Chapter 13
William had difficulty sleeping through the night. Not because he was uncomfortable, but quite the opposite.
Kinsey slept soundly in his arms, her face relaxed in peace, beautiful and still with only the steady rise and fall of her lovely bosom. Her hair splashed over the pillow like silken fire, and she was warm where she fit perfectly against him, their bodies cradled together.
He seldom fell asleep with women and never like this, never with her nestled against him. It gave him a sense of vulnerability. Not only him, but both of them.
She trusted him.
Mayhap that trust was part of the reason he kept sleep at bay. He wanted to ensure he woke early enough that no one would see him leave her room. He would have no one thinking ill of her for their time together, not when the night had been so poignant.
It was with great reluctance that he finally pulled his arm free from where it curled against her. He rose carefully from the bed, so as not to disturb her. Kinsey pouted in her sleep, giving a little whimper of protest as she reached for him.
God, how he wanted to kiss the softness of her sleep-warm skin, to hold her in his arms and stay with her all morning.
Memories of her coming undone as he brought her to climax echoed in his mind.
It had been exquisite to see her pleasure, to drink it in as his own.
How he longed to hear such sounds again soon, to give her such enjoyment.
But not now.
He glanced at her on the bed one final time and slipped regretfully from her room. The dim light of the hall was dove gray with the dawn of a new day. The chill in the air was a startling contrast from the warmth of the bed they’d shared.
A figure moved down the hall.
William tensed, immediately on high alert.
Reid stepped from the shadows. Damn him for always getting up too bloody early.
He glanced at Kinsey’s door and lifted a brow.
William frowned at his friend and shook his head to indicate he hadn’t lain with Kinsey, as least, not in the way obviously expected.
Reid’s other brow raised as well, so they both were flexed upward in surprise.
William smirked and returned to his own room to make ready for the day ahead.
There would be many preparations to get underway before leaving the following morning for Newcastle upon Tyne, where the king intended to lay siege.
At least William’s army wouldn’t be involved in the raids leading up to it.
A shiver of apprehension wound down his spine.
That apprehension was only further exacerbated when William met with his father that morning and was informed that they would be leaving for Newcastle immediately with the overeager king and several other trusted men.
There was only time to pack and give final orders to Reid quickly. William summoned his friend to his room while he assembled his belongings.
“I’ll ensure we arrive posthaste,” Reid said sincerely.
“I dinna doubt it.” William tossed his friend a grateful smile and reached for a stack of freshly laundered leines, thanks to the maids of the tavern.
Reid folded his arms and watched as William shoved the rest of his clothes into a wax-sealed sack. “Did ye hear how Edinburgh Castle was reclaimed?”
William paused in his task, searching his memory. “By Sir William Douglas, aye?”
“Aye, but did ye hear how?”
William shook his head and surveyed the small room one final time to ensure he hadn’t forgotten anything. Not that it seemed likely, when there was little more to the room than a bed, a table with an ewer and a shuttered window.
“Sir William and his men dressed as merchants hauling hay into the castle,” Reid explained. “Once they were allowed inside, they leapt from the wagon and took the castle.”
William went still. “Mabrick.”
Reid nodded slowly. “’Twas my first thought too. I knew it’d be yers as well.”
The hardest part of taking a castle was breaching the walls. If they could get inside, William had enough confidence in his men to know they could overpower the Englishmen.
“Newcastle is only two days ride from Mabrick,” William said to himself.
Reid gave a rare smile, evidently well aware of this fact.
William slapped him on the shoulder. “Nicely done.”
“Best be offering yer farewells. At least to one soldier in particular.” Reid winked and slipped from the room.
William chuckled, knowing exactly who Reid referred to. And indeed, William had made sure to spare a moment to at least offer Kinsey a farewell.
He cinched up the pack, tying it tightly so nothing gaped open. No doubt, there would be rain along the way, and there was nothing worse than wet clothing upon arriving at a camp where nothing ever dried out properly.
He opened the door and stepped out into the hall, already anticipating seeing Kinsey. Except that his father stood several paces away, arms folded casually over his chest as he waited.
There would be no getting around him to go to Kinsey, and William refused to go to her with his da present.
Laird MacLeod noticed William and approached. “Come, lad. The horses are waiting.”
William didn’t so much as glance at Kinsey’s door as he passed. Still, something squeezed in his chest. He hated leaving like this after what they’d shared the evening before.
The journey to Newcastle would take four days, and with William a day ahead, he would not see her for five at least.
He and his father strode from the inn into the drizzling rain. The heavy clouds overhead promised even more rain as the day pressed on. The stable lad took William’s pack and secured it to the horse alongside a bit of food and a bedroll.
“Ye’ve done well, William.” His father climbed onto his own steed.
William mounted his horse and regarded Laird MacLeod with a careful look, unsure if he’d heard correctly, but almost afraid to ask.
His father shook his head with a laugh. “Aye, ye heard me right, lad.” He clicked his tongue, and their horses began to climb the steep street toward the castle where the others were waiting.
“Yer army is well trained. I see how they listen to ye, and I’ve witnessed their skill.
” He nodded in approval. “Ye’re a good leader. ”
Warmth expanded in William’s chest, unwanted but glorious regardless. He was a grown man, one whose concern should extend beyond his father’s opinion. But those words, small and freely given by others, were ones he’d waited his whole life to hear. A goal finally attained.
“Good enough to lead the clan?” William asked.
His father grinned at him, an older version of William’s own smile. It bolstered William’s spirits. At least, until Laird MacLeod spoke. “That depends on what marriage ye’re considering.”
“Marriage?” William shook his head. “It doesna suit me.”
They were near to the castle now, where the king and a group of his men gathered for departure.
Laird MacLeod slowed his horse to delay their arrival.
“It suits a laird.” A frown tugged at his face.
“This is what I meant when I said ye were no’ ready to be a laird.
Ye dinna think of yer people. Ye think of yerself.
Ye need only wed a bride. Once ye’ve secured the marriage, ye can carry on rutting every lass in Christendom. ”
Such a thought was even worse than marriage to a woman William didn’t want.
He’d bedded women married to men who hadn’t cared for them, men who were off with other women while William pleased their wives. He’d vowed never to be one of those men.
“The Campbells have a daughter,” his father continued. “She’s bonny enough. She hasna much wit about her, but her dowry will bring land and a considerable fortune. It would secure our alliance with the clan, which would be a great benefit to yer people.”
The Campbells would be a powerful ally, and alliances through marriage were well-sealed. William clenched his jaw, hating the truth behind his father’s words.
They were close enough to the others to make out the murmured hum of the men conversing as they mounted their horses for the journey.
“I saw ye last night,” Laird MacLeod said abruptly.
William glared at his father. “What do ye mean?”
“With yer archer.” His father stopped his horse, forcing William to do likewise. “I’m sure that sharp tongue tasted sweet once ye finally got it tamed.” His da winked.
Anger flashed hot in William’s chest. “I dinna—”
“Dally with her as ye like.” Laird MacLeod narrowed his gray eyes. “But a laird marries for the betterment of his clan. No’ his cock.”
He turned away without giving William a chance to protest and joined the others.
Marriage.
William’s chest squeezed at the very idea.
The relationship between him and Kinsey was a delicate, fragile thing, slowly growing into something beautiful.
Even still, it was far too soon to propose marriage.
And even if she did agree to marry him, would his people accept a woman with English blood in her veins?
All at once, he was glad he had not lain with Kinsey despite the temptation and knew he would do well to remember the reality of what his clan needed from him going forward. No matter how much it hurt.
Kinsey woke later that morning than usual. Her sleep had been deep, her body more rested than it had been in some time.
Before she blinked her eyes open, the reason why rushed back at her. The battle the day before, the horrors of what she’d seen. How William had comforted her.
A sudden thought struck her. She’d begged him to stay with her. He was still there.
She winced inwardly, squeezing her eyes shut, thoroughly humiliated at her memories. The way she’d spread her legs for him, cried out in pleasure, begging him to take her completely. A warm tingle pulsed between her legs. His touch on her had been exquisite.