Chapter Twelve
Emily coughed as she threw a bucket of water on the fire just to make certain it was out. That produced even more smoke and she stumbled back to the sink. Clutching the side of the large sink, she coughed until her ribs hurt and quickly used a damp cloth to clean her face. She then filled the bucket up again and cursed Albert and the men he had hired. Why did they always have to burn things down? And why did it have to be in the dining room? She had only recently scrubbed the whole room. She could not get over how much that annoyed her, petty though that it was.
Looking at the damage already caused by the fire, smoke, and water almost made her cry. The MacEnroys had worked so hard to build themselves a home and yet again some English gentry were trying to destroy it. Iain had come to this country to get away from her kind. It was so wrong, so unfair, and she wished Albert were there himself so that someone could shoot him.
That bloodthirsty thought was oddly satisfying and Emily hurried to douse the last of the fire one final time. She was setting the empty bucket on the kitchen table when she heard something at the back door. Emily tensed when she realized she had not barred it after she had let Mrs. O’Neal in. Distracted by the woman and her children she had simply locked it.
Just as she decided she might have a chance to go into the root cellar without the man kicking at the door seeing her, it was too late. The door crashed open and the man started toward her. Emily hurled the bucket at him, hearing the man curse as it clipped him on the shoulder. He staggered a little then started for her again. Emily was backing up and frantically looking for something to defend herself with when the point of a sword appeared out of his chest. Emily met the man’s horrified gaze, certain her own was the same. Blood began to pour from his mouth and she felt her stomach churn. He sagged and then was propelled forward to lie on the floor.
Tearing her gaze from the man’s body, she looked up and there stood Iain, his expression fierce and a bloodied sword in his hand. She started to shake and forced herself to stop. She did not wish to make Iain think he had caused her fear. Emily also did not want him to think she was too horrified by what he had done although she feared he could read it in her face. She had to let him know it was the death that upset her, not the fact that he caused it. The man was planning to kill her and she was more than grateful that he had been stopped. Cautiously she moved around the table. As soon as she had a clear path, she ran into his arms, hearing the sword hit the ground as he wrapped his arms around her. She could smell sweat, blood, and smoke on him but nothing had ever made her feel so safe before.
“Are ye okay, lass?” he asked, rubbing one hand up and down her back.
“I am fine.” Emily stepped back and he was slow to release her. “Best pick up your weapon in case others come.”
“No others left to come.” He bent, wiped the sword clean on the dead man’s coat, and then stood up. “We killed a lot of them and as the men began to fall, others changed their mind about it all and fled. We accepted the surrender of others. We will keep a watch in case some eluded the Powell brothers.”
“The Powells?”
“Aye. They came running and ended up on the backside of this lot. Hid themselves well and, I cannae say how many, but I dinnae think many of the ones who ran away got very far. I am hoping we’ll find one alive.”
“So many dead,” she whispered in shock.
“They intended to kill ye and the boy. Dinnae waste a moment of grief on them.”
“No grief. Just shock. I begin to think Albert is more than greedy. He must be mad.” She looked around. “Oh, Iain, your lovely home. They have ruined it.” She felt tears sting her eyes.
“It will be fixed, love,” he said quietly.
“Smoke, fire, ash, and blood are not easily banished.”
“Dinnae fret. We will do it. There is no damage to the main structure. Where is Mrs. O’Neal?”
“Still in the root cellar. Is anyone hurt?”
“Nay. A few nicks and bruises is all. How about ye go and fetch her, but take it slow so I have time to get this body out of here. Dinnae want the children seeing it.”
“Yes, I can do that.” She took a deep breath and reached for calm. “I am glad none of you were badly hurt and I am so sorry for all of this.”
“Ye have nothing to apologize for. This wasnae your doing, never think so. It was all the fault of that greedy bastard Albert. I would sorely like to find him. He is a man who badly needs killing. Just keep that thought in your head. This is all Albert’s doing.”
“I am so sorry you were forced to do that,” she said, and nodded toward the dead man.
Iain pulled her into his arms and kissed her, all the fear he had felt that he would not stop the man in time adding a fierceness to the kiss. “There was a choice before me. Ye or him. That was a simple choice to make.” He let her go and nudged her toward the door leading to the cellar. “Go and let the others out.”
She nodded and headed to the root cellar, trying hard to ignore the sound of a body being dragged out the door. It was Albert’s doing. A faint smile touched her mouth. She still felt to blame for bringing this trouble to Iain’s door but he was right, the dead were all on Albert’s head. All she and the MacEnroys had done was fight to stay alive.
“Em! Fire!” Neddy ran up and wrapped himself around her legs. “We go. We run.”
Crouching down she framed Neddy’s face with her hands. “I put the fire out, Neddy.”
“No fire? I smell it.”
“That is just the smoke and I am afraid we will be smelling that for quite a while. But there is no fire. I threw water on it all and I am sure Iain will do a thorough check to be certain.”
“He will indeed,” said Mrs. O’Neal as she stepped up and stroked Neddy’s hair where he was tucked in the folds of their skirts, then she looked at Emily. “Any injuries?”
“Iain said just a few nicks and bruises.”
Mrs. O’Neal snorted. “Men. Let us get up there then.”
Deciding she had allowed Iain enough time, Emily nodded. “Just keep the children behind you in case Iain was slower to clean up something than he thought he would be.”
“Might be something left that we need to clean up too,” Mrs. O’Neal murmured.
“Quite possible,” she answered, relieved the woman understood what she meant.
With all the children kept behind them, or their faces pressed into the folds of their skirts, they went up to the kitchen. Emily was surprised but relieved to see Iain mopping up the floor. A quick glance told her the water in the bucket had already been changed so there was little sign of blood. She did wonder what had been done with the body.
“Are the others coming in soon to have their nicks and bruises tended to?” asked Mrs. O’Neal.
Iain smiled faintly at her dry tone of voice. “They will be in as soon as things are tidied up a wee bit.”
“Fair enough. Anything done to my cabin?”
“Nay. It wasnae touched and Matthew had a look about to make sure it was also empty.”
“Good. Okay, kids, you are to go home and take our little Neddy with you. Emily and I have work to do.”
Emily watched as everyone but her and Mrs. O’Neal left the kitchen. It was over, she thought as Mrs. O’Neal watched the children go before searching out the things she would need to put together a hearty meal. No one had been hurt except the ones who had tried to hurt them. She tried not to think much on what the men had to “tidy up” outside. Emily knew she should feel relieved, perhaps even a little triumphant that they had prevailed, but she just felt cold.
The odd mood stayed with her all through the preparation of the meal. She barely spoke during the meal although she carefully studied each one of the brothers to assure herself they were whole. Iain kept giving her long looks filled with curiosity and concern but she ignored them. Emily knew she needed to be alone to shake off the strange mood. For now, she did only what she had to and spoke only when spoken to directly.
“What troubles you, dearie?” asked Mrs. O’Neal after the others left the table and she started to clean up.
“I brought killers to your home, to Iain’s home,” Emily said.
“Nonsense. They brought themselves, the bastards. Whoever wants you and that boy dead will chase you wherever you go. Better you get to a place with high walls and a lot of strong men than out on the trail or in some boardinghouse,” she said as she washed the dishes and Emily wiped them dry.
“This is not Iain’s battle.”
“Ha! It is the battle of any man with a backbone and a solid sense of what is right. This cousin of yours wants to slaughter a woman and a small child, an infant, a babe with no ability to protect himself, and all for gain. It should turn any decent man’s stomach. It is just sad that there are so many men willing to take the money to do his dirty work for him.”
“The MacEnroys saved our lives, mine and Neddy’s. It is a poor repayment for that to drag them into this mess.”
Mrs. O’Neal shook her head. “When you start thinking like that, do one thing for me.”
“What?” Emily asked suspiciously.
“Think of that boy. Think of those big brown eyes going cloudy with death. That is what your lofty principles will gain you if you hang on to them past all good sense. He can stay with us tonight if he wishes.” Mrs. O’Neal walked out leaving Emily with the last of the dishes.
Chastised, Emily finished the dishes. She poured herself a tankard of cider and went to sit on the porch swing. She could hear the faint sounds of the men clearing away all signs of the battle and the death it brought. Emily knew the men who had died were ones who had not quailed at the thought of killing a woman and child but she feared for how causing such death affected the MacEnroys. She could not believe it was an easy thing to kill a man, even one who deserved killing.
She tried to make herself think as Mrs. O’Neal did. Albert and any men he hired were willing to kill a woman and a child so they could enrich themselves. It was the lowest of motives for murder although it was all too common. Any man with honor would feel it was right and just to kill to stop such men. None of the MacEnroys had looked as if they were suffering from what had been done.
She looked over at the O’Neal cottage and sighed. They had fought for that woman and her children, too. If the men had overpowered the MacEnroys they would have killed them all. She had no doubt about that. Emily told herself she should be pleased that she had found men who had the honor and the stomach to do what was right and just. She just wished she could have taken care of it all herself.
A small choked laugh escaped her. She had not been able to take of Albert and the men he hired even back in England. The family members who had stood with her were dead. The others simply thought her an hysterical female. It was the height of irony that Scots torn from their home by her kind were the ones who worked so hard to keep her and Neddy alive.
“Emily?”
She looked up and saw Iain move toward her, taking a seat by her side. He did not look as if he carried any weight for what he had done to keep her and Neddy safe. No ghosts appeared to haunt his expression. Emily wondered if there was something in the male mind and heart that made them able to accept deaths caused by their hands if those deaths could be justified.
“It has been a long, miserable day,” she said.
“That it has.” He put his arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer as he sipped his cider. “But we beat them. That is something to celebrate.”
“They tried to burn your house down.”
“Actually, we were not sure how the fire started at first. Duncan feared it might have been him because one of his shots went in the house. Could have knocked something over. But I saw the man in the tree shoot a fire arrow at it.”
“There was nothing that had a spark. Not in the dining room where the fire began.”
“I know. And we calculated that his shot would have gone in the kitchen. Window busted there. So that man got close enough and had the time to shoot in the fire. I will tell Duncan though as he was unsettled by the possibility.”
“It is ruined in there.”
“Nay, Matthew says the table just needs to be sanded down a bit and redone and it will be good as new. Carpet is a loss but Robbie says he can weave another. Shame though as ye had just scrubbed the whole place down.”
Emily gave a watery laugh. “I know and I am ashamed to admit I was so cross and cursing as I put out the fire. Muttering away about all the work I had done and it was a silly thing to fret over when you and your brothers were facing an army.”
“Nay. It is sometimes the small things that can really get to a person in such times. When I was keeping the boys safe during the attack that took my parents all I could think on was that they were trying to burn our stuff and what would I do for clothes. Knew it was a stupid fool thing to fret over but I think that happens because ye dinnae really want to think on the real cause of the anger and fear ye feel.”
“Yes. That is probably true. After all, the real cause will be waiting for you to face it when you step out.”
“What I saw was that my parents had died in each other’s arms.”
“That is both sad and lovely.”
He laughed but it was not a happy sound. “I ken it. Do ye think he will quit now?” Iain hoped she would say no because he did not want to have to explain why he thought this would go on until the man was dead.
“No. It will never stop until Albert is dead in the ground.”
He tightened his arm around her shoulders. “Good that ye see that. I ken ye have said something similar before but was worried ye had talked yourself into changing your mind.”
Emily sat up and stared at him. “No. I feel a bit sick when I say it, as it is such a horrible thing to want, but I know this will only end when Albert is dead. He will never give up.”
Iain finished his cider, then stood up, pulling her to her feet as well. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders he took her inside and placed their cups on the kitchen counter. He held her hand and peered out into the hallway. He could hear his brothers all gathered in the parlor so he went quickly to the stairs and dragged Emily up them. She hesitated a moment when he led her to his door.
“I saw Neddy going with Mrs. O’Neal’s children. Did he come back?” he asked in a whisper.
“No, but all your brothers are right downstairs,” she replied in a voice as soft as his.
“And willnae come in my room. Nay without warning.”
He opened his door, tugged her inside, and with a last peek down the hallway, shut the door and latched it. Emily stood looking at him. She looked nervous and he smiled gently as he walked up to her and tugged her into his arms.
“Alone at last,” he murmured, and was pleased to hear her laugh softly. “I have a craving to prove we both survived. Understand?”
“Yes. I have a craving to forget it all for a time. Is that wrong?”
“Nay, love. It is not so different from what I seek.”
He kissed her. Emily curled her arms around his neck and held on tight. She had the fleeting thought that he could not understand what he did to her with his kiss and she did not want him to. Then all the power would be in his hands and that did not seem fair. Then he slid his hand down her back and pressed her even closer to him. She felt his hardness and decided the power was in her hands as well. Emboldened by that realization she began to undo his shirt.
She smoothed her hands over his chest once she had opened his shirt, reveling in the strength and heat beneath her fingers. When he released her mouth to kiss her neck, she tilted her head to give him better access and trembled slightly from the strength of the feelings he stirred within her. Emily became so lost to the way he made her feel she did not even twitch as he undid her gown. She even tugged her own arms free of the sleeves as he tugged the gown down.
Iain tried not to tear anything as he carefully undressed her. Her touch on his skin was making him desperate, however. When he got her stripped down to her shift he pushed her toward the bed until she sat down on the edge. He quickly shed his boots and then knelt to deal with her shoes. Unable to stop himself he ran his hands over her slender legs every chance he got only to discover, to his delight, that Emily was extremely sensitive to such a touch. As he undid her garters and tugged off her stockings, he kissed each newly bared patch of skin. The soft sounds of pleasure escaping her were music to his ears.
Once he had her stripped to only her shift, he stood up and began to shed his own clothes. The way Emily watched him, her eyes wide yet still warmed with passion, made him hesitate a moment before taking off his drawers. Emily was still new to this intimacy and he did not wish to shock her out of her state of desire. Then Iain shrugged and removed them, tossing them to the side. The way she stared at his groin made him a little uneasy until she reached out and stroked him.
He yanked off her shift and gently pushed her down onto the bed. “Nay, love, ye cannae do that. Nay now. I am a desperate man.”
“Oh? That makes you desperate?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Ye make me desperate.”
He kissed her and Emily murmured her pleasure. The way his naked body was pressed all along the length of hers would be impossible for her to describe. Every brush of his warm, taut skin and crisp hair made her pulse dance madly and her desire for him grow until she ached.
Then his mouth left hers and he kissed his way down to her breasts. He kissed her there and then suckled her like a babe. The ache she suffered from centered itself low in her belly, and Emily was shocked when she realized she had been rubbing herself against him. She was just discovering that that motion felt very good when he slid his hand down over her stomach and between her legs. She cried out softly when he slid a finger inside of her.
“Ah, love, ye heat up for me so quickly, thank heaven,” he said against the swell of her breast.
Emily could not think of what to respond to that and then forgot about even speaking when he replaced his finger with that part she had no name for. With a quiet cry of pleasure she wrapped her legs around him.
Iain moved slowly at first, holding on to just enough control to keep his thrusts slow and deep. Emily’s breathing grew faster and uneven and then her body tightened around him. He caught her cry of release in his mouth then continued to kiss her as he thrust harder, faster, and found his own pleasure. Pressing his forehead against hers he managed to keep most of his weight off her as he rode it out, then he pulled away and rolled to the side. It was an effort but he wrapped his arms around her and tugged her hard up against his side, pleased to feel that she was as wrung out as he was.
For several minutes they just sprawled there, their breathing growing more steady.
Emily began to come to her senses and then wondered if she should say anything.
Unfortunately, she could think of nothing to say. Although her knowledge of such matters was not enough to fill a thimble, she had once heard a woman speak of pillow talk. The woman had been quickly hushed, however. So what did one say after such an event, she wondered.
Iain rolled onto his side, saw the faint line between her brows, and said, “Oh, I forgot to clean us off. Be just a moment.”
Already blushing, Emily watched as he walked over to the washbowl, poured some water in, and wet a rag. The man was completely comfortable walking around naked. She wished she could have such confidence but she had already tugged the sheet up until it covered her. He washed, rinsed the rag, then marched back and cleaned her off. Emily thought her face would burst into flames, her blushes felt so hot. After he rinsed and set aside the rag, he crawled back into bed and pulled her into his arms. It took a moment but then she realized he was stroking her back much the way he stroked a nervous horse.
“What are you doing?” she asked, putting her hands on his chest and pushing herself up enough to see his face.
“Weel, ye were looking a wee bit discomforted,” he said.
She looked down at his chest and idly petted flat the hair sprinkled there. “I am unaccustomed to doing this and know none of the rules.”
“There are rules, are there?”
“I am certain there must be.”
He cupped his hand under her chin, tilted her face up to his, and brushed a kiss over her mouth. “The only rule is to be sure ye give each other pleasure.”
She sighed and rested her cheek against his chest. “That seems impossibly simple.”
“Not everything can have a set of rules to it, love. There are rules all round this, and we’ve broken most of them, but none for the act itself except to give pleasure and not hurt each other.”
Emily thought about all the rules they had broken and she ought to be deeply ashamed. Yet, she was not, not in the slightest. All she felt was some unease because she did not know how this man she had given herself to felt about her. He so easily called her “ love” but she doubted he meant it as she would like him to. The fact that she loved him made his lack of love words, and the promises that came with them, all the harder to bear.
She sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest and ignoring how the action bared so much of his tall, muscular body. “I best slip off to my own room now.”
Iain sat up and pulled her into his arms. “Why? Neddy is staying at the O’Neals, aye? There is no one to ken ye are missing from your own bed.”
“But we have already done that,” she protested weakly as he tugged the sheet away and began to kiss her breasts.
“Are ye sore?”
“No.”
“Then I think we should take advantage of our time alone as it is so rare.”
* * *
Emily slowly opened her eyes and was disoriented for a moment. Then she recalled where she was and turned her head to see Iain sleeping soundly. Glancing toward the window she saw the dim light of dawn starting to color the sky. She slid out of bed and yanked on her shift. Gathering up the rest of her clothes, she crept out of the room and dashed across the hall to hers. Once inside, she tossed aside her clothes and climbed into her own bed.
She could not believe she had stayed the night with Iain. That was risky and probably foolish. Now she was painfully aware of how alone she was in her own bed. She craved his warm body next to hers, the way he idly curled an arm around her waist and tugged her close. It was a mistake to have stayed the night with him because now she would be plagued by all she did not have.
Like his love, she thought, then cursed. She could not be sure what he felt for her aside from lust and she had overheard enough talk to know a man could feel lustful toward many ladies. Emily wondered if there was a way to prompt him to declare himself but quickly shook aside that thought. He might tell her he did no more than lust after her and she could not bear to hear that.
Closing her eyes, she tried to clear her mind. It would be a while before she needed to rise and she intended to spend that time catching up on all the sleep she lost last night in Iain’s bed. She set her mind on planning how, and what, to clean up after the fire and soon felt sleep creep over her.