Page 64 of Tales of Highland Loyalty

Fastening her robe, Lissie went to the window. There, she sat, unobserved, as Will inquired at the door. From the window, she hissed to the servants, "Send him away," as she stared down at Will. Really, she wanted to add an' leave me alone, but it wasn't necessary.

At long, long last, Lissie got her wish, and both Annice and the servants left forthwith.

Finally, she was alone.

Alone was not something Lissie had been used to in London. Reluctantly, she gazed out at Will. Even in the dull light, he stood out, his dark clothes cutting sharply with his short houppelande and fashionable poulaines.

Lissie had to admit he looked fine as he leaned to mount his horse. But her hot desire was tempered by her burning heart. Will had broken her. That was all there was to say.

Curling back into the bed, Lissie picked up the letter and idly unfurled it. Without very much interest, she began reading.

Then, her eyes opened.

This changed everything.

* * *

"The answer's nay. I will not pay your gambling debts, Trenton!"

It was a fiercely cold summer's day later that week across London Town. Despite the time of year, it remained unseasonably cold. Right then, it was hailing, something Will couldn't help feel was a judgment against him.

Ever since this miserable engagement, the weather had been in an uproar. It was June, but in the last three days, London had experienced hail, sleet, and snow. On the announcement of their engagement, a surfeit of frogs had appeared from nowhere, colonizing the London streets.

Omens did not come any clearer than that. And now, there was Trenton, merrily exhorting him to penury.

Well, no more!

Will stood up. He was in the solar, desperately trying to count the expenditure of the house. Bills, taxes, monies for armies—not to mention the tiny matter of a wedding!

His betrothed had a penchant for furs, rubies, and exotic horses. It added up. So did supporting a beleaguered king.

Deep in thought, Will pressed on, receipts stacked to the side of him. Abruptly, Trenton pushed them out of the way and sat down.

"Trenton!" Will snapped as half of the billets fell on the floor. But Trenton, pallid in the early morning light, just huffed.

"Gadzooks, Will, aren't there servants for that sort of thing? Where's Bowden when you need him? He's the steward," Trenton said, swiping lazily at the receipts and screwing them in his hand.

"Trenton," said Will, scandalized. His face was such a picture that Trenton could not resist a laugh.

This maddened Will all the more, who cast down his quill like a spear.

Abandoning all hopes of continuing, he turned to Trenton.

"Trenton. If you want me to bail you out, I need the means to pay with."

Will glared pointedly. "But I have bigger problems. Namely, paying for a wedding."

Will's heart sunk as low as his boots at the word wedding. Trenton did not know how much he would rather pay for a dice game gone wrong than a wedding.

But to his surprise, Trenton fixed him with a superior look.

"Who said anything about debts? You just assumed I wanted money."

Trenton looked at him sharply. Will was confused.

"Well, what do you want?" he asked a little impatiently. Back on the table, papers blew around, a crack in the window letting in a swift and icy draft.

Looking into the street beyond, Will gazed in disbelief. Now it was sleeting, thick gusts of ice blowing in from the skies. Despondent, Will brought his eyes to Trenton's.