Read Online The Chieftain by Margaret Mallory - Free Book Online

your mother, of course, so I won’t take that remark as an insult,” James said in a stiff voice. “You’ve
     nothing to fear in that quarter. My sister comes to her wedding as an untouched virgin, and she will be a virtuous wife.”
    “In exchange for her loyalty, I will give her mine,” Connor said. “We will have the usual trial marriage for a year to assure
     that she can bear children. But so long as she is my wife, I will take no other woman to my bed.”
    “I won’t hold ye to that,” James said with a wink.
    Connor would hold himself to it, however. Thanks be to heaven that Deirdre was beautiful, for she was dull as dirt. He quickly
     chided himself for disparaging the woman who would be his wife. She deserved his respect, and he was determined to be content
     with her.
    Bedding her would certainly be no chore. Ach, he had been celibate for far, far too long. He thought of her long legs wrapped
     around his waist, and his hands…
    “I’m glad we have matters settled,” James said. “If ye don’t have your own clerk, I brought one with me who can prepare the
     marriage contract.”
    Before Connor could reply, the door burst open.

CHAPTER 7
    G od preserve me . Connor clenched his fists as Niall, who was one of the guards at his door this evening, escorted Ilysa into the center of
     the room.
    “Niall, I told ye I was not to be interrupted for anything short of an attack,” Connor said between his teeth.
    Although Niall had just turned eighteen, no man could have gotten past him. He was, however, pliable as warm wax when it came
     to females. He trusted every last one of them, and he thought Ilysa, in particular, flew with the angels. If Ilysa said one
     word about Deirdre being the wrong wife, Connor was going to strangle her.
    “Ilysa has something urgent to tell ye,” Niall said with a painfully earnest expression.
    “Ilysa, do not—” Connor started to order her.
    “I apologize for interrupting, but I fear for your sister’s safety,” Ilysa said, looking at James. “I’m sure ye won’t want
     the whole castle to know, but I saw a man sneak into the bedchamber I share with her.”
    Connor leaped to his feet, ready to charge out to protect his guest. When he noticed that James was considerably slower to
     get out of his seat, a bad feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.
    “I heard her cry out, but the door is barred,” Ilysa said, clenching her hands in front of her. “Ye must hurry. Please. Who
     knows what he’s doing to her?”
    “You two wait here,” Connor ordered Ilysa and Niall as he pushed past them. “James and I will deal with this.”
    When he and James reached the hall, Connor slowed his pace so as not to draw attention.
    “Ilysa must have been mistaken,” James said in a low voice. “Surely, none of your men would harm a guest.”
    Connor ignored him and went up the stairs to the keep’s bedchambers. Without pausing to knock, he rammed Ilysa’s door with
     his shoulder. It was barred, so he stepped back and kicked it, tearing it off its hinges with a crack.
    When he stepped inside, Deirdre stared at him from the bed with her mouth open. She did not have a stitch on, and she was
     sitting astride a man, who was struggling to sit up. As soon as Connor saw that it was not one of his own men, he turned around.
    “She’s your problem, not mine,” Connor said to James, who had come in behind him.
    James was glaring at his sister with murder in his eyes, clearly furious with her.
    But he did not look shocked.
    *  *  *
    Connor never let his emotions rule his behavior, but he was so angry his vision blurred. He wanted to pound his fists into
     the stone wall and shake the building.
    “Not a word of this to anyone,” he hissed in Niall’s ear as he held him by the back of his shirt and ushered him out of his
     chamber. “We shall speak of your role later.”
    He slammed the door shut and turned to Ilysa, who was perched on a stool. For once, she did not look