The Capture of Highland Desire (The Mac Coinnach Brothers) Read Online Free PDF

castle, a man on a much different mission than the one that had brought him here.  After leaving Dair and a list of instructions for his care with a stable hand and tossing him a large coin that made the lad look up in surprise and smile, Eian strode towards the keep to be announced to the laird.  He knew that he attracted a slew of feminine gazes as he crossed the bailey, he always did, but he couldn’t be bothered to so much as look right now.  He had another agenda.  Already he had concocted a plausible reason for his being here on the coast, one where he would not be lying, only stretching the truth a bit, which he figured wasn’t anything that hadn’t been done before.  Then, after the usual formalities were out of the way, he would mingle with the other castle residents and guests until he saw the lass again, or at least found out more about her.  A lass that lovely was bound to be talked about.  A half-lidded smile spread across his face.  He was confident that he would have her in his bed within a day or two of meeting her, and for that he couldn’t wait.  He hadn’t looked so forward to bedding a lass in a long, long time, and the novelty of it was refreshing to say the least.  Och, and damned if he wasn’t hard as a post again just thinking of it!               
     
    ***
     
                  After spending far too much of the day in her chamber being fitted for new clothes, having her hair styled, and just plain pacing the room or staring out the window, Allia was almost eager to go down to the hall for dinner, even if she had to sit with Uncle Leon again and be all but ignored.  She wasn’t at all used to sitting around idle and waiting, and all of the nervous energy she had at the moment wasn’t helping matters.  Her uncle had seemed a bit edgy yesterday, and certainly more blunt with his words than she remembered or was used to, but surely he couldn’t be as bad as he had seemed.  She had probably just been tired, overwhelmed and far too sensitive.  She was so used to the men of the 21 st century, generally polite, and comparatively inhibited.  She had forgotten that the men of this time were much different.  Harder, and yes, edgier… because they had to be.  She couldn’t seem to get a good read on Leon though, and that bothered her. 
    She brushed down her skirt a final time and looked around again at her chamber, still trying to feel something… anything that said home .  It was still a very nice room, decorated in subtle shades of cream and beige, with tapestries adorning the walls, most depicting romantic scenes of ladies and flowers.  Definitely a girl’s room, as the bed was equally feminine, covered with fluffy pillows and frilly blankets.  The two maids who had apparently been assigned the job of making her presentable had just left, but earlier she had been bathed, her hair washed and combed out until it shone, and dressed in a new gown which, she had to admit, was much more flattering than the one her former guardian had given her.  That dress must have been at least ten years out of style, though she would certainly keep it, to remember Mairi by.  The woman had always been kind to her, if a little less than motherly.  She had surely done her best, faced with caring for Allia and preparing her for what was to come, all the while knowing she herself would likely never return home. Allia had grieved a long time for her, and had made sure her grave was well cared for and always had flowers. She had always felt a little guilty though, because she was happy to be free from watchful eyes, if only for a little while.
    With effort, Allia shook herself out of that train of thought.  There was no use feeling sad over what she had never had the power to change.  She took a deep breath and let it go, refocusing on the moment, and, yes, despite everything, feeling a bit like a princess in all her finery.  She had never really been one to dress up much,