by Paula Quinn
Adam smiled at his dog. The king seemed to like him. It was a start.
They spent the rest of the morning playing chess and discussing politics, while Goliath chewed his bone.
“I confess,” Adam told him, capturing the king’s knight, “I know little about the Whigs and Tories, save that one opposes Catholic succession to the throne, and one supports it.”
“Where do you stand on it?”
If it were somehow proven that Adam’s Catholic mother was the true heir of James II—and the Tories had their way, his parents’ lives would be forever changed, destroyed. And so would his as next in line.
“I stand with the Whigs. Opposed.”
George sighed and moved a pawn. “Last year Anne created twelve new Tory peers to take over the majority in the House of Lords.”
Adam’s stomach flipped. The Tories, who fought for Davina’s younger half brother James to take the throne, held the majority? Hell, this was something his kin should have been following more closely, but no one in Camlochlin believed Davina would ever be queen. There were too many obstacles in the way, not to mention lack of proof. But having a Tory parliament could tear away one of those obstacles. And who knew what secrets would be revealed once a Catholic monarch was once again possible?
“I have much to do to bring the Whigs back into power,” the king said, watching Adam’s next move. “I might consider breaking a betrothal in exchange for your help.”
Adam abandoned his piece. How far would he go to ensure his kin’s safety, to win Sina’s heart? If not for the royal blood in his veins, he would consider himself a Tory…but there was royal blood in his veins. “Ye have it. What do ye need me to do?”
“Get to know the people here. I’ve spent most of my time in Hanover, so I don’t know many of the lords. Find out who is a Whig and who is a Tory. Be my ears.”
“A spy,” Adam said. He wouldn’t be the first one in his family.
“Just for a few months, until after my coronation. I’ll be making some announcements and, if things go well for you and Miss de Arenburg, I think you may want to be here for one of them.”
A marriage announcement? The king’s blessing on their union? It meant spending a few more months in England. And damn it, he might need them to convince the king not to hang him when he found out who Adam was.
“Verra well,” Adam agreed. “I’ll do as ye wish, and at the end, when I leave, if I wish to take Miss de Arenburg with me as my wife, I will have yer blessing.”
“If ’tis what she wishes as well.”
Adam nodded and checked. “Of course.”
The king smiled at the board and then at him. “You actually might beat me.”
“The chances of it are good,” Adam pointed out with a grin.
“I haven’t been beaten in twenty years,” the king told him, sounding more pleased and surprised than angry.
“I’ve never lost.”
“Were you taught the game at a young age, then?” George asked, studying the pieces. There was nowhere for him to move.
“Aye. I was taught many things. Checkmate.”
The game forgotten, the king proceeded. “Can you read and write?”
“Aye.”
“Are you a skilled swordsman?”
“Better than any man in yer service.”
“Why haven’t you been granted titles yet?” the king asked, narrowing his eyes at him.
“They will be granted when I marry.”
George cast him a knowing smirk. “So, then, you wish to—”
“I could have a wife ready at the altar tomorrow morning if titles were all I was after.”
Sina’s father nodded, agreeing with him. When he stood from his seat, Adam rose with him.
“We shall play again,” the king said, walking him to the door.
Adam slanted his smile. “You’ll likely lose again.”
Adam left with the sound of the king’s laughter ringing in his ears.
So far, the day was going extraordinarily well. The king didn’t hate him or Goliath. Of course George didn’t know he was the MacGregor who had married his daughter, but Adam hoped that soon he wouldn’t care. He had a few months to gain the king’s trust and, more, his friendship. Time he would also spend with Sina, proving to her that she loved him as he loved her, with passion fueled by every moment they spent together, and making certain she didn’t marry her childhood friend.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sina sat in her father’s private sitting room and stared into her cup. She thought he’d called her in here to tell her he was ready to declare her, not to discuss her betrothal to William.
“When I agreed to let Standish have you a second time,” her father said, standing by the window, dressed in his finest flowing silk and lace suit and polished red heels, “things were different. I no longer need the Earl of Chesterfield’s alliance.”
Sina shifted in her chair. What was he saying? What was this about? “We just celebrated the betrothal last night. You’re not suggesting…Father, that’s no reason to—you cannot go back on your word.”
But she had already decided it was over with William. Poor thing. Not only had she deceived him, but so had the king.
“I’m the king. I can do whatever I want,” he reminded her.
“Yes, I suppose you can,” she said in a soft voice, remembering that he’d gone back on his word to the MacGregors. “I must confess I…”
Her father wasn’t listening but staring out the window, down into the practice fields. “He’s incredible.”
Sina frowned, dipping her brows at him. “Who?”
She rose from her chair when her father motioned her over.
“Lord Hamilton.”
She looked out, and then, like her father, she couldn’t stop looking. He’d removed his coat and hat and untied his cravat. He moved too quickly for her eyes to catch every detail of his perfectly laid-out defense. He fought off three men with his sword, blocking and swinging and pushing them back. Locks of his raven hair had come loose from his queue and danced around his face as he moved.
“He was telling the truth,” her father murmured beside her. “He fights better than any of my men. I need him on my side.”
Sina severed her gaze from Adam and looked at the king. “On your side for what?”
“I’m going to replace Parliament. Lord Hamilton has already agreed to stay for a few months and help me. But after seeing him fight, I’d prefer for him to serve as captain of my personal guard.”
Her mouth went dry. She reached her hand toward the edge of the window to steady herself. No, no, no. Adam couldn’t stay that long! What was he planning on offering himself to the king’s aid? Whatever it was, given a few months, he would succeed.
“I’m having rooms set up for him in the east wing.”
“Father…” Oh, what could she tell him? That Adam was deceiving him, and so had she by going along with it? That a secret part of her was happy Adam had come for her? She stepped away from the window and wrung her hands together. Unfair judgments, along with fear of another Stuart so close in line, had caused the king to dislike the MacGregors. She didn’t want to ruin the only chance Adam had to win her father’s favor—for the MacGregors’ sake or, God help her, hers. She couldn’t bring herself to do it. “You know nothing about him.”
“Leave that to me,” her father said, waving away her concerns. “He seems quite taken with you, Sina.”
She blinked and fought for control to breathe without fluctuation as her father continued. “He’s asked me to allow him to court you.”
Sina returned to her chair and sat in it, her spine stiff as everything began to make sense. “Lord Hamilton is the reason you wish to dissolve my betrothal to William.”
“Not dissolve it, dearest. Postpone it for now.”
She nodded. And what would happen when he found out the truth? Lord Hamilton was Adam MacGregor, the Highlander he’d forced her to marry. Whatever Adam had promised him and
asked for in return would be forgotten. He might even have Adam arrested and thrown into prison.
She rose again from her seat and stood before him. Her hands shook and her heart raced. She had to make a choice—here and now. Tell her father the truth and save William’s heart or agree to her father’s new decision and save Adam’s life…for now.
“I will tell William,” she forced herself to say calmly. “No announcements will be made until I speak with him. Do you agree?”
He nodded. “Lord Hamilton asks to court you, not marry you, Sina. The choice will ultimately be yours if his request changes. But for now, I will grant what he asks.”
“Is that all?” she asked, waiting to go, needing to get away and fully consider what Adam had done in a day.
The king nodded, but called her back before she reached the door. “There is one other thing. It has come to my attention that Lord Standish was indiscreet on his tour, behaving shamefully with questionable women.”
Sina stared at him until he looked away, hopefully repentant of the depths to which he would sink in order to have his way.
Finally, and without another word, she left him. Angry with him for lying about William. There wasn’t any need to lie. She didn’t wish to marry William. Not because of lies, even though she had to pause and consider that this was the second accusation about a man she hardly knew anymore.
She stopped on the last step as Adam entered the palace, laughing with some of her father’s guardsmen who’d practiced with him.
Adam stood out among them, as was confirmed by the dozens of female eyes settling on him throughout the large foyer. He was taller, broader, and darker than the rest. He looked less tame now with inky locks falling loose from his messy queue, his coat slung over his shoulder, and his damp shirt clinging to his sculpted physique. His silvery-blue eyes, more piercing as they swept over the faces of his admirers, settled on her.
As if drawn by an unseen tether, he stepped toward her, away from the others. At his side, Goliath followed.
Sina couldn’t move. She didn’t know what she would have done if she could. Run? Which way? Faint? It was possible. As he approached her, she wondered how he made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world, the only one who mattered, and he didn’t give a damn who knew it.
“My lady,” he greeted with a slight bow and slant of his mouth when he came back up. “How is yer ankle?”
“Just fine, thank you,” she said, flashing her dimple before it disappeared again. “I understand you’ll be staying for a while.”
“Ye’ve spoken to the king,” he guessed, his smile fading.
“As have you,” she countered. “And now he is going back on his word to William once again. He is postponing my betrothal because of you.” She didn’t tell him she had no intention of marrying William. If Adam knew she loved him, he’d never give up this mad scheme.
“I owe him much.”
She nodded, offering him a stiff smile. “The truth is a good place to begin.” She stepped around him and walked toward the doors. She needed to get out of the palace, away from all the scheming and deceit.
“I will tell him the truth, lass,” he said, catching up with her and leaning in to her ear.
He was too close. Too warm. She fought not to let his masculine scent go straight to her head. He was clever and confident. She liked it.
Oh, why had she ever met Adam MacGregor? Why had Anne sent her away to a man who was so—she paused to look up at him tugging at his loose cravat—right for her? It was as if the queen had somehow known that Adam, despite his aversion to propriety and power, or perhaps because of it, would make her happy.
She shook her head at herself. Anne hadn’t known. She couldn’t have.
“This is all useless,” she said on a shallow breath, forcing herself to move away from him. “Until you tell him who you are, there really is no reason to court me. He will revoke whatever promise he makes the instant he knows you’re a MacGregor. He will be angry and will never agree to our being together. All you’ve succeeded in doing today was hurt William—and for nothing.”
“Fer everything,” he corrected, reaching for her. “And I dinna want to hurt him. I know what he means to ye. He’s yer closest friend. But I dinna want ye to marry him.” He bent to her hand and brought it to his lips. A stray lock of his hair fell across her fingers. “I want ye to marry me, Sina.”
His eyes closed and he kissed her knuckles. Her heart rammed against her ribs until she felt light-headed and unsteady on her feet. She drew her free hand to her chest.
“Why?” she breathed, unsure how she managed it. “Barely a fortnight ago you were as miserable as I.”
He straightened and let his hand slip slowly from hers. His eyes swept over her features, taking her in. He swallowed and began, then stopped and began again.
“Only fer a moment or two,” he told her with a catch in his breath. “The days after ye left were far more miserable fer me. I dinna want any more days to pass withoot ye in my life. I want to make ye happy, lass.”
Sina felt her knees buckle. No man had ever spoken to her with such passion in his gaze, tangled in the rich cadence of his voice. He came here to win her, and it frightened her that he would fail.
“Though our time together was brief,” he continued, “ye have affected me in a way that would take more time to explain than we presently have. But I suspect ye already understand.”
Because she’d been miserable after she left him? Because she loved him too? He told her he’d prove it. But there was too much at stake.
She shook her head and looked down at Goliath nuzzling her hand. Oh, she wanted a life with him and his dog. “My father will never allow it, especially after we deceived him.”
“And if he did?” He put her to the test. “Would ye leave William and come home with me?”
“No,” she said without thinking about it long enough to tell him anything else. He was mad. This would never work.
He smiled, seeing the truth in her eyes. He was kind enough not to mock her with it. “Ye’re no’ goin’ to be easily won. ’Tis one of the things I love aboot ye, lass.”
She watched him turn and leave with Goliath at his side. He loved something about her. What else did he love about her? She blinked and turned for the garden.
Chapter Thirty
Adam looked down the long hall, its cherry-paneled walls illuminated by dozens of candle stands and littered with more paintings. His eyes settled on the double doors, painted white at the end of the hall. He wasn’t sure how one escorted a lass to dinner, but he didn’t imagine it involved letting her walk down the grand stairs alone. Standing in front of the doors when she opened them would seem too forceful. Waiting at the stairs gave her time to decide whether she would accept his arm or refuse it.
He pulled on the wide lapels of his coat and tugged on his high cravat. Truly, he hated the things and cursed the man who invented them. Cravats and heels. Damn it, but his feet were killing him.
It didn’t take long for the doors to open. Thanks to Katie, Sina’s handservant, he knew approximately when to expect Sina to leave her room. He owed Katie much for helping him. He wondered why she had.
Every other thought vanished when Sina stepped into the hall. He tried not to think about how easily he’d fallen for her…what he would give up for her.
She wore a silk brocade mantua of emerald green over her stays. The overskirt was drawn back over her hips to expose her floral petticoats. Most of her glorious golden hair was tucked inside a lace cap, with several curls dangling about her ears. Pearls adorned her perfect lobes, her elegant throat.
At his side, Goliath whined and wagged his tail.
“Go on,” Adam told him in a low voice, glad that his friend had finally come to his senses and accepted her.
Adam smiled at her as she approached, realizing in that moment how limitless love can make a man. Who could bother with pride or selfishness when the heart was consumed by love?
She didn’t look unhappy to see him and even smiled back at him before she dipped her chin.
“My lady,” he gently greeted, offering his elbow when she reached him. “Ye look beautiful.”
She briefly looked up as she looped her arm around his, blushed, and then looked away again.
“But,” he said, leaning down closer to her ear, “I would prefer to see ye wrapped in an arisaid with yer hair loose and flowin’ aroond yer shoulders.”
“That will be all, Katie,” she said softly, dismissing her handservant.
Adam smiled at the gel before she left.
“You look very handsome,” Sina said, returning his compliment, continuing slowly to the stairs. “But I prefer to see you against a backdrop of hills and heather.”
“Well,” he laughed softly while every nerve ending burned to touch her, every muscle ached to hold her. “I can arrange that.”
“The king and William will stop you.”
“What can William do?” His laughter faded into a smirk.
“He can find things out about your family. He already told my father about Claire and Amelia. He will be persistent, Adam. He went to the queen on her deathbed, trying to find me, and certain words she repeated piqued his interest. ‘MacGregor,’ ‘sister,’ and ‘abbey.’ One of them led him to me. Where might the other two lead him?”
To his grave, Adam thought. He didn’t want to have to kill Sina’s best friend. But what would happen if Standish discovered Anne had another sister besides Mary, and she was alive and well in Camlochlin?
“I dinna know where ’twill lead him,” he told her, doing his best to sound unaffected by those words. “But if he makes trouble fer my kin, it willna go well fer him.”
He felt her arm tighten around his. He didn’t want to worry her. He would handle William Standish—without killing him.
“Dinna fret,” he reassured her. “There is nothin’ else to find oot.” He shoved his finger under his cravat and pulled at it. “Is it always so formal here?”
“Yes, it always is,” she replied vaguely. “Do you know what puzzles me?”
