Highland Master (26 page)

Although the lady Morag walked beside her, had anyone asked him what she was wearing, he could not have answered without looking at her first.

Supper was long, and Donald kept up a tense, low-voiced conversation with Alex throughout. They both sat
at Rothesay’s right with Mackintosh and Shaw at his left, and the ladies beyond them.

Fin sat farther down on the men’s side by Ivor, but he knew that Donald’s conversation with Alex must be annoying Rothesay. And he could see that the lad serving Rothesay refilled his goblet more times than was usually wise.

He could not see Catriona, who sat again between Morag and Lady Ealga.

Occasionally, when Donald’s voice or Alex’s grew more intense, Ivor and Fin would glance at each other. But the third time it happened, Fin heard the Mackintosh mutter something that silenced them both.

Throughout the meal, a low rumble of conversation continued in the lower hall where servants, men-at-arms, and other guests sat at three long trestle tables.

At last, Rothesay rose, and perforce, everyone else rose as well. Nodding regally to the Mackintosh, Rothesay stepped past him and Shaw to speak to the ladies Ealga and Annis. His comments to them were brief, and when the lady Morag joined them, he turned away to speak with Catriona, offering her an arm as he did.

Fin imagined the lass turning on Davy as she had turned on
him
the day he’d met her, and slapping Davy silly. Sighing, he knew that she could not do such a thing without stirring everyone’s wrath save his own.

The number of people between him and the far end of the dais blocked his view now of Catriona and Davy, so he went around the other end of the table, hoping to keep a close eye on them and wondering how to intervene if it grew necessary.

Rothesay’s brittle mood was a clear harbinger of trou
ble, although Fin knew from experience that those not well acquainted with Rothesay would not realize that he was ape-drunk. Even if someone did, he was the acting King of Scots and thus ruler of Scotland. Moreover, he was a guest of both Shaw and the Mackintosh.

The two of them had stood between Rothesay and Catriona as everyone rose from the table, but both men had moved at once to talk with Donald and Alex.

Just when Fin got a clear view again of Rothesay and Catriona, as they stepped off the dais and joined the crowd in the lower hall, she shook her head and touched Rothesay’s arm. He grinned, put his hands on her shoulders, and drew her close.

R
othesay was still grinning at his ribald jest, and although Catriona had told him he should not say such things to her, he clearly did not care what she thought.

He had come upon her so quickly, and when she had hesitated to take his arm, he had said he wanted only to walk briefly with her and not to be rude. No one else on the dais seemed to heed them, and she was sure that he could do nothing horrible in such a crowd of people, so she had obeyed him. He had put his free hand atop hers then and had urged her off the dais as he had told her his jest.

He’d frowned fiercely at her objection to his ribaldry, but the minute she touched his arm, hoping to show that she had not meant to offend him, he had grinned and put his hands on her shoulders. His intent now was clear, and she knew that no one nearby would dare to interfere with him.

Swiftly raising both of her own hands palm outward between them, she said, “Do not, my lord. You must not.”

“Ah, but I must, lass. You are too enticing to resist.” Stroking one velvet sleeve, he said, “I like this gown. Its softness invites a man’s touch.”

She had unexpectedly met her father after Shaw had left the meeting that morning, and had suffered a lecture on the behavior that he expected from her. Although he had readily agreed that she must not be rude to Rothesay, he had said simply that she should keep clear of him. To that end, she had managed to avoid Rothesay at the midday meal. But having worn her favorite gown to supper in hopes of impressing Fin, she had unfortunately lured Rothesay to her side instead.

Looking intently into her eyes, he said, “Be friendly, lass, unless you would dare to lay unfriendly hands on your sovereign.”

“You are not King yet, sir.”

“Ah, but as Governor, I wield the King’s powers—all of them, including the power to issue and revoke charters to land. Your grandfather and father control much land hereabouts, I believe, but only at the royal whim. Sithee, my command is as law.” He was still staring into her eyes, his grip strong on her shoulders and his desire for her radiating from every pore. “Come now, and walk with me.”

“I must not, sir,” she said, but she could scarcely get the words out and knew that she was trembling. She did not know if he spoke the truth, or if he would be able to take Clan Chattan’s vast lands even with an army. However, whether he could or not, she knew that the men in her family would take a dim view of her conversing at all with him and a much dimmer view if she angered him. And she did not want to give Shaw, in particular, any further cause for disapproval.

That he did disapprove must have been plain to Rothesay after Shaw had twice sent her away when he’d seen them together. However, Rothesay just as plainly would
dismiss any father’s censure. But she could not dismiss Shaw’s.

Rothesay had only smiled at her weak refusal.

She said more firmly, “Truly, my lord, I must not.”

He continued to smile, his hands tightening on her shoulders. The thought flitted through her mind that even if she had had her dirk, she could not draw it on Rothesay. To do so would surely be committing treason.

When, slowly, hypnotically, he began to draw her closer, his purpose clear to anyone watching them, she knew that she had to stop him any way that she could.

His lips pursed expectantly, and she could smell the wine on his breath.

“God-a-mercy, sir, do you mean to kiss me here in front of everyone?”

“If you walk with me, we can be private,” he murmured. His lips relaxed to allow the comment, but his gaze still burned into hers.

“Yon archway leads to the garderobe,” she said with an edge to her voice.

“Aye, sure, but also upward to the ramparts and a fine view, I’m told. ’Tis your own choice. Obey me, or pay a pleasant and public forfeit.”

Gritting her teeth and sending consequences to the devil, she pushed harder against his chest, letting more of her anger show as she said, “Now, see here, my lord, you are truly beginning to irk—”

Before she could finish or his lips could touch hers, a guttural clearing of a throat made her jump and snap her head around to see Fin quite close to them.

She was glad to see him, but the stern look on his face and her own embarrassment strengthened her irritation
with Rothesay. She tried to wrench away, but Rothesay’s hands tightened on her shoulders, and he held her so easily that anyone standing any distance away might easily fail to note her aversion.

“Let me go,” she snapped, wondering if she dared stomp on his foot.

“In a moment, lass,” he replied. He was looking at Fin but lazily, having neither jumped nor shown any other hint of the guilt that he ought to feel.

However, as he continued to gaze at the silent Fin, a frown clouded the royal countenance. “What the devil did you make that damned noise for?” he demanded.

“With respect, my lord,” Fin said. “I would have a word with you.”

Realizing that she was holding her breath, she let it out.

“Go away,” Rothesay said, grinning but easing his grip on her shoulders. “You intrude, Fin, as you can plainly see.”

“If I intrude, sir, ’tis better that I do so than that her ladyship’s father or one of her brothers should more angrily protest the liberties you take with her.”

“The devil fly away with you,” Rothesay snapped. “You’re a damnable nuisance, Fin. The lady is going to walk with me, and no father or brother would be such a dafty as to protest my attentions to her, whatever they may be. I find her beauty soothing to nerves overwrought by our discussions today. But you can say nowt about it in any event after so ruthlessly abandoning me earlier to my fate.”

When Fin’s lips tightened much as Ivor’s did when that gentleman was about to explode, Catriona felt a thrill of anticipation at the base of her spine.

However, he said only, “If I abandoned you, my liege,
I did so at your command and that of the Mackintosh, as well you know.”

“God’s blood, man, such talk! Would you defy me then? Do you dare?”

Catriona was watching Fin, but at these words, the thrill of anticipation turned to a frisson of fear. She frowned at him.

If Fin noticed, he gave no hint of it. In fact, he displayed more temerity by looking with disapproval from one of Rothesay’s hands to the other.

Again, she tried to step away from Rothesay. Again, he prevented it. She glanced up at his face, then at Fin’s.

“Prithee, sir,” she said to the latter. “There can be no good cause to—”

“Hush, lass,” Fin said quietly but nonetheless firmly.

She swallowed a burst of anger but wished she could smack them both. It was as if two dogs circled a tasty bone.

Fin said, “By my troth, my lord, I do not want to fratch with you, only to preserve the benefits of your welcome here and the Mackintosh’s goodwill toward your cause. We may forfeit that goodwill if he takes offense at such royal interest in his maiden granddaughter.”

Rothesay looked long and searchingly at him, while Catriona fairly quaked with increasing unease. Then Rothesay’s eyes began to twinkle.

Seeing it, she began to relax until he said, “By heaven, Fin, I see what it is. You’ve taken an interest in the lass yourself!”

Fin stared at Rothesay, stunned, while his imagination sought urgently for something sensible to say that would not be an outright lie.

Catriona was silent, but he had not missed her warning frown earlier. And he doubted that she would welcome a declaration from him even if he had the right to make one. However, if he said that he had
no
interest in her, he would be lying and Rothesay would try to walk off with her.

Just then Ivor appeared beside them as if a magician had conjured him there and said grimly, “Speak up, Fin. What
are
your intentions toward her? If you mean to offer for her, I’d have expected you to ask our father’s leave to court her first.”

“Aye, that is true,” James said from Fin’s other side. “I must say, I had no notion of this. Nor did my lady Morag ken aught of it, for she would have told me.”

Fin, having looked from one to the other, now saw that Shaw had noted their gathering and was eyeing them sternly. Certain that he would be upon him next, he turned back to Rothesay, who returned his gaze with a mischievous one of his own.

“Sakes, Fin,” he said. “Have you been keeping this attachment of yours a secret? Because, if you have, I’m thinking that the devil must be in it now.”

Catriona, having kept silent throughout, suddenly sighed, looked right at Rothesay, and smiled ruefully, saying, “You are quite right about
that
, my lord. As you can plainly see, you have created an unfortunate situation by revealing our secret. But ’tis true, I’m afraid, that Sir Finlagh and I are in love.”

Lowering her lashes next in a way that made Fin want to shake her until they fluttered off her to the ground, she added, “How could I have had enough strength to resist your so-flattering advances, sir, had I not fallen deeply in love with him?”

“How, indeed?” Rothesay said with a merry laugh. “But this is extraordinary! Here, Shaw,” he added when Catriona’s father strode up to them, “I have uncovered a secret for you. Your beautiful daughter and my man Sir Fin of the Battles here want to marry. I think it is a grand idea. Now, what do
you
say to it?”

Fin held his breath as Shaw looked from one person to another, letting his gaze settle at last on Catriona.

“I was just coming to suggest that it is time ye were in your chamber, lass,” he said in his usual stern way. “We can talk more of this in the morning.”

“With respect, my lord,” she said, meeting that piercing gaze. “This concerns me as well as Sir Finlagh, because I am the one who told Rothesay. I think you will agree that it would be unfair of me to make Fin answer to you alone for that.”