She gave him her most brilliant smile, noting that he was a little on the pale side this morning. She deliberately allowed her eyes to travel across the great breadth of his shoulders and said, “Please sit. If you tower above me, I shall strain my neck.”
“My lady,” he said warily. Christ—she was the sort of woman who made a man aware he was male.
“Most men-at-arms are uncouth louts, but I am told Douglas moss-troopers are a breed apart. They are reputed to have more pride and self-discipline than those of other clans. Tell me, are any of your men able to even stand this morning?”
His mouth quirked a little. “Half a dozen hard-bitten veterans, and a couple of the younger men.”
“Choose three or four of your best—men like yourself, with ramrod straight backs. I want them bathed and shaved and in the saddle in half an hour. I want you to escort Lord Douglas home.”
“Where is he, lady?” he asked blankly.
“You’ll find him in an alehouse or a brothel somewhere between here and Glasgow,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate the aid and support of his best men this morning.” She gave him a conspiratorial wink and left him so she could speak with the steward. Christ, if she’d been his woman, he’d still have her abed between his thighs this morning!
It was now the steward’s turn to bask in the warmth of her smile. “This castle has such lovely furnishings, it seems a pity the servants have neglected them so shamefully. I don’t blame you, of course, William. Any castle with a predominance of men is bound to take on a rakish, unkempt look. With you directing the servants for me, we’ll soon rectify the matter.” Another shameless smile was followed by lashes sweeping her cheeks. When she raised them, her golden eyes took away his very breath.
“I want all the rushes removed from the lower floors and the flagstones scrubbed. My woman will give you woodruff to mix with the new rushes. I want all the furniture polished with beeswax and lavender. If you don’t have any, you had better get someone on his way to Doon immediately. While he’s there, he can bring some decent candles until Douglas learns to make its own. We can’t have these disgusting smelly tallow things dripping their grease on everything. I want all the windows washed, and you can send a couple of maids out to gather flowers. We’ll leave the carpet beating and tapestry cleaning for another day.”
He stole a glance at the sand in the hourglass. Hell’s teeth, it wasn’t much past six. The Douglas servants were still snoring their heads off after yesterday’s debauch.
When Hotspur’s moss-troopers discovered him under an alehouse table and roused him, he thought a battle-ax had been embedded in his skull. He opened one eye. “Where am I, Jock?”
“Ye made it as far as Hamilton,” Jock replied with admiration.
Ram groaned. “Oh, Christ. I remember now,” he said, feeling the swollen duck egg on his pate where a belligerent Hamilton had crowned him with a stool. The taproom was littered with the wounded, lying amidst smashed furnishings. Ram stood up slowly and said, “Look tae Gavin and Drummond.” The landlord hovered in a dilemma. His alehouse was in Hamilton territory, yet he had a healthy fear of alienating Douglas. He nodded with relief when Ram said, “I’ll pay all damages if ye forget ye ever saw us last night.”
Ram went outside and submerged his head in the horse trough Drummond was on his feet, but Gavin was still out cold and the moss-troopers slung him over his saddle.
Ram swiped his arm across his brow to push his dripping hair from his eyes. “Where’s Cameron and the others?”
“They only made it as far as Shirley Blackwoods,” said Jock, glancing at the Hamilton lying in the pub yard. “What about the signed truce?”
“To lowest hell wi’ the truce,” growled Ram. Hotspur did not vault into the saddle this morning. He eyed Jock and his three moss-troopers who were smartly turned out and had the decency to flush at his own sorry state. “Thanks,” he muttered between his teeth.
“Thank yer lady. She sent me,” said Jock gravely.
“So,” he said through eyes narrowed against the bright noon light. “Flaming Tina is ready for a fight. Well, I’m just the bastard to accommodate her.”
When he arrived back at the castle, bellowing her name, however, he was informed that Lady Kennedy had gone riding. “These woods are dangerous!” he shouted at the stableman, needing to vent his spleen
“She had a Kennedy and a Douglas groom glaring daggers at each other, and the Boozer went loping off ahead of her.”
When he entered the castle, everything was shining clean, and it had never smelled so fresh Flowers were everywhere. “Bloody meddling women!” he swore, going up to his rooms. As he bathed and changed his clothes, however, he was glad that she hadn’t seen his dissolute state.
Shaving, and sporting a cream linen shirt, greatly improved his appearance, though his mouth tasted like he’d been sucking on a shepherd’s stocking, and he knew his stomach would revolt at the sight or even smell of food.
The spirit of Alexander paced back and forth across the chamber restlessly. “Yer a bloody fool! Yer wastin’ the chance I never had! A union between Kennedy and Douglas will be the best thing that ever happened tae Scotland, and it’s certainly the best damned thing that ever happened tae ye Christ, yer so much like me, I could kick your arse! Think yer the great bloody whoremaster! Think yer such a perilous character! The truth is, yer terrified of one small woman Her beauty an’ her wild free spirit scare the shit out o’ ye, because yer afraid ye might fall in love wi’ her. Where would yer reputation be then, Hotspur? I swear, if harm comes tae another lovely Kennedy lass through the bloody black house of Douglas, I’ll hang ye by yer balls!”
As Ram ran his silver brushes through his thick black hair, his reflection reminded him of Alexander. God, how he resembled him—and if he didn’t keep a tight rein on his temper, he’d end up murdering his woman too
Before he opened his door, his mask of studied indifference and carelessness was in place. He went in search of his steward to learn how many guests were still here. He was glad that most of them had left and was especially relieved that Angus had departed—no doubt to report to King Jamie. He saw Drummond coming downstairs, still unshaven “How’s Gavin?”
“He’ll live,” came Drummond’s terse reply
“Good, there’s work tae be done around here. When ye return tae Edinburgh tomorrow, he can go wi’ ye. There’s a cargo of tanned hides as well as the wool this time. He thinks he knows his way about a ship, but there’s still a lot ye can teach him I’ve acquired two more vessels, so we’ll need more captains in the family.”
They spent an hour going over the cargoes for Flanders, then Drummond reminded him it was time to sup.
“Ye must have a cast-iron gut,” Ram remarked “Before ye go, I want tae warn ye tae keep an eye out for unfriendly English vessels. Don’t take chances—if they get close enough ye can smell them, blow the bastards out of the water!”
