Page 67 of Bride of the Merciless Laird
This was everything; protection, need, desire, seeking and finding, never wanting to be apart again now that the treasure was in his arms.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The sky was darkening by the time Tyra and Ewan brought their dawdling horse through the portcullis and into the courtyard.
She could hardly bear to separate from him as they came to a halt and the groom dashed forward to take the reins. Ewan leaped down from the saddle and took her hand to assist her to dismount.
He brushed a loose strand of her long hair behind her ear and bent to whisper “I shall request the scullery maids tae bring water fer us tae bathe. Are ye happy enough tae dine in our chamber tonight?”
She nodded, feeling a rush of heat through her veins. She wished for nothing more than to spend an uninterrupted evening with Ewan. Surrounded by the same warm glow she had basked in that afternoon, she walked with him, her arm in his, to the keep.
Everything was different now. Where she’d left for their ride earlier feeling much as she’d done all through her unmarried days, the loving she’d shared with Ewan had changed her.
She now had a husband,and a lover, and no matter what tomorrow might bring, this had been a perfect day.
Everything she looked at, the cobblestones, the stairs, the flagstones and the tapestries, the paintings on the walls, all of it was brighter and more vivid that it had been before.
“If we are tae dine in our chamber, I would like tae speak a few moments with Edmund and Annora, fer they will be leaving early and this is me last chance tae be wi’ them.”
“Of course,” he said, smiling. “But dinnae be away fer too long, fer I shall miss yer company.”
She slipped away to find her brother and sister. They were resting in their chamber. When she entered, she could see their own happiness reflected in their faces. For once, she felt no pang, no envy, no wistful thoughts, but reveled in her own special glow.
She sat with them and quaffed a tankard of ale.
“I have been so happy tae have this time wi’ ye.” She looked from Edmund to Annora, both of them smiling back at her.
Annora leaned in, placing a hand on Tyra’s. “We didnae ken what might greet us when we journeyed from Skye tae Eilean Donan. Both of us were afeared something evil may have befallen ye.”
Tyra shook her head. “Nay, I have escaped the evil man and now I am… happy and safe.”
Edmund raised a hand. “I will be sad tae bid ye farewell, but we will sail tomorrow rich in the knowledge they ye are where yer heart should be. Ye are loved and protected, safe within the walls of a mighty castle and protected by the might of one of Scotland’s great clans.”
Annora smiled. “Ye have all that we have wished fer ye.”
That was exactly what Tyra had been hoping to hear. The words gladdened her heart. “I thank ye fer yer good wishes and fer signing therèiteachthat will bring our clans even closer.
“And when ye come next tae Scorrybreac, I shall gather the MacKinnons and the MacNeils tae feast wi’ us there.” Edmund leaned over to plant a soft, brotherly, kiss on her forehead.
Annora rose and escorted her to the door. “We shall dine in our chamber and take tae our bed early, fer we will be on our way at first light, hoping tae be home in Scorrybreac before dark.”
Tyra’s heart was fluttering as she made her way to the bedchamber she now shared with Ewan. She was half-fearful hiswarmth may have faded, and that he may have returned to the cold, aloof, lad he sometimes presented. She understood, now, the sadness and the horror he’d endured with his first marriage and why he had been so adamant about holding her at arm’s length. He’d been fearful of their closeness yet drawn to her again and again.
Her palms were damp by the time she arrived at the door to their chamber. What had passed between them that afternoon had surely brought them to a point of fondness that would last. Something they could build upon as the days and nights passed.
The breath hitched in her throat as she knocked gently at the door, calling, “It’s me, Tyra.”
Ewan flung the door wide, and as she stepped inside he seized her in an embrace, and guided her across the chamber.
“Ye’ve been too long away, lass. I’ve missed ye.” Holding her close he bent his head, taking her lips with his in a kiss that flung all her doubts and fears to the stars and left her gasping with pleasure.
“Come,” he said, when they eventually drew apart. “The tub is filled fer us tae bathe.” He laughed, reaching for the first button on her gown. “Let me help ye take off this gown before the water grows cold.”
She sighed, delight surging inside her, as his nimble fingers slowly undid the long row of buttons at the front of her gown.
The scent of lavender drifted in the steamy air and she inhaled the delicate sweet fragrance, filling her lungs. Her senses soared high and bright with the touch of Ewan’s hands on her bare skin, the air swirling around her, warming her, the sound of his breathing rough and harsh with arousal.
She was aware of the bulge at the front of his britches and smiled to herself for now she understood what it was.
