"Not if you do not agree."
"I will not." Her mouth was stubbornly set. "Ever."
It would be interesting to see what won out, her stubbornness or his determination. Because he was not a man who lost easily or often, he began laying his plans. "I'll not force you, Rowena, but you'd best know now that I want you."
Her eyes widened; her face went pale. "Is that what you were whispering with Bryce about? Were you planning to kidnap me and force me to wed you?"
He contrived to look abashed. "Nothing so rash as that, though I may resort to that if my other plans do not work. I did but think a little betrothal gift was in order."
"I do not want any gifts from you."
"Not a ring for your finger or a broach for your cloak?"
"Nay," she said, then her expression turned crafty. "But if you could find some way to free Colin Ross…"
Lion suppressed a smile. Ah, she was a worthy adversary. "It would be too dangerous."
"Could you not at least try?"
He smiled gently. "For you, I would try anything."
"Really? But how…?"
He shook his head. " 'Tis best you not know. I wouldn't want you fretting over my safety."
"I gave up doing that years ago."
"Did you, now?" he asked, pleased by the flicker of emotion in her eyes. She was not so immune to him as she'd like to be. "I never stopped worrying about you, lass, even when I heard you'd up and wed another the moment my back was turned."
Anger flamed quick and bright in her cheeks. "'Twas you who left me, without a word or a care."
"Ah, that's where you are wrong. I cared a great deal, but at the time, I had no choice in the matter."
Her eyes filled with emotions that were painful to watch. She opened her mouth, then closed it. "Well, I no longer care why you went." Rising, she twitched the wrinkles from her skirts and turned to leave him.
Not ready to let her go, he hopped up and blocked her retreat. "You do care. That's what sends you running whenever we're together. What was between us once is still here, Rowena. It sizzles and crackles, fierce as a lightning storm on a hot summer night. You remember, same as I do, what it was like."
"Nay." She put her hands over her ears, body shuddering in the grip of the same emotions that sent his own heart racing.
"Aye." Impatient, he took her shoulders and gazed deep into the eyes that had haunted his dreams for years. "Much has changed in six years, but this hasn't." He brought his mouth down on hers, hard, demanding a response.
She stiffened, her gasp of shock and, likely, outrage muffled by his kiss. She tried to twist free. He wouldn't let her go. Not yet. Maybe not ever. He tasted anger and defiance on her unyielding lips, but beneath them was a longing he understood only too well. It pierced him to the quick, shattering his ruthless quest to force an admission from her. Rowena might look strong and remote, but she was fragile and needy. Instantly, he gentled the kiss, apologizing, then coaxing, seducing.
She trembled in his grip. Her hands fluttered against his chest, as though trying to decide whether to push or cling. Her lips parted with a soft moan as her body swayed toward his. It was all the invitation he needed. He swept her up, one arm around her waist, the other hand tunneling into her hair, steadying her head as he took the kiss deeper.
Rowena's mind went blank. All her carefully erected barriers crumpled. Desires ruthlessly suppressed over the years swamped her as she responded to the feel of Lion's arms wrapped around her, his strong body pressed against hers as his mouth worked its magic on her senses. Oh, how she wanted him. Now. This instant—
"Ach!" Lion wrenched his mouth free and buried it in her neck. His breath scorched her skin. His heart thundered to the same clamorous rhythm as hers. "Oh, lass, I knew—"
"Nay." Ashamed and frightened of what she'd almost done, of the way her body had turned traitor to her mind, she pushed weakly against him. "Let me go."
He loosened his grip, but didn't release her. "Ro?"
"Damn." She pounded his chest. "Why does it have to be you?" She looked up into eyes gone nearly black with passion and a smile that could charm the birds from their nests.
"I guess we are just more fortunate than most." He dipped his head again, searching for her mouth.
"Do not." She pushed, and this time he let her escape. She tottered back one step. "This should never have happened."
"It was inevitable."
She shook her head, as much to clear it as tell him no. "It is not the same. It can never be. I—I could never trust you again. And—and I have duties, responsibilities."
"As do I," Lion said slowly, weighing his next move. "I do not see that they are at odds. You need someone to protect you, and I'd be that man."
"I do not want your protection."
"Aye, but you need it. Have you forgotten what happened a wee bit ago?"
The color returned to her pallid cheeks, and her eyes crackled with intense emotion. "I am not afraid for myself. I've done nothing wrong. But what of young Colin? Surely the earl would not hang a child."
"The Wolf does whatever he likes."
"The Wolf." Her mouth thinned. "Aye, 'tis an apt name for a madman such as he. Can you do nothing to stop him?"
"Alexander is a dangerous man to cross," Lion said, thinking of his own plans.
"I'd not thought to see you afraid," she taunted.
"Afraid, nay, but cautious, aye. Around the earl, I am careful as a man in a pit of vipers."
"Please." She closed the gap between them, hands clasped over her heart as she looked up at him. "You must do something."
He'd have given her anything just then, had to steel himself to recall that many lives were at stake. "I will speak with Alexander," he said carefully, not daring to confide his plans, lest she somehow betray him.
"Will he listen to you?"
"He has in the past. I do not know if he'll free the lad, but at least I may save his life." Lion cocked his head, needing to steer her away from this dangerous conversation. "As a betrothal gift to you."
"I am not your bet…" She glared at him. "Oh, very well, I will not tell the world that you lied about us, but neither will I sleep with you," she said firmly.
"Not even if I save young Colin?" he asked, half seriously.
"Nay. 'Tis despicable of you even to suggest such a thing."
"I did not. You were the one who brought it up. Could you at least behave toward me as a lass does with a man she fancies?" The way you used to. "Smile upon me occasionally. Sit with me at mealtimes."
"I suppose I could to that."
"And afterward…may I sit at your feet and compose verses likening your eyes to stars and your lips to roses?"
That wrung a small, embarrassed smile from her. "You would not be so silly."
"Silly? On the contrary, Alexander requests, nay, demands I sing often. He thinks it lends an air of civility to his crude band." He tilted his head, smiling faintly. "But if I may not bed you or sing to you, what of a walk in the gardens or a ride in the hills?"
"Will you save Colin?"
"I can promise nothing, but I will plead his case. Will you play the part of my loving betrothed?"
"I will," Rowena said grudgingly.
It promised to be an interesting wooing, Lion thought as he took his leave.
The next hour passed in a haze of dread and misery for Rowena. At Lion's insistence, they remained at the games.
"When will you speak with Alexander?" she whispered.
"Later. Alexander is wroth enough with me for being away when disaster fell and with you for trying to save the lad. Best wait till his temper has cooled. Enjoy the games."
How could she keep her eyes or her mind on the men putting the stone when her mind was back at Blantyre with Colin?
A roar from the crowd drew her wandering attention back to the field. Georas MacPherson and a brawny Chisholm stepped up to the line, ready to see who could heave a huge boulder the farthest. The onlookers shifted, some r
ising to leave.
"I find this boring," Lion said suddenly and loudly.
Rowena started. He'd been so quiet beside her she'd thought him absorbed in the stupid sport. Everyone turned to look at him. A few people looked relieved. Georas looked furious. The earl leaned around Lady Glenda and glared at Lion.
"Are you trying to cause more trouble?" the earl asked.
Lion shrugged, a mocking smile on his lips. "Better that than to sit here while this drags on."
"Will you come down and meet me, then?" Georas shouted.
"Toss a few rocks around?" Lion shook his head. "I'd something a bit more lively in mind."
"Name it. Swords? Dirks?"
"Football," Lion said, grinning.
The word buzzed through the crowd, drawing back those on the point of departure.
"What say you, Alexander?" Lion asked. "Do you not weary of watching instead of playing at sport? Will you lead one team and I the other?"
"Gladly." Alexander leaped to his feet, eyes alight. "I'll have Georas and Eneas Gunn on my team."
"As you will, Your Grace." Lion laughed and bent to kiss Rowena. "Wish me luck," he demanded, before vaulting lightly down the row of benches and hurrying off, a band of hearty, laughing Sutherlands at his back.
"It's a rough, bloody sport." Glenda moved down the bench to Rowena's side. "I do hope Alexander will take care."
It soon became evident that Glenda had cause for worry. There were seemingly few rules to the game, and the men played with little restraint and no concern for life or limb.
"What are they trying to prove?" Rowena asked, staring in horror at the seething mass of men on the field.
"Well, the objective is to carry yon ball—a pig's bladder filled with dried beans—over your opponent's end of the field."
"Aye, I know that," Rowena snapped. "I just do not see why a group of grown men should punish each other so."
Lion was in the thick of things. Face flushed, hair flying out behind him, he carried the ball a few feet down the field before a herd of MacPhersons drove him to the ground.
"Jesu!" Rowena shot to her feet. "They've killed him."
Incredibly, the pile of MacPhersons heaved, and Lion exploded from the center like a trout after a mayfly. He screamed something and tossed the ball to Bryce Sutherland. Bryce caught it and hurtled down the field. The opposition was up off Lion and after Bryce in a flash. Alexander tackled Bryce and scooped up the ball. The Sutherland team leaped on the earl with little regard for his lofty titles.
"Lady Glenda. Lady Glenda." Donald stood on the ground below the benches, looking up at them.
"Not now, Donald, I'm busy."
"We've more guests," the glum-faced steward shouted over the din of the game.
"Tell whoever it is to wait till the match is—" Glenda jumped up. "Look. It's Alexander. He's gotten free. Run! Run!" she screamed, tugging on Rowena's arm in her excitement.
The noise of the crowd rose to an earsplitting roar. The earl lumbered down the field, Georas MacPherson ahead of him, tossing aside would-be tacklers. They crossed the end line a few steps ahead of Lion's men.
The earl danced about, holding the ball aloft while the onlookers roared. Lion was gracious in defeat, clapping the earl on the back and leading the cheers. Eventually, the shouts faded away to an excited babble, and the combatants limped off the field. Good humor had clearly been restored, both winners and losers looking battered, grubby as young lads, but happy.
"Alexander!" Glenda hurtled down from the bleachers and hugged him. "You were wonderful. Are you unhurt?"
"Of course." He shook off her embrace with a cool shrug and turned to accept the hearty congratulations of others.
He tires of her, Rowena thought with a pang. Just as Lion had tired of her. Men.
"Your Grace?" A young man in red-and-black tartan emerged from the ring of well-wishers and inclined his head in greeting. "I am Robert MacNab, sent by my sire to discuss your summons."
"Ah." Alexander's dirt-streaked face brightened. "This is indeed a fortunate day for me. My life is saved by Eneas, I trounce Lion in football and the MacNabs come to join me."
Robert MacNab's expression remained bland. "I've come to talk only, my lord. To hear what you have planned."
"Humph." Alexander's eyes narrowed.
"Well, let us conduct this discussion within the castle,"
Lion said heartily. "It grows dark, and I've worked up a terrific thirst for that ale you promised us to celebrate the earl's win, Lady Glenda."
"Ale and a feast," Glenda said quickly. She gingerly touched Alexander's wet, hairy arm. "Will you lead the victory procession, my lord?"
"Aye." His surly expression faded, and Rowena fancied she could hear many in the assembly draw a breath of relief.
How did these people manage to withstand the uncertainty of the earl's temperament?
"What did you think of the game?" Lion asked, falling into step beside her as they walked back to the castle.
"It was rough and barbaric."
"Just what the lads needed." He grinned at her. "They've grown a mite restless and uncontrollable. An outlet for their energies was called for."
As they neared the inner ward, a soldier pelted out through the gate. "He's gone, my lord."
"Who?" Alexander demanded.
"The lad—Colin Ross."
"What? How could one small boy escape a band of grown men?"
"He—he just vanished. Umfried was guarding him while we readied the rack."
"The rack…oh, my God," Rowena whispered.
Lion put his arm around her. "Shh. He's away."
"When we came back, Umfried was passed out cold in the cell from a blow to the head, and the lad was gone."
"Search the castle. I want him found and—"
"What is amiss?" Robert MacNab inquired.
Rowena leaned closer to Lion. "How did he get away?" she whispered.
"Clearly he is a clever lad," Lion replied.
The odd note in his voice made her look up. His expression, as he listened to the earl rant on about punishment for Colin and rewards for those who found him, was perfectly bland. But there was a twinkle deep in his eyes that made her wonder.
Lion and his men had been at the games all day. Her eyes widened. How had he managed it?
Chapter Seven
"How do you stand this?" Robbie MacNab muttered.
Lion looked around the packed hall. Though the raucous victory celebration was in full swing, darker emotions simmered below the surface of the frivolity, like the hidden eddies of some murky river. The earl's true supporters drank with their usual rapacious greed and disported themselves as crudely as a band of brigands. Those not there of their own free will sipped their ale cautiously and watched their words and their backs.
"It is more bearable than the alternative," Lion said.
"Which would be…?"
"Screaming defiance, making a run for my father's stronghold at Kinduin and waiting behind its walls for this rabble to come and besiege me and mine."
"Mmm."
"What did he say to you, our gracious leader?"
"He asked if my father would call up the MacNabs and fight beneath his banner. I—I took your advice and said I was to gather more information before Da decided." Robbie raked a hand through his hair. "Jesu, after the tales I heard about young Colin, what else could I do? Any man who would throw a lad in the dungeon and threaten to hang him is a fiend of the worst—"
"Easy," Lion murmured. "This is not the place for such talk." Though they stood in one of the window alcoves, well away from most folk, it was still dangerous.
Instinctively, his eyes sought Rowena. She sat on the dais with Lady Glenda. Safely out of harm's way…for the moment. Despite his pleasure at having her near, he should send her away. Send, ha! She'd given in on the mock betrothal, but he'd seen her wavering when she'd heard that Colin was free. What would she do? Honor her pledge or send him packing?
"Where is
the lad?" Robbie whispered.
"Why, I have no idea." Exactly.
"Aye, and I'm the king of Scotland."
"You could not do a worse job."
"Nor you a better one," Robbie said solemnly.
"That's the ale talking, me lad."
"The dozen men who ventured the opinion to me this evening seemed right sober," Robbie replied.
"Daft, they are, then," Lion said, shaking his head. "And they'd best guard their tongues do they want to keep them attached. Our host has little sense of humor when it comes to that subject in particular."
"Mad," the lad murmured. "Mad as a rogue wolf."
"You'd do well to remember that over the next few days, and guard that red-haired temper of yours, for he'll not stop trying to sway you to his side."
"You'd best watch yourself too, my lord. Alexander told me, in confidence, mind, that he was bestowing Westray Tower on Eneas Gunn and putting him in command of his spearmen."
Lion whistled through his teeth and glanced over at Gunn, who stood close by his new lord's elbow like a dog waiting for a bone. "Alexander thinks to show those here how lavish he can be in rewarding one who serves him well."
"Aye. But there's more. Eneas does whisper against you in the earl's ear, saying you must have had something to do with young Colin's disappearance."
Lion's jaw tightened. "He has proof?"
"Nay. Just a healthy hatred, I'd guess, for it was likewise mentioned to me that he was not pleased by your sudden betrothal to his late brother's wife."
"You've learned much in a few short hours," Lion said, masking his unease. "Would you like a job as a spy?"
"I thought I already had one."
Lion chuckled. "I like you, lad. See you come to no harm during your stay here."
"I'd bid you the same, my lord. And now, I'd take my leave, for we've talked overlong for two men who have just met casually at court. And there's a lassie or two who's been glancing my way. 'Twould be rude indeed to ignore such sweet interest." He inclined his head and walked off whistling.
Lion kept the faint smile on his lips as he tilted the cup to drain the last of the watered wine he'd been drinking. The lad had a good point. The piper was playing a lively tune, and Lion had yet to dance with his betrothed. Setting his empty cup on the alcove seat, he threaded his way through the throng to the head table. "Lady Glenda." He bowed low to the lady. "I'd steal my lady away for a reel or two."
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