Healing the Tormented Highlander: A Steamy Scottish Historical Romance Novel Read online

  Upstairs, he paused outside of Ceana’s chambers. He felt emboldened, as though now he had a true responsibility towards her. It was on his watch that she had been attacked and it was he, Raghnall MacCramhain, who would find those responsible.

  Quietly, he opened the door, not wishing to alarm her or startle her. She was propped up in bed, covered in a blanket and a fire had been kindled in the hearth, despite the heat of the day which had just passed. She looked at him in surprise, but as she did so a smile spread across her face and she beckoned him to her side.

  “I thought ye were goin’ to ride out?” she said, but he shook his head.

  “Aye, lass. I was, but I decided to return to yer side. It wouldnae dae for yet to be left alone like this, nae when ye have had such a shock. Unless of course ye wish to sleep now,” he said.

  “I cannae sleep,” she replied, “I keep thinkin’ about…” and her words trailed off.

  “I have sent Andrew to the village, he will see out the man who did this to ye. I promise I shall nae rest until the man who did this is found,” he said.

  He sat on the side of her bed, feeling such a sense of tenderness towards her that it quite overwhelmed him. He had not expected such a surge of emotion, a feeling of complete and utter delight in her company. He wanted only to be by her side, to make her feel safe and reassure her.

  “Ye are a good man. I realize now that I wouldnae have lasted a day on the road north. If yer men had nae found me and brought me to ye then I would have been the victim of I dread to think what,” she said, shaking her head.

  “The borders are nae safe, lass. The roads are nae safe, and I am sorry it has taken such a wicked act for ye to see that,” he replied.

  “Well, I have ye to protect me,” she replied and he nodded.

  “Ye dae, lass. Ye are safe here with me, I promise. That is why I came back and did nae ride out. I wanted ye to ken that I am here and I am nae goin’ to leave yer side,” he said.

  “Ye shall have to sleep,” she said, laughing, but he shook his head.

  “Perhaps I shall stay up all night. Ye may sleep if ye wish, but I shall keep vigil here,” he replied.

  “I dae feel tired,” she said, “but I enjoy yer company, too,” and her finger stroked the top of his hand, their eyes meeting, as she blushed.

  “What, lass? Have ye never touched the hand of a lad before?” he asked.

  “Nay … nay, but …” she began, but he reached out and took her by the other hand, a smile upon his face.

  “Dae ye like it?” he asked, and she nodded, her eyes growing wide, as though something were awakening within her, some previously unknown feeling.

  “‘Tis nice … ‘tis nice to hold yer hand,” she replied and he nodded, sliding his arm around her and settling back with her upon the bed.

  “There now, ye are safe, rest yer head against my shoulder. There is nothin’ to worry about, nothin’ to fear,” he said.

  For a moment, she felt tense, as though something within her were resisting him. But then, with a deep sigh, she lay her head upon his chest, her hand about his waist, as he placed his about hers.

  “I … I dae feel safe,” she said.

  “Ye should dae, lass. I will nae allow anythin’ to hurt ye, I promise. See now, let me … let me kiss ye,” he said, his hand now moving gently up her arm, as she looked up at him and smiled.

  “I … aye … but,” she began, but he leant forward and kissed her, his lips pressing against hers.

  She tensed once more, but then her body seemed to relax, giving in to his touch. His kiss was returned, the sweetness of her lips a delight. His own arousal was growing and brought his hand from her face to her breasts, gently caressing her, as she let out a sigh of delight. It felt good to finally have her in his arms, the thoughts of the previous days now turning to reality.

  Raghnall had thought much about her body, wondering about its shape and contours. Her breasts were so perfectly formed, her figure elegant and attractive. How often he had imagined the sweet taste of her lips or the way that she might feel in his arms.

  His hand worked its way into her tunic and she made no resistance, allowing him to kiss her once more, as he fondled her. With each new sensation, she seemed to breathe fresh delight, and he kissed her once more, before bringing his lips down to her exposed breast.

  “‘Tis all right, lass, ye shall enjoy this,” he whispered, as his tongue began to circle her nipple and she let out a cry of delight.

  She was inexperienced, indeed, it seemed to Raghnall that she was entirely unexperienced. Her hands caressed him, as though exploring something new and exciting. Untold pleasures and the whispers of the secrets, which perhaps no one had ever shared with her. Her hand moved along his leg and he felt himself growing in arousal, his tongue upon her breast and a growing pleasure running through his body

  “Oh, Raghnall I …” she began, but her words were lost, as he kissed and caressed her, a sudden rush of arousal shuddering through him.

  He let out a cry, and she looked startled, as though she had pained him.

  “I am sorry, I …” she began, drawing back her hand from his leg, but he laughed, the sensation now dulling within him, its force having come as something of a surprise.

  “I … ‘tis all right, lass. Ye are … ye are very beautiful,” he said, sitting back, his arm around her, as she lay her head upon his chest.

  “I am sorry, ‘tis all new to me, I … I daenae ken what to dae,” she began, but he shushed her and smiled.

  “Ye ken it well enough, Ceana,” he said smiling at her. “Rest now, lass. I am nae goin’ anywhere, I will keep ye safe,” he said.

  He imagined leaning forward to kiss her again. Would she be surprised? Would she welcome it? She was so very beautiful, so innocent and pure. He could feel nothing but love for her, a sense of utter delight in her company and the desire to protect her from whatever evil sought her out.

  Who is she?

  He was thinking of all the twists and turns of fate which had brought them together.

  There was something of a mystery about her, but that only made her seem more alluring. The mystery of how she felt, what the touch of her lips might feel like, how her hands might caress his body, and how he might be the first to show her the delights of tender union.

  “Thank ye,” she said, her eyes closing, as though she were battling against her weariness.

  He leant forward and she opened her eyes, smiling at him, as he brushed his lips against her cheek, desiring her once more.

  “I will be right here, lass. Have nay fear,” he said and she nodded, her eyes now heavy, as she fell into a deep sleep.

  He sat for a while at her bedside, their hands still joined, watching her at peace.

  I have never felt such a way about any lass before.

  Quietly, he stood up, making his way to the chair by the fire.

  He sat down, stretching out his legs and allowing his mind to wander once again. She had not seemed surprised by his kiss and she had certainly made no indication that it was not welcome.

  Then perhaps there can be more between us.

  He himself began to drift off to sleep, his heart filled with thoughts of Ceana and all that might be between them.

  .

  Chapter 14

  When Ceana awoke she was alone. Her head was aching and she felt stiff and bruised. She turned onto her side, wincing at a pain in her side. Next to her was a cup of milk and she took a drink before laying back in the bed and sighing.

  The memory of her horrendous ordeal at the hands of the cloaked stranger came rushing back to her, with such force as to make her gasp. She could feel his hands clasped about her and smell the foul stench of his gloved hand. She wanted to scream, but instead she clutched at the blankets, pulling them tightly up around her, as though trying to protect herself from some unknown force.

  “The key, give me the key,” came the voice, echoing through her mind and instinctively her hand went to her breast, feeling for reassuring outline of the key, still hung around her neck.

  He did nae get it, ‘tis all right, he did nae get it.

  She repeated it, taking the key from beneath her tunic and holding it in her hands, as though its presence could reassure her.

  How Ceana missed her grandmother and wondered how she had become caught up in all this mystery and intrigue.

  How did he ken about the key? He even seemed to ken it was around my neck, even in the darkness.

  She looked down at the key, which reflected the sunlight coming through the window.

  But there was no answer to her own question, if anything it only caused more to rise within her mind. Had he been watching her? Had he followed her, or perhaps, and at this a shiver went through her, he was here. The castle was home to all manner of folks, but all of them loyal to the Laird and she had not noticed anyone watching her or acting strangely around her. Besides, anyone in the castle who wished to steal the key had ample opportunity to do so, if they knew she had it.

  But Ceana had been more than careful. She had not even trusted the Laird with her secret, let alone anyone else. It disturbed her deeply to think that the man who had attacked her had done so at random but with the express intention of gaining the key.

  Would he have killed me for it?

  She looked down at the key in disbelief.

  How could something like this be worth so much to someone? So much that they would attack an unarmed woman in the dead of night in their quest to secure it? She slipped the key back beneath her tunic, wondering what time it was. She clambered stiffly out of bed, wrapping a shawl around her shoulders and making her way over to the window.

  Despite the warmth of the day she felt cold, shivering a little, as she looked down on the courtyard below. There were several soldiers patrolling the wall and the castle gates were firmly shut. The moorlands beyond glowed golden in the late afternoon sun and had it not been for the horror of her ordeal she would have thought the scene a peaceful one.

  But the tranquil moorlands hid an evil which Ceana now found herself amid. It seemed clear now that the key was something precious, something which others desired and would stop at nothing to get. She had felt safe behind the walls of Mhaol Chaluim but now she doubted whether even the Laird himself could keep her safe as he had promised.

  A sudden panic ran through her and she hurried to the door, checking if it were locked. The door opened and she peered out into the corridor, looking from left to right. But there was no one there and sighing to herself, she closed the door, turning the key in the lock.

  Ye are safe here, the key is safe. The Laird would never allow anythin’ to happen to ye here. He has promised ye as much.

  She climbed back into bed.

  Despite her long sleep that day, Ceana still felt tired and it was not long before she was asleep, her dreams broken by a mysterious, masked stranger, who tried to snatch at the key around her neck, startling her in her sleep. She awoke with a jump, panicked for a moment and thinking the stranger was upon her.

  But there was no one there, only the curtain at the window blowing in the breeze. Darkness had fallen and she struck the flint at her side, lighting a candle and taking a deep breath.

  Tis only a dream, Ceana. Remember what yer grandmother always said about dreams, “They only hurt if we let them, they are only in the mind and we always have power over the mind.”

  She kept repeating the words over and over, as her breathing returned to normal.

  How she wished her grandmother was there now. She would know what to do and her words would be wise and comforting. Ceana missed her terribly and a tear ran down her cheek at the thought that she may never see her again.

  Where are ye, Grandmother?

  The only sound was the rustling of the curtain in the breeze and the distant hoot of an owl.

  Ceana was wide awake now and she clambered out of bed, wrapping her shawl around her shoulders while going to the window. She breathed in the fresh night air, which still had that sweetness upon it, the freshness of having blown across miles of open heather and moorland. She breathed in deeply and sighed.

  I wish … oh, ‘tis silly. But I wouldnae be as frightened if Raghnall were here.

  She was thinking back to that afternoon they had spent together and the delight she had taken in his company.

  She pondered for a moment, gazing out across the moorlands. She imagined him holding her, the safety of his strong arms, the caress of his touch.

  How would it feel to be possessed by him? He is … ever so attractive, but I shouldnae think such thoughts.

  She shook her head, as a shiver ran through her.

  Despite the late hour she no longer wished to be confined to her chambers and longed to look out over the moorlands from the top of the keep, a place she had often found herself when in need of space for contemplation. She turned the key in the lock and looked out into the passageway beyond, holding up her candle to see if anyone else was around. But once more the passageway was quiet and she made her way towards the ladder which led up to the roof.

  She passed the Laird’s chambers, and wondered if he had taken to his bed already. She knew he felt guilty at having not caught her attacker, but on her part, she too felt guilty for not having revealed the entire truth to him. Would he think her attacker was a bandit? An outlaw, who had set upon her at random? Surely that was his conclusion, for she could never reveal those hissed words in the darkness and the man’s searching grip around her neck.

  She made her way up to the roof, opening the trap door above the Laird’s chambers and standing on the top of the keep, looking out over the moorlands beyond. The Laird had told her that as a boy he was brought up here by his grandfather to study the stars and the movement of the planets. What he referred to as the ‘great celestial dance.’

  She looked up in awe at the bright sky above her, a shooting star tracing its course over the far-off mountains beyond. Up here, things seemed far simpler, the troubles of the world as nothing, compared to the vastness of the creation above.

  Ye are out there somewhere, Grandmother, and I will find ye, I promise.

  The sound of the trapdoor opening behind her caused her to jump and she turned, expecting for a moment to see the cloaked assailant emerging to pounce. But instead she let out a sigh of relief, as the Laird emerged through the hatch, smiling to her, as he came to stand at her side.

  “I thought I heard someone pass my chambers, and since there is only one way further beyond, they could only be here upon the roof. What are ye lookin’ for up here?” he asked, coming to lean upon the parapet next to her.

  “I … I daenae ken, I just … I just wanted to be here. To look up at the stars and to see the moon. ‘Tis beautiful tonight, dae ye nae think?” she said and he nodded.

  “Ye ken, when I was a bairn, and I used to stand up here, I used to wonder if folks in far off places, places ye and I will never see, looked up and saw the same as we. The same moon, the same stars, dae ye think they dae?” the Laird said, turning to her and smiling.

  “Aye, perhaps they dae. Perhaps somewhere far away two people are askin’ just the same question as we are,” Ceana replied.

  The Laird was silent for a moment.

  “I … I am sorry for what ye have been through, Miss Morvell. I should have protected ye, put more soldiers upon the road, been at yer side when ye visited Nairne. I am so sorry,” he said eventually, turning to her and taking her by the hand.

  “Ye daenae have anythin’ to be sorry for, Laird. Ye cannae protect me all the time. Who was to ken that a man would be lyin’ in wait for me like that? Ye sent yer men to guard the village and thanks to them, I am here now. There is nothin’ more ye could have done and I am safe now. I am here with ye,” she replied, feeling that familiar shiver run down her spine, as he clasped her hands in his.

  “But … I swore to protect ye, Miss Morvell. I told ye that ye would be safe here, but it turns out ye were nae. I have failed in my duty,” he said, sadly, hanging his head in shame.

  “Nay, ye have nae, ye have done more than yer duty towards me, Laird. Ye could have cast me out, sent me away, or banished me to the dungeons. But ye did none of that, instead ye welcomed me as yer guest, ye treated me with honor and respect and … and ye have been kind to me. Kinder than any man has ever been to me,” Ceana said.

  “And I have delighted in that. I have delighted in yer presence here with me, Miss Morvell, and to think of ye alone and frightened like that. Well, it fills me with such anger, I will find the man responsible, I promise,” he said.

  But Ceana shook her head and moved closer towards him, as he placed his strong arms around her.