The Highlander's Destiny (Highland Rogues #2) - Mary Wine Page 0,30
birth for ye. Would ye have yer son suffer a bastard brother to covet his place like Faolan?”
“Do nae say his name, woman,” Malcolm declared. “Ye are the finest-blooded mare in me stable. And ye are mine!”
Malcolm was breathing hard, but she saw the determination glittering in his eyes. He twisted a hand in her hair as he rode her, pulling the strands as he neared his climax. She’d learned early in her marriage to move in time with her husband. Such effort shortened how long he’d last. Tonight was no different. He spilled his seed inside her, and before long, he was snoring again beside her.
Of course, he wouldn’t leave while Faolan was inside the castle. Malcolm was a very jealous man.
Faolan had courted her, but he’d lacked the ambition to do what was necessary to take the lairdship. Malcolm hadn’t. Her husband had a streak of cruelty in him. It was cold and vicious when he applied it to his rivals. As a son born out of a handfasting, Faolan was deemed just shy of legitimate when he stood next to Malcolm, who was the child of a union blessed by the Church.
Such a thing would have mattered little if Faolan been willing to fight for the lairdship of the McKay. Noreen let out a soft sigh of regret. Faolan had a core of integrity. It was admirable, as well as his Achilles heel. Power went to those willing to shake hands in dark passageways. To get a position such as a lairdship, a man would have to be willing to make a few promises to the older captains who wouldn’t cast their vote without knowing for certain that their interests would be priorities for the new laird.
Faolan believed in fairness and a man receiving what he earned. Pity. For she would have preferred Faolan over Malcolm. But she would be Lady McKay.
And so she was.
And the witnesses to the handfasting between Faolan’s father and mother were all gone now. The topic forbidden inside the walls of the castle. Which meant it was whispered about, and Noreen had made sure the matrons who owed her allegiance told the new generation that the handfasting had never taken place. That Faolan was a bastard. His children could never be allowed to grow up and threaten her own with their blood.
Noreen allowed her true feelings to show on her face. The moon was rising, and with the bed curtains open, the silver light washed over Malcolm while he slept.
He was harsh and jealous, but she knew how to use such traits to her advantage. Even if she’d been wearing sackcloth, her husband would have bedded her tonight. Malcolm couldn’t abide the thought of her sneaking out to tryst with Faolan.
But she needed a son. If Malcolm hadn’t come to her bed tonight, she might have contemplated cuckolding her husband. Malcolm truly was a good match for her, for she had ambition, too. And there was no way she was going to allow her husband’s fickle nature over who he bedded to see her losing her position due to the lack of a son. If Malcolm didn’t fill her belly, Faolan would do well enough for the job. The bloodline wouldn’t be broken, just bent.
Noreen really needed to think of a way to keep Faolan in the stronghold for a bit longer.
*
There was a tingle on the back of Cora’s neck.
She paced across the center of the chamber Lady McKay had provided for her and turned around. Everything appeared in good order. There was a fine bed for her. Maids had hurried to make certain she had a clean smock to wear. Neatly hung in the wardrobe were no less than three dresses for her to try in the morning. Clothing was so costly, the abundance was clearly an attempt to impress her brother when Cora returned home and recounted her treatment.
Something was bothering her, though.
Ye know well what is needling ye…
Cora let out a little huff. She did know what the center of her restlessness was. She didn’t like the way Faolan had been treated.
Alright, she’d downright detested the cold look Laird McKay had used.
Do nae get involved in other families’ personal affairs…
It was sound advice. She really should listen to it. After all, she didn’t really know Faolan.
He saved yer life.
He had, and it appeared that nothing much else mattered when it came to the way she felt about the McKays.