Her intent was to cause him to fall to the ground, but Ridge wasn’t so easily defeated. He managed to keep his balance, grab the woman who was trying so desperately to defeat him, and sling her up over his shoulder. As she fought viciously against him, he brought a trencher-sized hand down on her buttocks and spanked her soundly. Josephine howled.
“Ridge!” she screamed. “You beast! Put me down!”
Ridge spanked her again. “That is for kicking me in the ballocks,” he told her. “If you ruin my chances of having a son, I will come for you, wherever you are. I will hunt you down and Andrew d’Vant will not be able to protect you.”
He was carrying her back over to the lists where Nicholas was standing, open-mouthed. Ridge motioned to the young man.
“Come along,” he said. “I am taking the lady back to her chambers. She is finished with the training grounds for the day. She should not have been here in the first place.”
Nicholas climbed off the lists, concerned for Josephine. “Ye’re ruining her dress, Ridge,” he pointed out. “The king will be angry.”
“Then she should not have charged me.”
That was the truth and Nicholas didn’t have much to say to that. What had started off as a lovely morning had turned into a bit of a fiasco. Across Ridge’s broad shoulder, the more Josephine squirmed, the more Ridge spanked her. Furious, as she knew she couldn’t fight the man the way he was holding her, she hung over his shoulder and reached down, pulling up the back of his mail coat.
Ridge could feel what she was doing and he spun her around a couple of times, trying to disorient her, but it didn’t work – she had the mail coat hiked up and managed to get her hands on the linen breeches he wore underneath the heavier leather ones he wore as protection. Once she got a hold of the top of the linen breeches, she pulled as hard as she could and Ridge nearly dropped her.
On top of kicking him in the groin, now she was trying to cut off the blood supply to that area. She yanked hard, seriously constricting him, and he spanked her so hard that she screamed. But she didn’t stop pulling. In fact, by the time they reached the entry to the wing where she was housed, she had pulled his breeches up so tightly that the man could barely walk.
“Let go,” he said through clenched teeth.
Josephine refused. “Not unless you put me down!”
“I cannot put you down when you have my breeches pulled halfway up to my shoulders.”
“Then we are at an impasse.”
Nicholas had been watching the entire thing and he wasn’t hard pressed to realize how brutally humorous it was. Josephine was stubborn, but so was Ridge. When two immovable objects met, there was often violence, so Nicholas walked around to the rear of Ridge and tried to look Josephine in the eye.
“Ye really should let him go, Joey,” he said. “’Tis most undignified to see ye like this. If ye could see yerself, ye would know what I mean.”
Josephine looked at him, upside-down. Her lovely hair style was all but unraveled. “He had no right to spank me.”
Nicholas thought that, perhaps, the only way around her was to be firm. “And ye truly had no business trying to sword fight the man,” he said. “I told ye I should not have taken ye to the training grounds and this is how ye repay me? Now, let the man go. I am hungry and want to go inside.”
Josephine was reluctant to agree that Nicholas was probably right. She’d jumped into the training arena where she didn’t belong, and Ridge was right to have removed her. Reluctantly, she let go of Ridge’s breeches and Ridge immediately set her to her feet. They eyed each other for a moment, stubbornly, until Josephine broke down.
“I am sorry I kicked you in the groin,” she said. “Are you hurt much?”
Ridge kicked out a leg, trying to pull his linen pants down from where they were bunched up in between his buttocks. “Nay,” he said. “And since you are apologizing, I will say that whoever trained you to fight did a good job of it. You have excellent instincts.”
Josephine fought off a smile at the compliment. Somehow, it didn’t seem appropriate to smile as the man struggled to pull his breeches out of his arse crack.
“You and I have fought each other a few times since we first met,” she said. “You are a worthy opponent.”
Ridge couldn’t help it; he grinned at the fact that she truly thought she was his equal. “I would much rather not fight you, my lady,” he said. “Can we please call a truce? My groin cannot take any more violence.”
Josephine’s smile broke through. “Indeed,” she said. “We have a truce.”
“Did I spank you too hard? If I did, I apologize.”
She shook her head. “With all of the skirts and shifts between your hand and my backside, I hardly felt a thing.”
He laughed softly. “Then we are friends again,” he said. But then, he sobered dramatically as he focused on her. “And as your friend, I would ask a favor.”
She cocked her head curiously. “What is it?”
He sighed faintly, glancing around the area to see who was out and about. The king had many spies at Edinburgh, including him, and he wanted to see if he was being watched. A brief perusal of the area showed it to be relatively safe from prying eyes.
“Stay to your chambers today,” he said, his voice quiet. “Do not come out again, not today and not any day from this point forward unless you are summoned. I have it on good authority from the spies on the outskirts of Edinburgh that the earl is approaching from his home at Liberton. He should be here within the next hour or two, so I would strongly recommend you return to your chamber and bolt the door. Do not give the man a chance to see you here, out in the open. Do you understand?”
Gone was the humor, the lightheartedness of the day. Gone was the just plain fun of scrapping with Ridge. Now, Josephine gazed back at him in fear.
“God’s Bones,” she breathed. “He has been sighted?”
Ridge nodded. “He has.”
Josephine felt as if she’d been kicked in the gut. She suddenly felt sick. “I do not know why I should feel so shocked by this news,” she muttered. “I knew he was coming. I have been told. Still… the reality of it is somewhat daunting.”
Ridge could feel the familiar pangs of sympathy for the little soldier as well as the familiar pangs of that brotherly protectiveness. “Go back to your chambers, Josephine,” he said quietly. “And if I were you, I’d keep the servants out. Madelaine is a direct line to the king. She is his mistress when the whim strikes him.”
Josephine looked at him in shock. “She is?”
Ridge nodded. He didn’t say another word, but turned her for the entrance with the silent suggestion she go inside. Josephine didn’t hesitate; she quickly entered the building with Nicholas on her heels.
Ridge stood there a moment, thinking that even if she did lock herself in her chamber, it wouldn’t do much good. All the king had to do was order her to appear before him, and before her betrothed, and she would have to appear. Ridge was supposed to practice that morning and then he had a training group he was supposed to work with in the afternoon, new Scottish recruits to the king’s army. He really had no desire to work with farmers and hunters from the Highlands.
Instead, he thought he might stick close to Lady Josephine’s chambers, just in case she needed him.
There wasn’t much he could do if she did, but still… something told him to stick close.
*
He could see the approaching army from a distance.
Using the apple man disguises, Sully and Andrew had been able to come and go freely between the castle and the inn Ermaline, Esme, and the other whores called home. It was coming to be their base of operations. Being that the inn was literally on the road leading up to the castle, it was the best place to watch the comings and goings, and that included the approach of Andrew’s brother. Since they knew he was due on this day, they’d retreated to the inn and had remained vigilant, watching the road, waiting for what was to come.
And it came so
on enough.
From the east, Andrew saw it first. He was preparing to ride into the city to locate a blacksmith when the approach of the army caught his eye. Troops of the highest order moving through town, heading for the castle. The banners and foot soldiers came first, trudging up the road leading to the gatehouse. The great golden bear of Blackbank was outlined on the flag coming into focus. Andrew was so engrossed with the sight before him that he didn’t notice his white-knuckled fists clenching and unclenching passionately.
Men on horseback followed the foot soldiers, fierce-looking knights whose armor was familiar to him. Hell, he probably knew some of the men who wore it, for only nineteen years had passed since he’d left Haldane. He knew that all nine of the knights had been loyal to his father, and he was sure that given the choice between Alphonse and himself, they would be loyal to him.
It was a huge caravan that his brother had brought, no doubt, to show his strength. With the number of men he had brought, he could wreak considerable havoc on this city should he choose, should the situation not go well with Josephine.
And then, his brother was there, larger than life.
Alphonse d’Vant, Earl of Annan and Blackbank, sat astride a massive black animal that looked like it was borne of the demons of hell. But somehow, Alphonse didn’t seem as large as Andrew had remembered, and he felt oddly relieved. Over the years, Andrew’s hatred for his brother had gained him another foot in height and a hideously deformed face, but he saw that neither was certainly the case. His brother looked tamer, more vulnerable, and entirely human.
Entirely mortal.
Killing him shall be a pleasure!
But no mistaking – the man was huge. He rode on his destrier swathed in enough armor to squash a normal man, and was heading up the hill towards Edinburgh Castle. The rest of his troops followed in precise ranks, looking like a hundred trained dogs following their master obediently.
Andrew felt many different emotions as he watched his brother. It was almost as if he were dreaming because he had waited for this moment for so long. It was surreal. He felt hate and anger, but he also felt oddly relieved that the event he’d so long prepared for was finally coming to pass. Finally, his long-awaited vengeance would be realized, and he was more than ready for it.
But thoughts of vengeance turned to thoughts of Josephine, and he felt a tremendous sense of protectiveness towards her. Damn Alphonse! If he were standing in front of him now, he’d like nothing better than to wrap his hands around his brother’s throat, not only for the pain and anguish the man had caused their mother, but now for the pain and anguish he was causing Josephine.
Of course, Alphonse had no idea that the woman he was pledged to marry was his own brother’s lady but, still, Alphonse was the cause of torment for both of the women that Andrew loved.
It was time for that torment to end.
Alphonse and his entourage disappeared up the road and into the gatehouse of the castle, but Andrew continued to stare as if rooted to the spot. There was so very much going through his mind but, eventually, he came back to the world around him. Yet, his mind was still very much occupied. He thought of the coming battle, of the weapons he’d brought with him to accomplish his task.
He looked at the broadsword strapped to the saddle of his horse, a weighty thing that he’d used in battle for years. But he wanted something better. Knowing his brother had been on the approach, his intention had been to find a good blacksmith because he had some ideas about what he needed in a blade. There was something he wanted and little time to do it. For what he needed to accomplish, he needed a blade that could slice through a man’s torso like a hot knife through butter.
Aye, there were many things on his mind at the moment, but something made him look up to the second story of the inn. He didn’t know what or why, but he happened to glance up to the window of his room. Sully’s face stared down at him, his square jaw set and his blue eyes smoldering as they locked onto Andrew’s brown orbs. In that instant, Andrew knew that Sully had seen the earl as well, and was believing every cursed thing Andrew had told him about the man.
With an ironic grimace, Andrew mounted his horse and sped off into the city.
*
Ridge had told her to stay to her chambers, but Josephine just couldn’t seem to listen to the man.
She wasn’t being deliberately disobedient, but it was more the fact that she hadn’t seen Andrew since the previous evening. She thought for certain he would have come to her today, or at least make his presence known, but he hadn’t. The longer she waited for him and the more the day progressed, the more worried she became.
Surely he couldn’t have gone far from the castle. Surely he was around here, somewhere. And what of Sully? Where was he? Since Ridge had all but commanded her to return to her chambers, she’d stood at the window, watching the grounds, trying to spy Andrew somewhere amongst the many people that walked to and fro across the dirt courtyard. But he wasn’t anywhere to be found and the more time passed, the more worried she became.
At her request, Nicholas had long since left her to go about his own business. In truth, Josephine simply wanted to be alone, especially if Andrew was on the grounds. She didn’t want him making an appearance in front of Nicholas. But as the nooning hour came and went, it seemed certain that Andrew wasn’t going to show, and Josephine was growing increasingly concerned that he might have run into trouble with the king’s soldiers. Perhaps, they’d even captured him and thrown him in the dungeons. With that thought lingering, Josephine made up her mind up to look for the man.
She knew she shouldn’t. In fact, even as she slipped from her chamber, she was most reluctant to go, but the idea of Andrew in danger kept her from turning back. Slipping down the corridor, down the stairs, and out into the sunshine, Josephine began to hunt in earnest for Andrew, wherever he was hiding.
Unfortunately, she didn’t know the castle grounds very well and Edinburgh Castle was vast. She wandered into the garden area because she knew Andrew had seen her there the night before, but poking and peeking around the bushes didn’t produce him. After the garden, she walked up towards the training grounds because there were a lot of men there, a lot of outbuildings, and many places to hide.
The training grounds proved a bit more of a challenge because men had no control when they saw a beautiful woman wandering about aimlessly. They wanted to escort her and protect her, and Josephine had to run from the training grounds because of too many do-gooders. If Andrew was there somewhere, then he was a fool, because there were far too many men around. But she didn’t think he was there.
She pushed onward.
Heading away from the training ground, she came across several buildings that housed carts and carriages. There were men moving about, servants, but they didn’t seem to give her any notice. As the castle was built on the top of a rocky crag, there were many instances of rocky areas, of natural holes, and there were any number of places where a man could hide.
But Josephine still didn’t see Andrew as she walked past the cart buildings. The road curved around and down a great slope. She could see the gatehouse. She remembered the area from when she first arrived, so she more or less had her bearings. At the base of the road leading into the castle was the town, and there had been a dozen little inns and hostels crowded in and around the base of the road.
Perhaps that was where he’d gone.
Curiosity and concern drove her down the hill. Moving through the inner portcullis entry hadn’t been difficult at all. It was guarded but there were a great many people moving in and out, so she simply walked through it with a crowd of people and continued onward. But she was nearing the main gatehouse when she caught sight of a great commotion; men were shouting at each other and the first of two big portcullises in the gatehouse, which had been half-lowered, was now being lifted.
There was so much activity going on that Josephine naturally came to a halt, curious about what was happening. There were people moving through th
e gatehouse, but the soldiers were hurrying them through, shouting at them to make way. Josephine tried to peer through the gatehouse to see what was on the other side, but the angle of the road made that difficult. She couldn’t see much.
Then, abruptly, banners came into view.
Banners with big golden bears on them were coming up the road and the men holding them soon came into view. Heavily-armed men were at the lead and behind them came men on foot with pikes and swords. Realizing an army was about to come through, Josephine quickly looked around, attempting to locate a place she could hide. She could run back up the road to the second gatehouse, but she’d still have to hide from the incoming army, somehow, and Ridge’s words came back to haunt her.
Do not let the earl catch you out.
God’s Bones… the earl!
To her right was a wall built against the rock of the crag that the castle was built upon. There was enough of a lip at the top off the wall that Josephine knew she could hide behind it. It would be difficult, for the lip wasn’t more than two or three feet high, but it could be done. Besides, she had no choice. Hoisting herself up onto the wall, she leapt over the top of it and settled down behind the lip.
She didn’t dare peek out. Someone would surely see her head and her concealment would be discovered. In little time, the sounds of the army became apparent – footfalls, horses, and the creak of wagon wheels. The dust they were kicking up floated into the air and settled down around her, nearly making her sneeze. But she kept her hand over her nose, pinching it shut, praying that no one would spy her hiding behind the lip of the wall. She most certainly didn’t want to meet the earl this way.
She didn’t want to meet him at all.
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