His Bonnie Bride by Hannah Howell Read Free Book Online Page A

I got."
    "Aye, 'tis true. I dinnae want her unwilling." Tavis smiled slightly. "Nay, I will have the lass say aye first."
    "A firm aye, ye rogue. Nay a one seduced out o' her. I'll have ye ask ransom for her first as weel."
    Tavis nodded. "I will send the demand out right away. Care to pass a wee word with her?"
    Colin nodded, ignoring his young wife's frown of disapproval. It had been seven years since he had seen Storm Eldon. He was curious to see what changes had been wrought in the taking child they had known so briefly. One thing was clear to see and that was that, although small of stature, Storm Eldon was now a very beautiful young woman. Colin could easily understand his eldest son's desire, but he would ensure that that desire was not satisfied by force.
    Hesitating briefly when Tavis signaled her to come to his side, Storm wondered what plans had been made. As she moved to stand between Tavis and Colin as instructed, she noticed that the young woman seated at the table was looking none too pleased. With lovely chestnut hair and gray-green eyes, the woman was beautiful but, at the moment, those eyes flashed with dislike and the voluptuous figure was stiff with outrage. Storm wondered if the woman meant something to Tavis and surprised herself by finding that she did not like the idea of that at all. Shaking her mind free of such puzzles, Storm turned her attention to Colin MacLagan.
    The puzzles returned when Colin introduced the young woman as his wife, Janet, for Storm found herself feeling distinctly relieved. She also found that she still did not like the woman, a feeling that had nothing to do with the fact that Janet was a healthy 25 or so years younger than Colin. Many a man took a woman much younger than himself as a second wife. Storm only knew that there was something about Janet that chilled her. Telling herself that she was giving her imagination too free a rein helped not at all. It was clear enough that the brothers cared little for the woman and from Tavis Storm sensed an even stronger emotion than mere dislike or disinterested intolerance. Things at Caraidland were plainly not very calm and cozy.
    "So, Mistress Eldon, our ways cross yet again." Colin met her wary look with a smile. "And the lad?"
    "Phelan O'Conner, sir," the boy replied in a clear, firm voice that revealed none of his nervousness.
    "Ah, from the Irish half of your family, eh, lass?"
    "Aye, m'lord." She smiled at Phelan. "He appeared at our door a short while before my father left. When my parents were wed my mother left a note for her kin telling them to come to Hagaleah if they were ever in need of aid. My young cousin here found it when he was left without kin there and took it upon himself to make his way to our gates to see if we would honor that promise."
    "Ye traveled from Erin on your own, laddie?" asked Colin in an amazement shared by all there.
    "Aye. The note bade come if help was needed. I needed it so I came." It all seemed very logical to Phelan, who had wondered from the first what people found so astonishing about his journey. "Folk take small note of a thin, ragged boy with no horse and no pack save to boot him out of the way. I paid to sail to English soil and then begged my way to Hagaleah." He shrugged to say it was all that simple.
    Colin shook his head in wonder. "Ye could have gone astray at the verra least."
    "Nay. I knew 'twas on the border, so I kept to that as near as I could. Had to near it ere long."
    "Of course," Tavis drawled, his eyes alight with laughter, " 'tis verra logical. I can see that."
    "Can ye now." Colin turned his attention to Storm again. "Ye have grown into a verra bonnie woman." He smiled widely when she blushed.
    Phelan frowned. "How can ye say that? She looks just like me." He frowned even more when the men suddenly took to coughing. "Well, she does look just like me."
    "Nay," Storm said. "Ye look just like me. I looked this way first and have for eight more years than ye."
    Grinning,