Chapter Thirteen
After a few days Megan was anxious to leave Balnagown and travel to her new home. Gregory had been so caring while she was recovering from her injury that she almost felt as though this marriage was possibly not just a duty to him.
Or perhaps this was just another duty. The whole thing had her tied in knots.
“Are ye ready, lass?” Gregory entered the bedchamber she’d been staying in just as she finished dressing.
It was still painful, but she was determined to prove to herself that she was stronger than the weak lass that Gregory must think her to be, although he had assured her many times that she was not a weak, but a strong woman.
Why she wanted to appear strong to him was confusing. As were her feelings about the man. Once they arrived at his home she would certainly see the real man, not the one who rescued her and was so kind and caring.
And did his duty.
Gregory offered to carry her down the stairs, but she refused. “I can walk. I doona want ye treating me like a bairn.”
He just smiled at her, almost as if she did sound like a bairn, which she did to her own ears.
She allowed him to put his arm around her shoulders, avoiding her sore arm as they made it down the stairs. “What if The Gunn and his men are waiting for us?”
“Nay. I told one of the men with us that I sent to look for whoever shot ye to continue on to Castle Leod and ask Laird Mackenzie to send out men to meet us for the trip from here.”
She frowned. “I am causing a lot of people much trouble.”
“Ye are my wife.”
Not able to help herself, she smirked. “Aye, ye did yer—”
Before she could continue, Gregory turned her and captured her mouth with his, carefully pulling her next to him.
She melted, forgetting how powerful this man’s kisses were. Before she was able to settle in and really enjoy it, he released her and looked into her eyes. “Every time ye attempt to say that word, I will kiss ye.”
Not thinking that was such a bad thing, mayhap she would throw that word out once in a while.
The men from Castle Leod had arrived and were settled in the great hall at a few tables, eating, when Gregory and Megan entered the room.
“So this is the wife that’s caused so much trouble?” one of the men said as he grinned.
Gregory walked up to him and slapped him on the back of the head. “Doona let me hear ye say that again, or ye will be working in the kitchens for the next month.” He turned to the rest of the men, and pointed at them. “That goes for all of ye.”
Although he meant well, Megan was mortified. That was exactly what she’d been thinking.
Another of the men stood. “Mrs. Mackenzie, may I offer my apologies for the ignorant mon in our group.” He bowed. “We all welcome ye to our clan and our castle—when we get there.”
His smile made her smile back.
She wondered if they knew her marriage to Gregory had been an improper Scottish wedding. Would they still accept her?
“Lass, stop fretting.” Gregory took her uninjured arm and moved her to the dais where Laird and Lady Ross sat.
She’d had a few ladies’ afternoons with the lady of the manor and a few of the other women in the keep as they did their mending.
Lady Ross, who had told her to call her Marion, was a gracious and caring woman.
Unable to do any sewing due to her injury, she was happy just to be with women for a couple of hours each day after being with just men while they traveled.
Gregory brought Megan forward in front of his men. “I will introduce to all of ye my wife, Megan Mackenzie. Yer job will be to protect her from here to Castle Leod. As I ken ye have all been told, there are Gunn men and Sinclair men after her.”
The men nodded as he spoke. “As any other member of the Mackenzie clan, I expect yer total dedication to her safety.”
After a second of silence, a cheer erupted from the men.
Tears came to Megan’s eyes again. If she didn’t get to Castle Leod and settled in she would spend more time weeping.
After a breakfast of porridge, a boiled egg and a Bannock dripping with butter and honey, she felt revived.
Gregory smiled at her. “’Tis good to see ye eating. ’Twill help with yer healing.”
She hated how her feelings were changing toward this man. This husband. He’d been very caring and sweet—how he would hate that term—but she still couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when they arrived at Castle Leod and they both took up their daily lives.
Would she never see him? Would he be off on assignments for the laird? Would she be accepted by the clan? Would she have something useful to do with her time?
Another concern was the fact that even though they had this “marriage” it could be easy for Gunn to protest it since it was not done completely legally.
Then there was the matter of consummation. So far, everything Gregory had done in that direction had been very interesting and exciting.
And frightening.
She really didn’t want to fall in love with this man, her husband. Not until she was convinced he cared for her that way. She sighed. So many things to worry herself over.
“If ye’re finished, Megan, ’tis time we started. I want to ride as far today as we can. But, please be aware I doona want ye to ride longer than yer body can take. Because I think it will be easier on yer body, ye will ride with me again.”
One thing she continued to notice was Gregory’s tendency to order her about and decide what was best for her as if she wasn’t adult enough to make her own decisions.
Since Robert was exactly the opposite, letting her do whatever she wanted, she wasn’t quite sure what to make of this husband of hers.
Time would tell. All she wanted now was to make it to a permanent place with safety, no unexpected arrows, regular meals and a warm bed to sleep in. With her husband next to her?
*
Gregory had not planned to feel more than an obligation to Megan and possibly friendship, and in the future, maybe affection.
However, things did not turn out that way. The more time he spent with her, and the more he took care of her, and the more he enjoyed her company, the more he was afraid what he hadn’t planned on—falling in love—was happening to him.
So far he hadn’t seen signs of his da in him. No matter how much Megan annoyed him—which she’d done little of except for her obsessions with his duty—it had never crossed his mind to raise his hand to her.
How could a grown man, a warrior as his da was, put his fists to a small, soft woman he had vowed before God to take care of? His conversation with Daniel came back. Just because his da was terrible to his mam didn’t mean he would do the same.
Even though he knew it was not good for Megan to travel so hard, he pushed them all to travel without long breaks.
He and his men had ridden before without stopping to sleep, and he made sure Megan was bundled up against him as many hours as she wanted to sleep.
He was hoping the tisane the healer had given her before they left would help to make the trip easier on her sore body.
They brought food with them from Balnagown, along with fresh bandages so on their short stops he could make sure Megan ate and her bandage was changed.
Several men rode behind them, in front, and right alongside them.
There had been no reports of men following so either they had decided not to pursue them—which he didn’t believe—or the Gunn was not as adept at travel as the Mackenzies were.
He breathed a sigh of relief when Castle Leod came into view. Never had he been so happy to see a place in all the times he’d been away on various assignments for Daniel.
He shook a sleeping Megan. “Megan, we’re home.”
She sat up, looking at the castle. “Home.”
“Aye.” All he wanted to do was take a dip in the loch to clean off all the road dust, have a decent meal and take his wife to bed. Hopefully her injury was healed at least as much as needed to take care of the swollen man’s part he’d been riding on for days. And the promising kisses they’d shared.
They rode over the drawbridge, the sound of the horses’ hooves pounding on the wood music to his ears.