Medieval Ever After (107 page)

To watch her come under his touch had almost been his undoing. But then when he had entered her and she’d been so tight and wet—he still couldn’t believe he’d held on long enough to bring her to another pleasurable release again before he’d come undone.

She’d been a virgin, as she’d professed. But then what secret was she still guarding? He longed to know, but more than that, he wanted her to tell him herself. She was right: he couldn’t force it out of her. He’d just have to trust her.

He donned his linen shirt and quickly tucked it into his belted kilt. Then he went to the window, where dawn was just breaking in a blue-gray sky. Mornings always invigorated him. A fresh day lay before him, filled with possibilities. And he and Rona were finally making progress in their relationship. As much as he hadn’t wanted to be married initially, now that he was, he wanted to make the best of it. Based on last night, the two of them would have plenty of heat between the sheets. Now they just had to learn to trust each other.

Just as he was turning away from the window, a flicker of movement caught his eye in the courtyard below. A solitary hooded figure was moving through the yard, but instead of going toward the main gate, where the portcullis stood lowered, the figure strode toward the postern gate.

A flutter of wind ruffled the figure’s cloak, and the hood fell back slightly. A few wavy red locks appeared before the figure could pull the hood back down.

Rona!

She was sneaking out of the castle yet again. His bed was still warm, and yet she was slinking away.

But not to be with a lover, he reminded himself. She had told the truth about being a virgin. And yet, it stung to see her sneaking away after their lovemaking. Here he was telling himself that he wanted to trust her, to make something good come of this arranged marriage, when she was carrying on with her deception.

Had he been so blinded by lust that he didn’t notice her manipulating him?

Nay, he thought, quickly running over the events in his mind. Unless she was the most skilled deceptress he’d ever encountered, she had been just as taken by desire as he’d been.

A darker, more disturbing thought came to him. He’d been sent to Loch Doon by the Bruce because there were rumors that her father’s allegiance was questionable. Though Daniel was almost certain that Gilbert Kennedy’s failings ran more toward ineptness rather than skullduggery, could he say the same about Kennedy’s daughter?

Rona had always defended her father’s allegiance to Daniel, insisting that he’d made the best out of an impossible situation, and that he was still loyal to Scotland and the Bruce. But if the rumors were to be believed, and someone within Loch Doon was allied with the English, could it be Rona?

Even though his body rejected such a thought, he had to admit that there could be truth to it. If the man in the woods wasn’t her lover, could it be an English connection?

Part of their argument from the night before suddenly came back to him. He’d asked her why she couldn’t tell him where she was always sneaking off to.

Because you were sent here by the King
, she’d said cryptically.

What does the Bruce have to do with it?
he’d asked.

He spun from the window, ready to charge after her, but his eyes fell on the tousled bed they had just shared. The weak morning light from the window illuminated the chamber enough to make the red stain on the linen sheets clearly visible.

They were married. And she’d given him her virginity.

Let me show you that you can trust me
, she’d said. And she had shown him.

Daniel’s stomach twisted. If he chased after her now and she was innocent in every way, he would destroy the delicate thread of trust that now linked them. But if he didn’t get to the bottom of whatever secret she was keeping from him, her actions could threaten the entire cause for Scottish freedom.

More was at stake than just his marriage. He was charged by the King of Scotland to protect this castle and further the cause for independence. He strapped his great sword to his hip, then spun a cloak around his shoulders and slipped from the chamber.

He had to go after her.

HIGHLANDER’S RECKONING

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Despite the quiet
, gentle morning that filtered through the trees of the Galloway forest, Rona couldn’t shake a feeling of unease. She’d used the postern gate this morning rather than the main gate since the portcullis had still been lowered. But she hadn’t had any problem chartering a boat to the village from a fisherman headed there. And the village had been filled with its normal morning bustle.

Yet even now she couldn’t resist the urge to look over her shoulder. Of course, there was nothing there but dark green pine trees, scattered leafless branches, and low shrubs.

Perhaps it was the knowledge that Daniel had sent someone to follow her yesterday. If she wasn’t more careful, she wouldn’t even get an opportunity to tell Daniel her secret—someone would see her, and then her life as she knew it would be over.

She quickened her pace when Ian and Mairi’s cottage came into view in the distance. A cheery curl of smoke twined from the chimney, which soothed her nerves somewhat. She would explain everything to them—how she thought she could trust Daniel, how she longed to share their secret with him, and how she wanted their blessing to do so. And if she could get Mairi alone, she would confide in her about what had transpired last night.

When she reached the cottage, she gave a light rap on the door. Mairi’s cheerful voice beckoned her in.

The cottage was warm and snug as usual. Mairi was moving about the small kitchen on the back wall while Ian laced up his boots on a stool nearby.

“We weren’t expecting you today, dear!” Mairi said over her shoulder.

“I’m sorry to disturb you…”

“Nay, dear, not at all! I’d just assumed from our talk yesterday that you might not be coming around as much.”

Though the cottage normally set Rona at ease, she began pacing inside the door. “I probably shouldn’t be here, but I want to ask you both something, and it’s important.”

Both Ian and Mairi paused and looked at her.

“I was just on my way to the village,” Ian said. “These rabbit pelts will fetch a nice price this time of year.” He held up a string of rabbit furs. “Is this one of those talks that is best kept for the ears of womenfolk?”

Despite her unease, Rona smiled at Ian’s discomfort. “Nay, Ian, it’s not one of those talks. But it does have to do with Daniel.”

Mairi approached and took Rona’s hands in hers.

“Sit, dear, and say what’s on your mind.”

She guided Rona to one of the cottage’s two wooden chairs, and then sat across from her. Ian remained on his stool, though he pulled it closer to Mairi.

“I’ve been a fool to think that I could keep my activities from my husband,” Rona began. “I suppose a part of me had hoped that life could go on as it always had, with me coming here whenever I pleased to see you two and Bhreaca.”

Mairi nodded in understanding, so she went on.

“But I see now that things have to change. I can’t keep so much from Daniel and…and still have the kind of marriage I want. The kind you two have.”

A smile spread across Ian’s face. “Are you sure this isn’t womenfolk talk?” he teased. Mairi swatted him, but her eyes glowed happily as she shifted them back to Rona.

“I want to tell him,” Rona said simply, sobering.

Mairi and Ian exchanged another look, and something passed between them that Rona didn’t understand. Then they both turned back to her, and Mairi opened her mouth to speak.

Suddenly, the cottage door exploded inward, slamming against the wall with a deafening bang. Mairi’s unspoken words turned into a shriek of terror.

Rona jumped from her chair and whipped her head around to the door, but before she could see what was happening, Ian shoved her behind him next to Mairi.

“What goes on here?” barked a voice from the door.

Rona craned to see around Ian’s tall frame, which stood as a protective wall between Mairi and her and the intruder at the door.

But then she caught a glimpse of the invader, and her heart froze in her chest. He took up nearly the entire doorframe with his tall, broad frame. One hand gripped the enormous sword on his hip threateningly, and his fierce face was set in stone.

“Daniel?” she breathed. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Daniel’s eyes quickly scanned the small cottage, making sure no one else lurked in the shadows. Then he turned his gaze on the large man who stood shielding Rona and another woman. Protectively. He nearly growled.

Keeping his eyes on the man in case he made any moves, he answered Rona.

“I should be asking you the same question, lass.” Though his blood pounded through his veins, he kept his voice icy calm.

“Did you follow me?”

“Aye, I did.” He wasn’t going to apologize this time. Not when her secrecy was potentially putting Loch Doon and the entire Scottish cause in jeopardy.

Rona pushed past the man shielding her, her face transformed into a mask of fury.

“How dare you? How dare you violate my privacy like this! I told you that I wanted to keep this secret, and instead you followed me?”

Something about her unbridled rage snapped his icy resolve.

“How dare
I
, Rona? I am charged by the King of Scotland to protect Loch Doon. If your actions threaten the castle or Scotland in any way—”

“You think I’m some sort of spy?” she shrieked. “First you accuse me of cuckolding you, and now you think I work for the English?”

“What am I supposed to think?” he bellowed back. “You slink and lie and disappear, you are seen with this man alone in the woods, and then this morning you sneak out of my bed before dawn to—”

“Ahem,” the man behind Rona coughed loudly. “Forgive me, my lord. I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I am Ian Ferguson, and this is my wife Mairi.” The man gave a little bow, and the woman bobbed a curtsy.

A long and strained silence stretched inside the cottage. Daniel slowly felt his rage draining from him. He would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the whole situation if he weren’t still so ill at ease.

Rona, too, seemed to be getting a handle on her temper. She was panting in anger, but her hands were slowly unclenching at her sides.

“Ian and Mairi are my friends, Daniel. My
Scottish
friends,” she said finally. “This is where I’ve been coming when I disappear. In fact, I’ve been coming here almost the entire three years my father and I have lived at Loch Doon.”

She seemed suddenly exhausted, for she crumpled into the wooden chair behind her, no longer looking at him. The two peasants, Mairi and Ian, still stood, looking back and forth between the two of them.

As calmly as possible, Daniel closed the cottage door. “And why do you come here, Rona?”

Rona glanced up at the other woman, who gave her a little nod of encouragement. Despite Mairi’s gentle gesture, Rona sank her head into her hands.

“I come here to fly Bhreaca, my peregrine falcon.”

Daniel’s mind, usually so quick and calculating, ground to a halt.