He sighed. She would not be Laura without making such a bold request. He reached out his hands, grabbed her by the waist, and lifted her up onto the saddle, saying, “If ye think I’m going to ride up beside ye as we go out the gates, ye are in for a disappointment.”
Walking in front of his horse, he led Maegli down the road by the reins, relieved that the sentries made no remark on the recommencement of the early morning rides. Once they were out of sight of the castle walls, he mounted behind her, slipping one arm around her waist, saying, “There now, d’ye feel safe?”
She nuzzled her head under his chin. “I had no idea how wobbly riding on top of the withers can be.”
He shifted back a bit so her thighs could grip either side of the pommel. Laura seemed quite content not to watch the road as she sat sideways on the horse. They were riding south, which gave her the chance to watch the sunrise in front of her. She gave a happy sigh and leaned her head against his chest. “This is beautiful,” she said, and even though he did not glance to the left to look at the orange glow on the horizon, Bruce said, “Aye, it is.”
He guided Maegli toward the woods where they had found the first snowdrops. All the snow had melted away, small brown buds could be seen bursting out of the twigs and branches, and the mating calls of birds pierced the springtime air.
He halted. “Are ye strong enough to walk from here?” he asked, but only as a formality. Laura had dressed herself and walked downstairs to the barracks before the cocks had started to crow.
“Mmm, aye,” was all she said. He dismounted, holding out his arms out for her to jump into. She blushed and said, “It seems like a long way down, Bruce. Yer horse rides so high.”
“What?” He could not pass up the opportunity to tease her. “Please don’ tell me that the brave Lady Laura Munro is fearful of heights. Then answer me this: Why are ye no’ a-feared of me?”
She objected with mock outrage. “Bruce! Ye cannae compare the two. Ye don’ sidle or buck or pull yer head whenever ye see a cow in the fields!”
He grinned. “Ye have a point.” He moved closer, raising his hands to hold her thighs in a firm grip. “Does that feel safer? Will ye jump now?”
She did not move and seemed to have frozen in place, but it was not from fear. Her small white teeth were biting her lower lip as if to bite back something she desperately wanted to say. Her hands moved to touch his fingers as if debating whether to trust him or not. Then she jumped.
He caught her easily and could feel she had lost a little weight since her fall. He did not put her down on the ground but held her clasped to his chest. She did not struggle but continued to stare at him with overbright eyes, a daring glint inside them.
“Maybe ye should be a-feared o’ me, Laura,” he murmured so softly she could hardly hear the words over the sound of all the birdsong going on around them. “Ye are enough to make a man lose his head…and his manners.” He placed her gently on the ground.
She said nothing in reply, taking his hand in her own small one and leading him deeper into the woods.
The snowdrops were still in bloom, but the bluebells, crocuses, and daffodils were showing tightly closed heads. A few had begun to unfurl their petals while others remained obdurately shut. Laura unwrapped the arisaid from around her shoulders and spread it on the ground.
“Lass, ye’ll be cold,” he said, sitting down beside her and pulling her close. “What will I tell yer clan if ye recover from yer fall only to take sick from the damp?”
She leaned her head back against him, saying, “It will be worth it just to be able to watch the sun come up. It’s the first week of spring, Bruce. Can ye no’ feel the sap rising in the trees?”
For one terrifying moment, he thought she might have been in his bedroom watching him writhe with the passion of his dreams throughout the night. He was desperate to take her in his arms and kiss her, but there was that small section of his brain that remained sane.
If I kiss her now, it will be easier for me to do it again when I need to win the bet. Think of how comfortable I can make Alice with twenty gold sovereigns in me bag. And not only will I win that wager, but I will satisfy this desperate craving in my loins, or at least have a sweet taste of her lips, enough to fuel me dreams for the next few days…
That was the mercenary, the soldier in him that was taking control. But for a long time now—ever since meeting a kind, sad-faced young girl at Henry Munro’s wedding, in fact—Bruce had wanted to be so much more than a common soldier, a sword for hire. He might not be born noble, but the blood running through his veins came from excellent stock. His faither had been a captain in Laird Anderson’s army! He had gone on leave to visit his wife and children and never returned to the laird’s castle. Bruce had been too young and distraught to think about informing Laird Anderson about his father’s demise. When he had grown old enough to think about traveling to Laird Anderson to tell him what had happened to his trusted captain, it was too late; Alice needed him by her side all the time.
Who would win the war, the lustful soldier or the man struggling to do what was best?
“Yer thoughts are in turmoil, Bruce,” Laura said to him softly. He had always been able to read her mind from the little expressions on her face; it came as no surprise to him that she was able to do the same to him. “Why don’ ye take solace in watching the sun?” She slid her hand into his palm and lay her head on his chest. “Can we no’ be at peace for one moment and put the cares and worries of the world aside for a while?”
He stared blindly at the horizon, only aware of her body pressed so close beside him. Slowly, the clouds changed from purple to pink, and then vibrant orange flooded the sky, stretching over them like a cloth of gold. They sank back down onto the arisaid together, watching the sky turn sapphire blue above them. The birdsong changed from early morning cries to getting on with the business of marking territory and sounding warnings.
Bruce did not know how to thank this woman. She had reminded him to look up and appreciate his life for what it was: an adventure that was too big at the moment for him to realize where it would end.
He bent his head and kissed her.
11
They lived in a castle. But even if they lived in the busiest seaport on the island, folks still would have noticed such a tall, handsome man and such a pretty young woman walking with the horse following behind them, chatting and laughing together as if they did not have a care in the world. It was close to dinnertime when the gate sentries perked up, nudging each other in the ribs and winking. Lady Laura and her warrior lover had been gone many hours, and even if the kitchen maids were able to say the lady must have taken a few bannocks out of the baskets with which to break her fast, it was beyond all breach of etiquette that the couple was not chaperoned.
Henry was stamping up and down the battlements for over three hours when the sentry called his attention to the two figures approaching the castle. He gave a bellow of rage and climbed down the steps of the wooden ladder as fast as he could.
When the gates swung open, he was waiting for his sister on the side. “I have naught to say to ye, Duncan.” Henry panted. He had so much bottled-up wrath inside him, he was having a hard time keeping himself under control. “Ye’re no’ one of me own men, so I have no right to discipline ye…”
Bruce Duncan bowed. “I am much obliged to ye for that kindness, sir.”
