The Laird's Captive Wife(68)

Ban got to his feet. ‘I think I’d better go along too. There are lots of children to take care of after all.’

‘Indeed there are,’ Iain replied. Then he looked at Ashlynn. ‘I think some responsible adults should go accompany them, don’t you?’

She laughed. ‘You just read my mind.’

‘Can I come too, Aunt Ashlynn?’ said a timid voice beside her.

She glanced down and saw Fiona. ‘Of course you can come.’ Smiling she took the child’s hand in hers. ‘You shall walk with me.’

Iain grinned. ‘It looks like we have a full complement then.’

Five minutes later they went to join the excited little crowd in the courtyard. When the boys re-appeared with the sledges they all set off. The older children soon drew ahead, some of the lads engaged in a running snowball fight on the way. Ashlynn’s pace was of necessity slower to accommodate Fiona’s shorter strides. Iain paused to let them catch up. He could hear Ashlynn speaking to the child, her tone gentle and patient, drawing her companion out and making her laugh. Clearly she had a way with children.

‘I never thought of you in this role,’ he said when they had rejoined him. ‘It suits you.’

‘Does it?’

‘Very much so.’

The words were quietly spoken but they contained a nuance she had not heard before. It turned her thoughts in another direction entirely and sent a flush of warmth through her entire being.

They walked on for a while but, as they drew nearer their goal the snow became deeper. Fiona stumbled over the skirt of her gown. Ashlynn’s hand prevented her from falling but it was clear that progress was going to be slow.

‘You go on ahead,’ she told Iain.

‘I have a better idea.’ He bent and lifted the child up on to his shoulders. ‘Hold on tight now.’

Fiona was quick to obey, torn between anxiety at being so far from the ground and the thrill of having so exalted a position. However, as they walked on she began to relax and enjoy herself, exchanging occasional shy smiles with Ashlynn. In fact Ashlynn was amused and oddly touched. She had never imagined Iain unbending this far and yet he did it so lightly and withal so naturally. He would make a good father. The ramifications to that sent another flush of warmth through her. She shot him a sidelong glance and saw him smile.

* * *

By the time they reached the slope the older members of the party were already organising themselves. Iain lifted Fiona down and gave her into the safe keeping of two older girl cousins and then watched as Hamish and Donald embarked on their first run. However, their balance was awry and the sled went hurtling off course towards the burn. With yells of dismay they tried to take evasive action, only to lurch sideways into a hidden boulder just below the surface of the snow. The collision pitched them headfirst down the hill, to the huge enjoyment of the onlookers. Undeterred the other participants climbed aboard their own sledges and went speeding away. The air rang with shrieks and laughter.

Having seen the others underway Iain turned to his wife. ‘Will you adventure with me, Ashlynn?’

The tone was casual enough but there was a mischievous expression in his eye that gave her pause. Seeing her hesitation Iain seized the advantage and went straight in for the kill.

‘What’s the matter, lass? Are you afraid?’

He saw her chin come up and grinned, knowing his faith hadn’t been misplaced. Taking her hand he led her away from the main group to a much steeper part of the hill. Ashlynn looked at it with trepidation. The lower slope had produced speeds that were hair-raising enough. This was something else again. At the base of the slope the ground curved out and then ended abruptly in a sharp drop to the burn, dark and deep and swift-flowing at this season.

‘Are you sure about this, Iain?’

‘Of course. Jeannie and I came here often as children. It’s an exhilarating run I promise you.’

Unwilling to back down from the unspoken challenge she seated herself gingerly on the sledge and he climbed on behind, locking his arms around her.

‘Can you swim by the way?’ he asked.

‘Swim!’

‘Aye, for when we end up in the burn, ye ken.’

Before she could reply he pushed off and heard her shriek as the sled gathered speed, hurtling down the hillside at a dizzying rate. Ashlynn gasped as the wind stung her face and brought the water to her eyes, seeing through blurred vision the burn approaching with horrifying rapidity. Uttering a wail of dismay she closed her eyes. However, what she hadn’t known was that the view from above was foreshortened and where the land flattened out at the bottom of the slope there was in fact a considerable distance to the stream, easily enough space for the sled to come to a safe stop well short of the water. Speechless she sat for some moments in stunned disbelief, her heart in her throat. Iain too was unusually quiet. When she looked round it was to see him shaking with silent laughter. Ashlynn glared at him.