“Lady Hilda of Dunlop, here to see the king.”Then she drew her gaze slowly down the front of the man’s tabard, as if sizing him up for a tryst.“Who areye?”
Her frank appraisal rattled the guard.“I…I’m M-…M-…Martin.Martin o’—”
“Mmm, Martin,” she purred.“What a magnificent name.”
“M’lady?”
She wrinkled her nose at him.“Maybe later we’ll meet again?”
He gulped.
She released a sigh of regret.“But at the moment, I’m here for the king.”
If the guard mistook her to be a consort, that was his own fault.It would help her get an audience with the king all that much faster.
He led her through the camp, where she understandably received a lot of astonished glances.Women who weren’t cooks or laundresses were rare in a soldier’s encampment.
Once they arrived at the royal pavilion, the guardsman spoke to a fellow guard, who entered the king’s quarters.After a moment, she was allowed in.
She tried not to appear shocked when she saw the king half-reclining on his pallet in only his sheer leine with the coverlet pulled up to his waist.
He gave her an appreciative smile.
“To what do we owe this lovely surprise?”he asked.“We didn’t order a consort.”
She gave him a silky reply.“Why, Your Grace, I’m flattered, but I fear ye misunderstand my presence here.I’m Lady Hilda o’ Dunlop.”
Malcolm was understandably flustered.He stammered and then glared at his guards.
She swept in to soothe him.“But I’m so very grateful for your attention, and I apologize for the earliness o’ the hour.This should take but a few moments.”
The king seemed mollified by her words, though he modestly pulled the coverlet up to his neck.
“I’m the niece o’ the Laird o’ Dunlop and cousin to Lady Carenza,” she told him with a nod of deference.
“Lady Carenza,” the king echoed.
Naturally he’d heard of Carenza, even if he hadn’t been back in Scotland long.Her beauty and sweetness were legendary.
“I’ve been sent to request royal approval o’ Lady Carenza’s betrothal.”
She reached into her satchel and pulled out the rolled parchment.She hoped he wouldn’t notice that, according to the document, the marriage had already been accomplished.
As she expected, the king was uncomfortable enough with his misjudgment of the situation to wish to be done with her as soon as possible.
“Scribe!”he called.
“I think ye’ll be well pleased with the match, Your Grace.”
Her words made him reconsider.After all, Lady Carenza was a valuable asset when it came to clan alliances.“Who is the bridegroom?”
“Sir Hew du Lac o’ Rivenloch.”
“Rivenloch?”He stroked his chin, seeming to consider the match.But he couldn’t hide the satisfaction in his eyes.To be able to reward his most loyal clan with such a prize was propitious indeed.“Aye, that would please us.”
Thankfully, the king paid more heed to the flourish of his signature and the proximity of the hot sealing wax to his leine-clad chest than to the words on the document.
As promised, their exchange took but a few moments.He seemed relieved to be rid of her and done with the whole embarrassing ordeal.
