Gifted

Important

Not two days after the wedding, Bean the Bard arrived from Stirling Castle. He reported that Lady Lillian's appeal for rescue reached King William just before the old king died. His teenage son, now King Alexander II, sent the response: end the siege and have Laird Campbell marry Lady Alina himself. Bean assured everyone that the new king did not care who Alina married, just as long as he was a Scot. He wanted Glenkerrloch free from English control. The young king was determined to take a harder line with England than his father had and was already plotting against King John with his own barons.

Elizabeth fretted as they strolled the garden along the south ramparts. Alina laid a gloved hand over her stepsister's to stop her littering the walkways with the leaves she'd been tearing to pieces.

"It's just politics," Alina soothed. "And your mama is the best at it. Ye're perfectly safe here. This is your home."

"For now," Elizabeth said. "I'm sure mama is plotting to marry me off next. Then who knows where I'll be. I hope she at least finds me someone half as passionate as the new laird is toward you."

"I am very fond of him," admitted Alina. "But I find myself chafing under his attentions."

"Understandable," said Elizabeth. "I was at your bedding ritual. Your husband seemed quite vigorous."

"That's not -" Alina had to swallow a mortified giggle. "That's not what I meant. I meant that back there."

She gestured behind them to the Sinclair soldier that now accompanied Elizabeth's maid. They remained at a respectful distance but they irked Alina all the same.

"I thought I kenned how smothering it can be to be a lady," she said. "I felt bad watching ye always having to have a chaperone but I never really understood until I got stuck with someone always following me around."

"My lady's maid is not that bad," Elizabeth said. "She can be quite good company. I'm not sure why your husband insists on a guard instead, though. He's quite protective of you isn't he?"

If her stepsister only knew, Alina thought. Things had gotten quite out of hand in the last week. She'd agreed that childbirth wasn't the biggest risk to her and he'd somehow moved on to guarding her against some nefarious plot. He was by her side most of the time but, when he couldn't be, he had one of his guards following.

She tried to convince him that the situation in the vision may not have been as dire as it first seemed. And, even if it was, the threat to her was more likely an illness or accident than foul play. Alina had no enemies and this glen had only known peace for the last eleven years. But he was a soldier and what he knew was how to guard against an enemy.

They rounded the corner to the east ramparts and looked down to just outside the castle walls. Magnus had cordoned off an area for combat training. Sinclair soldiers mixed with villagers and castle guards. Even a couple men from Christopher's garrison were participating.

"Heavens," breathed Elizabeth.

The highlanders were stripped down to their plaids and steam rose off their straining torsos into the chill morning air as they grappled hand to hand. Magnus stepped around pairs of combatants giving instruction and, sometimes, stepping in for demonstration. He seemed to feel her attention on him and looked up. Their gazes locked and a frisson of heat traveled down Alina's body, curling her toes.

She sent him a silly little wave before backing away from the parapet flustered. How did he still have this effect on her? They've bedded each other every night this past week. They'd agreed on still taking precautions for the next month so they used sponges to prevent conception. She told him the sponges contained herbs and lemon and, his eyes glinted at this, honey.