STRANGE NEWS
“An'... heave!”
Broderick swung the two-handed sword with practiced ease. He grinned at the younger man opposite him who was sweating with effort.
“There ye go, Cam. Ye'll get the swing right soon.”
Cam, the young man, gave him a skeptical look. Broderick smiled. He was tired. He had been training with the guard since morning and he could feel his arm aching. Fighting in mail, wielding two-handed swords, needed huge strength. And that strength needed to be kept up by constant practice. Feeling tired and grimy with sweat and dust, Broderick loped away into the hall.
I should ask Duncan to come back. If I'm only to be here a few days longer, I could do with him as a training partner. And his company would make the ride more pleasant.
Dunkeld was no more than a day's ride from Lochlann castle, and Broderick was looking forward to the time when he would finally make the foray into the woods, taking his bride with him. Lord Lochlann seemed satisfied with his achievement and he was sure he would be able to return home any day now.
“Still limping, Lord Broderick?”
An insolent young voice hailed Broderick from the archway to the great hall. Broderick saw Blaine there and grinned.
“As you see.” He sighed. “It's worse after all day standing. I'm back in practice now, though, young man. So, you hauld yer mouth. We'll test this leg of mine out someday. You and I.”
Blaine grinned. He crunched the late apple he was holding, swallowing the mouthful before he made reply. “An' I'll land up on me arse, sir.”
Broderick ruffled his hair vigorously. “I'm not sure of that, young man.”
Blaine grinned lopsidedly. “We can see.” Then he yawned. “I'm off riding.”
Broderick nodded. “Go safely.”
“I'll do that,” Blaine called over his shoulder as he loped to the stables.
Broderick sighed. He headed across the hallway to the stairs. What he really wanted was a wash. Then he might head up to the solar and see if Amabel had finished sewing yet.
Amabel. The thought made his loins ache, and his heart thump in his chest. He knew his body was already ready for her, and he smiled ruefully.
Och, mon! Imagine if someone sees you now! He patted the front of his tunic, self-consciously, lest there be something showing there. Satisfied that there was nothing, he headed on upstairs to the solar.
He paused outside. He could hear high laughter and women talking to each other. He listened in with curiosity.
“...and so, I told her I wouldn't be needing any assistance for that,” Amabel was saying. Alina was giggling helplessly.
“No,” Alina managed between the giggles. “I can imagine not.”
“...the man's as tireless as an ogre,” Amabel said, giggling helplessly.
“But nothing like one to look at, I gather.”
“No! Nothing like that at all.”
Broderick felt his face split with a grin. The thought that his prowess was a topic of conversation between the women was a source of pride and amazement.
And men think women are shy and hesitant!
Unless he was asking his brother for advice, he himself would hardly ever mention his nocturnal adventures. The fact that two ladies would actively discuss him, and in that way, made him blush warmly.
In the bedchamber, he waited while the maid fetched warm water for the bath. Then he slipped in, relishing the feeling of the water cleansing his skin.
He had just stepped out when he heard a light laugh in the corridor beyond. His body tensed.
“Hello?” His voice was as dry as if he had licked salt.
“Broderick?” She appeared in the door, all long, loose red hair and smiles. She was wearing a cream linen gown and she smelled of flowers.
Broderick crushed her to him, feeling the sweet softness of her body mold to his.
“Amabel,” he whispered into her hair. “My darling Amabel.”
Amabel smiled up into his eyes, blue eyes teasing.
“You seem hungry, my lord? Should I send Blaire to the pantry?”
Broderick smiled. He bent down and kissed her full on the lips, feeling his heart beat faster.
“I am hungry, but only one thing satisfies me,” he said roughly.
Amabel smiled, teasing. “And what might that be, my lord?”
“I can show you.”
Amabel blinked those long blue eyes at him. “I'm waiting patiently.”
He laughed and pulled her closer, shutting the door behind her with a click.
In the bedroom, he fell on her, pulling her dress down and off with passionate haste. He threw her onto the bed and joined her there, planting little kisses all down her skin.
When he reached her abdomen, he stopped. He looked up at her, teasing. Her eyes were open, her lips parted. He grinned.
“Oh, yes...” she moaned as he bent lower.
He parted her thighs gently and, very gently, lapped his tongue along her silky folds. She screeched and shook and still he kept up his gentle lapping, mouthing, tasting.
When she finally groaned aloud and, shivering, collapsed beneath him, he lay for a moment, head against her legs.
“You amaze me,” she whispered as he crawled up to lie beside her.
He smiled. “Nothin' compared to you,” he said as he nestled closer beside her.
She smiled and kissed him and they lay together, content.
* * *
Broderick woke to feel Amabel stroking his brow.
“Mm?” he said softly.
“Broderick?” she ventured.
“Yes?”
He opened his eyes and noticed she was looking down, frowning.
“I wanted to ask...” She hesitated. “You aren't going to campaign for my uncle again, are you?”
Broderick sighed. He reached up and embraced her shoulders. “I don't know.”
Amabel frowned. “Has he asked you to?”
“Not yet,” Broderick admitted. “But I saw him talking to the Thane of Coverly and I suspect he is planning something.”
Amabel closed her eyes. “Please don't go?”
Broderick sat up. He stroked her hair, looking up into her blue eyes. She looked sad. He would do anything to take away that sadness. But he could not refuse aid to an ally – not if they approached him directly.
“I can try,” he said gently. “I can try not to go. I can't refuse.”
Amabel smiled, though she looked sad. “Please try.”
He laughed softly. “Why, lass? Do you reckon something will happen to me? I'm still strong, even after my wounds.”
Amabel shook her head energetically. “No! It's not that. It's...” She bit her lip. When she looked up, her eyes were swimming with tears.
“What, lass?” Broderick drew her into a hug, holding her against his chest while he kissed her scented locks.
She wriggled away after a moment and looked him in the eye. With her pale skin and red hair, she looked like fire made human. He shivered with admiration.
“I think there's going to be a war on your lands.”
Broderick shot up, sitting so fast he hit his skull on the wall and moaned. “Why, lass? Did you hear aught?”
Amabel bit her lip. “I do not want to make you worried by passing rumors,” she faltered. “It's just...”
“Just what?”
“I heard something when I was in the market today. Something about the MacDowells, on the move. Toward Dunkeld.”
Broderick stared at her. “MacDowells? In Dunkeld?”
Amabel looked away. “I don't know. I heard it... perhaps it is lies.”
Broderick reached out and gripped her arm. “Hauld on there,” he said gently. “I was not meanin' I did not believe you. Who said so?”
She sniffed. “Boys. At the market. Cutting wood.”
Broderick blinked. He would not usually listen to shopkeepers, but if Amabel was convinced, they must be convincing. “What did they say? Tell me.”
“They said they saw a force of men. In the forest. Near Dunkeld.”
“Where did they come from? Did they say?”
“From the north,” Amabel replied. “I asked and...”
“Clever lass!” Broderick said encouragingly. “So, from there you arrived at the MacDowells?”
“Yes.” Amabel nodded. “It seemed the only adequate explanation.”
Broderick thought about it. “I agree they're well-armed. But why, lass? Why MacDowell?”
Amabel sighed. “I don't know, Broderick. I thought of something.”
He looked up at her, interested. “What did ye think of?”
“Remember we said... said the raid might not have been Bradleys? Too many men?”
“Yes?”
“Well, imagine if it was not the Bradleys, but people pretending to be. Imagine if our feuding is all fueled by someone else, some third clan who stands to gain more?”
“You mean someone set us against each other? Hoping to benefit?”
“Exactly!” Amabel nodded vigorously. “And who hates the Bradleys and the MacAdams?”
Broderick stared. “MacDowells.”
Amabel inclined her head. She said nothing.
Broderick gave a low whistle.
“I don't know, lass! It seems far-fetched...”
Amabel sighed. “Maybe it is.”
Broderick lay back, looking at the ceiling. “Maybe it is. But it makes sense.”
Amabel lay down. Together they kept a silence, each lost in thought.
When he finally spoke, his voice was grave.
“I need to go somewhere. Check some things. I don't know if this can be right. I want to confront MacDowell.”
Amabel stiffened. Of all the solutions, that one was the most dangerous. If the MacDowell leader had the slightest inkling that Broderick knew his ruse, he would stop at nothing to finish him.
“Dear?” she asked softly.
“Yes?”
“You have to, don't you? I can't say no.”
Broderick chuckled. He looked down at her face, cupping it with his hand. “If anyone could tell me no, I'd listen to you,” he said calmly. “You have my heart. But I must go.”
Amabel bit her lip. She could not let her husband leave on such a dangerous mission alone! As she heard his breath slow and he gently dozed off, she made a plan.
There were two things she could do. She could either persuade him to at least consult with Uncle Brien before leaving, or she could do something more dangerous.
As she lay beside him in the darkening bedroom, she made her plans. They were wild, they were perilous, they were dangerous. But they might work, and that was all she wanted.