“What is on your mind, Rona?” Alwin said, not glancing up from her needlework.
“I was thinking of flinging myself out this window if it would save me from having to pick up that cursed needle again,” she replied bluntly.
All the women burst into gales of laughter, and Rona couldn’t help but smile.
“You’ve carried on nobly this past week,” Alwin said once she caught her breath again. “You fooled me into thinking that you merely disliked the duties of the lady of the keep, not that you’d rather die than set another stitch!”
They shared another round of chuckles, but Rona’s heart sank slightly at Alwin’s words.
“I know I should be better at all this,” she waved her hand around the chamber to indicate a lady’s responsibilities in running a castle. “I just…never took to it.”
She returned to her chair and slumped into it, not even bothering to move her needlework.
Jossalyn fixed her with a knowing look. “Even though I was supposed to run the keep of the man to whom my brother was going to marry me off, he never saw to my training. I don’t take to it either. The only reason I’m any good at this,” she said, holding up her perfect embroidery, “is because it’s like stitching up a wound!”
Meredith gasped, and a grin settled on Alwin’s face.
Rona considered Jossalyn for a moment. This past week, she’d lumped the three other women together in her mind, telling herself that they were all proper ladies while she was inept at sewing, didn’t give a fig about meal planning, and hadn’t ever cracked open the castle’s ledgers to make sure all was running smoothly. But these women were more like her than she initially thought. They had all been flung into unusual circumstances, had found a way to overcome, and had made the life they wanted.
Unconsciously, she glanced out the window again.
“We all make do with our situation and our strengths,” Alwin said warmly to Jossalyn, though Rona suspected the words were directed at her. “I happen to love running Roslin Castle, but I had to fight Robert for the control and freedom to do it.”
“Really? You and Robert fight for control? I would have never guessed,” Meredith said evenly, though a smile played at the corners of her mouth.
“Indeed,” Alwin said with a roll of her eyes. “I can only hope that Burke’s good temper and easygoing nature will rub off on Robert during this visit.”
That sent Meredith into a fit of laughter.
“So Jossalyn can embroider a man back to health,” Alwin said, a knowing smile on her face. “Meredith maintains a harmonious household by having Burke wrapped around her little finger. And Robert is no match for my skill at outmaneuvering him when it comes to running Roslin. What is your secret gift, Rona?”
Suddenly the room grew quiet and three sets of eyes gazed at her. She swallowed, and her eyes fluttered to the window once more. Of course she couldn’t tell them about Bhreaca or her love of falconry. Was that her special skill, her secret gift as Alwin had called it?
“Perhaps the answer lies outside that window, beyond the castle,” Alwin said quietly. The woman had an eye sharper than Bhreaca’s, Rona was sure of it.
The room settled into a congenial silence as the women returned to their needlework. Rona again stood and strode to the window. The patches of blue to the west were growing larger. She felt her heart tug toward the southwest, where Bhreaca waited for her, where Ian and Mairi would hug her warmly, where she would fly in her mind’s eye with her falcon.
So lost in thought was she that she didn’t hear Meredith move to her side.
“I’ve grown accustomed to taking walks around Brora Tower almost every day, even in the winter,” Meredith said quietly as she gazed out the window. “I grow restless being cooped up indoors like this.”
Meredith’s sweet, unassuming presence had been a balm to Rona from the moment she met her. Now she felt her kinship with the quiet woman grow deeper.
“You must enjoy being outdoors greatly then. I hear you’ve had a hard winter in the north.”
“Aye, we have. But I got out nevertheless. It’s my time to see the animals,” Meredith said with a smile.
Alwin and Jossalyn had begun chatting, which covered their conversation, but Rona lowered her voice nonetheless.
“Animals? What do you mean?”
Meredith leaned in conspiratorially. “I go walking for hours sometimes just to watch a doe eating or two young foxes playing together. I even draw them when I can.”
Rona’s eyes widened. “Really? Why?”
Meredith shrugged. “It makes me happy.”
Rona’s mind flew to Bhreaca. The falcon made her happy. It was as simple as that. And she hadn’t been to the Fergusons’ cottage in over a week.
Meredith would understand. She had a kindred love of wild creatures.
“Do you also enjoy watching birds?” Rona asked cautiously.
“Oh, yes! Linnets and sandpipers and—and golden eagles! I’ve sketched them a dozen times, but it’s so hard to capture them in motion.”
Rona’s heart surged. “I have something to show you then.”
“What is it?” Meredith asked quietly, though her voice was filled with anticipation.
“It will be a surprise. But bring parchment and a quill. I must speak with Daniel first, but can you be ready in an hour?”
Meredith nodded, her cheeks flushed with excitement. She hurried out of the chamber and toward her own room.
Rona followed, feeling Alwin and Jossalyn’s curious gazes on her. She shot a quick glance over her shoulder and caught Alwin’s knowing grin before she closed the chamber door behind her.
She took the stairs two at a time as she made her way to the study. Without bothering to knock, she pushed open the door.
“But with the tower keep built in the northeast corner—”
All four of the men in the study snapped their heads up at the sound of the door banging open. Garrick immediately moved so that his large frame blocked the view of the map spread on Daniel’s desk.
Daniel relaxed slightly when he saw that it was Rona, though the study was still taut with tension, both from their planning and from the intrusion.
“What is it, Rona?” Daniel said tightly.
Daniel watched as Rona’s mood suddenly shifted from eager giddiness to sour annoyance. Her smile slipped and she crossed her arms defensively.
“Forgive me for the interruption. I suppose you all are up to something that must be kept secret from me again?” she said tartly.
Garrick raised a dark eyebrow at her tone, Burke coughed, and Robert actually quirked a smile.
Daniel sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.
“Nay, wife, it’s not a secret—at least not one we’re keeping from you.”
Garrick turned his hard, quizzical look on his younger brother, but Daniel went on.
“We’ve been poring over this map of Dunbraes Jossalyn made for us, but we’ve yet to find a suitable point of attack.”
“Will your siege start so soon?” she asked cautiously, taking a step forward. She dropped her crossed arms from her chest, which Daniel was learning was a good sign.
“We got word from the Bruce this morning that he and his army are about a week’s march north of Loch Doon,” Daniel said. “We want to be ready to start the siege shortly after that.”
Rona frowned and took another step forward. Garrick still blocked her view of the map on the desk.
“And what will the Bruce be bringing in the way of siege weapons?”
“Besides a few hundred men, nothing,” Robert replied. “Unlike the English, the Bruce hasn’t had the luxury or time to build siege engines, so we won’t have the use of trebuchets or catapults. We may be able to starve them out, but from what Jossalyn has told us, Warren keeps the castle well-supplied. Besides, the Bruce can’t spare his army for months on end.”
Rona now stood in front of Garrick, who hadn’t budged. She crossed her arms over her chest aga
in and leveled him with a look of annoyance. To Daniel’s surprise, Garrick gave her a lopsided grin and stepped aside, giving her a view of the map again.
“No moat…” she said as she assessed the map. Her wild red hair spilled over her shoulders as she leaned over the desk.
“Aye, that’s a blessing,” Burke said, returning his attention to the map as well. “But Jossalyn tells us the castle is situated on high, rocky ground above the village.” He pointed to the bottom of the map.
“What about tunneling?” Rona asked.
“What does a Kennedy lass like you know about sieging a castle?” Garrick said coolly before anyone could answer her.
Rona straightened her spine under Garrick’s question.
“You’ll recall that my father was once in charge of protecting this castle from attack by the English. When Warren first threatened us shortly after we took charge of the castle, my father spent many nights in discussions with the captain of the castle’s soldiers to try to figure out how to protect Loch Doon.” She shrugged. “I helped.”
That had several more eyebrows lifting at her, including Daniel’s. This woman never ceased to surprise and impress him, he thought with a surge of pride. She ignored their incredulous looks and turned back to the map.
“Of course, we didn’t have to worry about tunneling—Loch Doon’s position on an island takes care of that, and even if it were on land, the eleven-sided curtain wall would make tunneling a fool’s errand. Unfortunately, it looks like whoever built Dunbraes had the same idea.”
She traced the many-sided curtain wall sketched on the map with her finger.
“Aye, tunneling under the wall would be arduous and potentially fruitless,” Daniel said. “But it’s our best approach. Jossalyn says that both the main gate and the postern gate have portcullises, making a battering ram useless. And ladders would be too exposed and dangerous.”
Rona’s bright blue eyes drifted from the map for a moment. A private smile softened her face.
“What is it?” Daniel said from the other side of the desk, watching her closely.
Startled, she blinked and focused her eyes on him. “Oh, I was just…remembering my own little siege on Loch Doon.”
“Your…siege?” Robert said skeptically.
“Well, not a siege exactly,” she said quickly, “but I did manage to escape the curtain wall one night when the gates had already been closed. And I snuck back over the wall in the wee hours of the morning without being detected.”
Garrick gave a low whistle through his teeth and shook his head ruefully. “She’s a keeper, little brother.”
Rona shot him a scowl, but there was no heat in it.
“How did you manage that?” Burke said, impressed.
“I…borrowed a fisherman’s hook and tied a rope to it. Then I tossed the hook over the wall and climbed up using my feet against the wall. I did the same on the way back into the castle.”
“Dare I ask what inspired such action?” Burke said with a grin.
Rona shifted, somewhat uncomfortable as the center of his family’s attention.
“My father forbade me from going to see…to see some friends who live in the woods nearby,” she said, her eyes flickering to Daniel.
She must have wanted to fly Bhreaca with Ian and Mairi, and her father refused.
“Cursed be the man who tries to control you, lass!” Garrick said merrily, clapping Daniel on the back.
Rona blushed but kept her chin up.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a curse,” Daniel said wryly, then locked eyes with Rona. She blushed further under his penetrating gaze.
Robert cleared his throat, interrupting the silent, latent exchange between Daniel and Rona.
“What brought you up here, Rona?” Daniel said, remembering himself.
“Oh,” she replied, giving herself a little shake. “I need to talk to you about something. It’s private.” She glanced around at the others.
“We’d best see to the men’s training in the yard,” Robert said pointedly to the others.
As the three men shuffled out of the study and closed the door behind them, Daniel pinned Rona with another look.
“Is all well?”
“Aye,” she said, a slow smile spreading across her face. “For several reasons.”
“Care to enlighten me?” he replied, slowly stalking around the desk toward her. She eyed him but didn’t move, letting him come closer.
“You didn’t hide your plans from me,” she said, clearly pleased.
He reached her and wrapped his arms around her. God, he would never get tired of the feel of her lithe body pressed against him. He lowered his head and brushed her lips with his.
“I trust you,” he said simply. She smiled at his words, her eyes warm.
“Why else are you happy?” he breathed, nuzzling her ear. She shivered and leaned into him.
“You assume that my mind runs as wantonly as yours?” she chided, but she looped her arms around his neck, holding him close.
“Nay, I only wish I were so lucky,” he said, his teeth grazing her ear. “You looked so excited when you burst into the study, and, well, a man can hope.”
She playfully rolled her eyes at him.
“Unfortunately for both of us, I have something else in mind. I want to take Meredith to see Bhreaca.”
He frowned and pulled back so he could look at her. “That seems…dangerous.”
Her brows came down over her bright blue eyes. “Surely we can trust our family with my secret. She loves animals. She’ll understand.”
Daniel let his arms drop and sighed.
“Perhaps. But as with any secret, the more people who know, the more likely it is to come out.”
He didn’t wish to bring up the fact that he’d withheld information from her for that very reason, but the thought lingered.
Rona opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to stay her.
“That’s not what I’m truly concerned about though. I’m far too busy here to accompany you both to the cottage. It will have to wait.”
Her face darkened, and he realized that they were headed toward another fight.
“I know we agreed that you’d always come with me, but I must be able to visit my friends even when you can’t accompany me?”
Surprisingly, she kept her temper in check. Perhaps instead of fighting, they could find another compromise, as they had when this issue had initially come up.
When we are thrown into a new situation, we can’t keep living as if nothing has changed.
His words to young Will floated back to him. He couldn’t simply order and control Rona, as he was used to doing with his men. Things were different now. He had to learn how to compromise—a skill which would apparently be required often in their marriage.
But when it came to matters of her safety, he didn’t like negotiating.
Before he could interject with his worries, she raised her chin and went on.
“What will happen when you are off sieging Dunbraes? You’ll be gone for weeks, perhaps months. You expect me never to see Bhreaca or Ian and Mairi that entire time?”
He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. She was right, but he hated to admit it.
“I know that won’t work. But your safety is paramount to me.”
The tense set of her shoulders eased slightly.
“I know. But I need my freedom too.”
He sighed again and let his eyes scan the ground in hopes of coming up with a solution.
“What if you send someone else with us? Someone you trust,” she said hopefully.
Daniel almost rejected the idea out of hand. The only other men he trusted completely with his wife’s and Meredith’s safety were Robert, Garrick, and Burke, and they were all needed here at the castle for training and planning the siege. They’d all been staying up most of the night this past week just to make the most of what little time they had before they launched their attack on Dunbraes.
&
nbsp; As he stood in stony silence, he watched as Rona’s face fell. But instead of anger or stubbornness turning her lovely features down, it was dejected resignation. He was letting her down. He was keeping her from the thing that made her the most happy. He was crushing her freedom, and with it her trust in him.
He seized both her hands in his.
“One man won’t do. I’ll send two with you.”
Her bright eyes darted up to his in disbelief. “Truly?”
He nodded, a little smile creeping to his lips at the look of unbridled joy on her face.
“Och, lass. You have more power over me than you know.”
She flung herself into his arms and buried her face in his neck.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her breath tickling his skin.
“But you are to be back before dark,” he said sternly. “And don’t give my men a hard time.”
She pulled back and pinned him with a radiant smile, and he felt his heart lurch and squeeze.
“We’d better be off then,” she said, shooting a glance out the study’s window. She planted a kiss on his mouth, then nearly sprinted to the study’s door. Another swish of her simple woolen skirts and she was gone.
He leaned back onto the edge of his desk, as dazed and happy as a lad after his first kiss. How did she do that to him? He smiled to himself and shook his head, trying to return his attention to the work in front of him. No matter what daunting tasks lay ahead, Rona would be at his side. The thought made his heart lurch again, in an entirely pleasurable way.
HIGHLANDER’S RECKONING
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Rona had to force herself not to run ahead of Meredith and their two guards as they traveled on foot past the outskirts of the village.
“And you really won’t tell me where we’re going and what we’re doing?” Meredith asked for the dozenth time. She had tucked a few pieces of parchment, a corked ink pot, and a quill into a small bag, as Rona had instructed. Both women wore heavy cloaks and boots to ward off the chill, but the clouds had thinned enough to let several rays of weak early spring sun through.
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