Page 70 of Beguiled By the Highlander
Damn, it was good to be home.
*
After supper, despitewanting nothing more than to carry his bride to their bedchamber, he had his usual daily meetingwith Lamond, his seneschal. When they returned to the hall and Lamond took his leave, William wasn’t best pleased when Robert Fletcher and Malcolm MacNeil approached him.
“I trust all’s well with the earl,” Malcolm said.
“Aye.” He wasn’t in the mood for idle talk, even if the subject hadn’t been about the earl. He wanted to seek out his bride.
“William.” There was a concerned expression on Robert’s face that caused him to draw in a long breath and push his impatience aside. It was obvious the man had something of importance to share. “’Tis not my business, I know, but I can’t help but be wary. Lady Isolde and her man, Patric, were seen sword fighting earlier this day. We thought ye should be aware.” He glanced at Malcolm for confirmation, who, with some reluctance, nodded.
Irritation flared through him, and before he could stop himself, he said, “Are ye spying on my wife now, Robert?”
Robert reeled back as though William had struck him. “’Tis no secret. Half the castle saw what happened.”
In which case, half the castle had witnessed Isolde’s skill with the sword. “And yer problem is?”
“The problem is Lady Isolde only narrowly escaped dire injury,” Malcolm said.
Incredulous, he shot dark glares between both men. “What?”
“The weight was too great for her. ’Twas a damn claymore. Who gives a noble-born lady a claymore?” A frown slashed Malcolm’s brow as though he took it as a personal insult.
“The timing seemed suspect, with ye gone from Creagdoun,” Robert added. “As though Patric knew ye’d never grant permission for him to engage Lady Isolde in such a dangerous pastime.”
He conceded the sight of Isolde fighting Patric must have been alarming, since neither man was aware of her prowess nor had seen her expertise on Eigg.
And yet . . .
That wasn’t what they were saying, was it?
The weight was too great for her.What in hellfire was Malcolm suggesting?
Before his attack, he would have demanded clarification and corrected their assumptions. But now he had to watch every word he uttered, even if Isolde’s actions had nothing to do with what had happened to him.
“Leave it with me,” he said, instead, knowing full well how both men would interpret his words. Let them. They’d soon discover his wife’s skill with the sword with their own eyes. But for now, he needed to hear Isolde’s side of the story.
He found her in their antechamber with her serving woman, who took one look at him and made herself scarce. Isolde gave him a smile, and he strode across the chamber and pulled her into his arms.
She sank against him, her arms winding around his back, and her elusive scent of lavender teased his senses, causing him to all but forget what he needed to ask her.
“Now we’re alone, can ye tell me what news the earl has for ye?”
The earl had sworn him to silence. But Isolde was his bride, and outside the purview of such edicts the earl might issue. Besides, if not for her, he’d be dead.
“It appears Torcall MacGregor’s son is still alive.”
She drew in a sharp breath, clearly instantly grasping the situation. “And he wants Creagdoun back.”
“Don’t be afraid.” Hell, he should have held his tongue, pretended all was well. The last thing he wanted was to alarm her. “Now we know who the enemy is, the earl’s network will soon hunt him down.”
“I’m not afraid for myself. Promise me ye’ll take care, William.”
Despite knowing how real the danger was with Alan MacGregor after his blood, Isolde’s concern on his behalf caused heat to encase his chest. It seemed she finally believed he’d told her the truth about being smashed over the head on his ship. “I will. And ye must do the same, Isolde.”
“I don’t have a choice, seeing as I can’t even leave the castle.” Her smile was brittle, but it was also clear she was trying to be reasonable. While he’d like to know what had changed her attitude since they’d last spoken about it this morning, he didn’t want to rouse her ire, and besides, there was something else he wanted to talk about.
“I hear ye and Patric practiced yer swordplay earlier.”
