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Chapter 64

Author: Tami Stevens
last update Last Updated: 2022-09-25 00:41:08

It was a much longer ride to this keep and even Fann’s drestier could not make it in one day. Stopping to rest was torture, but the horses could only go so far, so fast. When Fann’s horse crested the hill below Aslasdair’s keep, the rest of the group was lagging so far behind that Fann couldn’t see them anymore. The flag bearer had handed him the flag when the young man’s horse could no longer easily keep up with Fann’s. With that in hand, Fann had charged towards the keep as fast as his horse, Deahman, could go. He heard a bell tolling in the distance and hoisted the flag as high as he could without slowing his pace until he was nearly in range of an arrow. Then he slowed and looked to see how he was being welcomed. The gates were open. He could see armed men on the ramparts, but none seemed to be ready to fire on him. He slowed Deahman to a canter as he passed through the gates and dropped the flag to the guard as he passed through. There was nobody on the castle steps so Fann scann
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  • Wed to a Wicked Warrior   Chapter 65

    A week later the healer said Eleanor was healed enough to ride, so she sat in front of Fann on his horse as they left MacLoud land. Her head was on his chest and her eyes drifting closed in the late summer heat and steady motion of the horse when she heard him speaking to her. His breath was hot on her hair.“Did you unstitch the spot on your dress as I asked?” “Of course, even though you would not tell me why such a hole is needed. It makes me worry though, that it will open and someone will see my undergarments.”“Your bloomers are the same colour as your skirt. Nobody will know.” She felt his hand on her leg and looked down to see it sliding through the hole on the side. He squeezed her thigh through her bloomers. “Open your legs a wee bit. I’m going to show you what the slit was for.” Eleanor glanced around, but the other men were a ways off and didn’t seem to have heard him or to be paying them any attention at all. She looked up at her husband and saw the glint that always came

    Last Updated : 2022-09-25
  • Wed to a Wicked Warrior   Chapter 66

    Eleanor sat on Storm’s back, alone, to ride the last of the trip onto her homeland. Fann had suggested it. Insisted on it actually, saying that although Beck was pretty Storm would be a statement of her position and power. When she challenged his change of mind on letting her ride her stallion alone Fann had grudgingly admitted that he wanted her on the fastest horse in the country if someone attacked and they found they needed to run, and he wasn’t going to be sitting behind to crush her again.She looked down at her new devantiere. Fann said this pattern was the MacDonald plaid, though she was certain she had never seen it before. She wasn’t sure she liked the pattern over much, but Fann did. Or he was proud that it marked the can as one at least. Apparently, most of their clan wore this already. He certainly liked the slit in the side and the fact that her bloomers had been made to match. She felt herself blush at the thought of how many times he’d brought her to climax in these pa

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    As they snaked their way slowly, single file through the bush, Eleanor’s eyes kept wandering. Surely she had played in this bush as a child. Why was not one thing even remotely familiar to her? There were old stone walls she felt she should have known. They looked to be the perfect place for a young child to explore and create great games. Huge trees with gnarled bark that were far older than her surrounded them on all sides. Yes, they would be bigger now, but she had also been smaller so something should have been at least somewhat familiar. Then again, when she thought about her childhood she didn’t have the adventure stories to tell that Fann had. Most of her days had been spent inside the walls of the keep, only wishing she could go outside. She felt a prickle on her neck and Storm bobbed his head, chuffing a bit. Glancing around she caught a small movement and flash of blue near the ground to her left. She pulled Storm to a stop trying to see it better. The man behind her stopped

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    “Be reasonable Uilleam! You ken I must be right!” Fann tensed when he recognized Darnel’s voice.“I ken nothing o the sort,” Uilleam’s voice was as calm and sure as Fann had always known it to be. “You keep talking but have shown no proof. Until you can, we stand firm.”“Why does that even matter? If she is dead he has no claim! If she lives we can still kill him and have her warming our beds. We could take this place and turn it into another safe house with you and me at the head!” Fann’s eyes honed in on a small hole in the masonry and he bent to peer in. It was a corner hole so he could see most of the room. It appeared only Uilleam and Darnel were in it, but he couldn’t be certain.“The safe house is run democratically, by election, and the women are there by choice, none are forced.”“So? We take this land and run things a different way but with the same setup. The mercenaries within are supported by the labours of the clan around it. The first rule to go will be the one about no

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    Something moving beneath her brought Eleanor out of her slumber. Was she on a boat? The last she remembered she had been on the back of Storm, hiding in the bush behind the keep. Too relaxed still to open her eyes, she took a deep breath through her nose and could smell the hot horse hair and dry brush. Storm chuffed softly and Eleanor was instantly alert, realizing that she was indeed still on her horse, but he was no longer standing still, and the guards had not stopped him from leaving. She tensed, making sure she had a hold of him and would not fall from his back. He picked up the pace. Why were Fann’s men not stopping him or attempting to wake her? She cracked her eyes a little and caught sight of one of the men in the bush. He placed a finger over his lips and shook his head, telling her to be silent and still. Eleanor pressed her heels into Storm and the horse began to move forward at a more steady pace, though she thought it would still look as though he simply moved to find s

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  • Wed to a Wicked Warrior   Chapter 70

    Eleanor kept one hand on the wall as she followed the boy through passage after passage, feeling worse with each passing moment. Her back ached, her chest pained with every breath, her heart pounded, and her breath was never enough. With every step she felt dizzier, her mind and heart seemed to swing from the terror of being smothered by the tunnel to heavy with heartache and despair for all she had lost. She tried to distract herself with happy thoughts or stories but her mind kept filling with horror instead. Fann would be killed. Their baby was dead. She would never have a home. She would never be free. She would never leave this tunnel. She stumbled forward, tears streaming down her face.The faces of the courtiers laughing at her seemed to rush at her through the darkness. Fann had sent her here alone to be trapped so he could be their wicked warrior. His image appeared in front of her with Beatrice hanging on him, caressing his naked chest as she grinned at Eleanor. The t

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  • Wed to a Wicked Warrior   Chapter 71

    It was done. Fann watched as all three men were tossed from the cliff into the pounding waters of high tide. Apparently the three who were rallying all the others. Uilleam and Callum both agreed that with these three gone it was likely most of the others would leave without much fight. He turned back towards the woods and passed his dirk to Will with a nod. He was about to continue down the corridor when something about the boy’s stance made him pause for a better look. The boy looked nervous and wouldn’t meet Fann’s eye. He was not new to life with the mercenaries, the death and blood should no longer bother him much. It had not on the last attack.“Is aught amiss, Will?” The boy bobbed his head yes, and his mouth opened, but no words came out.“Be ye injured?”“Nay M’Laird” his voice was uncharacteristically quiet.“Be ye ill?”“Nay M’Laird.”“Speak your mind, Will. I lose patience with ye.”“Some say I must tell ye now, some say I must no tell ye until later. I ken not who is rig

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  • Wed to a Wicked Warrior   Chapter 72

    Fan paced the hallway trying to calm himself. He wanted to go in to see his wife, but he would have to be calm. His frustration would only make her cry more.It had taken two days to purge the castle of foes. Old friends had become enemies, and new friends had come to help them. With the men Padraig MacInnis and the king’s emissary had sent and making good use of the holes in the walls, they had tracked down or chased off all those who were not happy to be part of the clan as the king wished it to be. But it was not a happy victory. He had secured their home, but many had died.Then, when he should have finally been able to relax in his home and find peace, his wife refused to sleep in their bedchamber! Refused to even enter it! She either would not, or could not, tell him why! When he had gotten frustrated with her, she'd started crying and could not stop.Old Mary had suggested taking her to her old bedroom instead of that room, and that is where she was yet. The bed was only just b

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  • Wed to a Wicked Warrior   Epilogue

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  • Wed to a Wicked Warrior   Chapter 86

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    The cold, dreary weather had put an unfortunate damper on the mood in the Great Hall. Fann had brought Eleanor down for dinner, hoping the company of some of the children and women folk would cheer her, but nobody was in a very cheery mood. Even little Siofra couldn’t seem to come up with a happy ending to any of her fairy tales. The dinner had been good and the company was welcome, but all were quieter than normal and seemed to just be waiting for Eleanor to retire so they could go home to bed.Eleanor swirled the steaming tankard under her nose, then put it on the table and pushed it away. It didn’t smell bad, it just didn’t smell quite right. She waved her hand over it and the serving boy jumped up to grab it. She’d have to go back to brewing the tea herself. Yarrow flowers seemed to be particularly difficult for the kitchen staff.“You are still an overly picky my wee little harlot. Drink your brew, daughter, and quit giving my staff extra work.” Fann leaped to his feet and knock

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    As the days passed Fann grew tired of sitting in the library watching his wife. Sometimes, with Uilleam at the door, he would leave her in the room by herself, but she got lonely that way. He didn’t want her to grow sad again, so much of the day he was the one locked in her library with her. He hoped the murder of crows would arrive soon for there was nothing in this room full of books and gadgets that held his attention for any length of time. The first few days they had spent arranging the room. A little bit of time every day was spent helping him improve his reading, but mostly he just watched her work and listened to her talk about it. He had considered asking her to do her work naked so at least he’d have something he enjoyed looking at, but if she did that he probably wouldn’t be able to let her get much work done. He interrupted her for his pleasure often enough as it was. They had just enjoyed a bit of coupling and he had fallen asleep. He thought she had too, but when he op

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    The bells rang out from the top of the keep, pulling Eleanor from her slumber. She reached over to find Fann gone, his side of the bed already cold. She sat up scowling. The fur over the window kept out the chill autumn air, but also the daylight. Had she overslept? It was so easy to do when the room stayed dark. Fann, on the other hand, always seemed to wake and have nearly a day’s full of work done before she could break her fast. She padded over to the window and pulled back the fur so she could see up the hill. The rider certainly wasn’t in any hurry, and being alone it was likely he was a threat. There were a few satchels on his horse, perhaps he was looking for a home. Movement at the stables caught her eye and she saw Fann and Uilleam looking up the hill. No doubt discussing if they let the man come or head out to meet him. When no horses were called for Eleanor turned back into the room. If she dressed quickly, she could make it outside to see who it was.Fann stood in front o

  • Wed to a Wicked Warrior   Chapter 82

    With fur wrapped around her, Eleanor sat near the fire brushing her hair dry. She had eaten, bathed, and the tub had been emptied but still, Fann had not joined her. He had said that he wouldn’t be long, but it must have been at least an hour since he’d left her.The clan had been busy in the past fortnight. The new furniture Fann had commissioned was already in their rooms. A new bed with a pair of chests at the foot of it, and the woodwork matched that of the new settee, chairs, and table. There was a small bookshelf beside the fire, empty still, but she could unpack some books in the morning. Another chair with very odd legs that would rock when you sat in it was only a short distance from the fire. The washstand was new too, detailed with both wood and iron to match a rather odd table. Those two pieces they had picked up on MacInnis lands just that morning. Leaving her brush on the mantle Eleanor walked over to take a better look at the table. It was very sturdy! A combination of

  • Wed to a Wicked Warrior   Chapter 81

    Fann looked to the sky, glad the rain had held off so far. He had sent the carts of seed and furniture on ahead down the road with half the men. The other half had come with him to distribute the livestock to the crofters. Eleanor had insisted on coming so she could be sure to meet everyone. It was probably better that she kept busy anyways, even if the wind was a bit cool and the air came.The gratitude of all the crofters astounded him! At first, their reactions had him feeling proud to be able to improve their lot so much with such small additions. Then it had him furious that Donald had made them go without for so long that the younger children did not even know what goats were! The king had given them many cows, goats, and sheep as part of his deal with Fann. Most had been bred by Paddy’s animals and would have young in the spring. Fann had used his own funds to add to the tally of livestock, buying several young pigs that had been cheap because they were born too late in the ye

  • Wed to a Wicked Warrior   Chapter 80

    “You will ride Beck, Eleanor. Storm is staying here.” She glanced around to be sure they were alone before she said, “but Fann-”“No. It is not up for debate. We will be travelling in a large group so there is little chance of attack and no need for his speed. I don’t know how he will react with all those other animals around, not to mention the men and dogs corralling them. I don’t want to put anyone at greater risk in what could very well already be a bit chaotic. Not you, not our clansmen, not even this blasted beast. Beck is sure-footed, calm and used to a wide assortment of creatures. Storm is going to stay here and we will return for him on another trip or Paddy can bring him when he and Lia come to visit.” She sighed and dug a few more carrots from her satchel to feed to him. “Do not try to disobey me on this.”“I won’t,” she said as she stroked the horse and stepped out of his stall, “you are right. He will not be happy with all the men shouting and cracking whips. He will be

  • Wed to a Wicked Warrior   Chapter 79

    The bonfire glowed brightly, casting light and heat over everyone in the yard. Lively music was being played and everyone, young and old, was dancing around. She grinned as Fann spun her around, her feet lifting off the ground. They were both laughing by the time her feet hit the ground again. Eleanor couldn’t remember ever having so much fun! Did MacDonald clan never have these parties? There were certainly plenty of children about, so if they had partied like this when she was small surely she would remember it. If it wasn’t something they did, she and Fann would have to start the tradition. It was too good a celebration not to! Their new clan would need to have fairs like the Stuart clan, but the girls could compete just the same as the boys, though perhaps not against them. Different events for lads and lasses as well as for women and men! And then a feast and a party with a big fire, music, dancing... Perhaps they could even do this often! The solstice, maybe another for Christm

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