Page 65 of My Highland Love

“John,” he called to the nearest guard, “fetch another man and the two of you accompany the women to the loch.”

John's eyes widened. He cast a quick glance at Elise, then jerked his attention back to Marcus.

Marcus gave him a dry look. “You are to watch for trouble, John, not the lasses.”

Marcus looked back at Elise and stifled a laugh at the tight-lipped look on her face. Apparently she didn't care for being singled out with an escort. Imagine how she would feel when he came for her in a short while. The most important part of the tradition was allowing the women enough time to discard their dresses and frolic in the water. The men later followed to engage them in a sporting game of chase.

Elise abruptly whirled and strode through the gates down the path.

“Hurry, lad,” Marcus urged. “She's getting away.”

John called to a man on the wall, then hurried through the gates after her.

Marcus turned his attention to Elise's retreating back. “Any antics, lass, and I'll turn you over my knee.”

She didn't acknowledge the threat, but he knew she'd heard him. His first wife, Jenna, hadn't been predisposed to clan traditions and never participated in the game. This year, he had reason to participate. Elise disappeared from view down the path. She didn't understand the game. She soon would.

Twenty minutes later, unable to resist the idea of Elise's scantily clad body gliding through the water, Marcus emerged from the trees at the bottom of the mountainside. He hurried across the twenty-foot clearing where he ducked behind one of the larger patches of juniper bushes lining the jagged shoreline.

Peering through the foliage and across the rocky shore, he witnessed the exact scene he had imagined. Elise, stripped to her chemise, dove into the blue waters of Loch Katrine along with the other giggling women. The thin cotton chemise she wore the night he accosted her in his library revealed far more than the heavy flannel the women wore in the interest of modesty during this adventure, but he envisioned the revealing shadows he knew would be visible through the wet material. A giddy anticipation settled in his stomach. She would, at first, be furious. With gentle persuasion, however…

Marcus emerged from his hiding place and strode to the shore's edge. The women splashed one another, the recipients shrieking when their companions' aim found a mark. A woman squealed. He had been spotted. Elise looked his way. Just as he thought, the surprise on her face said she hadn't been informed of this part of the game. He suspected that, if she knew the real reason behind the yearly ritual, she would have declined participation. She insisted on being a part of Brahan Seer; logic dictated that she receive full measure.

Eyes steady on her, Marcus stripped off his boots. He stepped into the loch, his shins, then thighs, slicing through the water as he ventured deeper. The women blazed a path for him, shrieking with delight while Elise remained frozen.

“You had better move, lass,” one woman called. “He's coming for ye, and if he catches you…” Peals of laughter followed.

Elise's eyes abruptly shifted and she scanned her surroundings before returning to him. Marcus smiled. Her eyes narrowed, then she dove into the water. He halted, waiting for her to resurface. Seconds ticked by and she didn't reappear. He scanned the water. A sudden round of triumphant shouts went up from the women and he whirled to see Elise rising from the water some thirty feet behind him. She started for the shore, her progress labored through the hip-deep water. By God, he would have to put his back into it to catch her before she reached her clothes! She glanced back, throwing him a satisfied smirk.

Oh ho! She may not have known the game, but she caught on fast. Marcus dove into the water, his strong strokes speeding him through the deeper water until he reached knee deep. He rose, the water no longer a hindrance to his fast pumping legs. His feet pounded onto the shore and, with a burst of energy, he closed the gap between them. In a final sprint, he dove for her, his arms encircling her waist as he brought her to the ground.

Elise sputtered and he realized she had gotten a mouthful of sandy dirt.

“Oh!” she spat. “Let me go!”

Marcus allowed her to thrash in his grasp until she had twisted into a prone position facing him. He settled his weight on her. She beat at his chest. He chuckled and hugged her closer, trapping her arms between them.

“Let me go!” she howled, kicking her heels on the ground like a spoiled child.

Marcus tried looking innocent but knew he failed miserably. “Nae.”

“What in God's name are you doing? Why have you attacked me? This is an outrage!” Her voice rose as she twisted in a serious effort to dislodge him.

“Now, why do you say that, love? I am only playing with you.”

She looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Her eyes narrowed to slits. “One does not attack a defenseless woman.”

“Lass, I think you are anything but defenseless. Although, I am enjoying myself at your expense.” Marcus bent his head to whisper in her ear, “The women didn't explain the game.”

He went on to explain how, each year, the women came to the loch, and their men later followed. Those with wives sought them out, some in sport, some with the intentions of a child arriving nine months later. Those wanting to make a woman their wife came with the hope that the love play would lead to the consummation of a betrothal. When Marcus finished, a blush had made its way from Elise's cheek to the delicate ear he'd been whispering into.

“No,” she said, her eyes wide.

Marcus grinned. “Aye.”

She looked past him and he glanced over his shoulder to find several women regarding them with interest.

“I would like to get up now,” Elise said.