Rebel Kiss: A Historical Romance Novel (Scottish Rebels Book 1) (8 page)

“I’ll bring some
paper and an ink well up directly,” the woman nodded and closed the door behind
her.

The innkeeper’s
wife returned a few minutes later with a sheet of paper, an ink well, a quill
and an envelope.  “Just place it on the desk when ye come down to the tavern. 
We’ll make sure that it gets to your uncle,” the innkeeper’s wife said warmly,
closing the door so that Anna could write her letter in peace.

..ooOoo..

Murdock,                                                                                 25
July, 1756

I surmise that
by the time this letter reaches you, you will have heard of the sinking of the
Mary Catherine.  Miraculously enough, I survived the shipwreck unscathed and I
have found myself in a place called North Carolina.

I have made the
acquaintance of some other survivors of the shipwreck.  They have graciously
agreed to escort me on my journey north to Williamsburg and have been quite
accommodating and attentive to my needs.  I trust that they will be compensated
for their efforts upon my safe arrival into your care.

Please inform
Jonathon that I fully intend to carry forth with our betrothal, and although my
present circumstances have delayed my arrival, I want no further delay in our
marriage.  I expect that my mother has received the first installment of the
funds that were promised upon my departure to the New World.   I wish to see documentation
confirming her receipt of said funds upon my arrival in Williamsburg.

                                                            Sincerely,

                                                            Miss
Anna Stanton

..ooOoo..

Anna walked down
the stairs feeling like a new woman.  Surprisingly, the homespun dress fit her
perfectly, accentuating her small waist and allowing just the right amount of
skin to show about her neckline.  She had brushed her hair and it floated in
loose golden waves about her shoulders, cascading freely down her back.

The Murray brothers had certainly wasted no time in her absence.  They were laughing robustly,
moods substantially repaired after a few mugs of ale and a warm supper. 

“Thank you,” Anna
said, tossing Rowan his shirt, which he immediately shrugged on over his
shoulders and tucked into his pants.  Her senses were heightened as she felt
Rowan’s eyes lock with her own for just a moment longer than was proper.  Even
though the room was crowded and bustling with people, Anna’s eyes only saw
Rowan.  When she felt his gaze linger on her, her skin felt hot and her chest
began to tighten. 

Does he feel
this too?

“Aye, now I feel a
bit more civilized,” he smiled, settling back into his shirt and reaching for
the pewter pitcher of ale.  “Care for some more ale?”

“Yes, please,”
Anna said, resuming her seat at the table and extending her mug so that Rowan
could refill it.

“Here, Anna,”
Quinn said, sliding a dagger across the wooden table in her direction.

“Thank you,” Anna
smiled, modestly lifting the hem of her gown and tucking the dagger safely into
her garter.  “Where did you get it?” Anna asked skeptically, wondering if she
was now the owner of stolen property.

“I
bought
it off the innkeeper when I acquired yer dress.  I bought weapons for Rowan and
myself too,” Quinn said, maintaining his innocence.  “Ye can ask him if ye
doona believe me,” Quinn invited, eyes flashing defensively to the innkeeper
who stood behind the bar. He suspected that Anna was not completely believing
his story.

“What in the hell
does she need
that
for?” Rowan asked angrily, feeling left out of the
apparent understanding between Quinn and Anna.

“I doona ken!  She
asked me tae get it for her, sae I did,” Quinn said shrugging nonchalantly and
taking another long dreg off his ale mug.

“Don’t speak about
me as if I am not here!” Anna cautioned, suddenly angry that Rowan was
questioning her need for a weapon.  “Have you looked around lately Rowan?  This
New World is not exactly a safe place for a woman.  I need it to protect
myself,” she said, placing extra emphasis on the word
myself.

Rowan openly laughed
at her, sputtering some of his ale onto the table.  “So ye think that yer going
tae protect yerself with that?” he asked incredulously, shaking his head in
disbelief.

Anna nodded
harshly, eyebrows knit together with determination.  She was angry that Rowan
had laughed at her intentions, intentions which sounded pretty logical in her
mind.

“How about ye leave
the protectin’ part up tae us?” Rowan asked, working to compose himself and
flashing his eyes over at his brothers.  “We’ll keep ye safe,” he added for
good measure, insulted that Anna didn’t think that the Murray brothers were
capable of seeing to her welfare.

“I can protect
myself
,”
Anna said firmly, hazel eyes challenging Rowan from across the table.

The smile slipped
from Rowan’s face.  “We’ll see about that, Anna.  In my experience, a lass with
a dagger is often more harm tae herself than good.  I’ve a feelin’ that if ye
tried tae protect yerself with that, any man could swiftly remove it from yer
possession and use it against ye,” he said, steely gaze glaring at her across
the table.

Anna was fuming
mad.  She took a big swallow of ale and pushed back from the table, standing up
abruptly and almost knocking over her chair.  “Outside, Rowan Murray,” she
said, already heading for the door.

“I think that ye
might be in trouble, brother,” Quinn laughed with amusement, watching Anna
stomp out the door of the tavern.

“Holler real loud
if ye need our help,” smiled Malcolm, chuckling softly under his breath.

Rowan pushed away
from the table, eyes sparkling mischievously and followed Anna outside.  She
had walked over to the courtyard in front of the chapel and was leaning up
against the trunk of a large tree, arms crossed and an angry expression
shrouding her face.  As Rowan approached, Anna lifted the hem of her skirt and
drew out the dagger, holding it firmly in her left hand.

“I didna ken that
ye are left-handed,” Rowan said, surprised as he watched which hand she held
the dagger with.

“There are many
things that you do not know about me,” Anna said, her tone harsh.

Rowan felt the
sting of her words but did not allow himself to falter.

“Do you have a knife?”
Anna asked with an air of challenge in her voice.

“Aye,” Rowan said,
noticing how small, how beautiful and fragile Anna looked as she was bathed in the
light of the full moon.

“Well, get it
out,” she prodded impatiently.

“Why?” Rowan
asked, not following Anna’s train of thought.

“Because I’m going
to show you that I can protect myself,” Anna said, looking at him angrily as
she held the dagger firmly in her hand.

Rowan chuckled. 
“Ye want me tae fight ye?  With a dagger?” he continued to laugh, not able to
believe that Anna actually wanted him to spar with her.  She was most certainly
a head-strong lass, he thought, shaking his head and pulling his dagger out of
his belt.

Anna bent her
knees and settled into an active stance, gripping the dagger firmly in her
fist.  Wasting no time, she took a stab at Rowan’s chest.  Always light on his
feet despite his tall stature, he easily moved out of the way of her blow.

“Hey!  Watch it,
Anna,” Rowan cautioned, now knowing that Anna was serious.  He didn’t want to
hurt her on accident.

Anna sliced at him
again and Rowan easily spun out of the way.  He grabbed Anna’s left arm at the
wrist and backed her up against the trunk of the tree.  Rowan held his own
knife up to the skin of Anna’s throat in warning, showing her his superior
skill at knife-wielding.  He moved in close to Anna, using his body to restrain
her against the tree.  He stopped when his lips hovered just above from hers.

“As I said before,
a lass with a dagger is often more harm tae herself than good,” he spoke
sternly, challenging Anna and asserting his dominance.  Rowan held his knife
against her throat, being ever so careful not to actually cut her delicate
skin.

  Anna’s soft
feminine smell overwhelmed his senses and for a split second Rowan felt dizzy
from being so close to her.  He was so close that he could just reach down and
kiss her lips.  Rowan felt Anna relax against the tree and began to slowly
release his grip on her, still holding eye contact with her, waiting for her
submission.

“I admit that you
are stronger than me…” Anna trailed off, breathing raggedly and looking into
Rowan’s green eyes.

Rowan’s lips
curled up into the beginning of a smile.

Using the element
of surprise, Anna brought her knee up hard, striking Rowan with a direct hit to
his groin.  He roared in pain, dropped his knife to the ground and doubled
over, holding his most sensitive area with both of his hands as he groaned in pain.

Anna was behind
him in a flash and held the blade of her dagger to the skin of his neck.  “I
told you that I can protect
myself
,” she whispered against his ear as he
continued to hold himself and grumble.  “Never underestimate the power of a
woman,” Anna said defiantly as she removed the blade of her dagger from his
neck and stomped back towards the tavern.

“I suppose ye can
keep the dagger,” Rowan yelled after her, accepting his defeat as he dropped to
his knees in the grass.  He laughed softly to himself, admiring Anna’s fire as
he continued to nurse his wounds in the moonlight. 

Rowan Murray
had met his match.

..ooOoo..

Pride having been
taken down a notch, Rowan walked back into the tavern. He slumped into a seat
next to Quinn and took a deep dreg out of his ale mug, which was now
unappetizingly warm.

“I decided that
she can keep the dagger,” Rowan said, looking over at Anna, who sat smiling
sweetly drinking her ale.

Quinn and Malcolm
stoically fought the urge to break out into laughter, having watched the entire
encounter through the window of the tavern.  They would wait until later to
give Rowan hell about being bested by a woman.

 He would never
live this one down.

The innkeeper took
a seat in the corner of the tavern and lifted a fiddle up to his neck.  He
struck up the beginning of a lively tune which was met with shouts of approval
from his patrons.

“Do ye dance,
Anna?” Rowan asked, surprising her.  His green eyes sparkled in invitation. 
The lass was a contradiction if he’d ever seen one.  She was so sweet and
innocent and yet fiery when provoked.  He wanted an excuse to touch her again. 
He wanted to make things right between them again.  Rowan’s heart hammered in
his chest as he anticipated Anna’s answer.

What if she
says no?

“I love to dance,”
Anna grinned radiantly as she reached out to take Rowan’s extended hand. “Is
this an offering of peace?” she asked, smiling slyly as she stood and followed
Rowan towards the music.

“Aye,” he said,
leading Anna away from his brothers.  “I’ve no ill feelings towards ye, even
after…” Rowan trailed off, color flushing his face as he recounted Anna besting
him with her dagger in the courtyard.  “I’m a bit stubborn mind ye.  Thank ye
for reminding me that brute strength canna always best cunning.”

“Compliment
accepted,” Anna smiled radiantly up at him, hazel eyes sparkling with the
thrill of her victory.  The surroundings seemed to melt away as she followed
Rowan to the dance floor.  She was intimately aware of the feelings that the
touch of his hand evoked on her skin.  Her heart fluttered in response as his
warm hand closed around her own.

“I’m goin’ tae
bed,” Quinn said tiredly, pushing away from the table and draining the last of
the ale from his mug.  “Ye coming?” he asked, looking at Malcolm.

Malcolm stood,
reluctantly following his brother’s cue and leaving Rowan and Anna alone.  Even
a fool could see the energy flowing between them.  Malcolm felt defeated,
wishing that he had thought to ask Anna to dance first.

“Rowan!” Quinn
called out across the tavern.

Rowan glanced over
his shoulder at his older brother.

Quinn said nothing
but shook his head in warning.

Rowan dismissed
Quinn’s warning and led Anna towards the corner of the tavern that had been
cleared of tables to create a makeshift dance floor.  He wondered if his heart
was going to explode in his chest as it seemed to be beating in double time
just from touching the soft skin of her hand.  Rowan’s pulse thrummed with
anticipation of holding Anna in his arms.  He stopped in the corner of the
floor, pausing to look down at Anna.  He felt like a besotted school boy when
he was in her presence. Her smile was breathtaking, and the ale had cast a warm
glow about her face. 

“Och!  I almost
forgot,” Rowan exclaimed.  He dropped Anna’s hand and dug in the pocket of his
trousers, producing the gold necklace.

Anna smiled.  She
turned and lifted her unbound hair so that Rowan could hook the necklace around
her neck.  Rowan deftly clasped the necklace about her neck, allowing his
fingers to glide over her soft skin.  He bent down and kissed her nape right
above the delicate chain.

“I worried that
you might lose it,” Anna said softly as she spun around to look up at Rowan.

“Nay.  I gave it
tae ye.  I would have never asked ye tae borrow it if I wasna sure that I could
get it back tae ye safely,” Rowan said as he reached down and reclaimed Anna’s
hand.  He brought her knuckles up to his lips and placed a soft kiss upon them.