Flame
Page 33
“You--you’re John Stewart!” her warrior stammered.
“Aye, you filthy dog. John Stewart, earl of Athol. And that wench you were keeping company with in the next chamber is none other than my intended.”
It was sheer madness. There was no other explanation. But Catherine, in the next instant, found herself standing before the flaming-haired nobleman, blocking his approach.
“Stop!” she pleaded. “There has to be a better way to settle this than by drawing blood.”
Athol hesitated, and as he stared down at her, the man’s gray eyes flashed murderously. She stood her ground.
“You see, m’lord, I am Catherine Percy. David Hume here was entrusted with my safety, and...and I’m quite certain he must have had no prior knowledge that Ellen...”
The words dried up in her throat. She stared as the blade of his long sword gleamed in the torchlight.
“Out of my way, woman!”
Catherine’s knees were ready to buckle, and her head suddenly felt light, but she raised her chin in defiance. “I cannot!”
Athol advanced a step, looking past her at the man standing by the door. Taking a deep breath, she raised a pleading hand and gazed with as much courage as she could muster into a face ablaze with fury.
“He was given the task of protecting my life until we reached our destination. And he has done an excellent job...er, up to now. But now that the task is finished.” She paused, hoping that David would pick up her hint. “And now that his task is finished, I believe ‘tis my duty to see him safely away.”
There was no movement behind her. How could men be so thick-headed? she stormed inwardly. Away! Run! Flee!
“We are here at the end of our journey!” she pressed. “With the earl of Athol!”
“Out of my way, woman.”
“At the end of our journey!”
That did it. David must have turned to flee with the speed of a falcon, dropping the torch by the doorway in his escape. Responding quickly, the earl reached out and tried to move around her. But Catherine was quicker, throwing herself against his chest.
It was like hitting a wall of moving rock at a gallop. Her breath was knocked from her lungs. She fell with the grace of a meal sack to the floor as Athol picked up the torch and strode from the chamber.
For a long while Catherine sat still in the dark, listening to the shouts and curses and then to the sounds of horses. She didn’t know if it was the impact of hitting the man so hard or the cumulative effect of the entire episode that had left her unable to move. The lodge was in an uproar now, and she could hear the sound of people rushing about--while the steely voice of Athol could be heard above all of them, shouting commands and cursing violently.
What in heaven’s name had she gotten herself into? she thought groggily, trying to push herself to her knees. Thank the Lord she had never developed a fondness for any man in particular--other than her dream-knight--nor for marriage in general. And in truth, what she had witnessed tonight was a clear reaffirmation of that view.
She was definitely not suited for matrimony. She could never make anyone a fit wife. She would never know how to deal with this open display of temper and this threat of violence. Nay. And what of this business of a man coming to his future wife’s bed uninvited, then not even recognizing her as someone else. She brought her hands up to her flushed cheeks and again shook her head, pushing from her mind how wantonly she’d responded to him at first, when she’d thought it was just a dream.
She was still on her knees when the door to the Ladies’ Chamber swung open. Closing her eyes, she felt him brush past her without pausing.
Pushing herself shakily to her feet, she stole a glance in the direction of the man who now stood by the bed. His back to her, he was muttering under his breath as he wrapped a kilt around him by the light of a wick lamp he had evidently carried in with him.
The earl of Athol, she thought with a pang of regret, was quite different from what she had hoped he would be.
The man was supposed to be an advocate of learning. She had expected him to be a serene, subdued looking man. But his actions, his behavior, in bed and out...Catherine felt her heart start to race anew! Trying to force the memory of his mistaking her for Ellen Crawford from her mind, she stared at her host. He was certainly not at all what she had expected.
Ellen had told Catherine that the earl was past seven and thirty years of age. So even in her wildest of dreams, she hadn’t been prepared for the handsome face and the solid wall of muscle that was just now trying to pull on long, muddy boots. With flowing, partially braided red hair tumbling over a pair of broad shoulders, he looked more like an outlaw than he did the cousin of a king.
Catherine couldn’t help but guess what silly maneuvers she might have come up with as a young maiden to get the attention of a man like him. Not that with her unassuming appearance she’d ever have had even a chance of catching his eye. But all the same, she reminded herself, it was a blessing to know that her life had taken a different route. A far more sensible one.
She shook her head and started quietly for the door. As long as she kept her distance, perhaps they could avoid meeting again for a while. In truth, right now, the incident that had occurred in that bed embarrassed her dreadfully, and she had no doubt he must--if he had a shred of respectability in him--be feeling as terrible as she.
Reaching the doorway, she started to breathe again. She had to put what happened behind her and, perhaps, they could pretend it had never taken place. He would not mention it, Catherine was quite certain, and she could quietly go about the task of opening her school.
“Mistress Catherine.”
His hard voice raised the gooseflesh on the back of her neck. She turned slowly and faced him.
“I’ve sent for the damned priest. We’ll be wed when the cursed old fool arrives.”
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
EPILOGUE