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BRENDAN WAS NOT PLEASED when he heard Neil was taking Greer with him to England. He never even suspected it was a possibility. Had he known, he would have drawn lots with the other men ... but he did not know. Hannish and Bethia were finally married and he hoped he would marry Greer soon too.
He was not normally a jealous man and he was willing to let her slowly make up her mind about his marriage proposal, because he wanted her to be certain. Yet who knew how long Greer would be gone and with twenty other men ready, willing and able to cater to her every whim, he was feeling anxious.
He did not let on as he helped her mount her horse and looked deep into her eyes. “I will miss you, lass.”
“And I you.”
“Do not do anything foolish.”
“Such as fall in love with another lad?” She winked as she said it, smiled and followed the men out of the courtyard. She didn’t mean to and even promised herself not to, but she couldn’t help herself. At the edge of the village, she halted the horse, turned around, rode back into the courtyard and slid down into his waiting arms. Then she passionately kissed Brendan’s lips. “Do not let anything happen to you, Brendan MacGreagor.”
“Such as fall in love with another lass?”
“Precisely.” She quickly kissed him again, let him lift her back up and then galloped after the leaving entourage.
*
KADICK DID NOT HAVE a man taking her riding; she had twenty and her laird besides. The men kept the two females and their laird encircled where they could protect them, and she felt just as she imagined the Queen of Scotland felt when she went riding. Behind her, four of the men also held the reins of pack horses burdened with everything Glenna thought might make the women more comfortable on the journey back. They brought extra plaids, brushes, soap, food, bowls, spoons and fine belts made of leather to use for barter.
Kadick knew few of the men. Most were MacGreagors and those that were MacClurgs had long since forgotten about her. No matter, she did not prefer any of them either.
When she first thought of going away, she had little hope that she would actually find a husband on her own. On the contrary, she thought she would probably be stoned to death by people who feared her. However, on some days her loneliness was so great, she was not put off by the idea. Yet never had she dared dream of being surrounded by strong, handsome men who would protect her. Protection was not love, but it was as close as she had come to the love of a man since her adopted father died.
She knew the MacClurgs and MacGreagors would protect the clan should the need arise, but this was the first time she felt the protection was just for her. It was enchanting, made her chest swell with pride and her heart fill with joy. Kadick still wore her cape with the hood, but on this day, she held her head just a little higher.
*
DONNAHAIL NOTICED KADICK.
Two days earlier, he had been in the great hall when she pointed out the error of the clan’s ways, and he thought her speech quite eloquent. Even the most witless among them knew exactly what she was talking about. They perhaps had not set out to shun her, but ignoring her existence was just as bad. It was a crime he was glad he did not feel guilty of.
Indeed, Donnahail noticed her. Even before they left, he noticed the horse Ben chose to take the place of her older, nearly worn out mare was too big for Kadick’s small size. Straddling a horse for days was hard enough for a woman unaccustomed to it, but when the horse’s back was too wide, it could be torture. He did not make a display of it; he merely whispered to Ben and helped him unload her things. Then when Ben rode the new choice back into the courtyard, he loaded it again and lifted Kadick up.
She might have been returning his smile, but she quickly covered the lower part of her face with the side of her hood and simply nodded.
And when they began to ride, he stayed just a little behind and to the side of her. She reminded him of the little sister he lost to the plague, who even at sixteen was not much larger. Most of the women in his family were small. His sister did not have a mark on her face, but she did have one foot that was bent outward and forced her to walk with a limp. The other children were cruel, he grew up protecting her, and when she was gone, he greatly missed watching over her. Donnahail supposed that was why he was taking such an interest in Kadick—he missed his sister.
*
THE FIRST DAY, NEIL took it slow and stopped often. They were in no hurry, he wanted to get the lay of the land and once they were stopped, he sent men out to hunt. If meat was the answer to getting wives, it would help to know how plentiful or how sparse the hunting was.
Greer and Kadick were exhausted, especially Kadick and walking the stiffness out together was just the thing after the day-long ride. Various men took care of building a fire, feeding all of them and seeing to the women’s every need, which made Kadick feel even more like a queen. She was sore but she enjoyed walking with Greer and her spirits were high. Then just as they turned to go back, her toe caught on a rock and she went hurling toward the ground.
Greer instinctively reached out to grab her arm but she missed. All she could do was cry out and put her hand over her mouth which got everyone’s attention.
A mere second before Kadick was about to hit the ground, Donnahail grabbed her around the waist and hauled her back up. He held on until she got her feet firmly on the ground, then he slowly let go. “You cannot see where you are going. Perhaps you should not wear the hood when we are stopped. Everyone here has already seen your mark and if they stare I will kill them.”
Kadick turned to face him and tried to smile, but it took her a moment more to catch her breath before she could speak. “I tried killing one once, I was five, and his mother blistered my backside.”
He returned her smile and watched her eyes as he pushed the hood off her head. “There, now you will see your own feet before you stumble over them. I may not manage to catch you the next time.”
Instead of being insulted over her implied clumsiness, she became curious. “I have not seen you before.”
“I am Donnahail and I have not seen you before either. I was one of the eight sent back to find the lost and only just returned.”
“My mark does not frighten you?”
He mockingly put a finger to his chin as though he had to think about it for a while. Then he looked at her face from one angle, moved and looked at it from another. “May I touch it?”
She was completely surprised. Strangers could hardly look at her mark let alone touch it. At length she nodded. His touch was soft and when he pushed her hair back to see how far the mark went around her head, she let him.
“‘Tis in the shape of a large kiss.”
Kadick giggled. “Millin called me ‘Kissy’ until I got older and embarrassed by it. She said I have been kissed by the angels.”
He ran his finger slowly from the normal part of her cheek to the marked part. “It feels the same as your other skin. Does it hurt?”
“It burns just as the rest of my skin does when the sun hits it too long, but otherwise it does not hurt.”
“That is it then.” He withdrew his hand and straightened her hood so it would lay flat on her shoulders.
“That is what?”
“The answer to all my questions. Now I will not wonder.” He gave her a slight bow and walked away.
Kadick turned to Greer and shrugged. “At least he is not afraid of me.”
“None of us are afraid of you, not now leastwise. And he is right, you should take the hood off when you are alone with us. Let the men get used to seeing it. Who knows, maybe one of them will prefer you.”
Kadick rolled her eyes. “Nay, I have decided on an Englishman. If I do not understand what he is saying, he cannot upset me.” Greer looked concerned until Kadick smiled. “Do not take me so seriously.”
