Page 70 of It’s in his Highland Kiss

Eiric glanced at Marion, who was talking animatedly with some of his men, the relief and the excitement of victory making them all giddy. As much as he worried about her, he had to accept one thing: she could take good care of herself, and as long as he was with her, he didn’t have to worry about her.

“I think she’ll be fine,” Eiric said. “Besides, me faither will be furious if he finds out what truly happened if I dinna bring Lynton’s head back to him, at least.”

“Weel, in that case, we’ve received word of his whereabouts,” Edan said, a small, sly smile on his lips. “And he isna too far from here.”

“How long?”

“Only a few days,” he said.

Having that knowledge, Eiric could never head back to Scotland without finding Lynton first, not so much for his father, but for himself. His search for revenge had never been a lie. He wanted to see Lynton dead and be certain that he could never hurt someone the way he had been hurt.

“We will rest tonight,” Eiric said. “And we’ll leave the morrow, early in the mornin’. Tell the men.”

With a nod, Edan left, but when Eiric turned around to find Marion, he saw that she was already there, standing behind him. She always seemed to have a way of eavesdropping when she shouldn’t.

“You’ll go after Lynton?” she asked.

“Aye,” Eiric said. “He’s close, and we’ll never have such a chance again.”

Eiric could see the worry in Marion’s eyes, but she said nothing. She simply nodded and gave him a strained smile, perhaps trying to be supportive.

“I understand why you must do it,” she said. “And I would never tell you to not go after him, because you know how much I would hate it if our roles were reversed. All I ask is that you’re careful.”

“I will be,” he promised her. “And I can tell ye, mo ghràdh, that I willnae tell ye what ye can and canna do from noo on.”

That seemed to intrigue Marion, who cocked an eyebrow at Eiric, perhaps not entirely believing him, he thought. He couldn’t blame her. He always had a tendency of being stubborn and hot-headed, always thought that he was right and that he knew better than anyone.

I’ll just have to accept that she kens what she’s doin’.

Eiric had a fitful sleep that night, his mind wandering to Captain Lynton. Despite his insistence that he wished to face the man, a part of him was scared of what he would encounter once they found him. The last time he had been near him, he had been at his mercy and had discovered that the captain had none. He didn’t want his revenge to end in the same way, with him being captured by Lynton.

In the morning, they began their travels, and continued to travel for three days straight, stopping only for rest and food. Eiric was eager to reach the captain’s camp, provided that he and his men were still there, simply because he wanted to put an end to it all and leave it all behind him.

He had spent too much time fighting, and he wanted to enjoy the first days of his marriage to Marion. He didn’t want to spend them covered in blood and sweat.

Just as his scouts had said, they found the camp close to a small village that the English surely used to ensure that they would have all the supplies they needed, and perhaps even some entertainment. The reason for their presence was a mystery to Eiric, but he supposed that it was a strategic spot, one that gave the English some perceived advantage, even though they were too far from any Scottish clan for that advantage to truly matter.

The English were careful, he knew, perhaps a little too careful, to the point where they used their resources for useless things.

Then again, they have men to spare. Commander Forbes made that clear.

Eiric had brought the evidence with him, after all, a dozen injured Englishmen that he didn’t have the heart to leave all alone in the middle of the woods, with no hope of getting home. At least if he left them at the village, he thought, they could return to their families, provided they survived their injuries.

“How do we proceed?” Edan asked as he walked up to Eiric, who was gazing at the camp that stood in the distance. “Same as before?”

“I suppose so,” Eiric said. “We have the element of surprise, and there isna that many of them there. Seemed to work just fine last time.”

“Verra weel,” Edan said. “At yer signal.”

Eiric glanced over his shoulder at the men who were guarding the English, along with Marion. They seemed to have all taken a liking to her, Scottish and English alike, and he laughed to himself as he watched them. For many of the Englishmen, she was the only thing that kept their spirits up.

Drawing his sword out of his sheath, Eiric signalled his men to attack, and so they did, all of them rushing to the camp with their own blades in the air. Just as Eiric had expected, the English were surprised to see them, and many of them didn’t have their weapons, just like Commander Forbes’ men.

Those Sassenachs . . . so predictable.

Once again, though, Eiric had one man in mind: Lynton. While his men were fighting the opposing soldiers, he found him in the middle of the crowd, splattered in blood, striking down anyone who dared come near him.

He saw three of his men dead at Captain Lynton’s feet, and a part of him shattered.