Ramsay smiled, his good mood restored by the comment. “You have expectations of me, then?”
“Indeed, I do. I know you will wed, regardless of my counsel, and that you will ensure the contentment of whatever lady you take to your side.” He waved a hand. “You must, for who else will allow me in his hall in my penniless dotage, that I might entertain his numerous children with tales of days of yore?”
Ramsay smiled despite himself. “My wife might not agree with that course.”
“Then it is fortunate that I have a measure of charm.” Talbot smiled at Ramsay. “Forget this lady! We shall return to Normandy and find another lovely maiden for you, one who appreciates your principles as much as your affluence.”
Ramsay shook his head. “I cannot leave. I cannot abandon her. Not yet.”
Talbot dropped his voice to a whisper. “You did heed the detail that she will wed another man?”
“And that is the heart of the matter. She does not know what Rufus is.”
“He is a triumphant suitor, as you are not,” Talbot said. “He is her betrothed and will be her husband. Her father approved the match. What more need she know?”
“That he is a liar and a cheat. That he is a villainous fiend who cares for naught beyond his own advantage.” Ramsay cast Talbot a hot glance. “I fear for the lady, and I cannot leave her undefended—not until I am certain that she understands the fullness of her choice.”
“Oh, gallantry,” Talbot said, rolling his eyes heavenward. His reaction evidently amused Otto, given that man’s dark chuckle. “A week,” he stipulated then, his tone firm. “I cannot afford to remain away from the tournaments longer than that. My purse demands it and did demand it even before this unexpected journey. There are opportunities to secure my future and were you as good a friend to me as I am to you, you would aid in my quest as I have aided in yours.”
“A week,” Ramsay agreed with reluctance. But truly, what more could be said or done? Talbot was right. Evangeline had refused him. Within days, she would be wedded to Rufus and settled in his home. There would be little Ramsay could do then, save wait for a widowhood that could not come soon enough for his taste.
He supposed it was folly that he was prepared to wait, if necessary.
Still, he had a persistent sense that his lady might have need of him and soon. That Alienor’s ring had been in Rufus’ possession was no good portent.
A week was not long, but Ramsay would see Evangeline wed to Rufus before he rode south again.
A week would have to suffice.
* * *
Dunhaven keep was a tower stronghold,not unlike many similar fortifications in the borders. It had been constructed on the top of a hill to grant a better view of the surrounding area, amidst a region of hills and forest. Recently built, it was a stone tower of some five floors with a parapet at the summit. The village clustered outside its gate was neither large nor evidently prosperous, which made Evangeline wonder at the source of the holding’s revenue. There were not many fields in tillage, though the villagers had extensive gardens behind their homes. The forest drew surprisingly close to the walls and though it might be thick with game, there would not be much coin in that.
It was dusk when her party arrived, the western sky smeared with orange and the first stars visible in the east. They had ridden hard at Ahearn’s urging after Ramsay’s intervention, which had not improved Evangeline’s agitation. She had been shaken by Ramsay’s unexpected appearance, and was still trying to find sense in his warning. The result was that she dreaded her first meeting with Rufus, and that made her more troubled again. She knew she was overly inclined to quick decisions and prayed silently that she did not despise her betrothed on sight.
If only the taste of Ramsay’s potent kiss did not linger on her lips.
A man like Ramsay could do more than grant such a wondrous kiss that she would not soon forget it. Dangerous and disreputable yet deliciously handsome, he was perilous to know. He was not a man worthy of lingering affection and certainly not one who could offer a future of any merit—but she doubted she was the sole maiden whose dreams would be haunted by him.
Worse, he was so beyond the bounds of acceptable companions that a stolen moment in his presence was irresistible. Any association between herself and Ramsay MacLaren was utterly forbidden, which had made it tempting to speak to him in Inverfyre’s dungeon, but even Evangeline knew she should not desire more than that. She knew she responded to the thrill of danger and strove to become more practical before they reached the gates of her betrothed’s abode.
In all her years, she had never managed as much, and it seemed unlikely that she would triumph now in these few precious moments.
Let Rufus be admirable. Let him be handsome. Let his kiss drive the memory of a handsome outlaw from her heart.
“Give him a chance,” Ahearn advised in an undertone, evidently knowing Evangeline as well as she knew herself, and she granted him a smile.
“I endeavor to do as much.”
“You might consider that you will be wed to this man, regardless of your views, and reconciliation to your fate might be the wiser choice.”
Evangeline winced. “That does sound dire.”
Ahearn smiled and reached over to pat her hand. “I did not intend it to be. All will be well.”
“I wish Papa was not so rigorous in his insistence upon propriety,” she complained. “I wish he might understand that an arranged marriage, by its very nature, could prompt one to defiance.”
Ahearn chuckled. “I fear he does know as much.”
