Duty of the Chieftain - a Highland 'Lord's Right of the First Night' novella (Clan MacKrannan's Secret Traditions #3) by Carmichael Jonnet

Author:Carmichael, Jonnet [Carmichael, Jonnet]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2014-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Hessa the Grandam's cottage was so hectic that she'd started an appointment system. The Chief ignored such impudence and strode in during the Wisewomen's evaluation of his own performance.

Ranald was fair glad to see his father, for the indicators were marked so high out of ten that his own failings with Elinor were becoming more apparent by the minute. Even worse, Elinor was there discussing the Chief's deflowering program test phase like a professional and comparing the detail with his own real activity.

"We were just talking about the oil, Sir Thommas," said Elinor. "Hessa says that the full body oiling seemed to take much extra time to remove when you washed me. I have no comparison with that, of course, not having being washed by Ranald."

Ranald had no' even gotten as far as the washing. Elinor had been out the door the minute he'd spent in her... aye, spent, to his shame, yet his father had withdrawn after the bride had blissed. Blissed, b'god. He had no' even given her that. Several times damned.

"I wouldna worry yerselves," said the Chief. "Times I will take longer at the washing than I take for the breach and bliss anyway. It's the winding down time, and making sure the bride is recovered from her ordeal and ready for her husband..."

He turned to Elinor and asked, "And how is our sample bride this fine day?"

Elinor did not even blush, for her expression was one of contentment after an exceptionally sound sleep. Although still a little piqued at what Thommas had done at the end, the memories of the bliss which had taken over her body had been more than enough to ensure her dreams were pleasant.

"I am well, Sir Thommas. Very well indeed."

"Good. Right, I believe the Wisewomen have questions on the finer points. Fire away."

Ranald, by a simple process of elimination, had deduced long before the event that it must be his father who would test the Bride's Right with Elinor. What Ranald had not foreseen was the swamp of jealousy he now felt at the easy way Elinor looked at his father, as if there was some secret between them.

This brought Ranald to a state of mild unease.

Elinor and himself were almost strangers yet. Most of the week and more since they'd coupled – and then officially met – had been taken up with his five-day absence to see the king. He'd spent far longer on horseback journeying between castle and court and back again than he'd spent with the woman who became his wife yestreen… the same woman bedded by his father last eve, with tuition from his mother, and in front of the three Wisewomen.

Something about the whole situation seemed a bit off, no matter that it saved his heritage as chieftain, and he was now being forced to listen to Elinor providing the gathering with more of his own shortcomings.

"…and Ranald had not shaved, so it was quite a peculiar sensation having his face on me compared with his

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