“I ride north, Alana,” he said.
“And when will we see one another again?” She could barely believe she was being so bold, but she had to know.
He smiled slightly. “Do ye miss me, already?” He sobered. “I dinna ken. I will come to Brodie, even if for an hour, when I can.”
He would come to Brodie for an hour when he could. Alana was afraid she would not see Iain again, that the war would truly come between them, and that their love was over after a single night. “I already miss you,” she whispered.
He gave her a serious and sideways look. They had reached the ground floor, but none of the men and maids coming and going paid them any attention. Iain urged her up the next set of stairs.
Alana hurried, reaching the landing where the tower chamber was. She thought of Eleanor for the first time since supper the night before. “Gran must be frantic.”
“She kens ye were with me.” He took her elbow and halted her.
Alana faced him, her heart slamming. “Now you are the one who is not pleased.”
“Ye belong to Brodie Castle. Duncan is yer liege. Yer guardian. I’ll kill Duncan when I can—mayhap today.” His demeanor of the past few hours was gone. He was a ruthless warrior once more.
She felt ill. Duncan was rude and overbearing, he had assaulted her, molested her and insulted her, for most of her life, but he was her guardian and he was a human being.
His stare intensified. “Who are ye loyal to, Alana?”
She froze. “What?”
“Ye heard me. I go to war against yer guardian. I go to war against yer liege, the Earl of Buchan. Who are ye loyal to?”
She was dismayed. She did not know what to say, or how to say it! “Iain!”
“Ye cannot answer, or ye will not answer?”
She flinched. How could she choose now? It was too soon! “I don’t know what to say! I want to be loyal to you!” But could she be loyal to him? They were lovers, and she would gladly give him her loyalty—but she could not abandon her family, either—the family he still did not know about. “I despise Duncan,” she said. “Brodie was my mother’s dowry, but now, it is his. Iain, Iwantto be loyal to you.”
He took two steps to stand in front of her, and he tilted up her chin. For a long moment, he stared, considering her words. “Wanting to be loyal is not enough. Ye will have to choose sides, and soon,” he said flatly, and his face was hard. “Everyone must choose sides in a war.”
“I don’t want to choose sides!” she cried. “Why can’t we just go on this way?”
His eyes widened. “Get dressed and gather up yer things. Make certain Lady Fitzhugh is ready to travel. We’ll speak once more before ye go.” His face still hard and uncompromising, he turned and strode away.
Alana sagged against her door. How could he demand that she choose sides now? After a single night?
But didn’t she know which side shewantedto choose?
Behind her, the tower room door opened. “Alana?”
Wiping her cheeks, Alana turned to face her grandmother. “I hope I have not worried you!”
For one moment, Eleanor stared. “Why are you crying? Has he hurt you already?”
She trembled, wanting to let the tears flow freely. But she did not. “You will not scold me for what I have done?”
“He is a proud, brave soldier, Alana, who has helped us not once, but twice, in our time of need. So no, I will not scold you. You are a grown woman, and you know who you are.”
Alana hugged her. “I may be falling in love, Gran,” she whispered.
Her grandmother clasped her face as if she were a tiny child. “That is what I feared the most,” she said.
* * *
ASTHEYPACKEDup their few belongings, Alana could barely believe how her life had changed in the past twenty-four hours. She had been Buchan’s prisoner, and now she was going home—but only after spending the night with the enemy. It seemed impossible, like a tall tale, but her memories were real.
