“Doesn’t that concern you?”
“Aye, which is why I’m being cautious.”
“Setting a trap where you intend to spring a surprise attack on an unknown number of warriors is being cautious?”
He grinned. “Normally, I’d take a handful of men and go after them right now, which is what your brother and Munro were advocating, so aye, I am being cautious.”
Helen blanched. “Perhaps it’s better if I don’t know what ‘normal’ is.”
His expression changed. “Maybe it was a bad idea to bring you along. If I’d known…” His voice dropped off. “I thought you’d be safer with me then you would be at Dunrobin.”
“I am,” she said unequivocally. “If it is me they are after, I’d rather be here with you than at home. My brother couldn’t have kept me locked up forever.”
“Why not?”
Good God, he was being serious. “Being confined isn’t living, Magnus, even if it keeps me safe.”
Their eyes held. After a moment, he nodded. “Your brother and Munro will stay back with a few of the other men to protect you and the rest of the party.”
Of the roughly three score of people who made up their traveling party, there were perhaps a dozen knights and three times that many men-at-arms, the rest being attendants and household servants. They were fortunate. Normally, a king’s party would include far more of the latter, but they were traveling with a large percentage of fighting men.
“And what of the king?” she said.
“He’s staying with you.”
Helen glanced over to the Bruce, seeing an expression very similar to the one on Magnus’s face only moments before. “Does he know that?”
Magnus made a face. “Not yet.” He looked at her hopefully. “Perhaps you can think of a reason?”
“Ha!” she laughed sharply. “I’m afraid you’re on your own.”
“I’ll remember that,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. She sucked in her breath, unable to look away from the impressive display of muscle.
The air suddenly grew charged with awareness. There were so many things left unsaid. So many things left undone.
“Be careful,” she said softly.
He wanted to kiss her. She could see that he did. Perhaps he would have had they not been standing in the middle of the camp. But all he could do was unfold his arms and nod. “I will.”
He started to walk away, but then turned back to her. “Be ready, Helen. We may have need of you.”
She bit her lip, understanding. Men might be hurt. She nodded and repeated just as he had, “I will.”
She would let him do his job, and when the time came, she would do hers.But please, please keep him safe.
“I don’t like this,” MacGregor said softly.
“Neither do I,” Magnus replied.
The two men had crept on their bellies as far forward as they could on the darkened hillside from which they would launch their attack. Below them lay the forested gully where the hillside met the far edge of the loch before opening up into the Dirrie More pass, where the rest of the royal party waited.
Magnus had chosen the place to launch their attack well, using his knowledge of the terrain to put the ten men he’d brought with him at an advantage even should they be outnumbered. But if Fraser’s scouting was correct, they’d be evenly matched. The road here was narrow; once their enemies entered, they would be easily surrounded by Magnus’s men on the hillside with nowhere to run but the loch. But where were they?
“They should have been here by now. Fraser said they were only a few miles back.”
“I can’t see a damned thing,” MacGregor said. “The mist is as thick as pitch. I’d feel a hell of a lot better if Ranger were here.”
Arthur “Ranger” Campbell was prized not only for his scouting abilities, but also for his uncanny, eerie senses, which had helped them avoid more than one dire situation. And this sure as hell qualified.
