An Honest Mistake Read online

  “The healer was called and Jacqueline was given a draught to help her sleep and take the pain away. The rest of us stayed downstairs and celebrated,” he continued.

  “You mean this young lady was hurt and none of her family thought that it was important enough to stay with her?” Laird Fraser asked, glaring at Owen.

  “I thought the same thing, Da,” Connor said before Owen could defend himself or his brothers. “I even asked her brother’s about it, but they said she would be fine.” Jacqueline was surprised to hear he’d asked about her.

  “We would never leave one of our family unattended after an injury,” Laird Fraser mumbled.

  “My brother James and I walked her to her room and stayed until the healer came,” Owen said, finally able to defend himself.

  “Did anyone check on her afterward?” Laird Fraser asked him.

  “I’m not sure,” Owen admitted shamefully. “I thought her maid would stay with her. The healer told us she would be fine and we should go back to the celebration.”

  “Someone should have checked on her.” Laird Fraser said.

  “I know, Da, and I agree,” Connor said. “Anyway, hours later I was ready to find my bed. I don’t even remember going up the stairs or undressing and getting into bed. The next thing I knew, Jacqueline was screaming for me to get out of her bed.”

  “Why were you in her bed?” Laird Fraser asked.

  “I stumbled into the wrong room,” Connor said. “Obviously the draught that the healer had given her made Jacqueline sleep so soundly she didn’t even feel me get into the bed with her.”

  “You compromised her,” the Laird stated, “that’s shameful, son.”

  “Aye, Da,” he said. “But I made it right by marrying her.”

  “I’m disappointed in you, Connor,” his Da said. “I raised you better than that. I’m glad you made it right though and married the girl.” He then turned towards Jacqueline, “Although you and my son didn’t have the best start to your marriage, know that you are very welcome here, Jacqueline Fraser, and I’m pleased to have such a beautiful new daughter.”

  Jacqueline felt tears fill her eyes, and was only able the croak out a quick, “thank you, Da.” This man she had just met was being kinder to her than her own father had ever been.

  “You look tired, young lady,” Laird Fraser said. “Connor, show your new wife to your quarters and let her get some rest before our evening meal. I’ll have the cooks organize a marriage feast and you can introduce her to the rest of the clan this evening.”

  “ Aye, Da,” Connor answered as he took Jacqueline’s hand and pulled her to her feet. He led her up the stairs and down a hallway before opening a door and walking into a solar.

  “These are our quarters,” he told her. “You can make changes and decorate the solar anyway you would like. The bedroom is right through here,” he said as he walked over to another doorway and opened it.

  “Where will I be sleeping?” she asked him.

  “With me,” he answered.

  “I want a room of my own,” she said. “I don’t know you well enough to sleep in the same bed with you.”

  “Look, I know this marriage happened suddenly, but we’ve known each other for years. Won’t you at least try to make it work? I won’t rush you to do anything you’re not comfortable with, but we are sleeping in the same bed at night,” he told her.

  “And if I refuse?” she asked.

  “Then just like before the wedding, I’ll turn you over my knee until you agree,” he told her firmly. “I’m your husband, you are my wife. I take those vows seriously.”

  Jacqueline was thinking about what he’d said when the door to the solar opened unexpectedly. A buxom blond haired woman, in an almost indecent dress, flew through the door and flung herself into Connor’s arms. “You’re home,” she exclaimed as she kissed him soundly on the lips. “I missed you so.”

  “Catherine, stop,” Connor told the woman firmly, as he quickly pushed her away. “What are you doing up here? You know I’ve never invited you to my rooms.”

  “And who is this, Connor?” Jacqueline asked sarcastically, “a friend of yours?”

  Connor blushed and pushed the woman further away from him telling her, “Catherine, this is my new wife, Jacqueline.”

  “Your wife?” she asked. The look on her face turned from one of surprise to anger. She looked from Jacqueline and then back at him asking, “What about us, Connor?”

  “There is no us, Catherine,” he said forcefully. “There never was.” Then softening his tone, feeling rather like a louse he added, “you knew it was never a forever arrangement.”

  Catherine turned towards Jacqueline and practically hissed at her, “you trapped him, didn’t you? He was mine.” Connor had to grab hold of her as she stepped towards his wife.

  “Catherine,” Jacqueline said to her calmly, “I don’t know what kind of arrangement you had with my husband, but let me tell you now, if you ever make a threatening move towards me again, you won’t live long enough to regret it. Do you understand?”

  Connor let go of Catherine and said, “that’s enough, I think you need to leave now.”

  Catherine glared at Connor then moved as if towards the door, before Connor had time to react she quickly turned and flew with her hands raised to strike his wife. Connor barely registered what happened next. As Catherine reached Jacqueline, he seen his wife reach into the pocket of her gown and pull out a dirk. Catherine wasn’t ready for it as Jacqueline unexpectedly grabbed Catherine’s arm, pulling her off balance. Next thing Connor knew, Catherine was lying on the floor with Jacqueline’s dirk held firmly at her throat.

  “This is the last time I will warn you,” Jacqueline calmly told her. “Never attack me again. If you do, I guarantee it’ll be the last time.”

  Connor walked over and gently took the knife from his wife’s hand before reaching down and not so gently pulling Catherine to her feet. “Get out of here, and never come back into the Keep castle again. If you ever try anything to hurt my wife like this again, I’ll have my father banish you from the village also. Do you understand?” Connor asked her through clenched teeth.

  “Aye,” she hissed at him. “You’ll both regret this.” Catherine slammed the door as she left.

  “What a lovely young lady,” Jacqueline said sarcastically. “Are there more of them?”

  “I didn’t know I was going to get married when I left to go to your brother’s wedding. I won’t lie, Catherine has been my mistress for almost a year. She does have reason to be cross with me although I would have ended it with her as soon as I’d seen her,” he told her honestly. “There are no more. I swear.”

  “Time will tell,” she said.

  “You also have a right to be upset with me right now. She should have never been able to get into the Keep castle, or this room, I can swear to you she has never been up here or in my bed before,” he said. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

  “I would hope so,” she answered.

  “So back to our discussion before we were interrupted,” he said. “We will sleep in the same bed, we will spend time together everyday, and we will make this marriage work.”

  “I agree to try,” she said. “You promise you won’t try anything in bed until I’m ready?”

  “That’s not what I said, wife,” he replied and grinned at her. “I said nothing would happen that you don’t want to happen. I didn’t say I wasn’t going to try to seduce you.”

  “You do remember that I don’t like you right?” she asked him, although she couldn’t help grinning back.

  “I’m going to try to change your mind,” He said.

  “How do you plan on doing that?”

  “I’m going to court my wife,” he told her.

  Chapter 4: Courting

  That evening Jacqueline didn’t know what to expect as she went down to the main hall for the evening meal. At Gleann, she joined her family for meals each night but was expected to eat s
ilently while the men talked. Connor walked her down on his arm, sitting her in a chair at the head table before taking the empty seat between her and his father. Fiona sat in the chair on their Da’s other side.

  “Did you have a good rest, daughter?” asked Laird Fraser.

  “I did, thank you,” Jacqueline told him. Then added, “except for an unwelcome visitor.”

  Connor gave her a look and said quietly, “I’ve already explained that to you, it won’t happen again.”

  “What happened?” Caiden Fraser asked his son.

  “Catherine,” was all Connor said.

  “Ah,” said his father as he turned back to his plate. Soon Jacqueline saw his shoulders begin to shake, although he tried to stop it, he just couldn’t hold it in any longer and began to laugh.

  “I don’t think it’s funny,” Jacqueline said.

  “I’m sorry,” Caiden said to her. “I can just imagine what happened. I never did like that girl; she was like a hawk trying to hook him with her talons. She was hoping for marriage with my son.”

  “I’m not too fond of her either,” said Jacqueline sarcastically.

  “But now it’s over, and she’s gone. I already explained to you I hadn’t had time to tell her I was married, now she knows, I doubt she’ll cause any more problems,” Connor said.

  “Good riddance,” mumbled Fiona.

  “I agree,” said Jacqueline.

  “Let’s eat,” Caiden called out trying to change the subject as he motioned for the servants to begin serving the meal.

  Dinner was a pleasant surprise as the laird kept up the conversation with not just Connor, but also Fiona and Jacqueline.

  “How many brothers do you have?” Fiona asked her.

  “Eight,” Jacqueline replied, then added, “all of them older.”

  “What number is Owen?” Fiona asked.

  “There are six brothers older than Owen, only my twin James and I are younger,” Jacqueline told her.

  “That’s good,” Laird Fraser said, “you were well protected growing up I’m sure. I sometimes wish my wife and I would have had time to have more children.”

  “Sometimes a little too protected, Da,” Jacqueline laughed and told him.

  “So what do you enjoy doing, Jacqueline?” Laird Fraser asked.

  “I enjoy target practice with my bow; I try to do that at least once a sennight,” Jacqueline hesitantly answered, afraid the practice of women shooting would be frowned upon at Tarmon.

  “You shoot?” the Laird asked.

  “Aye,” she said, waiting for him to object as her own Da had. “That’s one of the advantages of growing up with eight brothers. I also know how to handle my dirk, I am proficient but not good with my sword, and I ride well.”

  “Owen McCabe,” Laird Fraser called out.

  “Aye, Laird,” her brother called back from a table not far away.

  “Come up here,” the Laird said. Owen walked up to the head table. “Your sister is telling me she shoots well with a bow.”

  “She is lying to you, Laird,” Owen said. Before Jacqueline had time to protest he added, “she shoots better than well. She can probably outshoot most of your archers.”

  “She’s that good?” Laird Fraser asked.

  “She’s better than me,” Owen replied honestly, smiling at his sister, “in fact, she can outshoot all of her brothers, except Eadan.”

  “I’d like to watch you when you practice next,” Laird Fraser said to Jacqueline.

  “I’ll make sure I let you know,” she replied, then turned to her brother and mouthed the words, “thank you.” Owen nodded and walked back to his table to finish his meal.

  “Would you like some more wine?” Connor asked her, offering her the cup they had shared throughout their meal.

  “Aye, please,” she said taking it from him.

  “Would you be interested in a walk down to the village with me when you finish?” Connor asked.

  “Is this the courting part?” Jacqueline asked him and smiled.

  “Just the beginning,” Connor replied.

  “Then I would be happy too,” she said.

  “So you shoot, weld a dirk and can fight with a sword?” Connor asked.

  “I’m good with a bow and my dirk,” Jacqueline explained, “I have my own sword and bow packed away upstairs. They’re both much smaller than what you have, Alastair had Craig make the sword for me, but I’m not very good with it yet.”

  “I could teach you if you’d like,” Connor told her.

  “You’d do that for me?” Jacqueline asked surprised.

  “Aye,” Conner replied without hesitating. “Ready to go for that walk?” Connor rose from the table and offered Jacqueline his arm, which she gladly took, and they strolled out the door of the hall together.

  “So tell me about life with eight brothers,” Connor said. “I can’t imagine having that many siblings; I just had Fiona growing up.”

  “What do you want to know?” Jacqueline asked. “You’ve been to Gleann many times, so you’ve met all my brothers.”

  “That’s just it, I know your brothers, but now I want to get to know you, my wife,” he said smiling at her.

  “It was just a typical life, nothing special,” Jacqueline replied.

  “I know you and Eadan have always been close, what about the rest of your brothers?” he asked.

  “Aye, Eadan and I have always been close. You know my mother died just a few days after giving birth to me and James, right?” Jacqueline asked.

  “Aye,” he replied. “Eadan told me that.”

  “My brothers helped raise me. If it wasn’t for them, I would’ve been left with the nurses my father hired all the time,” she told him. “Eadan taught me how to shoot my bow, Ham and Ross taught me how to defend myself with a dirk, and Alistair was teaching me how to use a sword. I told you Craig made my sword for me since he’s training to be a blacksmith.”

  “I don’t know Ham and Ross that well,” he told her. “They were already fostered the first time I came to Gleann with Eadan, and then they went off to join the King’s guard.”

  “Ham and Ross are twins like me and James,” she said.

  “I knew that,” Connor told her.

  “Ham is a few minutes older than Ross, so when their time is up with the King, and they come home, Ross will be in charge of the Gleann guards and Ham will be his second,” she explained.

  “What about the rest of your brothers?” Connor asked.

  “Alastair loves working with the horses and is a good trainer, so he’s now in charge of the Gleann stables. Rory was at clan Macleod for a few years training, and he’s now a very skilled tanner, he can make just about anything you would want or need. Of course, you know Owen is here, he’s always wanted to be a Knight, so he’s training and will probably go join the King’s army like Ham and Ross did,” Jacqueline told him.

  “What about your twin brother, James?” he asked.

  “James is very smart. He’s always excelled at his studies. His teachers have asked that my father send him to the University in Glasgow,” Jacqueline proudly said.

  “That’s impressive,” Connor said. “He must be very intelligent.”

  “My Da is hoping when he comes back he’ll help Eadan with negotiating and writing contracts,” she said. “At least that’s what James has told me. Clan McCabe is small, and so is Gleann. With new contracts, it’s a chance for the clan to grow and prosper.”

  “And what about you?” he asked. “Were you a quick learner like James?”

  “My Da didn’t really believe a girl needed to learn to read and write,” Jacqueline said. “What he didn’t know, was that every evening when James and I were in the nursery together, he would teach me everything he’d learned that day.”

  “So you can read and write?” he asked.

  “Aye. I can do some maths too,” she proudly told him.

  “I’m impressed,” Connor said. “My father has an impressive library. Tomorrow I’ll
give you a tour of Tarmon and show it to you.”

  “Your father won’t care if I read?” she asked.

  “Not at all. He made sure Fiona was taught,” he said. “She spends a lot of time in the library herself and has chosen many of the books that are there.”

  “I would love to see it then,” she told him smiling. Connor stopped them both and just stared at her. “What?” she asked him.

  “You’re very beautiful when you smile. I think I need to make you smile more often,” he said, smiling back at her.

  “So are you saying I’m ugly when I don’t smile?” she teased.

  “Hideous,” he teased back laughing harder, loving her sense of humor.

  “My husband, the charmer,” Jacqueline said, but couldn’t help laughing with him.

  “I like the sound of that,” Connor said. “Husband.”

  “I’m still trying to get used to it,” Jacqueline truthfully told him. “I never wanted to get married you know.”

  “I know,” Connor replied. “Eadan used to worry about your opinion of marriage.”

  “He’s probably glad to get rid of me,” Jacqueline said angrily.

  “Stop it,” Connor told her. “You need to get over your anger and just try making this marriage work. If you talk like that again about your brother and my best friend, I’m going to put you over my knee until you change your attitude. Do you understand, wife?”

  “Is that going to be your answer to everything? Putting me over your knee and spanking me till I agree with you?” she said loudly back to him. “That’s not going to make me like you any better.”

  “You’ll learn to like me as you get to know me, and I only spank wives, you were my first and the only woman to ever go over my knee. Here we are,” he said as they reached the village, “what would you like to see?”

  “I don’t know what you have here,” she said looking around.

  “Our village is a bit bigger than yours at Gleann,” Connor explained. “In the village, we have a blacksmith, a tinsmith, a broom maker, a candle maker and even a few shops where you can find jewelry, cloth, and ribbons. We also have a fine kirk and a school for the children.”