The Hunter

by Monica McCarty

  Distancing himself from his cousin’s rebellion and his father’s “wild” legacy was a constant battle. But he was surprised an Italian nun was that apprised of clan politics.

  “Who sent—” She stopped herself, obviously remembering her companion. Slowly, she nodded. “I see.”

  She’d realized that it must have been Lamberton who’d led them to her.

  “With such an important undertaking as your, uh … pilgrimage,” MacLean added, “your superiors were concerned that nothing go wrong and wanted to make sure you reached your destination safely. As you have discovered, there are many enemies to the church these days.”

  Ewen hadn’t realized MacLean was so adept at speaking with double meaning—especially in a language he wasn’t exactly fluent in—but it was clear that Sister Genna understood what he was trying to say: they were here to make sure the message to Bruce did not go astray.

  He was studying her while MacLean spoke and didn’t miss the flash of what might be deemed annoyance in her eyes. They were sea blue, he realized. A very pretty, very crystal shade of bluish green. And what kind of nun had long, feathery eyelashes like that?

  Whatever pique he’d detected was quickly smothered behind the pious facade. “I fear your journey was unnecessary. I reached my destination two days ago without any problems. Indeed, I was on my way back to Berwick this morning. Sister Marguerite was simply walking me to the hill to say goodbye.”

  “You were planning to travel by yourself?” Ewen said.

  He hadn’t bothered to keep the incredulity from his voice, and the face she turned to him was serene enough, but he could swear her eyes were shooting tiny greenish-blue darts at him. Damn, she was pretty! Not too old and not too young. He’d guess she was in her mid-twenties—a handful of years younger than his thirty. The other one was pretty too, in a frail, helpless manner Sister Genna was trying to adopt, but she didn’t look much older than a child.

  “I hoped to catch up with another group of pilgrims at Dryburgh Abbey, a few miles away. We in the service of God are used to walking long distances. I walk much farther to sell our embroidery at market. Most people I encounter on the road are not like these.”

  “But some are,” he pointed out.

  She shrugged with far less concern than she should have. Even after what had just happened, she seemed oblivious to the danger she was in. Which only reinforced his belief that women had no part in war—even nuns acting as couriers. Women were too fragile. Too trusting. Too innocent of the ugly side of the world. How could she expect to defend herself against an armed knight?

  Though he admired the bravery and spirit he’d just witnessed, the next group of soldiers she came upon might not be so easily persuaded by her threats. What the hell was Lamberton thinking? The good bishop was sending his pretty lamb out to the slaughter with no idea of the danger she faced. And without protection, damn it.

  He should be glad to hear she’d passed the missive along and leave it at that. Escorting pretty nuns who didn’t know enough to realize that they were out of their element wasn’t what he’d joined the Highland Guard to do.

  As the only Lamont not in exile, it was up to Ewen to restore the good name of his clan and reclaim the clan lands lost by his cousin, ensuring that one of the greatest lordships in the Highlands did not fade away into the mist like those of the MacDougalls and Comyns.

  All he had to do was keep his head down, do his job, and not do anything to anger Bruce. When the war ended, he would be rewarded with land and coin.

  It was a simple equation. He sure as Hades didn’t need any complications from unknown variables—unknown variables like pretty little Italian nuns. As much as he liked Arthur “Ranger” Campbell’s eldest brother, Neil, he didn’t want to see any more Lamont land in Campbell hands.

  But he couldn’t very well leave her out here to fend for herself. Not after what he’d seen.

  She made an attempt to explain. “A few, perhaps. Though even these men, I think, were realizing the error of their ways.” Realizing that might sound ungrateful, she added, “Although, of course, we are grateful for your help. You were magnificent! Your sword skills were most impressive; I will make sure to pass along our praise to my superiors.”

  Though it was said with the perfect balance of feminine flattery and sincerity, Ewen had been around MacSorley long enough to recognize when he was being humored.

  Perhaps detecting his skepticism, she added, “Truly I do not know what we would have done had you not appeared when you did.”

  If he hadn’t seen her display earlier, the meek, helpless act might have fooled him. His eyes narrowed. Why the act at all? What game was she playing?

  She gave them a solemn smile, as if she were blessing them. But he was distracted by the small heart-shaped mole she had above her lip. God’s blood, a mole like that belonged on the mouth of a jade!

  “You have our deepest gratitude. Sister Marguerite and I will keep you both in our prayers. Goodbye.”

  Jesus! Ewen frowned and came to a sudden stop. How the hell had she done that? She’d been walking, and they’d been following her without even realizing it. They were almost back to the road.

  He felt like bloody Odysseus with the sirens. “Not so fast, Sister.” He had no intention of letting her walk off alone. MacLean could take the missive to Bruce, and he’d see their courier safely back to Lamberton. And when he was finished, he and the bishop were going to have a nice, long talk about using nuns as couriers. “Say your goodbyes if you wish, but you are coming with me.”

  Genna tried not to let her discomposure show, but it had been a long time since a man had tried to order her around. Not since … Duncan. Her chest pinched thinking of her brother. It was still hard to believe he was gone. Her big, strong, seemingly indestructible brother had been killed by the MacDowells at Loch Ryan not long after her disappearance.

  She turned around calmly and met his gaze—the disarming one whom, as he’d not seen fit to do so himself, MacLean had introduced as Lamont. Odd, as she thought the clan had stood with the MacDougalls against Bruce and had been exiled to Ireland. The Lamont clan was located in Cowal, she recalled, near Argyll in the Western Highlands. Their name was thought to be derived from the Norse “Logmaor,” or lawman. Which was especially ironic given that this man seemed to have the communication skills of a rock.

  He wasn’t responding in the way she expected, and it was mildly disconcerting. He also had a disarming way of looking at her. Hard. Intense. As if he could see all her secrets. Thinking of the scars, she realized that he had—some of them, at least. But she had plenty more waiting to be discovered.

  The sooner she rid herself of this unnerving man, the better.

  Feigning a patience she certainly didn’t feel, she bestowed one of her most nunly smiles on him. Calm. Serene. Understanding. With that slightly mysterious and hallowed detachment that set the nuns apart. How Mary would laugh to see her affect such a countenance! Her chest pinched, and she pushed the thought away. Her twin sister was safer without her around. But she hated not being able to see her and tell her she was all right. Soon, she hoped. The war couldn’t go on forever … could it?

  “I don’t understand. I believe I explained that there was no cause for you to come.” She’d delivered the missive, blast it. Why would the bishop send them after her? Lamberton had never displayed such a lack of faith in her before. She didn’t need an escort; he would only interfere with her plans. “Was there something else?”

  The smile had no effect on him. His face was as impenetrable as the steel that hid his brow and nose. She frowned. She had to admit, she was curious to see the entirety of his face. He had a nice mouth and jaw—

  She stopped with a startled jerk, wondering what in perdition had come over her.

  “I will return you to Berwick. You don’t need to worry about your friend. MacLean will see her safely back to the abbey. He will make sure everything reaches its intended destination.”

  The man
wasn’t as adept at hidden meanings as his friend, but she understood well enough. Apparently, MacLean would take the missive she’d left with their contact at the abbey directly to Bruce himself.

  “You are so kind. Although I appreciate your gallant offer, it isn’t necessary. Why don’t we all return to the abbey, and you and your friend can both see that everything arrives safely.”

  She turned to leave, but he stopped her with that deep, lilting voice of his that despite the curtness of his words seemed to seep right through her like warm caramel.

  “It wasn’t an offer, Sister.”

  The man was like a rock all right. Utterly immovable! She felt a spark of temper but tamped it down. Her smile this time might have been a little forced. “It isn’t necessary—”

  “Yes, it is.” He motioned with his head to his friend, and MacLean came toward her. “Take the girl to the abbey and then see that our friend receives the message,” he added in Gaelic. “I’ll deal with our little holy warrior.”

  Good thing she had plenty of experience pretending not to understand. But still his comment managed to get a small rise out of her. Little holy warrior, indeed! He made her sound like a bairn playing some game.

  “Sister,” MacLean said, holding out his hand to Marguerite.

  The girl looked back and forth between Genna and MacLean. Genna held tightly to her arm, not wanting to relinquish her. But she knew Marguerite needed to get back to attend to her lungs with the butcher’s broom sweetened with honey that she used, and as it was clear that it was going to take a little more time to reason with this infuriating man, she had to let her go. “It’s all right,” she said. “Go with him. I will be along soon enough.”

  “Say goodbye, Sister,” Lamont instructed from behind her.

  Genna shot him a glare, and then turned to Marguerite to give her an encouraging squeeze. “Take care, ma petite.”

  Sister Marguerite glanced at Lamont uncertainly, and then back to her. “Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you …”

  “Perfectly sure. This man will do me no harm.” She hoped that wasn’t her third lie of the hour. “Don’t worry about me; just promise me you will rest before you continue your journey.”

  The girl nodded.

  Genna bit her lip. “It is probably best if you don’t say anything about what happened here. I do not wish to put these men who helped us in any danger.”

  Marguerite nodded again, and then after one last hug, Genna let her go. She watched as MacLean led her away through the tunnel of trees. They were almost out of sight when Lamont shouted something at his friend in Gaelic. It sounded like, “Striker, Bàs roimh Gèill!”

  She translated the last as Death before Surrender, but what did “striker” mean?

  MacLean nodded and repeated the phrase, adding something she did understand: “hunter.” Strange … “What did you say to him?”

  “It isn’t important.”

  “And yet you chose to speak it in a language that I could not understand?”

  He shook his head. She thought it quite remarkable that he had the same exasperated look on his face that her brother and father used to have, which had taken them years to perfect. He’d managed it with her in minutes.

  “Yes.”

  The man had also perfected the non-answer. “Your friend,” she said. “Won’t it be dangerous for him?”

  He dismissed her concern with a shrug. “He’ll be careful. He knows how to blend in.”

  Genna couldn’t imagine how either of them would blend in anywhere. They stood out. They were so big, for one thing. Standing next to him she couldn’t help notice just how big. He stood nearly a foot taller than she—he must be at least a hand over six feet—and his shoulders were nearly twice as wide. With all the weapons and armor, he was a bulky man. Not fat, but with far too many muscles for her taste. He was a man built to remind women of their vulnerability, something she tried not to think about. But she couldn’t ignore it with him, which made her all the more eager to be rid of him.

  Genna had noticed that he liked the direct approach—or in his case, the stunted approach—so she decided to take it herself. “Why are you insisting on escorting me back to Berwick? Did my superior instruct you to do so?”

  “Nay.”

  “Then why?”

  “That should be obvious: it isn’t safe.”

  “And you think I’ll be safer with you? You are wrong. The English are far more likely to stop a warrior on the road than they are a group of pilgrims. I will be far safer with them.”

  “Then it’s a good thing we won’t be traveling on the road.”

  “Do you proposed to fly to Berwick?” The sarcastic words were out of her mouth before she could snatch them back.

  He smiled, and some of that irritation she was feeling squeezed strangely in her chest. He was handsome, she realized. Sinfully handsome. She didn’t need to see the rest of his face to know it. It was right there in that crooked smile. A strange shudder passed through her, prickly and warm, as if someone had just spread a thick plaid over her naked skin.

  “Not quite,” he said. “We’ll keep to the trees and stay off the main roads.”

  He took a step closer to her, and she caught a faint whiff of leather and pine that she wished she could say was unpleasant. Instead she felt the nearly irresistible urge to inhale. She shook it off, wondering why she was acting like this. She had never been the type to be made silly by a man—not even when she was young. In fact, it had been the other way around.

  She had to tilt her head back just to look at him. “What if we get lost?”

  The harsh sound out of his mouth was almost a laugh. “We won’t get lost.”

  He glanced down, and their eyes met. Something locked in her chest. Her breath, she realized. It seemed to have become stuck. Something strange passed between them. Something hot and intense. Something that made the skin beneath her cloak prickle. She was suddenly very aware of her naked skin beneath the wool.

  Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, his gaze dropped to her chest. A strange warm flush spread over her, and she gasped. The small sound was enough to break the connection. He jerked his gaze away, a dark look crossing his face.

  He took a step back and she tried to cover the moment of awkwardness, but her voice sounded unusually breathy. “I’m afraid it’s impossible. You may escort me to Dryburgh if you insist, but it isn’t proper for me to travel alone with a man.” Jerusalem’s temples, they’d have to spend at least one night together!

  His mouth twisted. “There is nothing improper; you are a nun. Your chastity is safe with me.”

  There was something about that little smile and the way he said it that didn’t sit well with her. Had she misread what had just happened? Was he telling her he wasn’t attracted to her? Though that was exactly the way she should want it, she had just enough vanity left to discover that it bothered her.

  She needed to change into a new chemise and put her veil in order. Then she was sure she would feel like herself again. After she got rid of him. “I did not mean to impugn your honor. You are a man of honor, are you not?”

  “Usually.”

  She frowned. Not exactly the answer she was hoping for, but it would have to do.

  “And as an honorable man you would not force your person on an unwilling woman?”

  For a chivalrous man there was only one answer. He, of course, gave her another.

  “Well, I guess it depends upon the circumstances, because I have every intention of forcing my person on you, Sister. So if you are done trying to talk circles around me until I do what you want, you can change while I find my horse, and then we can be on our way.”

  And without waiting for her to respond, he turned on his heel and left her there, gasping. Or perhaps sputtering was more accurate. It had been a long time since she’d lost a war of words.

  It seemed she wasn’t going to be rid of him as easily as she’d hoped. Actually, it seemed as if she wasn’t going to be
rid of him at all.

  Three

  Something about her expression when he walked away made Ewen want to laugh. He’d wager it wasn’t often the wee nun heard the word “no.” He was less amused, however, upon his return. For a woman of God, she sure as hell had a way of rousing the devil in him.

  He stared down at her from atop his horse, his hand extended. “I said, give me your hand.”

  She shook her head, the hideous black veil back in place, completely hiding the golden beauty that lay underneath. But he knew it was there, and if he looked hard enough—which he did—he could just see the silky-fine strands of gold curls escaping from beneath the tight wrapping at her temples. The softness, however, was at distinct odds with the stubborn set of her mouth. “I thank you for your kind offer, but I prefer to walk.”

  It was the third time he’d asked, which was already the second time too many. His jaw tightened, but it didn’t help to moderate his words. His patience had run out. “It wasn’t kind, it wasn’t an offer, and I don’t give a rat’s arse about what you prefer. You’ll get up on this horse voluntarily or I’ll put you there myself, but be assured that one way or the other you will ride with me.”

  Her eyes widened just a little, but to her credit her gaze did not falter from his. “You have an unusual way with words.”

  This from the woman who’d threatened a shriveling manhood and bollocks like raisins?

  “So I’ve been told.”

  Ewen had never been very good at conversing with ladies. He was too rough around the edges—hell, he was too rough all around. MacSorley had enough charm for all of them put together. Which was fine by him. Ewen was a warrior, not a troubadour. He had neither the time nor the inclination to charm. His plain speaking might be off-putting, and maybe even harsh at times, but it was effective. In battle and in the other life-and-death situations that faced the Highland Guard, being clear and concise was what mattered. There was no room for subtlety. Besides, the kind of communication he enjoyed with women didn’t require much conversing.