Highlander Enchanted(30)

Lord Richard acknowledged him with a bow of his head as he sat at the table with them. “These Highland tempests are worse than English,” he said unhappily. “How long do they last?”

Cade shrugged. “Oft-times a day, oft-times several.”

“Unfortunate. I am eager to return to Saxony.”

“’Tis large, this Saxony?” Cade asked.

“’Tis not large but the title and lands are among the first recognized by the king many years ago. The man who bears the title Baron of Saxony is held in higher distinction by the Crown than others of his rank,” was the crisp reply.

“What of its rightful heir?”

“Lost to the Crusades. Leaving Lady Isabel the sole heir to her father’s gold and lands.”

“But she canna rule as its Lord.”

“Certainly not. A woman has not the mind for matters of state and estate,” Lord Richard replied. “Left alone, she will ride off on some fanciful journey to the Highlands!” He laughed, as did those with him. “Nay, she needs discipline, similar to any horse before it can be of service. I will ensure she never acts out in such a way again. I have heard an heir settles a woman and reminds her of her place.”

Cade had heard similar sentiment from Highlanders and English alike, yet hearing it spoken about Isabel caused his anger to stir. “Does yer king approve of yer claim to her?” he asked, forcing himself to remain calm.

“He will,” Lord Richard said confidently. “And he will have little choice. No man under God can deny a husband his wife’s lands, once they are wed.”

“She need not agree?”

Lord Richard appeared startled. “She has not the mind to disagree.” He leaned forward, his voice lowering. “Madness runs in her family. Her father succumbed to it at an early age and it finally killed him. I cannot risk it claiming her before I have my title.”

“And ye will do so by any means necessary.”

“’Tis my right,” came the unsettling reply. “Her father and mine had an agreement, though both men passed before the contract was made.”

“I would think she had many suitors.”

“Had.” Lord Richard smiled coldly. “It takes but one turning up with a knife through his heart for the others to understand.”

So she ran. Cade began to comprehend Isabel’s mindset better. Cornered by an ambitious Richard, alone and angry, she had lashed out at the one man she blamed for it all.

The internal debate about what to tell her of her own brother settled some at the realization of how scared the proud woman had to be in order to seek him out.

“Is it common for a clan to be run out of his keep?” Lord Richard asked, eyes on the people around them.

“From time to time, yea,” Cade answered absently and poured all of them more wine.

“We do not have such petty feuds in England. I will be grateful to have Isabel home.”

Cade tensed but didn’t allow himself to react. It was not the time to anger the lord, not when Isabel remained vulnerable to him. “I hope the rains clear up fer ye soon,” he said and rose, placing the pitcher of wine down.

Lord Richard bowed his head, dismissing him, and Cade strode away. He exited into the hallway and released his breath, surprised by how tight his chest was. He had visions of pounding Lord Richard’s face in as he spoke, and battle lust roared in his blood.

The sounds of the Great Hall followed him, and he began walking, needing a quick escape to clear his mind. His home had felt small before and absolutely tiny now. Nowhere he went was free of people, and he paused in an intersection of two corridors, agitated by the energy and noise of so many others. He was close to snapping at anyone who spoke to him and had been trapped inside all day because of the rain. He needed some time on the lists or a long ride to calm him.

Cade struck off through the halls and emerged from the loudness of his home into the cool, quiet drizzle outside. The thunder and lightning had lifted, along with the heavier rain. He strode to the stables and slid through the open doors into the interior.

Even here, there was no peace. Several of his warriors had made pallets of hay in the loft above the horses. The light of lanterns glowed, and quiet talk joined the occasional nickers and shifting of horses.

Deciding to grab his sword and head to the lists despite the cold and rain, he heard a woman’s laugh and paused, eyes traveling down the stables to the feed room at the far end. Her voice was followed by that of Niall.

Impressed his cousin had found a woman after a bout of chastity that lasted far longer than any Cade had ever attempted, he paced towards the feed room and peered into the door-less entry.

Niall and his woman were still mostly dressed in the throes of passion, her skirts around her hips and his trews at his ankles.

Cade started to leave, smiling, when the angle of the lantern light in the feed room highlighted the woman’s face.

Siobhan.

His amusement faded. Her disinterest made sense, but his cousin’s silence on the matter did not. Why would Niall not tell him? How could his cousin rut with the woman he believed Cade was going to wed?

Cade ran a hand through his hair, disturbed by the quiet betrayal from the direction of a man he did not think capable of such an act.

His battle lust surged even higher, demanding action of some sort. Cade had never raised a hand to his cousin and did not plan to now.