Chapter 6
When the keep appeared in the distance, Aleck felt the tension ease from his shoulders. The last few miles had been difficult knowing that at any moment he would see this sight.
His home.
The keep was surrounded by a high wall, one that he had fortified tightly over the last few years.
Huts dotted the landscape, smoke spiraling into the late afternoon sky, while animals milled about the fenced enclosures.
Beyond the huts, Aleck could see his clan working their fields, bringing in the fall crop that would feed them through the winter.
Far beyond the keep he could see the spray of the water from the angry sea, the smell of the salty air easing his soul.
He was home.
Aleck pressed his heels into the horse’s flanks and shot forward, leaving his wife and Malcolm behind to follow. He would slow down before he reached the first hut, for it would be the right thing to do to ride beside his wife.
Yet when he did come home, there was no feeling like it. These were his people, the ones he was responsible for protecting.
This was his keep, handed down to him through generations of Campbells. Inside those walls were memories he would never forget, the souls of his da, his ma, and Lachlan marked on the stone.
Their graves were also on the land, and before each trek he made outside the keep walls, he talked with them, asking for their blessing and protection.
It was also a reminder for Aleck to remember that he too could easily come back and be buried in that hallowed ground, that one swipe of a sword could steal his life away and leave his clan to Duncan.
Though war flowed through his Scottish blood, Aleck much preferred to be home. These people depended on him for their survival.
As laird, he did not impose any sort of monetary taxes on his villagers, rather asking them to contribute to the ensuring that there was enough food in the store buildings and cellars to support the entire clan.
No one person was above hard work, not even his own family, and as a result, the lands and the clan prospered.
It wasn’t how many lairds chose to run their clans, but without his villagers, his people, there would be no clan.
Aleck pulled up his horse and allowed his other companions to catch up to him, looking over at Fennella. “I wish for ye tae ride with me lass,” he stated, his voice firm. “They will be expecting mah wife and I want to show them that we are as one in this clan.”
Fennella stared at him and Aleck held his breath, waiting for her answer. Part of what he had said was true. He wanted his people to know that Fennella was his wife, that she held the same power as he did as their laird.
But a small, selfish bit of him wanted to feel her in his arms as he had this morning. He had woken before she had; his last thought before he fell asleep was to keep the cold wind off her body.
What he hadn’t intended on doing was finding her in his arms, her head pillowed on his shoulder as she slumbered on. The blanket had slipped during the night and he had swallowed hard at the sight of her creamy breast visible just within reach of his hand.
It had taken more than sheer will to not reach out and stroke the satiny skin.
Not wanting to frighten her, he had eased her from his grasp and covered up her body, feeling every inch of pain from sleeping on the hard ground as he had stood.
Only to find Malcolm grinning like a fool at him.
Not only that, but it had been a bit difficult to hide the evidence of his arousal with his kilt from having Fennella’s lush body pressed up against him.
So he had marched outside in the pre-dawn light, challenging Malcolm to sword practice until they were both heaving with exertion. Fennella had stepped out shortly after, her nose wrinkling, but at least she was fully dressed.
The desire had only raged stronger in Aleck’s blood, the need to have her as his wife nearly causing the remainder of the ride a painful one.
“Alright,” she finally said, snapping him out of his thoughts. “But this is for your people, not you.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” he grinned, reaching over to grab her about her waist. She squeaked as he did just that, pulling her onto his horse before she had a chance to react, and settling her in front of him, her arse nestling against his kilt.
Bloody hell.
“You alright Aleck?” Malcolm asked as he passed with Fennella’s horse in tow, a laugh trailing behind him.
Aleck gritted his teeth and motioned his horse forward, navigating the rocky path that led down to the keep.
“The laird returns!” Malcolm called out as they passed, villagers coming to their doorway to catch sight of Aleck arriving.
Some openly stared as he passed, partly due to the woman in his arms with her flaming red hair.
Fennella did not acknowledge them, only stared back in open curiosity. “They all look well.”
“They are,” he answered, a swell of pride filling his chest. He had worked hard, right alongside of those faces that were staring back, to make this clan prosper. They knew him as a laird who did not take his role lightly, like his da before him.
Lachlan had not had a chance to do the same, much of his time as he grew older on the battlefield instead of ruling the keep.
Aleck did not fault his brother for doing so, yet he had spent a goodly amount of time getting those that were skeptical of the way he was attempting to rule the clan to trust him.
As the horse approached the keep walls, Fennella sat up straighter against him, her arse rubbing against his already swollen cock. She was unaware how much of a tempest she was to him.
His jaw so tightly clenched that his teeth started to hurt, Aleck lifted his hand to the archers on the wall as he passed, nodding at their salutes.
The gates opened with a mighty groan and he guided the horse through, finding his warriors lined up, their fists pressed over their hearts.
Aleck pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted, reaching up for Fennella.
His hands gripped her waist and she looked down at him, her lips parted.
While her expression was blank, there was no mistaking the heat that had flared in her eyes and he groaned inwardly, wanting to take her directly to his chambers and sink into her warmth.
He couldn’t of course. She would likely gut him for doing so. There was a fragile bond between them, one that he would have to strengthen over the weeks and months ahead.
“Welcome home lass,” he said to her as he lowered her to the ground, her body sliding over his. She gripped his upper arms to steady herself as her feet touched the ground and Aleck cleared his throat, the need to claim her nearly driving him insane.
Tonight could not come soon enough.
Setting her back, he turned to his warriors. “This is yer lady,” he called out, his hand lingering on Fennella’s waist. “Ye will swear yer allegiance tae her, tae protect her with yer life, or ye will be banished from this clan.”
There was no grumbling as each warrior stepped forth and knelt in front of Fennella, repeating the ancient oath of protection.
Aleck watched her face as they did so, a measure of pride and respect flickering in her depths.
He imagined that her brother’s clan warriors had never done so, even though she was the eldest sister and lady of the keep until he married.
Finally, once they were finished, his uncle stepped forward, his arms outstretched. “Lady Campbell, welcome to your home.”
Fennella looked up at Aleck with some hesitation and he pulled her closer, grateful when she did not pull away. “This is my Uncle Fergus,” he explained. “He can be handsy but if you just kick him in his balls, he will stop.”
She laughed and the sound warmed his heart. “Aleck,” his uncle said sharply, a disapproving look on his face. “That is not the proper way tae introduce me tae yer wife.”
“I apologize.” He smirked, his steps lighter as he moved toward his uncle, wrapping him in an embrace. “I trust that all is well?”
“As well as it can be,” Uncle Fergus replied, returning his embrace. “She is a bonnie lass, Aleck. Ye did well.”
Aleck released his uncle, motioning for Fennella to join them. “Uncle Fergus, may I present Lady Fennella Campbell?”
“Lovely,” Uncle Fergus replied, gallantly taking her hand in his and pressing a kiss on the back of it. “We have been preparing for your arrival lass.”
“I thank you,” Fennella murmured as he released her hand.
He winked at her before straightening. “Come, show yer home tae yer bride, Aleck.”
Aleck took Fennella’s hand in his, rewarded when she gripped his hand tightly. “Do not fear this place,” he murmured to her as they headed toward the entrance. “There are no enemies in mah keep. You will be treated as their lady or they will feel the edge of mah sword.”
“I am still an outsider,” she replied. “Marrying you does not change that.”
Aleck didn’t respond as they moved inside, the smell of a roaring fire and fresh reeds heavy in the air.
His great hall was larger than McPherson’s, with a long table dominating the center.
Tapestries of the generations hung over the stone walls, including the one that had survived the great war that had taken his da, concealing the passageway that had saved him and his brothers’ lives.
After he had witnessed his father’s death, his uncle had hidden them for two weeks, knowing that the clan that had attacked was not interested in staying around for long.
When they had finally returned, the keep had been destroyed, the stained glass windows that his ma had dearly loved smashed, the tapestries torn down and burned.
The animals had been slaughtered and the villagers that had not fled were cut down in the courtyard, their blood long staining the dirt.
Though he hadn’t wanted to do so, Aleck and his brothers, along with the remaining men, had buried the dead first.
Then they had set about reviving the keep and the lands surrounding it. It had taken years for them to recover and Aleck and his brothers had vowed that they would never suffer as they had.
Until Lachlan’s death.
The servants of the keep were waiting inside and Aleck introduced them to Fennella by name before moving her upstairs, to their chamber.
It was obvious to him that someone had taken the time while he was away to make it more presentable for a wife, the bed coverings new and some of his things stowed away to make room for hers.
“I will have them bring ye a meal,” he stated, anxious to remove himself from the room before he did something rash.
“And I will see ye this evening, at dinner.”
“Where are you going?” she asked, her eyes surveying the room.
“There are things I must do, laird things,” he said quickly, leaving the room before she could answer. Bollocks! He didn’t know what to do with her but bed her, and in rapid succession!
Aleck made his way to the sparring fields beyond the keep, pulling his sword out of its sheath the moment he saw his brother amongst the warriors. Duncan lifted his hand in greeting as Aleck approached, his eyes alight with laughter. “Ah! The laird returns, and with a wife I was told.”
“You should have been there to see her,” Malcolm piped up, flexing his hands around his sword. “Your brother cannae think except with his cock whenever she is around.”
“Is that so?” Duncan laughed. “Well why are you here then? Did she already grow tired of you?”
“I’m giving her a chance tae learn her surroundings,” Aleck replied, keeping his true reasoning to himself.
“I say ye are hiding from her,” Duncan answered, noting Aleck’s flushed cheeks. “Dinnae know how tae woo yer own wife, Brother?”
Aleck pushed at his brother’s shoulders, meeting his sword in a loud clash. Duncan just laughed as he sparred with Aleck and soon Aleck joined in, feeling the last bit of worry slide from his body.
This was home.
That evening, after he had bathed and changed clothes in another part of the keep, Aleck walked into the great hall, Duncan at his side. He felt more like himself after sparring with his brother, but there was still unrest in his body.
Unrest because of the woman standing before the fire.
Aleck swallowed as he approached Fennella, noting the smell of honeysuckle as he did so. “Good evening mah lady.”
She turned, giving him a once over. “Good evening my laird.”
He motioned for Duncan to join them, grinning as he threw his arm over his brother’s shoulders. “This is Duncan, mah brother.”
Duncan inclined his head. “My lady. Ye are every bit as lovely as Aleck has said.”
Fennella blushed. “Has he now? Is that why he abandoned me earlier then?”
“I dinnae abandon ye lass,” Aleck defended, his grin fading. “I wanted you tae rest.”
“I dinnae think she believes ye Brother,” Duncan laughed, slapping him on the back. “Come lass, let me get ye a draught of ale.”
Fennella smirked and Aleck watched as she walked off with his brother, leaving him standing by the fire.
Alone.
When they sat down to dinner, Aleck found himself in the midst of a conversation between his wife and his brother, sitting back and watching the exchange with a bit of frustration as he did so.
Fennella seemed to be enjoying his brother’s company, any earlier fear gone from her eyes and replaced with the warmth of the ale she was consuming.
While Aleck would have normally been jealous of another man paying attention to her, he was rewarded by a heated gaze from her more than once during the meal, affecting him from head to toe as he thought about their marriage night.
He sat back and listened to Duncan and Malcolm both entertain their new lady, instead conversing with his uncle on the new border wall that he wanted to construct but had yet to do. When the meal was over, he stood, holding out his hand to his wife. “Come, I would like to show you your home.”