Chapter 9
It was another sleepless night plagued by carnal thoughts of the lass who, by rights, should be snuggled under the blankets by Lachlan’s side. All of that fiery red hair was just begging to be touched and he desperately wanted to stroke it while he kissed down her throat and to her perky breasts.
God in Heaven, he needed to sate himself soon or he would go mad.
Feeling a little sheepish about the way he’d bellowed at Sloane last night, he knocked on the adjoining door with every intention of letting her know that she couldn’t scare him like that. He wouldn’t apologize. She needed to learn a lesson, but he wanted to see the smile on her face again.
When she didn’t answer the knock, he grumbled and opened the door. With just a few steps, he quickly took account of the chamber and gaped. At first, he couldn’t believe what he saw.
The chamber was empty.
She was gone.
Disbelieving his own eyes, he stormed into the room and tore back the blankets. He’d told her that they would speak this morning. He’d made it very clear and yet, here he was, standing in her room with no wife in sight.
The lass that he’d married was awkward and quiet and yet now she was disobeying orders and running from him. What was he supposed to think?
What was he supposed to do with her?
“She better be at the breakfast table or so help me,” he growled under his breath as he turned and stormed out of her chambers.
If he had to, he would turn the keep upside down to find her and when he did, he’d remind her exactly who was the Laird of this clan.
He’d been trying to be soft with her so he didn’t scare her away, but clearly, that wasn’t working.
There were people at the family table, but it was only his parents and Freya. “Where is my wife?” he demanded of his sister. Silverware paused in mid-air, and the family blinked and stared at him. “What are ye saying to her to make her so disobedient?”
“Good morn, brother,” Freya said calmly as she put her spoon down. “While I always enjoy starting my day with accusations, today they would be false ones. I have not seen yer wife and I can say with confidence that any disobedience on her part is no fault of mine.”
Maggie cleared her throat. “Son, what has gotten into ye? Have ye lost yer wife again?”
“Again?” Calder asked with interest.
“He was storming through the keep and fields yesterday because he couldna find her.” Maggie cocked her head. “I heard that ye found her though. Was I mistaken or has she taken off again?”
“Running from ye?” Freya chimed in.
“She has no reason to run from me!” Lachlan thundered angrily. “Are ye filling her head with lies?”
“Easy, Lachlan,” his sister laughed. “I am only teasing. I doona know what kind of woman ye think Sloane to be, but she isna one to run. She has expressed an interest in getting to know the keep better, so I am sure she is just exploring.”
“Yesterday she was looking for ye and Elspeth.”
“Really? Well, perhaps she is at Elspeth’s cottage.” Freya shrugged. “Honestly, Lachlan, I doona understand yer anger. She wants to make friends.”
It wasn’t about his wife’s desire to make friends. He supported that. It was the fact that he’d told her that he didn’t want her leaving until they had a chance to sort things out about yesterday and she’d chosen to leave instead. Annoyed, he sat down at the table and eyed the food.
“Do ye think our meals are salty?”
“Salty? I doona believe so. Why do ye ask?” Maggie peered at her plate with a concerned look. “Should we speak to the kitchen staff?”
“That would be Sloane’s job,” Freya said quickly. “She wants to be in charge and since I will be leaving soon, I think she can handle it. Who said that their meal was salted?”
“’Tis nothing.” Perhaps Sloane had been more affected by her walk last night than she’d thought.
It was on the tip of his tongue to order his sister to Elspeth’s cottage and retrieve Sloane. She needed to learn to follow his orders, but at the same time, he did want her to connect with her new clan.
“My darling,” Maggie said gently. “Yer wife is still adjusting. Ye should give her some leeway.”
“Aye,” Calder agreed. “Yer mother was a handful when I first married her. Come to think of it, yer mother is still a handful.”
Maggie smacked him on the shoulder and Lachlan couldn’t help but feel jealous. His parents had an arranged marriage that grew into love. He could hardly expect the same, but they had an easy affection for each other that he would never have with Sloane. She was far too timid and strange for that.
“If ye see Sloane today, please let her know that I was unhappy she chose not to join me for the first meal,” he said finally. “And I intend to speak with her this evening. If she is not with Elspeth, I want to know immediately.”
Rolling her eyes, Freya stood. “Ye intend to strip her of her freedoms?”
“I intend that she be safe,” he growled. “And I willna have my sister questioning my decisions.”
“Marriage has made ye grouchy.” Freya grinned. “Or perhaps it’s because ye cannae control yer wife. In any case, I believe I will go find Sloane. If she is up to something, I want to be involved.”
With a groan, Lachlan watched Freya flounce out. “Separately, they are a headache. Together, I cannae imagine the blight they will become.”
Leaning across the table, Maggie patted his hand. “Doona worry, my dear. Freya is just helping Sloane fit in.”
“I doona need her to fit in. I need her to do as she is told.”
“I wish ye well in that, my son,” Calder said with a wide grin. “But I can say that the best wives are the free-spirited ones.”
That may be, but Sloane was not a free-spirited woman. She was naive and she had no idea what kind of trouble she might run into or cause. When he did see Sloane, they were going to have a serious talk.
Sloane lost track of time in Elspeth’s cottage. The sun was high in the sky when there was another knock at the door. She thought for sure that it would be Lachlan preparing to drag her back to the keep, but instead, it was Freya. As she hugged Elspeth, she flashed Sloane an amused smile.
“Yer husband was on the warpath this morning looking for ye. I meant to get here earlier to warn ye, but Isla distracted me. I didna expect ye to still be here. Lachlan knows that ye are here.”
Sloane glanced uneasily toward the keep. “I didna mean to stay as long as I have, but he hasna come looking for me.”
“In that case, I believe ye are safe for a little longer. He will be expecting ye for dinner. Are ye hiding from him?”
“Nay, I just wanted to get to know Elspeth a little more. I made sure that plenty of people knew where I was so he wouldna get angry.” She shot her new friend a quick look.
She did not want it to get out that she was seeking advice on how to please Lachlan.
Elspeth seemed to realize and gave her a reassuring smile.
“How is Isla?” Elspeth asked as she moved to the side to let Freya in.
Freya looked about the cottage as if she were looking to make sure that they were alone. “Stubborn.”
Something unspoken exchanged between the two women, and Sloane realized that they weren’t speaking freely because of her. “I should go,” she volunteered as she reached for her cloak. “Ye two have something important to discuss.”
“No.” Freya gripped her arm. “Ye should stay. Ye are the wife of the Laird and ye should know about yer clan. Isla is early into a pregnancy though she is not showing yet.”
“Oh!” Sloane released the cloak and clapped her hands. “That’s wonderful! Why would that cause ye to worry? Has she lost a child before?”
“Nay, she hasna had a child before. Or a husband.”
“Oh. Oh! I see.” No wonder Elspeth had felt uneasy about giving away the poor woman’s secret. “There was a servant at my father’s keep who also found herself in that situation. My father banished her which I thought was unfair, but her family took her in and she gave birth to a lovely little girl.”
“She was lucky,” Elspeth muttered angrily. “When Isla’s mother finds out, she will be asked to leave the family home. They wanted her to marry well. Now, she willna marry at all.”
“The father of the child?”
Freya shook her head. “She willna name him. She willna even talk about the circumstances of the baby’s conception. We doona know how to help her.”
“There is nothing to worry about,” Sloane decided. “If her mother asks her to leave, then we will prepare a room for her at the keep and she will safely deliver and raise her baby in the keep until another opportunity presents itself.”
Elspeth stared at Sloane. “Perhaps ye should speak with Lachlan about this. I doona know how he will feel.”
“He willna be happy,” Freya muttered. “Isla’s mother holds power with the other women of the clan. She will want Isla banished from the clan to escape the shame and Lachlan willna want to intervene.”
“He is not and I am. I am mistress of the keep and I will convince Lachlan to support my decision.”
Elspeth cleared her throat. “Sloane, darling, this isna like a servant getting pregnant. We doona know the circumstances…”
“It doesna matter,” Sloane said firmly. “I appreciate the two of ye looking out for me, but Isla is obviously a friend of yers and I want to help. This is how I can help. Now, we doona know how things are going to go. Perhaps Isla’s mother will be forgiving and supportive.”
“Forgiving is not in Robina’s vocabulary,” Elspeth said dryly. “But ’tis a solution that we had not considered and we are grateful for it. Sloane, ye have a big heart, but ye should mind it. Not everyone here is so eager to befriend ye.”
“Aye? And what about ye two?' she asked carefully. She didn’t want to think that they were only helping her because of Lachlan. She already knew how cruel the clan could be.
Elspeth leaned over and hugged her. “If I didna want to be friends with ye then ye would not be in my home. Now, I have given ye all the tips and tricks that I know. I suggest that ye go try them out.”
“Tips and tricks?” Freya asked. “For what?”