Page 123 of Laird of Smoke
Or the stabbing had been an unfortunate accident, despite all appearances otherwise.
Or perhaps Simon had attacked Fonia, and the soldiers had only been defending her.
The last thing she expected was for him to agree with her.
Chapter 20
Adam had hoped the dagger was missing.If Fergus found hard evidence the king was perpetrating violence upon his clan, it would only add fuel to the fire and make peace more difficult to achieve.
But he couldn’t explain that to Eve.She knew nothing about his identity, his fealty, his purpose.
She only knew that, like her, he believed in justice, fairness, and honor.
So what else could he do but agree?
“Aye, ye’re right.This shouldn’t go unpunished.But I fear findin’ them will be like findin’ a drop of ink in a loch.”
Of course, she knew exactly where they were.She’d spoken with the king herself.But she couldn’t reveal that or she’d have to explain what she’d been doing and why she had in her possession a document of marriage for Hew of Rivenloch.
“They must have come with the king,” she pretended to reason.“’Tisn’t an easy feat to hide a royal retinue.”
“And yet,” he argued, “have ye seen a royal retinue in your travels?”
“In the last fortnight, I’ve crossed paths with more than one royal guard in the woods.One followed me into an alehouse before I lost him.And another pair pursued me through the forest ere I gave them the slip.”
That troubled him on two counts.One, he didn’t want to think about other men trying to get their hands on Eve.And two, for someone intent on a stealthy attack, the king was giving his soldiers too long a leash.He needed to warn Malcolm he was playing a dangerous game.
“So where do ye think—”
“Adam!”She interrupted him with a gasp of feigned surprise.“Maybe those weren’t pilgrims I heard in the woods.”
“They weren’t?”He had to admit, she was a convincing liar.He almost believed her naivete, even though he knew better.
“What iftheywere the royal retinue?”she asked, her eyes wide.
Damn the lass.She was foiling him at every turn.
He nodded sagely.“Ye may be right.”
He did plan to return to the encampment.But he didn’t want Eve with him.He wanted her safely behind Darragh’s strong castle walls.
Still, he knew once she got an idea in her head, she would not be talked out of it.That was how they’d ended up in bed together.While he admired her fortitude and perseverance, in this instance, it was inconvenient.
If he refused to go with her, she’d only find a way to go around him, even if it meant escaping from Darragh and making her way back to the king alone.
He couldn’t let her do that.The king’s men had already pursued her twice.What was to stop them from catching and assaulting her the way they had Fonia?
The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Eve was strong and capable.Clever and independent.Wise and quick-witted.
But she was not a Rivenloch.
She might speak and dress and act like a warrior.But she grew faint at the sight of blood.
She had no idea how hazardous it was to tangle with royals.To get embroiled in a clan war.To be a woman alone among soldiers full of fever and bloodlust.
The idea shook him to the core.
