumping in and out.  She was so wet already; his cock glided easily into her.  Flora again moaned and began pushing back against his every thrust, trying to make him go even deeper inside her.

“Harder, Ham,” Flora said.  “I need you to do it harder.”

“I don’t want to hurt the bairn,” he said to her.

“You won’t,” she said to him.  “The babe is safe.”

“You’re sure?” he asked.  Flora nodded, and Ham grabbed onto her hips as he began thrusting into her much more forcefully than he had just moments earlier.  Flora met him each time as she pushed herself back against him.  It wasn’t long until Ham felt her cunny tighten around his cock as she screamed out her pleasure.  He pumped into her quickly as his own orgasm began.

Ham pulled himself out of her and collapsed on the bed next to her.  “No strapping this time, Flora,” he said to her, “but if you ever put yourself in danger like that again, I promise you, a strapping will be the least of the punishment you’ll be getting.”

“I won’t do it again,” Flora said.  Then she added, “at least I’ll try not too.”

Ham couldn’t help it; he laughed as he pulled his wife into his arms, holding her close.  He sure loved his little hellcat.

“I promise you this,” he said to her, becoming more serious.  “When I find that man that struck you, he’s as good as dead.”

“You’d kill him for that?”

“Aye.”

**********

“What were you thinking?” Eadan asked Nessa as they reached her solar.

“I couldn’t let that man take Mairi,” Nessa replied.  “I didn’t know what else to do to stop him.”

“I ought to spank you,” Eadan said to her.

“I’m sorry, Eadan,” she said to him.  “Today was the first day in a long time I’ve had fun.”

“I know you’re not happy, Nessa,” Eadan said to her.  “I wish you’d tell me what to do to make things right with you again.”

“I’ve told you before, it’s not you that’s making me unhappy,” Nessa said to him.  “I wish I knew how to make things better myself.”

“I’ve tried everything I can think of to be a good husband,” Eadan told her.  “I’ve given you time to heal after Eadan Hamish’s birth.  It’s been months Nessa, and you won’t talk to me or even let me touch you.  I just don’t know what I’ve done wrong.”

“You’ve done nothing wrong,” Nessa replied.  “It’s me.”

“Maybe if we shared a bed again we could work things out,” Eadan suggested.

“Nay,” Nessa said.  “I won’t have another child.  The thought of going through that again makes me feel ill.”

“I’ve talked to Flora, she said there’s a tonic,” he began.

“Nay,” Nessa cut him off.  “She said it doesn’t always work.  I won’t take the chance.”

“So what do we do about this marriage?” he asked her.  “I don’t even feel like I have a wife anymore.  You spend most of your time alone up in your chambers.  How can we work on making our marriage good again if I never see you.”

“I don’t think we can, Eadan,” she told him.  “I was thinking it might be better for both of us if I return to my Da’s keep.”

“What about our son?” Eadan asked.  “I won’t let you take him from me.”

“That’s why I haven’t left yet,” she answered truthfully.  “I’m sorry, Eadan, I wish I knew a way to fix everything.”

“Then I don’t know what else to do,” Eadan said, walking out the door and shutting it loudly behind him.

Chapter 9 Fever at Gleann

“Scott?” Hamish asked at their evening meal after Alastair explained what the man named Donovan had called Mairi.  “I’ve heard that name before.  I believe they’re a lowland clan.”

“I thought so too, Da,” Alastair said to him.  “I’d like to send a messenger and see if any of the people there have any knowledge of Mairi.”

“Can’t we go?” Mairi asked Alastair.  “Maybe seeing the area will make my memory return.”

“What about our son?” Alastair asked her.  “Do you want to travel that far with him?  It’s winter, Mairi, what if we get a storm and we’re caught out in it with Cam?”

“You’re right,” Mairi said, disappointed.

“It’s a long journey,” Owen said.  “I’ve traveled that way guarding the king more than once.  I know the area where the Scott keep lies, although I’ve never been there.  I wish we would have been able to catch up to Lord Thompson and his men, but they all got away.”

“We could have gotten some answers out of them at least.  How long would it take to travel from here?” Alastair asked his brother.

“At least a sennight,” Owen answered.  “But if the weather turns bad, it could be closer to a fortnight.”

“Maybe we should wait until spring,” Alastair said.  “I’d hate to put any of our men at risk traveling that far this time of year.”  He looked at Mairi, who nodded, disappointment apparent on her face.

“I’ll go,” Owen said to them.  “I’ll stop at Edinburgh and get permission to be gone for a while.  I think the fact that an Englishman tried to take Mairi will be enough for them to let me go, and see if there’s a connection between her and the Scott clan.”

“I’ll go with you,” Owen’s friend John replied.  “I know right where the Scott keep lies.  I’ve never been there myself, but I’ve traveled near it many time.  Once I get you to the area I can take time to go visit my father.”

“Thank you, John,” Alastair said to the man.  “My wife and I appreciate your help.”  Alastair turned back to Owen and asked, “when do you think you’ll leave?”

“Tomorrow morning,” Owen said.  “I should be back within a month if all goes well.”

“I want you to take some extra guards with you,” Hamish said to his son.  “We’ve had trouble on the roads around here lately.”

“Then it’s settled,” Owen said.  “Hopefully, Mairi, I’ll have some answers for you when I return.”

“I hope so too,” Mairi said.  “Thank you, both for doing this for me.”

“It’s what family does,” Owen said to her as Mairi hugged him.  “Just don’t get your hopes up, we may find nothing to help you when we get there.”

“I don’t know why,” Mairi said to everyone at the table, “but the name Scott is beginning to sound so familiar to me.  I wish I could remember.”

“Don’t think so hard about it, Mairi,” Flora said from where she and Ham had been sitting quietly, listening to the conversation.  “Your memory will return when it’s ready, or it won’t, there’s nothing you can do to change that.”

“Do you really believe that?” Mairi asked her.

“There’s no way to know for sure,” Flora told her.  “I know it’s hard, but if you never get your memories back, then you’ll make new ones here at Gleann.”

“We’ll do our best to make sure they’re good memories too,” Hamish said, he was now holding Cameron and making funny faces at the babe, making him coo and laugh.

“You know you’re making a fool out of yourself sitting here making those faces don’t you, Da?” Rory said, trying not to laugh.

Hamish reached out and smacked Rory on the back of the head, making everyone laugh, “you know I’m still the Laird around here don’t you, Rory?” he said good-naturedly.

“I thought Eadan was now Laird?” Craig asked jokingly.

Once again Hamish leaned across the table, this time smacking Craig on the side of his head.  “Eadan may be the Laird, but I’m still the Da,” he said, making everyone laugh again.

The maids began clearing the table as the family was just about finished eating.  One of them was coughing terribly.

“Are you unwell?” Flora asked the girl.

“Just a cough, Lady Flora,” the girl answered.  “Many of the villagers seem to be coming down with it.”

“Have you seen Ina?” Flora asked.  Ina was the village healer and had helped raise Flora.  She had been teaching Flora everything she knew about healing since she was a little girl so that one day Flora could take over for her.

“I have,” the maid said.  “She gave me a tonic to drink and a poultice to put on my chest at night.  It doesn’t seem to be helping though.”

“I need to find Ina,” Flora said, getting up from the table.  “She may need my help.”

“I’ll help you find her,” Ham said, getting up and escorting his wife out of the hall.

**********

“How many are ill now?” Eadan asked Ina and Flora as they tended to the sick villagers in the hall.  In less than a sennight, it seemed that half the village had come down with the sickness.

“We’ve moved the sickest people into the hall,” Flora told him.  “There are now over twenty villagers there.  Those that seem to be fighting the sickness well enough we’ve left in their homes with medicine to help them.  If they become worse, they know to come get one of us here.”

“How many have died so far?” Hamish asked, hating even to have to ask the question.

“Five,” Ina said.  “Most seem to be able to fight off the infection in their lungs eventually, but there have been some who just couldn’t.”

“Is there anything you need?” Eadan asked.

“Nay,” Flora said, trying to hide her yawn.  “With Nessa and Mairi helping, we seem to have it in hand at the moment, although, none of us have had very much sleep.”

“Let us know if there is anything we can do to help,” Hamish told the two women.

“Of course, Da,” Flora said to him as she went back to aiding those who were ill.

Flora, Ina, Mairi and Nessa worked through the night, giving droughts, making poultices, getting water, wiping fevered brows, and doing whatever else those that were ill needed.  It seemed that more villagers were being brought in every few hours.

“He’s dead,” Flora said to Nessa as she pulled the plaid up over the face of an old man.  “This seems to be hardest on the elderly and sickly.”

“How many is that now?” Nessa asked, and then coughed.

“Ten,” Flora answered, looking at Nessa concerned, “are you feeling unwell, Nessa?”

“I’ll be fine,” Nessa said.  “I’m glad Da and Eadan insisted that the children be put in the nursery away from everyone.”

“Me too,” Mairi said as she joined them.  “I’ve got men coming to take this one away.  We may need the pallet.”

“I did send five people home today,” Flora said, “they seemed to be much better.”

“I’m glad to see that most are recovering,” Nessa said as she again coughed heavily.

Flora reached over and placed her hand on Nessa’s forehead, “you’re feverish, Nessa.”

“I’m not feeling well,” she admitted.  “I was trying not to complain, but I’ve been feeling worse as the day has gone on.”

“Let’s find you a pallet where you can lie down,” Ina said as she joined them.

“I’d rather rest in my room,” Nessa told them.

“If you were the only one sick, Nessa I’d agree,” Flora said to her, “but with so many others needing care, you’d be too far away to check on.”

“Please, Nessa,” Mairi said, “let’s find you a spot to rest.”

“I’ll get a drought for you and a poultice for your chest,” Ina said, as Nessa again began coughing, this time much deeper than before.  “You don’t sound well, dear.”

“Thank you,” Nessa said, feeling too tired and drained to argue with them.

“I’ll let Eadan know you’re not well as soon as I can,” Flora told her.

“You don’t need to bother,” Nessa replied, as Mairi led her away to a pallet in the corner of the room where she’d have some privacy.

Flora didn’t answer her.  She knew Eadan would want to know that Nessa was not well and hurried to find him.  He was in the study with Hamish, going over the accounts and winter stores.

“Eadan,” Flora called to him from the doorway.

“Come in, Flora,” Hamish said to her, “is there something you need?”

“I just wanted to let Eadan know that Nessa is not well,” Flora told them both.  “She’s come down with the sickness.”

“Where is she?” Eadan asked.

“We’ve put her on a pallet in the hall,” Nessa said, “I just thought you’d want to know.”

“Of course I do,” Eadan said.  “I’ll be there soon, just let me finish up here.”

“Go be with your wife, son,” Hamish said.  “I can finish up myself.”

Eadan and Flora hurried back to the hall together.  When they arrived, Mairi already had Nessa on a pallet drinking one of Ina’s droughts.  Ina was nearby mixing up a poultice to put on her chest.  Hopefully, it would break up the infection that seemed to attack the lungs.

“Nessa?” Eadan said as he sat down on the floor next to her.  “How are you feeling?”

“Awful,” Nessa said.  She then looked at the other women around her and asked, “could you leave us alone for a few moments?”

“Of course,” Mairi said, motioning for Ina and Flora to stay away so Eadan and Nessa could talk privately.

“I wanted to talk with you alone for a moment,” Nessa said to Eadan, gripping his hand tighter.  “I want to apologize for the way I’ve treated you the past year.”

“Don’t worry about that now, Nessa,” Eadan said to her, “just worry about getting better.”

“I’m not sure I’m going to get better, Eadan,” Nessa told him.

“You will,” Eadan insisted, “then we can talk about making our marriage good again.”

“Nay,” Nessa said, “just listen Eadan.  I’ve watched many of the villagers arrive with this sickness the last sennight.”  Nessa stopped as once again a coughing fit began.  Eadan helped her sit up, and neither spoke until it passed.  Then she started speaking again.  “The sickness seems to affect some faster than others, and they seem to get it worse.  Many haven’t recovered Eadan.  I seem to be coming down with it fast and bad.”

“What are you saying, Nessa?” Eadan asked.

“If I don’t get better I want you to know that I don’t blame you for any of my unhappiness the past year.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but since I was carrying our son and became so ill, I just haven’t been myself,” she explained.

“I know,” Eadan said.  “I wish I knew a way to make you happy again.”

“I don’t know if there is a way,” Nessa said.  “If I don’t get better, I want you to promise me you’ll take care of our son, and maybe one day find a new wife who’s willing to give you more children.”

“Nessa, please don’t talk like that,” Eadan said.  “You’ll get well again.”

“Promise me, Eadan,” she said, “I want you to know that I do love you and Eadan Hamish, even though I haven’t always shown it.”

“I love you too, Nessa,” Eadan said, leaning forward and kissing her on the forehead.  He was surprised at how warm she felt as he realized how high her fever must be.  Eadan gripped her hand a little tighter, giving in a slight squeeze, and didn’t let go, as he stayed beside her until she fell into a fitful sleep.  He stayed next to her all night since she would wake herself often as the coughing fits overtook her.

**********

Mairi had never been so tired in her entire life.  Over one hundred of the villagers had come down with the illness which included coughing, high fever, chills and in some cases a very sore throat.  Most of the villagers responded well to the drought and poultices that Ina and Flora seemed to constantly be making, but for others, they did little to no good.  Many had already recovered enough to return to their own cottages where their families could continue to care for them, and some would never return to their homes again.

Poor Nessa was not doing well.  Flora had changed the herbs in the droughts she was giving her more than once already with little to no effect.  Each day it seemed as if her cough and fever worsened, until today when she was too weak to cough anymore, and the wheezing sound she made as she struggled to take each breath also get worse.

“Is there nothing else you can do?” Eadan asked Ina and Flora once again.

“I’m sorry, Eadan,” Flora said, fighting back tears.  “I’ve tried everything I can think of, and nothing seems to be working.”

“She’s going to die,” Eadan said softly, stroking her hair from her forehead.

“Aye,” Ina said.

“Could you let my Da and brothers know?” Eadan asked.

“Aye,” Ina said again, as she moved away in search of the Laird.

Eadan gathered Nessa in his arms and propped her body up against him, which seemed to help her breathe just a bit easier.  Soon Hamish joined his son and daughters by marriage at Nessa’s side.

“I’m here, son,” he said, putting his hand on Eadan’s shoulder.  Ham, Alastair, Rory and Craig joined the family soon after.  Eadan sat on the floor and rocked Nessa, whispering to her quietly until she took her last breath and passed away.

Mairi couldn’t help it; she burst into tears.  Alastair quickly pulled her into him and let her cry into his chest for a long time.  By the time she was done, Flora and Ina had cleaned the body and wrapped it up in a clean cloth.  Nessa would be laid to rest in the family crypt next to Hamish McCabe’s own wife.

Mairi finally let go of Alastair, knowing she needed to help with the few villagers that were still being taken care of in the hall.  “I need to help,” she told Alastair, wiping her tears away.

“You don’t have too,” Alastair told her.  “You need some sleep; you’re exhausted, Mairi.”

“In a few days this will all be over, and I can sleep,” she said, turning and walking away.  She’d only made it halfway across the hall when she began to feel very dizzy and off balance.  She reached her hand out to grab onto something to steady herself, but there was nothing there.  Suddenly the room went black.  Mairi didn’t even feel it as the back of her head hit the floor.

Chapter 10 I Remember Everything

“Why won’t she wake up?” Alastair asked Flora.  “It’s been two days.”

“She hit her head on the floor hard, Alastair,” Flora answered.  “She’ll wake up when she’s ready.”

“But she will wake up?” he asked.

“I can’t be certain with a blow to the head like she had,” Flora told him, “but her breathing is good, and she doesn’t seem to have anything else wrong with her.  All we can do is wait.  She was also exhausted from helping in the hall for so many days.  Give it time.”

“I keep thinking about Eadan,” Alastair said.  “I don’t know if I could be as strong as he’s been.  He handled Nessa’s funeral well.”

“What choice does he have?” Flora said to him.  “He has a young son that needs him now more than ever.  I think Da has been a big help to him.  He’s been through this kind of loss himself.”

“I used to wonder how my Da could grieve for so long after my Mither died,” Alastair said, “but now, I think I understand.  I don’t know how I’d go on if something happened to Mairi.”

“You love her,” Flora said, smiling at him.

“With my whole heart,” Alastair said.  “I never thought I’d love someone this much.”

“I know the feeling,” Flora said.  “I love your brother that much.”

“And he loves you,” Ham answered from the doorway, coming in and hugging his wife from behind.  “How is she today?”

“She seems to be moving around quite a bit the last hour or so,” Flora said.

“Is that good or bad?” Ham asked.

“Good, I think,” Flora answered.  “She seems to be having some very vivid dreams.  She’s even called out once or twice in her sleep.”

“What’s she saying?” Ham asked.

“She was calling for our son, and someone named Emelia,” Alastair answered.

“I’ve been praying she’ll be well, brother,” Ham said to Alastair, as he walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Thank you, Ham,” Alastair answered.  “She has to be alright; she just has too.”

“We’re all here if you need us,” Ham assured him.

“How’s Eadan?” he asked.  “I haven’t seen him since the funeral yesterday.”

“He’s doing as well as can be expected.  There were problems in the marriage, but I believe they both still loved each other,” Ham said.  Alastair just nodded his agreement.

“I need to go back downstairs, Alastair,” Flora said, “but if you need me, just send one of the servants for me, and I’ll come right away.”

“How many villagers are still down there?” Alastair asked.

“Only a few,” Flora answered.  “I believe the worst is past us now.”

“How many died?” Alastair asked.

“Last count was eight and ten,” Flora told him.  “But the ones that are left all seem to be getting better.”

“It seemed like more,” Alastair said. Glad to hear the number was less than he thought.

“I know,” Flora agreed.  “Things were bad for over a sennight, but luckily it seems to be over.  I’ll be back to check on Mairi soon, but remember, if you need me, just send for me.”

“I will, thank you, Flora,” Alastair replied, then watched as Flora and Ham left the room together.  He sat down in the chair next to the bed and held Mairi’s hand.  She had to get better; he wouldn’t allow her to do anything else.  Alastair closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair he’d been sitting in for the past two days, he was so tired; it wasn’t long until he was sleeping, dreaming about the future with Mairi.

**********

“Mairi and Emelia, you have to run faster,” Cameron said as he looked behind them one more time.

“What did those men want?” Emelia said, tears were running down her cheeks, “and why did they hurt Da?”

“I’m not sure,” Cameron said.  “We can discuss it when we get to Grandda’s Keep.  Just keep moving.”

“I hear them coming,” Mairi said, gripping Emelia’s hand tighter as she pulled her through the trees, heading in the direction of her Grandda’s.  “We have to do something, Cameron.”

“I’m going to try to lead them away from you,” Cameron said.  “Don’t look back, just keep running.”
“Don’t leave us, Cameron,” Mairi pleaded with her brother.

“I have too,” he answered.  “If I don’t do something, they’re going to catch us.”

Cameron veered off to the right, leaving Mairi and Emelia running straight ahead, towards the river that Mairi knew if she followed long enough, would take her to Kerr land and her Grandda, Findley Kerr’s Keep.  If they could just make it there, she knew they’d all be safe.

Mairi ran and ran, pulling Emelia behind her.  She could hear the sound of the men behind them as they followed.  Emelia was tired, but Mairi continued to pull her along.  Once they reached the river, Mairi turned and began to follow it east, along the bank, slowing down just enough for them to catch their breath.

Mairi was just beginning to feel safe when three men stepped out of the trees, cutting off their path.  “Stop,” one of the men yelled, it was the same one she’d seen thrust his dirk into her Da.  She knew who he was, Lord Thompson’s brother, Donovan.

“Leave us alone,” Mairi said to him.  “Why are you doing this?”

“My brother will explain everything,” Donovan said, stepping towards them.  Mairi took a step back, once again pulling Emelia with her.

“You attacked us for no reason,” Mairi yelled at him.  “What did you do to my Da and Mither?”

“Your Da should have agreed to the betrothal my brother wanted, and none of this would have needed to happen,” Donovan said, again stepping forward.  Mairi stepped back again.

“Leave us alone,” Mairi said again, hoping to see Cameron coming to help them, but he was nowhere in sight.

“You have nowhere to go,” the man said again.  “Come along, Mairi, and you and your sister will be safe.”

“We’ll go nowhere with you,” Mairi said, again stepping back.  This time though, she stepped too close to the edge of the river, the ground gave way underneath her feet, and Mairi let go of Emelia as she tumbled into the water and was swept away by the fast-moving current.

“Mairi, help me,” she heard Emelia scream right before her head hit a rock and everything went black.

**********

“Emelia,” Mairi screamed as she sat up in the bed, causing Alastair to wake.

“Mairi?” he asked.  “You’re awake?  How do you feel?”

“Emelia,” Mairi said to him, trying to get out of the bed.  “I must help Emelia.”

“Mairi, stop.  You injured yourself when you fell.  Just lie back and rest. Who’s Emelia?” he asked.

“My sister,” Mairi said to him.  “I think that man, Lord Thompson’s brother, Donovan, took her.”

“What are you talking about?” Alastair asked her.  “Mairi, are you remembering things?”

“I remember everything!” Mairi insisted, again trying to get up.  “I have to get home to Branxholme; I have to make sure my family is well.”

“Mairi, stop,” Alastair said again, once more putting his hand on her as she tried to get out of the bed.  “You’ve been unconscious for two days, and you will not leave this bed until either Flora or Ina look at you.”

“But, Alastair, I left her,” Mairi said, tears beginning to gather in her eyes.

“It’s been years, Mairi,” Alastair gently said to her.  “I know that doesn’t help, but whatever happened was a long time ago.”

“They took Emelia,” Mairi said again, “I have to go to her.  It was my responsibility to protect her.”

“Who took her?” Alastair asked.

“Lord Thompson’s brother, Donovan,” she again tried to explain.  “He’s the same man who tried to take me from the village.”

“Wait,” Alastair said to her.  “I want you to start at the beginning and tell me everything you remember.”

“We’d like to hear it too, Mairi,” Hamish said from the doorway where he was standing with Eadan.  “If you don’t mind us being here.”
“I don’t mind,” Mairi assured them.  “But I need to get home as quickly as possible.”

“It’s winter, Mairi,” Alastair said to her.  “We won’t be traveling anywhere until spring.”

“I can’t wait that long,” Mairi told him.  “You don’t understand what’s happened.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” Alastair said, “that’s why I want you to start at the beginning and tell me everything you remember.”

Mairi took a deep breath, thinking about where to begin her tale.  Once she had decided, she began to explain.  “My name is Mairi Scott.  My Da is Douglas Scott, and my Mither is Grace Scott, the daughter of Finley Kerr.”

“I know Finley Kerr,” Hamish said, “at least I know of him.  He used to travel and compete in tournaments when he was younger, didn’t he?”

“He did,” Mairi said, “he always said he was good and won often.”

“He was better than good,” Hamish said. “I never met him, but I saw him compete.  He was a bit older than I was, but my Da loved going to the tournaments and took me often. He’s the biggest bastard I’ve ever seen.”

“He is quite tall,” Mairi said.

“He was more than tall,” Hamish said, “strongest man I’ve ever seen too.  Go ahead with your tale though, Mairi.”

“I also have a brother, Cameron, who is four summers older than me,” she explained, “and a sister Emelia, who is two summers younger.  We were all very close growing up, like you and your brothers, Alastair.”

“And my sister Jacqueline,” Alastair said nodding, “remember, you’ll meet her when we travel to Tioram in the spring.”

“I can’t go to Tioram,” Mairi insisted, “I have to get home to Branxholme, and see if my family is alive.”

“Why wouldn’t they be, lass?” Hamish asked.  “Tell us what happened.”

“When I was eleven summers, Lord Thompson and his brother Donovan, came to Branxholme to speak with my Da.  Lord Thompson wanted a betrothal agreement between him and me.”

“How old was this Lord Thompson?” Eadan asked.

“He’s probably ten summers older than me,” Mairi replied. “I don’t exactly know, I never cared enough to ask.”

“What did your Da say?” Hamish asked.

“He refused,” Mairi told them.  “Neither of my parents liked the man very much.  After that, he’d find reasons to come to Branxholme on business often.  Whenever he was there, I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere alone; a guard was always with me.”

“Your Da didn’t trust him,” Hamish commented.

“Why did he let him into your keep if he didn’t trust him?” Eadan asked.

“We’re a border clan,” Mairi explained.  “The clans on the border try to keep the peace.  They trade among each other, and there are some good English people, although my Grandda wouldn’t agree with that.”

“So your family did business with the Thompsons?” Hamish asked.

“Aye,” Mairi replied.  “I don’t remember exactly what, I was young and didn’t pay attention to those things back then.”

“I’m glad we’re not a border clan,” Eadan said.  “Go ahead Mairi, what happened next.”

“I hated Stephen Thompson.  He would always try to get me to walk alone with him, or touch me without permission; he made me very uncomfortable,” Mairi said.

“Did you tell your parents?” Hamish asked.

“Aye,” Mairi said, “my Da made sure I was never alone.  Grandda wanted to run him through with his broadsword.”

“I wish your grandda would have,” Alastair said.

“With what happened next, me too,” Mairi said, continuing to talk.  “Then one afternoon, Lord Thompson, his brother Donovan, and around fifty of their men showed up at the keep.  They told my Da they were traveling north into the lowlands and wanted to know if they could spend the night at Branxholme.  My Da allowed it.  That night, my Mither put out a feast for our guests.  We were all sitting at the table eating, Lord Thompson and Donovan were at the head table with my family, and their guards were mixed in with the guards from Branxholme.”

“They didn’t sit at their own tables?” Hamish asked.

“Nay,” Mairi said.  “Lord Thompson said it would be better if the two clans sat together.”

“I’m not sure what happened next, one of the English guards got up and locked the doors of the hall.  My Da stood up, I think to question why, but it was too late, the English guards began killing Branxholme’s.”

“Killing them?” Eadan asked.  “How?”

“My Da had a rule of no weapons allowed in the hall.  Lord Thompson’s men had hidden dirks, and slit their throats,” Mairi said, then gasped and began to cry, “Donovan Thompson stabbed my Da!”

Alastair moved over and sat on the bed next to her, putting an arm around her and pulling her against him.  “If it’s too much, you can tell us the rest another time.”

“I need to tell it all,” Mairi said.  “My Da looked at Cameron and told him to get Emelia and me out of there.  I’ve never seen Cameron move so quickly.  He grabbed us both and we ran for a bolt hole that only the family knew about.”

“So how were you able to get away?” Eadan asked.

“We ran into my Da’s study,” Mairi said.  “We barely made it in there, and Cameron was able to lock the door.  There’s a tunnel behind one of the walls, we’d practiced using it all my life, but I never imagined we’d need to use it for real.”

“So how did you end up in the river, Mairi?” Alastair asked.

“The tunnel lead us out into the woods behind the castle.  We just needed to get to the river and follow it East.  That would lead us to my Grandda’s keep.  It’s less than half a day’s ride from Branxholme, but we knew it would take us at least two days walking.  We ran and ran, trying to get to the river.  Emelia and I were so tired and scared.  Cameron was trying to be strong and keep us going, but I know he was worried about what was happening at the castle with my Da and Mither.  Then we heard the men coming behind us.  They must have broken down the door and found the tunnel.  Cameron said he was going to try to lead them away from us and he’d catch up with us along the river.  That was the last I saw of him.  Emelia and I made it to the river, but then Donovan Thompson and some of the Thompson guards caught up with us there.  The last thing I remember is falling in the river, and Emelia was screaming for me to help her.  Donovan must have taken her!”

“Calm down, Mairi,” Alastair said.  “That was more than five summers ago, we don’t know what’s happened since then.”

“That’s why I need to get to Branxholme, Alastair,” Mairi said.  “I don’t know if my family is alive or dead.”

“We’ll find out,” Alastair said, “but we won’t be traveling until spring, especially that far.”

“I’m not waiting until spring,” Mairi said to him.

“You are,” Alastair said to her. “I won’t risk the trip at this time of year.  It’s not safe; the weather could turn at any time.”

“She’s awake?” Flora asked as she entered the room, stopping Mairi from any further protests.

“And she has her memory back,” Alastair answered.

“That’s wonderful,” Flora said.

“When can I get up, Flora?” Mairi asked.  “I need to get home and check on my family.”

“Mairi,” Alastair said, becoming frustrated, “I already told you, we won’t be able to travel anywhere until spring.”

“I’m not waiting that long,” Mairi again said to him.

“You will,” Alastair said, “we can discuss this more later.”

“You can discuss it,” Mairi said back angrily, “but you can’t stop me from going.”

“Mairi,” Alastair began, but Flora cut him off.

“Everyone out, now,” she said.  “I want to have a good look at Mairi, this arguing isn’t helping anything.  Even you, Alastair, go have a cup of ale with your Da and brothers and calm down.”

Alastair gave Mairi one last look before getting up and following his Da and brother out of the room.  Flora waited until they were gone and the door was shut before she began looking Mairi over.

“Can I give you some advice, Mairi?” Flora asked as she poked at the lump still on her head.  Mairi nodded, so she continued, “I wouldn’t argue with Alastair in front of others.  It shows disrespect.  I know if I did that to Ham, I’d end up over his knee, with my hairbrush striking my arse.”

“But he’s not listening to what I’m saying,” Mairi argued.

“Are you listening to him?” Flora asked.  “He does have a point about traveling in the winter.  A storm can blow in quickly.  Would you really want to take the chance of being caught in one?”

“I have to see what happened to my family,” Mairi said defiantly.  “None of you understand.”

Flora sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to talk to her anymore.  “You can get out of bed tomorrow if you’re feeling up to it.  I’d like you to take things slowly for a sennight, but if you begin to feel nauseous or you head hurts, I’d like you to send for me or Ina immediately.”  Mairi again nodded, and Flora left the room, hoping Mairi didn’t do anything that she’d be sorry for later.

Chapter 11 Mairi’s Mistake

“You seem to be healing well, Mairi,” Flora said, as she examined her a few days later.  “I’d still like you not to do too much, head wounds can be tricky; I’m not able to tell what damage has been done inside.”

“So what does that mean?” Alastair asked, he was sitting and playing with Cameron while Flora checked Mairi over.

“She can go back to doing normal things,” Flora told him, then she turned back to Mairi, “if you begin to feel nauseous or your head hurts, I’d still like to know.”

“Good to hear,” Alastair said.  “Thank you, Flora.”

“I’m glad you’re doing so much better,” Flora said to Mairi, “you had us all quite worried at first.  We lost Nessa to the fever; I don’t think this family would have been able to take another loss so soon.”

“How is Eadan?” Mairi asked, speaking for the first time.  She hadn’t been talking to anyone very much since her memories had returned.  They all assumed she was trying to process everything and didn’t want to rush her through it.

“As well as can be expected,” Flora answered.  “He’s been keeping to himself most of the time.  Da is trying to help him through his loss, even though things weren’t going well between him and Nessa since she carried Eadan Hamish, he’s taking her loss quite hard.”

“They were happy once,” Alastair said.  “It seemed like after Eadan Hamish was born, Nessa changed.”

“She had a hard time carrying her babe,” Flora told them both, “and not an easy delivery.  Many women suffer from baby blues, but tend to get over them with time, Nessa never did.  She was afraid if she had another babe she wouldn’t survive.”

“I wish there was something we could do for him,” Alastair said.

“Right now Eadan doesn’t seem to want to talk to anyone about it,” Flora said to them.  “He’ll come around in time after he grieves.”

“That makes two McCabe’s not wanting to talk to anyone,” Alastair mumbled, looking at Mairi.  She had barely even talked to him the last few days.  She seemed angry with everyone at Gleann, and he couldn’t figure out exactly why, but he planned to find out as soon as Flora left the room.  He was not going to end up with a marriage like Eadan and Nessa; he loved his wife too much to allow that.

“I’m off to check on others,” Flora said, “I thank God every day that the sickness has passed.”

“How many died?” Alastair asked.

“More than twenty,” Flora said, walking towards the door,  “There are still a few recovering in the village, but all the villagers in the hall have been sent back to their cottages.  It could have been much worse.”

Once the door closed behind her, Alastair turned to his wife, “I’m going to take Cam to my Da and ask him to watch him for a while, I’d like to talk to you.”

“About what?” Mairi asked, not looking at him.

“About your family, and what’s bothering you.  I know it’s hard, Mairi, but you’re taking your anger out on everyone at Gleann, and it’s not our fault,” Alastair answered.  “I’ll be back shortly.”

Once Alastair left, Mairi moved quickly.  She packed a satchel with an extra gown, her hairbrush, and some necessities.  She also made sure she had the dirk that Alastair had Craig make for her.  It sat in a leather sheath that tied onto her thigh. If Alastair wasn’t going to take her to check on her family, she would go alone.  Nothing was going to stop her from getting to Branxholme.  She threw her warmest cloak around her and headed out of the room and towards the stables.  Hopefully, it would take Alastair some time to find Hamish, and she would be well on her way by then.

Mairi moved fast as she picked out the horse she intended to ride; putting a saddle on him, and securing her bag.  She was trying to be quiet so that no one in the stables would ask what she was doing, or where she intended on going.  She mounted the horse and turned it towards the opening.  The hardest part was going to be getting past the guards and through the gates, but she was already thinking of a plan to accomplish that.

“What are you doing, Mairi?” Alastair asked from the doorway.

“I’m going home,” she said to him.  “Get out of my way, Alastair.”

“I won’t let you go,” he answered, walking towards her.  “You’re not thinking clearly.  You’ll never make it that far, especially alone.”

“I’m going,” she said, “and nothing you say will stop me.”

“I’ve already explained this to you,” he said, “we can go in the spring, but it’s too dangerous to travel in winter.  I’m not even sure where Branxholme is located.”

“I have to see what happened to my family,” Mairi insisted, holding back tears, “you don’t understand.”

“I do understand,” Alastair said gently, “but I won’t risk our lives trying to get there.  Get down from the horse, Mairi, and we can discuss this.”

“I’m going,” Mairi again insisted.

“Nay,” was all Alastair said, reaching up to help her off the horse.

“I have to go!” Mairi again insisted, and without thinking brought her riding crop down hard on Alastair’s outstretched arm, leaving an instant welt where it landed.

Mairi felt bad immediately.  Although she was angry at Alastair and everyone else for keeping her from traveling to Branxholme, she knew that they were right, and traveling in winter wasn’t a good idea.  “I’m sorry, Alastair,” she quickly said,  “I don’t know why I did that, it was a mistake.”

“That’s an excellent use for your riding crop,” Alastair said calmly, pulling it out of her hand.  “It definitely got my attention.”

Before Mairi had time to say anything else, Alastair reached up and pulled her off the horse.  Flipping her over his shoulder like a sack of grain, he carried her towards the keep.  He never stopped to look at or speak to anyone they passed as he walked through the hall, up the stairs, and into their chambers.

Hamish watched him go by as he sat in the hall playing with Cam, “looks like your Mither is in a bit of trouble again,” he said to the baby as he watched Alastair go by.  He was hoping Alastair was going to take her to task, he was worried the lass was going to try to do something foolish, or maybe she already had.

Alastair walked directly over to the chair that sat in the corner of the room, which he pulled out, sat down on, and flipped Mairi face down over his knees.  Without a moment’s hesitation, he had her gown and shift flipped up onto her back, so that she was bare from the waist down.

“I’ve tried to talk to you, but you refuse to speak to me or even listen,” Alastair began, bringing his hand down on her arse and thighs.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
“Maybe you’ll pay attention in this position.”
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
“It’s too dangerous to travel that far in the winter.”
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
“I won’t let you risk your life that way.”
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.

“You don’t understand,” Mairi cried out, tears already rolling down her cheeks.

“I do understand,” Alastair continued, “you’re the one not listening.  But I’m going to make sure you listen now.”
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.

“I’m also going to make sure you can’t ride a horse for the next week.”
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
“I’m not going to be worrying every time you’re out of my sight, that you’re going to try to make it to Branxholme by yourself.”
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.

“But I need to see what happened to my family,” Mairi said.  “Let me up so I can talk to you.”

“I’ve tried to talk to you the last few days,” Alastair said, “but you refused.  Now I’m going to talk, and you’re going to listen.”  He picked up the riding crop that he’d sat down on the table next to him.
Thwack
.  He brought it down on her thighs.  “I don’t know what else to do with you.”
Thwack
.  “You keep insisting that we go to Branxholme now.”
Thwack
.  “What about Cam?  Are you going to endanger him?”
Thwack
.  “He needs you here with him, and if we tried to take him with us and got caught in a bad snow squall, he’d never survive.”
Thwack
.

“Ouch!” Mairi screamed each time the crop landed.  “I wasn’t thinking about Cam; I’m sorry, Alastair.  Couldn’t we leave him here with your family?”

“And who would feed him?” Alastair asked.
Thwack
.  “Do you think I can just produce a wet nurse?”
Thwack
.  “Would you really want to be away from him for at least a month?”
Thwack
.

“Nay,” Mairi said.  “I didn’t think I’d be gone that long.”

“It would be at least that long,” Alastair told her.
Thwack
.  “Did you forget Owen left for the Scott land almost a month ago?”
Thwack
.  This time he brought the crop down on her sit spot.

“Stop, Alastair,” Mairi pleaded, “that hurts too much.”

“I’m not going to stop until you listen to reason,” Alastair told her.
Thwack
.  “I love you too much to let you leave here in the middle of winter and travel that far.”
Thwack
.  “I can’t believe you were going to sneak away.”
Thwack
.

“Ouch,” Mairi yelled, “but Owen didn’t know about Branxholme when he left.  What if he can’t find it?”

“He’s not an idjit,” Alastair told her.
Thwack
.  “He knew the name ‘Scott’, and he’ll ask around until he finds out what keep the Scott’s are from.”
Thwack
.

“Can I sit up now?” Mairi asked.

“Not yet,” Alastair said to her, putting his hand on the middle of her back.  “This is the most you’ve listened and talked to me in days, if this is the position I need to put you in to keep you safe, so be it.”

“I’m sorry, Alastair,” Mairi said again, meaning it.  “I wasn’t thinking about you, or Cam, or even myself.  All I can think about is the look on my Da’s face as Donovan Thompson stabbed him, or the fear that was on my Mither’s.”

“I understand that,” Alastair said, agreeing with her, “but freezing to death is not going to make it all go away.  We’ll wait for Owen to return, it’s been almost a month, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him soon.”

“Do you really think so?” Mairi asked.

“I do,” Alastair said to her, setting the crop back on the table.  “Owen knows how badly you wanted to figure out who you really were.  Remember, he has no idea your memories have returned.  He left before that happened.”

“It’ll be hard to do,” Mairi answered, “but I can wait until he returns.  I don’t think I could sit a horse for the next few days anyway.”

“Good,” Alastair said, looking down and seeing the welts he’d left on her arse and thighs, any more punishment would just be cruel, “then I won’t have to be worried every time you’re out of my sight.”  He flipped her over and sat her on his lap.  Mairi winced as her arse and thighs made contact with his legs.  “Please, don’t ever make me have to punish you that severely again.”

“I’ll try not to,” Mairi said as she snuggled into his embrace.

“But I think we’ll leave this crop in our room,” he said jokingly, “it seems to make my insolent wife listen.”

“Nay,” Mairi protested, wiping the tears from her cheeks but not being able to hide her grin.  “That’s not fair; I only hit you with it once.”

“One time too many,” Alastair said to her, kissing the top of her head.  “Are you ready to go back down to the hall and get our son?”

“Can we just sit here a little longer?” Mairi asked him.  She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed being close to him.

“Of course we can,” Alastair said, hugging her even tighter, “as long as you want.”

“I’m sorry, Alastair,” she said to him again.  “I know I’ve been impossible these last few days.  I don’t know why I hit you; I’m just so angry about everything that’s happened.  I was happy growing up at Branxholme, I remember my family so clearly now, and not knowing what happened to them is making me crazy.”

“I understand that too,” he said, “I’d be angry, and worried.  But Cam and you are the most important people in my life; I won’t let either of you put yourselves in danger, ever.”

“You’re an honorable man, husband,” Mairi said.  “I don’t know how I was ever lucky enough that it was you who came across those men attacked us that day.”

“I was the lucky one,” he told her, “because I found you.”

“You saved me,” she said.

“I’ll always try to be there to save you,” Alastair said.

Chapter 12 Guests

“Alastair,” Hamish called, as he approached Mairi and Alastair, who were sitting in the hall near the fire playing with Cam.

“What is it, Da?” Alastair asked.

“We’ve got a large party of riders approaching the gate,” he said.  “I don’t recognize the banners their showing.”

“Do you think it’s an attack?” Alastair asked, becoming concerned instantly and springing to his feet.

“I’m not sure,” Hamish said.  “Eadan, Ham, Rory and Craig are already at the gates or on their way there.  We’ve closed and barred them until we know for sure.  The guards are all in position.  Looks like a peaceful party from the way they’re riding in, but we’ll stay ready just in case.”

“Da,” Craig called, walking quickly towards them, a huge smile on his face.  “It’s Owen.  We can see him riding in front.”

“Who’s with him?” Mairi asked.

“We’re not sure,” Craig said.  “I’ve never seen the banners they’re flying in the highlands before.”

“Can I go out with you and see?” Mairi asked Alastair.

“Let me give Cam to one of the women and we’ll go, but at the first sign of trouble I want you and Cam in our chamber with the door barred,” Alastair said, and Mairi nodded her agreement.  The maids in the castle loved young Cam, and it only took a moment for him to be whisked away by one up to their chamber.

Mairi and Alastair grabbed their cloaks that hung by the door and covered themselves; it was a cold day.  They walked out into the yard and climbed the steps to the top of the parapet wall.

“Where are they?” Alastair asked Rory.

“Coming from the South,” he answered, pointing in that direction.  “You can tell it’s Owen in the front; I recognize his horse and the way he rides.”

“That’s him,” Alastair said once he got a good look.  “I wish I knew whose banners those were.”

“Do you think they’re Lord Thompson’s?” Eadan asked.  It was the first time any of the brothers had seen him in days.

“They aren’t,” Mairi said, so excited she was almost bouncing up and down.  “Those are Branxholme banners, and the other one belongs to the Kerr clan.  I’d know them anywhere.”

“Are you sure, Mairi?” Hamish asked.

“I’m sure,” Mairi answered.  “Oh, Alastair, my family has come.  They must still be alive.” She threw herself at him, hugging him tightly.

“Open the gates,” Hamish yelled to the guards.

“You’ll know everything soon enough,” Alastair told her, trying to be as excited as she was, but afraid at the same time. He wrapped his arms tightly around her as he thought, ‘what if Mairi decided to return to Branxholme with her family?’

“Let’s go down,” Mairi said, “I want to be in the yard when they ride in.”

“Of course,” Alastair answered.

Mairi almost ran down the steps to the yard below.  She couldn’t wait to see her Da, brother, and Grandda again.  She was sure some, if not all of them, must be with Owen.  As the sound of horses could finally be heard, she became more excited, not being able to stand still, she bounced from one foot to the other.
Alastair had to grin as he watched her, he had never seen her so excited before.

Owen rode in first, followed closely by two of the largest men Alastair had ever seen.  One was older than his own Da, and the other he’d guess, was around his own age.  Neither looked very happy as they looked around the yard in the keep until their eyes came to rest on Mairi.  At that moment, the older man face lit up with a large smile, and if Alastair didn’t know any better, he’d swear the man looked ready to break down in tears.

“Grandda!” Mairi yelled to them both,  “Cameron!”

Mairi’s brother and grandfather dismounted their horses quickly.  Mairi ran towards them, launching herself through the air at the last minute and landing in her Grandda’s waiting arms.

“Mairi,” the old man said, “my sweet Mairi.  We thought you were dead.”

“I can’t believe it’s really you,” her brother said as he pulled her out of their grandfather’s embrace and into his own.  “We looked for you for days.  We couldn’t find you or Emelia.”

“Is she well?  Where’s Da?  Is Mither well?” Mairi began firing questions at them.

“Welcome to Gleann,” Hamish said, approaching their guests.  “I’d like to suggest we move this reunion into the hall where there is food, drink and a warm fire.”

“And you are?” Mairi’s grandfather asked Hamish.

“Hamish McCabe, Laird of Gleann,” Hamish said, “and this is my son Alastair, who is also Mairi’s husband.”

“Finley Kerr,” Mairi’s grandfather, introduced himself, “and this fine young lad with me is Mairi’s brother, and my grandson, Cameron Scott.  I’ve heard what you’ve done for my granddaughter from young Owen; I’d like to thank you.”

“Welcome,” Alastair said.  “I’m glad you’ve come.  Mairi has been very worried since her memories have returned.”
“You got your memory back?” Owen asked as he joined them.  He had taken the time to direct the stable boys to take and care for the horses.

“I did,” Mairi told him.  “That’s a long story.”

“Where is everyone?” Owen asked.

“I told Ham, Rory and Craig to find a place for these men to rest, direct the cooks to get some food out, and the servants to pull out a keg of wine.  They’ll be in the hall waiting with Flora,” Hamish told him.  “Tonight we celebrate Mairi’s reunion with her family.”

“Where’s Nessa and Eadan?” Owen asked.

“You missed a lot, son,” Hamish told him somberly.  “Nessa passed not long after you left.  Eadan has most likely returned to his rooms; he’s grieving.  We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

Owen nodded, stunned, as he followed his Da into the hall where it was much warmer.

“What about our men?” Finley asked as he sank into a chair near the fire.

“I’ve already directed the guards to find them food and a place to bed down for however long you plan to stay,” Hamish assured him.  “You know, I saw you compete at tournaments when I was younger.  I don’t think you ever lost.”

“Those days ended long ago,” Finley said grinning, “I’m too old for that nonsense now, but they were definitely good years.”  He then turned to Mairi,  “is it true?  Has your memory returned?”

“Aye, it has,” Mairi told him smiling.  “I fell and hit my head, when I awoke I remembered everything.”

“That’s good news, granddaughter,” he said.  “I’ve heard some of your tale from Owen McCabe, but I’d like to hear it from you.”

Mairi sat down in the chair next to him and took his hand in hers.  She couldn’t quit looking at him and Cameron; she never thought she’d see them again.  “Where would you like me to start?” she asked.

“At the beginning,” he said to her.

“I’m sure you know most of the beginning from Cameron,” she said.

“But I want to hear what you remember,” he told her.  “I want to make sure that when I get the chance, I kill the right man, or men.”

Mairi gasped, but nodded, thinking back to that horrid day so many years ago.  “We were having our evening meal. It was just a normal evening except that the Thompson’s had shown up and asked for a meal and a place to spend the night.  Da agreed.  He told me to make sure I had a guard with me at all times.  He didn’t trust Stephen Thompson, but I didn’t understand why back then, I do now.  I looked up as two of the Thompson guards were closing and barring the door to the hall.  I was confused as to why they would do that.  Da stood up, I think to question what was happening, and Donovan Thompson plunged a dirk into him.  I saw it.  The Thompson guards all had hidden dirks and quickly slit the throats of the Branxholme guards they were sitting next too.  It all happened so fast.  Da screamed at Cameron to get me and Emelia out of there.  I wanted to stay, but Cameron grabbed us both and pulled us towards Da’s study and the bolthole hidden there.  Why would they do that, Grandda?”

“They wanted you, Mairi,” Finley explained.  “Did you forget that you have land between Branxholme and Ferniehirst that belongs to you?”

“What’s Ferniehirst?” Alastair asked.

“My Keep,” Finley quickly answered.

“I had forgotten about that,” Mairi answered.  “Where are Da and Mither?  Why aren’t they with you?”

“Mairi,” Cameron said, taking her other hand, “Da and Mither didn’t make it out of the hall.”

“Nay,” Mairi said, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.  “Why would they kill them?”

“To get to you,” Finley explained.  “Stephen Thompson wanted your land.  He tried to get your Da to agree to a betrothal, but Douglas turned him down.  I believe he planned on killing everyone except you so that he could get his hands on Branxholme as well.”

“So this is my fault,” Mairi said.

“Nay,” Finley and Cameron said together.

“The fault lies solely with the Thompson’s,” Finley continued.  “Are you sure it was Donovan Thompson that killed your Da?”

“I’m sure,” Mairi whispered.

“Then he’ll be dead soon enough,” Finley said.  “Cameron knew it was the Thompson’s, but not which one.  Continue your tale, Mairi.”

“You know we ran into Da’s study and Cameron barred the door.  We used the secret tunnel to escape.  We were heading towards the river so that we could follow it to your keep, but the Thompson’s guards were catching up to us.  Cameron said he was going to try to lead them in another direction.  Emelia and I made it to the river before they caught up to us.  I ended up slipping and falling in.  I tried to swim to the shore, but the current was too strong and kept pulling me downstream.  The last thing I remember was Emelia screaming for me to help her; then I hit my head on something.”

“Emelia was alive?” Cameron asked, sitting forward in his chair.

“She was last I remember,” Mairi said, “do you think they killed her?”

“We never found a body,” Finley told her.  “We assumed the two of you were killed somewhere together, but now that you’ve been found alive and well; I wonder about Emelia.”

“What happened next, Mairi?” Cameron asked.

“When I finally awoke, I was lying on the bank of the river.  I hurt just about everywhere.  That’s where John and Melinda Murray found me.”

“They were the people who sold you to a tinker?” Finley asked.

“Aye,” Mairi answered.  “At first I thought they were going to help me.  John said he’d try to find my family, but until then, I could help out on their farm.  I was happy to do so until it seemed I was doing all the chores.”

“Did they hurt you, Mairi?” Finley asked.  Mairi didn’t answer; she just stared at the floor.  “That answers my question.”

“Do you know where their farm is located?” Finley asked her.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because I’ll be paying a visit to the Murray’s on my way home, to show them what I think of their treatment of you,” Finley told her.

“I’ll be coming along for that visit,” Cameron added.

“I only know it’s somewhere down the river, past your keep.”  She turned to Cameron then and asked, “so you made it all the way to Grandda’s?”

“I didn’t have to,” Cameron told her.  “I was trying to lead them away from you and Emelia.  I was running, and I could hear horses coming towards me, I thought I was caught for sure, but it turned out to be Grandda.”

“You were coming to Branxholme?” she asked her Grandda.

“I was,” Finley told her.  “By the time we arrived, the Thompson brothers were already gone, but most of their men were still there.  You know I never travel alone, I had thirty of my own men with me.”

“So what happened?” Mairi asked.

“None of those men returned to the Thompson keep,” Finley replied.  “At first we took prisoners, but when I saw my daughter lying dead on the hall floor, I killed every last one of them.  What kind of man kills a defenseless woman?”

“I’m glad you killed them,” Mairi said to him.  “Mither and Da didn’t deserve to die that way, neither did all the guards.”

“Now tell me more about the Murray’s and this man they gave you too,” Finley prompted.  He knew he had some people to visit and didn’t want to leave anyone out.

“There isn’t much more to tell.  Samuel came along and wanted me.  At first, John said nay, but Samuel offered him money.  I’m not sure how much, but afterward, they told me I was leaving with him, and he was now my husband.”

“I won’t make you tell this story again,” Finley said, patting her hand.  “Owen already told us about there not being a real wedding to this tinker, and how Alastair married you instead.”

“My husband is a good, honorable man,” Mairi said, smiling at Alastair.

“I believe he is,” Finley said to her.

“So what happens now, Grandda?” Mairi asked him.

“First, I’d like to stay here with you for a sennight or so if that’s alright with your husband and his family,” Finley said to her.

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like,” Hamish answered.  “The maids are already preparing rooms for both of you.”

“Will you be staying too, Cameron?” Alastair asked.

“Only for a night or two,” Cameron said, then seeing the look of disappointment on Mairi’s face he added, “I need to get back to Branxholme, I have a wife and new son there.”

“You’re married?” Mairi asked.

“I am,” Cameron answered.  “After what happened to Da and Mither, I don’t like to be away for too long.”

“I understand,” Mairi said.  “I look forward to meeting your wife and son one day soon.”

“We can go to Branxholme when the weather warms,” Alastair assured her.  As he spoke, the maid who’d been watching Cam brought the baby down to them.  You could tell Cam had been crying.

“Somebody wants their Da and Mither,” the maid said as Alastair took the baby from her.  Once Alastair held him, he immediately smiled and looked around at the new people in the hall.

“Thank you for looking after him,” Alastair said as he smiled at his son.  He held him up for Finley to see, “I’d like you to meet your grandson, Alastair Cameron McCabe.”

“You named him after me?” Cameron asked, a smile on his face.

“I wasn’t sure who I was naming him for,” Mairi answered honestly, “I just knew the name Cameron seemed important to me.  What did you name your son?”

“Donald Finley Scott, after the two most important men in my life,” Cameron answered.  “If it would have been a girl, she would have been named Grace Mairi Emelia Scott.”

“So what about Emelia?” Mairi asked.  “What happened to her?”

“I’m not sure,” Finley said, looking at Cameron.  “Now that we know you’re alive; she could be too.  I’ll need to find the Thompson brothers to find out what happened to her, but I’ve been trying to catch them outside their keep for the past five summers and haven’t succeeded yet.”

“They were here not too long ago,” Alastair told them.  “They tried to kidnap Mairi from the village.”

“Both of them?” Finley asked.

“Aye,” Hamish said.  “My sons found what was left of their camp not far from here, at the beginning of winter.  We haven’t seen any sign of them since, but Mairi and Flora don’t leave the keep without guards.”

“Do you think they’re still in the area?” Cameron asked.

Ham and Flora entered the hall as Alastair answered.  “We don’t know for sure, but I won’t take any chances.  They were bold enough to try to take my wife once; I won’t let it happen again.”

“Have you searched the area?” Finley asked.

“We have guards that patrol every day,” Hamish answered.  “We’ve had some problems with highwaymen the last year or more.  No one has reported finding anything strange.”

“To stay in the area they’d need a place with shelter, water, and enough game to sustain them,” Alastair added.  “I can’t think of anywhere nearby that would have that.”

“I can,” Flora said.

“And you are?” Finley asked.

“This is my son, Ham, and his wife, Flora,” Hamish introduced the couple.  “Ham is in charge of the guard here at Gleann, and Flora is one of our healers.  Flora and Ham, this is Mairi’s Grandfather, Finley Kerr, and her brother, Cameron Scott.”

“Where do you think they could be, Lady Flora?” Cameron asked.

“Just Flora is fine,” Flora told Cameron.  Then she turned to Ham and added, “our cave would be a perfect place to hide out for the winter.”

“The one you and Ham were trapped in?” Hamish asked her.

“She’s right, Da,” Ham said.  “It’s got shelter big enough for thirty men, a spring that runs through the rocks in the back, and there were plenty of deer in the area to hunt.  Why didn’t I think of that before?”

“How far away is this cave?” Finley asked.

“Just a few hours,” Ham answered.  “If we leave before first light, we can be back by the evening meal.”

“I’d like to take a look there,” Finley said to him.  “But I’d like your agreement now, that if we find the Thompson brothers, they are mine to deal with.”

“That’s fair,” Ham told him, “but I’ll need just a minute or two with the one named Donovan.”  Finley didn’t ask why, he just nodded in agreement.

“I’m riding with you,” Mairi said.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, granddaughter,” Finley said to her.

“I’ll not be talked out of it,” she said, looking at Alastair.  “The Thompson’s ruined my life for many years.  I’d like to be present if you find them there.”

Alastair thought about it for just a few seconds, then said, “you can go, but you’ll listen to what you’re told to do.  I agree you have a right to be there, but I won’t let you put yourself in any danger.”

“I promise,” Mairi said, then looked around at the faces of the rest of the men in the hall.  They weren’t happy with her decision, but every single one of them understood it.

“Then be ready to ride in the morning,” Alastair told her, and was rewarded by a look that showed how much she appreciated his decision.

“So what happens after, Grandda?” Mairi asked.

“Once the Thompson’s have been dealt with, that’s up to you and Alastair,” Finley told her.  “You have a small keep back near the border which you can return to, with your husband and son of course.  There’s been a Steward running it for many years now, or, you can stay here with Alastair at Gleann.”

“Let’s worry about that once the Thompson’s have been dealt with,” Hamish said.  “I’d like to invite you both to the Laird’s table; our evening meal is ready to be served.”

“We accept,” Finley said to Hamish.  “I hope they’ve made a lot, I may be old, but this big body needs a lot of nourishment to keep going, and I’m famished.”  Everyone laughed as they headed for the table and the food that was being laid out there.

Chapter 13 For My Da and Mither

“Tell me about this cave we’re heading to,” Finley said to Ham, making conversation to pass the time as they rode.  “Flora said it belonged to the two of you.”

“Not exactly,” Ham said, grinning.  “She calls it our cave because we were trapped there for three days together.”

“How did that happen?” Cameron asked.

“I was escorting her home from my sister Jacqueline’s keep, and we got caught in a storm.  We sheltered in the cave waiting for it to pass, but the wind blew a large tree down over the cave opening.  Since we had the horses inside with us, we couldn’t leave,” Ham explained.

“You were escorting her home?” Finley asked, “I’m guessing this was before you were married then.”

“We married the day after my brothers found us and got us out.” Ham said grinning, remembering the fuss Flora had made when he insisted they marry.

“I’m sure her reputation was ruined after all that time,” Finley said, “it’s good you married the lass, she seems like a good woman.”

“I didn’t have to marry her because we were trapped alone together for so long,” Ham quickly said.  “I married her because I fell in love with Flora while we were trapped inside.”

“He also turned her over his knee and bared her,” Alastair said, making everyone laugh.

“She deserved it,” Ham said, still grinning, “besides, I already knew by then that I was going to marry her.  Truthfully, Flora is the best thing that ever happened to me.  I fell in love with her in that cave, but it took her a bit longer to love me back.”

“I turned my wife over this knee more than once in my younger days,” Finley said, grinning and patting his leg.

“Grandda,” Mairi said, shocked. “I can’t think of a time Grandmither did anything wrong.”

“She was a feisty woman when we were younger,” Finley said, thinking back.  “I still think of her and miss her after all these years.  You remind me of her, Mairi.”

“Mairi can be a bit feisty herself,” Alastair said, smiling at his wife, who blushed and looked away.

“Ah,” Finley said, “so you’ve been over your husband’s knee a time or two already, haven’t you?”  Then he burst out laughing as Mairi’s cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red.

“Just a sennight before you arrived,” Alastair said laughing, “when she decided to travel to Branxholme alone.”

“That would have been dangerous, Granddaughter,” Finley said, frowning at her.

“Don’t worry, Grandda,” Mairi said, glaring at Alastair, “my husband made it very uncomfortable for me to sit down for more than a few days after he caught me in the stables.”

“As he should have,” Finley said approvingly, nodding at Alastair.

**********

“Someone has been in the area,” Ham said as he examined the ground.  There were multiple boot prints in the snow and mud, and tracks from the horses they must have with them, leading in the direction where the cave was located.

“How much further to the cave?” Cameron asked.

“It’s close now,” Ham said.  “I think we should leave the horses here and walk the rest of the way.  I’d hate to give whoever is there a warning, and let them escape.”

“Agreed,” Finley said, giving his men the signal to dismount.  “We’ll go in as quietly as we can.  Two of you stay here and guard our mounts.”

“You’ll stay right next to me,” Alastair said to Mairi, who nodded.  She was nervous.  “If things go wrong, you get back to the horses as fast as you can, and ride to Gleann.”

“Aye,” she said.

They walked quietly towards the cave, each man checking to make sure their weapons were ready and easily accessible.  They came well armed, with broadswords, bows, and dirks.  Finley was from the older generation; he still carried an ax that was strapped to his chest.  As they neared the cave opening, they began to hear the sound of voices and horses and knew there were people inside.

Finley again signaled to his men, telling them to stay back, while Cameron, Alastair, and Ham accompanied him.  They silently crept closer to the cave opening and the people inside.

“I’m tired of staying in this cave,” they heard one of the men at the cave opening complain.  “We’ve been here for months.”

“So am I,” the man with him replied, “but I’m not going to tell Donovan that.”

“At least we’re not stealing from the travelers anymore,” the first said.

“That was a good plan,” the second said.  “Instead of looking for us, the clans were looking for a bunch of highwaymen. It gave us plenty of time to search for her once we learned about the tinker she married. Besides, it was fun roughing up some of those people, especially the women.”  Both men laughed thinking about the people they’d robbed and beaten, and in some cases worse.

“I don’t know why they didn’t grab the Scott bitch when they had the chance.  We could have been back in England by now,” the first man said.  “Instead, we’re stuck doing guard duty in a cave that no one even knows is here.”

“Someone knows,” the second man answered.  “There was wood stacked and a firepit already here when we found it.”

“We haven’t seen another person around in all the time we’ve been here,” the first said.

“Donovan says we stand watch, so that’s what we’ll do,” the second answered.  “He’ll be waking soon; then we’ll find out what he wants us to do today.”

“I hope he doesn’t send us to watch Gleann again,” the first said.  “The woman is never out, and if she is, she’s never alone.”

“We’ll get her eventually,” the second said, “they can’t watch her forever.”

Finley had heard enough and motioned for them to creep back to where his men were waiting.  Once they were there, he spoke quietly to all of them.  “Donovan Thompson is in there.  No one is to kill him but me.  I need some questions answered before that can happen.  The rest of his men are not to leave alive.”

“Do you think Lord Thompson is here too?” Alastair asked.

“Nay,” Finley said.  “They talk as if Donovan is in charge, that means his brother isn’t here.”

“What do you want to do?” Alastair asked.

“We’ll sneak in as close as possible.  You two,” he said, pointing at two of his archers, “take out the two guards at the entrance.  Once they’re dead, the rest of us will go in.  Remember, I want Donovan kept alive.  Mairi, you stay back here, don’t come in until the battle is over.”

“I won’t, Grandda,” Mairi answered.

“You stay well hidden,” Alastair told her.  He then turned to Finley and said, “I’d like you to leave one of your men back here with her.”

“Agreed,” Finley said, motioning for one of his best to stay and guard Mairi.  “Let’s go.”

They moved quietly, coming in from the side.  The two guards at the entrance stayed inside the opening, making it impossible for them to see anything except what was straight ahead.  Once they were close enough, Finley gave the signal, and two arrows flew through the air, directly to where the men were standing guard.  One dropped immediately as the arrow pierced his neck, but the other got off a quick warning, as that arrow missed his heart, protruding from his chest.

Finley didn’t wait, he signaled to his men again, and they ran forward into the cave with their swords raised.  The battle was over quickly, with the Kerr guards killing Lord Thompson’s men.  They had been taken by surprise and had barely had time to grab their weapons before the Scottsmen were attacking them.  The odds had been against them from the very beginning with the Kerr guards outnumbering them two to one.  By the time Alastair, Ham, Cameron and Finley entered the cave, it was over.  Only one man was still alive, Donovan Thompson.  Finley walked over to Donovan, knowing the man only had minutes to live.

“You’ll pay for this old man,” Donovan said, struggling to get free from the two guards that held onto his arms.  “Do you know who my brother is?  When he hears about this, you’ll be sorry.”

“Donovan Thompson, I’ve been waiting a long time to get my hands on you,” Finley began, “do you know who I am?”

“The man who killed my men,” Donovan said, then once again added,  “when my brother hears about what you’ve done, you’ll pay.”

“I can’t wait,” Finley said, drawing the axe from his chest and drawing Donovan’s attention to it.  “My name is Finley Kerr; my daughter was Grace Scott, the wife of Donald Scott.  Remember them?  I know it was you who killed Donald, but were you also the one who killed my daughter?”

“That wasn’t me,” Donovan quickly said.  “Stephen slit her throat himself, to get her to quit screaming.”

“Then I’ll be finding your brother, to avenge my daughter very soon  You and I are going to talk, and you’re going to give me some answers,” Finley told him.

“I’ll tell you nothing,” Donovan said, although he was beginning to look a bit nervous.

“Before we begin, there’s someone else who’d like a minute with you,” Finley said, motioning for Ham to come forward as he stepped back, giving Ham room for whatever he planned to do.

“Who are you?” Donovan asked.

“The name is Ham McCabe,” he answered.  “I’m the husband of the woman you struck at Gleann.  Do you remember her?”

“That bitch attacked me first,” he said defiantly.  “I was defending myself.”

“This is for my wife,” Ham said.  He drew back his fist and punched Donovan as hard as he could in the stomach before pulling his fist back again and striking him two more times in the face.  “We don’t strike women in the highlands, and we certainly don’t call them bitches,” was all he said as Donovan spit out two teeth and a mouthful of blood.  Ham walked away; he’d done what he needed to do.  He nodded at Finley as he passed, letting him know he was finished.

Alastair and Mairi entered the cave together as Ham was walking away.  He’d gone back to get her once the battle was over, knowing she’d be wondering what was going on.

“Mairi,” Finley said to her quietly, “you may not want to be here for what’s going to happen next.”

“I’ll stay, Grandda,” she said, trying to be brave.

“It’s not going to be pretty,” he warned her.

“I’m staying,” she said again.

Finley nodded and turned back to Donovan Thompson, ready to get answers to the questions he had.  “Where’s your brother?” he asked first.

“I already told you once,” Donovan said, spitting blood out towards Finley, “I won’t tell you anything.”

Finley said nothing but motioned to the guards to drag him over to a large rock that sat in the cave.  “Put his hand on there,” he said to the guard.  Once it was down and the guard held it in place, he raised his axe and swung it, chopping off the tips of two fingers.  Donovan screamed, looking down at his bloody hand.

“Now let’s try this again,” Finley calmly said, “where’s your brother?  I’d answer, because the next time I swing this axe, it’s going to be your whole hand I take off.”

“He went back to England,” Donovan said, he was beyond nervous and beginning to get scared.  “You can’t kill me, my brother will go to the King, they’re friends you know.”

“I’m not afraid of your English King,” Finley said.  “You killed my daughter and her husband for no reason.  You chased my grandchildren and changed their lives forever.  You’re on Scottish land trying to kidnap a Scottish woman.  What’s your King going to say to defend that?”

“If Donald Scott would have agreed to the betrothal none of this would have needed to happen,” Donovan said.

“Why does Stephen want Mairi so badly?” Finley asked.

“He didn’t tell me,” Donovan said, then seen the flash as the axe came down again, taking the tip of two more fingers.

“Last chance,” Finley said, “you really don’t want me to take your hand off, do you?”

“For trade,” Donovan said.  “It’s in the perfect spot to take over the trade in the area between the English and Scottish.  If he married Scott’s daughter, he’d have control of the land.  It’s good farmland too, with the river running through it.”

“Why is he still after her?  He has to know that she’s already married to someone else,” Finley asked.

“He doesn’t care,” Donovan said.  “We were told to bring her back and kill her husband, or kill her and he’ll just marry the other one.”

“What other one?’ Cameron asked, speaking for the first time.

“The younger one,” Donovan said, again looking at his now mangled hand.

“Emelia?” Mairi asked.  “She’s still alive?”

Donovan didn’t answer right away, knowing he’d already said too much until he seen the axe rise once more.  “She’s still alive,” he said quickly.  “Stephen is just waiting for her to turn sixteen, then he plans on marrying her and taking the land that was her sister’s.”

“Where is she?” Cameron asked, grabbing Donovan by the throat and lifting him off the ground as the guards who were holding his arms let go.

“Easy, lad,” Finley said, “he can’t answer if you squeeze his throat that tightly.”  Cameron lowered him just a bit, until his feet barely touched the ground, and loosened his grip enough for Donovan to breathe.

“I don’t know,” Donovan answered.  “Stephen moves her around to different places to keep her hidden.”

“Has he hurt her?” Cameron asked.  “I swear to God if he’s hurt her, I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”

“Last I saw her she was alive and well,” Donovan barely managed to say, struggling to take his next breath.

“Let go of him,” Finley said, “I don’t think there’s anymore he can tell us.”

Donovan waited until Cameron let go of him before he acted.  As soon as he was free, he ran towards Mairi, “If you only would have come with me at the river,” he began as he went to grab her.  Mairi acted without thinking.

For the last month Alastair had been teaching her how to use her dirk, which was always strapped to the outside of her thigh.  She’d had her gowns made with a special pocket that made it possible to reach it without having to pull her gown up or reach underneath it.  As Donovan went to grab her, she pulled her dirk and lunged forward, plunging it directly into his chest and through his heart, right where Alastair had shown her.  “That’s for my Da and my Mither,” she said, looking Donovan in the eye and seeing the life drain out of him before he fell to the floor at her feet, dead.  As soon as it was over, Mairi turned around, bent over and vomited on the cave floor.

Chapter 14 Home

“So all this time there was never a group of highwaymen?” Hamish asked as he listened to the group retell what happened at the cave.

“Aye,” Ham answered.  “They were attacking travelers for supplies.  It also kept anyone from noticing a group of Englishmen searching for a Scottish woman.”

“Are you sure you killed them all?” Hamish asked.

“None survived,” Finley answered.  “We dragged the bodies into the woods and buried them there.  It wasn’t easy with the ground being frozen, but I want to keep their deaths quiet as long as possible.”

“What are we going to do about Emelia?” Cameron asked his grandfather.  “We can’t leave her there.”

“I’m thinking on that, lad,” Finley answered.  “I could take my men and lay siege to his castle, but the King may not be happy if I start a damn war.”

“There’s got to be a way,” Cameron said.  “Who knows what they may have done to her the past five summers.”

“You need to get someone inside to find where they’re keeping her,” Hamish said.

“I’m thinking the same,” Finley said.  “The problem is that the Thompson’s would spot any of my men, or Cameron’s for that matter.”

“If they were watching Gleann, they would recognize many of my people too,” Hamish said.

“You have to rescue her, Grandda,” Mairi said.  “Use me and see if he’d be willing to trade.”

“Nay,” Alastair quickly said.  “I won’t allow that.”

“But, Alastair,” Mairi said, “this is my fault.  If I had let them take me that day, they might have left her alone.”

“They would have killed her,” Finley said.  “Even if I agreed to your idea, which there is no way I ever would, I believe they would kill her now before admitting they’ve had her all these years.”

“We don’t even know where they’re holding her, Mairi,” Cameron said.  “You heard what Donovan said.  Lord Thompson moves her often.”

“When will the lass be six and ten summers?” Hamish asked.  “We need to know how much time we have to get her out of there.”

“We?” Finley asked.

“Of course,” Hamish said.  “Mairi’s family is our family, and we don’t leave family behind.”

“We have a little more than three months before she’s forced to marry,” Finley said.  “I don’t know if that’s enough time to do something.”

“I have an idea,” Owen said, making everyone turn and look at him.

“What is it, son?” Hamish asked.

“I’ll go,” he began, and Cameron started to protest before he held up his hand and continued, “let me finish.”

“Go ahead, young Owen,” Finley said, “we’re listening.”

“If the English were watching Gleann they could recognize any of you,” he began, “but I’ve been gone except for the one night when I came home and met Mairi.  I left the next day again, remember?  I went to find out if the Scott’s were Mairi’s family.  No one should recognize me.  I’d also need to stop in Edinburgh and get my friend John.”

“Who’s John?” Finley asked.

“He also serves the King and is training to be a knight.  He’s English,” Owen said.

“An Englishman serving the Scottish King?” Cameron asked.

“His Mither was Scottish,” Owen explained.  “He wanted to see more of Scotland and learn more about his Highland family.”

“So why do you need him?” Finley asked, beginning to think Owen had the start of a decent plan.

“As I said, John’s English.  He could give a valid reason for me to be in England and say that I’m one of his cousins from Scotland,” Owen explained.  “He also knows the area.”

“So do we,” Cameron said.

“You’ll not be able to contact me,” Owen said.  “If the English caught on to the plan, it would be ruined.”

“How long do you think it would take you to get her out?” Finley asked.

“You’re not really considering this, are you, Grandda?” Cameron asked.

“Aye,” Finley answered.  “I think this might work.”

“It depends,” Owen answered.  “I’ve got to get into the keep first, then figure out where they’re holding the lass, come up with a way to get her out of there, and then get her back to Scotland.”

“Seems like a lot to accomplish in just a few months,” Hamish said, having his doubts.

“Do you have a better idea?” Owen asked.

“Nay,” Hamish answered.

“How will we know what’s happening?” Cameron asked.

“I’ll use John as a messenger,” Owen said, then jokingly added,  “as I said he’s English, so don’t kill him when he shows up at your gates.”

“If his mother was Scottish, then so is he,” Finley said.  “We’ll do as you ask, Owen, but know that when the time comes, Stephen Thompson is mine to deal with.”

“Fair enough,” Owen agreed.  “I’m going to need you to catch up with him anyway.  You know he’ll come after us.  Once I’ve got Emelia free, I’ll send John to Branxholme.  You’ll need to leave almost immediately.  I’m sure Lord Thompson will try to catch us, alone we stand no chance.”

“Why not just bring her to Branxholme?” Cameron asked.

“That’s the first place they’ll look for her and may try to get there ahead of us.  I won’t take her to Ferniehirst either,” Owen explained.

“Where will you go?” Cameron asked.

“I don’t think Gleann is a good choice either,” Hamish said, “Lord Thompson knows the McCabe’s and the Scott’s are connected.”

“I could take her to Tarmon or Tioram,” Owen said.  “You know Connor and Ross would gladly help.”

“I’ll send messengers with a scroll explaining what’s happening and that you may show up there.” Hamish said, then turned to Finley telling him, “the sooner you kill the man, the sooner Mairi and Emelia will be safe.”

“Aye.  We’ll be ready when your friend comes,” Finley said. “I want my Granddaughters to be able to come home.”

“It may take months,” Owen warned.  “When I stop in Edinburgh, I’ll also need to get an audience with the King.  He’ll need to know what’s happening.  He wasn’t happy when he learned about Mairi, and the English trying to take her from Gleann.”

“When will you leave?” Cameron asked.

“First thing tomorrow,” Owen answered.

“I need to head for Branxholme tomorrow myself,” Cameron said.  “I’ll travel with you on the first part of your journey.”  Owen nodded his agreement.

“What about you, Grandda?” Mairi asked.  “Will you stay for a while?”

“I’d like to stay for another fortnight,” he said, looking at Hamish, who nodded his agreement.  “I’ve just found you again, granddaughter, and I’m not willing to leave you yet.”

“I’ve been thinking about what to do about the distance between our families,” Alastair said, seeing the struggle Mairi was having with Cameron leaving so soon.

“Aye,” Mairi said, “I’ve been thinking about it too.”

“I may have a solution,” Alastair said to her.  “I won’t take you to the lowlands until this situation with Lord Thompson is settled.”

“You said we could go in the spring,” Mairi interrupted.

“Hear me out, Mairi,” Alastair said.  “I won’t take you until Lord Thompson is dead and not a threat to you anymore.  Once he’s been taken care of, I think we should make our home in both places.  We can spend our summers in the Highlands here at Gleann, and then in the fall, travel to the lowlands and winter there with your family.  Then once spring comes, we can come back here.  It’ll be a lot of traveling, but it’s a way for our children to know both their Highland and Lowland families.”

“You’d be willing to leave Gleann?” Mairi asked.

“It’d only be for a few months,” Alastair answered.  Mairi didn’t answer, but jumped out of her seat and threw her arms around Alastair.  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.  “Don’t you know by now I’d do anything to make you happy?”

“Everything I went through was worth it to end up with you, Alastair McCabe,” Mairi said, and kissed him in front of everyone, making Finley smile knowing his granddaughter was married to such an honorable man.

“What the hell,” Hamish said, jumping to his feet as the doors to the hall opened and Rory came running in, smiling.

“Riders approaching,” he told them all.

“Who is it?” Hamish asked.

“They’re flying banners from both Tarmon and Tioram,” Rory answered.

“Looks like you might get to meet my sister before spring,” Alastair said to Mairi, who now sat on his lap.

“If that lass traveled here in winter, I’m going to turn her over my knee and paddle her backside good.  What is Connor thinking?” Hamish said.

“I bet Connor had no choice in bringing her,” Flora said, holding back a laugh.

Connor, Jacqueline and Ross all entered the hall together, with Jacqueline in the lead.  “Hello, Da,” she said kissing him on the cheek and giving him a quick hug.  “Where’s Eadan?”

“In his chamber,” Hamish answered, as he took Alyssa out of her arms and began unwrapping her from the furs she was bundled up in.  “What are you doing here, daughter?”

“I came for Eadan,” she said, taking off her cloak and handing it to Ross before hurrying up the stairs in the direction of her brother’s chamber.

“Connor?” Hamish said.  “I can’t believe you brought her this time of year.”

“I had no choice,” Connor said, beginning to unwrap Annabelle.  “Your daughter is quite stubborn at times and insisted we come now.”

“You should have taken a hairbrush to her and changed her mind,” Hamish said, a bit frustrated with his son by marriage.

“I did,” Connor said, “the first time I caught her in the stables readying a horse.  The second time, I took a strap to her.  The third time, she informed me that even if I beat her black and blue, there was nothing that was going to stop her from getting home to her brother.  When Ross stopped and said he was traveling to Gleann, I decided it was better to just come with him.”

“You know how Jacqueline is when she makes her mind up, Da,” Ross said stepping forward.  “It was safer for us to accompany her or she would have come alone.”  Hamish just nodded, knowing they were both telling the truth.  He looked down at Alyssa who smiled at him, and he smiled back, realizing how much he’d missed seeing them the last few months.

“That was your sister?” Mairi asked.  Alastair hadn’t even had time to introduce them before Jacqueline was gone from the room.

“That was her,” Alastair said.  “I’m sure she’ll be down soon, and I’ll introduce you then.”

“I think I like her already,” Mairi said, fighting back her laughter.

“Maybe I should keep you away from her,” he teased, “she might be a bad influence on you.”  Everyone at the table heard, and laughed, although the McCabe’s knew Alastair’s words were probably true.

**********

“Eadan?” Jacqueline called out as she knocked on her brother’s chamber door.  “It’s Jacqueline, can I come in?”

“Jacqueline,” Eadan said, opening the door, “what are you doing here?”

“I came for you, big brother,” she said sitting down on the edge of his bed.  “Da sent a message about Nessa; I’m so sorry.”

Eadan sat down next to her and started to say something, but before he could get any words out, he began to sob.  Jacqueline pulled her oldest brother towards her and held him without saying anything, letting him cry.  They sat that way for a long time, neither of them able to talk.  Once Eadan had gotten himself back under control, he wiped the tears from his face.

“Good thing none of our brothers saw that,” he said, trying to half-heartedly joke with her.

“I’ll never tell,” she said, nudging him.  “I don’t know what else to say except that I’m sorry.  Nessa was a good woman, and I’ll miss her.”

“As will I,” Eadan said.  “I know our marriage had problems the last year, but I was still hoping we could work them out.”

“Nessa changed when she carried Eadan Hamish,” Jacqueline told him.  “Everyone could see it.”

“I couldn’t make her happy,” Eadan said, looking at the floor.

“Nay,” Jacqueline said firmly.  “Nothing could make her happy.  She had a terrible time carrying her babe, then a horrible delivery.  It was Nessa, Eadan, not you.”

“That’s what Da says,” Eadan admitted.

“So how long do you plan to stay up here in your chamber sulking?” she asked him.  “I’m guessing you’ve been up here since it happened.”

“I can’t stand the look on everyone’s face when they see me,” Eadan said.

“What look?” Jacqueline asked.

“The look of pity,” Eadan answered.  “Everyone knew I was a terrible husband.”

“Enough,” Jacqueline said firmly and smacked Eadan on the back of the head.

“Ow!” Eadan exclaimed.  “Why did you do that?”

“The only one that is pitying you, is you,” she said to him.  “You’ve been up in this room hiding from everyone, thinking about what a terrible man you are.  Where were you when Nessa died?”

“Next to her,” he answered.

“Right where you should have been,” Jacqueline told him.  “It’s time to face the family, Eadan.  You’re a strong man, and the McCabe’s are a strong family, you’ll get through this if you let us all help you.”

“You’re probably right,” Eadan said, sighing.

Jacqueline slapped him again, “enough of the self-pity, pull yourself together for your son.  Are you going to grieve for years like Da did?”

“Nay,” Eadan said, then added, “if you slap my head one more time baby sister, I promise you, I’m going to turn you over my knee and spank you till you can’t sit down.”

“Now there’s my big brother,” she said to him grinning.  “Besides, if you stay up here, who’s going to teach my children how to handle a bow?”

“You will,” Eadan said, beginning to laugh for the first time in almost a fortnight.  “You’re almost as good with the bow as I am.”

“How will I have time?” she asked, putting a hand on her swollen belly.  “The way Connor keeps putting babes in me, I’ll be too busy.”

“I can’t believe you traveled here in your condition,” Eadan said, putting a hand on her belly.

“It was a smooth journey,” she told him.  “I think there’s only one in here this time, and I’ve got months to go.  Besides, I had to come.”

“Why is that?” he asked her.

“Because I love you,” was her simple answer.

“I love you too,” Eadan answered, feeling better than he had in quite a while.

“How about coming downstairs with me,” she said to him.  “I’m sure by now Connor has told them all about how he ended up bringing me to Gleann, I could use someone on my side.”

“I’m not sure I’m going to be on your side,” Eadan said to her, “but I’ll come with you.”

“I’m sure you won’t be,” she sighed and said, “but it was worth the spankings to see you.” She hugged Eadan one more time and stood up; they left the room together.

**********

“I love your sister,” Mairi said as she climbed into bed beside Alastair.

“I knew you would; I love her too,” Alastair said.  “I’m glad I’m not Connor though.  I think my hand would get sore if she were my wife.”

“Eadan even smiled and laughed a bit when he came down with her and joined us in the hall,” Mairi said.

“If anyone could bring him out of his sorrow it would be Jacqueline.  We all spoiled her rotten growing up.  Although, I bet everyone one of us, except James and maybe Owen, have had her over our knee at least once.”

“You spanked you sister?” Mairi asked.

“Spanked, strapped, used her hairbrush,” Alastair said.

“How about a riding crop?” Mairi asked, grinning.

“That’s something special just for feisty wives,” he said, making Mairi laugh.

Alastair reached over and pulled his wife into his side.  She snuggled back against him, rubbing her arse against his cock and felt it begin to harden.  She reached her hand back and began to stroke it just the way Alastair had shown her.

“It felt good to ride again,” she said to him.  “I remember that I used to ride often at Branxholme.  I was a good horsewoman.”

“You can ride anytime, Mairi,” Alastair said, rolling onto his back.  “In fact, you can ride right now.”

“Now?” Mairi began to ask as Alastair lifted her over him, lined her cunny up with his cock and let her slowly slide down onto him.

“Ride me, Mairi,” Alastair said to her, lifting her off of his cock and letting her sink back down onto it again.

Mairi wasn’t sure what Alastair meant at first until he lifted her and let her fall.  They had never done it this way before, but it felt wonderful.  She put both hands on his chest and used her legs to push herself up and then slide down, over and over again.  She began doing it faster and grinding down on him each time, trying to make him go deeper.  She let herself lean forward just a bit, making that nub Alastair had told her about, rub against him each time.  Mairi closed her eyes as she rode him until she finally reached her pleasure, grinding down on his cock as she rode it to completion.

Alastair felt his wife tighten around him but held himself back from joining her.  He wasn’t done with her yet.  As soon as her cunny let go of his cock he pulled her up off of him and laid her down on her stomach beside him.  Not giving her time to think he got on his knees behind her, grabbed her by her hips and pulled her up onto her hands and knees before plunging his cock back into her soaking wet opening.

“My turn,” he said, slapping her on the arse.
Smack, smack.

“Harder, Alastair,” Mairi panted.

“Harder with my cock or my hand?” he asked, not sure which she was referring to.

“Both,” she said.

Alastair grabbed her by the hips and plunged into her faster and more forcefully.
Smack, smack.
“Like that?” he asked.

“Aye,” she squealed.

Alastair kept pumping into her as she rocked back against him, again trying to make him go further up inside her.
Smack, smack.
Once again he felt her begin to tighten around him as he gave her two last swats.
Smack, smack.

“Alastair!” Mairi screamed out as again she climaxed.

Alastair again fought the urge to join her and kept pumping into her cunny as it was squeezing his cock tightly.  Once she was finished he again pulled out, rolling her onto her back, spread her legs and again thrust his cock back into her.

“One more time, wife,” he said to her, as Mairi looked up at him in wonder.

“I don’t know if I can again,” she said to him as he pumped in and out of her.

“You can,” he answered, reaching his hand between them and beginning to work her clit quickly.  It was already hardening again.  Alastair held himself up on his other arm as he rubbed her clit and continued pumping into her as quickly and forcefully as he could.  He wasn’t going to last much longer and needed to bring his wife to orgasm one more time before joining her.  “Come for me, Mairi.”

Mairi stared up at him, not believing how much she was enjoying what Alastair was doing to her.  She had learned to love the duties of the marriage bed since the first time he’d bedded her, but he’d never done anything like this. She brought her hips up to meet him each time, wishing he would push down on that spot just a bit harder.  Finally, she felt herself begin to get that familiar flutter in her belly that traveled down to her cunny.  Just as she began to orgasm, Alastair slapped her clit forcefully three times.
Smack, smack, smack.
Causing her to erupt into the most forceful orgasm she had ever experienced.

Alastair felt his wife’s cunny again grip his cock tightly as her clit began to pulse under his fingers.  He gave it a few good slaps and felt her cunny grip him tighter than ever before as he grabbed her hips and thrust into her a few more times before erupting inside of her.  He slowed his rhythm down and let her catch her breath before pulling out and lying down beside her.

“That was incredible,” Mairi said to him, still gasping for air.  “I think I enjoyed riding you as much as I enjoy riding a horse.”

“I agree, and you can ride me anytime,” Alastair said to her, laughing softly.  “Do you know what I think is incredible?”

“What?” she asked him.

“You, Mairi McCabe.  You watched your family get attacked, lost your memories, were forced into a bad marriage, had the strength to marry again, got your memory back, found your family, and then killed the man who caused it all.  You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met.”

“Not as incredible as, my husband,” she answered smiling at him.  “You made promises to me Alastair and kept every single one.  You’re a man of honor, and I consider myself lucky that you found me and married me.”

“Let’s get some sleep, wife,” Alastair said to her, pulling her into his side once more.  “I’d like to be up to see Owen and Cameron off in the morning.”

“Do you think he’ll be able to find Emelia?” Mairi asked.  “I’m so worried about her.”

“Aye,” Alastair answered.  “He’ll find her; we just need to be patient and give him time.  I think he can do it.”

“I’m finding that with the McCabe’s anything is possible,”   Mairi said.  “He’ll find her; he has too.  Sleep well Alastair, I love you.”

“And I love you, Mairi,” he said as he drifted off to sleep, thankful for the woman in his arms.

Epilogue

“Be careful, Owen,” Hamish said as he watched his son mount his horse, “if there’s anything we can do to help, just send word.”

“I will, Da,” Owen said, “but don’t worry if you don’t hear from me for a few months.”

“I’ll worry,” Hamish said, smiling up at his son, “I can’t help that.”

“I’ll be stopping in Edinburgh for a night.  Hopefully, I can obtain an audience with the King, find John quickly, and be on my way to England,” Owen told Finley as he joined them.

“Take care, young Owen,” Finley said, “remember, if you need anything, Branxholme and Ferniehirst aren’t that far away.”

“You’ll be hearing from me,” Owen said, nodding at Cameron as he joined him.  “I’ll find her, Finley; I promise you that.”

“I hope so, lad,” Finley answered.  “I really hope so.”

“Let’s go,” Owen said to Cameron, “the quicker we leave, the quicker I find your sister.”

“Good luck, Owen,” Mairi said, “and thank you.”

“If Emelia looks anywhere near as beautiful as you,” Owen teased, “I just might have to marry her myself since you already married my brother, and didn’t wait for me.”

Mairi laughed and said, “he found me first.”

“Lucky man,” Owen said and winked at her.

“Goodbye, Mairi,” Cameron said to his sister.  “I love you.  I can’t wait for us to see each other again.”

“I love you too, and I’ll miss you, Cameron,” Mairi said, tears filling her eyes.  “I look forward to meeting your wife and my nephew.”

“As they will you,” Cameron said, then turned to Owen and said half-jokingly, “let’s ride before I make an idjit out of myself and cry like a babe.”

The two men, now family, and half of the Kerr guards gave their mounts a kick in the side and headed out the gates of Gleann.  Owen was hoping he’d be able to fulfill his promise and find Mairi and Cameron’s sister.  He knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task.  He looked back one more time and waved to his family that had gathered to watch him leave, and wondered how long it would be until he saw them again.  The thought made him sad, as it always did when he left home for any length of time.

He began to think of what he needed to do as soon as he got to Edinburgh.  He was hoping to see the King, find John and be on his way within a day, two at the most.  Then he smiled as a thought came to him, maybe if he had time, he’d visit his favorite tavern there and his favorite tavern girl.  Wynda was always willing to show him a good time for a little coin.  The thought cheered him up a bit, and he gave his mount another nudge, taking it from a walk to a slow gallop, heading towards the next adventure in his life.

Thank you for reading “A Man of Honor The McCabe’s Book 5”.  I’d appreciate it if you’d leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads letting me know what you thought of the book, good or bad.  I read and take all your comments seriously as I write the next one.

You can also contact me directly at:

bethanyhauck11@yahoo.com

I make a point to respond to all e-mails and look forward to hearing from you.  You can also follow me on twitter @bethanyhauck11

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Happy Reading,

Bethany

Coming soon in the spring of 2018

Her Brave Knight

The McCabe’s Book 6

(Owen and Emelia)