Chapter 15
Two days later, Boyd and his men finally rode through the gates of MacKinnon Keep just as the sun reached its zenith, their unexpected early return causing a stir among the servants and guards in the courtyard.
"Laird!" Mrs. Anders bustled forward, her face wreathed in surprise. "We did not expect ye back for another three weeks at least!"
"Plans changed," Boyd replied, dismounting and handing his reins to a stable hand. His eyes scanned the courtyard even as he spoke, searching for one particular figure. "Please see that the men are fed."
"Of course, laird. Will ye be wanting a meal as well?"
"Later." Boyd was already moving toward the Keep's entrance. "First, I need a bath."
He could feel the dust and grime of travel clinging to him, smell the sweat of days on the road. He wouldn't seek out Bella looking like a beggar. Whatever conversation they needed to have, whatever truth they needed to uncover, he wanted to face her clean and presentable.
The steaming hot bath was a welcome relief after riding for several days.
Boyd scrubbed away the dirt from the road.
He washed and rinsed his long hair, shaved away his days old beard, brushed his teeth with mint paste, dried off and changed into clean clothes.
He wore a fresh linen shirt and clean plaid and even combed his hair, catching himself in the reflection of the polished metal mirror.
What was he doing? Preening like a lad before his first courting? This was ridiculous.
Yet he couldn't stop himself.
Boyd's mind was already racing ahead to what he would say to Bella. How he would begin. I was wrong? Can we have a real marriage?
None of it sounded right in his head.
But it did not matter. He needed to see her, touch her, talk to her.
Because he wanted Bella to look at him and see the man he could be.
Boyd shook his head at his own foolishness and left his chamber, his heart already beating faster at the thought of seeing her again.
After several days away, he was finally going to lay eyes on his bonnie wife.
The chamber next to his was empty. The bed was neatly made, the room tidy and orderly. He was pleased to see several beautiful new garments hanging over a rack, but no sign of Bella.
Boyd frowned and headed downstairs, assuming she would be somewhere in the main Keep. Perhaps in the solar, reviewing accounts. Or in the kitchens where she seemed to spend so much of her time.
But finding Bella proved more difficult than Boyd had anticipated.
He checked the solar. Empty. The kitchens. Cook said she'd been there earlier but had left to tend to other matters. The great hall. Deserted except for servants preparing for the evening meal.
Everywhere Boyd went, people greeted him warmly and mentioned his wife.
"Welcome home! Lady Bella will be so pleased to see ye returned safely."
"Laird! 'Tis good to have ye back. The mistress has been working herself to the bone in yer absence."
Boyd's frown deepened as he continued his search, his unease growing with each empty room.
He moved through the corridors, checking the stillroom. Empty. The chapel. Vacant. Even the stables, thinking perhaps she'd gone riding.
Each place he looked, she wasn't there.
And each person he encountered had some positive comment about his wife but no real knowledge of where she was.
He strode through the bailey, his frustration mounting. A group of guards were gathered near the armory, and they straightened when they saw him approaching.
"Have any of ye seen my wife?" Boyd demanded.
The guards exchanged glances. "Not recently. But I'm sure wherever she is, she is safe."
"The blacksmith Tobias has been making her weapons," another guard added. "Special designs. He's been working on them for days. Very excited about it, which is saying something for Tobias."
Boyd felt something dark and possessive flare in his chest. "Tobias is crafting weapons for my wife?"
"Aye. Impressive work, from what I've heard. He seemed pleased."
Boyd's left eye twitched with that knowledge.
Tobias was a Master guildsman who also happened to be a young, virile and handsome man.
No matter how many women threw themselves at Tobias, he remained grumpy, curt and unattainable.
The words "pleased" and "excited" were not ones he would associate with Tobias.
Unless for some reason the man was smitten with Bella.
That thought alone had Boyd's blood boiling.
If Tobias thought he could steal Bella's affection through metal and steel, Boyd was going to put a stop to that immediately.
"Is my wife at the smithy?" he asked no one in general.
"No, laird, the forge is closed for the day. Tobias took the day off."
"Did he now?"
Boyd's frustration reached its breaking point.
He stopped his striding in the middle of the courtyard, servants and guards milling about, and his patience finally snapped.
"WHERE THE BLOODY HELL IS MY WIFE?" His voice boomed, making everyone freeze in place.
The courtyard went silent. Every head turned to stare at him.
For a long moment, no one spoke. Then a timid serving woman stepped forward.
"She's down by the bothy, laird," the woman replied quietly.
"What bothy?" Boyd demanded.
"The one by the loch."
"There is no bothy by the loch," Boyd replied, though his confidence was wavering. Clearly there were a lot of things happening on his land that he did not know about.
"Aye, there is, laird," the woman insisted, though her voice trembled. "That old abandoned crofter's cottage. The mistress has been using it. That's where she is of an afternoon."
"Doing what?" Boyd's voice was tight.
"Training the clanswomen." The woman's eyes darted to the other servants as if seeking support. "Teaching them fighting skills and the like. Some of the women wanted to learn."
Boyd grunted his thanks then stormed away.
Behind him, he heard whispers and murmurs.
"Do ye think we should warn the mistress?"
"The laird looks ready to murder someone."
Boyd heard every word, and it only fueled his frustration.
His wife, his gentle, soft-spoken wife who'd spent years in an abbey, was teaching clanswomen how to fight.
Had commissioned weapons from his blacksmith.
Had built an entire life in his absence that everyone knew about except him and commanded enough loyalty that his own clan were attempting to warn her of his displeasure.
Boyd burst through the Keep's rear gate and took the path toward the loch, his emotions in turmoil.
Confusion. Curiosity. And beneath it all, something that felt dangerously close to pride mixed with possessive fury. Because his wife had become something more than the girl he'd known. She had become strong and capable and independent.
And he'd missed all of it by actively avoiding her.
Boyd's hands clenched and unclenched as he walked. He was going to have a very long conversation with his wife about the meaning of the word "husband" and what it meant to share a life together.
It was time they stopped living like strangers under the same roof.
***
THE AFTERNOON SUN SPARKLED on the surface of the loch, turning the water into a sheet of molten gold. Bella stood at the water's edge near the small stone bothy, watching with satisfaction as the last of the clanswomen gathered their belongings and prepared to depart.
"That was wonderful, mistress!" Young Fiona, the miller's daughter, was practically bouncing with excitement. "Did ye see how I disarmed Morag?"
"Ye did very well," Bella replied warmly. "But remember, the goal isn't just to disarm. It's to create distance so ye can escape. Getting away from danger is more important than continuing the fight."
"Aye, mistress." Fiona's eyes were shining. "Will ye teach us that spinning move next time? The one ye used earlier?"
Bella laughed softly. "Perhaps. Once ye've mastered the moves I taught ye today."
The women tittered with excitement, chatting among themselves as they prepared to leave.
Bella felt a warm glow of satisfaction watching them.
These were good women, wives, daughters, sisters, who deserved to know how to protect themselves.
Who deserved the confidence and skills that Bella had learned at the abbey.
As the women gathered their cloaks and prepared to head back up the path to the Keep, Bella called after them. "Be sure to practice those grip changes I showed ye!"
"Aye, mistress!" they chorused, their voices fading as they disappeared up the path through the trees, passing her guards Gilroy and Darach who stood at a respectful distance.
Bella noticed with amusement that both guards were now surrounded by giggling lasses. Gilroy was leaning against a tree, grinning at something one of the girls said, while Darach only had eyes for Fiona.
Good, she thought. Her guards deserved a bit of harmless flirtation, and they were still close enough to come running if she needed them.
At least Boyd was away on clan matters. By the time he returned, she'd have established her training sessions as a normal part of Keep life.
Bella turned back to the loch, her body hot and sticky from the exertion of the training session. The water looked inviting, sparkling in the late afternoon sun.
A quick wash in the loch would be heavenly, she thought.
She glanced once more at her guards, still thoroughly distracted, then moved to the bothy to retrieve her bathing supplies and a drying cloth.
She'd learned to be prepared, keeping a clean shift, spare undergarments, lavender soaps, mint-paste and her arisaidh stored in the cottage for just such occasions.
The water was cool and refreshing when she waded in wearing a thin shift for modesty. Bella let herself enjoy the simple pleasure of washing away the sweat and grime. She did not linger long, just enough to scrub her entire body clean under the shift, then she made her way back to shore.