Chapter Five
Kai wasn’t in a hurry on this journey. Yes, he wanted to successfully recruit the best men he could find, but he also needed to pace himself so he had ample time to woo Miran. Especially after what he’d witnessed as they’d rode out from Sands Airgid. He sensed her scrutiny. And when he’d confirmed it, his whole body was set ablaze with desire. The woman could not keep from staring at him, and in turn, if he could get away with it, he’d feast on her beauty all day and night.
But there were proper behaviors he must respect in this new country he called home now. In Constantinople, women were covered in robes, their faces veiled, meant only to be seen by their family members or husbands. Here, in the glorious Highlands, Kai had the benefit, no, had been given the precious gift of seeing Miran freely. To hear her voice, to caress her cheek, to kiss those plump lips that often twisted into an attractive scowl whenever she saw him. To smell the sweetness of the living gold in her hair.
He checked the horses that had been confined to an area between several trees for the night. Three tents were set up nearby, one for the women, one for the soldiers, and his own. Two guards would keep watch, then a second team would take over. With the shorter daylight hours of winter, they would rise early and ride until the sun set.
A central fire had been built, wool blankets spread out all around it for everyone to sit on and eat in warm comfort. Miran was perched on a stool a few feet away from her maids, gazing into the flames. He rounded the fire and stopped beside her.
“Are you enjoying the stew?”
She considered him for a long moment. “Tis good. Have ye eaten yet, Captain?”
“Nay,” he said. “I have just finished inspecting the horses and tents.”
“And has everything met with yer approval?”
Did he detect a glimmer of humor in her eyes? A slight waver in her voice? “Aye, Lady Miran, I’d say everything exceeds my expectations from where I stand.”
Miran shook her head as she took another spoonful of stew.
Aching tension built within him as he watched her swallow delicately. What he’d give…he’d sacrifice anything to taste her again.
“Exceeding yer expectations is a difficult thing to do, Captain. Believe me, I know all too well what it feels like to disappoint ye.”
“A temporary thing,” he assured her. “More likely a misunderstanding, Miran.”
She clicked her tongue in disbelief, set her empty bowl aside on the ground, and gave him a sideways look. “I believe ye accused me of loose morals.”
“Nay. You are wrong.” Devastatingly wrong. Rarely, he mixed up words in Gaelic, not an easy language to learn. In fact, of the six tongues he spoke fluently, as his birthplace sat at the crossroads of many civilizations and trade routes, his father had demanded he study multiple languages, he favored Gaelic. He loved the Highlands more than any place he’d ever visited. And he favored Miran MacKay over any woman he’d ever set eyes on. And if she only knew how many women he’d seen, met, and bedded…
“Ye called me shameless.”
Kai rubbed his hand over his face and hair. The lady made a fair point. “What I intended to say was bold. You often act too bold for a woman.”
“Bold?” She took an innocent tone. “My father was a Highland warrior, my mother related to the English queen…”
“Wait,” he said. “I thought Laird Jamie’s mother was a cousin to the queen?”
“Aye. Our father’s married half-sisters.”
Kai nodded in understanding. “So, because your mother had noble blood flowing in her veins, you blame her for your rebellious nature?”
“I doona blame her for anything! I praise her. Humbly thanking her every night as I pray for gifting me with a strong mind and heart.”
One of the guards brought Kai a bowl of stew and a wineskin. He eyed the empty space beside Miran, momentarily hoping she’d invite him to sit. But he thought better of it. Best to keep some distance between them for now. Instead, he chose a nearby, snow-covered boulder and wiped the wet away with his gloved hand before he sat down.
“And what about yer lineage, Prince?”
“I am no longer a prince.” He tasted the stew.
She chuckled. “Did ye forget about me? For years I attempted to hide my birthright, pretending to be a servant. I dressed and acted the part perfectly. And people who visited our castle often mistook me for a common lass. Twas easier that way.”
“Easier than what?”
Her eyes widened. “Accepting the loss of my parents.”
“For that I am truly sorry, Miran.” And he was. Pain darkened her features then, the kind of pain that never goes away. It got buried deeper, but it definitely didn’t fade, not with time or even immeasurable happiness.
Kai knew the bite of loss. The loss of his infant brother and sister, the deaths of beloved cousins, servants, pets, and now, the death of his once beloved father. Maybe it was harder to mourn his father who still lived but had died spiritually. “What do you miss the most about your father?”
“His laughter,” she said.
“And your mother?”
He heard the tiny sob escape her lips, and wanted to comfort her. But if he acknowledged having heard it, he might do more harm. Better to ignore it.
“She died when I was very young.”
He opened the wineskin and took a deep drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“What about yer mother? Do ye miss her?”
Her sudden interest in his life surprised him, for Miran had always cursed him, never asking after his personal affairs. “Nearly every night after most are abed, I go outside and gaze up at the stars. I imagine her doing the same, for we did so when I was a boy. She would point to the brightest stars and teach me their names. The heavenly bodies have always been a point of deep curiosity for me.”
He watched as she leaned back and gaped up at the nighttime sky. The half-moon was ringed by clouds, but dozens of stars were visible.
“Do we see the same stars here as ye saw in Constantinople?”
“Yes.”
“Mistress.”
Bloody hell… Kai found it hard to believe Cadha interrupted so many of their conversations by accident. In fact, he was beginning to think she was spying on them and purposely cutting their time short to keep him from growing closer to Miran. If the maid persisted, he would speak with her. As far as he was concerned, he’d made progress with Miran, experienced a sweeter, more trusting side of her tonight.
“Aye, Cadha?” Miran asked.
“Captain Kai has informed me we should be ready to leave at daybreak. If ye wish to get a full night’s sleep, we should retire now.”
“Verra well.” Miran stood. “I bid ye good night, Captain.”
He stood out of respect for her, waiting until the women disappeared before he claimed the stool she had been sitting on. He finished his cold stew, then drank a fair portion of wine.
“Can I join ye?”
He welcomed the company of Colin, his second-in-command. Not only had the man demonstrated great skill with a sword and bow, he’d earned Kai’s trust. “Yes.”
“We’ll reach the next village in a few days. I thought ye should know I have a cousin who lives nearby. He has a small farm, and I am sure ye and Lady Miran would be welcome at their hearth.”
“As will you, Colin.”
“Nay,” the soldier said. “I prefer to keep watch.”
“You will be expected to at least eat with us. I will not deprive you of what I am sure is a long overdue visit with your kinsman.”
“Thank ye, Captain Kai. The reason I suggested it is to give ye and the lass some time together. Tis my job to watch over ye, and the old hen hasna escaped my attention. Cadha doesna care for ye much. Aye, she respects ye as a leader and protector, but she doesna want ye near Lady Miran. And if I’m no’ mistaken, Laird Jamie wishes ye to marry his cousin.”
He rewarded the soldier with the rest of the wine in his skin. “Drink, the night air is cold.”
Colin nodded and drank greedily.
“Do ye have a wife and children, Colin?”
“Nay. Though my Da and Ma wish me to choose a bride. I am their only son, and with two younger sisters, their only hope of a grandchild any time soon.”
“A man needs children to complete him. A wife to comfort him as he grows old.”
“I am but twenty seasons, sir. Most men I know prefer to wait.”
Sometimes the differences between the Scots and his own people were startling. “A man your age in Constantinople might have two wives by now and half a dozen children.”
Colin spit out the last gulp of wine he’d taken. “Two wives?”
“Aye. Four is acceptable if you possess the wealth to support them equally.”
Colin rubbed his bearded chin. “I canna say the idea of bedding a different lass every night isna exciting. But when I think about the kind of jealously twould cause in the hearts of the women—I doona like it so much.”
“Wise beyond your years.”
“Did ye leave behind a wife and children?”
“No. But I was betrothed.”
“Ye must grieve her loss.”
“I never met her. But from what I understand, she was a striking woman, and there would be no lack of suitors for her.” Only once had he thought about Rayha, and that was on the ship many years ago. “This place has given me a second chance.”
“There’s magic all about us, sir. Anything is possible in Scotia.”
“Magic?”
“Aye, wee creatures, fairies, and selkies.”
“Not God and his angels?”
“Them, too.”
“Then the Highlands are vast enough to offer a home to all celestial creatures.”
“Every sort of man resides here,” Colin said. “So why no’ a mix of mythical beings. I may no’ be as travelled as ye, Captain, but I have seen a fair part of this world, listened to men speak from the heart about what they put faith in and what they consider mere superstition. Once ye’ve seen a bare-footed bairn shivering and starving in the middle of winter, his young ma a widow with no place to lay her head, ye might understand why so many of us believe in magic.”
“I would never question your faith, Colin, or ridicule you for worshipping a different god than me. Variety makes the world an interesting place. Imagine if we were all the same.”
Perhaps he should take his own words to heart. Instead of trying to subdue his wild, Highland lass, he should enjoy the challenge she presented. Embrace her unpredictability, encourage her to fulfill her dreams. Nay. Her dreams were not the dreams of the average woman, that much he knew. Jamie had told him before she had wealth set aside by her father which would enable her to live independently once she reached a certain age. Kai would never allow Miran to strike out on her own.
As capable and stubborn as he believed her to be, to use Colin’s words, every sort of man resided in the Highlands. Good ones, of course. But Kai had seen firsthand what one evil man could do, what he could destroy if given free reign.
Done with the conversation, Kai stood and stretched. Never in need of as much sleep as others, he would rest for a few hours in his tent, then secretly patrol the area outside the camp. Better prepared than caught unaware by any enemy.
“Who has first watch?” he asked.
“Maxwell and Kirk.”
Satisfied Colin would keep his men organized, Kai strode to his tent. Light flickered from inside; someone had lit the brazier for him. Though he’d been raised in the desert, the winter did not affect him the way it did his brothers. He preferred the cold. It made him feel alive and strong, whereas the simmering heat left him feeling lazy.
He closed the tent flap behind him and crawled between the furs. The only thing on his mind as he faded into sleep was Miran—he hoped she would join him at Colin’s cousin’s farm tomorrow night, away from prying maids, where he could kiss her again, maybe more than once.