Page 8 of Bride of Ice
Unfortunately, that sounded exactly like Morgan. The babe had been a source of anguish and frustration for him for weeks.
But Colban wasn’t a fool. And neither was Morgan. He would never let a captive wander out the palisade gates, much less send a maidservant into the woods on a midnight errand.
The lass shuddered once from the cold. “I told him I’d return in a trice with the mushrooms. But if you won’t let me pass, well, I won’t stand out here, shivering.” She moved to go.
“Wait.”
She paused.
Colban knew the Valkyrie would never surrender so easily. If she didn’t manage to slip out the palisade gates, sooner or later she’d look for another means of escape.
If he let her go now, he could track her, learn what she intended. That could be more valuable than confronting her with her lies.
He pretended to reconsider. “How long will ye be?”
“Not long.”
“And ye swear ye’ll come back straightaway?”
“What else would I be doing in the woods on a night like this?” She shivered again.
It didn’t escape his notice that she hadn’t answered his question directly. But he couldn’t argue with her. It sounded like a plausible excuse. After all, what reasonable lass would venture alone into the woods on a frosty night unless someone had commanded her to do so?
“Very well,” he said, climbing down to unlatch the gate. “I’ll come with ye.”
“Nay!” she blurted, then softened her answer with a laugh. “Don’t be daft. I’ll be fine. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be guarding the gates against folk goingin?”
He hesitated. She was a clever lass. But he was clever as well.
He rubbed thoughtfully at his chin. Then, wondering if he was doing the right thing, he opened the gate for her.
As she swept past him with her face concealed, he inhaled, stealing a breath of her essence. Wafting off of the fearless maid was the scent of wool and spice and intrigue.
“Do not tarry,” he told her, watching her go and carefully noting the spot where she entered the wood.
Chapter 4
Hallie held her breath as she strode purposefully toward the trees. She could feel the Highlander’s eyes on her the entire way.
Not that that was unexpected. Men were ridiculously easy to distract. Even in battle, when it came to throwing off an opponent, sometimes a cool smile and a toss of her pale tresses worked as well as a shield.
Still, she felt sorry for the guard. He seemed like a good man. Honorable. Loyal. Well-intentioned.
It wasn’t his fault that he was too simpleminded to see through her ruse. To notice how she’d evaded his questions. To wonder why she’d never exactly identified herself.
She didn’t expect him to follow her. She didn’t even worry that he’d notice when she was gone for more than a “trice.” Indeed, the poor man looked bone-weary. She half-expected him to drift off to sleep before she reached the forest.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t be punished too severely in the morn when the laird discovered he’d allowed their prisoner to stroll out the palisade gates.
Meanwhile, she’d hasten to Rivenloch. Knowing Rauve, he’d be awake, worried about her. They needed to assemble a contingent of knights and return.
Fortunately, despite the dark of night, some moonlight filtered through the pines to light her way. But the breeze-blown branches made the shadows shift across the trail in eerie patterns. More than once, she was startled by a movement she perceived at the edges of her vision.
Shaking her head at her own foolish fears, she straightened her shoulders and continued along the path.
Still, she couldn’t dispel the nagging sense that something was watching her. And as she progressed deeper into the forest, she kept seeing flickers among the trees. Hearing strange whispers of sound amid the sighs of the pines.
Maybe it was only the wind, making the leaves of the elms quiver and the hair stand up on the back of her neck.
