Page 39 of A Rogue and a Noble Lass

“Beitris, I’m leaving. I’m sorry that ye dinnae understand. I’m sorry ye are angry, but this cannae be avoided. It’s for yer own safety.”

“My own safety?”

She leaped up from the bed, incandescent with rage, glorious in her naked state. Her bare feet slapped against the floor. Her hands crashed against his chest, pushing him back, forcing him to confront her directly.

“How many times hae I told ye that I dinnae need protecting? I hae never asked ye tae dae anything on my behalf.”

“I ken. Ye dinnae need tae ask. There are things ye dinnae ken.”

“What things? What things, Logan?” she repeated, more urgency in her words.

Her eyes were wide enough that he could see the whites of them. She clutched his clothes in her fists. She was strong, but not strong enough to stop him. Nothing was. He might have seen confusion in them now, but if they ever met again he would only see hatred. He curled his fingers around her wrists and pushed her arms away firmly. She gasped and staggered back. Logan moved towards the door, each step feeling leaden, each step costing him a piece of his soul.

“I’m tired of haeing this discussion. If ye trust me, then trust me. Believe what I say, and if ye dinnae then raise the alarm and keep me here in chains. But I’m leaving, and unless ye want the entire Keep tae see yer bare arse then I suggest ye stay here, my lady!”

He slammed the door behind him, hating that he had to use the words as an insult, but the only way to keep her away from him was to make her angry. He strode through the Keep, smashing his fist against the inner walls in frustration, hating himself more now than he ever had before.

Beitris’ eyes stung with angry tears.

She was left standing naked in the room, the echo of the slamming door reverberating around her, the thrum of her heartbeat powerful in her chest. She screamed and clenched her fists. Logan had never been more maddening. Last night they had shared something so wonderful and profound, yet now it was rendered meaningless. She could have killed him. Fury was in her eyes as she whirled around and grabbed a poker by the hearth. She wrenched it free and slammed it against the wall again and again until she tossed it aside.

Then, she pulled on her clothes angrily. He might have wanted to leave, but that didn’t mean she had to let him. There was something he was hiding from her behind cowardly words, claiming that it was for her own safety. She thought she had made it clear to him that she could protect herself, even if he had saved her life.

A dark suspicion formed in her mind, swirling like the mists of a storm on the horizon. Could this have something to do with what she’d heard from the enemy general? If so, then it was even more imperative that she find him, for she had no idea what dark scheme might unfold.

Her face was set in a scowl and she was about to fling the door open when suddenly there was a knock.

“Beitris, are ye awake? There’s a special visitor,” Caroline said.

Beitris’s scowl deepened. What was her mother doing there? Beitris flung the door open to see Caroline, Nessa, and Tara. Her two aunts and her mother, altogether. For a moment Beitris blinked, stunned, for she hadn’t expected to see Tara.

Tara leaned forward and embraced Beitris in a firm hug.

“Och, it’s been too long, Beitris!” she said and then released Beitris.

Nessa looked more circumspect. “Ye look like ye are dressed for war,” she said, and then her gaze turned to the unkempt bedsheets and the lingering tension in the air, the smell that was unmistakably masculine. Beitris was too angry to keep the truth from them.

“Logan left on some fool’s errand. I need tae chase after him,” she said.

At the moment, she couldn’t pass through the wall her aunts formed. Worry lined Caroline’s face.

“Are ye sure that’s wise? Anything could happen. The Highlands are dangerous. I’ll hae Allan send a patrol out tae find him,” Caroline said, trying to think of a solution that did not endanger her daughter.

“There’s nae talking her out of this,” Nessa said quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Beitris said, more to Tara than her mother. “But I hae tae dae this. He’s more than a guard tae me, more than a man. Something… something hae happened between us.”

“Then ye must take time tae think and consider, Beitris. There is nae need tae make rash decisions,” Caroline said.

Nessa smirked. “Someone should hae told ye that when we were locked up in a room.”

“It was yer idea tae climb out the window,” Caroline said defensively, and they both turned to Tara.

Tara held up her hands. “It was sae long ago I dinnae remember! I just ken it was certainly nae my idea, but Beitris hae a point. We all followed our hearts. We cannae deny her the same opportunity, Caroline. I ken ye want tae protect her. We all want tae keep our bairns safe, but they hae tae live as well, just as we did.”

She reached out and placed a comforting arm on Caroline’s.

Nessa had some reassuring words as well. “She’ll be fine, Caroline. After all, she was trained by the best,” she winked.