A Forbidden Night with a Scot (Sins in a Kilt #1)

Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

F ebruary 1690. The Golden Goose tavern, Sinclair lands…

Tucking a wayward strand of her chestnut hair back into the hood of her dark green cloak, Lady Iseabail Mackay pushed her way through the crowd of people. The Golden Goose was far busier than a tavern ought to be, given the size of the village. Iseabail continued on, as alert as she could be with the many bodies that surrounded her, her eyes flitting from one person to the next.

The bodhran thumped out a fast beat, accompanied by the tin whistle and the fiddle, playing music that had many of the patrons dancing and jumping, making the wooden floorboards beneath her vibrate with the movement. With a drink in hand, she finally found a small unoccupied space, and managed to take a sip of her ale.

No more than a minute later, Iseabail was approached by a burly man, his eyes set firmly upon her while sporting a wide grin.

Och, fer the love o’ God, can I nae get a minute’s peace?

She was a beautiful woman, there was little she could do about that. Her mother had been beautiful too, before she had died giving birth to her younger sister, who unfortunately had not survived either. Iseabail had only been five years old at the time, but she still remembered her mother’s stunning looks.

For the longest time, she had thought her mother was a princess. She had told her that she, too, would grow up to be a beautiful lass, but she had warned her. “Beauty can be a delight, Issy, but it can also be a curse.”

Of course, Iseabail had not understood what her mother had been referring to at such a young age. But now, as a lass who had experienced far too much unwarranted attention, her mother’s words made a lot more sense.

“And what’s a lovely lass like ye doing here all by yersel’?” the burly man asked, once he came to stand beside her.

“Drinking,” Iseabail replied curtly. And too busy looking fer something far more important than a man like ye.

“Let me buy ye another,” the man offered, not taking the hint by her overly rude behavior.

Iseabail lifted her hardly touched tankard. “I’m fine, thanks. I dinnae need another.”

“Nae yet,” the man drawled, inching a little closer. “But the night is still young,” he smirked.

Aye. Unlike ye.

“Ye really want tae ken what I’m doing here?” Iseabail growled, turning to face him.

Her change of tactics surprised him a little, but he shrugged and nodded. “Aye.”

“Fine. Then I’ll tell ye. I am Lady Iseabail Mackay. Me faither is Laird Hamilton Mackay. Me older braither is Keane Mackay. At this very moment, me faither and braither are being held against their will by Laird Dylan Sutherland because he wants me tae marry him. He says our marriage will end the feud that’s been going on fer three generations between our clans, but we ken that isnae true.”

The man now appeared a little perturbed at her words, but Iseabail did not care, and continued.

“Laird Sutherland is now blackmailing me. I must find an enchanted crystal and bring it back tae him. Ridiculous, right? When I have done that, and agree tae marry him, he will release me faither and braither.”

The smirk had long fallen from the burly man’s face, and he now looked at her with wide eyes. At the same time, he began taking a step back, clearly rattled by her confession.

Och, nae. Ye dinnae get away from me that easily.

Iseabail took a step forward and grabbed the man by his collar. Looking directly into his eyes, she said, “Now, ye will forget everything I have just told ye.”

The man’s pupils dilated for a second, and then he blinked several times, looking at her like she was mad.

“What are ye doing?” he grunted, looking at her hand still holding on to his clothes. “What just happened?”

Iseabail smiled and released him, knowing her powers had worked.

“Och, naething really,” she said, dropping her hand and stepping back.

It had felt good to get that all out, but no one could know why she was there or what she was doing. Her powers had served her well over the years. Having the ability to compel people, to have them do whatever she wanted, had saved her from more difficult situations than she could remember. Both she and her brother had inherited powers from their mother’s side, though their gifts were not the same. While she could get people to do her bidding, Keane could read someone’s mind if he laid his hand upon them.

Their gifts were a privilege neither of them took lightly, nor did they abuse them. She was certain, however, that the quest Laird Sutherland had sent her on had something to do with powers he himself possessed, and she also had her suspicions about the reason he was so keen to get his hands on that damned crystal.

When her father and brother were first taken, Iseabail had felt completely helpless. She didn’t know what to do or where to even begin to start looking for the crystal. But she had had to start somewhere. Gathering the council, she had discussed what she planned to do, although none of the men were in agreement.

Every one of them had been against her travelling alone, telling her she was putting herself in unnecessary danger, and yet, she had little choice. She could not bring unnecessary attention to herself. A lady wandering about with a group of guards at her side was hardly going to get anyone to open up to her. She had to remain as anonymous as possible. She had to be able to get in and out of situations quickly.

As terrifying as the prospect was, she had to do this alone.

Behind the burly man, a group of people seem to be hurrying toward a back room.

“What’s going on back there?” she asked, standing on her tiptoes and attempting to see behind him.

The man frowned and shook his head. “Och, that’s nay place fer a lass as delicate as yersel’. Ye’re better off staying in here.”

Iseabail looked him directly in the eye. “Tell me what is going on back there.”

The man blinked several times and then said, “There’s a fight tonight. There’s much excitement because the strongest man in all these lands is here, and many are eager tae see him.”

“Take me,” Iseabail demanded.

Without hesitation, the burly man led the way, pushing through the people who surrounded them. He passed through a doorway, and then turned into a room. Three wooden steps led down into the huge space that seemed packed from wall to wall with men. There was not one other woman present. But even her presence did not distract them, for they all seemed to be focused on something else. All eyes were gazing expectantly at the middle of the room, where a large space remained vacant. Clearly, the place where the men were going to fight.

While the burly man continued pushing his way forward, Iseabail held back and was about to slip into the crowd, when a bellow came from behind her on the steps. Spinning around, her mouth fell open at the sight of a huge man falling head first towards her. Iseabail froze, stunned by the sight of it, and could only wait for the man to land on her. Suddenly, she felt an arm grab her waist and spin her away. The man landed on the ground with a heavy thud and an even louder groan, only a second later.

The crowd roared with laughter, but Iseabail was far more concerned with turning to see who had saved her, for the man still held her at the waist.

“That was a little too close fer comfort,” he exclaimed, beaming a dashing grin at her.

Well, she imagined, by the shape of his striking blue eyes, that he was grinning, for the man wore a mask that covered the entirety of his face. It was black, like his hair, and made of leather, and quite took Iseabail by surprise. No more so than the size of him, for as he towered above her, she could feel his strong body against her own as he still held her.

“Thank ye,” she breathed as she righted herself.

“It is I who should be thanking ye,” he growled. “I’m the envy o’ every man in here.”

Iseabail blushed and dropped her gaze at his forthrightness. “That’s nay surprise, given I’m the only woman present.”

He tilted his head to the side and gazed down at her. “I dinnae think that has much tae dae with it, dae ye?”

For the first time in her life, Iseabail felt butterflies in her stomach. She was no stranger to attention, but there was something about this man that unnerved her.

“Well, I must away,” he declared. And spinning on his heels, he disappeared into the crowd as quickly as he had arrived.

As she was still recovering from their intense interaction, the burly man from earlier was suddenly at her side again.

“I cannae believe it,” he gasped, gawking down at her. “That is the very man I spoke o’ earlier. He’s the strongest warrior. It is he who will fight tonight.”

“How can ye be sure he’s the strongest warrior?” she asked, though not really doubting the man’s words.

“I’ve bet every coin I have on him. That’s how sure I am.”

Iseabail was a little surprised at the man’s confidence, but then, she had not seen the masked man fight. She could only hope the one beside her had made the right choice. Every coin he had was a huge gamble.

The men in the room began yelling at the fighters, but Iseabail could not see what was happening, for every man in front of her was far taller and broader than she was. She then remembered the wooden steps, and slipping behind the burly man, who was far too busy yelling at the top of his voice to notice her absence, she clambered up two steps, and turned to look back into the room.

The man in the mask threw fist after fist, while his opponent, a shorter but still muscular man, blocked each attack and threw strikes of his own. Around them, the men yelled outcries of encouragement, pushing them back into the center of the room when their skirmish ventured into the crowd.

“Mask. Mask. Mask,” the men chanted, seemingly getting more and more excited as the shorter man appeared to wane.

Iseabail found herself completely mesmerized by the masked man, watching his every move, and not at all perturbed by the blood that each of them shed. Evidently, he was the stronger of the two, just as the burly man had said earlier. In fact, now, as she watched him fight, she could understand the reason he had gambled every coin he had.

The shorter man’s legs started to buckle, and he fell against the masked man, grabbing his shirt with such a grip, he tore it clean off his body. Suddenly, Iseabail gasped. Not for the fact that the masked man’s form was huge, with muscles rippling with his every movement. Something far more important caught her eye.

A sparkle of crystal danced in the lantern lit room. The same kind of crystal she had spent weeks searching for. The crystal that currently hung around the masked man’s neck. In fact, so distracted by it was she, she had hardly noticed that the fight was over, and that the masked man had won.

As he paraded around the room, slapping the hands of all those who watched on, yelling out encouragement and congratulations, Iseabail took one last glance at the crystal. She then turned, ascended the steps, and left the room.

I must have that stone, and I ken exactly what I need tae dae tae get it.