The small chamber suddenly felt very small--and very warm. The fresh scent of soap filled the air. He'd bathed and changed from his armor and was wearing a clean shirt, tunic, and hose. Borrowed, she suspected, from one of her departed clansmen.
It wasn't the visceral awareness, however, but the boyishly uncertain look on his face that made her throw herself into his arms and bury her face against his broad, warm chest.
She felt the deep sigh of relief go through him, as he wrapped his arms around and held her.
"You're all right?" he asked.
She nodded, resting her chin on his chest to look up at him. "You were worried?"
A lock of damp hair flopped across his forehead. "Aye, more than I wanted to be."
"I made my decision, Arthur. I meant what I said. It might not always be easy, but I'll not regret it."
Her brother Alan was right. She deserved a man who would love her as fiercely as she loved him. Who would stand down dragons and crawl through the fires of hell for her. Arthur had done that, and she would never let him go.
She paused, easing back in his arms a little. "Thank you for what you did. I know"--her voice caught--"I know it couldn't have been easy."
His face clouded, but only for a moment. "I'll not regret it." He repeated her words back to her with a wry smile. "Sparing your father's life was a small price to pay for the happiness I've received in return."
She bit her lip. "But what about Bruce? Won't he be angry that you let him go?"
He grimaced. "Probably, if your former uncle's reaction was any indication. But the king owes me a few favors; I think I may have just called them in. As long as your father leaves Scotland, he will likely understand."
Likely. Suddenly, she realized she could feel only one hand on her back. She moved out of his embrace and looked down to see that his left hand was wrapped in heavy bandages. She hadn't noticed before because he'd been wearing gauntlets.
"What happened to your hand?"
"It's broken," he said, matter-of-factly.
Their eyes met and he answered her unspoken question. One look at his beaten face was all it took to tell her how it happened. Her heart stabbed. "What else?"
He shrugged. "A few ribs. Some bruises and cuts. Nothing that won't heal." There was something in his eyes that told her differently. "It was no more than I deserved for what I did to you."
"Don't," she said, shaking her head adamantly. "Don't say that. What you did was awful, but I would never have exacted such punishment." Tears sprang to her eyes. "We have not had a very easy time of it, have we?"
He cupped her chin, shaking his head. "Nay, love, but I promise that will change. No more lies. No more secrets." He smiled crookedly. "You know the most dangerous of them, anyway."
That he was part of Bruce's secret army. "Why do they call you Ranger?"
There was a moment of awkwardness when he looked around the room for somewhere to sit and realized there was only the bed. But he sat down on the edge, indicating for her to sit beside him. She noticed that he was careful to keep a few inches between them as he explained.
He'd been forced to leave training before the others to take his place as a spy. The decision to use war names had been made in his absence. Some of the names had been taken from jokes among the men, and others--like his--were derived from their skills.
"So I was right," she beamed. "I thought you would make a perfect scout."
He laughed. "Aye, though I wasn't happy about it. I was trying to hide my abilities, but you seemed to have other ideas."
She was beginning to have other ideas now. She leaned a little closer to him, letting her breasts brush against his arm. "What will happen next?"
He seemed to be holding himself very still. "Right now, I think I'd better leave. I shouldn't be here alone with you like this. Not without a priest."
She laughed, and put her hand on his thigh. The heavy muscles flexed under her palm. "I don't think I want a priest here with us."
His jaw clenched--actually, most of the muscles in his body seemed clenched. "I meant until after we are married."
"I rather think it's too late to stand on ceremony, don't you?"
"I didn't come up here to--" He stopped. "Damn it, Anna, stop that." He covered her hand with his, stopping her exploratory little dip down his thigh. "I'm trying to do this right."
