Micheil froze. She stared at him with the deepest green eyes ever, eyes that seemed to dig into his chest and touch his very soul. Lying, he said, “I know little of the gentleman.” Gentleman is hardly the word he would use to describe the man. The baron’s cruelty was well known throughout the area, primarily because three wives had predeceased him. Many in his employ believe the baron had played a part in each of the timid ladies’ death. And his treatment of horseflesh was known to be horrendous.Micheil would have to find an excuse to speak with Grant privately about the matter. It was hardly appropriate dinner conversation.
“Surely, you must have heard something.” Her eyes bored into his, searching for the truth.
“I do not know him. I have never met him.” At least this was not a lie.
“‘Tis bad, is it not?” She glanced at both Alex and Robbie. “Do you see? I cannot marry the man. You cannot make me follow through with this.”
Alex leaned back in his chair. “Cousin, we are charged with ensuring your prospective husband is suitable before the marriage takes place. Do not pester us all the way there. Do you not trust Robbie and me to have your best interests in mind?”
She leaned forward over the table. “Aye, perhaps you do and you are well-meaning. I am trying to show you there is no need for us to visit the baron at all. Take me to Edinburgh and I’ll find my own husband.” Micheil was so shocked he felt his mouth fall open.
Robbie said, “You want us to allow you to walk the streets in Edinburgh until you find a man you deem suitable?”
“Father is too ill to see reason, but I would prefer anyone to that cruel, smelly old goat. Do you truly intend to sentence me to such a life? Besides, I am quite sure my knight is there.”
Micheil hid his smile. So Diana Drummond was a wee bit dramatic, or perhaps she had a secret lover in Edinburgh she planned to meet.
She switched her attention from her cousin to Micheil in a second. “And you. Stop looking at me like I am daft. I am not spoiled just because my father wished to allow me to choose my own husband.”
Robbie said, “Now, Diana. Your father did permit you to do many things most women are denied.”
“Irrelevant.” She glared at Robbie. “Now will you take me to Edinburgh, or must I find someone else to help me?”
Alex said, “Diana, we will carry out the plan we agreed upon with your sire. We promised him to take you to Falkirk to your betrothed, see if the two of you are suited, and see you married if you are. We will not bend from that, so cease begging. Your constant demands may have worked on your father until now, but they won’t sway me. I will do what I pledged.”
A range of emotions flashed through Diana’s glorious eyes as she stared at Alex. First Micheil saw anger, then self-righteousness, fear, and finally a spark of determination. Her voice trembled when she spoke. “As you wish.” She turned to Micheil. “Just to inform you, I may have been spoiled by a man’s definition, but naught was done for me that wasn’t done for you, being a male. Were you taught to ride a horse?”
Micheil nodded. “Of course.”
“And to hunt?”
“Aye.”
“And to read?”
“Aye.” He knew he could not pull his gaze from hers if he tried. Something about her was absolutely mesmerizing.
“And I am the only Drummond heir. As such, I am no different than you or either of my cousins. Just because I have a woman’s shape does not mean there is aught wrong with my mind.”
Micheil nodded in agreement. Yet there was naught wrong with her body either. Her delicious curves were just the type he favored in a woman.
“And I am verra good with numbers, so I will be able to run a keep with no problem. Just because I am as capable as a man does not indicate I am spoiled. I am well-trained. Now, since my cousins refuse,” she stared directly at Micheil, “will you take me to Edinburgh? I am in need of an escort.” Then she rakedher glance over the three of them, making it clear that her next words were intended for all. “And if he denies me, I’ll go on my own. I will not allow my betrothed to touch me.”
Chapter Three
Alex Grant, the savage?
Late in the afternoon, their destination appeared on the horizon. Diana’s stomach did somersaults, almost bringing her to the point of gagging.
Diana rode between Alex and Micheil. Robbie brought up the rear, along with three other guards, and her cart was being drawn behind him by one of his men. Alex had directed the other forty-some guards to stay back until he beckoned them, though Diana did not comprehend this tactic. As they approached, she noticed a small party leaving the castle gates, headed in their direction. The closer they came, the more her stomach churned. The party was comprised of six horses, and as they came near, she realized she had no idea which of these men she was intended to marry.
The two parties halted, a small distance separating them. The man in the lead of the baron’s party was tall, gray-haired, and thin, though not unattractive. She had been told by a stable boy that Gow had a paunch, but this man did not. He held himself with an air of superiority that Diana did not like. Could he be her betrothed?
The gray-haired man spoke first. “Alexander Grant, I presume. You escort my betrothed, Diana of Drummond?”
Diana glanced at the Grant, who was Laird and Chieftain of his own very large clan in the upper Highlands. Alex’s demeanor changed as the man spoke, his shoulders drawing back, his hand drawing toward the hilt of his sword. It was a subtle move, butshe was close enough to detect it. Perhaps she could trust her cousin after all.
“I am Laird Alexander Grant, and aye, I am escorting and protecting Diana of Drummond.” His chin lifted at the end of his sentence. “I must see Baron Gow.”
