Taming the Wild Highlander 04 (10 page)

Then she frowned, coming to a conclusion she didn
't wish to consider and turned to Angus. "They wouldna do such a thing to a woman prisoner, would they?"

Niall
's eyes rounded, his mouth gaping as he turned to see how Angus would respond.

Gunnolf did not say a word, though she assumed he
'd know, as many times as he'd been in one. Angus flushed a little. "Aye, lass. No' always, but sometimes, aye."

Her brothers would be furious with her captors and with her!

She would do most anything to secure their release. Mayhap not that.

***

God's knees, Angus
knew
Edana must have been thinking of getting herself thrown in the dungeon so that Gunnolf would go for help and her father would damn well provide it.

He hoped mentioning
that captors sometimes stripped women prisoners of their clothing would make her reconsider such a notion. He wished to help her in her quest, but not at the expense of them all losing their freedom. Even for a brief time.

They traveled until late that night and made camp
near a burn streaming white, alder mixed with downy birch, and rowan leaning over the burn's banks. This time he knew she would not attempt to slip off on her own because they had agreed to ride with her to locate her brothers. Small consolation as he had other concerns now. The difficulty was that he did not want her sleeping by herself, cold and shivering in the chilled night air. They had no tent, no way to keep out the damp mist cloaking them.

Yet, wrapping her in his body heat and sharing hers with him could be a habit he would not be willing to give up so easily once they had accomplished their mission.

While Gunnolf watched over the lass and made a fire, Angus and Niall gathered more kindling in the tangle of brush to last the night. "You are no' making a mistake by calling the lass your wife, are you, Cousin?" Niall asked.

"'
Tis just a ploy."

"
Yet with our customs—saying it is so, makes it so. 'Tis just as binding as marriage in a kirk." Niall struggled to untangle a fallen tree limb from the brush.

Angus went to help him as Niall wasn
't making much headway. "Aye, I know, but she agreed to the ruse only in an attempt to learn where her brothers are. She wouldna keep me to my word when we are only pretending to be husband and wife."

After the way they had been together during the night already, had her father seen them, he would have forced the marriage to take place, he was certain. But she had assured Angus, he need not concern himself with such. And he believed the lass.

Niall shook his head as they pulled the limb free, then gathered more twigs and downed branches. "Seems to me you are playing with fire. What if she agrees with this plan of yours and doesna wish for anything further to come of it? But her da has other designs?"

"
What do you mean?"

"
That when he learns you have declared her your wife, he wants it to be so."

"
He wouldna wish that on his daughter." Angus didn't think.

"
You are no' such a disagreeable knave as that," Niall joked.

"
I dinna mean that. Because he cares for her, he would want the lass married to someone she loved who loved her in return."

"
Aye, but what if he knows no one will even make such an offer, ever? And he has the chance to have a MacNeill, brother to a laird, wed to his one and only daughter, who he cherishes, even if she is a bit different. He knows we are all honorable. He wouldna believe you would be anything but your charming self with the lass. Why do you think he has asked James to send one of his brothers when he knew you were the only one still there? And as of yet—unmarried."

Again, the inference
being that Edana's father had plans other than just having them find her and escort her to his keep. Maybe even the reason her father would not send his own men to fetch her back.

"
I…dinna believe it," Angus said, heading back to camp with the armload of wood, although both Gunnolf and Niall's words gave him pause.

"
Believe it or no', but I am just warning you in the event you want Gunnolf or me to take the lass home while you wait for us. Or better yet, if we are able to free her brothers, they can return her home and leave us out of it altogether."

A prudent man would consider Niall
's words of concern and might even agree with him. So why was Angus fighting the notion that he would not want anyone to escort her safely back to her castle but him?

After eating porridge and a trout
Gunnolf managed to catch, Edana was quiet, staring into the fire. Angus observed her for a while, watching the orange flames cast flickers of light across her sweet face.

Her unplaited hair rested over her shoulders and
reminded him of that day so long ago when she looked into the loch, her expression contemplative.

"
I will take first watch," Gunnolf said, breaking into his thoughts.

"
Aye," Angus said. Before he could say he would take the next, Niall piped up.

"
Me after that," Niall said.

"
Are you ready to bed down for the night, lass?" Angus asked, standing, then stretching. He didn't remember a time when he felt so uncomfortable. He wished to keep the lass warm, but didn't wish to offer in front of Niall and Gunnolf. He didn't wish to embarrass the lass. Before, he had lain next to her to prevent her from trying to leave the shieling, then offered to keep her warm when she was so chilled.

But now…

She had already brought out her blankets and hesitated as she considered the fire again, her gaze catching his.

"
Is this…where you want me to sleep?" she asked.

Gunnolf had left to provide guard duty.
Thankfully. Niall fetched his blankets and laid them on the ground next to the fire opposite from where Angus and Edana stood.

"
Aye, the spot is clear of rocks. Close to the fire, but no' too close."

She nodded and spread out the first of the blankets.
"'Tis chilly tonight," she said.

"
Aye. The weather was warmer earlier today once the mist cleared and though it appeared it would rain, the clouds are disbursing some, so the night shouldna be too bad."

She looked up. A sprinkle of stars could be seen lighting a patch of cleared sky.
"Aye. But…" She glanced at Niall who was already resting on his blanket. He quickly closed his eyes. "'Tis chilly tonight," she repeated to Angus.

As much as Angus
told himself he should not tuck the bonny lass in his arms this eve again, he also reminded himself she could become chilled. "Aye," Angus said, mind made up. He would serve as a good Samaritan.

He retrieved his blankets, setting his next to hers.

She gave him a small smile. Sweet, innocent, lovely and that one smile heated his blood. Why was it that her hint of gratitude could make him want so much more?

He waited until she was lying down, facing the fire before h
e reclined on his blanket. His cousin gave him an evil smile that said Angus was headed for a darkling journey.

Attempting to ignore Niall,
Angus had barely lain down, pondering wrapping his arms around the lass or just getting close enough to her without touching, when she scooted backward a bit until her soft warm body planted against his torso. He gritted his teeth to keep from groaning out loud as she seated that sweet arse against his growing arousal.

She squirmed again against him,
trying to settle herself. He quickly wrapped his arms around her to keep her from moving about and causing him any more discomfort—as damned pleasurable as it was. Could she not feel how her body inflamed his?

Nay, she was a sweet innocent, unaware of the way of men. Which meant he had to ensure he kept his thoughts pure, even though he wrapped her more securely in his arms.
She sighed and he smiled. He'd never had a better way to keep warm on a chilly night and the notion Niall would serve on guard duty next worked well for him.

When Gunnolf woke Angus
later, he peered at the pinks and oranges as the sun began to rise. "Niall didna wake me for guard duty," Angus said, rising to his feet.

"
The lass needed your warmth," Gunnolf said. "We suspected you wished neither of us to take your place."

Gunnolf assumed correctly, though Angus would not admit to the truth.

***

For two days
, they traveled to Lockton Castle, home of Dunbarton, and when they caught sight of the keep, the gray castle walls ringed by four tours, Gunnolf headed for the caves where he and Dougald had once found shelter. Feeling unsure as to what to expect, Angus nodded to his companions to continue on their way.

"
Let us see what we shall see." Angus prayed he would be worthy of Edana's father's faith in him in bringing his daughter home safely and in Edana's that he could help her free her brothers from whatever dungeon that they now resided.

The morning sun bathed the
stone walls in warm light as the portcullis rose, creaking and groaning like an old man grumbling about his aches and pains. Guards on the wall walk above eyed the three riders. He had to admit having Edana with them made them appear to be less of a threat. No man in his right mind would take a woman into battle.

An older man was driving an empty cart out of the inner bailey and greeted t
hem as he continued on his way.

Another approached, this one wearing a sword and dirk, his dark eyes wary.
"How now," he said in greeting, his eyes quickly looking over the lass, but shifting again to the men who could give him trouble. "Who are ye and what do ye seek here?"

"
We wish to speak with your laird," Angus said.

"
Keary Dunbarton, Laird of Lockton, isna here at the moment."

So Keary had taken his father
's place and since he had helped James to free Gunnolf and Dougald the last time they had been incarcerated, it seemed a good omen.

"
Lady Allison? Is she here?" Angus asked quickly, before they lost the opportunity to learn what they could about Edana's brothers. Allison had rescued Gunnolf and Dougald the first time they had landed in the dungeon, and he hoped mayhap she would tell him what he needed to know. Though with Keary being in charge and his half-brother, Finbar, no longer able to vie for the position, his sister—who favored their brother Finbar for the position—and he might both be gone.

"
She is inside. Does she know ye?"

Angus had never met Lady Allison
that he could recall. He was trying to think of a way to gain an audience without making Keary's staff suspicious.

"
Aye, we are friends. Tell her Lady Eilis wishes to speak with her," Edana quickly said, evidently recalling the rest of the story he had told her. "This is her…my brother, Angus MacNeill, by marriage."

Angus stared at her. What was she doing? It was true James
's wife and Lady Allison had come to rescue Dougald and Gunnolf, but the lass didn't look anything like Eilis. And wasn't he supposed to be pretending to be Edana's husband? He knew he should have returned her home first.

The man nodded.
"Come with me." He glanced at Niall, as if recalling he should know who he was also.

"
Cousin to the MacNeills," Niall said.

"
We have heard tell James fished you from the briny deep," the guard said to Edana.

Niall quickly jumped in to tell the tale as neither Angus
nor Edana had witnessed it and he wasn't certain if Edana had ever heard it. "Her ship was wrecked and aye, I helped rescue the wee lass clinging to a mossy rock."

"
She was supposed to be married to Keary's father when he was laird," the man said, looking her over. "'Tis too bad she is no longer available. Our current laird likes the fiery-headed lasses as well."

Edana cast a glance in Angus
's direction. She looked a little bit like a rabbit—realizing the wolves were upon her. He imagined she'd never gotten herself in this kind of a predicament before.

The man
escorted them to a small chamber inside the keep, then left.

"
I was supposed to be your husband," Angus whispered to her as Niall kept a lookout, knowing they would have trouble once Lady Allison made her appearance and saw the woman pretending to be Eilis.

"
I didna think they would admit us without one of us knowing the lady. And even if you had known her, I didna believe the guard would have wanted to bring you here to see her without her brother's approval," Edana said, arms folded across her breasts, chin up, eyes flashing with indignation.

He admired her tenacity and had never expected her to come up with a plan in the blink of an eye to make this work. If it worked.