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Chapter 50
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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
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 52
Izzy was looking out the window when he came in the room. She didn’t even seem to notice him enter, which was very strange for her. It pleased him though. She must be starting to feel safe in his brother’s keep if she would let herself be so distracted. She jumped and spun around when he placed his sword on the bedside table.“Sorry,” he said lightly, “I didn’t mean to give you a fright.” She tipped her head to one side and turned back to the window. Gair wasn’t sure what to make of this mood of hers. He had never seen her act distracted at all, certainly nowhere near as completely as this. Was she angry with him? He could think of no reason for that. He doubted she was missing Sinclair lands. Should he ask her outright or wait and see if she would tell him what was on her mind? He sat on the bed, watching her for a while, and decided to wait because she looked both nervous and lost in thought. It took a few minutes before she turned towards him and leaned back against the wall besid
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 53
Izzy looked at Uilleam and shrugged. They were not doing a very good job of keeping Ellie from worrying about her husband. They had both warned Fann that his plan was probably not going to work. The foolish man seemed proud to have a brilliant wife, but thought he could lie to her and her not notice! It wasn’t even a good lie. Who needed a full day to hunt with ten men? Ellie had been restless and angry most of the day. Lia seemed to have no trouble assuring her sister that sometimes men simply kept hunting because they could. Which Izzy supposed was true, it just wasn’t what Fann and the others were up to right that moment. It wasn’t even in character for Fann or the men who had gone with him. They were almost all mercenaries. Mairead agreed with Lia, then quickly tried to distract everyone with a painting lesson. They had all painted ocean scenes while Mairead went between them to help get the look they were after. Ellie said her painting was the view of the ocean from the island
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 54
Griogair fisted his hands and relaxed his fingers again. “You wish to see me naked?” He saw her swallow as she nibbled her lips. He licked his, itching to kiss her.“I have never seen a man,” she admitted softly as her hands ran over her curls again, “other than a brief look at you when you let the emissary in. Even when ye bathe I have been sure to look the other way.”“What about the men...” She crossed her arms in front of herself and pressed her back against the wall. Gair cursed himself for bringing them up.“I was usually tied down,” she said softly, “Mostly me eyes were closed while I screamed and cried.”Gair took a slow, deep breath though his nose to rid himself of anger before he spoke.“You were just a wee lass and they felt the need to bind you?”“At first they just held me hands but then I discovered a place to kick them that made them stop so they started to ting me hands to the top of the bed.”“You kicked them between the legs?” She nodded and Gair winced. “I hope you
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 55
The first rays of the sun were just peaking over the horizon when Izzy felt an arm go around her neck and press tightly against her windpipe. Her hand went instantly to her dagger, but there was already another hand there pulling it from its sheath. Just as panic set in she felt the pressure on her neck release and saw her dirk hit the ground. She dove to the ground to grab her knife and spun around just in time to see the large man drop to the ground unconscious. Uilleam stood over the man looking down.“Are ye well, Lady Sinclair?”“Aye. Thank ye,” she whisered back.“I saw the man following ye but could nay get here fast enough.”“Ye were fast enough. I am unharmed.” The man nodded to her and turned towards the castle, cupping his hands around his mouth. “MacInnis!” The scurry of feet on the wall and atop the castle made Izzy flinch. She didn’t want everyone looking. Everyone knowing. Gair had asked her not to wander about in the dark without him, but what was she supposed to do wh
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 56
Gair slipped into his chambers through the hidden passage. He hoped that Izzy was asleep by now. It had taken a while to get any information from the man, then Gair had gone down to the river for a wash. Now, he wanted to curl up beside his wife and sleep. If he were lucky he’d wake up and this will all have been a dream. Like one of her nightmares. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He had no idea where or how Callum had learned the skills he had, but Gair seriously hoped never to be on the receiving end of that man’s attentions. He slipped into the room and closed the passageway behind him. Izzy was indeed sleeping, though not peacefully. The sheets were on the floor and her clothing looked damp, as though she had been fighting in her sleep. He should have been there for her. Gair gathered the linen and slipped into bed, pulling Izzy on top of him and covering them both with the linen.Hours later Gair found himself waking slowly, a smile spreading as he realized there was a wom
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 57
Izzy sighed and snuggled in on her husband’s shoulders as the bells tolled outside. The most annoying thing about sleeping away the heat of the afternoon was that the rest of the clan did not do the same. Nor did travellers. Why did the bells need to toll so loud and for so long? Gair gathered her close and kissed the top of her head. As the last clanging of the bell faded away, Izzy took a deep breath and smiled softly as the familiar scent of her husband and the sound of his steady heart filled her The nothingness of sleep had just taken over again when a scream shattered the peacefulness of the room. Gair was out from under her and wrapping his plaid about his hips before she could even get her hair out of her eyes. The scream did not stop. Izzy sat up, tossing her hair back and focusing on the sound. It was Lia! Izzy jumped from the bed and grabbed her trews. How did the lass scream so high and so long without stopping for breath? The sound of booted feet running along the wood flo
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 58
Looking up at the underside of his wife as she scaled the stone wall, Gair shook his head. It really was a good thing most lasses didn’t wear trews. Or climb into castles. Even now, with all the moment's danger, tension, and urgency, his body was reacting to the sight of her legs and bottom. How the devil could she climb that tower? He had not even been able to do it when he was a boy, but his wife was moving swiftly and without even a pause. It was as though she had done it many times already and knew precisely where to place each hand and foot. Gair scowled at that thought. Perhaps she had. In fact, the more he thought about it the more likely he realized it was. She wouldn’t have suggested this room with the hope of helping Ellie escape without knowing for certain she could get the lass out. She had used the word ‘if’ when telling him of the plan, but she would have been certain. Izzy did a lot of risky things for a lass, but she was not reckless. She did very little without kno
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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
