A trio of spies paid by Euan had infiltrated Campbell Castle where they knew Lisette had been taken after her marriage, and the burgundy cloak was with her, too.One of them, a stout middle-aged woman working as a maidservant, had seen the garment hanging in the armoire, but there had been no opportunity for her to grab it and make her way out of the fortress.
At least that was the latest news they had received this morning from a MacDougall clansman who had spoken to another of Euan’s spies, a farmer from the village who was free to move his wagon in and out of Campbell Castle with produce for the kitchen.
Lisette had reportedly been bound to her bedchamber with Lady Aislinn Campbell forever hovering around her, thwarting any attempt thus far to be done with retrieving the cloak and on their way back to Dumfries.
At any time, their ship might be discovered by those loyal to King Robert, and they would be forced to find another place to conceal their presence that wasn’t as close to the fortress.So far they had been lucky with other MacDougalls supplying them with food and horses when needed, the exiled clan only too eager to lend a hand against their powerful enemies that now controlled much of Argyll.
Euan had told her what happened to Earl Seoras MacDougall in June, his head severed with one sword blow from his body by the renowned warrior Gabriel MacLachlan, who now bore the title of earl.
True, Seoras had overstepped his bounds by ruthlessly seeking the title of King of Scots for himself, and he was known for his savage cruelty that had many wishing him dead.MacLachlan and two of his captains, Cameron and Conall Campbell, had helped to save King Robert’s life that day, with Cameron now a baron and laird of Campbell Castle.
It might have been Isabeau to become the wife of Conall, the younger brother, if he had arrived a few moments earlier at the convent and abductedherinstead of Lisette.Right now, Isabeau was certain that she might have enjoyed such a fate, a sideways glance at her sleeping husband with drool dripping from his mouth making her want to reach again for a pillow.
Instead Conall, named a baron, too, and rewarded with his own castle and lands further to the north, had wed Lisette!Her station in life had risen overnight from a lowly lady’s maid destined to wed one of Euan’s men to another Lady Campbell, which sickened Isabeau all the more.
“Damn you, Lisette,” she said through gritted teeth.She shifted further away from Euan, and yanked a blanket over her breasts as queasiness assailed her from the ship’s incessant rocking.
All of this misery she blamed on her half-sister!Isabeau had thought from how swiftly they had sailed north, instead of traveling overland by horseback, that this entire debacle would be over and done as swiftly.Her burning hope now was that Lisette would be well enough to leave her bedchamber for a wedding feast in three days, so their spies could grab that wretched cloak and transport it to the ship, the thing done.
All that would be left to Isabeau then was devising a way to rid herself of Euan, which would leave her a wealthy widow with lands in both France and Scotland and the freedom to choose her own lovers…for she would never again marry.
Never!
Chapter15
“Come, I’m eager for you tae meet my son.”
Lisette nodded as Conall led her by the hand toward a room where the door was ajar, the cloak he had grabbed from the armoire to wrap her in, swishing around her legs.
Isabeau’s wedding cloak, though Lisette didn’t mind, more grateful for its warmth than that it had once belonged to her half-sister.
The air in the fortress had grown chilly after the recent storm, the day having dawned gray and cold.It had been so hard to leave the snug comfort of their bed and she had attempted to protest.Conall had silenced her with a fervent kiss and a good squeeze to her bare rump before throwing back the covers and pulling her up with him.
Her flesh at once covered with goosebumps and her nipples puckered from the cool air, which had made Conall stare at her in so hungry a manner that she’d wondered if he might pick her up and toss her right back on the bed.
His male flesh grown thick and hard and standing at attention, which had made her giggle and marvel, too, that he could appear eager for more lovemaking when they had satisfied each other so wondrously upon first awaking.
Even now, Lisette felt her cheeks burn at the startling image in her mind of Conall lowering his head between her thighs to pleasure her with his tongue in so delirious a fashion, she felt her knees weaken at the remembering.
“Och, woman, I know what you’re thinking,” he whispered against her ear, letting go of her hand to wind his arm around her waist and pull her close for a kiss.Yet so brief a one that she yearned for more even as Conall looked at her with mock sternness.“Later, my love…later.Listen!I can hear Colin laughing.I had his and Lorna’s belongings brought from the village, including his toys.”
Indeed, the boy’s playful outburst carried to them from the open door, a very good sign for his recovery that made Conall smile broadly and once again take Lisette’s hand.She smiled, too, at how boyish he looked in that moment—making her heart jump and eagerness filling her to see more of this side of her husband.
The scowling Highlander she’d known during their journey north had all but disappeared, and she didn’t miss him even a little.She did slow her step, though, but not because of her ankle that hardly hurt anymore.Her smile faded at her sudden nervousness.
“You mustna worry about Lorna,” Conall murmured, pulling her close again for one more quick embrace.“We spoke last night when I brought her and Colin tae this room and she’s eager tae meet you as well.”
Warmed that Conall had sensed her unease and sought to reassure her, Lisette nonetheless didn’t feel as convinced as he appeared.
She felt his fingers tighten a bit around hers, which made her certain now that he wasn’t entirely sure, either, about Lorna’s reception.Lisette caught her breath as he opened the door wider so they could enter, Colin’s laughter ceasing as she and Conall entered the room.
The little boy—the very image of his father with his midnight hair and deep blue eyes—skittered back to his mother from where he’d been playing by the window and gazed out at them from behind her skirt.Lorna stood slightly taller than Lisette and wore a simple brown tunic belted at the waist, which accentuated the curves of her body, her honey-gold hair freshly brushed and falling to her narrow waist.It was she that laughed now, a light brittle sound, as she took his arm and pulled him around in front of her.
Not gently as Lisette might have expected, but with a sharp jerk that made Colin gasp and look up at his mother while Conall’s grip on Lisette’s fingers grew tighter.He hadn’t released her hand, but drew her further into the room, a tenseness in him now that belied the forced smile on his face.
“Lorna…Colin…this is Lisette, my wife.”
Nothing was said for what seemed the longest moment, Colin looking uncertainly from Lorna and then to Lisette before he gazed up at his father.
