“Thank him for me, nonetheless,” she said.
Stellan’s estimation of her rose higher. “Do ye need more time to rest? Ye were half asleep when ye arrived.”
“Nay, I am restored. Thanks to ye. Let’s keep moving and get more miles between me and MacKay.”
It still bothered him that the MacKay had not protected a mere lass against one of his fighting men, which meant there had to be more to Mariota’s story than she had revealed. Though by her clothes and the hawk she carried, she seemed to be no mere lass. But he admired her spirit and liked her manners. And then there was the heat that filled his belly— and lower —every time she met his gaze. He wanted to know more, to spend more time with her, and the best way to do both of those things was to take her home to Dunrobin.
If MacKay men were truly pursuing her, he’d just as soon get her behind Dunrobin’s walls and out of danger. That applied to him and his men as well. He wasn’t eager to have to protect her during a fight with an unknown number of MacKays. So Stellan kept them moving, glad the trip back to Dunrobin’s large tower house went much faster than the trip out. They weren’t meandering around the countryside on the trail of the huge buck, but rode straight through to the Sutherland keep and arrived just after midday.
When they reachedDunrobin’s bailey, Stellan helped Mariota dismount, as he had when she’d stumbled across the Sutherland camp, with Valkyrie secure against her chest. Now, as then, the span of his large hands on her waist made her insides melt. She’d never seen a more handsome man, not one who appealed to her the way he did. His thick, dark hair had a touch of curl at the ends, enough to give it a wild, unkempt look, especially after he ran a hand through it. His shoulders were broad, his arms and chest well-muscled, his legs long and as well-muscled as the rest of him. Looking at him made her think of the tales she’d heard from her married friends. What would it be like to kiss him?And more? Who was he at Sutherland? The head huntsman? If so, he’d be important enough to be considered a candidate to betroth with her. She might like that very much indeed.
She realized all the while she’d been admiring him, his hands still spanned her waist. His thumbs had begun to stroke the sides of her abdomen, sending tingles spiraling into her chest while he studied her. She put her free hand over one of his, reluctant to stop his simple caress, but a few seconds more and people would start to notice. The bailey was bustling and she noticed no few gazes on them as people passed. Were they what caught the interest, or simply the way she was dressed? “Thank ye, Stellan. I’m quite steady now.”
He dropped his hands to his sides, then lifted one to run through his hair, mussing it further. “Sorry, lass.” He looked Mariota over once again. Making certain she could stand on her own? Then he glanced up and waved a hand. “Ah, Nan,” he called out.
A lovely young woman approached, and Mariota’s heart dropped into her belly. His wife? Mistress?
“Stellan,” she said, her voice throaty and soft as she said his name. “Who do ye have here?”
“Mariota MacKay, my cousin, Nan. If ye would, Nan, please find the steward and help him get Mariota settled in a guest chamber. With a bath,” he added, glancing at her. After she nodded, he continued, “and a tray from Cook sent up to her. I ken we’re late for the midday meal.”
“’Tis lovely to meet ye,” Mariota ventured, not certain she or Nan could pull their attention from her cousin.
But Nan surprised her, turning to fully face her and smiling warmly. “And I ye, as well. Let’s get ye comfortable. We’ll have time to get acquainted after ye have had a chance to rest.”
Mariota liked that idea. But she turned to Stellan before Nan led her away. “Thank ye. Ye and yer men have been more than kind. To whom do I return these clothes?”
“Nan will get them back to me. I’ll take care of them.” He was staring at her chest. Nay, not at her. “Ach, Valkyrie!” Mariota was so distracted, she’d nearly walked off with her hawk.
“I ken ye are weary, lass. If she’ll accept me handling her, I’ll take her to the hawk master in the mews and have him settle her there,” Stellan promised. “She’ll be well cared for.”
“I’d like to meet him. If I may take a moment, I need my things, too.”
“Of course.”
He helped her retrieve her pack. She took it from him, dropped it, and bent to search within it. In a moment, she found what she sought, slipped the hood over the hawk’s head and secured it. “I’ve got her.”
“Ye’re certain ye dinna want me to take her?”
“She’s my responsibility,” Mariota told him. She might be tired, but so was everyone else. “I willna leave Valkyrie’s care to a stranger. Once I meet him, once I see her safe, I can rest.”
Stellan nodded, understanding plain in his approving smile. “Come with me, then. Nan? Can ye join us?”
“Of course.” She bent to retrieve Mariota’s pack, but Stellan took it from her and led them to the mews.
“We house our own hunting hawks and falcons here,” Stellan told her when they reached it. “I’ll see if Ian is within.”
“I’m here,” a middle-aged man said, exiting the door to the mews. “One of the lads told me ye might have a guest for me.”
“I do,” Mariota told him and introduced herself.
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on a lass in a lad’s clothing.
“Ian Sutherland,” Stellan told her. “Sutherland’s hawk master these past fifteen years, aye?” At Ian’s nod, he continued.“Since my brother Anders and I were lads. While she’s here,” he told Ian, “Mariota needs a safe place for Valkyrie.”
Mariota pulled aside her cloak and displayed her raptor.
“Hooded. Wise lass. She’s calm with ye.”
