Page 32 of When the Laird Claims
Sophie shook her head. “Nay, none of that either. Ye daenae thank either of us, nae for this, and ye daenae ever apologize to a man.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Victoria answered, unable to fight her smile for a second longer.
14
“Nay, that’s what I’m tryin’ to tell ye, I received word just this morning, and there has been nay change at the Earl’s estate,” Neil said with a huffed breath. “I daenae mean to be sharp with ye, me Laird, but I already explained the urgency. I can send more trackers if ye wish it, but that will leave us vulnerable if we need them for another raid.”
Arran heaved a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair. He pinched at the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off the growing headache that was starting to pulse against the inside of his skull. “So, ye are advising me as my man-at-arms to back off?”
“Nay, I would never presume to do such a thing, me Laird,” Neil said through gritted teeth.
“The coward willnae just up and abandon his land and holdings. He is too greedy for somethin’ like that. He might have his wee tail tucked between his legs for now, but it willnae stay there. Icannae imagine what he thinks he’s plottin’, but I willnae pull our men back just because they are bored with waitin’.” Arran started to raise his voice in spite of his best efforts to remain calm. “He took advantage of me sister, Neil, do ye wish to go and tell her to her face that ye wish to pull back? Does her honor mean so little to ye?”
Neil’s face flushed red with embarrassment, but he said nothing. There was only the slightest head shake as a result of his indignation. “The men will stay there without hesitation, me Laird, ye ken that they are loyal to ye,” he said ceremoniously, and then seemed to break decorum slightly. He leaned forward, softening his words. “Ye ken that Kr—that yer sister is beloved by all. I am merely concerned that if yer late faither’s enemies hear word that some of our best forces are deployed across the border, that they will be only too happy to wage an attack on us and take advantage.”
“There are nae so many men in England that I should think that we would truly need to worry about things like that.” Arran’s hand balled into a fist on the top of the table, and he watched the skin covering his knuckles turn white with the pressure that he was putting on his own self.
“But why the rush?” Neil urged. “He’s nae goin’ anywhere. He’s more likely to cometous, so why are we wastin’ men across the border?Thatis what I need to ken.”
Arran’s eyes flashed. “Because I daenae ken this enemy well enough to ken his next move, and what I’ve heard of him suggests he’s craftier than I thought. He might nae do what yewould expect, and I cannae risk makin’ a mistake. I need men hereandthere, to be certain we daenae miss him. As for why it must happen soon, there’s… more at stake than ye ken.”
“Like what?”
“That’s nae yer concern,” Arran replied, thinking of Victoria’s worries, of the sister that she adored.
Neil scoffed. “Aye, it is, but, for some reason, ye’re bein’ vague with me. In truth, ye havenae been clear with me from the moment ye met that…” He trailed off, shaking his head slowly. “It’s her, eh? Ye’re doin’ this for her. Why? So, she’ll be free to be yer Lady? Is that it? Give me somethin’ I can understand.”
Arran’s gaze darkened, warning Neil with a look that said he truly ought to watch the flippant tone and remember to be respectful.Especiallywhen it came to Victoria.
“Ye didnae see how desperate she was to be away from him. Whoever treats a lass like that doesnae deserve to be alive. Me reasonin’ hasnae changed, it has just doubled, and that means it is doubly urgent,” Arran answered ominously, ignoring the remark about him wanting her to be his Lady.
Isthat what I want?Memories of last night flooded his thoughts, stoking up a fire that he had worked all morning to douse. He could have easily lain in bed with her all morning, showing her a little more of his hospitality.
Neil sighed and nodded. “Then, I’ll confirm and send word that they are to hold position until the coward surfaces from wherever it is that he’s burrowed. I’ll also make sure that our trackers continue to work to pick up his trail.”
“He cannae hide forever. I know that it willnae be easy to have a bunch of Scotsmen attempting to blend into English villages, but–”
Arran’s words were interrupted by a soft knock at the door, and Victoria started to walk into the room before he had a chance to answer. Neil gave him an exasperated look and walked out of the room without waiting to be properly dismissed. He narrowly avoided rudely shouldering into Victoria, which would have been a whole separate issue if he had.
At least he had the good sensenotto slam the door on his way out.
“I suppose yer intrusion makes us even then,” Arran teased as he leaned back in his chair once more.
“Not quite,” Victoria answered, entering the room far more slowly now that they were alone.
She was truly taking her time to look around herself. Not that there was much that she was going to learn about him by inventorying the contents. Most of the study was still the same as when his father had occupied this room years ago. He had never had much of an eye for decorating, and he did not care to spend enough time in this room to alter it to his own tastes.
“And how is that, lass?” Arran asked curiously.
He enjoyed the way her new dress, in the Highland style, clung to the curves of her, allowing him to see the sway of her hips as she walked; he was not going to deny it. Indeed, it was proving difficult to see the divine silhouette of her and not picture how they had ended their evening last night. It was not what he hadplannedwhen he had gone to her room, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain about it either. Even now, he could recall the soft sounds of pleasure that she had made so readily.
Something he wasdefinitelygoing to want a repeat performance of.
“I may have been eavesdropping…” Victoria answered with a blush that only further accentuated her fair features.
“Is that right?”
Perhaps he ought to have been more annoyed, but it was not as if the conversation didn’t directly affect her. He couldn’t be angry; she had every right to know why she was being mentioned. He likely would have wanted to know more as well, in her position.
