“All right,” she agreed, pursing her lips, her unwilling attitude only making him question her motives even more.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Ye need a dress.”
“What? But I dinnae have a dress!”
“Look in the chest over there. There’s a few bits of clothin’ that the lads have gathered over the years fer times like this.”
“But why have ye got a dress in there? D’ye like tae dress as a lassie when ye go out scoutin’?”
“Aye, what’s it tae ye if I dae?” he riposted, pretending to take umbrage, stifling his laughter. “’Tis a blue gown as well—me best color.”
He spied her lips curving up at the corners as she said, “Ach, ye great lummox! Why really have ye got a dress in yer collection?”
“I dinnae ken how it got there! By mistake, I suppose. The lads pick these things up now and then in case they come in handy. Anyway, who cares where it came from. The important thing is it looks about yer size. Get it out and try it on.”
“But I can hardly leave the camp dressed as a woman,” she pointed out, nevertheless crossing the tent and kneeling next to the chest.
“Ye’re nae gonnae. Ye can take the dress with ye and change in the woods afore we get tae the village, then change back again when we return.”
“Ach, all right,” she replied, rummaging through the contents of the chest and eventually pulling out the blue gown. Standing up, she held it against herself. “’Tis quite nice if a bit rumpled.”
“Nay need tae worry about that. There’s a big cloak in there ye can wear over the top.”
She returned to the chest and eventually tugged out an enormous piece of thick woolen material which, when she held it up, proved to be a cloak. Immediately, she turned up her nose. “Ugh! I cannae wear that,” she declared.
“Why nae?”
“Because it stinks like someone died in it.”
“They likely did,” Ewan told her, chuckling when she promptly dropped the cloak to the floor, letting out a squeal of disgust. “I’m jestin’,” he added. “If I remember rightly, one of the lads stole it off a feller at an inn one night.”
“That daesnae make it stink any the less,” she protested, getting up and poking the offending garment with her foot.
“Well, ye’re wearin’ it whatever ye say. Hang it up fer a wee while, give it a good airin’, and it’ll be as good as new.”
“D’ye ken how much I dislike ye, Ewan Ballentine?” she asked him with a rebellious look, nevertheless doing as he suggested with both the cloak and the gown.
Tickled, he said good-naturedly, “Aye. Now, shut yer hole and put that dress on. I wantae see if the disguise is any good and ye can pass as a woman.”
He guffawed loudly when she picked up the cloak and threw it at his head.
Later that night, they left the camp on Ewan’s stallion. Isla rode behind him, her front pressed against his back, her arms linked around his waist. “Why can we nae take two horses?” she had complained when she realized he meant them to share the saddle.
“If we’re meant tae be man and wife, it’ll be more convincin’ this way,” he had insisted, reaching down to give her a hand up.
“That daesnae make sense. Can married people nae have a horse each?” she asked, squeezing in behind him and wriggling annoyingly as she tried to get comfortable. He grinned to himself, liking the sensation of being between her thighs, of having her breasts pressed against his back, and her arms encircling him.
“If anyone asks what we’re doin’ there, we can say one of the beasts went lame and that’s why we havetae stop at the inn. Anyway, ’tis nae different tae sharin’ the bed, so shut up and quit complainin’. And will ye sit still?” he pretended to grumble, pressing his heels against the stallion’s flanks, clicking his tongue, and slowly guiding the huge beast out of the camp.
They were heading for the village of Killicragie, about three miles or so from the castle, still on Galbraith lands. The moon was almost full, lighting their way ahead brightly as they rode side by side down a leafy lane. The silvery brilliance mirrored Ewan’s mood. Not only was he optimistic about the success of their mission and the possibility of discovering a hidden way into the castle, but he had also enjoyed sparring with Annie that afternoon as they made their preparations. Most of all, he had found the sight of her in a dress wildly exciting.
“D’ye think I’m gonnae take me clothes off in front of ye?” she had demanded, one hand on her hip, the other clutching the pale-blue gown.
“Well, I’ve always been the hopeful sort,” he had replied jokingly, really looking forward to seeing her transformation.
“I mean, will ye have the decency tae turn around while I change?”
