“Perhaps a light meal,” Evangeline said. “I thank you for your courtesy, for it has been a long day.”
“Dunhaven is your home now, my lady,” Lawrence said graciously. “And I would see you happy here.”
Evangeline glanced toward her betrothed who seemed to realize the omission of his agreement at her look.
“And I, as well,” Rufus said with a bow. “Of course.”
Of course?
Evangeline would have wagered otherwise. She continued into the chamber, Anna appearing suddenly from the shadows behind them, and closed her eyes when the door was shut.
“Oh, my lady, you are fortunate beyond all in your betrothed and his home.” Anna’s satisfaction was so greater than Evangeline’s that she considered the merit of changing places with the girl.
But that, of course, was impossible.
Evangeline surveyed her surroundings to avoid making a reply. Aye, she must endeavor to be more tactful at Dunhaven, it was clear. Teasing Rufus, she imagined, was a dangerous ploy, no matter how satisfying it might be.
The room was large and graciously proportioned, fires already lit in two braziers so that it was warm and welcoming. The bed was pillared with heavy drapes and graced with a plump mattress. There were shuttered windows on two walls, as well as a table with a small bench, and a straw pallet undoubtedly intended for her maid. Evangeline surveyed the chamber with approval.
“What a lovely chamber,” she said, for it was, then there was a tap at the portal. Her trunks were carried into the room and placed as Anna dictated, and Ahearn followed. He lingered in the portal, his scan of the chamber quick and his approval clear.
“You will be comfortable here,” he said, his heartiness in contrast to Evangeline’s doubts. “We will ride on to Kinfairlie in the morning, with missives from your father, then return for the nuptials in a fortnight with your family.”
“Of course,” Evangeline said, knowing this had been the plan but liking it far less than she had just a day before.
The notion had been that she would have the opportunity to learn more of her betrothed and his home before their vows were exchanged. Another might have chafed at the delay, but Evangeline was glad of it. She could not decline the match on whim alone, for she knew her father had great expectations of it. But perhaps in those days and nights, she might find a more tangible cause for putting the match aside.
It had to be done, for a lifetime with Rufus Percival could not be endured.
* * *
Ramsay lay awakein the stables long after the others had settled to sleep. Evangeline would be securely within the walls of Dunhaven and her nuptials were not his concern. He had warned her, as he had planned, but he knew she placed no credence in his warning.
The sapphire ring seemed to have become a boulder in his purse and he could not ignore how it unsettled him.
He should have told Evangeline the entirety of the tale.
Of course, there had been no time, but if he sought her out again, there might be a chance to confide more in her before it was too late. Surely, she could only make the right choice if she knew the facts.
Ramsay knew he should not have been surprised to see Alienor’s ring. Of course, given the opportunity, Rufus would have claimed it. Of course, he would have bestowed it upon his intended. The man possessed neither respect nor honor.
But that Rufus had such opportunity was ominous indeed.
Ramsay knew that Talbot granted good counsel. There were many keeps in need of lords in Normandy, and with the fortune he had earned at tourney, he could make one his own. He should do that, then choose a bride, then forget both Evangeline and Scotland as he lived a good long life without regrets. And Talbot himself needed to secure his own finances at the lists this spring.
But Ramsay would not leave without speaking to Evangeline again. How might he contrive as much? Could he sneak into Dunhaven? Nay, that was too bold. He might encounter her in the village, or be able to attend the nuptials in disguise. Would she ride to hunt? Much, he knew, could be accomplished in a forest.
He thought no further before a ruckus rose from their temporary stables below. A horse kicked with vigor, Hugues could be heard attempting to soothe the creature, and Ramsay had no doubt which horse it was.
He flung himself down the ladder and found the black destrier stamping and snorting, fighting the tether and kicking at any of the boys who approached.
“I do not know what ails him, sir,” Hugues said. The boy made to approach the horse again, but Ramsay held him back. “He looked to be asleep, then suddenly was seized by madness.”
Ramsay eased closer to the horse, and the beast watched him warily. “What is it?” he asked softly, switching from Norman French to Gaelic to ask again. The stallion’s ears flicked at the sound of Gaelic and his gaze brightened.
“Does my lady speak Gaelic to you?” Ramsay asked and the horse blew out his lips, seeming to settle a little. Perhaps the ostler at Inverfyre spoke Gaelic. It seemed the sound was familiar to the horse.
Ramsay offered another apple on the flat of his hand, but this time, the horse did not deign to take it.
