Page 14 of A Rogue and a Noble Lass

“It dinnae matter what she wants. She is nae here tae tell me. I must avenge her, and after that I hae naething left. I ken this tae be the case when I set out. This is all I am living for. It is my mission.”

A solemn look came over Brody’s face. He reached over and placed his hand on Logan’s arm. Most of what Brody said was a joke, but there was a serious look in his eyes. Logan failed to meet his gaze.

“I hope ye change yer mind. It will be a sad thing tae ride alone, and while I think of ye as a brother, I dinnae want tae meet this fate with ye.”

“Neither dae I. When the time comes, I will see it through myself. Ye should leave. Steal some goods, gae somewhere and settle down with a good woman.”

“Suddenly I think I need more ale,” Brody said, and rose, walking across to the barrels into which warriors plunged their mugs.

Logan had accepted the fact that he was going to die a long time ago, but he rarely dwelled on it. All he thought of was killing Knox to ensure that Abigail could rest in peace.

However, while he was left alone, thoughts of Beitris flashed into his mind. They intruded upon him, just like her, he supposed. He thought of the way she argued with her brothers, wanting to fight him despite their interference. She could be the downfall of her family and she wouldn’t even know it.

Brody returned with a concerned look on his face.

“I was just speaking with some men. There’s been word of yer father. Apparently he is searching for ye.”

Logan’s blood turned to ice.

“Did they say why?”

Brody shook his head. Logan couldn’t imagine it was for anything good. He clenched his jaw.

“Then we hae best get on with the plan before he hae a chance tae find me. The Highlands will soon deal with him.”

Logan felt a flutter of emotion in the pit of his stomach as he thought about his father. Spiteful words, hard strikes, cold stares, footsteps echoing as he stepped away from the freezing pit, leaving Logan alone.

“I must approach Beitris.”

“But ye saw what happened. Her brothers dragged her away.”

Logan smirked. “Something tells me that will nae stop her.”

Indeed, the following day Beitris was present at the training field, sparring with a guard. Logan kept his distance at first, watching the way she moved. Her dark hair flowed with her body. She wore an outfit that was tight and it showed the curves of her bosom and waist.

Logan felt his throat tighten. He watched her not as a warrior, but as a… woman.

He gripped his sword tightly, so tight that the hilt dug into his palm and caused him pain. It helped him concentrate. It helped him push aside these feelings because they would only serve to distract him, and he didn’t truly understand why they were flooding his mind anyway.

It wasn’t as though he desired her. There was no room in his heart for desire, only hatred.

Logan marched up to them.

“Ye can gae now,” he said to the guard sparring with Beitris.

The lad nodded and scurried away, readily obeying the second in command. Logan’s gaze met Beitris’. She stared at him defiantly, her cloudless eyes hinting at mystery and intrigue, although he could only think of them weeping when she learned of her father’s death. It might well be that she would be the one to kill him in the end, avenging her father as he avenged Abigail.

“What are ye daeing? If ye are about tae send me away—”

“I hae nae cause tae dae such a thing. I was only gaeing tae offer tae show ye how tae improve yer stance.”

“My stance dinnae need improving.”

“If that were the case I would nae hae knocked ye down,” he replied, the corners of his mouth rising. Beitris narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “That is if ye are allowed tae spend time with me. Yer brothers might come by and pull ye away again.”

Beitris’ cheeks turned a bright crimson and she stepped forward. Tension thrummed through her body. They weren’t standing especially close, there were a few feet between them, but even so he could feel it radiating off her. The air crackled and when he was around her there was a sense that anything might happen.

This wasn’t a welcome feeling for Logan. He preferred things he could control and predict, but those two qualities did not apply to Beitris.