Highlander’s Undying Flame: A Steamy Scottish Medieval Historical Romance by Agnes McNair

Author:Agnes McNair [McNair, Agnes]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-05-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Nine

Both Esme and Bruce waited for the sound of the front door closing before they allowed themselves to react. Esme was first. “Where did ye hide this time, master? I looked all over for ye?”

“Dinnae ye fash aboot that, lass.” Bruce was touched by her devotion, but he was also in no mood to chat. “Come,” he held out his hand for her to take, “I will nae let ye stay one more night under this roof.”

She took his hand, but then dropped it saying, “I must dress first.”

Trying hard not to let his impatience show, Bruce whistled through his teeth as Esme pulled a kirtle and tight sleeveless jerkin over her head. “I didnae think it was possible,” he admitted, “but ye are even lovelier today than ye were when I left ye.”

“Yer Norse beau will bide his time and wait for the embarrassment to settle doon before he comes back looking for ye. What’s the thinking, lass? Why did ye choose him instead o’ me? That still rankles me like a burr under me saddle.”

Sinking onto a small stool, Esme covered her face with her hands. “Ye ken why, Bruce. I wanted to kill him, kill them all!”

“Killing someone is easier to say than do, sweetheart.” Coming closer, he hunkered down next to her, placing one heavy hand on her shoulder. “If it were easy, there’s a strong chance none o’ us would live to see the sunrise. Has Mackenzie been asking ye questions?”

Not daring to look at him, Esme swallowed hard and shook her head, but her hands gave her away as she rubbed them over the bruises on her neck and breasts. “Aye,” she mumbled, “but I denied everything—dinnae fash.”

Bruce went out of the door first, and he knew when Esme followed him, he would make sure she never came back there. No home within walking distance for Clyde to access would ever be safe for Esme to live again. She had a target on her back now, a bigger target than any of the straw dummies at the archery training yard.

Clyde wanted Esme to be his official mistress, not just some lover hidden in the cottage. He wanted her to be close enough for him to take a moonlight stroll into her bedchamber whenever he wanted to. That meant he would recognize any children she bore him as his own. She would wear silks and sit at a table close to his on feast days.

If Bruce stopped it, that meant Mackenzie would be out for Esme’s blood and Clyde would vow vengeance on Bruce for stealing his prize. But if he allowed Esme to stay with Clyde, sooner or later Anna would find a way to get rid of her. And if Anna produced a son and heir for her husband, the chances were very high that she would have a bargaining chip. Many a man had put aside his mistress at the request of his wife, and some had even dispatched them if the wife demanded it.

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