[The Mackalls of Dunnet Head 01.0] Her Trusted Highlander Page 8
“Ye forget, we’re married.” Nick winked and smiled that mischievous smile of his.
“Not really though.” She quickly glanced away so he wouldn’t be able to read the wanton feelings she was having.
“I’ve bought ye a wedding present, Kat. Open it.”
She gazed at him with a question in her eyes and he nodded at the package. Kat reached for the string, untying it in one smooth motion. The fabric wrapping fell away and there sat the lovely dress, shoes and jewels she had seen in the village. Reverently, she reached out a tentative hand to touch the silky gold fabric of the dress. “Oh, Nick. You shouldn’t have!”
“And why not? I saw how much ye liked them and it was a small thing for me to do. I want ye to be as happy as possible while yer here with us, Katriona.”
Without thinking, she stood on tiptoe, quickly kissing his cheek and shyly looking away, before lifting the dress out of the package and holding it up in front of her. “Do you think it will fit me?” she asked.
“Aye. The shop owner has a good eye. If it doesnae, my sisters and my mother can help ye to adjust it in any way necessary.” Nick appeared to be pleased with Kat’s reaction to the gift.
Picking up the topaz earrings and matching necklace, Katriona held them in her hands and stared. She’d never had anything so beautiful in her life. She could barely afford her rent and groceries with her paycheck, so jewelry was a luxury she only appreciated as she passed by the shops on her way to work and peered in their windows. “Thank you, Nick. You’re very sweet to do this.” She hoped he knew how grateful she truly was.
“I cannae wait to see them on ye. I believe ye’ll be the most beautiful lass at the feast. A golden princess.” His eyes twinkled as he watched her try on the shoes, which fit perfectly.
“I feel like Cinderella,” she said.
“And who might that be, lass?”
“Oh, just someone in a story I heard growing up. Her fairy godmother made her look beautiful for the ball and she met the prince and he fell in love with her and they lived happily ever after.” That was embarrassing. She hoped he didn’t think she meant she’d live happily ever after with him. “Of course, that’s just a story. It never happens in real life.”
Nick’s expression was serious, his eyes examining her face in a way that was making her a little uncomfortable. “Why do ye think it never happens in real life? I’ve seen it happen and I believe it to be so.”
“Well, I guess it can happen for some people, but they’d be few and far between.” She was avoiding his eyes, which seemed to be peering right into her soul.
“Kat, ye must believe that happiness is all around ye. Ye need only seek it and ye’ll find it. I promise ye. I ken ye’ve not had much luck of late, especially with that bastard Calhoun, but have faith.”
The only happily ever after Kat wished for was to go back to her life in London. The life before she fell through time. It was unlikely that was going to happen, and if it didn’t, then what? She’d be stuck here. The Mackalls wouldn’t allow her to stay forever; she was sure of that based on the number of foster homes she’d been in and out of. And if her experience with the people of medieval Scotland after she’d first arrived was any indication, she was not in for a happily ever after of any kind, and that frightened her.
* * *
Nick was overjoyed at how excited Katriona was with her new dress. It was the first time he’d ever done something like that for a lass and he liked the way it felt. It not only made Katriona happy, but he himself was walking on a cloud. She was so beautiful, especially when she smiled. She hadn’t done that very often since he’d first met her, and he made a pledge to himself that he’d see that same joyful face he was seeing now, as often as possible. It would become his duty to make the fair Katriona smile.
Nick hated to leave her, but it wouldn’t be right for him to help her with the dress. He closed the door behind him and left her to try on her dress in privacy, telling her he’d send one of his sisters to aid her. As he passed by Isla’s chamber he knocked on the door. He knew she’d be preparing her room for their visitors.
“Isla? Are ye in there?” Nick called.
“Aye.” She opened the door, eyeing him speculatively. “What do ye want?”
“Would ye mind helping Katriona? I bought her a new dress and she needs some help trying it on and making sure it fits properly.”
“I’m sorry. I dinnae believe I heard ye correctly. Did ye say ye…”
“Aye. This is nae time to be difficult, Isla. Katriona really needs ye.”
“All right. All right. I’m on me way. I cannae wait to see what ye’ve picked out for her. Does she like it?” Again, she eyed him skeptically.”
“Aye. I believe she loves it. Now go, before she ties herself up in a knot trying to lace the back.” He spun on his heel and headed down the stairs. His sisters, while he adored them, were always needling him about one thing or another. He supposed he deserved it most of the time, but this time he’d done something genuinely nice for Katriona. Not because he expected anything in return, but simply because he had grown quite fond of her and he wanted her to be happy. Was there anything wrong with that?
* * *
Kat nearly jumped out of her skin at the knock on the door, she’d been so busy daydreaming about Nick and her new dress. “Who’s there?”
“’Tis me, Isla. Me brother said ye needed some help.”
“Come in,” Kat opened the door to allow Isla to enter.
Isla immediately went to the bed where the dress had been laid out. She appeared suitably impressed. “I cannae believe my brother bought this for ye.”
Kat wasn’t sure what she meant by that. “Isn’t it proper for a man to by a dress for a woman?”
“Oh, aye. ’Tis proper. ’Tis unlikely, but proper nonetheless.” She ran her hands over the fabric. “’Tis verra pretty. ’Twill be lovely on ye.” She held the dress up and beckoned Kat over. “Here, step in and I’ll lace up the back once ye’ve got it on.”
Kat did as she was told and then held her breath as Isla did up the laces, cinching them tightly. “I think that’s a little tight. I can hardly breathe,” Kat gasped.
“Oh. I’m sorry. I’ll let them out a bit.” When she was done, she stood back and admired her work. “Ye are beautiful, Katriona. ’Tis the perfect color for ye.”
“Do ye really think so,” Katriona asked.
“Aye. Try on the jewels and here are yer shoes.” Isla retrieved the items and handed them to her.
Kat completed the ensemble and stood back for Isla to see.
“’Tis perfection. Nay need to alter it in any way. Ye’ll be turning many a head at the celebration.” Isla completed a turn around Kat and came to a halt in front of her.
“I’m not interested in turning heads,” Kat responded. But if she were to turn any, she only wished to turn Nick’s.
* * *
Nick was enjoying the feeling he got from presenting Kat with her gifts. She had seemed so surprised at it that he wondered if no one had ever given her gifts before. She certainly deserved to be treated like a princess. In his eyes she was. He still knew little about her past, but he had serious questions about her version of what had happened before she was sold to Calhoun. Maybe once she trusted him more she’d tell him the truth. He wouldn’t hold it against her. She had her reasons and he understood that. After all, he had secrets of his own, which he wasn’t willing to share. She’d been through some very rough times and he felt it was his duty to make it better for her.
His brother, Duncan, approached him as he entered the courtyard. “Where is yer bride?” he teased.
“She’s busy trying on the gifts that I purchased for her when I went into town.”
“Gifts?” Duncan acted as if he couldn’t believe Nick would ever do such a thing. “Ye must truly love the lass.”
“Nae. We are friends and for the purpose of avoiding marriage to Skye, we are married.”
“Still. I dinnae
believe I ever remember ye buying a lass anything.”
“She is afeared of Bearach Calhoun. She’s been through a rough time. I wanted to make her happy, if only for a short while.” Nick was tiring of this conversation. He decided to end it. “I dinnae see ye with a lass of yer own, Duncan.”
Duncan had no response to what his brother said to him and so as Nick wished, the conversation about love ceased, but he knew it was not over. He really had developed feelings for Kat. He wanted her for his own, but it couldnae be until her marriage to Bearach was nae more. He needed to deal with that and soon.
* * *
That night, Isla and Merry brought their things in to her room. The three would share a bed, which luckily was quite big. She enjoyed having them there with her. They laughed and talked until the wee hours. Kat considered herself lucky. In her real world she didn’t have any sisters and not many friends, being that she was always away in some remote area collecting artifacts at archeological sites, or from people who’d found things in their attics or on their property. This didn’t leave much time for socializing and she realized now how much she’d been missing out on in life.
Isla was a little rough around the edges. She was a beautiful girl, but she was a definite cynic. Merry on the other hand, lived up to her name. She was always smiling and happy. Rarely did Kat ever see her without a smile on her lips and some kind words to say. They were different, but together they were just what Kat needed.
“Our Nick is quite taken with you,” Merry was saying.
“No. He couldn’t possibly be. We’re just friends.” Kat’s face warmed at the mention of Nick and she moved closer to the hearth and farther away from the sisters to hide her embarrassment.
“Believe me, he is.” Merry looked to her sister for help.
“Aye. He must be. He spends all his free time with ye and he bought ye some beautiful things.” Isla sat propped up in bed as did her sister.
Kat thought about this for a moment. What would it be like to have Nick as more than a friend? She had grown quite fond of him. He was always kind to her, he listened to what she had to say as if she were the most fascinating creature on earth and he made her feel things she’d never felt before. Things she’d only dreamed of, but never thought could happen for her. He held her hand when they walked. She had thought that was just out of kindness and to keep her from falling over, which she seemed to have a habit of doing. She liked him a lot and realized that she had perhaps developed even stronger feelings for him. She wanted to be more than just friends, but she really didn’t think that was possible. Her main focus at this time was not getting caught by Bearach Calhoun and to get back to her own time. How crazy that in all her years she’d never met a man who made her tingle when he touched her, a man who, when he gazed into her eyes, made her feel like she were the only woman on earth. It wasn’t until now, when she inexplicably found herself in the sixteenth century, that she’d possibly met the man of her dreams.
She still hadn’t told him the truth about where she was from or for that matter, what had really happened before she was forced to marry Bearach. She simply couldn’t. He’d never believe her. He’d probably think she was crazy and then he’d never want to have anything to do with her again.
Kat was nervous about the celebration the next night. She wasn’t sure what to expect. There would be many people present whom she hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting yet. Nick promised to be right by her side throughout it all. He told her to follow his lead and he’d make sure there were no missteps to cause them problems.
She would have to trust him. She had to this point and he hadn’t disappointed her. Trust was something she didn’t give lightly anymore, especially after the horrid situation she found herself in upon arrival here in this time. Nick was trustworthy. Nick made her feel special. Nick made her happy. Nick was her pretend husband and she may as well enjoy it while she could.
“Where have ye gone off to, Kat?” Isla was eyeing her quizzically. Apparently she had gone off into her own little world while the two sisters were deep in conversation. She’d almost forgotten they were there until Isla spoke.
“I’m sorry. I guess I’m just tired.” Kat walked to the bed and climbed in.
“Ye look more like yer having some romantic dream.” The two sisters giggled at her and then obviously felt bad.
“We’re sorry fer laughing. Ye just had such a dreamy expression on yer face. We sat here and watched ye fer several minutes before Isla said anything,” Merry explained.
“It’s okay. I was thinking about how nice it is to be here with you and your family. I don’t have any sisters, so I’ve been enjoying your company.” She almost forgot that they all thought her family had been killed by highwaymen. She couldn’t afford to slip up and say or do the wrong thing. She thought to change the subject. “Did you believe Nick when he said he went to the land of the faeries? Could it be true it was his home for two whole years?”
“If Nick said it, then it must be true. He’d never lie to us about anything.”
Kat thought that was good to know, but she still didn’t believe that story at all. There were no such things as faeries. It was all folklore. Of course, she hadn’t believed in time-travel either until she found herself experiencing it.
Chapter 10
Those guests not staying at the castle had been arriving all day and the Mackall clan was sure to ply them with food and drink from the earliest of visitors to those who were just arriving before the celebratory feast was to be served. Nick escorted Kat to her seat at the head table and then sat next to her.
“Ye look more lovely than the sun shining after a long rain. Ye are truly beautiful. I’m happy to call ye wife.” Nick leaned in and kissed her cheek, his warm breath brushing her ear as he did so.
“Nick, we’re not really married.” Kat said, obviously feeling awkward with his attention.
“Now Kat, how are we going to convince our guests that we’re husband and wife if ye keep saying things like that?” He smiled lovingly at her and he could see she was thinking about what he’d said. Should he tell her how he truly felt and if he did, would she believe him?
“Of course, my husband,” she said.
Nick was enjoying this little ruse and liked the way she’d called him husband. He was more than attracted to Kat. Over the last two weeks, his feelings for her had grown. He truly felt as if she could be his wife and he would be a most happy man for the rest of his days. The only thing standing in his way was Bearach Calhoun. “I feel fairly certain we can have yer marriage to Bearach annulled. It was a clandestine marriage, was it not?” Nick spoke in a soft whisper to keep their conversation private.
“Clandestine? I guess you could call it that. I thought it strange that there was no priest there to perform the ceremony. It was just Bearach, Earnan and Bearach’s men. They tried to force me to exchange consent with Bearach, but I refused. More than a few of my bruises came from those refusals. When they saw that they couldn’t convince me to consent, they said it didn’t matter if I did so or not. They were all witness to the vow exchange and they would swear to anyone who might question it, that we were indeed married.”
“We’ll go to the Bishop of Caithness and explain yer situation. He’ll see to it that yer marriage is annulled. Then ye’ll be free to…”
“Free to what? Free to roam the countryside trying to find my place in this world.”
Nick wrinkled his brow at her words. What did she mean “this world?” “Aye. Free to do as ye wish and marry who ye like.”
“That’s not likely. I have to get back to my home.”
“I thought yer family had all been killed by the highwaymen. Where would ye go?” Nick was worried she planned to leave.
“Yes. They were.” she stammered. “But I still have some relatives back in Edinburgh. I would go to them.”
“Well, I’ll take ye to them then. If that’s what ye truly wish.” Nick wasn’t happy about this turn of events.
&nbs
p; “It is,” Kat assured him.
Nick felt deflated. He thought as his feelings for Kat had grown, that she too felt something for him. He was disappointed to find that he was wrong. He could have sworn it by the way she smiled at him and teased him. Maybe there was more to love than that. His friend Richard had been in love and it had seemed so painful at times. Nick was feeling pain now at Kat’s wanting to leave Dunaill. He felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach. The air had been taken right out of him. When had he come to love Katriona? It had happened without him even knowing it and unfortunately, she didn’t feel the same. Perhaps this was the reason he had never fallen in love before. Perhaps he’d always known it would be best to avoid the hurt that came along with the loving.
Lettie Mackall stood on her chair with the help of her sons Rory and Duncan. “Can I have yer attention please?” She called out over the crowd seated and awaiting the feast. The room became silent and when it finally was, she spoke again. “I want to welcome ye all to Dunaill. The Clan Mackall is so happy to have ye here as our guests. We are celebrating two things this night. The first being the return of my son, and the Laird of Clan Mackall, Nicholas.” She turned in Nick’s direction and held up her cup in salute. “The second is the marriage of my son, Nicholas and the lovely Katriona. May they live a long and happy life together.” Again, she raised her cup. “Let us all raise our cups to toast the happy couple. A h-uile la sona dhuibh’s gun la idir dona dhuibh! May all your days be happy ones!”
Everyone raised their glasses and drank. Everyone except Domhnall Maguire, who sat with a grim expression plastered across his face. Skye was in attendance as well, with her husband-to-be, Taran. They seemed quite happy and toasted the newly married couple along with everyone else. Domhnall looked expectantly around the room, as though searching for something. Nick watched him and followed the path that Domhnall had taken with his own eyes. He saw nothing out of the ordinary and chalked it up to Maguire’s unhappiness that his daughter wouldnae marry a Mackall.