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Chapter 56
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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
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 59
Izzy held Ellie tight to her side as they rushed down the stair between a MacInnis guard and her husband. What would they do about the guard? If he noticed when they weren’t behind him, he would be close to finding the hiding place. If he didn’t notice, he wasn’t much good as a guard. To her astonishment, he stepped to the side as they left the tower. Gair gave him a tap on the shoulder and the man went back up the tower, no questions asked. The three of them continued quickly down the hall.“Gair?”“Good men know their Laird well enough to not have to be told every task, and they certainly do nay ask questions after the bells toll.”“That does nay mean he won’t tell when he’s asked.”“There is nothing for him to tell. We switched shifts.”“He saw us.”“That could nay be helped.” Gair pushed open the door to Lia’s solar and looked around. At his nod, Izzy and Ellie rushed in while he barred the door.“This room will nay be the first they look in, but it will nay be the last either. I
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 60
The early morning chatter of the birds had started taking over from the nocturnal hum of the night crawlers and a soft golden glow was filtering into the forest as she made her way back towards the MacInnis keep. Izzy glanced back at the tree, trying to shake the feeling of unease that would not leave her. Ellie was safe enough up there. There was nothing so remarkable about the tree that it would draw attention, and even if someone were to look the lass could not be seen. She had food and drink enough for a couple of days, which was more than enough time for her husband to arrive at MacInnis and come to get her. The tree was old and hollow, but still solid enough to keep larger predators from getting to her. Somehow this felt different than any of the other times she had helped a woman to hide. It didn’t feel as secure. Perhaps because this was not her land and she didn’t know how used this part of the woods were. There were several empty crofts, none of them occupied at the moment
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 61
Izzy gasped when she found herself tossed onto the back of Gair’s powerful horse. Before she could protest or swing back down to join him, Gair hit the animal’s rear hard and yelled at her to go home and then let off his war cry. The horse took off over the ground faster than she had ever ridden any animal before. It was all she could do to hold her seat as the creature bounded forward. She feared she’d end up underneath it if she let herself fall or even if she jumped from the animal as it wound so quickly along the wooded trail. All she could do was grip tightly with her legs, arms, and hands. She kept her head tucked in tightly too, branches snagging in her hair when the horse brushed too closely to the trees. At first, the thundering hoof beats had nearly drowned out the sound of clashing swords behind her, but the clanging of metal faded quickly to nothing and her heart kept pace with the horse's pounding feet. By the time she could reign the animal to a stop every muscle in he
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 62
Her wet clothes clung to her shivering skin as she hurried through the tall grass. The shadows of the trees were growing long and the sky was edged in pink along the horizon. She’d left the water as quickly as she’d dared, but it had likely taken her too long. Certainly, it would be too late for Gair. Her eyes burned despite the chill of her body.If she had stayed in the keep he would be alive now. Why had she not waited in the small room? She trusted her husband in many ways that she had never thought she would ever trust a man, but apparently, she still could not take him at his word. He had said he would keep her secret and return to her when it was safe. She should have waited. Now he was likely dead and maybe Ellie too. She stumbled over something and looked down, nearly shrieking when she saw the face of a dead man staring up at her. She stumbled backward and sat down to collect her wits before she looked at him again. It was the mad who had been pacing the water looking for he
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 63
Izzy sighed and let the warmth around her slowly bring her awake. It was rare, she realized, for her bath to be so warm and deep. Normally by the time she and Mary got it filled, it was only just warm enough not to feel cold. English ladies spoke in soft whispers all around her and she could smell lavender. Was she bathing in Fraser? Her eyes shot open to see half a dozen women rushing about the room. Gasping, she grasped at the linen on the side of the tub and pulled it to cover herself.“M’lady!” Izzy turned toward the familiar voice and saw Mary rushing forward. “I’m so glad yer awake! They were nay sure that ye would. I told them ye were too strong and stubborn to let a bit of water and a cool breeze rob ye of yer life!”“Gair? Ellie?”All the women stared at her in silence for a moment and then hurried off. She felt tears burning her eyes. Had they both died because of her choice to move Ellie? “What has happened, Mary? I demand that ye tell me!”“Lady MacDonald has some bruises
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 64
Two weeks later Giar slid from his horse and tossed the reins to the stable boy. The lad looked at him a little strangely before leading the animal away. He looked around and saw a few others looking at him and they quickly looked away when their eyes met his.“What is everyone staring at?” He asked Izzy as she slid her arm around his waist and started walking towards the house. “Your face looks so stern you pass for Paddy,” she said softly. Is your head bothering you again?”“I told you, we do not have to speak in English.” Izzy shrugged. “I am as comfortable in one as the other now, and Scotts seems to hurt your head of late.”“Why is everyone staying away from us?”“This is the way they are with Paddy.”“I told you they can’t tell us apart.”“They can Gair, which is why they are staring at you. They know it is you, so they are confused or hurt that you are ignoring them, but you are still a MacInnis Laird so they will not question you.”Gair stumbled partway up the steps. Izzy’s
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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
