Lockie nodded and left, his heart hammering. Alex watched him go with an expression of regret that he was resorting to these drastic measures, but Lockie Campbell needed to be taught a lesson. He had humiliated Robina twice, and that was two times too many.
The two shadowy figures at the back of the church had been watching and listening, making no sound but smiling in a well-satisfied fashion. When the two men left they sat down and talked between themselves for a moment, waited for another few moments just to be safe, then threaded their way down to the less-frequented beach path and home.
Back at Glengour Castle, Robina was waiting for him. She smiled as he walked into the parlor and threw her arms around him in a tight hug, then stood back to look at him.
“What happened?” she asked anxiously. He kissed her then poured her some mulled wine before sitting down beside her, then he described the conversation in the church. As he spoke he saw that her face had become more and more anxious, and by the time he had finished, she was staring at him in horror.
“But sweetheart—you cannot do that!” she cried. “What if he kills you?”
Alex shook his head and laughed. “This is not a fight to the death, my love,” he said fondly. “It is a matter of pride. He has insulted you twice, and if he gets away with it this time he will do it again. I am not standing by to watch that happen.”
Robina nodded slowly, then looked up at him. “You need not do this for me, Alex.”
“I am doing it for us, sweetheart.” He kissed her belly and placed his hand on it. “For all of us.” He looked down at Robina’s beautiful golden eyes and thought of his former wife. How could he ever have loved her?
Robina sighed. “I am not happy about this,” she said in a soft, unhappy voice. “I never wanted anything like this to be done for me.”
“For us,” he reminded her. “Come, I will make you happy.” He smiled wickedly at her, but for once, she could not smile back.
“You are really going to do this?” Lorna’s tone was doubtful as her dark eyes gazed into Lockie’s as if to look into his soul. Lockie had told her what he did, even though she already knew, and she found herself appalled that he did not seem to mind what he had done.
“Yes,” Lockie answered defiantly. “It is the only way I can keep my honor, and that means a great deal to me. Since we do not yet have a child, it is all I have.”
“You have me,” she pointed out with hope.
“Of course I do, darling.” He smiled and drew her into his arms. He had to keep her contented...for the moment.
10
The Duel
Alex and Robina went to Mass at the little church on Sunday morning, then Alex collected his sword from the guard who was holding it for him.
There was a flat stretch of turf outside the church which was used for various functions, the main one being celebrations at weddings for the common people who did not have halls to dance in. It was a big open piece of ground, perhaps thirty yards by thirty yards, big enough for the duelists to move around in, and for a small crowd to watch.
As soon as the news about the duel had leaked out, the entire village, even those who did not usually attend early Mass, came out in their numbers.
Watching two lairds from opposite ends of the village fighting it out to restore the honor of one of them was not something that happened every day.
The two men bowed to each other, and before anyone could blink, Alex had taken one huge lunge to bring himself within the reach of Lockie’s weapon, intending to swipe sideways with his blade and finish the bout before it began, but Lockie parried it immediately, then went in for the attack.
Alex stepped back and turned his body, raising his shield so that Lockie’s broadsword hit iron instead of flesh. They went on this way for an interminably long time, or so it seemed to Robina, who was standing beside the priest hardly daring to look. Every time one of the adversaries scored a point there wereoohsandaahsfrom the crowd, and a few screams from several women who could not bear to look. A few ran away.
The combatants seemed to be evenly matched, but in the end it was Alex’s strength, stamina, and determination that won out. Alex experienced the same emotions he had in Bruce’s army, in the heat of battle when the bloodlust was on him. He was fierce, fearless, and invincible, his heart hammering and the blood singing in his veins. Nothing could stop him, and he growled like a wild animal intent on its prey.
After a particularly aggressive thrust from his opponent, Lockie staggered backward and fell on his backside, but before he could recover he felt the point of Alex’s sword at his throat.
Lockie looked up at the savagery in Alex’s face before letting his head flop back on the ground, sure that a killing stroke was about to be delivered. At the last moment, however, Alex sheathed his weapon and extended a hand to help Lockie off the ground. A cheer went up.
Neither Lockie nor Alex had intended the duel to be a fight to the death, but as Robina looked at the fearsome snarl on Alex’s face, she had been genuinely afraid. She had never seen this side of her husband before, and was not sure that she ever wanted to see it again.
The two men scowled at each other.
“Well?” Alex looked at Lockie inquiringly. “Do you not have something to say to my wife?”
With very bad grace, Lockie knelt in front of Robina and kissed her feet, then looked up at her for a fleeting second with a glance that stopped somewhere near her chin.
“Forgive me, Milady, for any hurt or embarrassment I have caused you,” he said awkwardly, his gaze now firmly fixed on the floor.
