“What is your name?”
“My family name is Corbett. My aunt was part of a small village that kept us safe, but I have no loyalty to them. What say you of my brother? Will he ever understand my reasons for wishing to make a difference? I’m not a whore. I know how to manipulate men without doing that.”
Dyna pursed her lips and thought for a moment, refolding the gowns in the chest as if she needed something to do. “I hate the way women are limited. Whenever I travel with my cousins, Grandsire and my sire insist that I disguise myself as a lad or a squire. I hate it. But it does protect me from the groping I’ve experienced before just because I’m pretty. The only way you’ll convince your brother of your dedication to the cause is to travel with him. He needs to see you as you work. If he does, he’ll see how smart you are, just like we did in Berwick. Telling him will do no good. Men believe what they wish to believe.”
“You’re probably right,” she admitted with a sigh. “I’m ready to see your grandsire now. I’ve heard the stories about him, of course, although I wonder if some of them are exaggerated. Did he truly fight in the Battle of Largs?”
“Aye, he did.” Dyna squared her shoulders as she said it. Joya didn’t blame her. The man’s reputation was a rightful source of pride. People still spoke of how Alexander Grant had ridden into the Battle of Largs on his armored war horse, singlehandedly slaying dozens of Norsemen. “He’s in his chamber belowstairs. We’ll be leaving for MacLintock land at first light on the morrow, if you decide you wish to travel with us.”
“I would love to. Any chance to strike back at the English.” She paused, then said, “I shouldn’t ask you this, but I must. Would you be willing to help me search for my brother once MacLintock land is free of the English bastards?”
“Aye, I would be, and I’m sure Els and Alick will help as well.”
“Els has already agreed to help me,” she explained as they headed down the staircase. They were quiet as they entered the great hall, both of them probably thinking of the days ahead, and Dyna led the way to a wide door at the farthest end of the hall. She’d raised her hand to knock when a voice called out, “Come in. I’m in front of the hearth.”
Joya followed Dyna into the chamber. The former chief of Clan Grant was a huge man, even sitting in his chair, but his eyes were kind. They exchanged greetings and Joya gave a short explanation of her past.
“My sympathies for the loss of your parents. ’Tis stories such as yours that encourage us all to continue our battle for independence.” He pointed to a chair across from him, indicating she should sit, and Dyna settled in next to him. “I hope you don’t mind a few questions. I’m wondering if you know exactly where Robert the Bruce is at present.”
She sat and folded her hands in her lap, a little intimidated by the powerful presence in front of her. The man still had a commanding aura that could not be ignored, similar to the much younger King Robert. “Not exactly. We suspect he’s in the Western Isles somewhere. No one knows for sure, but he’s in hiding until the weather improves and he can return to continue his quest for freedom.”
“Yet the English battle on.” Alex stroked his chin, staring into the fire.
“From what I’ve heard, the groups of English attacking in the Lowlands are small factions operating without the backing of the king. Word has it he is waiting and gathering his men for Robert. Edward wishes to end his pursuit of freedom the same way he did Wallace’s.”
“And that cruelty only made the Scots’ will stronger. You are not married and you spy for King Robert?”
This man was brutally blunt, something she admired. “Aye to both questions.”
“Where will you go? Do you have plans?”
“Once we’ve driven the English from MacLintock land, I intend to search for my brother and hope to catch up with Robert along the way. I’ll head west because I believe Bruce will show up there first. First to Glasgow, then to Ayr. We could hear of his movements at either location.”
“Godspeed and be kind to my grandson. He’s waiting for you outside my door.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she said nothing other than to bid him goodbye. And since she was anxious to see Els, even though she didn’t wish to admit as much to his grandsire, she hurried to the door.
There he stood, a broad smile on his face. “We have about an hour before we leave. We thought to send one group this day and another on the morrow, but there’s a storm nigh. My sire sent one group already. We’ll be leaving soon.” He held his hand out to her and asked, “Walk with me?”
Dyna waved them on, and he led Joya out the door.
There was a small gathering near the gates, many guards readying their horses, but he led her to an animal still in the stables. “This sweet mare is anxious for a ride, but she’s not allowed down the mountain. I thought to take her to the loch.”
“Why?” she asked, tipping her head.
He narrowed his gaze at her and said, “Just say you’ll gladly travel with me.”
She nodded with a smirk and said, “Of course, my lord. Always with you. As long as we ride. We have a long day ahead of us.”
“Aye, we do.” He helped her mount then climbed on behind her, tucking her curves up against him. “I wish to show you my favorite place on Grant land.”
They traveled in silence for about five minutes, and then they turned a corner and came upon a beautiful loch, encircled by a meadow. The lake reached far into the distance, but behind it was a splendid view of the mountains, their majestic presence humbling her.
“This is my favorite view,” he whispered as he slowed the mare, giving her time to admire the landscape. “And ’tis even more beautiful in the summer months.”
“I imagine it would be,” she said, just noticing something. “Is that a cottage over there on the far side?”
“Aye, ’twas my uncle’s, but he moved to his son’s castle a while ago and it sits empty. ’Tis the place I’d like to settle someday when I marry.”
“You think of marriage that often?”
He gave her an odd look. “You don’t?’
“Nay. ’Tis not how I see my future.”
“Then what would you prefer to do? If you could be anything, what would you become?” He hopped off his horse and reached for her waist, setting her down next to him, wrapping his arm around her for support.
“A hero. If I could, I’d be a hero, if only to prove to Derric that I do deserve his respect.” An unusual goal for a lass, she knew, and she waited for his reaction.
“Hmmm,” Els said. “I hadn’t expected that. ’Tis such a lofty goal you’ve inspired me to set a new goal for myself. I’ll help you prove yourself to your brother, however we manage.”
“First we must find him.”
“We will.”
His kindness almost brought tears to her eyes, although she usually wasn’t the sort to cry. It occurred to her that she hadn’t asked him more about his dreams for the future. She wished to hear more on it. “Shall we play a game?”
“What game?”
“You’ll start by telling me one thing that would exist in your dream, and then I’ll add to it. We’ll take turns.” She leaned into him, enjoying his warmth.
“Aye, I like that. I’ll start. I’ll marry someone I love, and we’ll live in that cottage so we can sit on the dock every eve and watch the moonlight.”
The sparkle in his gaze and the wry smile on his delicious lips told her exactly who he hoped would live in that cottage with him. It could never be, but she liked the image, too, and so she decided to play along as if she were his wife. “And we’ll have four bairns.”
That wry smile turned into a broad grin in a flash. “Three lads and one lassie with red hair.”
That made her smile. “And we’ll teach them how to swim in the summer.”
“And how to fish.”
She made a face at that, though she did love to eat fish. “You’ll make sweet love to me until I scream your name.�
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“Every day…” He waggled his brow at her.
“So we’ll probably have more than ten bairns.”
“All lads and one lassie.”
“Who’ll never get married because you’ll never allow a lad to get near her.”
He chuckled at that. “We’ll take part in the annual Grant festival.”
“And we’ll build a boat.”
“We’ll plant our own garden.”
“You’ll learn to stand on my shoulders in the water. That will be one of the contests—who can stay on for the longest.”
“And we’ll train our one daughter to be an archer.”
“Naturally,” he said. “And a spy.”
“Nay, not a spy!” she barked at him.
They both laughed, and when the sound faded, they stood next to each other in silence for a long moment, their gazes on that house. Then he gave her waist a squeeze. “We should go back.”
“Your dream life sounds lovely, Els.”
Too bad it would never come true.
***
The sun was warming when they returned. Els helped Joya down and said, “Go inside and grab yourself some food from the kitchens. I’m going to check in with my cousins, but I suspect we’ll be leaving soon.”
She gave him a quick wave and headed back into the keep.
Els grabbed Alick near the stables and pulled him into an empty area outside the building where they couldn’t be seen. “I’m not sure I can do this,” he said to his cousin. “I do want to help Alasdair, and to assist in Joya’s search for her brother…but I fear what will happen in the battle.”
“What?” Alick asked in surprise. “Did that conversation in the hall do naught for you?”
“Nay, it did not help. This is more than the fear of battle or killing someone. When those men attacked me at Methven, I reacted so slowly. Aye, ’twas the middle of the night, but it felt as if everything had been slowed down. I couldn’t act, but fortunately Dyna did. I fear I’ll freeze and lose my own life. Or fail to protect one of you. I could never live with myself if that happened.”
What good would he do for Alasdair if he couldn’t raise his sword when the time came?
“You’re going, Els. Methven is still fresh in your head, but I believe you’ll act when you’re forced to do it. You’ve trained for it for your entire life. Even as toddlers we carried swords and practiced fighting the enemy. I think I’d swing my weapon if I were sound asleep.”
Els wanted to believe that.
He clasped his cousin’s shoulder.
“Stop doubting yourself,” Alick said. With that, he headed back toward the group gathering out front. He didn’t even look back to see if Els was joining him. He simply knew he would be.
Els followed, more confused than ever. The sword he carried felt useless, the magic gone. Although he’d spent his childhood wanting nothing more than to be a warrior, to wield a sword, he didn’t want to fight anymore.
The sweetest of breezes swept by him and stopped in front of him. Joya had returned from the keep, and she had the oddest look on her face.
“You are coming, are you not, Els?”
Hell, but he’d never seen anything as beautiful as Joya standing in front of him, wearing a tunic and breeches under her mantle, one hand on her hip. He found himself growing hard just at the sound of her voice saying his name. He stared over her head in the hopes of cooling his reaction, searching for the ugliest face in the crowd, but then Dyna stopped behind her, blocking his view. That did what he needed.
“Aye, he’s going,” Dyna said. “If I have to drag him along behind my horse, he’s going. He needs to go.” Then she left, giving him no chance to reply. As usual, Dyna cut to the heart of the matter. And if she said he needed to go, he suspected it was true. Questioning Dyna was not a wise endeavor for anyone, not with her habit of knowing what she should not.
“Aye, I’m coming along. I’d not want to miss the opportunity to travel with you. I still owe you a kiss, if I recall.”
“You gave me a kiss before you brought me abovestairs last morn.”
“That was the kiss of a brother. I see I’ll have to remind you later of how our kisses are supposed to be.”
“Please do,” she whispered, leaning toward him so he caught her scent of lavender. Before he could do or say anything more, she hurried off toward the horses, already saddled and waiting, glancing back over her shoulder with a wink and a lick of her lips.
Saucy lass was playing with fire, and that was something he couldn’t resist.
God help him, he was headed into battle.
Chapter Five
The Grants had fascinated her in Berwick, so close and caring, and she enjoyed watching them now. That conversation with Els about his dream life had created a wee bit of yearning in her belly. She’d been alone for a long time, and while she liked the freedom of it, there was a certain hollowness to her life. There was no one she could banter with like the Grant cousins spoke to one another. No one to talk to about her hopes and fears. What would it feel like to have a big, loving family just like the Grants, complete with the wizened grandfather whom everyone turned to for advice?
But her aunt had likely celebrated her departure, and her only brother held her in contempt.
If only she could fix her relationship with Derric. That was all she wanted. For her brother to love and respect her. Was that too much to ask?
Els’s sire, Jamie, addressed the cousins. “I don’t think ’twould be wise to travel with so many warriors together. The group that left earlier split into two groups. I’d advise you to do the same. You wish to move quickly and not draw attention to yourselves. We don’t need King Edward to send men after us.”
“Dyna, Alick. You go with the first half of this group,” Connor said. “Get yourselves sorted quickly and move along.”
Els’s sire turned to him. “We’ll hold you for half the hour so they can travel ahead, warn you of any issues along the way. Magnus is going with your group. He’ll be in charge of the full group of warriors once you arrive on MacLintock land.”
Joya scanned the group until a giant of a man came forward, keen eyes and a dark beard. “Any other instructions, my laird?”
The man had long dark locks, a chest the size of the broad side of a horse, and massive arms. Not far behind him stood a beautiful woman with two lasses next to her who did not look happy.
She glanced over her shoulder at Els, who came up behind her and leaned close to whisper, “My aunt and uncle. Mama’s sister, Ashlyn, is quite an archer. Her daughters have begged to go to battle, but they’ve not been allowed yet.”
Joya tried not to stare at the beautiful girls, one carrying her bow proudly. How she wished she could use a bow like these Grant lasses did, but no one had seen fit to teach her. Her brother had insisted it wasn’t for lasses.
Two hands grasped her waist and tossed her up onto a saddled horse, rather forcefully pulling her from her thoughts. “Els,” she squealed, “give me a warning first so I don’t fall on my face.”
He laughed. “I would catch you, lass. Think you I’d allow anything to hurt you?”
The twinkle in his eyes told her he meant every word of what he said.
“We’ll bring your mare along, but I think you need a stallion to get through the mountains,” he said. “You have spare clothing? We’re headed into a storm, and we know not if ’twill be rain or snow. Either will drench you through.”
“How can you know that?” She always wondered how some people were able to predict the weather. She did have an extra chemise, leggings and tunic from Dyna, plus had been given a woolen gown by Els’s mother, but she wasn’t prepared for heavy rain or snow. Her boots were serviceable, but nothing special. She’d not had the opportunity to get anything better.
“Grandsire’s bones and Dyna. She has a touch of seer in her. She said we’re going to get wet. Grandsire called it a storm and said to hurry.”
“Do you have any tents?” S
he hoped they wouldn’t have to sleep on wet ground. She’d done that enough on her way north. “Or know you of any caves along the way?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.” He winked and flashed a bright smile at her, but just like before, she could tell he meant it.
They left half an hour later and traveled without any problem for most of the day. They didn’t expect to arrive at Alasdair and Emmalin’s castle until the next day, so they would have to find a place to settle for the night.
It was nearly nightfall when Magnus held back to speak to Els and Joya. “I wish to get past this next ravine before the bad weather comes. There’s a narrow pass we’d do best not to travel in the snow or rain, but on the other side is a deep cave that would be large enough for most of us if we crowd. ’Tis where I’m taking us.”
Els said, “I trust you, Uncle. Lead on.”
Once Magnus moved back into the lead, Joya said, “I hope we get to that cave before it starts.”
They’d traveled for about half an hour before the winds changed. Els stared up at the fast-moving clouds and said loud enough for her to hear him, “I can feel it.” The wind was picking up quickly as well.
“Where’s the ravine?” Els asked Magnus, who’d moved back to speak with him.
“Just up ahead,” he said, pointing. “If we’re quick enough, I think we can get past it before the rain starts. Move right along. Don’t lag behind. There are still ten men behind you.”
She did the best she could, tying her hood over her head to keep it dry. A few minutes later, the cold rain came in a gust, sheeting across the sky like an angry lover, gray and black clouds dancing over their heads. They were halfway across the narrow pass, Els directly behind her, when he cursed loudly. Two seconds later, she knew why. The rain was freezing on the ground, something any rider dreaded. Ice made the horses skittish. It made them slip.
The Scot's Spy (Highland Swords Book 2) Page 4
