Medieval Ever After (104 page)

The falcon circled Rona, swinging lower and lower until she dropped the pheasant and came to light on Rona’s outstretched, gauntleted forearm.

“Wonderful, Bhreaca,” Rona crooned as she reached into a pouch at her waist and extended a scrap of meat to the falcon. Bhreaca ate eagerly. With all the extra hunting and flying of late, the falcon’s appetite had grown.

“She returns to you more quickly than she does to me,” Ian said as he emerged from the forest into the small clearing. Fionna, the snowy-white gyrfalcon, rode comfortably on his arm. Ian, though simply clothed, looked like a man emerging from a legend. Or like a king.

Rona shuddered at the thought, her excitement from Bhreaca’s high-speed dive replaced with foreboding. If anyone saw them out here…

“I’m glad you fly her when I can’t get away from the castle,” Rona replied sadly. “I fear these frequent visits of late may be coming to an end.”

Mairi appeared behind Ian and the two of them strode side by side toward her. When they reached her, Mairi bent down and plucked the dead pheasant from Rona’s feet, tossing it in a canvass bag she carried in one hand.

“What makes you think so, dear?” Mairi said, concern in her eyes.

These two had been so good to her. They treated her with more warmth and love than her parents ever had. Though both Mairi and Ian were nearly two decades older than she, they’d never had children of their own.

God didn’t bless us with children
, Mairi always said in her most cheerful voice,
but he blessed us with you
. Rona was somewhere between daughter and friend to them both. They had taught her the traditions of falconry as they would have to their own children if they’d had any.

Rona sighed and turned in the direction of Ian and Mairi’s cottage.

“Daniel is growing suspicious. If I’m not careful, he’ll find out about us.”

Rona could feel the weight of Mairi’s penetrating stare. “And you still don’t trust him?”

Though she knew Mairi had a way of seeing straight to the truth, Rona was still startled at the blunt words.

“Aye, I suppose I don’t.”

“Why not? Surely two people who share a bed can share a few secrets as well,” Mairi said with a sweet smile. As they walked, she interlocked her fingers with Ian’s free hand, and Rona didn’t miss the heated glance that passed between them.

She averted her eyes quickly, feeling a blush rising up her neck and into her cheeks. Instead of fumbling for words, she remained silent. Unfortunately, that didn’t save her from Mairi’s keen-eyed observation.

“You two have…haven’t you? You were married more than a week and a half ago!”

“I’d better get the birds back into their mews,” Ian said almost on top of Mairi’s words.

All too willing for Ian not to be a part of the conversation, Rona sent Bhreaca up into the air with a raise of her arm, then slid her leather gauntlet onto Ian’s free hand. Bhreaca lighted on Ian’s other arm across from Fionna, and Ian hustled back to the cottage to leave the women to talk.

“Rona,” Mairi said when Ian was barely out of earshot. “Should we talk about what normally goes on between a husband and wife?”

“Nay!” she said, coloring even more than before. “I mean, I know the basics. It’s not that…it’s…”

Mairi patted her hand, waiting.

“It’s…I don’t want to lose my head.”

Mairi frowned. “You really believe he would have you beheaded for practicing falconry in secret?”

Rona sighed. “Nay, I mean, I don’t want to lose control of myself. Daniel has a…strange effect on me. When he touches me, or even just when he’s near, I can’t seem to think straight.”

Mairi stared at her for a long moment. Then she threw her dark head back and erupted into uproarious laughter. By the time Mairi was wiping her eyes and catching her breath, Rona had her arms crossed over her chest and her jaw was set in annoyance.

“Forgive me, dear,” Mairi said, catching Rona’s glare, “but that sounds like a wonderful problem to have. How fortunate you are to have a spark between you, especially considering you’d never even met before you were married.”

“It’s not a wonderful problem to have when you are trying to protect the lives of your two best friends,” Rona retorted.

Mairi sobered at that. “I know you want to protect us, but—”

“But I can’t very well do that if I am turning moon-eyed over the suspicious Highlander I’m supposed to be sharing a bed with!”

Rona knew her anger was misdirected at Mairi, but she was beginning to feel desperate and cornered.

“I know I can’t keep putting him off forever, but I don’t see an alternative. I can’t trust him with our secret. I still barely know him. He sent my father away, and he grows more watchful of me, and—”

“There, there, Rona dear.” Mairi reached up and wrapped an arm around Rona’s shoulders, which were shaking. Rona tried to take a few calming breaths but had to bite her lower lip to hold in the panicked sobs.

After a long moment, Mairi spoke quietly. “I don’t know what you’re going through, so I probably shouldn’t try to advise you. But I believe and trust that everything will work out. You’ll see.”

Rona nodded numbly. “Thank you, Mairi.”

“You take too much onto yourself, dear.” Instead of motherly chastisement, Mairi’s voice conveyed a deeper concern. “Perhaps you can trust more—trust
him
more.”

The image of Daniel’s hard jawline, covered in dark stubble, his stormy blue-gray eyes, his firm, enticing lips, and his towering, muscular frame floated into Rona’s mind. Trust him. But she had no reason to.

Her body warmed as his ruggedly handsome visage continued to swim in her mind. Perhaps she did have one reason. Her body seemed to be drawn to him, to inherently trust in his strength, his command, and his returned desire for her. Could she put her trust—and her life—in such a visceral, intangible knowledge?

Daniel shoved another stone in place, with perhaps more force than was necessary. Despite the fact that he had been working on the weakened spot in the curtain wall for more than two hours, he still had extra energy to burn. Every time he thought about Rona sneaking off with some farmer or baker or blacksmith, a surge of rage tore through him.

He hefted another stone onto his shoulder and carried it a few yards to the crumbling portion of the wall. When had he become so possessive of the lass? He told himself that it was only the dishonor of being cuckolded that rankled so much, but deep down, he knew the truth. He wanted Rona for himself.

He had never wanted one particular lass so badly before. What a laughable irony that the lass in question was his wife, and yet she repeatedly denied him. What was she hiding? Or,
whom
was she hiding?

And what was it about her? Certainly she was bonny, though she wasn’t the type he thought he was drawn to. She was tall and slim rather than buxom, and that hair of hers seemed to lead a life of its own, sometimes flying wildly around her face, other times flowing in sensuous unbound waves. She had a temper and a sharp tongue, not unlike himself, though she was less controlled and calculating. Her thoughts played out on her face, and yet she kept secrets from him. And damn it all, she responded to his kisses and touches in a way that only fired his blood more.

Just as he flung the stone from his shoulder onto the ground in front of the curtain wall, Malcolm appeared in the corner of his vision.

“What?” he barked. Christ, thoughts of her were even causing him to lose his grip on his self-control.

Malcolm shrank back slightly, but spoke. “I did as you asked, my lord. I followed La—”

Malcolm’s voice cut off suddenly as Daniel closed the distance between them lightning-fast.

“Quieter, if you please, Malcolm,” he said tightly.

“I followed Lady Rona,” Malcolm said, barely above a whisper. “She went to the village, but then walked south into the Galloway woods. I saw her approach an isolated cottage, and…”

“And?”

“…And a man emerged and hugged her.”

Daniel’s heart squeezed, and a stab of jealousy and rage pierced his stomach. “Who was this man?”

“He looked to be several years older than you, my lord. He was dressed simply, like a peasant, though he appeared to be tall and able-bodied.”

“Enough,” Daniel said, feeling the bile rise in the back of his throat. He tried to organize his thoughts, but anger, jealousy, and embarrassment tangled together into a knot inside his head.

“Can I trust you never to speak of this, Malcolm?”

Malcolm straightened his spine and locked eyes with Daniel. “Aye, my lord.”

Daniel dug out a coin from his pocket and flipped it toward the slender man. “For your trouble.”

“It’s not necessary, my lord.”

Daniel didn’t bother arguing with Malcolm and instead simply waved him away, pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand.

So, this was Rona’s secret. This was the kind of woman he was married to. He picked up the stone he had tossed on the ground and threw it as far as he could with a roar of rage.

He would have the truth from her own lips, though, if only to have that one sliver of respect from her. He stomped to the docks just as the sun slipped below the hills to the west to wait for her return.

He didn’t have to wait long.

HIGHLANDER’S RECKONING

CHAPTER ELEVEN

As Rona’s hired
rowboat neared Loch Doon’s docks, a shadowy figure emerged from the twilight. At first, all she could make out was a tall, broad-shouldered form looming on one of the docks, but as she drew nearer, she could see that the man wore a kilt.

Her stomach seized. It was as if her thoughts had manifested themselves. Was he waiting for her? Would he embrace her without a word? Would he kiss her again?

She took a steadying breath. Of course, he hadn’t been privy to the enflamed thoughts that had consumed her since her conversation with Mairi in the woods a few hours ago. He didn’t know that she’d been thinking about his face and body during her walk back to the village, or all along the boat ride to the castle. He couldn’t be aware that despite her brain’s best efforts, her body was primed for him.

She was finally ready.

She was finally ready to soften toward him, to let him in. She was still planning to guard her secret, but it was time to stop fighting their situation—they were married, after all, and she was now willing to begin opening up to him.

When the boat gently bumped into the wooden dock, she looked up at him and smiled softly. She couldn’t quite make out his face in the shadows, but she extended her hand toward him.

Like a vise, his hand clamped around her wrist and hauled her out of the boat. As he turned them both toward the castle, she caught sight of his face in the light of the rising moon. His expression was flat and guarded, but the corners of his mouth were turned down ever so slightly.

“Daniel, I think we should talk,” she said. Her voice faltered slightly, unsure as she was of his state of mind, but she still managed to sound soft.

He didn’t respond, but strode purposefully through the portcullis and across the yard, his hand still firmly wrapped around her wrist. She had to hustle to keep up with his long strides.