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Chapter 7
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The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 8
Gair was not impressed with the disaster the maid had sent him into. The expression on her face when he asked for a different room to sleep in should have been a good indication that there was nothing suitable. The bed stank so badly he could smell it from the hall! The stones under the window were growing moss and the dust over everything looked like a thin coat of snow with footprints around the rim to each wall torch and to the bed where the linens had been dropped. She hadn’t even made the bed up. He stood in the doorway, staring at the space and not at all sure what to do. He should have checked out the sleeping arrangements this afternoon rather than going to meet the clansmen. Now there was no time to fill himself a new mattress, no time to order the room scrubbed clean, no time to prepare a pallet in the hall, and no time to make himself a camp in the bush. He had searched the keep but found no staff except the cook who had just sneered at him and insisted there were no w
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 9
It hadn’t taken nearly as long as she’d expected to get her father’s friends down and locked side by side in the pillory. Their feet were locked in tight and their hands shackled behind them. She and her husband had been grinning and trying not to laugh out loud the whole time! It was more fun than she’d had in years. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too quick to retire to his bed. As she took the stairs quickly behind him her breath caught and she stumbled a step. She stopped on the stair, staring at the ground in front of her.Did she actually want to spend time with a man?“Izzy?” She looked up to see him a few steps ahead, he had stopped and turned when she stumbled. She smiled shyly and started back up the stairs.“Stubbed me toe,” she said softly. They stopped again in the hall outside her door. He looked in, then looked down the hall to the room that had been shown to him.“Do they clean yer room?” She winced. “Nay. I clean it. None of the maids here goes in a bedroom if she can help
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 10
Gair smiled to himself when he heard a soft snore coming from the direction of the bed. His wife had finally drifted to sleep. He hadn’t been at all sure she would manage it. In fact, he’d been about to ask if she would prefer he took the stack of furs into the hall. If it had taken her any longer to settle he might have had to go find himself some ale or wine. He kept talking, letting his voice grow slowly quieter until he was certain the silence would not wake her.Rolling onto his side Gair looked out the window at the night sky. He could just as easily be looking out his old bedroom window on MacInnis land. The stars looked just the same. A smile touched his lips as his eyes blinked closed. He would dream of his soft feather bed and the gentle scent of the beeswax candles that were always used in the bedrooms of his family’s keep. Mayhap he would dream of the summer solstice festival that would be happening soon. He would miss that. It was unlikely this clan put any effort into mak
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 11
Raised voices from the courtyard pulled Izzy from her slumber before the sun had fully risen. Blinking her eyes open she found her husband’s coffee brown eyes staring back at her. A moment of panic washed over her, followed by a calmness she had not felt in a while and she couldn’t stop a smile from touching her lips. Another shout came through the window and they both grinned wide. The men had been discovered in the pillory.They lay beside each other for a while and listened to the yelling. Neither man had any idea why they were there and the three lads insisted they knew nothing. The men were yelling to be set free and Donald was yelling back, certain they deserved it but not giving any reason as to why they were there nor how long they would be locked up. Then someone started yelling about a waste of good eggs, which she guessed meant fresh eggs rather than rotting ones had been tossed. Her grin widened and she giggled. It felt unbelievably good to have those two locked up, even if
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 12
Gair followed Izzy into the dark corridor and closed the door behind them. By the time the door closed, she had a torch lit. “There are three tunnels in the keep,” she told him. “Me father has forgotten them I think, or at least he never uses them. There is one that has a hidden entrance behind the tapestry in the great hall. It goes out to the outside walls near the woods. That one my father knows, it was the escape he showed me mame for in case of attack. The longest one starts in what was me mames solar. It passes behind father’s solar. It opens there, but only in the fireplace so is nay really much use aside from a nice warm spot to hide in winter if I need it. From there it splits into three. One tunnel runs down and opens in the armoury, another in the gardens and the third goes down steeply and exits under the west tower if you don’t mind swimming the moat. I don’t think anyone else kens that one. Hid in it for over a week once, but then they caught me one night when I came out
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 13
Izzy put out the torch and peered through the tiny hole into the larder. The room was dark, so it was most likely empty. She lit the torch again and started pushing the stone aside to clear the opening. She wondered if perhaps it would be too small for Alasdair. “I hope ye kin fit,” she whispered as she got down on the floor. I shimmy through easy enough, but I don’t kin if a full size man will make it.” She put her feet through into the larder and used her hands on the larder side of the wall to slide herself through. She got to her knees on the other side and looked at the hole. Would he fit? Peaking back through she said, “Mayhap you should try head first. If your shoulders fit, the rest of you will be easy. She stood back, listening as he took off his sword and placed it on the ground. His head and one arm came through and he looked up as he squeezed his other shoulder into the opening. She held her breath, hoping he wouldn’t get wedged in so tightly that they could nay get him o
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 14
As Gair followed his wife silently through the bush he decided it was a very good thing that most lasses didn’t wear trews. The shape of her legs was quite alluring and when she climbed over anything he got the most delicious view of her backside as the tunic and trews hugged her curves. He had assumed this hunting expedition would be a great way for him to learn the lay of his new home and see how much forest life was near the castle, but so far the long legs and luscious backside of his wife occupied his every thought. It was extremely unlikely he would be able to retrace even the last hour of their travels. Izzy had more energy than he had expected. This wasn't like the leisurely strolls he had enjoyed with other lasses. They’d been going through the bush at a good speed for a few hours now but she hadn’t stopped to rest and she wasn’t even slowing down. Most lasses, or at least most ladies, were often winded after just a wee bit of dancing, especially those who wore corsets. He
The Invisible Bride (By the King's Command book 4) Chapter 15
Movement on the far side of the clearing caught Gair’s attention and he stilled, watching the edge of the woods. The foliage was dense already, even this early in the year. He couldn’t be sure if it was men or animals approaching at first, but soon the footfalls sounded more human and brief glimpses of bright colour through the brush.Three men stepped out and waved at him as they headed his way. He was still wearing his own clan plaid rather than a Sinclair plaid. He didn’t know if the men here would recognize it, nor how it would be welcomed. Checking the men’s colours he noticed that all three of the men were wearing a different plaid which relaxed him a bit.“Scots?” Asked the oldest as he approached. “English?” His accent was so thick Gair knew the man likely spoke little English himself.“As you prefer,” Gair answered in Scots with a shrug. The man’s toothless face smiled up at him and he continued in Scots.“I’ve lost me daughter. Have you seen a wee lass about these parts? Abo
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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
