It was another month before they finally arrived upon the Scottish coast. Jim couldn't help but laugh as he saw Melinda practically jump off the ship the moment the boat docked at port. Making his way behind her with her sister and the baby in tow, he left Daniel to make any final arrangements for the ship and Ned came around soon after with the horses that they had brought with them.
"It's a rather beautiful homeland. I am happy we finally made it," she smiled at him, coming to his side as he saddled up the horse.
"Aye, it is bonny for sure, lass," he said helping his wife up onto Biscuit, and then jumped up onto the stead beside hers. "It could look like a pig stye and I'd just be happy to get off that bloody ship and home with you."
Jim rode ahead of her for most of the journey that day so she spent most of her time talking with Ned and Katherine. It was actually quite nice to be out, riding a horse in the Highlands. A welcome change from the stuffy dank walls of the boat.
After a few hours of traveling, they made camp for the night. Daniel and Jim each set up tents, bridled the horses and Mrs. Fitz and her daughter began to cook what looked like a skinned rabbit. Melinda went ahead to her and Jim's tent and re-folded the blankets over the top of makeshift hay bed that was the only cushion they would have to lay on atop the cold ground.
Now-familiar sounds of the men settling themselves in for the night filtered through the thin canvas of the tent, and she squinted in the dim light cast by the single candle as the tent flap opened for her husband. He offered her a smile as he came to sit beside her, bringing her dinner rations to her.
"I stole ye a wee bit of extra meat, though tis a bit burnt. Mrs. Fitz does not ken her way around squirrel as good as she does other meats." He said, holding the silver dish to her.
"It will be tasty enough. I have no doubt," she said, gladly taking the food.
She ate in silence and her thoughts slowly took over. He hadn't touched her since she had told him she was with child — she knew it was because he was worried about her, but her body craved his touch. Her brain craved his words. Her heart mourned the pain he held so deeply within himself.
So tonight, after she finished eating and gone out to hare a drink with Jim and Daniel by the fire, she had retired to her tent a bit early. She'd gone out of her way to bring a small bowl of water with her and dipped the cleanest cloth she could find into the bowl, carefully wiping the grime and dried sweat from her face.
Then she'd undone her fichu to dab at her neck. And then she'd shrugged out of her stays, propped them up in the far corner, and sighed in relief as she washed between her breasts.
She hadn't removed her dress in days - and with the cool night air seeping from under the tent flap, she'd have to wear it again tonight as well. But she wanted to do whatever she could to care for herself, relax a bit.
And make herself a bit nicer for Jim.
So after readjusting the bedroll yet again, neatly lining up her mud-spattered boots near the tent flap, and carefully bringing the single candle right to her elbow, she began unpinning her hair and waiting for her husband. She had just finished finger-combing her curls, facing the side of the tent, when she felt a rush of cool air. She turned, smiling as he crawled through the tent flap and sprawled, face-down, on the bedroll beside her.
Melinda lay a gentle hand on the back of his neck, pushing his curls away from his collar to help cool him down. "Long day?" She asked as she watched his back rise up and down in a sigh, and then he wrapped one long, possessive arm around her hips.
His voice rumbled against the bedroll, inaudible to her.
"You'll have to try again," she said softly, kneading the tense muscles at the base of his neck. "I can't even tell what language you're speaking."
So he turned to face her, blue eyes almost dark in the candlelight. "No more worries than the usual, Melinda. I caught two of the men fighting. Under normal circumstances I'd figure out some sort of punishment, but now…"
"Shh. Just be still for awhile." She whispered.
He edged over so that he lay with his head in her lap, the bairn - tumbling against his cheek, where her belly pressed into him. She traced the line of his nose, the strong, stubbled curve of his jaw, the hollows of his eyes.
The thumb of his right hand slowly traced the arch of her shin, pushing up the fabric of her dress as it explored.
"Right now I want to be in the moment with just you and me," she said.
His eyes narrowed - pupils huge and dilated.
"Lay down," he whispered, voice thick.
She slowly lay back to rest on her elbows, watching him rise to a sitting position and unbutton his waistcoat, eyes locked on hers the whole time.
"God, ye are so beautiful," he breathed.
He neatly folded the waistcoat, lay it atop her boots, and crawled to lay atop her, rucking up her skirts and then the front of his kilt.
"Come to me, Jim. Just be with me, here. Now."
He lowered his head and their mouths met in a long, slow kiss. She felt the heat of him - and his hands settled at her waist, anchoring her.
"Can we… the bairn?" He asked.
"It's fine. You won't hurt us." She said as she decidedly moved on top of him, and he put up no such fight with her.
She tugged at her shift, making way as she slid home, a breathless gasp escaping them both. She leaned down and kissed him long and deep, tongues slowly jousting, teeth lightly nipping each other's lips. His hips rose, seeking the friction he so desperately needed.
"Not yet, love," she whispered against his mouth, pressing her hips down – stilling him - making him groan, but relax nonetheless.
She braced her hands on either side of him and arched her neck, inviting. He took her meaning and languidly ran his lips over the soft skin at the base of her throat, his warm breath making her shiver. He made his way up to just behind her ear, kissing lightly, then – smiling to himself - took her earlobe between his teeth.
Melinda moaned and rolled her hips once over him in answer. She felt the muscles in his thighs tighten with the effort not to move. She pulled back slightly, taking his chin between her fingers, tilted his head to the side and thoroughly returned the favor.
It was blissful torture.
She sat up and he tried to follow, but she gently pushed him back down. He watched her through hooded eyelids, his hands running up the length of her thighs, thumbs massaging the softness of her inner thighs. She was heavier now, but the weight was an incredibly astonishing comfort.
"I need ye, Mel," he pleaded quietly.
"No," she replied, teasing. "I want to watch you first." She ran her fingertips, light as butterfly wings, over his collarbone, down to the hollow of his chest – the tickling chest hairs standing on end as his skin burst with gooseflesh in the wake of her touch.
His breathing became ragged, his body twitching like a stretched rubber band in an effort not to lose himself as her fingernails drew circles around his already stiff nipples. His hands moved as if of their own accord, and like a cloud her shift wafted over her head, the heady scent of her skin filling his senses.
His fingers began to explore her naked body in earnest, working their way over the beautiful curves the bairn had made of her belly in the last few weeks, his thumbs caressing the exquisitely sensitive peaks of her breasts. She reared, rising ever so slightly, but the movement was as intense as it was delicate. He grasped her hips and rose to meet her lips.
They began to rock, their bodies meeting in a rhythm that was both familiar and viscerally exciting. She wrapped her arms around his neck holding him to her chest, digging her nails into the nape of his neck. He could hear her heart thundering under his ear, echoing that of his own.
A fine film of sweat engulfed them both as their pace quickened, their cries breaking the night's silence. She felt the beginnings of his release and felt her own build uncontrollably. She stilled him once more, pulling back; she cupped his face, stroking his damp black curls back from his forehead, to see the look of unutterable tenderness reflected in his eyes and knew it matched her own.
She kissed him lightly and rolled her hips, bringing him deeper, this time shattering them both completely. Later, as they lay in each other's arms, his head resting in the curve of her shoulder and her fingernails running the length of his back, the other wrapped around his forearm that lay just across her hips.
Their breathing finally had become deep and steady once more. She thought him asleep when his voice suddenly drifted up towards her as if through a fog. "Does it ever stop, Melinda?" he asked; a slight catch in his voice. "The wanting you?" he eased his hand between her legs.
"God," she replied, shifting her leg to accommodate his questing fingers. "I hope not."
"He's worn out," Katherine said as she gently stroked her fingers over Eddie's curls as the young boy slept on top of a small hay bale that Ned had covered with a blanket.
"As are you," Ned came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips delicately to the curve of her cheek. "You should lie down."
"I suppose it will be rather nice for us to settle again, even if it's only for a short time once we reach Leoch." She said, slowly going to sit down on their makeshift bed.
"Yes. I should be able to find work with no problem," he said and glanced over at her while placing a kiss to Eddie's temple. "I can hardly believe how lucky we are to be here together." He walked over to her then, sitting beside her on the bed.
"Yes. We are lucky," she told him as she placed her own palms on his leg now glancing over at her sleeping son before searching out his eyes, capturing his gaze with her own. "I love you. Ned, I truly do."
"I love you, too." Capturing her lips, he kissed her softly, mindful of the baby who started to whine the moment they did, hungry for the nourishment that only his mother could give.
"Oh, soon we will have our space." She said giggling as she moved to pick up Eddie and soothe his cries as quickly as she could. "My darling, come here… mummy has you. There is no need to cry, sweet boy."
Making her way back to sit beside Ned on the bed, she eased the ties of her dress loose and brought his mouth to her breast to feed. The soft lullabies that she loved as a girl soon wafted from Katherine's lips as she rocked him back to sleep while he ate.
Her hand stroked the chubby back and head of her son as he fed from her breast. She concentrated on the song, trying to ignore how her beloved little boy would occasionally bite down on her nipple, but he was soon asleep after another few minutes of drinking from her.
"Will you lay him back down?" She asked, glancing over Ned as he slowly raised his gaze from where it had been caught on her bare skin and breasts. "Or just continue to gawk at me?"
"My apologies. I did not mean to offend you, Katherine," he said, cheeks aflame as he took hold of her son.
"No, oh, I was only joking with you, Ned," she teased, leaning in to capture his lips in a chaste and brief kiss. "Just hurry back to bed, love."
"I will," he said, smiling toward her as he went to place little Eddie back in his makeshift bed. He quickly hurried back into bed beside her and they huddled together under the furs. "Are you comfortable?" He was mere inches away before he spoke.
Both Katherine and Ned were breathing very shallowly now. Neither looked directly at one another as they laid in bed beside each other, but she could almost feel the sudden change in the air between the two of them. They seemed drawn closer together by some invisible, ever-tightening string-pulling for them to stop being apart.
Giving in to the tension, she slowly turned around to face him and closed the gap. Warmth flooded her as she tasted him, and the rabbit they had shared for dinner. Layers of clothing pressed on each other as she brought her hands up to cup his face, holding him to her as their lips danced together. Quietly, she moaned into his mouth, moving her hands downwards to tug on his overclothes.
"Mm," he said, breaking this kiss, "I want to... but even if you aren't married anymore, it isn't right."
Not listening, she reached up to kiss him again, pulling his face back down to her. For a moment, he responded in kind, his tongue instinctively coming to part her lips and ask for entrance before he stopped again.
"Ned," she whined, trying to continue to no avail before opening her eyes frustratedly to pout at him.
He swallowed before answering. "Believe me, I want to," he said, "And-and we will be together, one day, when we are married... hmm?"
"And how long will it be until that day... why does it matter anymore?" She accused, narrowing her eyes. "It's not like there is a maidenhead for you to take... or would you like to solemnly remind me of that night as though I wanted it?"
"No, Katherine... I never meant to-" he stuttered, sighing. "I apologize for my words, my love... I suppose waiting isn't necessary as you pointed out, but I want it to mean something, you know?" He kissed her chastely once more before she finally rose her eyes again to meet his. "I want our first to be special... in a real bed for starters?"
"I agree with you," she said, huffing a slightly dramatic sigh which he acknowledged rolling his eyes and kissing her neck. "But not if you are going to continue to tease me like that..."
"Only for a little bit longer," he chuckled.
Leoch.
Jim recognized the land when they were still miles away. He could have sworn he could tell when the air had changed to that of his home. He breathed easier, happy to be home. Now just an hour or so away from seeing his family home again.
He wondered just how different the manor would be since his mother had died and even then he hadn't been home in nearly a year, but he didn't really care. He just wanted to be home again, to show Melinda his home.
"Jim," Melinda's voice broke him away from his spiraling thoughts. He looked at her. Her eyes were locked on something in the distance in the direction of Leoch. "Who are those riders?"
Jim looked. He recognized one of the riders easily enough, "It's the captain of my house guard, Harrison." He was less certain about the identity of the other rider. "And his squire, I think."
Daniel strode up, "Podrick. A young lad." His brother said.
Jim looked at the man, who had a fond smile on his face. He wondered just how his brother knew the young boy.
The knight and squire rode up to the now stopped party. Part of Jim was annoyed to be stopped so close to home, wondering why anyone would send out riders in advance of their lord's arrival.
But, being a Lord he made formal introductions anyway. Plus from the awe-struck look on the young man's face, Jim remembered that most Scots believed Englishwomen to be ugly until they laid eyes on one. He hoped he'd hidden his own thoughts from her better during their first meeting than the squire, who was clearly smitten with his wife.
He could tell from Melinda's face she was used to such looks. "What brings ye here, Harrison?" He asked.
The knight spoke said, "Yer advisor and Uncle Jonathan has requested for me to share with ye which families were at Leoch presently. Brief ye as much as I can, my lord. He thought it would be good to call a council meeting within the hour of yer arrival, and this should make such a thing possible."
That's smart, but then that was his uncle. Jonathan had always wanted to be Lord, but was the younger brother and fell in line after him, his future children and his brother. "Of course." Jim signaled to the members of riding the party to begin moving again. "We can talk as we ride. I must speak with my wife and will ride up to speak with you after."
Harrison nodded. Podrick, instead of following his knight, moved to ride next to his brother, Daniel. He swung his horse around and came beside Melinda and her sister. "We are only an hour or so ride from Leoch. The captain of my guard wishes to brief me as much as he can on the issues at the manor before a meeting when we arrive. My uncle seems to have sent him. I ken tis shall not be long before I will come back to ride beside ye." He explained.
"That sounds like there is a problem," she said, glancing over at him with a worried look. "Is there something for us to worry about?"
"Not that I ken of, lass. When I ken ye will too. I swear," he said with a smile to her.
She nodded slowly. "You swear?" She asked.
"Aye," he said, winking and riding off to catch up with Harrison. "There better not be terrible news awaiting yer lord's arrive, Harrison. Why has my uncle sent ye?"
The knight nodded, but recovered quickly, "We have representatives from all the Clancy bannermen. Yer Uncle has built barracks to station the men who came with them in the mostly abandoned Winter Town."
Jim wasn't too pleased with the man's words but nodded. "Have we received word from the other clans?"
"Yes," The knight replied and didn't seem eager to say any more than that.
"And?" He prompted.
"I believe your uncle wanted to speak with ye alone on that, my lord." The knight muttered.
Jim felt the pit of dread build in his stomach. It couldn't be good if his uncle didn't want him to hear it from a messenger. They discussed other details and logistics as they rode before he looked to Melinda, checking if she wanted to speak about the new information, but her eyes were trained on Daniel who was speaking with the squire, Podrick.
"So Podrick, have ye been keeping yerself busy in Leoch?" Daniel asked.
"Aye, my lord. I have been helping with training for any upcoming battles. Trying to bulk up, ye suggested." Podrick replied.
"And the whores of Edinburgh? Have they come a begging outside the gates of Leoch for a taste of your magic cock?" Daniel chuckled.
Jim's eyes widened as he looked at his brother and Podrick. The squire looked a little embarrassed but mostly amused, this brother looked entirely amused. He glanced at his wife, expecting to see Melinda disapproving of Daniel's coarse language, instead, she raised an eyebrow.
"Magic?" Melinda asked.
Daniel responded to her, "Ah, yes. I once gave this man a pouch of gold and three whores, and they refused payment because he was so good."
"Three at once?" Her eyebrows were both raised now. Melinda's eyes racked the younger man from top to bottom. "Impressive."
Hating the look on her face, Jim snapped, "Podrick, shouldn't ye be seeing to yer knight?"
Podrick stuttered out, "Yes, my lord." He took off in the direction his commander had gone.
Melinda laughed loudly. A rare sound. One Jim had rarely heard before. He was still a bit upset and somewhat embarrassed by his reaction to the squire but hearing that sound made him think it had been worth it. He would suffer almost anything to hear that beautiful sound more.
