Hannah Howell

by Highland Hearts

  Tess remained unconvinced. “Ye can weaken that hint of truth when ye return to the king. Ye can say that I am well, that Revan isna the one who seeks to kill me. Ye can say that I vouched for all Revan said.”

  “I will and it may help. I would still be wary of the king’s men. There is much confusion and mistrust just now.” He looked at Revan. “Now, mayhaps ye can tell me all ye have learned.”

  “Are ye certain it will be heeded? If my loyalty is now in doubt, then my information will be as well.”

  Simon grimaced and rubbed his chin. “ ’Tis possible. But I feel certain ye have supporters enough to make all ye can tell me useful. And, too, if it’s proved true in the end, it proves your loyalty.”

  Tess tugged free of Revan’s hold and stood up. “Well, I will leave you men to discuss the details and seek my bed. ’Tis certain the days ahead will be ones demanding all the strength and wit I can muster.” After murmuring good sleep to both men, she went to where Revan had laid out their meager bedding.

  “A pretty lass,” Simon murmured, watching Revan closely.

  “Aye, and if I am fated to be hindered with a lass during this trouble, she is the best of the lot.”

  “I could see how ye appreciated her.” He ignored Revan’s scowl. “The question is—can ye trust her?”

  Revan hesitated only a moment before he nodded. “Aye. I didna at first, but she freely shared all she kenned about Thurkettle’s intrigues. And she kens that her uncle wishes her dead, that he has done so for quite a while. As she says—’tis a fool who gives loyalty to a man who seeks to murder her.”

  “And is her loyalty now to you?”

  “She kens I will do all I am able to keep her safe. What I am sure of is that her loyalty lies with the king.”

  “ ’Twill do. What have ye discovered, then?”

  “A lot and yet, mayhaps, not enough.”

  Careful to include every fact as well as all possibilities, Revan told Simon all he had learned from his spying and from Tess. Simon had gathered some information as well, much of it confirming what Revan had discovered. A war was in the offing, and it looked as if it would be soon.

  “Is the king prepared? Does he have the men to face Douglas’s army?” asked Revan after they spent several moments silently mulling over the information.

  “He works hard to gather enough.” Simon idly poked at the dying fire with a slender twig.

  “Douglas thinks to snare the throne for himself.”

  “Aye. He was so close just after James the First was murdered that he has gained a fever for it. And, though I should only admit so to you, the ninth earl of Douglas has a righteous grievance. The king’s minions butchered the sixth earl and his brother, mere lads, at the ‘Black Dinner,’ then the king himself killed the eighth earl. Both times the promise of safe conduct was treacherously ignored by the crown. If the crown itself was not on the bargaining table, this would be naught but a simple blood feud.”

  Revan nodded slowly. “And Douglas lands have been taken. Aye, true enough, there has been wrong on both sides. I, too, have seen it. But I believe the earls of Douglas dealt in treachery ere the murders began.”

  “They did, indeed. They were allowed to grow far too powerful, far too rich.”

  “If we are the victors, ’twill be an end to these cursed Douglases.”

  “Ah, my friend, the Black Douglases will fall, but the Red Douglases of Drumlanrig, of Dalkeith, and of Angus are poised to rise up upon the ashes of their kinsmen. They will surely profit from the fall of the Blacks.”

  “Surely the king has the wit to keep them from growing as powerful.”

  “Let us pray that is so.” Simon studied Revan a moment before adding, “Ye could gain if we win this approaching war.”

  “If I am not cut down as a traitor?” Revan grimaced. “What gains there might be obtained from my kinsmen’s staunch support willna come to me. My father and my two elder brothers will reap the rewards—as is right. I have gained a knighthood and some coin. That is enough. I shall never be a rich man.”

  “Then ye must wed to gain it. Ye should be more than a man-at-arms to fickle kings all of your days.”

  “I have no quarrel with my life as it is.”

  Simon shrugged. “To marry wealth and land which one is denied by some accident of birth or by circumstance is seen as a wise step to take, a fortunate one, and carries no shame. Ye are not ill-favored. Most maids with coin and land must wed men with far less to offer than you. Ye should barter what ye have ere ye age or the trials of battle steal it from you. Ye could well find ye regret your fine sentiments when all chance has passed.”

  “What? That I may be aged or crippled some day and pine for some pinched-faced, shrewish wife?”

  “Not all maids blessed with a fortune or land are sour of face and nature.”

  Thoughts of Tess suddenly filled Revan’s head, but he forced them away. She held a beauty and a nature he could easily be comfortable with as well as all the passion he needed. There was all he could wish for in a woman, in a mate, plus coin and land. There was temptation and one he felt he had to resist.

  “I canna help how I feel, Simon. To me such a mating is distasteful. I would gain all but give nothing. ’Twould be if I were no more than some whore.”

  “I can see that your heart and mind are set firm. Nevertheless, I shall ask you to think upon it, ponder it some. I dinna see it as an uneven trade. Aye, and think on this—any maid with coin and land will be made to marry, and ye would do a lot better by them than many another man. I press you on this, for ’tis my belief that such marriages are the only way younger sons, such as we are, will ever gain more than honor. And honor doesna give a man much fleshly comfort.”

  “Why do I begin to feel that ye press me on this—now—for other reasons?”

  Simon grimaced faintly, then sighed. “Aye, mayhaps I do. Ye could but reach out and gain all ye need—now.”

  “Ye mean Tessa.”

  “Aye—I mean Mistress Delgado. Ye are lovers already—”

  “I ne’er said so,” Revan said quickly.

  “There was no need. ’Tis clear to see. No need to look so fierce, my friend. I would never blacken her name. ’Tisna my way and ye ken it. I but saw the—shall we say camaraderie?—between you, the way ye look at each other, and even the way ye bicker. Mayhaps only a friend such as I am can or would see it. And, as a friend, I seek to advise you to grasp what is at hand.”

  “Tessa deserves much more than some mercenary mating.”

  “And though I have watched you together only these few hours, I say ye would give her more. Mayhaps much more than ye wish to admit even to yourself.” Revan remained quiet, so Simon shrugged and abruptly changed the subject. “Where do ye ride to next?”

  Revan eagerly pursued this new conversation. “ ’Tis a difficult choice. There are many paths to take, but I think all of them will be watched.”

  “There is little doubt of that, but I think the straightest route to the king will be the one most closely guarded.”

  “I agree. I mean to take a very twisted route. First I thought I would hie to my brother Nairn’s keep.”

  “That place must be watched as well.”

  “Aye, but unless a full army encircles him and holds him under siege, I can slip within his walls. I need another horse and more supplies. My hope is that my enemies will decide it is too out of the way, even too simple and clear a choice, thus only place a light force to watch there.”

  “And then what? Do ye mean to leave the lass there?”

  “Nay.” Revan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Nairn has sent the best strength of his fighting men to the king’s side, and I am sure he means to join them himself soon. Even if he offered to hold Tess, she wouldna be safe there if Thurkettle set after her in force.”

  “Which ye believe he will.”

  “Like a starving wolf after a fawn. And not simply for all he would gain upon her death. With each day that passes, h
e must begin to realize how great a danger she is to him. He will start to recall all she may have seen or heard.”

  “Well, if ye reach the Comyns or Delgados, there will be help aplenty there for you.”

  “I hadna yet decided to go to them. Tessa says that they can be trusted, but she hasna lived with them for five years, mayhaps longer.”

  “They can be trusted. Have no fear of that. They are neither very wealthy nor very powerful, but their loyalty is something I would be willing to swear by.” Simon smiled briefly. “ ’Tis often jested that they strive to atone for their ancestor’s taking up of arms against Robert the First. Many of their men are close to the king, many are in the church, and many are in some work that touches upon the law. Aye, ye can trust them with your life. Go to them. They will surely aid you in getting to the king and in ending these black accusations against you.”

  “Ye are well acquainted with them?”

  “Well enough.”

  “How is it I can bring none to mind, then? I faintly recall the court painter Delgado, Tessa’s father, but no others.”

  “Well, they dinna often remain Delgados. They are quick to take on a good Scots name if they wed or gain some land.” Simon began to bank the fire. “Aye—go to them. They are en route to the king. Once on Silvio Comyn’s lands ye are almost in reach. Silvio will see that ye complete the journey alive.”

  “Unless he, too, has heard the black accusations against me.”

  “Rumor and accusation willna sway these men. They may be wary, but ye have all they will need to believe in your innocence—Contessa and her word upon it. Now, to bed, my friend. Ye sorely need to rest.”

  “I should take a turn at watch,” Revan murmured as he stood up and brushed himself off. “But selfishness prompts me to accept your offer.”

  “Good sense does. Ye ken the truth of what I say.”

  Revan grinned briefly. “Aye.”

  “One other word of caution—the Delgados and the Comyns feel very strongly about the chastity of their women.”

  “Do ye try to warn me that I could find myself forcibly set before some priest?”

  “Ye may wish to consider the possibility.”

  “Well, I need not worry about that. I will say naught, nor will Tessa speak. So how could they ken what has passed between us?”

  “Mayhaps the same way I did.”

  That possibility was not one Revan felt inclined to consider, so he quickly turned the subject. “When we meet again, my friend, ’twill be to fight at the king’s side.” He briefly clasped Simon’s outstretched hand.

  “If we must. I pray it will never come to a bloodletting.”

  “I fear God willna heed your prayers this time, Simon.”

  CHAPTER 7

  “Do you think Simon can reach the king—safely and in time?” Tess hoped that talking would take her mind off of how meager a protection her clothes were against the cold, damp afternoon. The weather had worsened steadily since they had left Simon at dawn.

  Carefully urging his weary mount down the rocky slope, Revan nodded. “Aye. Simon is clever at hiding, slipping away unseen, losing his pursuers, and all of that. If any man can make it to the king, ’tis Simon.” Then he paused. “Unless James takes flight.”

  “He fled once before, did he?” She decided the power of the Douglases was worthy of inspiring fear in the king.

  “Aye—in fifty-two when the Tiger earl of Crawford raised his army against him. The king thought to flee to France, but the good Bishop Kennedy persuaded him to stay and stand firm. Crawford was then beaten at Brechin. Then the king foolishly forgave the Douglases. Ye can now see where that has led us.”

  Tess sighed and nodded, her cheek rubbing against his damp back. “Peace never seems to visit Scotland for long.”

  It was true; Revan had no encouraging words to offer, so he concentrated on getting them through the thick scrub forest at the base of the hill. He had known little peace in his lifetime. Although he was not adverse to fighting, he did, at times, grow heartily sick of it.

  Glancing up at the sky, he frowned. The sky grew blacker, the storm clouds churning ominously. Soon there would be far more to contend with than the cold misty rain.

  “There is a small crofter’s hut ahead. I passed a night in it as I traveled to your uncle’s. We will pause there.”

  Although she frowned up at the threatening sky as well, she murmured, “ ’Tisna night yet.”

  “Nay, and I would dearly like to travel farther, but I dinna believe the weather will abide by my wishes.”

  “Aye, I fear ye may be right.”

  Grinning faintly, Revan patted her slim leg where it rested against his. “I ken well how that must pain you.”

  She bit back a laugh. “Keep your eyes upon this trail—if ye could grace this precarious path with such a grand name.”

  The path was pathetic, Tess mused. There were few roads in the border counties, most cut through the rough terrain by drovers taking their cattle or sheep to market, but they could not even use those. They had too many enemies to elude. That forced them to pick their way through little-used paths, sometimes lacking even those. She wondered how she could ever have been so foolish as to think she would like to travel. Seeing new places may well be fun, but getting there was more trouble than it was worth, especially under their present circumstances.

  When she saw the crofter’s hut, she inwardly sighed, then told herself not to be so particular. It was a tiny earthen-walled hut with a rough thatched roof, but it was shelter. They needed protection from the impending storm far more than they needed finery or luxury. If she could somehow have a wash in heated water, she would be content.

  After dismounting before the poor house, Revan helped Tess down. “ ’Tis a mean place, but it can be made warm and dry. Just allow me a moment to be sure no animals have nested within since I was last here.”

  Tess waited patiently by his tired horse as Revan stepped inside. The door was little more than a stiffened oiled hide but it could be secured to keep out the wind and rain. She was not surprised when Revan returned and led his mount inside. The horse was vital to their success. It was necessary to pamper the animal.

  Stepping inside, she looked around the small, dark interior as Revan tended to his horse. Either the house had not been deserted for long or each wayfarer who made use of it kept it clean. There was a central hearth and a rope-sprung bed up against the wall with what looked to be a thin, straw-stuffed mattress. Ah, well, it would be better than the ground, she told herself as she moved to start a fire.

  “I will get some wood,” Revan said. “There is a small byre here with a few supplies.”

  Glancing around, Tess saw enough pots to heat water. “Can ye see if there is a large tub or even a barrel?”

  “What for?”

  “A bath—a hot bath.”

  “Ah, now, that would be fine. Aye, I will see what I can find. First, though, we need wood or peat for the fire and feed for the horse,” he murmured as he stepped outside.

  Tess decided to heat some water right away. Even if he found nothing to use as a tub, she wanted hot water to wash up with. She was brushing the snarls from her hair when Revan dragged a large wooden vat into the house. She was barely able to contain her delight.

  Setting it near the center hearth, Revan grinned at her. “I cleaned it out, and it seemed watertight.”

  “Oh, this shall be near to heaven.” She grabbed a bucket to get some more water. “It feels as if it has been years since I have had a hot bath.”

  It was not until the vat was filled that she became aware of the complete lack of privacy she would have. She looked at Revan, who squatted by the fire preparing them some porridge. Although the full fury of the coming storm had not yet struck, she could hear the rain was pounding on the ground. She could not ask him to go outside. Telling herself that there was no need for modesty since they were lovers did very little to ease her mind. She felt awkward.

  “Can ye move
so that your back is toward me and I can enjoy some privacy?” she finally asked him, cursing silently when she felt the tingle of a blush upon her cheeks.

  Looking at her, Revan slowly grinned. “I believe I have seen all your fair charms, dearling.”

  “Aye, but those times ye were privy to them, I wasna of a mind to care.”

  He laughed softly but moved so that his back was toward her. Tess eagerly stripped out of her clothes. She sighed with pleasure as she lowered herself into the heated water. Closing her eyes, she lay there enjoying its soothing, cleansing warmth. Soon growing pleasantly drowsy, she was startled by a soft splash and the sudden movement of the water. Opening her eyes, she nearly gaped as she watched Revan lower his long body into the water.

  “What are ye about?” she whispered, moving so that he could squeeze his body in.

  “Joining you. The way ye were lolling about, I feared the water would cool ere I could enjoy it.”

  “I would have heated more,” she said nervously, struggling to remember she was intending to have a bath and not be distracted by his lean, masculine beauty.

  “I have saved you all that extra labor.”

  “Somehow I dinna think that was your sole purpose.”

  “Ye may well be right. Turn round and I will help you bathe, then ye can assist me.”

  Carefully she turned. Looking away did not help much, for soon his hands were moving over her. The way he washed her back was pleasant, gently seductive, then he tucked her up against him so that he could reach around to the front of her.

  Tess soon found her passions growing hotter as he slowly rubbed his soapy hands over her body. then trickled water over her to rinse away the soap. All the while he kissed her neck, her shoulders, and nibbled at her ears. She trembled, slowly closing her eyes as he used both hands to spread lather over her breasts, then ever so slowly rinsed it away. Her breathing grew heavy and unsteady. A soft groan of hunger escaped her and she readily opened to his touch as he took his tormenting strokes even lower.

  When he grasped her by the shoulders, she responded to his silent urging and turned to face him. She met his gaze and felt her desire grow as she read the want reflected there. He gave her a gentle yet inviting kiss even as he pressed the soap into her hands. Smiling faintly, she began to wash him.