Page 13 of Highlander’s Lust

Eby gave a laugh. “So ye would think! But nay. Some men cannae resist the thrill of the chase. They love to hunt and conquer; ‘tis in their blood. And so it proved to be the case with me late husband. Not one week would go by without seeing him head for the tavern to partake of the wenching and the imbibing of whisky.”

Jean patted Eby’s hand. “Oh Eby, I am so sorry for ye. Ye must have been devastated.”

The maid gave a shout of laughter, her shoulders shaking with mirth. She had to hold her pinafore up to her eyes to blot away the tears before continuing. “Bless yer sweet heart, mistress. I soon broke him of the habit. By the time the poor man lost his life fighting off the cattle raiders, he was as meek as a lamb and as well trained as a show pony.”

Jean perked up at this news. “Tell me how ye did it.”

Eby leaned over and whispered, “Now, I ken ye are nae versed in what goes on in the bedroom, Miss Jeannie, so I will try to make ye understand this as best as I may. A man’s strongest passions are those that occur in the bedchamber. Although if ye really want to bend a man to yer will, ye’ll allow him to take his pleasure of ye outside of the bedchamber too! But that’s neither here nor there. Now, if ye ken how to harness his passions, ye ken how to control the man.”

“Harness his passions?” Jean raised her eyebrows.

“Aye, and ye do that by withholding yer affection from him until he does what ye ask.”

“How can I stop loving me husband?” Jean wanted to know.

“Nay, girl, ye don’stop loving him, ye withhold yer body from him in the bedchamber. A husband’s biggest pleasure in life is to come home to his wife’s loving embrace. That’s when ye receive a man willingly inside ye. And if ye tell him nay, and refuse him entry, rest assured that he will move hell and high water to ingratiate himself back into yer good opinion.”

Jean knew her maid was speaking the truth. She had witnessed her mother do the same thing to her father. If Laird Macanroy refused Kirsty something, she would grow cold and throw his hand off her shoulder with an aloof shrug when he came forward to embrace her. And always, always, her mother would get what she wanted, whether it be a costly jewel or a trip down to Edinburgh Castle for a visit to the silk merchants.

“Eby, is there any special trick to what happens in the bedchamber?” This was a question that kept Jean up at night since she had become betrothed.

Eby shook her head firmly. “Nay, mistress. Leave the fancy tricks to those doves of Venus that frequent the taverns. They need to use such wiles to hold a man’s interest long enough for him to pay them. A wife needs no such devices; none but love. When ye feel yer heart quicken with heat when a man lies down beside ye, the rest of yer body will soon follow. Think of a flower as it opens when the sun shines on it. ‘Tis the same.”

Jean was happy she had had this talk with her maid. With her newfound knowledge, she had a very fair idea of what to do if Laird Brisbane refused to come to heel.

It was too bad Charlie had not been there to overhear Eby’s lecture.

He was back at the tavern with Gavin MacTavish, quaffing whisky and eyeing the serving girls.

“Do the days pass heavy with ye, Charlie?” his friend wanted to know. “Ye cannae wait to lay yer hands on such a beautiful morsel such yer betrothed surely is.”

Gavin had hit the nail on the head. Every waking moment, Charlie was consumed by impatience, not daring to think too much about the night after the wedding. If he did, his restless yearning for Jean might force him to fling himself onto a horse, ride to Macanroy Lodge, and demand to have his prima nocta then and there!

He knocked back another glass of whisky.

“Go steady there,” Gavin advised. “At the pace ye are going, yer passion might whither from drunkenness. Yer blushin’ bride will be none too pleased to have ye leave her unfulfilled if ye drink yerself into a stupor on yer wedding night.”

Charlie was outraged at the suggestion, and he had to spend his restless energy with someone to prove his point.

“I’ll show ye,” he growled to Gavin, and grabbing a serving wench as she swayed her hips past him, he pulled her upstairs to the tavern bedchambers.