Her words seemed to echo around him, and they tormented him as they always did. But she did not mean to do that to him, for Elisabeth had given him permission to continue on without her. And he had.
Kicking the final stone there on the landing of the steps and watching it bounce off the wall, Iain took a deep breath and decided to leave this matter be for now. If he met a woman who stirred his desire for marriage, and not some child being thrust at him for the purpose of clan alliances, he would think on it once more.
Iain had to laugh aloud then, at the way that life and the fates sometimes conspired to show the folly of decisions and well-meaning plans. For in that moment, he realized that hehadmet someone who turned his thoughts in unusual directions. There was a woman whom he visited each time he made his way to Dunnedin. One who filled his thoughts every time he began his arrangements to visit the stronghold of the MacKendimen Clan. The woman who was the most inappropriate one in his life.
Robena MacKendimen.
He enjoyed spending time with her, and she seemed to welcome him there. But he was certain that she thought of himin a completely different way than he did about her. To her, he was a valued customer. To him, she was a splendid companion, even if she was the village harlot. He’d spent many hours, days even, in her company since Elisabeth’s passing. She was intelligent, passionate, quick-witted, and . . . comfortable. She demanded nothing of him while offering so much to him.
As he sent off word to Robert that he would indeed visit Dunnedin, as was his custom for the coming holidays and end-of-year festivities, Iain laughed at the preposterous idea that came to him then. Worse, the thought occurred to him several times over the next days before he left to journey there.
Robena MacKendimen as his wife.
His nephew and his other kin would die of apoplexy if he mentioned it. Mayhap he should, just to get Jamie to cease his badgering over it. Iain kept laughing aloud every time the thought struck him.
But by the time he rode from Dunbarton, the thought of it—of her—did not seem so nonsensical as before.
Dunnedin,Scotland
Robena heard the footsteps crunching up the path outside her cottage and stood. Though most men waited until night had fallen, some preferred their pleasure earlier in the day. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook out the wrinkles in her gown as she walked across the chamber. Putting on her best welcoming smile, she lifted the latch and tugged the door open to greet her guest.
“Robena,” Rob Mathieson said as he nodded his head to her.
Of all the people—the men—who could be standing there, he was the last one she expected to see. Currently the tanist to the chieftain of the MacKendimen Clan, Rob had been her childhood friend before he’d been exiled by his natural fatherand fostered elsewhere. Almost five years ago, he’d been called back here and had, after a good amount of trouble and travails, found himself married to the Lady Anice and acknowledged by his father.
Happily marriedto the Lady Anice.
“What are ye doing here, Rob?” she asked, pulling the door closed behind her and stepping onto the path. In spite of her understanding with the lady, Robena wanted no gossip spreading about his presence here. The lady had turned to Robena in a time of difficulty, humiliation, and uncertainty, and Robena had counseled her in the ways of men and women. From all outward appearances, Robena’s advice had helped and, in return, the lady had granted her entrance to the castle and keep.
“Iain sent word,” Rob said. Holding out a piece of parchment, he explained. “He will visit here for the end of the year, until Hogmanay is done. I just thought ye would wish to ken?”
Robena tried not to smile as she gathered her hair up and tossed it over her shoulders. Iain was a friend of Rob’s, and a favorite of hers as well. He paid well for her time, but more than that, she enjoyed that time with him.
“’Twould make things simpler if ye simply moved into the keep and stayed with him, ye ken?” Rob tucked the letter inside his tunic and shrugged. “After all, ’tis not a secret that he spends time with ye when he’s here.”
Men.She sighed. They always seemed to see things with a simple sense of clarity, while being able to ignore all the consequences and subtleties. Rob meant well, but she shook her head in reply.
“He must see to ye and the laird while I cannot be there. Ye ken how Struan feels about me being there when family is at table.” In spite of the lady’s acceptance, the laird would never allow it.
“I can speak to him.” This was not the first time he’d offered to help in this matter.
“Nay, Rob.” Robena shook her head again. “He is chieftain, and ye cannot naysay him simply to provide a whore for yer friend.”
“Robena.”
His blue eyes darkened in anger then, and he crossed his arms over his massive chest, making her feel very small next to him. It yet amazed her that at one time, they’d run as friends in this village, and she’d kept up with him and the others. Then, the changes that happened to make lads and lasses into men and women had forced them to acknowledge that they could not remain so.
And when her mother had died and Robena took over her place there, she’d never felt shame for it. Rob’s wife Anice had made it clear that she accepted Robena’s place in the clan, and so Robena was not mistreated or forced to do anything she did not wish to do. Truth be told, she had plenty of food, and warm clothing and a place to live.
Luckier than most women who served the baser needs of men.
“Rob, ye ken the way of it. How I live,” she said, patting his arm now. “Tell Iain to visit when he can. I will be waiting for him.” She turned to go back inside, for the November winds spoke of the coming winter and tore through her gown, chilling her. Rubbing her arms, she reached for the latch when Rob spoke again.
“He said he wants ye for his whole time here.”
Her body, used to giving pleasure to men, reacted to those words. Iain was a generous man, and likewise a generous lover. He made certain she found pleasure in their every encounter. Not something a whore sought, but she appreciated his attentions to her needs. Now, at the thought of being only hisfor three or four weeks, her body warmed and throbbed. Robena shivered then, not at the cold winds but at the private heat that poured through her. She smiled as she met Rob’s gaze then.
“’Tis fine. I will tell the others.”
