Read Online Land of Ice and Snow [Cairngorm Dragons 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Clair de Lune - Free Book Online Page A

Clan chieftain, Braemuir.”
    “I’m pleased to meet you,” Sigourney said and dropped a deep curtsey from which Braemuir raised her.
    “We are to be brother and sister now, Sigourney. There is no need to curtsey to me. Come. Let me kiss your cheek. You must all be in need of sustenance after your long flight.”
    He led them to a door on the left. The room they entered was furnished with comfortable chairs, a huge sofa, low tables, and a couple of footstools. A log fire burned in the large, stone, inglenook fireplace, giving light and warmth. Lachlann led Sigourney over to it to warm her hands. There were the shelves of books, stretching from floor to ceiling. Many of them were very old, with tooled-leather spines. The rugs on the polished floorboards were dyed sheepskins. Braemuir pulled on an ornate rope hanging by the side of the fireplace, and within a few minutes, a pleasant, motherly woman appeared.
    “Something hot to drink for our guests and my brother, please,” he said.
    “Certainly, sir. Welcome to the Caisteal, my lord, my lady. I am glad to see you back safely, Lord Lachlann.”
    “This is Seonag, she has been here since she was a child,” Braemuir said.
    She soon returned and placed on one of the low tables a tray with a pot, four cups, and saucers and a plate of oatcakes with good Caboc cheese, coated in pinhead oatmeal. Seonag lifted the pot, and poured out a dark-brown liquid. It was thick and rich and smelled slightly spicy but very good. Sigourney looked at Lachlann questioningly
    “That’s chocolate,” he said.
    Sigourney smelled it then tasted it. Lachlann knew that she’d never tasted it before.
    “Do you like it, my love?”
    “Oh yes, Lachlann. I’ve never had anything so very rich and satisfying.” She finished her cup.
    “Do have another cup, my dear,” Braemuir said. So she poured herself another. This time Lachlann noticed she sipped slowly, savouring not only the taste, but the aroma and the warmth the cup transmitted to her hands. Trust Braemuir to bring out the chocolate. It usually puts guests at ease.
     
    * * * *
     
    Sigourney was more than pleased with her reception. She thought the Caisteal was a beautiful place and wondered what her own home would be like. The door opened, and a lady entered. She had beautiful hair in a long, neat braid hanging down her back. It shone chestnut, with red highlights, in the sun. Her face was heart-shaped with a pair of wide-set gray eyes, as gray as the stormy sea. Her nose was small and pert, and her cheeks were as plump and red as apples. What a wide, generous mouth with lips like ripe cherries. She had plump, firm, full breasts. Her waist was narrow, but her hips were wide. A great contrast with Sigourney’s own pale golden hair and blue eyes, when she was in human-form.
    “Hamish, allow me to present my wife, Eilidh. Eilidh, this is Hamish Munroe. He has been living in the Norse lands for many years but comes from Skye and knew some of my ancestors.”
    Hamish took her hands as she curtsied to him and raised her to her feet.
    “I’m very glad to know you, my dear,” he said.
    “Welcome to the Caisteal, Hamish,” Eilidh said, smiling at him.
    “Sigourney, this is my wife Eilidh. Eilidh, my love, this is Sigourney, Lachlann’s mate.”
    Eilidh came forward and embraced Sigourney. She smelled of herbs, lavender, and something else. Sigourney was captivated.
    “I am so pleased to meet you. It’s lonely here in the Caisteal. There are no young women for me to talk to, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you well. I assume you will be living in the Caisteal at least at first until you find your feet in this new land. Come with me, and I will show you to your rooms.”
    Sigourney followed Eilidh up the stairs to a large, pleasant room at the side of the Caisteal. There was a four-poster bed in pride of place. It had dark-purple velvet curtains, matching the ones at the windows. The floorboards were bare and polished to a