Meg had finally turned her gaze from him and was watching her friend struggle with barely concealed distress. Her gaze flickered back to him as if trying to gauge his reaction. Alex felt his annoyance grow. What the hell did she expect, that he would laugh at her friend?
Yes,he realized with a start. Knowing the vicious tongues at court, he imagined that was the typical reaction to Lizzie’s stammering.
“Fifteen years ago?” Meg interjected smoothly—obviously she’d done this more than once. “You truly were a child, Elizabeth.” She turned to Alex, fixing him with those enormous eyes. The effect was instantaneous.God’s breath,he could drown in those luminous depths. Up close, he could see the smooth translucence of her skin and the soft green of her eyes, fringed by long feathery lashes. He felt a powerful yearning to touch her. To brush his finger across the delicate curve of her cheek and see if it was as unbelievably soft as it looked. This time, he was the one who was staring. “Are you recently arrived at Holyrood, then, Laird MacLeod?” she asked, breaking his trance.
Despite his temporary fixation, Alex didn’t miss how the Mackinnon lass adroitly took control of the conversation, protecting her friend from further embarrassment. From the look of barely concealed adulation on Jamie’s face, he realized it as well.
Alex was not unaffected. Lizzie had found herself quite a protector. He shook off the twinge of admiration. He should be focusing on Jamie Campbell and not Meg Mackinnon. He had no time to be distracted by a lass, no matter how intriguing.
Alex nodded. “I only arrived yesterday.”
“Where from?” Meg asked not so innocently. “Skye?”
All vestiges of convivial thought fled. He gave her a hard look, one meant to stop further questions. “No.” His voice must have sounded harsher than he intended because she took an almost imperceptible step back. In a somewhat softer tone, he asked, “And what of you, Mistress Mackinnon, have you been at court long?”
He could tell that she wanted to press the matter but thought better of it. “Just two weeks.”
Jamie, apparently not liking what had essentially become a private conversation, made a possessive move toward Meg and took her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. “Meg and her party were attacked on the way to court,” he explained.
Alex lifted a brow in feigned surprise. “How unfortunate. You were not harmed, I hope?”
Meg looked him straight in the eye again. He couldn’t help but admire her fortitude. “No, though six of my father’s men were killed, and my mother suffered a blow to the head. They would have killed us all, but we were fortunate to have been rescued by a mysterious band of warriors.”
“Fortunate indeed,” Alex agreed. The way she was watching him didn’t bode well. He tensed. She was going to say something—
“Actually,” she said with a provoking little smile, “the leader looked remarkably like you.”
Damn.Alex quickly masked his flash of anger with a chuckle, as if she’d just said something incredibly amusing. But he didn’t miss the slight sharpening of Jamie’s gaze.
“Though I’d like to take credit, Mistress Mackinnon, I’m afraid you must be mistaken. You know what they say around here—all of us barbarians look alike.”
She didn’t laugh; rather, her study of his face intensified.
Jamie frowned.
Alex knew he’d better think of something fast. Suddenly, it came to him. “Actually, it sounds more like something my brother might do. We look much alike, don’t we, Jamie?”
Jamie studied him carefully and finally nodded. “Yes. Very alike.”
But Alex could see that the damage had been done. Jamie’s suspicions had been aroused. Alex would have to tread carefully.
“Hmm,” Meg said, “I’m sure that’s it.” But he could tell she did not believe him.
“These outlaws have grown too bold,” Jamie said. His face darkened, and for a moment Alex had a glimpse of the ruthless man he would become. “Broken men are a scourge upon the land. Threatening innocent women,” he said indignantly. “I’ll hunt down every last one and see them pay.”
Alex fought to control his temper.Your cousin is al
ready doing a fine job of it.
He was relieved when Meg decided not to further press the matter of his identity. “How long will you be at court, Laird MacLeod?”
“Not long,” he answered truthfully. Once he found what he’d come for, he would be gone. “I hope to have my business concluded soon and be on my way.”
“Are you here, then, on behalf of your brother?” she asked.
Her tenacity was almost awe-inspiring. If he weren’t so furious with her, he’d applaud. But she’d done enough damage for one day. “No.”
“Alex is a soldier,” Jamie explained. “Only recently returned from Spain and Flanders.”
