His mouth fell in a grim line. “Edward Bruce is laying siege on the castle.”
The blood slid from her face as panic jumped in her pulse. “No! You can’t let them do that. Our son will suffer along with them.”
She could see the fear in his eyes that matched her own—and something else: anger. “There is nothing I can do.” He’d obviously tried. “Now that we’ve cornered your father, he will not be allowed to escape. The siege at Perth is over, the castle has fallen, and the king is on his way here.”
She would have blanched if there was any blood left in her face. “Bruce is coming here?”
He nodded. “Galloway’s castles are next.” The former Balliol and MacDowell strongholds of Dumfries, Buittle, Dalswinton, and Caerlaverock.
One by one Robert the Bruce was taking back Scotland’s castles from English control and destroying them so that they might not be used against him again.
“But Eachann...” She shuddered, thinking what a long siege could do to him. “Let me talk to my father. He will listen to me.”
Eoin shook his head. “Carrick won’t allow it,” he said, using the title (along with Lord of Galloway) that Robert Bruce had given his younger brother, Edward. He tried to console her. “Try not to worry. It won’t last long. The castle hasn’t been properly provisioned in months. Your father will agree to parley soon.”
She shook her head. “You don’t know my father. He will never surrender to Bruce. He’ll starve first.”
He didn’t say anything, and from the grim look on his face she suspected he did know her father and agreed. “I should go,” he said. “I just wanted to keep you informed. I will try to send word every few days or so.”
“You can’t expect me to stay here!”
That was exactly what he expected her to do. Eoin stared down at the outraged woman who could be wearing a sackcloth and still manage to stir his blood. The proof was pounding against his stomach. What the hell was wrong with him?
“Where do you expect to go?” he asked impatiently.
“With you.”
In his tent?God’s blood!He almost shuddered. “That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
Because apparently six years hadn’t made his cock any smarter. “Camp is no place for a lady.”
“Perhaps not, but there must be some women?” She continued before he could object to the sort of women who were about camp, stepping close to him to make her case. Probably closer than she realized. Their bodies were practically touching, and every muscle in his body tightened. “Please, Eoin. I won’t be in the way. I swear I won’t embarrass you. I’ve changed.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Her eyes dropped from his as a delicate shade of pink rose to her cheeks. “I’m not the ignorant girl I was when we married. I’ll not say the wrong thing or do something foolish like move the pieces of a chess game around. I can read and write now. I’ll not challenge your friend to a race or see who can drink a mug of ale the quickest. I haven’t worn breeches in a long time. I am no longer the backward, irreverent creature you need to try to turn into a proper wife.”
Eoin stared at her in shock. Was that what she thought? “That isn’t what I...”Ah hell. It was what he’d wanted. But he’d never meant her to think he was ashamed of her. He’d just wanted her not to stand out so much. Not to be so outrageous. To not look at him as if she couldn’t wait to get to the bedchamber. He’d wanted her to show a little restraint and decorum. To be more like the other ladies.
But if he’d wanted someone like Lady Barbara, why had he married Margaret?
Because she’d been different. Because she’d been fresh and sweet, and yes, outrageous. Because she’d made him laugh. Because she’d teased and challenged him, and driven him crazy with lust. Because she’d breezed into a room like she owned it, with her unbound hair flowing wildly around her shoulders, and he knew there would never be another woman for him.
It washerhe’d wanted. Why had he tried to turn her into someone else?
Guilt twisted in his gut. “You never embarrassed me,” he said gruffly.
She gave him a wry smile that said she didn’t believe him. “It was a long time ago, Eoin. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
She tried to turn her face, but without realizing what he was doing, he reached out and cupped her chin in his hand to force her gaze back to his.
It was a mistake. Her skin was every bit as warm and baby soft as he remembered. He wanted to run his thumb over the smooth curve of her cheek and the delicate point of her chin.
“It does matter. I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I thought it would be easier for you to fit in if you were—”
“Like everyone else?” she finished for him.
