but he hardly felt the chill at all. His body was raging for Lianna MacKinnon.
And he would stop at nothing to claim his promised bride.
Lianna was on her hands and knees, cleaning a small pile of dirt from the floor when her brother Sían strode into the gathering space. He smiled warmly at her. ‘You needn’t kneel on my behalf, Sister.’
His teasing was meant to make her laugh, but she could not bring herself to do so. Inwardly, she was still shaken by the encounter with Gavin MacAllister. The Highlander had struck her speechless with his handsome face, and God help her, the kiss had made her into a trembling mess. It wasn’t her first, but it was so very different from the dry peck upon her mouth, only given because one boy had dared another. No, Gavin’s kiss had unravelled her senses. She had hardly been able to ride back to their fortress, for her face was burning with startled embarrassment.
Men didn’t pay attention to her. They didn’t even like her. As she rose from the floor, folding the cloth into a rectangle, she didn’t miss the smirk from one of their kinsmen standing nearby.
‘You missed a grain of sand,’ Robbie mocked her. ‘Just there.’
She glanced in the direction he pointed but saw nothing. The arrogant look in his eyes bothered her, and she looked to Sían to say something. But her brother ignored it, pulling out a chair before he sat.
‘What have you seen this day?’ he asked. ‘Did any of the crofters’ homes have cobwebs, or God forbid, a rat?’
Robbie snickered, but she ignored the man. The truth was, she’d forgotten to inspect the homes at all. She ought to confess to her brother the truth, that she had encountered Gavin MacAllister. And yet, a part of her wanted to hold that memory to herself.
Instead, she repeated what she had already told him in the past. ‘Hamish and Maire lost two of their cattle to raiders. Their daughter, Lara, will give birth in the spring. And Orna is growing old and is suffering from aching of her hands and feet. Most of our people lack enough supplies to last through the winter. We need to be prepared.’
A part of her knew she ought to use her precious hoard of coins to buy supplies for her kinsmen, but she hoped that the Norman would take her exchange and give her freedom from the marriage. If he refused, she would use the silver to help her clan.
Sían sighed. ‘Then everything with our clan is the same as always. What would I do without your observations?’ He winked at his men, and Lianna decided to broach the subject she feared the most.
‘Father has told me that the Norman has arrived with his men. He still wants me to marry Rhys de Laurent.’ She gripped her hands together, waiting to hear his response. Sían had the most to lose, for once de Laurent married her, he would take command of the clan.
At that, her brother’s expression turned cold. ‘Is that so?’ There was a cruel air within his voice, and he stood, resting his hand upon the dagger at his waist.
Lianna raised her eyes to his, pleading, ‘Will you speak to Father on my behalf?’ She knew her best hope was to flatter her brother’s ego. ‘You should be the clan chief, not a stranger.’ She steeled herself and said, ‘If you can stop this marriage, I would be so grateful.’
Her brother did appear irritated by the idea of losing command. ‘You are right that I should be the leader of our people. Father is sick, and we must be prepared for the worst.’
‘Thank you,’ she murmured. Her heart did worry over Alastair, for even during these past summer months, he had struggled to overcome a hacking cough. Sían had offered to take over his duties, but their father had refused. His pride prevented him from accepting help.
Sían took her hand and patted it as if she were a child. ‘Does this Norman truly think he can trespass upon our land, plant a babe within you, and steal all that we have worked for?’ He met the gazes of their kinsmen, who appeared as angry as he did. ‘It will not happen.’
‘Perhaps it could be avoided,’ Lianna suggested. ‘Give him another bride, if he wants an alliance with us.’ Surely there was a young maid who would not mind living with a wealthy Norman.
‘He can have your maid, Orna,’ Sían remarked with a hearty laugh. ‘As old as she is, she won’t mind at all.’
But Lianna did not share in his laughter. She stood and walked away from the men, knowing that Sían would not be serious until they were alone. As she hoped, he started to follow. ‘Peace, my sister. We will walk awhile and talk about this.’
Which meant he would discuss nothing in front of their kinsmen. She understood his need to remain a respected leader among them.
They walked in silence for half a mile before Sían turned serious. ‘You are frightened of this marriage.’
‘I am,’ she admitted. ‘I hope that the Norman will turn me down, that he will not want a woman like me.’ No one did, for she knew most of the men made fun of her behind her back. They didn’t understand her, and she didn’t expect them to.
‘It matters not if he wants someone like you. He would not willingly surrender command of Eiloch,’ her brother answered. ‘Our lands hold value, and he will want to gain favour in the sight of the English king by claiming them.’
‘It doesn’t have to be me,’ she whispered. ‘Why can we not ask him to go back? If we pay him, he may consider it. I have saved some silver over the years.’
Sían’s eyes clouded a moment. ‘Indeed.’ Then he let out a sigh and dropped his arm across her shoulders. ‘I will not let any man hurt you, Lianna. I promise you that. Especially not a Norman bastard.’
She wanted to believe her brother could defend her, but this agreement had been made before she was born. Not only that, but she knew the strength of the Norman warriors. They could tear the clan apart, leaving the crofters’ homes in ashes.
Fear sank its claws into her, and she tried to steady herself. Right now, she needed a mindless activity to help occupy her time. The winter stores could be reorganised, and she decided it would be a good distraction.
‘Is there someone else you would rather wed?’ her brother asked. With a light teasing tone, he added, ‘Someone you have your eye on?’
The image of Gavin MacAllister suddenly invaded her mind. His body had filled out the MacKinloch clothing he wore, and she had welcomed the feeling of his arms around her. Even his kiss had captivated her senses.
Her face flushed, and her brother’s expression gleamed. ‘Who is he, Lianna?’
She covered her cheeks and shook her head. ‘No one.’ To avoid answering questions, she turned her back.
Sían laughed quietly. ‘You will not tell me, I see.’ He only ruffled her hair and said, ‘Don’t fear, Lianna. I will handle everything. You need not wed this man.’
‘What will you do if the Normans will not listen to reason?’ she asked. She knew better than to think it would be an easy escape.
A sly smile came over her brother’s face. ‘Don’t worry
