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Chapter 43
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The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 44
The moment her husband’s arms were around her, Isobel felt every ounce of strength and energy leave her. As he gathered her close she leaned into his warmth and closed her eyes. At first, she was amazed that she felt so absolutely safe in a man’s arms, but then she realized that was not the only reason her body relaxed so much. She had not been well at the start of her journey and she’d not stopped to rest along the route except when the horse had needed to. She wasn’t just relaxing, she was going to pass out. She had done too much, too soon after her illness. “Cus,” was all she managed to whisper before her mind and body fell into nothingness. Pleasantly warm, Isobel smiled and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the scent of pine on a hot summer day and something else that was familiar but in her drowsy state she couldn’t quite recognize what it was. Not wanting to wake just yet, she willed her body and mind to relax again. It would have worked too; if the sound in her ears
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 45
A few days laterGair grinned to himself as he waited by the table for his wife to join him. She was finally able to rise from bed for a few hours without tiring, and her stomach had stopped complaining when she put solid food in it so this would be her first full meal since she’d arrived at his home. And it was a grand one! Maggie had outdone herself. Maggie had been furious that Sinclair had not done anything to celebrate the union. Apparently, the housekeeper had taken it upon herself to see that Isobel’s first full meal in MacInnis was one to remember. It was a veritable wedding feast made for two! Beneath the glow of the small candelabra on the tiny table in the corner of his chamber, their chamber, there was hare simmered in wine and stuffed with herbs. His favourite veal pie with plums and sugar was waiting under a cover for a second course. There was a fluffy cake on the side table for dessert, filled with butter, sugar, and raspberry jam! A small assortment of truffles and moi
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 46
As the sky began to lighten with the morning sun, Gair sat in his favourite niche on the topmost tower of the castle. He took out his prize possession, a telescope he’d purchased at the market last fall, and looked around MacInnis land. These were strange days. Stranger than he’d ever imagined and surely stranger than his father could have foreseen. What would become of their land now?The king was actually gifting women, land, and titles to mercenaries! They had one of his fiercest warriors staying right here in MacInnis keep! Gair focused his lens on where Fann stood by the wall with a few of the men he’d brought with him and Gair wished the lens could hear as well as see. They’d be gone in a few days Paddy said, but it had been a week and Gair saw no sign of them breaking camp. Fann seemed like a reasonable enough man, but the fact that he had yet to leave to claim his own keep had Gair worried. He had set MacInnis men to keep watch over every one of them. None of the mercenaries w
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 47
Isobel stood in the shadow of the barn and watched Gair as he talked to the group of his clan's people. She knew he thought that few of them could tell he and his brothers apart, but watching them over the past few days she’d noticed that they actually did quite well at it, better than she did. They simply disguised that they knew who was who. Nobody used their names, but they acted differently toward each brother.With Paddy, their laird, they were quiet and obedient. Obedience was the behaviour that pleased Paddy most, and they knew it. They would ask permission even to speak to him, then humbly ask their questions or quietly voice grievances. Very few talked with him freely as friends would. With Dair, they were calm and respectful, but not overly friendly unless he initiated it. With her husband, it was as though every man were his best friend and every woman wished to woo him. People spoke freely with him and laughed often.The curvy blond woman who seemed to constantly follow af
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 48
As the light dimmed, Isobel stepped lightly over the forest floor with Gair behind her. They had a buck strung up in a tree to bleed out and several snares set for the evening. They would return with meat enough for a feast! Giar hadn’t seemed upset when it was her shot that made the kills rather than his. When she’d seen men hunt before it had always seemed a competition, but it was not like that with Gair. He cheered her on rather than competing with her. She had killed a small hare for their dinner, Gair had skinned and cleaned it, then they had spent the evening by the fire cooking and eating. She had never before enjoyed someone's company so much! Man nor woman. She was so happy that she wanted to kiss him. It suddenly occurred to her that she could. So she did.Spinning around she went up on tiptoe and touched her lips softly to his. A quick intake of breath was the only indication that she had surprised him. She lifted her lips from his and glanced into his eyes. He didn’t m
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 49
Gair prowled restlessly along the top of the wall, his mood as thick as the fog that hadn’t lifted in two days. There was no way to see through the blasted stuff. No way to know if an enemy was massing along their borders. Never in all his years of running the guard had he felt so helpless.Despite days of searching, no sign had been found of any archer nor of the men who had abducted Lia. It was also still unknown who had taken the boys, but James and Alasdair were both assuming it was just a Campbell who thought to take the boys to their father’s family. Time would tell.As for guarding MacInnis keep, now he not only had his own men to organize but Fann’s mercenaries as well. They wanted to take control and run things their way! It was all he could do to keep them from attacking him to take over, but Paddy didn’t believe him. For all he knew they were the ones who had shot Fann, planning the entire thing to quietly take over. Paddy thought he was being foolish and had almost let the
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 50
The next day, as Fann had asked her to do, Izzy stood by the window in Eleanor’s bed chamber. She stood silently, watching the sisters. She had spoken to each of them briefly over the past few days and had been noticing them around the castle and grounds, but she never really had a conversation with either. They were both tiny and beautiful, but so far they seemed as different as chalk and cheese. She had noticed that Eleanor didn’t seek attention at all. She dressed comfortably and simply. The fabric was as fine as any lady, but the dresses were not as elaborate and had fewer layers. She was well spoken in English, knew little Scotts, and was keen to pick up more. She was often quiet, and she seemed to hide from men whenever she could. That Izzy understood. Perhaps as bonny as she was, Eleanor had learned what men would do if given the chance and started hiding for the same reasons she herself hid from her father and his friends. Ellie was the kindest and most gentle soul Izzy had e
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 51
Isobel brandished an imaginary sword and shuffled about as she retold a tale that she had made up to entertain some wee lads when her father had locked them up for some foolishness and forgot them in the pillory overnight. Eliana was laughing so hard she fell from her chair, gripping her sides. “Oh! Stop Izzy! Do stop! If you continue making me laugh we will have to remove my corset. I can’t catch my breath!” “Did you know, husband, that aquae vitae has many different names?” Izzy spun on her heel to face the door, alarmed to realize that she hadn’t noticed the large man open the door or enter the room, but there he was, standing with his hands loose at his side and an odd look on his face as he scanned the room. “Or that it is not nearly so hard to swallow if you warm it a wee bit and dissolve lots of honey in it?”“You’ve been experimenting I see.”“Oh yes! Honey is the best so far, but we’ve got the berries soaking in a glass over there and that is promising too. The results afte
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The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Epilogue
“Are you sure about this Izzy-bee? Ye don’t have to. I could go first.”“I want to,” Izzy insisted. She stepped quickly forward and lowered her naked bottom slowly onto the padded seat. “I am the one likely to back out. It is only right that I first see if I can do this before I ask it of ye.”“I will stop whenever ye say.”“I know,” she took a deep breath, spread her legs wide, bent forwards, and fastened her own ankles. Gair didn’t miss the change in her breathing.“Maybe just yer feet this time?” She shook her head and leaned back in the seat, resting her wrists in the cuffs. Gair looked down at her. In the past, seeing a woman held open this way, willingly putting herself at his mercy, had excited him. Seeing his wife struggle so mightily with it was not appealing to him at all.Her chest rose and fell quickly with each breath. Every muscle seemed taught as a bow ready to fire. “Izzy, I -”“Please, Gair. I want to try.” She looked to her wrists, then her ankles, and licked her lip
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 79
Gair watched the arrow leave Fann’s bow and heard it thunk into the oak high above them. The gasps and mutters from the men behind him told him that Fann had hit the mark as easily as his wife. Before he could comment, Johne’s voice came through the bush beside them. “Ye have come at last, old friend.”“There was narry a sign of ye when I came to lay claim to all ye had promised.”“Aye. I failed in that. But I did nay fail completely.”Gair smiled at Davina as she stepped out from behind a tree. She was nearly as silent as his wife. She tipped her head to one side, looking at Fann.“I donna remember ye,” she said softly. Gair saw Fann’s fist clench at his side and then relax. “I am nay surprised. Ye were quite wee when I left for London.”“And ye have come to marry me off now?”“Nay.”Giar saw anger and surprise both in Johne’s eyes. He seemed about to speak, but Fann spoke first.“I donna know the woman ye have become any more than ye know me. As yer kin, I could choose a man for y
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 78
The icy water ran from her hair and clung to her wool tunic, but Izzy barely paid it any attention. She forced her nearly frozen fingers to uncurl themselves, then curl again around the rope to pull herself forward again. And again. The tunnel had always seemed longer and steeper in the cold. Izzy could hear the scurrying of rat feet on the rocks around her. There seemed to be more of them than usual, but their numbers usually increased in the winter. Hopefully they hadn’t started to gnaw at the rope yet this year. If it gave way, the plunge back into the icy water would not be pleasant. It could very easily attract the attention of some of the guards too. There were so many more of them standing out on the walls! Either the mercenaries really had taken over, or her father had noticed there was a threat.She found the torch and flint against the wall at the top of the slope, just where she always left them. Cursing the cold and damp, Izzy struggled with the flint, trying to spark the
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 77
Gair stared into the fire. He’d kept on the road to Campbell, but his eyes had been searching the bush for any sign of Izzy or her dogs. He knew it had been hopeless, even if she’d come this way she would not have stayed near the road. He tensed as Fann took a seat beside him and refused the flask of ale.“Most men,” Fann said, “would be glad for a wife they favour and a clan to rule. Why is it you are not?”“Have you been there?”“No. I should have been, but when I heard the Laird was not the one who had invited me to visit I left. Mercenaries are not usually welcome unless they are invited.”“It is not a clan I can rule. The men are everything I despise.”“Why?”“They are all lazy drunkards who rape and beat their women and children.”“When the women see that Izzy expects better from you, and gets it, the women of Sinclair will expect better too. Young men who wish to wed will have to do better to get their attention. Your reputation for putting rapists in the stocks naked won’t hur
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 76
Once again, the smaller pup broke his stay. The runt was cute and liked to snuggle, but he was not very smart. The larger one looked back and forth between Izzy and his litter mate, then yipped and bounded out from the cover of the trees. There was nothing she could do for them this time. The mercenaries were too close, if she made any noise at all they would find her. Once they saw how well-fed those animals were, they’d be combing the bush for their owner and the pups would help them. Her only option was to make for the water.Suddenly a hand grasped her arm and Izzy found herself standing with her friend Johne in front of her. He scowled at her, “Ye daft lass! Now that yer full grown ye can nay pass so well for a lad.” He slammed a hat on her head and pushed her ahead of him out of the bush. “Yer nose is too fine for a lad this tall and yer legs! I wish those trews were baggy ones. Just keep yer chin down and say naught or ye’ll get us both killed.” His whistle pierced the air and
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 75
It had been three days since Gair had arrived home to find Izzy’s note. He had no idea what to make of her prolonged absence. At first, he’d thought she was off hunting. He was ticked that she’d snuck out without the guard, but not really all that surprised. Leaving would have been a way to rebel against her forced confinement. She was not prone to staying put just because a man told her to. If anything, she would do the opposite just on principle.Paddy had been furious the guards had let her escape. He had ordered them to track her at once, but the rain had washed away any trace. He had looked himself as well, checking the areas he thought she might have gone for shelter, but none looked recently used. Gair folded up the paper and worked it into the seam of his tunic so he could take it with him. It was foolish he knew. But Izzy didn’t keep trinkets or embroidered kerchiefs. This was all he had of hers that he could carry with him. He scowled at himself. That had been careless of h
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 74
As the cold rain drizzled down around the tiny home, Izzy sat by the fire with her dogs and watched her husband prowl the room like a caged beast. He was not accustomed to such small quarters. She remembered having the same restless feeling he seemed to be experiencing the first time she took to the tunnels for an extended time. There had been a lot of changes in the last few weeks. They’d enjoyed much time in each other's arms and it was nice to do so without interruption. There were no more meals atop the tower, though they still often ate under the stars. They had hunted until dark many nights at first. That was stopping now too as the air got colder and the rain more frequent. The colder and rainier it got the more moody and restless Gair became. She wasn’t scared of him exactly, but seeing him so agitated wasn’t comfortable either. She looked to the corner where the play stocks were tucked up against the walls and just barely peaking out from under a pile of furs. She shivered a
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 73
Izzy skipped along the trail with the two pups yipping at her heels. With her swaying hips and bouncing curls, there was no doubt she was a lass. She looked a wee lass in her excitement. He had never seen her so happy. It saddened him to think that it was leaving his home that made her so light-hearted. She turned to catch his eye and he couldn’t help but grin back at her. She laughed as the pups bumped her knees to get her to continue down the trail. Gair sighed as they dipped out of sight.He could understand her contentment, to be in their own space would be nice, but he couldn’t help but feel he was losing some part of himself, leaving it behind in his childhood home. He scowled for a moment. Izzy had already done that. And as the only child, she was heir to all of Sinclair. He followed along the trail as it dipped down over the edge of the cliffs and looked at the cottage. It was tiny, but it would be warm and cozy. He and Izzy would have plenty of peace, quiet, and time alone.
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 72
Gair looked towards the river and smiled as he saw the group on their way back. Izzy and Ellie seemed such unlikely friends. At first glance, they seemed opposites in so many ways, but they were fast friends nonetheless. Izzy still was not certain that he didn’t fancy his childhood friend more than her, but in reality, what drew him to Ellie as a child, Izzy had simply magnified and carried with her into adulthood. “I had an interesting chat with James today,” Dair said as he leaned back against the tower wall beside his brother. “The proxy marriage was even more mixed up than we thought.”Gair scowled. “How is that possible?”“Apparently, the original plan was for me to wed Mairead, Paddy to have Lia, just as we thought. But you were to wed Ellie and Fann was to be the one on Sinclair with Izzy. He changed his mind at some point on that one, James wasn’t sure when or why, but that had been the original plan.” Gair looked at his brother, then back out at his wife. “Given his reputati
