Page 27 of Darach

From the way his expression darkened he didn’t like that idea. “Anyone may roam the halls of the keepe. Only clansmen may enter the garrison.”

“Do you know what I learned while I was being stalked in my time?” she asked him. “If someone wants to get to you badly enough, no place is safe. That, and relying on others to protect you is foolish.”

Darach put his hand over hers. “I want you closer to me, my lady.”

“For all the wrong reasons,” she muttered, and then jerked her hand out from under his and rose from her chair. “I’ll be fine, Chieftain.”

“I ken why you’re angry, Charlotte.” He touched her bruised cheek. “’Tis been the same for me since you fell into the spring. You put yourself in my arms. You undress and ask me look upon you. You beg me lay beside you. No woman’s ever regarded me as other than the ugliest man in the clan.”

So she was some kind of novelty for him, Charlotte thought, and hid her hurt with a shrug. “I thought I might be breaking some cultural taboos. I’ll be more careful to maintain a proper distance. I don’t want you to–”

“I want you.” The words hung between them like a threat before he said, “When you touch me I wish do the same to you, and run my hands over your silken skin, and breathe in your sweet, soft heat. You’re strong and lovely and last night I couldnae sleep for watching you, and wishing, and wanting. And now that I’ve kissed you, ’tis that and more.”

“Then it isn’t just me. Good.” Charlotte closed the gap between their bodies. “I shouldn’t be the only one suffering.”

“You cannae ken what you desire, lass.” He smoothed his palm over her hair before he curled his fingers over her nape. “’Tis been no’ even a full day since you came to Dun Lasair. ’Tis unseemly to want such when we hardly ken each other.”

“All right, I agree with that in theory. The problem is that I don’t care about that, or being seemly, or doing what I should. Nearly being beaten to death does that to you.” She watched the emotions flicker across his face. “There’s something else you haven’t told me about yourself, isn’t there?” When he didn’t say anything she knew he was trying again to dodge the truth. “Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t know what he wants, Chieftain.”

As someone knocked on the door she stepped back, breaking the contact, and shouldered her bag. Emery came in, looking a little exasperated, and scowled at Darach.

“Taveon said to tell you that the tower is clear, and you should meet him in the great hall. I am now officially done being your personal messenger.” She turned to beam at Charlotte. “Ready to check out your new small but very comfortable accommodations? You get your own fireplace and wash stand, plus maid service by authentic Scottish maidens.”

Charlotte gave Darach one last look before she followed the laird’s wife out of the map room.

“I know it’s not much,” Emery said a few minutes later as they walked over to look out through the narrow windows of the guest room. “The feather mattress will take some getting used to, but I’ve made sure that it and the bed linens are clean. This is also probably a good time to tell you that the tower rooms aren’t sound-proofed, and I heard some of what you and Darach said to each other.”

Charlotte stiffened. “Some?”

“Well, everything from he wants you closer to him to you accusing him of keeping things from you.” She grimaced. “Honestly, if it does work out, don’t knock the man to the floor and have your wicked way with him.”

Would her humiliation ever be complete? “I won’t.”

“It’s just that most of the castle floors are all stone, and they’re ice-cold unless you’re right in front of a blazing hearth, and even then you have to throw down a fur or blanket first. Which men tend to forget to do in the heat of passion. Or maybe that’s just Luthias.” Emery rolled her eyes. “Anyway, stick to the feather bed. No chance of bruises or chilblains.”

“That’s good to know.” Charlotte looked down to see the guards on the curtain wall below. “Can I see the garrison tower from here?”

“No, that’s on the opposite side of the stronghold.” The laird’s wife came to stand beside her, and pointed to the left. “Darach spends the morning training the men in the lists, which are over there outside the great hall. They basically beat the crap out of each other every day, but it helps if you think of it as the medieval version of working out, or physical therapy. In a way it’s kind of both.”

“Is that all he does?” Charlotte couldn’t help asking.

“He’s second in charge, so he has to be Luthias whenever my guy leaves the stronghold for long periods of time,” Emery said. “Darach also assigns patrol and guard duties, listens to their reports and then gives a condensed version to the war master. Then he and Taveon meet every day with the laird to decide if they need to do anything different. The garrison has over five hundred men, and every time they have a problem, they go to Darach. Then there’s overseeing the weapons stores, the stronghold’s defensive capabilities, and a whole list of the other little things he does.”

Like the general of an army, Charlotte thought. “He handles all that by himself?”

The laird’s wife nodded. “Taveon’s been covering for him today, but our war master has his own responsibilities. Everyone works in this time, no days off or vacations.”

“I already told the chieftain that I didn’t want to keep him from his work.” She saw how Emery was frowning. “What’s wrong?”

“You really do like Darach, don’t you?” Before Charlotte could reply she held up her hands. “I get that it’s none of my business. It’s just that he’s been like a big brother to me since the night I landed here, and I wouldn’t be happy if anyone stomped on his heart. I thought I should say something before, you know, you two stop avoiding feather beds. In a fight I definitely couldn’t take you, but I’d still try. Plus you have lots of leg for me to kick.”

Charlotte suddenly understood why everyone in the clan adored the tiny woman. “Please don’t worry. Darach has been very kind, but the clan comes first with him, and I don’t want to interfere. I also need to find out why the Fire sword brought me here, and deal with that. You understand my situation better than anyone.”

“Of course. Been there, done that, dodged Luthias for weeks, told him we couldn’t, swore I wouldn’t, etc. You can see how well that worked out.” Emery held up her left hand and tapped her wedding ring.

“Even if Darach and I got involved, I’m not looking for a husband.” Charlotte thought of her mother, and how heartlessly she had treated her father. She knew she had too much of Leona in her to ever be a good wife. “I’m not interested in getting married.”

“Neither was I, but in the end I chose my guy over everything else. I’ll never regret that, but there are tons of things that I had to give up that I miss. Indoor plumbing, certainly. I loved my work, and studied for years to qualify, but my career was over before it even started. Sometimes it kills me to know that I’ll never even finish my doctorate.” Her eyes widened, and she said quickly, “I didn’t mean to put it like that.”