Of course he did not. He was too busy trying to release his father and sort through the mess the auld laird had made before getting himself imprisoned. Plotting to usurp a king was not a good way to curry favour and keep the man off one’s back, by Angus’s estimation. And this king had proven more than troublesome. Between his new laws meant to strip the nobles of their power, and an attack at Inverlochy the year before, King James clearly had his sights set on the MacDonald lands.
But he would not have them. Not while Angus drew breath; even then, he planned to come back from the afterlife and haunt the man.
“We will need to rid ourselves of the carriage and continue on horseback if we are to put a good distance between ourselves and the Stewart before nightfall,” he said. “I will not rest until we reach Oban and can safely hide.”
“We cannot go inside the palace walls, not even to the courtyard. How are we going to get the queen inside and keep the cousin without getting caught?”
It was a good question. Angus would have to work it out before they arrived at the palace, and he would need to be sure the plan was flawless.
“This babe will make his or her appearance before we arrive at the palace,” a female voice said from behind him.
Graham jerked beside him. “Damn you, woman, you near made me jump from my seat,” he said.
She laughed—a pleasant, soft peal that sent a small tingle into Angus’s belly. “You should stay back there with her and see to her needs,” he said. “We will secure you to the palace as swiftly as we can, but remember, you are the one who asked us to ride softly. You cannot have it both ways. Either we ride faster or you arrive without a sore bottom.”
“And is there no compromise to be had between the two?” she asked.
Angus turned his head to meet her gaze. Her eyes were dark brown and her brow was arched, giving her a playful appearance. His gaze dropped to her mouth, which was curled into a smirk. He found himself staring at it, wondering what she might taste like.
“The only compromise I can offer is that I will get you there as quickly as possible.”
The queen cried out from inside the carriage and the cousin let the canvas flap drop.
Angus turned to Graham. “We must be careful what we say.”
“Agreed. At some point when you come to your senses, you will realize that your hasty decision may have far-reaching consequences.”
“That may be so, but in the meantime, we have a woman about to give birth in a carriage, and I for one am not interested in adding midwife to my list of titles.”
Graham laughed, but stopped as soon as the queen cried out harder.
Angus weaved the horse and carriage through the winding streets of Edinburgh and headed west toward the Royal Burgh of Linlithgow. In his mind he kept track of the timing between the sounds in the carriage, trying to figure a way to safely see the queen to help while holding on to his beautiful pawn.
“I have an idea,” he said to Graham when they were only a couple of miles from the palace.
“I will stop just ahead and say there is something wrong with one of the horses. Then I will take the cousin and ride toward the palace. Hopefully, we will find someone along the way who can go help her.” Graham started shaking his head even before Angus had the next words out. “You stay here with her until you see riders approaching, then take the second horse and follow me as quickly as you can. We will meet at Oban on the morrow.”
“Why do I have to stay? Why can I not ride with the lass?”
“You sound like a spoiled child,” Angus said, grinning.
“So help me God, Angus, if she has that bairn while I sit with her, I will have your hide.”
“Careful what you say. You know you cannot best me.”
Angus pulled on the reins and brought the horses and carriage to a halt.
“Why are we stopping?” Her voice preceded her face, which popped out through the canvas flaps. “My cousin needs a midwife. Your queen requires your assistance. Why are we stopping? Answer me, man!”
Angus looked at Graham and tossed his head in her direction, then shook it. “Demanding little thing, are you not?”
“I am cousin to your queen, you will do as I say. Now get this carriage moving again or I swear I will—”
Angus turned toward her again. “You will what? I do not think that a woman of your size can do much damage to a man of mine. One of the horses appears injured. Do you wish me to ride the beast to its death?”
She glanced at the horses and then back to him. “What is wrong with it?”
“I do not know, which is why I stopped.”
