She sat back and crossed her arms. “I’ll not let you wed me and I certainly will not let you kill me.”
“You’re an interesting lass. Most would be glad to marry into my family. Then again most would not be pressing their ears to doors. Their mothers taught them better.”
She smiled. “You will not coax me into a rage by speaking ill of my mother. She will be your mother-in-law if you get your way and if you think I’m bad, I’m nothing compared to my mother. She will track you down and unman you if she thinks harm has come to me.”
He paled and her grin widened.
“Then there are my five brothers.” She put her finger against her cheek and just barely stopped her wince of pain when she hit a bruise. “You probably would prefer to face them rather than my mother.”
“Your mother and your brothers can do nothing,” he said. “When I become your husband I will own you and they will have no say.”
She shrugged. “They don’t follow those laws, I’m afraid. It means nothing to them.”
She looked up to find that she’d silenced Lysle but his anger was all-encompassing. He was nearly purple with it and his hands were clenched in his lap. She wondered if maybe she’d pushed him too far, but she wanted him to know that if he managed to kill her then her family would come after him.
The carriage jolted over a hole and both she and Lysle bounced.
“I will teach you to respect me,” he said through clenched teeth.
“I will never respect someone who can plot a king’s murder. I will never respect anyone who would leave a woman to freeze to death in an inn, tied to a bed. No real man would do what you have done to me.”
Lysle lunged across the carriage, landing on top of her and hitting her across the face again.
“I will teach you about real men,” he said as he held her down with one hand and yanked at her skirts with the other.
“You may not respect me,” he said. “But you will learn to obey me.”
“Never.” She fought him, trying to wriggle away from him, squirming to slide away.
She was reaching for the handle to the carriage door as he pulled her skirts up.
“No need to wait for the wedding,” he said. “It’s only a formality after all. Your first lesson will begin now.”
She thought of the knife tied to her thigh and knew that she couldn’t allow him to find it or he would use it against her. She fought harder.
But she was pinned beneath him and he was attempting to undo his breeches, breathing hard, his face flushed. The buttons of his breeches popped and he pulled his member out, but he wasn’t hard. His cock lay flaccid, wilted, and despite her fear and against her better judgment Rose laughed.
She couldn’t help it. The laugh just came bubbling out of her. He wanted to rape her and he couldn’t.
He punched her in the face. She heard the bones in her cheek crack and she cried out.
Lysle pushed himself off her and shoved his small, ineffectual penis back in his breeches. Rose scooted away from him, pulling at her skirts, trying to find the knife but there were too many skirts and she was shaking and her fingers weren’t working properly.
Enraged now, Lysle grabbed her shoulders and yanked her up. They were now half standing in the middle of the carriage as it swayed back and forth, their faces so close she could smell on his breath the eggs he’d had for breakfast.
With a cold smile he circled her neck with his hands and began to squeeze.
“Bitch,” he said between clenched teeth as his hands got tighter and tighter, closing off her air until she was gagging and gasping.
She clawed at his fingers, pulled at his arms. His face was intent, studied, red with rage as he watched his fingers cut off her life.
Desperate Rose yanked up her skirts, fighting to stay conscious for just a moment longer.
The carriage lurched to the side, breaking Lysle’s hold as they both fell, him on top of her. She hit her head on the side of the carriage. There was shouting outside, a pistol shot that had Lysle jerking his head up and cursing.
The carriage stopped just as Rose pulled the knife and plunged it into Lysle’s back. His eyes widened, his back arched and he looked at her in shock.
Realization dawned in his eyes and he reached behind him, clawed at the hilt that was buried in the center of his back.
Bitch, he mouthed.
There was more shouting outside, horses whinnying, another shot and then silence.
“You…won’t…get away…with…this,” he said.
“I already did,” she said, and she pushed him off her. He laid on the carriage floor, gasping for air, moaning.
Rose had the urge to kick him in the side like he’d done to her so many times yesterday but she opened the carriage door instead.
One guard lay motionless on the ground, blood coming from a pistol ball through the back. The driver was hanging off the side of the carriage, his eyes open, obviously dead. She did not see the other guards.
She practically fell out of the carriage and looked up to find Will a few feet away. Beautiful Will, his hair mussed, his clothing dirty and wrinkled. Will.
A sob caught in her throat. Tears welled in her eyes, and she angrily swiped them away because she didn’t want anything to impede her view of him.
She fell into his open arms, the sobs finally breaking through. His strong arms wrapped around her and held her tight and she clung to him, crying, relieved.
And exactly where she wanted to be.
—
Things were a bit of a blur after that. She was shocked to see her da, John, Ewan and her cousins Rabbie and Paden. They swarmed around her, asking questions, touching her to make sure she was okay. She refused to leave the safety of Will’s arms, and it seemed he was unable to let her go.
She cried and laughed and cried some more, unable to answer their questions but able to tell them that she would be fine. Just some bruises and maybe a broken cheekbone.
Will touched her swollen cheek gingerly, concern and fury in his eyes.
“Is he dead?” she asked.
“Aye,” he said. “You did good, lass.”
She buried her head in his shoulder and just breathed in the scent of him.
Things moved quickly after that. It wouldn’t do to have six of the queen’s guards lying in the middle of the road and a dead noble as well.
Her father and brothers gathered the dead bodies and loaded them into the carriage then drove the carriage a bit down the road to a lake where they pushed it in with the bodies inside. The six of them stood at the side of the lake and watched as the water bubbled around the carriage and it slowly sank to the bottom.
They headed home after that, with the guards’ horses and the carriage horses tied together following them. They were the Turners after all, and a good reiver family did not leave excellent cattle behind.
Rose rode in front of Will on Tyche. She’d been waiting for her father to say something but he’d been unnaturally quiet, only asking if she was hurt too badly. When she assured him she wasn’t he had nodded then gone about the business of preparing everyone for the ride home.
“You have Tyche,” she said to Will, fondly patting her favorite horse’s neck.
“Aye,” Will said. Then sheepishly, “He’s mine.”
She laughed, surprised to find that she could still laugh. It felt good.
“I’m glad,” she said.
They did not speak much after that, and it was fine with her. She just wanted to rest in his arms and to her surprise she dozed off and on. He was warm and safe and she’d sorely been lacking in warmth and safety the last few days.
When they stopped for the night she helped them set up camp and to Will’s surprise she crawled up next to him and laid against him, shivering. Wordlessly he draped another blanket around her and she nestled into his warmth.
“Thank you,” she whispered after the rest of the men and boys had started breathing deep and snoring.
“For
what?” He ran his hand up and down her side in a comforting gesture. She wanted the connection, needed to know he was there. His touch was reassuring.
“For coming for me.”
“Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“I didn’t know. I’d hoped that Margaret would tell you I was missing, but I didn’t know if you would come for me. I’ve been a bit of a bother since you’ve met me.”
He brushed her hair off her neck and placed a kiss at the base of her skull.
“Of course I came for you. I’m only sorry that I didn’t see the outcome of this sooner.”
“It’s not your fault. Neither of us imagined that the queen herself would be involved in Darnley’s murder plot.”
He placed his cheek against the top of her head and sighed. “I’m so sorry, Rose.”
They fell into a comfortable silence, and Rose resigned herself to the fact that she would not sleep this night. It might be many nights that she would not sleep.
“He hurt you,” Will said.
“I’ll heal.”
“I would kill him all over again if I could.”
“He’s not worth it.”
More silence passed. She was in that world where she was not quite awake and not quite asleep when she thought she heard Will whisper, “I love you, Rose.”
Chapter 34
Will never wanted to let Rose go so he was damn happy that she seemed to cling to him during the ride back. But he wasn’t happy about the shadows in her eyes and the swollen eye where she said Lysle had punched her.
What kind of bloody bastard punched a woman?
She was reticent to discuss what had happened during her time with Lysle even though Will and her father had a very good idea through their discussion with the inn’s proprietor. But there was more. Will knew there was more and he wanted to hear the whole story but Rose remained silent.
She slept fitfully that first night, curled into his body. He’d been surprised when she defied her brothers and her father and pressed up next to him. But neither Thom, John nor Ewan said a word the next morning. They were kind to her but kept to themselves, apparently sensing now was not the time to be the pesky brothers they were used to being.
One thing was very clear, though. All the Turner men were proud of their sister for fighting back and for killing Lysle.
Only Will wondered what toll it took on her spirit.
They reached the homestead the afternoon of the second day to find Rhona waiting for them in the yard. She looked at Rose carefully, taking in the swollen eye, the bruised cheek, the careful way Rose walked. Her gaze strayed to Thom and some sort of silent communication passed between them.
Rhona held her arms out to her daughter, and Rose went into them and cried while Rhona patted her back and whispered in her ear. Eventually she took Rose up to the living quarters. Will did not want to see Rose go, was uncomfortable having her out of his sight, but this was her family and he was the outsider.
He had accomplished what he had set out to accomplish and that was to save Rose. Because of that he could not return to Holyrood palace. There would be too many questions, too many raised eyebrows, whispered rumors.
It was time he returned to England to report back to Elizabeth.
But first he wanted to make certain that Rose would be safe here.
Damn it. He loved her and there was nothing he could do about that but keep loving her even as he walked away from her.
“She’ll be fine with Rhona,” Thom said as he walked his horse past Will who was still standing in the middle of the yard looking up at the door that Rose had passed through.
John and Ewan led the newly acquired horses past him, both keeping their eyes diverted.
Will caught up to Thom. “Thank you for letting me help save Rose,” he said.
Thom looked at him in surprise. “If it weren’t for you we would have never known she was in trouble. Thank you for coming for us.”
Will watered Tyche and gave him a large bucket of oats for a job well done.
“I should be leaving,” he said as he watched his horse hungrily dive into the oats.
When Thom didn’t answer Will looked over to find the older man considering him with a studied expression.
“I’d thought you would fight harder.”
Will’s brows drew down in confusion. Fight harder? He thought he’d performed admirably when they attacked the guards.
“For her,” Thom said. “I’d thought you’d fight harder for her.”
His shoulders slumped. “What is there to fight for? In my career it’s damn near impossible to have a wife and family and Rose deserves nothing less than that.”
Thom studied him for a bit longer then turned on his heel to head out of the lower level of the house. “Follow me.”
Will followed Thom up the ladder to the upper level where they entered into the kitchen. Rose was nowhere to be found but that didn’t stop Will from looking into the shadowed corners for her and it didn’t stop his heart from thumping in disappointment.
Rhona was bustling about the kitchen and Thom sat on a long, wooden bench at the table just as Rhona put a mug in front of him.
A hound dog came from a back room and plopped down at Thom’s feet. Will wondered if this was the Penelope that Rose spoke of.
“Supper will be soon,” Rhona said.
“Sit down,” Thom said and then took a large swallow of his drink.
Will sat, strangely relieved that the decision to leave had been taken out of his hands.
Rhona put bowls of steaming stew in front of them. Will realized that he’d not had anything substantial to eat in days, probably since learning of Rose’s disappearance.
“Rose is getting cleaned up,” Rhona said. She put a mug of mulled wine in front of Will, who drank greedily. Strangely he felt comfortable here in this reivers’ home. They were good people. Maybe not always law-abiding but they were honest people. He liked them.
He scooped up a large helping of stew and tucked into it. He was halfway through when Rose entered.
Her hair was wet, making it a dark amber color that hung in wet hanks down her back and over her shoulders. Her face was shiny clean, emphasizing the bruise that was turning a nasty purple. She smiled at him as she took the seat next to her father and across from Will.
She was wearing an old gown, mellowed with age, soft and flowing around her. She looked young and fresh. Far younger than what she really was and not at all the woman he’d met at court.
He liked this version of Rose Turner.
Thom pushed his plate away and studied his daughter for a moment.
“The immediate threat is over,” he said to everyone in the room. “But Rose is still not safe.”
Rose’s head jerked up and she looked at her father with a frown.
“She still knows about the murder plot,” Will said.
Thom nodded. “The queen will not rest if she knows that Rose could potentially implicate her.” Thom turned to Will. “My hope is that everyone will think she died in the carriage with the others but we can’t count on that. We need to get Rose to safety.”
“Da,” Rose said. “I’ll be fine here. The house is impenetrable.”
“You will hide here the rest of your life? You’ll stay up here and never go outside again?”
“Well, no, but…”
Will could see the truth begin to seep into her and for a moment she looked panicked at the thought of being stuck up here forever, never to go outside, never to tend to her animals or walk in the sun.
“We can’t keep you safe forever,” Thom said softly. “But Will can.”
Rose’s green eyes searched out Will’s. With sudden clarity Will understood Thom’s motives.
Will cleared his throat, but he had no idea what he wanted to say. He would very much like to keep Rose with him forever. He wanted nothing more, but he’d told Thom that his life was not conducive to marriage and a family and what the hell did he know about loving someone? He’
d probably be horrible at it.
“Take her to England with you,” Thom said. “It is where you are from, and you told me you were returning there shortly.”
“True, but…” He looked at Rose and she was looking between her father and Will, confused and frightened and he could see a growing anger in her heightened color. “But we need to ask Rose what she wants,” he said.
Thom made a noise that Will took to mean that Rose did not have a choice but Will believed that Rose should have a choice. This was her life, her decision.
“I’m not leaving Scotland,” she said. “Especially not to live in England. No offense.” She nodded to Will.
“You can’t live in Scotland anymore, Rose.” Thom’s tone was practical but broached no argument.
Rose slapped the table and stood, her face flushed. “I can bloody well do what I please. I’m not leaving you or Ma to go live in a foreign country.”
Will had to suppress his smile. England was but a few miles from their home and not so different from where they lived in Scotland. He would gather that Holyrood palace and Edinburgh had been much more foreign to Rose than England would be.
“I can’t promise that we can keep you safe. We’re not always here. We have our…” Thom looked sidelong at Will. “We are gone for long periods. You know this, Rose. You can’t hide up here. You have to go to England and live your life there.”
“No.” She shook her head but her voice wavered and her eyes filled with tears that she quickly blinked away.
Will stood, drawing everyone’s attention. “May I speak to Rose alone?” he asked.
Thom hesitated, and it seemed to Will that he was ready to keep arguing but arguing would not solve this problem.
“Go,” Rhona said, making the decision for Thom. “Both of you go have a long walk.”
Rose looked at her father, then her mother and finally at Will. Her shoulders slumped and she followed Will out of the house and down the ladder.
“You lead,” Will said when they were on solid ground. “I don’t know this area well.”
Bound to a Spy Page 24