Highlander’s Viking Seductress: Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance Read online

  The basket of bread she had brought from the castle was in the middle of her table, and her two dining stools were on either side. On the wall, a shelf of pots and wooden bowls and cups sat where she put them after the last time she had cooked.

  At the other end of the room, she had her mother’s rocking chair, and sewing table with rolls of yarn arranged. Nothing was out of place, thankfully. However, she could not guess what they saw when they looked at her house because they both lived in much better homes. She held her head up regardless. Her cottage could not hold a candle to their homes, but it was hers, and she was proud of it.

  “Ye have a lovely home Lilia,” Osgar said politely. Uielam finished the perusal of his surroundings and gave an approving nod.

  “Aye, it is surprisingly small, but it is clean and cozy, I like it,” he said. She could not help the small frown that settled over her features. She knew that she was somewhat defensive about her home, but the irritation that sparked at him giving his opinion on her home in such a manner.

  What are they even doin’ here?

  “How may I help ye fine gentlemen today?” she asked, clasping her hands and unable to keep the bite of irritation out of her voice. Obviously noticing her annoyance, Osgar pressed his lips together again. Uielam, on the other hand, was oblivious and made his way to sit at her table, leaving her and Osgar standing.

  “I am sorry for comin’ to yer home unannounced, especially since the days ye spend at home are supposed to be yer free time,” Osgar began, his words obviously aiming to appease her. “We are here because we need yer help.”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. They had only just arrived, but she already wanted them gone. Osgar, however, was being polite, so she needed to act in the same way. She gave him a strained smile even as she glanced at Uielam, who had curiously pulled the basket of bread on her table to herself and was now taking out a loaf of bread and sniffing it.

  “What could I possibly help ye with?” she asked through gritted teeth. In times like these, she felt sorry for Osgar, who had to help Uielam get what he wanted while Uielam recklessly antagonized everyone.

  “Ye see. The Younger is in a bit of a fix… and he is going to need a place to stay for some time,” Osgar began hesitantly, and Lilia was already reeling. “We were hoping to loan yer home… think somethin’ like an inn.”

  Lilia stared wide-eyed, blinking blankly at the thought of living with Uielam, always being around him and having to control her reactions to him when a simple brush of his body as he passed her in the doorway had nearly stopped her heart.

  “Nay,” she said with finality, and Osgar dropped his head in defeat. Uielam perked up at this and gaped, waving his arm in protest.

  “What?! Why nay? Osgar ye didnae explain this properly,” he said, dropping the basket and getting to his feet to stand in front of her.

  “Dae ye remember what I asked ye last night, about whether or nae ye thought I was bein’ allowed to win, there are some people who are claimin’ that I am only winnin’ because I am The Younger. So I have decided to take part in the coming tournament in disguise, and for this to work, I have to pretend to go away so I cannae stay at the castle. This is why I need yer house to hide in. Dae ye understand how important it is now? Osgar also didnae mention that I am going to pay ye for yer help. More gold than ye can carry, just for the duration of time I spend livin’ with ye. Is this nae an amazin’ deal?” he prattled.

  In her home she was not a servant, she was just herself, and that was more important to her than anything. She did not want to end up serving someone else in her own home.

  "I am sorry, Uielam Younger, but me answer is still nay,” she said. "I daenae want to share me home with ye."

  Uielam looked stunned as though he had honestly never expected to be turned down. She could not help the flare of irritation that sparked up again as she took in his surprised expression.

  "Why? Dae ye nae want the gold? Dae ye nae see how much of an opportunity this is? Ye get me, Uielam MacNab in yer home, alone. On top of that, ye are gettin' paid. Dae ye ken how many women would love to be in yer position?" he asked, incredulously. She raised her brows at his arrogant words, was that what she was going to put up with? That level of arrogance?

  Osgar stepped forward then, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder to stop him from talking. Lilia crossed her arms over her chest, getting angrier by the minute.

  "I understand that this is sudden, and it is a lot to ask but we really dae need yer help, Lilia, I will make sure that ye are duly compensated," Osgar reasoned.

  She shook her head, she was already balling her hands into fists to keep herself from smacking Uielam, and he had not even spent an hour in her home. She was not sure she would be able to put up with him.

  Osgar pulled his protesting friend with him as he headed for her door.

  "I just want ye to take the time to consider it. We daenae need an answer right now. Will ye at least dae this much for me?" Osgar asked at her door while Uielam complained behind him.

  "Can ye dae that for me?" he pleaded, his green eyes imploring. She nodded grudgingly, unable to blatantly refuse Osgar when he was so pleasant.

  "Thank ye, please mull it over. Ye willnae regret it. We will be on our way now,” he said, before nudging Uielam who was sulking after being refused. They walked away, and Lilia shut her door and clutched her chest. If not for the basket of bread, which was no longer in the center of the table, she would have thought it was all a dream.

  Uielam The Younger had been in her house. He had sat at her little table and man-handled her bread. She let her legs give out from under her, and she sat on the polished wood of her floors. He wanted to live in her house…

  Although he was irritatingly cocky, he was right, any other woman would jump at the opportunity. What better way to get in his bed than for him to be living in her house? And since he was in hiding, she would be the only one he would be involved with during the period he spent at her home.

  When he left, she would have no ties with him as he would forget her, of course, but she would have her gold and the memories. She shook her head to clear it. Unlike the other women, she was in love with him. Spending that much time with him would be dangerous for her heart. Sleeping with him would be akin to nailing herself to the cross.

  It was too risky for her to accept such a setup. There was also the fact that Uielam was spoiled and arrogant. She could not stand bad behavior, not even from the man she loved, and Uielam would definitely annoy her to death with his horrid behavior.

  The gold was the most tempting part of the offer, if anything. She had been saving up money for years already because she hoped to stop being a maid soon. She did not want to spend her whole life in servitude as she had promised her mother she would not.

  If she received a lot of gold, it would help her immensely. She pressed a palm to her forehead. The task was way too great; in fact, it was unhealthy to be considering it, especially when she had just been thinking about how lonely her life was.

  She heaved a heavy sigh and picked herself up from the floor, opening her door to peek outside to make sure she was alone again before she went back to bed to take a nap.

  Chapter Five

  Uielam was still upset as he made his way to his father’s study with Osgar at his heels. Lilia had irked him beyond words. He simply could not understand her continuous denial of him. Did she really not see how important it was, this was not a game like his teasing. He actually needed help, and she refused. She was a lot more selfish than he had thought.

  In the first place, it was not as though her house was a castle, it was just a tiny cupboard as far as he was concerned, his chambers were much larger than the entire house. He was ready to bring himself down to live there with her, and she had refused him as though he were a rat trying to live in King David’s palace.

  “Ye need to calm down me friend, ye cannae go in front of yer faither with such an expression, especia
lly nae if ye want this plan to work,” Osgar said lazily from behind him. As though he had been waiting for his friend’s comment, Uielam whirled around to vent, stopping in his tracks.

  “Argh, that woman just irks me so! She said nay as though her house were the palace, can ye imagine her cheek. She cannae tell jest from matters of true importance. I mean me honor is ridin’ on this plan working, and she is withholding shelter from me!” He complained. Osgar looked bored, if anything.

  “Alright, ye ken that sayin’ that yer honor is ridin’ on this is a bit dramatic, I personally dae nae think this affects ye,” Osgar began, and when Uielam opened his mouth to start to complain, he put his hand on his shoulder to propel him forward as they began to walk again.

  “And, ye need to understand that despite being a maid, Lilia’s home is hers. Ye cannae command her to see what is important to ye as important to her, that would make ye a tyrant. The best ye can do is to make her an offer she cannae refuse… Or, ye can influence her by using the people she is close to,” Osgar finished and dusted off his shoulders.

  Uielam narrowed his eyes as he glanced back at his friend’s diabolical smirk. At first, it had sounded like Osgar was scolding him, and in a way, he was, but that was only because Osgar was more crafty and used more manipulative methods than Uielam’s blind manner of charging ahead.

  “What are ye goin’ to dae?” Uielam asked suspiciously as they continued to walk.

  “Well, ye seem to have forgotten that me sister is her best friend,” Osgar said to which Uielam snorted.

  “Uh, I didnae forget, ye are the one who seems to have forgotten the fact that yer sister hates me guts,” he said. Osgar clicked his tongue as they reached the door of this father’s study.

  “Yer lack of faith wounds me, me friend,” he said, giving two quick knocks to the heavy oak doors. “I hope ye are ready to act.”

  With those words, he opened the study doors with a flourish and bowed deeply at the waist.

  “May yer mornin’ be merry Laird MacNab,” Osgar greeted flamboyantly, causing Uielam to raise his brow. His friend was truly something else. Stepping out from behind his friend’s bent form, he walked into the study.

  “Good mornin’, Faither,” he greeted, going to place himself in one of the seats before his father.

  Laird MacNab was a handsome man, it could be safely said that Uielam got his looks from the man. Despite being in his fifties, he was still quite the catch with his brown hair full atop his head even while being full of gray strands and his blue eyes still twinkling with alertness. Looking at his father’s broad shoulders and fit frame made Uielam feel secured in his looks for the years to come.

  With how handsome he was, many women, both old and young, continuously approached him, wishing for marriage. However, his father had long sworn off women after his mother’s death, declaring that there would be no other woman for him after losing his soulmate. Uielam had never met his mother since she had died not long after his birth, but the portraits he had seen of her showed that she had been magnificently beautiful.

  It was her blonde hair he had inherited, but that was where his resemblance had ended since he looked like his father. His mother had golden-brown eyes and an oval face with full, smiling lips. Even through her portraits, the kindness in her eyes shone through. From what he had heard, his mother’s relationship with his father had been beautiful beyond description.

  His father looked happy to see them as he put down the parchment he had been looking at and gave them a huge smile.

  “Ah, good mornin’ lads. It is so good to see ye two… Osgar, come, come, sit, ye ken there is nae need to bow to me like that, I have told ye this several times already,” Laird MacNab said.

  Osgar finally raised himself and came to sit beside Uielam, a smile on his face.

  “Ah, but ye ken that I must. Ye deserve the utmost respect,” Osgar said, his sincerity shining through. It was true that Osgar had a deep respect for Uielam’s father, but Uielam couldn’t help but give his friend a judgemental look. Seeing how earnest he could be when he spoke, the truth made Uielam scared because there was no difference in how he behaved when he began his deception.

  Watching his friend begin to talk about the southern border and expertly blend lies in with the truth made him glad that he was undoubtedly on their side because Osgar was formidable.

  “Faither, why dae I nae take a few of me men and visit the southern borders? It would be good for me to show those brigands that we are serious about the protection of our lands and that we will personally destroy all those who infringe on it. Surely this will make a statement to our enemies,” Uielam said at Osgar’s prompting. His father usually agreed with him readily, wanting to do all he could to make him happy.

  “Ah, that does sound like a wonderful idea Uielam what dae ye think, me Laird?” Osgar said.

  Laird MacNab frowned in thought. “Are ye sure that it will be safe? I daenae ken if it is wise to send out the heir to our clan to deal with a simple skirmish, what if there is an ambush?” he asked.

  Osgar was already shaking his head. “Nay, me Laird, it is absolutely safe. There are many men, and the threat will be taken care of swiftly, I assure ye,” he responded.

  “When dae ye plan to leave?” his father asked.

  “A week before the tournament,” Uielam responded.

  Laird MacNab frowned again. “A week ye say, I daenae think it will be enough, the southern border is a five-day journey away… Ye will nae make it back in time to join the tournament. In fact, if ye left this instant, ye will still be a day late to the tournament,” he pointed out.

  Uielam shrugged. “Aye, I realized this faither. I decided that I will give up on the tournament. I daenae need to participate I have won several competitions already. If I am lucky, however, I might be able to return in time to see the last matches,” he answered.

  In a matter of minutes, they were leaving with his father’s permission to lead his men to the southern borders.

  “Ye are a scary man me friend…” Uielam admitted as they walked through the hallways. Osgar laughed and patted his back in comradeship.

  “I am only just gettin’ started. It is time for the next phase,” Osgar said. Uielam frowned in confusion.

  “I daenae understand, what is the next phase?” he asked as his friend once again began to propel him in the direction he wanted.

  “We are goin’ to see me sister,” Osgar explained.

  Osgar and Flora were staying at the castle for a week since they had come to visit, so Osgar simply led them to Flora's chambers.

  "Ah, we have achieved so much already today, and it is only midday, so much productivity, dae ye nae think so?" Osgar said as he knocked on his sister's door.

  After three knocks, Flora yanked the door open, obviously irked. She was in her nightdress, and her hair was a heinous mess that told them she had only just gotten out of bed. Osgar smiled.

  "Well met sister, ye look… lovely as ever,” he added sarcastically.

  Flora gave a fake laugh, "Ah, funny as ever brother, now what dae ye want, whenever ye two are together, I ken that ye are schemin' somethin'.”

  Uielam wished that he could say that seeing Flora so unkempt was a shock, but having grown up with the two, that was impossible. He had seen Flora looking much worse in fact as he knew that she drooled in her sleep. She was as much his sister as she was Osgar's.

  "May we come in?" Osgar asked, and she moved out of the way to let them pass.

  "Uielam,” she said in greeting as he passed her. He grinned and clutched his chest.

  "Cold as ever, Flora," he said, causing her to roll her eyes.

  The relationship between the three of them could only be described as a love-hate relationship as when push came to shove, Flora loved them both as much as they loved her, but they were always making snide remarks at each other.

  "Alright then, spill it, what dae ye two want?” she demanded, going to sit on her bed. At Osgar's promoting glan
ce, Uielam spoke.

  "We need ye to help us convince Lilia to allow me to stay in her cottage because I want to enter the joustin' tournament in disguise to prove meself. I’ve already lied to me faither that I’ll be going to the southern borders to eliminate a threat."

  Flora gave him a blank look.

  "Absolutely nae,” she deadpanned. "Why in the great Highlands and beyond will I help ye? Lilia is me friend, and it is in me interest to protect her from ye, nae to help ye."

  Osgar stepped forward then, "Aye, I thought ye will say that, which is why I have a good reason for ye to help us. If ye dae nae, I will nae support ye when ye ask faither for yer own estate,” he threatened.

  At his words, Flora gasped and got to her feet. Uielam's brow raised. He hadn't known that Flora wanted her own estate, but then again, it made sense that someone as willful as she would want a property of her own.