“Thanks.” She stood there staring at him as if she wanted to say more, but after a moment she left, and he resumed his filing.
But he was distracted, and the work wasn’t as satisfying as it had been.
There had been nothing particularly remarkable about the conversation with Elizabeth, but each time he was with her, it was becoming more and more difficult to keep his heart hardened against her.
Christ, he’d nearly kissed her the other day by the river, and God only knew how that could have ended. If it was anything like last time, there was a good chance it would have been with her pushed up against a tree and him deep inside her.
Honor and nobility had once meant something to him. They were qualities he’d always prided himself on because of his actions, not because of some “sir” or “lord” in front of his name. Elizabeth had made him forget once, but he would not do so again.
“What is between you and Douglas’s sister?”
Thom turned, not realizing MacLeod had come up behind him. Christ, no wonder they were known as Phantoms; the man moved like a ghost. With his strength and build it was especially impressive. “Nothing,” he said automatically.
The fierce Island chief studied him intently. Thom wasn’t easily intimidated, but he had to admit it was damned unsettling.
“It didn’t look that way to me,” MacLeod said.
He had obviously been watching him again. Thom’s gaze hardened. “However it looked, I’m not sure why it is any business of yours.”
MacLeod arched a brow as if Thom’s bold reply had surprised him. Perhaps it should have. Given MacLeod’s reputation, Thom probably should have responded with quite a bit less hostility in his tone. Rather than MacLeod being offended, however, Thom sensed he’d impressed him again.
“Depending on what happens in Edinburgh, it might be very much my business. Douglas is an important man in the Bruce’s army—and someone I respect. We often work together. I lost a man last year to discord; I won’t lose another. And that lass, I suspect, would cause quite a lot of discord.”
To put it mildly. Thom and Douglas had reached a tentative truce, but Thom did not delude himself that that truce wouldn’t turn back into full-fledged war again if Douglas suspected anything between Thom and his sister.
“We?”
MacLeod gave him a look that made him feel stupid for asking.
“Elizabeth and I are old friends,” Thom said, answering MacLeod’s original question. “We’ve known each other since we were children.”
“Douglas said she is to marry Randolph.”
“Aye.”
“Good,” MacLeod said. “Keep it that way, and there won’t be a problem.”
The man who Thom suspected was the leader of the band of Phantom warriors—who’d struck fear in the heart of their enemies and become the fodder of legend—walked away, leaving Thom certain of two things. One, he was possibly being recruited by the most elite guard in the army, and two, whatever chance he had to be part of the Phantoms was contingent on him not angering Douglas.
In other words, if Thom wanted a chance to fight among the best warriors in the kingdom, Elizabeth Douglas was off-limits.
The Phantoms? Thom still couldn’t believe it. Even after a long night of thinking about little else—while trying to repress the building excitement—he wondered if he’d misunderstood.
But he hadn’t. MacLeod was considering him for the Phantoms.
Christ, if Thom needed any more incentive to stay away from Elizabeth—which he didn’t—he had it. That wasn’t to say that he wasn’t damned glad their journey and forced togetherness was almost over. Powerful incentive or not, he wasn’t exactly rational when it came to her.
Unfortunately, their early morning departure had been delayed by a heavy downpour of rain that had started at dawn and now, two hours later, was still going strong. When it was discovered that one of the travelers taking respite at the abbey was also traveling to Edinburgh in a carriage—which was rare due to their impracticality on Scottish roads—Douglas decided, over his wife’s objections to the proposed company, to wait so that the ladies might join her and avoid a very cold and uncomfortable ride.
After another hour of waiting for Lady Mary and her carriage, they traveled barely a mile before the “road” narrowed, one of the wheels slid on the uneven ground, and the blasted thing became stuck in the mud—thus proving the impractical nature of carriages in Scotland. Fortunately, the rain had waned a bit by then, so the women were not soaked while the men labored to fix it. When they had, it was time for the midday meal, and the group spread out to eat. Thom lost sight of the ladies, until Joanna came rushing up to him as he was packing his saddlebag.
“Have you seen Ella?”
She looked mildly worried, but suspecting another of her ploys, he didn’t pay too much attention. “Not for a while.”
Joanna frowned. “Neither have I. She wandered off after the meal and hasn’t returned.”
“How long ago?”
