The Duke She Wished For Page 15

  Jaime stared out the carriage window as they rode, listening to the clopping of the horse’s hooves along the dirt road to the church. The scenery flew by quickly as they picked up the pace to Perth and Jaime could smell a hint of salt from the sea in the air as they passed the spot where Alec had taken her to the cliffs. As they rode through the town center of Perth, onlookers pointed and waved as the carriage passed by. She looked up ahead, and her stomach flip-flopped at the large stone church ahead of them, guests entering through the doorways.

  “When we arrive you are to walk on the right side of the church down and around three times,” Una instructed. “It is customary. Alec told me you had never been to a wedding, so he asked I give ye all the information.”

  “That was kind of him,” Jaime said, trying not to let the girl hear any bitterness in her voice. “Will you be with me?”

  “Oh, no. We wait by the doors for you,” Em cut in. “It’s yer time with God.”

  “I see,” Jaime said nodding her head.

  When the carriage came to a stop a tall man with a large orange beard dressed in clan colors opened the door and helped Jaime down. She watched as the girls exited the carriage, each pulling on the man’s beard, inciting laughter. He looked at Jaime and smiled, reaching his arm for her to take.

  “Me name is Ainsley of the Campbell Clan,” the man explained with a jolly tone. “Alec explained yer father had passed and ye would need someone to hand ye over, so I am here to do the duty, if ye will have me.”

  “I would be honored,” Jaime stated, choking back tears. She didn’t understand why she was so emotional about all of this, as it was all for show, and soon she would be a single woman, back in her bed in 2017.

  “Well, I’ll be waiting here for when yer done,” he said looking ahead at the church.

  Jaime nodded and began to walk down the right side of the building, shivering slightly from the cold wind. She watched as guests in the church smiled as she did her laps. By the third lap Jaime was ready to get inside, the cold air biting at her through the thin lace. As she made her final walk toward Ainsley, she closed her eyes and let the sun penetrate her thoughts.

  She walked back up to the round jolly man and smiled. He kissed her on the cheek and pulled her veil over her face. Jaime nervously took his arm, and he patted her hand kindly, sensing her fears. Bagpipes and flutes began to play as she stepped through the threshold of the church and laughter could be heard as the girls made their way down the aisle. Finally, it was Jaime’s turn. She stepped onto the large round stones that made up the floor and walked carefully, afraid to look up at Alec. About halfway down she finally glanced to the front, and a smile broke out on her face as her nerves left her. Alec was standing tall at the front, his red-tinged hair pulled back in a low ponytail, dressed in a white blouse and draperies signifying his clan and his change to Laird of the household. His gaze never wavered as he stared at her walking towards him, and butterflies flew through her chest.

  When they had reached the front Ainsley took the coin from her shoe and handed it to Alec, signifying a change of hands. As Ainsley retreated, Jaime stepped forward and faced Alec, clasping his hands tightly. Much of the ceremony was in Gaelic, but they switched to English when it was time for her give her oath. It was short and sweet, and when done, Em walked forward, handing them both a silver ring. Jaime looked up into Alec’s eyes as they each placed a ring on each other’s finger. When it was done, Alec’s father approached and performed the hand tying ceremony. At its completion, the priest gave his blessing, and Alec lifted Jaime’s veil, taken aback by the tears that flowed down her cheeks. He pressed his lips against hers, pulling her close.

  When the ceremony was complete, the girls joined Alec and Jaime in the carriage as they returned to the house where they would have a reception. The carriage ride was quiet as Em talked about the guests and how beautiful Jaime was. Alec reached over and took Jaime’s hand, squeezing it tightly before leaning in and whispering in her ear.

  “Thank you,” he cooed.

  Jaime smiled and squeezed his hand, hoping his first words to her would be less business and more romantic, but she still didn’t know if he actually cared about her or just saw her as a piece of his plan. When they arrived, they waited in the carriage until everyone was seated at a table. Jaime lined up with her new husband and walked behind his father in the traditional Scottish march. They immediately began their first dance and Jaime tried her best to follow along until, noticing her lack of knowledge of the dance traditions, Alec scooped her up in his arms and slowly moved around the dance floor. He looked deep into her eyes, sending chills through her body, and the crowd oohed and awed at the two sweeping across the grass.

  The rest of the reception went on into the night, and Jaime sat quietly watching the men and woman dance merrily to traditional Scottish music. There were lots of toasts, especially once the lagers had flowed, and Alec tried to stay close, holding Jaime’s hand. It wasn’t until he had disappeared for a bit that Jaime got up to go to the house to look for him. As she entered the home, she heard shouting from the parlor and Alec’s voice high in the air. She tiptoed next to the doorway and stopped.

  “I don’t understand why ye would do this,” Alec’s father bellowed. “She looks and talks like a bloody English. How do you know she’s not? She didna have any family here. What kind of woman has no family? The kind hiding something.”

  “Actually, sir, the kind that has lost all her family to tragedy,” Jaime said stepping out from the doorway and into the parlor. “I am from the Abernathy clan, and am the last of us left, that I know of. It has been a hard, lonely life without my family. But now, under God’s grace, I have Alec.”

  Alec smiled at her forwardness and looked to his father, who stood glaring at Jaime with anger. He threw his hands in the air and walked to the doorway, stopping just into the hall. He looked at Jaime and then back at Alec.

  “Yer foolery has cost us peace,” he said angrily to Alec. “And if the death of a McDermont comes by the hand of a Gillie, well, that blood will be on you and yer love of a bonnie face.”

  Jaime moved to the side as his father stomped off back outside.

  Alec moved across the parlor and stood in front of her, taking her hands. She looked up at him with heavily lidded eyes, tired after so much wine and a long nerve wracking day, and unsure how to react to his father’s blustering. Alec pushed a tendril of hair from her face and leaned down, kissing her lips softly.

  “Donna mind my father. He’s more bluff than real anger. But I think the party is over for me,” Alec whispered. “What do you say I take my wife to bed?”

  Jaime nodded, unsure if he meant to sleep or other things. Butterflies entered her chest again, thinking about the last time they had made love. This time would be different, as it would be the first time as a married couple and the first time after knowing so much more of the other. She had been scared to give herself to him again, scared of her feelings for him growing deeper before she’d leave him. Alec took her hand and led her down the hall to the bedroom where all the gifts had been moved from the bed, and fresh linens had been laid out. Alec closed the door quietly and turned to Jaime.

  “Here, let me help you,” he said, turning Jaime and unbuttoning the sides of the dress.

  He bent down and lifted the bottom of the gown, pulling it up and over Jaime’s head and turning to drape it over the partition. When he turned back, his cheeks reddened and his desire increased as he realized Jaime hadn’t been wearing anything underneath. She slipped her shoes off and stood nervously in front of him. He moved towards her, placing his hand on her waist, and the other on her cheek, pressing his lips hard against hers. Slowly she moved her hands upward, removing his sashes and lifting his shirt over his head. She turned and sashayed towards the bed as he took his kilt and boots off, standing strong and naked in front of her.

  Jaime sat on the edge of the bed and pushed herself backward, spreading her legs to invite him over. He turned do
wn the fire in the lamp and crawled across toward her, his shoulder muscles rippling in the firelight. She gasped as he pushed inside of her, not having the patience to wait. She grabbed onto his shoulders as their bodies moved rhythmically in the shadow of the flames. He reached under her, picking her up, and leaning backward on his knees. She moved her hips against him as she felt the pleasure rising. As her climax came to a peak, Jaime leaned back, closing her eyes and moaning in pleasure. Alec pushed her down on the bed and continued, thrusting harder and harder as he pressed his lips against hers. She could feel him swell inside of her as he reached his own peak of ecstasy, moaning slightly in her ear before collapsing to the side of her.

  They lay intertwined in each other, her once meticulously coiffed hair now messy, sweat covering both of them. They laid next to each talking quietly as the night wore on, and made love again, this time slower and softer.

  As they lay together afterward, Alec asked Jaime a million questions, trying to truly understand why she thought she didn’t belong in this time. One by one she would answer, with some funny story or current future event to back up her thoughts. She could see his eyes grow bigger every time she would tell a story about a future political event or war. It almost felt like he was starting to believe her.

  “I didna believe you,” Alec confessed. “But now, hearing yer stories, I….”

  Alec’s voice trailed off, and they both sat up at the sound of shouting outside. Jaime’s stomach dropped as Alec’s father yelled out. The Gillies were here, and not to congratulate them.

  Chapter 8

  Alec

  Alec jumped from the bed and threw his kilt and boots on, grabbing his sword from the table before running towards the back door. He put his arm out as Jaime followed along, pushing her behind him in protection. As he walked across the threshold, he balled his fists in anger looking out at Rory and his clan facing off with the McDermont men and other clans from the wedding. The women and children had scattered. Rory stopped and looked up at Alec as he stepped out into the grass.

  “Well, well,” Rory stated, turning towards Alec. “The Laird has decided to come and play.”

  “You don’t belong here,” Alec bellowed. “This is not yer land. Leave us.”

  “You need to teach yer son some manners,” Rory said stepping toward Cinead with a grin.

  “I am Laird of this clan now, you direct yerself to me,” Alec said angrily moving quickly toward Rory. The Gillie clan tensed and Rory put his hand back to calm them as Alec stood inches from his face.

  “You think ye can swing through town with some harlot,” Rory said motioning to Jaime. “And change everything we agreed on?”

  “I never had an agreement with you,” Alec said through clenched teeth.

  “Ye sound like yer father,” Rory hollered back. “Never an agreement. Did ye ken yer mother was to be mine, boy? But she spread her legs as soon as Cinead McDermont showed interested in her. It took years, but she learned — she learned not to make a fool of Rory Gillie.”

  “You did kill her, didn’t ye, ye bastard?” Alec growled, leaning into Rory.

  “I wouldna say it was on purpose,” he replied with a wicked grin. “But when we found the wench tripped up and bleeding in the forest, I cannae say we did much to help.”

  “So why try to arrange this marriage with Alexandra? How does that help you?”

  “It helps me when yer dead, which is easy enough with yer wife cookin’ for ye every night!”

  At that moment, everything moved quickly. Rory attempted to slyly reach back and pluck a dagger from his belt, but Cinead saw him and pushed Alec to the side, wrestling the Gillian Laird to the ground. As they moved and tumbled over each other, skirmishes began to break out between the other men, Rory’s son charging at Alec. Jaime watched in horror as swords clanged together and fists flew in the air. It stopped as suddenly as it began when Rory jumped up, his hands in the air, a look of fear on his face. His head swivelled, tracking the number of McDermont men and their kin, before he hollered out a retreat, and ran from the grounds with his clan in tow.

  “Oh my God,” Jaime cried out, bringing Alec’s attention away from chasing the retreating Gillies to his father lying on the ground.

  Cinead reached his arm up for Alec, gasping for air as the dagger sat, pushed into his chest. Alec dropped to his knees next to his father as Cinead grabbed his shoulder and brought him closer. Anger covered Alec’s face as he shushed his struggling father.

  “Son…listen…to….me,” Cinead said, struggling to get his words out. “Do…not…go…after….them. It…is…yer…home…now. Take…care…of…the…girls. I am …proud of you.”

  With the last words, the air from Cinead’s lungs escaped his body, and he fell limp into the moist grass behind him. Jaime ran over and wrapped her arms around Una and Em, and they turned their eyes toward her, crying into her shoulder. Alec stood and looked around at the group, the men all taking a knee in honor of the fallen clan member. He turned to Jaime and motioned her to take the girls in the house before leaning down and picking his father up in his arms.

  “We have a burial to arrange,” he said stoically to the other men before walking toward the barn.

  Jaime

  The wake lasted only four days, as the weather began to change and they wanted to be able to bury Alec’s father before the ground became too hard. Every night Jaime went to bed, alone, Alec refusing to allow anyone but himself to watch over the body. On the second night, Jaime walked out to the barn to check on Alec and found him on his knees praying at his father’s side. When he saw her he spoke not a word, but instead walked over and shut the doors in her face, lost in his grief. He had drawn away from her, and Jaime began to feel as if she had made the wrong decision in staying for a time.

  On the fourth night of the mourning, there was a party where people drank, ate, and danced long into the night. The gathering was merry and celebrated the life of the McDermont Clansman, who had once been their leader. The music could be heard for miles, and Jaime watched as the men drank more than she had seen some of her college friends drink at frat parties. Though Alec’s absence was felt, Jaime did all she could to look after the girls, who were struggling with the loss of yet another parent. Every night, long after Jaime had tucked the girls into bed, Em would sneak into the bedroom and curl up next to Jaime, twirling her hair between her tiny fingers. Jaime’s heart broke for the girls, but there was nothing she could do but be there for them.

  Alec’s solemn behavior continued long after the funeral and Jaime waited patiently for weeks to bring up going to Crieff to look for the portal. She got almost into a rhythm each day, taking care of the girls and learning to cook. Every morning she would fix breakfast and pack a bag for Alec and Balloch so they wouldn’t have to come back for lunch. The two had a lot of work to take care of before the weather really turned. In the evening the five of them would sit around the large dining table, eat, and then retire for the night. Often Balloch was out, likely with a local girl, but no one asked questions. Most nights Jaime slept as far over on the bed as she could, wanting Alec to respond but knowing whatever was going on inside of him needed to work itself out. Alec would smile absently at Jaime from time to time, or kiss her on the forehead, but most days he sat, ate and worked in silence.

  Four weeks had gone by since Alec’s father had died and Jaime woke with the feeling that things were about to change. There had been a different air about Alec the day before, something rather more distracted and withdrawn than usual. Alec and Balloch were gone before breakfast, so she put the girls to different tasks and went on with her day as she usually did. At dinner, Alec and Balloch returned with some goods they’d traded for in town. They set them down in the kitchen and joined the girls for dinner. Em talked about her day and a new hiding place she had found, and Una described the blanket she was going to begin knitting. When the plates were cleared Alec cleared his throat.

  “Jaime and I are going to be going on a little trip
tomorrow,” Alec stated, looking up at Jaime. “We are going to be traveling to Crieff. I want you girls to look after the house. Balloch will stay close to keep an eye on you.”

  Jaime’s eyes flew up to Alec’s face in surprise.

  “In the winter?” Em protested. “Ye’ll freeze before you get there.”

  “We’re gonna take the horses, so we won’t have to camp,” Alec responded. “We’ll be leavin’ when the sun comes up.”

  The girls could sense the tension in the room and decided not to protest any further. Jaime walked the girls to their bedrooms and kissed each of them lightly, knowing it may be the last time she saw them. She left the room fighting back the tears.

  “Jaime,” Em called out before she could walk away.

  “Yes, Em?” Jaime responded.

  “I love you,” she stated sleepily.

  “Well, I love you too, Em, and you too, Una,” Jaime replied, holding back her tears until she’d left the room. “Sweet dreams.”

  When Jaime got back to the bedroom, she sat on the bed, her emotions a massive ball of confusion. She missed home and running water and her friends, but she had also grown to love it here, and everyone in it. Alec got in bed and leaned to the side, kissing Jaime on the shoulder.

  “Thank you,” Jaime whispered.

  “Get some sleep, ‘tis a long ride to Crieff,” Alec said as he blew out the lantern and covered up. “A promise is a promise.”

  Jaime thought he might make love to her tonight, but Alec turned over away from her and fell asleep.

  The next morning everything moved quickly, and Alec was ready to leave before the sun had breached the horizon. Jaime put on the dress Alec had bought her when they first met and flung a wool lined, hooded cloak around her shoulders to stay warm. She pulled on her gloves and walked out of the house, turning back for just a moment to remember it as it was. They took off on their horses, trying to make Crieff before it got too dark outside as the winters there were harsh.