“Nae, how is yer wrist?”
“’Tis doing better.” She held it up and wiggled her fingers to show him she had removed the bandage. “As long as I dinnae put pressure on it, ’tis fine.”
“They havenae been able to find the scrawny one.”
“Mayhap he is no’ threat without that brute he was with.”
“If he stays in Edinburgh, we will find him.” Alan’s eyes went dark.
They were lazy the rest of the afternoon. It had been a dream come true and she hadn’t wanted to go, but now she had to sneak back to the castle before anyone could find her. She also had the business of saving her brothers and keeping Alan safe.
“I need to go.” She sighed.
“Aye, ye probably should before Lachlan rushes through that door and unleashes his wrath to teach me a lesson for touching his little sister.”
“Ye do believe me that he will be happy for us?”
“Aye, we will work it out.” But doubt brewed in his eyes as she pulled her shift back over her head.
It was the same reservation coursing through her veins at the thought of being nothing more than a wife. Could she give up the one thing that had given her life purpose? She would have to if she wanted Alan, and she did, she wanted him with every fiber of her being, but the thought of life without caring for the horses weighed heavy on her.
“I’ll see ye back to the castle.” He rose and dressed along with her.
“Ye cannae be seen with me.”
“I’ll follow from a distance, just to be sure ye arrive.”
“See ye tonight,” she said as she slipped from the door, already missing him as she replaced the plaid over her head to hide her face. The rain had slackened, but it still kept the streets mostly deserted. The air had cooled, and it chilled her to the bone. By the time she arrived at the fortress on top of the hill, the peace of the afternoon had washed away. Everything that had seemed possible just a few moments ago now seemed out of her reach.
Malcolm paced outside her chamber. “Where have ye been?” he hissed through clenched teeth as she got close enough to hear. The only other person in the hall was Finlay, several doors down, outside her mother’s room.
“I went to see Alan.” She kept the plaid draped over her head.
“Ye cannae be seen with him.”
“Nae, ye are wrong. I can. I have been living with the Macnabs and have as much of a connection to the Covenanters as anyone. Me being seen with him will not be questioned.”
“’Tis no’ a good idea.”
“Aye, ’tis. I can pass information between ye if I need to. He’s already been seen with me multiple times this week, so no one will suspect it.”
“I’ll talk to Lachlan, but I dinnae like it, and dinnae go back to his inn. They could be watching him.”
“I was careful.”
“Ye cannae be too cautious where these men are concerned.”
Nodding, she pushed past him and entered her room, leaving him in the hall. She was still angry with him for not telling her the truth as soon as they had arrived.
After telling Blair she’d spent the afternoon wandering around looking for Alan, and in the stables with Poseidon, they dressed and made their way down for dinner. She hated the lie but vowed she’d tell her friend the truth as soon as everyone was safe and away from Edinburgh. For now, she had to try one more time to see if the Covenanters would slip up and reveal some hint of their plan at dinner.
…
When they arrived at the great hall, both her brothers and Alan were absent. She recognized it as irrational, but a fear came over her that something had happened to them, so she told Blair she would be back shortly and took off in the direction of Malcolm’s room.
Malcolm didn’t answer, so she moved to return to the hall but had a moment’s hesitation when she walked by the chamber she’d seen Niall Campbell come from earlier in the week. Knowing it was too dangerous to search his room, she was about to continue on when Niall strolled around the corner to see her in front of his door. Chills ran down her spine.
“Were ye looking for me, Ms. Cameron?” His gaze pinned her with mistrust. Her head spun to come up with a logical reason for standing outside his door.
“Aye. Nae, no’ really.”
In the pale candlelit hallway, she could just make out his eyes as they narrowed and darkened. He moved in front of her and placed his hands on the door around her, effectively caging her between the thick wood and his body.
“What are ye doing outside my door?” His voice was harsh and demanding. He wasn’t much taller than her, but he loomed over her with a commanding presence that made her want to shrink away.
“I came to see Malcolm, and he wasnae here. I remembered yer room was next to his, so I decided to see if ye would like to escort me to dinner. I was just leaving when ye didnae answer my knock.” Praying her voice didn’t tremble, she turned a smile on him.
He stilled and waited for her to go on. Her heart beat a rapid tattoo of fear laced with a healthy dose of self-preservation, so she chose the only option she thought she had left.
“I so enjoyed our dance last night. I thought ye may be interested in more.” His mouth curved up in a twisted devilish grin, and his gaze traveled down to her chest.
Och, I’ve chosen the wrong words.
“More dancing,” she corrected quickly and swallowed.
“I would enjoy dancing with ye again.”
She tried to maneuver around him, but his arm lowered and braced against the stones to cut off her retreat.
Niall’s eyes filled with a dark lust, and one hand drifted to open the door as the other circled around her waist. “Come in, and we can discuss what more I want.”
Panic enveloped her. “’Tis no’ proper,” she started.
“There ye are, Campbell. I was looking for ye.” A familiar, warm voice rumbled through the hall. Niall’s arms retreated as he took a step back. Alan appeared from nowhere.
Alan’s eyes widened. “Kirstie, what are ye doing here? Ye should be down with Blair.”
He was a damn good actor, or he honestly didn’t anticipate finding her here. She had expected anger from him, not the cool indifference and easy dismissal he heaped on her now.
“I was looking for Malcolm.” She took the opportunity to slide from the doorway and farther away from the scoundrel who had just tried to have his way with her.
“Why are ye here?” Niall was able to keep the anger out of his tone, but she saw it in his eyes. He thought Alan had just stolen his chance at getting under her skirts.
Alan had probably just saved her from something horrible. She would make it a point to avoid Niall in the future at all costs. There was no telling what he would do to her if he got her alone.
Alan kept on. If he noticed any undercurrents, he didn’t let it show. He continued talking to Niall and ignoring her. “I didnae see ye at the table tonight, so I came up to make sure ye hadn’t left for the tavern without me.”
Niall’s shoulders relaxed. “I just forgot something in my room. I was coming down to dinner right after. Wait here. I’ll be right back.” He turned the knob and disappeared through the door, shutting it behind him and leaving them alone in the empty hall.
Alan peered at her and whispered, “What did ye think ye were doing?” He grasped her wrist, and she winced. He eased his grip and slid his hand down her arm slowly to inspect it.
She opened her mouth to answer then stopped and looked at him sideways. “Ye followed me.” Her lips thinned as anger invaded the relief she’d felt at his presence.
“Aye, I did. And now I forbid ye from going anywhere on yer own. Ye seem incapable of making sane decisions.” He guided her farther from the door, glancing around to make certain they were still alone.
She fumed but said nothing.
“I didnae see Malcolm or La
chlan tonight. I was worried.” Before she could whisper the rest, the door began to open.
Alan dropped her arm. “I have to pretend as if ye dinnae mean anything to me,” he said under his breath before Niall stepped up beside them.
“Now, Ms. Cameron, may I escort ye to the hall?” Niall asked.
The dim light held enough glow that she could see the muscle in Alan’s jaw tick and his fists clench at his sides as Niall held out his arm for her to take.
“Aye, ye may. I am quite hungry tonight.”
She laced her arm through Niall’s, and they started down the hall with Alan trailing behind. The back of her neck burned with the anger she could feel wafting off him.
…
Alan slammed his cup down on the table a little harder than intended. He’d been forced to sit next to Niall Campbell, while Kirstie was sandwiched between the vile man and Hamish on her other side. Kirstie had pushed Niall’s arm from her leg several times already, and if the man touched her again, Alan would be forced to take action. She seemed to be fending off the same type of unwanted attention from Hamish as well.
She had tangled herself up in this web of spiders, and she thought she would get away unscathed. He had to make sure that happened. He had watched her head up to the rooms above stairs but had stayed to the shadows until Niall had looked like a pleased lion ready to pounce on her.
He didn’t want to think about what the man would have done to her if he had been able to get her into that room. Niall was known for having a temper and a twisted sense of right and wrong. Clenching his fists under the table, he remembered the fear in Kirstie’s eyes and the entitled way Niall had hovered over her. His stomach knotted, and he found himself unable to eat.
To top off dealing with the men pawing at her under the table, Lachlan was watching him from across the room, eyes blazing as hot as the summer sun. If bears were still in Scotland, his laird could have been a descendant of the burly beasts. Lachlan looked like what Alan imagined a bear defending its cub would, ready to lash out with its sharp claws and teeth. He couldn’t tell if the anger was directed at him or the two men flanking Kirstie.
Talk of tomorrow’s summit filled the evening’s conversation. It was a slippery slope for Alan to navigate with both Royalists and Covenanters by his side. He’d kept his eye on Kirstie the whole time but had not been able to make out what she and Hamish had been discussing.
The mood after dinner was somber. It seemed as if the revelry of the week had been an illusion as men and women departed from the hall, as if everyone had decided to head to bed early to prepare their thoughts and arguments for the meeting tomorrow, or maybe the steady rain had just brought down everyone’s spirits.
When his table started to disperse, Alan leaned over to Niall and Hamish. “Shall we go to the tavern?”
“Nae. I don’t wish to go out in that mess,” Hamish answered. “But meet us there tomorrow night when everything is over. I’m sure we will have much to discuss.” He was again tracing his teeth with his tongue as some unspoken thoughts flitted around behind his steady, unnerving gaze.
Alan had wanted to walk Kirstie back to her room, but Lachlan and Malcolm motioned for her to join them, and she was off before he was able to speak to her. He was thankful he would no longer have to worry about Niall or Hamish attempting to see her to her bedchamber and feign disinterest in their attention to her. It had been hard enough to make it through dinner pretending he hadn’t wanted to cut out the men’s eyes for looking at her. He could only hope Lachlan had seen their attentions and was now lecturing Kirstie on being too familiar with the men.
Pushing away thoughts of Kirstie and the coming confrontation with Lachlan, he focused his attentions on what he needed to do next. Right now, he had to think about the plot against the Cameron brothers. Finlay and Dougal were standing in a corner of the room, and he covertly made his way to them.
They stood by an alcove, and he was able to lean into the shadows of the small space. To the rest of the room, it appeared as if Dougal and Finlay were alone.
“Have ye learned anything new?” Alan asked.
“Nae. What about ye?” Dougal countered.
“All I ken is that the threat will come sometime after the summit has concluded.” He paused. “They have invited me to meet with them when the talks are done tomorrow. I believe they feel they can trust me.”
“Let’s hope so.” Dougal scratched his nose.
“Where’s Henry taking Blair?” Finlay asked. Before they could answer, he started cursing and walked away.
“Ye need to pass along to Lachlan that he, Malcolm, and Kirstie should leave as soon as ’tis over tomorrow.”
“I dinnae think he will do it. He has said if other lairds are in danger, ’tis his responsibility to lend them a hand.”
“If he is to be so foolish, he should at least get Malcolm and Kirstie out.”
“Ye ken with him staying, they willnae leave.” Dougal shook his head.
“Then ’twill fall to us to keep them safe.” He forked his fingers into his hair, massaging the muscles as he tried to come up with a way to get them out of Edinburgh before something bad could happen.
“Aye.”
“Ye stay close to Malcolm, I’ll keep an eye on Kirstie, and have Finlay watch out for Lachlan.” Releasing his head, he let his hands drop to his side.
“What if I want to take Kirstie?” The words felt like a taunt, although he couldn’t see the man’s face in his position.
“Nae. ’Tis easier if I do it, since I have access to the Covenanters she’s been staying with,” Alan said.
“Uh, ’twas right, ye have feelings for the lass. Lachlan said ye did, but I didnae believe him.”
“So Lachlan kens, then. Did he seem angry?”
“I can never tell. I can tell ye he has been a tyrant since we got here.”
What if Kirstie was wrong and Lachlan’s actions hadn’t been an act? Och, what had he done? There was no turning back now. Lachlan would either welcome, banish, or kill him.
“Looks like yer new friends are on their way to their rooms tonight.”
Alan didn’t have to look to know he was talking about Hamish and Niall. “I cannae wait to be back at Kentillie. If I have to listen to one more of Hamish’s sermons or watch Kirstie pull Niall’s paws off her, I will have to slit their throats.”
“Kirstie’s scanning the room. I think she wishes to ken where they have gone.”
He hoped she was looking for him, but he stayed silent.
“The man who attacked her in the stables was flogged and hung in the square today. From what I hear, ’twas no’ a bonny sight.”
“Dinnae let it get back to her. She has been affected enough by the filthy cowards.”
“’Tis been no sighting of his friend, but Lachlan still has men looking for him and has instructed one of us to stay guard outside the ladies’ rooms until we’re all back home.”
“Good.”
“Looks as if Malcom and Lachlan are walking her and Elspeth to their rooms. I dinnae think Blair went the same way. ’Tis why Finlay ran off like he did. He has a tender spot for that bonny friend of Kirstie’s.”
“I think he will have to wait in line. Henry Macnab was watching her like she already belonged to him.”
“I’ll get word to ye if I hear anything new. This cannae be over soon enough.”
“Be careful.”
“Take care of them, Dougal.”
Dougal turned and strolled away, while Alan hung in the alcove a little longer. When enough time had passed, he started wandering the halls to see if everyone was where they were supposed to be and if he could overhear something that would make this mission easier.
Sometime later, his appetite had returned, and he found himself leaning against the outside wall in the kitchens, having a small snack and watching the l
ast of the servants cleaning. He was about to leave for the inn, but the food here was much better, so he’d stopped on his way to the stables.
A man inched his way through the door, letting in fresh air and carrying some pans, but he didn’t shut the door behind him. Whispered words from a conversation on the other side caught his attention.
“And what is he going to do to the Cameron lass after they’re dead?”
Alan froze and stopped chewing.
“It won’t be good. ’Tis all I ken.”
“Och, there he is, ye better hide.” A man darted in the door and bolted through the room as if the devil were chasing him. Alan couldn’t see who it was, only noticing shoulder-length, curly blond hair with the build of a boy on the verge of becoming a man.
When he pivoted to peek out the door, whoever the other voice had belonged to was gone. Hell, they could only have been talking about Kirstie. The blood in his veins froze. Lachlan and Malcolm might not be the only ones in danger.
He had to know she was safe. Sneaking up to the hall outside her room, he watched from around a corner as Dougal paced up and down the corridor between her room and Elspeth Cameron’s. Finding a metal cup that had been left outside another chamber, he tossed it down the nearest stairwell. When his friend went to investigate the noise, he took off for Kirstie’s room.
Finding the door unlocked, he easily slid in before Dougal reappeared. He bolted the door behind him then moved to the bed. Seeing Kirstie safe, he was able to take in air again, but fear still beat in his chest. It seemed odd that Blair was missing, because most of the guests had left the hall. Hopefully, John Macnab was looking out for his sister.
He should leave and go back to the tavern, but his legs wouldn’t budge. Her bed looked so enticing, so inviting, and it would take him at least an hour to get back by the time he got to his horse, rode down, and had it settled again for the night. Kneeling, he moved closer to her, and a small sigh escaped from her throat as his finger caressed her cheek.
Considering that her plea for his protection, he set his sword down by the edge of the bed within easy reach, then he rested on the edge of the bed, pulled off his boots, unbelted his plaid, took off his shirt, and discarded them on the floor. There was something reassuring about crawling into bed naked next to her. He slid under the covers and draped his arm around her. She had been lying on her side, so her back was to his chest, with her ass just at cock level. He snuggled in closer to enjoy the warmth of her and quickly fell asleep.
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