“You will have me.”
Her words ate at him. How could he have thought it wouldn’t be enough? She was everything. Without her, nothing else mattered.
For the first time in his life, Ewen could see his father not with embarrassment, shame or anger, but with admiration. For he’d done what Ewen had not: he’d had the courage to risk everything and fight for the woman he loved.
And now the woman Ewen loved was God knows where, doing God knows what, because he’d been too much of a fool to do whatever he needed to do to hold on to her. When he thought of how he’d turned away after making love to her, how he’d told her he was going to take her back and hand her over to another man…
No wonder she’d run. He would spend the rest of his life making it up to her, if she would let him.
But what if he didn’t get a chance to explain? What if something happened to her, and he couldn’t tell her how much he loved her?
He had to find her, damn it. He’d tear apart every nunnery on both sides of the Border if he had to.
The danger had finally caused Bruce to relent—but only so far. Hence, Ewen’s role as an observer. As for the rest, the Guardsmen would find out soon enough.
“That’s between Bruce and me,” he told Sutherland.
“Janet is my sister now,” Sutherland said, his notoriously hot temper sparking in his eyes. “If you did something to dishonor her…”
Ewen’s mouth tightened. Sutherland would have to stand in line. “I buggered up, all right. But I’m trying to make it right.” He paused, distracted, as another nun emerged from the priory. But even from this distance he could see the build wasn’t right. He needed to at least get closer. He turned back to Sutherland impatiently. “I am not going to have this conversation right now. As soon as we find her, I will answer whatever damned questions you want. Now unless you are going to try to stop me, get the hell out of my way.”
The challenge was issued to all three of the men blocking his path. They looked at one another and must have recognized the determination in his gaze—or maybe it was the wild, frenzied, just-on-the-edge-of-madness look that convinced them.
MacLean shook his head and sighed, stepping aside first. “You’d better know what the hell you are doing.”
Ewen didn’t, but he had to do something. He couldn’t stand here and wait another minute.
His eyes scanned the area in front of him as he moved through the trees. The river wound to the east side of the priory. From there he would have a closer view of the yard. He could leave his armor behind and pretend to be a fisher—
Suddenly, he stopped. His gaze flickered back to something he had skimmed over earlier.
“What is it?” MacLean whispered, coming up behind him.
“The lad,” Ewen said. “Sitting on the rocks by the river.”
“What about him?” MacKay asked.
“I’ve seen him before.” Something prickled at the back of his neck. “The first time I was here, and a few days ago.”
Sutherland frowned. “What is suspicious about a local boy fishing?”
“Nothing,” Ewen answered. “If that’s what he is doing. But look, his line isn’t in the water—it’s on the edge of the bank—and he isn’t watching the fish.” He was watching the door to the priory, exactly as Ewen would be doing, albeit far less obviously.
“What do you think he’s doing?” MacLean asked.
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”
Ewen kept watch on the door and the boy for the rest of the afternoon. Each time a nun emerged, the lad seemed to study her face every bit as intently as Ewen did. Not once did the boy check the fishing line beside him. Either the lad was the worst fisherman ever or he was watching for someone. But for whom?
If it was a coincidence, it was one that made Ewen uneasy. Damned uneasy. And he didn’t think it was a coincidence.
His suspicions were confirmed a short while later, when the door of the priory closed for the night and the lad abandoned his post. Following him was easy, but every step of the way, Ewen’s heart jogged a little faster.
The lad wasn’t headed to a house nearby, he was headed to Roxburgh. More specifically, he was headed to the castle.
Ewen didn’t need to follow the lad through the castle gate. From his vantage atop a nearby hill, he could see with bone-tingling clarity directly into the courtyard. Even before the boy approached the building, Ewen had guessed where he was headed.Ah hell, the chapel!
His blood went cold, recalling Janet’s confrontation with the castle priest at the market.
