The Hawk: A Highland Guard Novel (31 page)

Meg also looked puzzled. “I’ve just come to retrieve the cooking pots.”

“I’ll have Rhuairi get them for you.” He motioned to a nearby guard, who cast him a furtive look and hastily did his bidding.

Something strange was going on. They’d never been refused entrance to the cave before, and it was clear the young guardsman was anxious to be rid of them. Was there something he didn’t want them to see?

Meg must have realized it as well. She took Ellie’s arm in hers. “That’s all right. Have Duncan bring them up later.”

Meg turned them around to head back to the cottage, but in her haste caused Ellie to bump into a man who’d come up behind them.

“Pardon me,” she said automatically.

Ellie glanced up at the man and froze with shock. The blood drained from her face. She blinked in the semidarkness, not trusting her eyes. He was dressed in the rough clothing of a fisherman, but she recognized the handsome, dark-haired man before her: Edward Bruce. Robert’s eldest brother and her brother by marriage.

Why …?

Of course! In that one frozen heartbeat everything suddenly became clear. The final piece of the puzzle snapped into place.
Hawk is with Bruce
. He wasn’t a pirate, he was a Scottish rebel, fighting with Robert against King Edward. Against her father. The wish for her to avoid her father’s men in the cave suddenly made sense.

This was what Meg meant by complicated. But her friend could never have imagined just how complicated.

Then, the second realization struck: Hawk was going to discover who she was. It would all be over. Once he discovered her identity, there would be no more private moments, no more kisses, no more pleasure. She would never have a chance to find out how he truly felt about her.

Originally, she’d feared that revealing her identity would make him wish to marry her only because of her wealth and position. But now there was also the fact that she was his liege lord’s sister by marriage to add to the mix. She suspected that innate noble streak of his would force him to offer for her.

But she didn’t want him like that. The possibility of a future like her mother’s cured her of any such thoughts. There was nothing romantic about unrequited love. She’d rather be married to Ralph.

She held her breath, waiting for the moment of revelation. Waiting for Edward’s voice to cry out, demanding to know why Lady Elyne de Burgh was standing before him gowned like a peasant.

But Edward didn’t say a word. His cold, dark eyes passed over her without a flicker of interest, just as he’d done the first time they’d met at Robert and Elizabeth’s wedding. Bedecked in jewels and gowned in rich velvets, she wasn’t pretty enough for him to notice then, and she certainly wasn’t now.

My God, he didn’t recognize her! She knew she should be humiliated, but instead she couldn’t believe her luck.

Not wanting to give him a chance to remember, she turned to leave. But before she could grab Meg’s arm and hasten away, an achingly familiar voice stopped her.

Hawk grabbed her elbow to whip her around. “Ellie? What the hell are you doing here?”

Edward Bruce’s gaze sharpened on her, taking her in with far more scrutiny than she wanted. “
This
is your captive?”

Ellie got the impression she wasn’t at all what he was expecting.

“I’m not his captive.”

“She’s not my captive,” Hawk said at the same time.

Edward was scrutinizing her with an intensity that made her uneasy. For a moment Ellie feared that he recognized her. A mocking smile turned one corner of his mouth.

Finally, he turned his gaze from her. “She’s not your usual type, Hawk.”

    Erik was having a hard time reminding himself that this was the king’s brother and that putting his fist through that snide smile of his probably wasn’t the best idea.

But damn, it would feel good.

First, Edward had foolishly allowed himself to be seen by the two women, and, although slim, there was always a chance someone could recognize him. And then he’d gone and insulted Ellie by comparing her to other women.

Why shouldn’t he be attracted to Ellie? So what if she didn’t have big breasts and look as if she’d just alighted from Mount Olympus. Any fool could see how pretty she was, with her big green-flecked hazel eyes, tiny nose, and that smart little mouth of hers.

If that bastard had hurt her feelings, his royal connections weren’t going to save him. He glanced over at Ellie. From the sharp thrust of her chin and the two high spots of color on her cheeks, she’d obviously understood the implication—and, by the looks of it, was about to give Edward Bruce an earful.

Erik should have anticipated her reaction. Ellie did not base her worth—or anyone else’s—on physical beauty. It was one of the things he admired about her, and why her good opinion mattered.

But he didn’t want her near Edward Bruce any longer than was necessary. “You’re right,” he said, stepping between her and Edward. “Ellie is too unique to be compared to anyone else.”

He frowned, realizing he meant it.

Ellie was watching him with that too-observant look of hers that made him feel like fidgeting. Not wanting her to be confused by his words and jump to any erroneous conclusions, he went on the offensive. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s my fault,” Meg intervened. “I didn’t realize you were busy. We came down to collect the cooking pots.”

Erik was glad to see that Edward had realized—belatedly—that he shouldn’t have shown himself and had gone back into the cave.

Ellie watched him go, and something in her expression gave Erik a prickle of unease.

“I’ll have one of the men bring them up,” he said. He could see Meg was feeling bad for having interrupted them. It wasn’t her fault; he should have been more explicit in his orders. He wondered what had really brought them here. He didn’t believe they’d really come for cooking pots.

“It’s late,” he said. “Why don’t I walk you home.”

They both protested, but Erik would hear none of it. Meg might be used to walking along the cliffside at night, but Ellie wasn’t. When he thought of how easily she could have slipped or taken a misstep in the darkness, it made him angry all over again.

Just to make sure, he kept a firm hand on her arm as he walked them up the path. Ellie might be slim, but she sure did tuck in nicely against him.

Both women were unusually quiet, and no sooner had they walked through the door than Meg yawned dramatically and excused herself for bed.

Erik had the distinct feeling it was intentionally done to leave him alone with Ellie. But Ellie seemed unusually anxious. She took an inordinate amount of time removing her cloak, and then bustled around the room until she finally decided to warm her hands before the fire.

“Was there something you wanted, lass?”

“Nay,” she said quickly, then amended, “Yes.” She folded her hands in her skirts and turned to face him. “Your guests. Is that why you didn’t come tonight?”

Damn
. He’d forgotten. Perhaps that wasn’t quite true. Randolph’s words were weighing on him more than he wanted to acknowledge. “Aye, I’m sorry,” he smiled, “but business before pleasure.”

His attempt at lightheartedness, however, was utterly undone by her next words. “You aren’t a pirate, you’re with Bruce. That’s why the English are after you.”

He laughed as if she’d just made a joke, though inside he was furious. She must have recognized Edward Bruce. “Still inventing noble activities for me, Ellie? I thought you were going to leave the tale-telling to me.”

“Don’t,” she said softly. “Don’t joke about something like this.” Her eyes fixed on his. “Don’t lie to me.”

He should. He should turn his back and walk away. It was already too complicated. But he couldn’t force his feet to move. He didn’t want to lie to her. “It’s safer for you if you don’t ask questions.”

“I don’t care about being safe. I want to know the truth. Why else would the king’s brother be here?”

“Damn it, Ellie,
I
care!” He dragged his fingers through his shorn hair, trying to get a rein on his frazzled emotions. Couldn’t she see that he was trying to protect her? “Do you know what they would do to you if they thought you knew anything? King Edward will stop at nothing to find Bruce. Do not let the fact that you are a woman make you think that you are safe.”

The vehemence of his reaction didn’t seem to have any effect on her. “The queen.” She stepped forward anxiously. “What news do you have of Queen Elizabeth?”

He frowned at the strange intensity of her question, until he recalled her position in Ulster’s household. “None since she parted from the king a few months ago.”

“I’ve heard rumors that she’s gone to Norway. To take refuge with Bruce’s sister, the queen.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

He could see her disappointment and wondered if despite her position in Ulster’s household she was sympathetic to Bruce. With Bruce’s connections to Ireland, he would not be surprised. But it didn’t matter. Sympathetic or not, Erik had a price on his head and any connection with him was too dangerous.

“Why were you in the cave below Dunluce?” she asked.

“Ellie …” he warned.

But she wasn’t listening. “Those men you were meeting with. The Irishmen. They are warriors for Bruce.” She looked up at him. “You’re planning something.”

He crossed the room in two strides and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Stop,” he said, fear twisting inside him. Why did she have to be so damn smart? “No more questions. Forget about everything you have heard. Forget about me.”

He was shouting—actually shouting.

She gasped, his anger finally seemed to have penetrated. “Is that what you want me to do?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

She lifted her chin and locked her gaze on his. He felt the connection fire between them. She met his gaze, challenging him to deny it. “I can’t do that.”

Damn her
. She was the most infuriating, contrary woman he’d ever known. Erik felt as though everything was spinning out of control. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her until she listened to him. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder and carry her as far away as possible. Somewhere safe.

But safe meant away from him.

He stepped away. She would forget about him, just the way he would forget about her. A dull ache throbbed in his chest. “Get some rest. We leave late tomorrow night.”

Her face fell. “But …” Her voice dropped off as if she’d wanted to protest but realized the futility. She looked up at him again. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

Normally he wouldn’t have hesitated. When faced with a choice between a passionate liaison and sitting around with his men waiting for night to fall, it wasn’t much of a contest. Even now, standing here, he was fighting to control himself. Her soft, feminine scent rose up to taunt him. His desire for her was not running its course but growing more fierce. He wanted to strip her down naked, wrap her against him, and slide deep inside her. He wanted it so badly, he could picture it—constantly—and the images were driving him mad.

He knew it wasn’t a good idea. It was getting too complicated. His control was taxed to the limit. Tomorrow they would go their separate ways. A clean break would be better. But he was finding it hard to resist the temptation of spending one last day with her. Of touching her. Of watching her face flush with pleasure as he stroked her to mindless oblivion.

“I don’t know,” he hedged. “There will be much to do.” Like sit around and wait.

“Oh,” she said, not masking her disappointment. “I hoped there might be some time after you finish with your men in the morning to show me that cave. If it exists.”

He smiled. Her subtle taunt proved effective persuasion. He was being ridiculous, making too much of this. It was only one more day. “Oh, it exists. I did promise to show you, didn’t I?”

She nodded, a smile hovering at the edge of her mouth. She knew she’d won—not that it had been much of a battle.

“We’ll need to go at low tide. Can you be ready in the morning? Morning to the rest of us, that is.”

She made a face. “Very funny. Just tell me what time.”

With Edward Bruce and Boyd leaving a few hours before dawn, he was going to be up most of the night anyway. “Sunrise?” He chuckled at her horrified expression. “If you don’t want to go …”

“I’ll be ready,” she grumbled.

Unable to resist, he dropped a soft kiss on her mouth and took his leave. “It will be worth it,” he promised.

“It had better be, at that ungodly hour.”

Seventeen

    Ellie gazed around at the small underwater palace of rocks, glistening like polished ebony in the murky darkness. “It’s magnificent,” she said in hushed voice.

“I’m glad you approve,” Hawk said, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “I trust it was worth the swim?”

Her mouth twisted, and she pushed a splash of water toward him with her hands. “Wretch. It was convenient of you to leave that part out.”

He shook his thick, wavy hair free of water and flashed her that unrepentant grin of his. “You didn’t ask.”

Ellie had experienced second thoughts—or rather third thoughts, she amended, recalling trying to force herself out of bed before dawn—when she realized they had to swim to the cave. Unlike the last time he’d coerced her into the water, it was
not
a sunny and warm winter’s day.