“I’m certain we’ve never met,” she said in an arch tone.
They had not met, but he had seen her once a long time ago riding through Edinburgh with her sisters. She was not that young girl anymore. Rory tried and failed to keep his gaze from drifting to her lush breasts and the round curve of her hips. She was a woman who could fill a man’s hands. The kind he liked.
“And we are not betrothed,” she said. “If we were, I would have been told.”
No doubt he was not the husband she expected. His boots and plaid were muddy from the long journey in the winter rains. Even without the mud, he was nothing like the Lowland courtiers she was accustomed to have fawning over her.
“Here’s the marriage contract with your brother’s signature.” He pulled out the parchment he’d carried inside his shirt all the way from Kintail, thrust it into her hands, and tapped his finger on the sprawling signature at the bottom.
When her eyes began moving from line to line, Rory was impressed that the lass could read. Her mouth fell open as her gaze traveled down the page.Ach, every move the lass made was seductive. When she finished reading, she fixed those violet eyes on him again.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “How did ye get my brother to sign this?”
“We were gambling, and he ran out of coin.”
“Gambling?” she said, her voice rising. “My brother gave me away in a card game?”
Rory shrugged. “He didn’t expect to lose.”
The lass opened her mouth but words seemed to fail her for a time. Finally, she said, “But he never loses.”
“He did that time.”
“I don’t believe it. When did this happen?” she fired at him, then returned her gaze to the parchment. Her eyes flew back to him. “Eight years ago?”
“Aye,” Rory said. “’Twas not long after Flodden.”
“You signed a contract to marry me,” she said, her voice steadily rising in volume and pitch, “and waitedeight yearsto claim me?”
“Your brother said ye were too young, and I should wait a bit.”
“I’ve been grown up for quite some time,” she bit out. “In any case, I will not be your wife. This marriage contract is—”
“Look, lass, we can decide later whether we wish to abandon the agreement, so long as we haven’t yet consummated the marriage…” As he said the words, his gaze fell to her breasts again, and he lost track of what he meant to say. He gave his head a shake. What was wrong with him? This was no time to let himself become distracted, but with all the blood rushing to his cock, he could not think.
“You’re telling me that I’m to put my life in the hands of a complete stranger, a wild Highlander at that,” she said, “and we’ll sort things out later?”
“The royal guard is coming for ye,” he said. “If ye wish to escape, we must leavenow.”
Sybil leaped to her feet. When Rory saw how all the color had drained from her face, he regretted his bluntness. But now that she finally appeared to understand the urgency of her situation, she made her decision quickly.
“I’ll have the servants pack my trunks at once,” she said. “How large is your carriage?”
“Carriage? There are no roads where we’re going, lass,” he said. “And we’ve no time to fetch your things.”
“But…I can’t just disappear!” Sybil, who had questioned him so coolly before, looked frantic now. “My little cousin will worry. I must tell her where I’m going.”
“You’ll tell no one,” he said. “Someone in this household sent word to the queen that ye were here.”
“That would be my uncle’s vile wife,” Sybil said between tight lips, then she took a deep breath. “I’ll use my drawing paper to write a note so my cousin won’t fret.”
Rory tamped down his impatience while he scanned the hills in the direction of Edinburgh. Sybil came up behind him. By the saints, the first his wife touched him was to use his back as a damned table.
“I have been rescued,” she said aloud as her quill moved across his back. “Do not worry. Will send word when I am able. Love always, S.”
She folded the parchment and set a rock on top of it at the base of the tree.
“We’ve tarried too long,” Rory said, and lifted her onto his horse.
