The Laird's Kidnapped Bride Read online

  ***

  Utterly worn out from her fight for freedom, Lark eyed the massive bed and chamber with horror. Both were absolutely filthy. The bedding was grey from lack of washing and the room was not only dusty and full of cobwebs, it also smelt damp and musty. She couldn’t even imagine when the fireplace had last been cleaned. She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself; what was she going to do? No way was she going to stay here or sleep in that soiled bed. If she could only find some way out of this hideous bedchamber. It wasn’t worth trying the door, because she’d heard those two beasts lock it after they tossed her in here so roughly.

  Her arms falling to her sides, she hastened across the floor and shoved the faded dirty curtains apart and coughed as dust filled the air. She waved her hand in front of her face and unlatched the window. Poking her head out, she mumbled a curse and her bottom lip drooped in disappointment. It was a long way down to the bailey below, and it would be impossible and dangerous to attempt an escape that way. Her shoulders sagged in defeat. There just had to be some way out of this horrendous place. She spun around when a knock sounded on the door, and moments later it was swung open as a shy maid stepped inside with her arms full of clothing.

  “Beg pardon, Mistress, but the laird sent me with some clean garments for ye after yer bath.”

  When the maid went to place the garments on the bed, she stopped her. “Don’t put them there. In fact, my bath can wait. I want a dozen maids sent up here to clean this pigsty. Right away. I want the bed linen changed, the floors and walls scrubbed as well as the fireplace. In fact, everything in the room will be scoured until it shines.” She watched the maid spin around and race out the chamber as if the hounds from hell were chasing her, she grimaced when the door was slammed shut and locked. She paced the dirty, rush-strewn floor, waiting for the servants to arrive. Not too many minutes had passed when the door was thrown open and that despicable beast stood in the doorway, his arms folded across his massive chest. Her chin hitched in the air as she turned to face him defiantly.

  “What is all this nonsense about cleaning ye chamber? There’s nothing wrong with the room, lass.”

  In disgust, she snorted and waved her hand around. “Ye say nothing is wrong with it. Are ye blind as well as dumb? Take a good look, ye great fool. ‘Tis a veritable pigsty. I willna stay in such an odious, filthy bedchamber.”

  Cameron’s eyes narrowed as his gaze slowly travelled the chamber, then he let out a sigh. Aye, t’was a little unclean. “’Tis a wee bit dirty, but ‘tis nae pigsty either, lass and nae reason for ye to cause the household so much work.”

  “Och, ye blithering twit. A body could sicken, living in such squalor. I suppose ’tis yer plan, ye wed me and then I die of some dreaded ailment.” She tossed back at him with scathing contempt. Was he so dense he couldn’t see the filth when it stared him blindly in the eye? Glaring at him and seeing his perturbed countenance, she blew out an irritating breath, knowing that he saw nothing wrong. Damned lackwit.

  Incapable of stopping himself, he grinned. “Nay, wee lass, I intend ye live a long, fruitful life alongside me.” The lass was certainly entertaining. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun.

  Her eyes narrowed at his amused grin. “If ye call me wee lass once more, ye muckle-headed looby, I’ll pluck every hair from yer scalp. Now listen to me, you maggoty-brained oaf. I willna stay in the chamber one more second if ‘tis nae thoroughly scrubbed and the bedding changed. I dinna ken about ye, yer fat whore or yer clan, but where I come from, cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

  “Now wee…harrumph, now, lassie, we all took our bath some months ago. ‘Tis nae need to be insultin’.” He quickly wiped the grin off his face. The sizzling furious glare warned him of her intent. From the bright glimmer sparkling in her eyes, he was positive she would take great pleasure in plucking him bald.

  “Months? Ye mean ye dinna bathe every day? Sweet mercy! Nae wonder everyone stinks to high heaven.” She mocked with disgust lacing her voice. She saw her insult struck a nerve when he straightened his slack pose. Good. For what he had done to her, he deserved every slur she threw at him. If he thought for one minute she was going to go along with this ridiculous nightmare, he was a mutton-headed idiot.

  Insulted, he was no longer amused. “’Tis the way of things. A person could die of the ague, bathing in such freezing temperatures.” His mouth tightened when she rolled her eyes in disbelief.

  “Och, please spare me yer pathetic excuses. ‘Tis laziness, pure and simple. This whole place is unfit for even a scurvy dog to live in. Now am I going to have my bedchamber cleaned or nay?” Her hackles were up and she wasn’t going to give an inch. She crossed her arms and started to tap her foot impatiently. The stinking, odious beast was soon going to learn he couldn’t walk all over her, nor would she put up with such filth while she stayed here. “Well, lackwit, I’m waiting.”

  “Fine! Ye can have yer chamber cleaned, and since ye’re so adamant about it, ye can work along with the maids.” Aggravation snaked its way up his throat like a slow-moving slug. Not one to anger quickly, he was having a hard time keeping his temper in check for the second time that day. The wee lass was goading him, though.

  A smug smirk lifted the corners of her mouth, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and arched a brow in contempt. “Good! The sooner ‘tis done, the less likely I’ll catch the pestilence.” She knew her insult found its mark for the second time when he snarled, swung around and slammed the door shut. Well, the filthy fiend deserved every slur she tossed at him. She shuddered at the thought of not bathing for months. It was disgusting how these people lived, and by damn, she was most assuredly going to find some way to escape the gates of this stinking hell hole. Somehow. She would be fleeing, not only for her life, but also away from some dreaded disease she would surely catch if she stayed here too long. Within minutes, the door was thrust open again and a bevy of wary maids entered carrying buckets of water, mops, brooms and rags.

  She let out a sigh of relief before she started issuing instructions. She ignored the sullen glares sent her way and went to work alongside them. Gradually their animosity waned, and a few of them who weren’t tongue-tied with shyness started asking her questions about why she was insisting she wanted everything so clean. Without hesitating, she explained, and she could tell by the surprise on their faces that they were skeptical about her reasons. She continued telling them how she bathed every day and changed her bed linen every week. The hours flew by until the maids left the sparkling, fresh-smelling room. Just as the last one went through the door, half a dozen lads entered with her tub and bathwater.

  Oh, thank goodness. She was hot and sweaty after hours of scrubbing, but it was worth every second of the backbreaking labor. Only when the last lad had walked out the door and it was locked behind him did she move over to the tub of water and started unlacing the front of her gown. It was going to be pure heaven soaking in her bath, especially after spending half the afternoon and all night tied up and tossed over a horse. Her mouth thinned in violent anger, just thinking how she’d been treated and why she’d been brought to this Godforsaken place. She didn’t believe one word that lying heathen said. Surely her father would have mentioned something about her being betrothed to the filthy monster.

  Finished stripping off her garments, she stepped into the tub and sank into the water, letting out a sigh of pure pleasure as she lay back and closed her eyes. Escaping this disease-riddled castle and its inhabitants wasn’t going to be easy. Her main concern, though, was trying to discover just exactly where the blazes she had been stolen to. Everyone back home would be afeared for her safety and wouldn’t have a clue what had happened to her. Her poor mother would be a weeping pot, her father ranting and raging. They would search high and low for her, but they would never find her. She still found it impossible to believe how easily those two miscreants had been able to sweep her up and dash away with her without a hue and cry going up.

  Sh
e hadn’t even had time to scream. She had been swept into a dark alley and bundled into the dirty plaid before she knew what was happening to her. Only when she was tossed over the back of a horse and bound did she realize, too late, that she was being kidnapped. Now here she was, stuck in this filthy devil’s pit and about to be forced to marry some stinking laird. Well, not bleeding likely, because no matter what, she would escape this horrifying nightmare before she was trapped here for all of eternity. No, she wouldn’t let something so disgustingly appalling happen to her! In the next few days, she would find some way to save herself. She just had to be patient and make sure her bid for freedom didn’t fail. She shuddered to think how she would ever survive if she was stuck here forever.

  No, she must succeed. Once she was back home, she’d put this horrendous ordeal behind her. Her lashes lifted and she gazed into the flames of the fire. Nibbling her bottom lip, she pondered the idea of not telling her father exactly where she’d been taken to and by whom. Her father and her betrothed would no doubt be out for blood. And though she did rather relish the thought of the heathen swine suffering, she couldn’t let those that were innocent pay for his crime. Nay, better just to say that some thieving rascals snatched her off the street and took her out of the city, hoping to gain a handsome ransom for her return. When she wouldn’t co-operate by telling them anything, they grew fed up and let her go.

  Her father probably wouldn’t believe her, but what choice would he have? Closing her eyes again, she thought of her betrothed and grimaced. Not that Sir Walter wasn’t handsome, she supposed he was, but there was absolutely nothing about him that she found the least bit attractive. Everything about him was too feminine: his face, his clothing, his movements. He simpered like a woman, giggled like one and when he couldn’t get his own way, pouted like one. It always made her sick to her stomach just being near him. But because of the immense dowry he was willing to pay for her, she was being forced to wed him. Every time she complained or begged her father not to go through with the betrothal, he refused to listen.

  Now she was just months away from her wedding to the horrid man, and bile churned in her stomach at the thought of letting that creature bed her. Oh, he tried to hide the lust in his eyes from her, but he never quite succeeded and it always made her flesh crawl. Mmm, perhaps she shouldn’t be in such a hurry to return home after all. If she could filch some coin before she left, she could rent a room at some inn for a few weeks. She was certain that Sir Walter wouldn’t be so eager to wed her by then if he thought someone else had enjoyed the prize he was so eager to claim. It would be a perfect solution, and she would have to give it more thought before she finally decided what she would do.

  After all, it was her life and her future that was at stake here. Holy heaven, it wasn’t fair! She now had two miscreants determined to wed her and she wanted neither of them. All she wanted was to find a good-looking man with a soul. Someone who would woo her with courtly love and a gentle heart. Was that too much to ask? Her shoulders sagged and she prayed to the blessed Lord to help her escape this nightmare as well as the horrendous situation waiting for her at home. Suddenly her spine stiffened and she was filled with determination that neither man would force her into marriage. No matter what it took, she would fight to her dying breath.

  Chapter Two

  Clearly peeved over the wee lass’s insults, Cameron stomped away from her chamber. He lifted an arm and sniffed under it. He did smell a little ripe, he admitted to himself, but not too badly. Dropping his limb back to his side, he glanced down at his once-white shirt. Now it was grey and was stained not only under the armpits but down the front as well. He gave a careless shrug of his wide shoulders, t’was to be expected, after all, he hadn’t changed it for several weeks. When he reached the great hall, he studied the room with a puckered brow. Gwen had taken over running his home not long after she arrived, and he’d never noticed how much things had deteriorated under her supervision.

  The rushes were dirty and had food rotting amid them, a layer of dust covered everything and cobwebs abounded in the rafters and corners. The three massive fireplaces were black with soot and so were the walls. His mouth lifted sourly when he noticed that beneath the burning fires there was a fair amount of ash. Aye, Gwen had let things slip, but t’was nae too bad. It was definitely not the putrid, pestilent hole the wee lass had called it. So what if there was a bit of grime? A little dirt didna hurt anyone. Nay, the wee lass was just being finicky and disagreeable, probably hoping to rile his temper enough to return her to her home. He chuckled. Silly wee lass, t’was never going to happen. She’d been given to him years ago and he had every intention of keeping her now that he’d seen her.

  The last time he was in Stirling, when he heard whispers about her betrothal, he’d been livid. Her conniving, lying father had no right to give his bride to another man. The moment he returned home, he started making plans to snatch her and bring her here, where she belonged. No one would have a clue where she was or who had taken her. It would be a very long time before they did, and he wanted the wee lass bound to him so tightly that nothing and no one would tempt her away. He had never been so aroused by a woman before. The moment he had seen how bonny she was and how delightfully amusing he found her, his lust for her was undeniable. He chuckled again. She might have the face of an angel, but she possessed a viper’s tongue and words that could cut a man to shreds. He loved it when those glorious eyes spat fire at him.

  Och, t’was a fact he liked everything about her. However, she was going to have to accept that things were different here and she would have to adjust herself to the new lifestyle that would be hers. He stroked his beard, just hoping she wouldn’t take too long. With a shrug, he dropped his hand to his side, strolled across the room and out the door. He hoped the priest would arrive early and they could be wed, because he wanted the wee lass naked in his bed. He wanted to caress and taste every glorious inch of her and it was unbelievable how much he yearned to slide his cock into her tight silken heat. Swiftly banishing the erotic image from his head when he started growing aroused, he muttered a curse and strode to the stables. He ordered his horse saddled and waited while the animal was made ready.

  A good ride would banish the amorous pictures, so when his stallion arrived he swung up into the saddle and rode out the gates. Leaning forward, he let the animal have its head. Though he’d thought to wait until they were married to swive the wee lass, mayhap he needn’t hold off. He would give her a few days to settle in, then he would sweep her off her feet and take her to his bed. He had a feeling it was going to take him a long time to sate his lust for her. Not that he could see a problem with it, since they would be spending the rest of their lives together. Oh, aye, they were going to have many years of swiving and she was going to give him many fine sons and daughters. The only other time he thought about babes was when he was making certain he wasn’t giving his lover one. Continually having to be especially vigilant when rutting with a woman took most of the pleasure out of the act.

  He always made sure he spent his seed outside the vessel of their bodies, knowing he didn’t want any bastards running around, and because he was already betrothed, so couldn’t offer another woman his name. Aye, he was always so diligently careful to keep it from ever happening that it not being as satisfying as it should be. Now, though, he didn’t have to worry, and just the thought of ejaculating inside a wench made his heart thump and his bollocks tighten. There would be many firsts when he took his little bride to bed. She would be his first virgin and the first to receive his semen. Aye, it was exciting and stimulating, knowing these things, and it was going to tear at his patience to wait to rut with her. He grinned, thinking of all the ways he could occupy that cutting, insulting tongue. Oh aye, he was positive they were going to have many glorious hours of rutting.

  Never had his mind filled with so many pleasurable thoughts, and he couldn’t wait to see his bonny betrothed again. So, after riding for over an hour, he returned home i
n time for supper. Entering the hall, he strolled over to the laird’s table and sat down. When a maid came running, he grunted when she arrived. “Go up and fetch me wee bride. Tell her I expect her to join me for the evening meal.” While he waited, he watched the great room fill up and every one took their seats. He hoped the little lass wouldn’t be argumentative and disobey his command. He didn’t like the idea of forcing her to follow his orders, but he would if he had to. From the start, she must learn to comply with his every wish. After all, ‘tis what a wife was expected to do, and his would be no different.

  ***

  Through with her bath, Lark spent the remainder of the afternoon trying to find some way out of the frightening situation she was in and so far had come up with nothing. It took her by surprise when she heard the key in the lock twist and the door open, but she merely raised a curious eyebrow at the nervous maid who appeared in the open door. “’Tis something ye want, lass?”

  “Aye, Mistress, the laird has asked ye to join him for supper.”

  “Oh, really.” She almost smiled at the maid’s nervous confusion. She had good mind to refuse the odious oaf, but she quickly discarded the idea. This might be a chance to find out where she was being held.

  “Ye canna refuse, Mistress, ‘tis a command.”

  “Och, then we canna disobey the almighty stinking laird. Heaven forbid if we do.” Smothering a chuckle, she slowly strolled past the shocked maid, and with her head held high, she sauntered down the staircase and thought of ways she could make the putrid laird reveal where they were. Her gaze swept the huge hall until her eyes landed on the filthy swine seated alone at the head table. In no hurry to join him, she took her time. When she finally reached him, she angled her chin in the air and raised a dark brow. “’Tis bad manners nae to rise when a lady enters the room. Yer conduct is appalling, but I shouldna have expected anything less.”