Page 33 of The Lyon and the Lass

She laughed. “Aye.”

He covered her mouth with his and after a heart-stopping kiss which left her a tad dizzy, he pulled back. He tapped her on her nose. “Goodnight, wife.”

It took her a moment to compose herself before she slid down, pushed her body into her husband’s warm one and, with his arm wrapped around her, settled in for a good night’s sleep.

Rupert had decidedthis was the day. He’d spent enough time admiring Lady Lindsay and her hard-working husband. It was time to snatch the woman and bring her to Edinburgh. If he stayed here much longer he would begin to question his life, and he didn’t want to know the answers.

He placed his hammer on the stump of a tree and walked off the job he’d been working on for the past week. Most likely the laird thought he was going off to piss somewhere. Once he left the cottage far enough away, he ran to the keep’s kitchen door. He knew this time of the day Lady Lindsay was in the kitchen helping with the nooning meal.

“Good day to you, Rupert. Can I help you with something?” She smiled brightly and he fought to push his doubts aside.

“Yes, my lady. I have an issue I would like to discuss with you, but I see you are busy.”

She never turned anyone away who needed her. Now, she wiped her hands on her apron. “No. There is enough help here. Did you want to go to the great hall?”

“I would prefer some privacy. Can we walk?”

She whipped the apron off. “Of course.”

They stepped out into the weak sunshine. He walked her toward the stable where he had his horse ready to go. “I’m having an issue with either doing the right thing or wrong thing.”

He looked around and just as before when he’d readied his horse, no one was in the stable. The area surrounding him was empty because everyone was inside awaiting the nooning meal. He took a deep breath and continued on until they reached where his horse awaited. “I am very sorry for his, Lady Lindsay.”

She frowned. “What are you sorry about?

“This.” He pulled out the cloth soaked in laudanum and pressed it to her face. She inhaled to scream and took in enough of the drug that her bones seemed to have a hard time holding her up. With a soft sigh, she collapsed against him.

He quickly placed her over the front of the saddle and hopped up behind her.

Lady Lindsay remained asleep for most of the trip since it wasn’t too long, but she was awake, and still groggy when they stopped in front of the Gooseneck Ale house. He jumped from the horse and placed his hands around her waist, lifting her off.

“I don’t understand, Rupert, where are we?” Her voice was sluggish, and she shook her head as if to clear it.

“Just come along.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and practically dragged the woman into the alehouse. Lord Allenby hopped up from where he was sitting at table witha mug of ale in front of him. Another man, the slobbering portly one with red-rimmed eyes—her intended husband according to Allenby—looked Lady Lindsay up and down in a way Rupert did not like.

“It’s about time.” Allenby turned to the man sitting with him. “Look, Newton, your wife is here!”

Lady Lindsay turned to him. “What is my uncle doing here? And why is he saying Lord Newton’s wife is here?”

Rupert didn’t know a lot about Scotland, but he did know by Scottish law, a couple could be considered married if they referred as such in front of witnesses. Apparently, that was what Allenby was attempting to do even though he’d told him he had legal papers to prove the laird and his lady were not legally married.

Lady Lindsay turned to him. “Rupert, please take me home. You know I am already married.” Tears formed in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. “I want to go home. I want my husband.”

Lord Allenby shoved banknotes at Rupert. “Here is your money, now be on your way.”

He put the money in his pocket and backed away. Lady Lindsay’s hands were reaching for him even as Lord Newton wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her toward the stairs.

“My lord, I don’t think—” Rupert started to say.

Allenby pushed him. “You are correct, you do not think. Now leave before I ask the innkeeper to have you arrested for trespassing.”

Rupert turned and left the inn. He jumped on his horse and headed toward London.

“Do ye kenwhere yer lady is?” Kerrigan asked for what seemed like the hundredth time since he’d returned from working on Old Matthew’s cottage. He’d planned to clean up for supper but had been unable to find his wife.

“Nay, my laird, I haven’t seen her since the nooning,” Isla said.

Kerrigan ran his fingers through his hair. ’Twas not like the lass to just disappear. Since no one in the keep had seen her, he headed to the stable to take a ride to the village. ’Twas possible she decided to do some shopping and hadn’t told anyone where she was headed. He didn’t like that, knowing traveling by herself was not a good idea.