“I dunnae think our joining willstop yer father, Marion, but it will make ye mine in the eyes of my clan.”
“And what about in your eyes,Iain?” she demanded, her voice belying her anxiety. “Will that make meofficially yours?”
His gaze slid over her voluptuousbody, barely visible now in the dark, but he could remember every detail fromher long slender neck to her delicate fingers to her round bottom that hadpressed between his thighs on the horse. He heated instantly. “Ye were mine themomentI consented to marry ye. Now tell me, where might I find Angus and the priest?”
Her jaw jutted out, but she huffedout a breath and spoke. “The priest will likely be in the chapel near where thestables were, which is where you will likely find Angus, as well, working tocreate makeshift shelters for the horses. Unless—” Her words halted, and shegulped. “Unless Father has tied him to the post where he beats people and leftAngus as an example.”
Iain’s gut twisted in disgust.“Does yer father do that often?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her righthand finding her left and her fingers curling around her wrist. She rubbed theskin as if in memory of being tied there herself.
It took all Iain’s determinationnot to tell her he wanted to kill her father. She may hate the man, but he wasstill her father. “Where is the post?”
“The bailey near the front gate.”
He nodded. “What can ye tell meabout the castle, in case I need to enter?”
“Let me show you,” she countered,her voice a hopeful plea.
Though it made a great deal ofsense to have her with him as his guide, he could not bear the thought oftaking her deliberately into danger. If he didn’t come back, Rory Mac wouldknow to flee and take her to safety. Iain didn’t even need to say it, the Scotsknew each other that well. They’d grown up together, and Rory Mac was like abrother.
“Nay,” he said, making sure histone brooked no argument. “Stay here.” He turned and caught Rory Mac’s eyes,understanding passing between them. Iain retrieved his sword from his tetheredmount, and then he headed into the black night to rescue Angus and get thepriest.
It did not take long, even on foot,to close the distance to the ditch that surrounded the castle’s outer court.The bridge was drawn and the towers manned, which meant the only possible wayinto the castle was through thedark,stale-smelling water that filled the ditch. He’d cross the divide from the sideof the wall, scale the wooden stockade, and make his way across the bailey tofind Angus and the priest. Hopefully they were not in the keep, instead.
Iain crouched low to the ground,hidden by trees, and eyed the stockade, searching for the best place to climband contemplating how to draw the guards’ attention away from the wall. Perhapsanother fire?
Just as he settled on the idea, thepounding of horses’ hooves filled the silent night behind him, and out of thedarkness rode his future wife, the moon shining bright upon her. Her pale hairglowed in the moonlight, like one of the fairies of Dunvegan Castle. God’struth, he blinked to make sure he was seeing clearly, but it was certainlyMarion, calling in a loud voice for the drawbridge to be lowered.
As she rode by him, a look of defiancegraced her face as his plaid flew behind her and landed near where he wascrouched. As he snatched it up and quickly put it on, two thoughts collided atonce: she was brave and beautiful, and the combination was potently enticingand dangerous.
Stay here,he’d told her. She’d nodded her agreement, hadn’t she?
He thought back to the moment as heslipped down the side of the ditch into the dark waters of the moat. When hedove into the slimy water, the recollection came to him. She’d not agreed. Nay.He’d not waited for it, either. He’d simply assumed she would listen. That wasthe last time he’d assume anything about the Sassenach.
Four
The second slap from her father was the one thatsent her to her knees. She wasn’t there long, though. He yanked her up by herhair and jerked her head back until stars danced in her vision. Truly, they dida jig. She blinked and the stars in the sky settled and stilled.
Thank heaven. She was on the vergeof being sick, and she’d almost rather die than show her father such weakness. Hercheek throbbed painfully, and she considered that, perhaps, riding into thecastle had not been the best idea. When she’d persuaded Rory Mac to walk adistance away and turn his back to her with the lie that she needed to relieveherself, she’d only thought of providing the distraction Iain needed toretrieve Angus and the priest. Hopefully, Iain would consider that if hedecided to rescue her. She wasn’t at all certain that he would come to her aid,however; he’d likely conclude that having her as a bride would be too muchtrouble, and Rory Mac would likely agree.
“Tell me the truth,” her fatherroared as he released her head and gave her a shove forward. She almost fellagain, but Andrew caught her by the arm. Her father’s fist crashed into Andrew’sface, letting the knight know what her father thought about his aiding her.Poor Andrew staggered to the ground beside her. She quickly shook her head athim.
“Do not dare to help her,” Fatherordered as he stepped in front of her once again. “Marion, on my word, if youdon’t tell me the truth, I’ll beat you until you beg for death. Now, where didyou go when you fled from here? From whom did you get that horse?” He pointed agloved finger toward Rory Mac’s destrier. Iain’s beast had refused to let hermount him.
Marion slanted her gaze toward thebridge on the other side of the bailey. Her father had left Angus tied to thepole at the entrance, as she’d told Iain he might. Just as she was about tolook away from Angus’s slumped form to answer her father, a large shadow roseup beside Angus. It had to be Iain, she thought, and within seconds, Iain andAngus were gone. Iain may be a strapping Scot, but his size certainly didn’timpede his ability to hide. She should have known he’d be clever. Angus hadalways said Scots were taught the art of shadow dancing from the day they couldtoddle on two legs.
Slowly, she faced her father oncemore. “I already told you the truth. Someone tried to snatch me from the hillin front of the castle. I don’t know who it was! I fell into the water in thestruggle, and they fished me out and then rode me all the way to Newcastle. Iescaped when they thought I was sleeping, and stole this horse to returndirectly to you.”
“If you’re lying, Marion—”
“I’m not. I swear it.” That liewould cost her a great number of coins to Father John, but it was worth it.Perhaps all was not lost.
An idea occurred to her then, onethat would lead her father and some of his men away from the castle to makethings easier for Iain. “I can lead you to where they took me. I know what theylook like.”
“Give me their descriptions and theexact position. I’ll ride out with some of my men to find them, and you”—heoffered a malicious smile—“will stay here and ready yourself for your wedding.Froste will have to be fetched from Newcastle. He arrived earlier and I toldhim you drowned, so he went into town to—er—deliberate with his brother.”
Marion knew that was a lie. Frostehad gone into town to seek a whore to warm his bed for the night. That’s howdistraught he was by Marion’s presumed death. She snorted inwardly as shestudied her father from under her lashes. So her father truly meant to defy theking. Or maybe he simply intended to claim she’d been married to Froste beforehe knew of the king’s new orders. That was very likely. But it would mean herfather had every intention of hunting down Iain and killing him and Rory Mac sothey could not tell King Edward otherwise.
