Knight Protector (Knight Chronicles) (6 page)

At that moment the door opened. The youth who entered resembled Alex in coloring and build, though the younger man had yet to fill out his frame. “Your horse is saddled and tethered beside the other mount outside, my lord.”

“Are you Sir Alex’s brother?” Sorcha asked.

“Cousin, miss.” His thick lashed eyes of a silvery hue—eyes which even at his young age captivated many a woman—flashed interest at Sorcha.

Colin settled his arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer. She didna resist. “Lady Sorcha, meet Davey Daracheas.”

“Oh no, my lady.” Davey dropped to one knee, placed a hand over his heart and bowed his head. “Please forgive my insolent ignorance of your nobility.”

Sorcha put a hand to her mouth. Colin could tell she restrained laughter. “You could nae know; please rise. I’ve taken nae offense.”

Tilting his head and looking at her from under those lashes, Davey smiled. “If you are certain, my lady.”

“As certain as the rain falls from the sky.”

“Then what can a poor squire do but obey.”

He rose in a fluid motion, bowed, and joined his fellows on the other side of the room.

“Friends, in addition to the orders I’ve already given you, you are to make Lady Marr’s safety a top concern. Is that understood?”

“Aye, your lordship,” came the reply in unison.

“Sorcha, let us be on our way.”

Keeping to the stony ground where snow lay in scattered patches, he set his mind to making as few tracks as possible to the far side of the loch.

He knew the path in his sleep, so despite his best intentions his mind drifted to the problem of Sorcha MacKai. Nae, Sorcha Marr now. His brother’s widow. Nae the young woman he once knew and imagined he loved. This Sorcha was less trustworthy, for she conspired with him out of desire to rid herself of him and nothing else. Which was fine. He’d have naught to do with her if he dinna need her. She was his only link to the badge and his best explanation for being in the stronghold. She was essential to his success and the safety of Scotland. Protecting her was protecting Scotland.

He forced his attention back to their path, praying their errand would be successful and he’d soon have the bait he needed to catch the traitors.

Sorcha led him single file along the loch in the windless quiet. A bit more than halfway ’round, at a point marked by a large rock, she veered off into the thick forest. The snow was as thin beneath the trees as it had been on the rocky lakeshore. With the ground relatively clear of undergrowth, the greatest challenge was avoiding low hanging tree limbs in the dim night. Threading her way between the branches, she led Colin up the slope and deeper into the wood until a stand of pines broke the line of oaks that surrounded Loch Naver.

She paused at the edge of the piney copse, looking for one of several needleless pines. The one with a branch extending to the left then, making a nearly ninety degree upward bend. Without the other bare branches around it, the tree looked like a guard raising a hand to halt intruders. That bent branch would guide her within the copse and eventually to the tree that had a hole in its trunk approximately an arm’s length above her head.

Colin rode up and stopped beside her.

She could feel his heat through the cold night, and she shivered. “Is there a problem?” he asked.

“I only came here once, and that was at dusk. Everything looks different and strange in the dark.”

He shook his head. “I should have brought a torch with us.”

Though touching him was the last thing she wanted to do, she placed a hand on his arm and drew his attention.

“Nae, even surrounded by forest and this far from the stronghold, a flame might be seen on such a night when there is no other light.”

“You’ve a point. What can I do to help you find where you hid the badge?”

She tilted her head at his agreeable offer. What happened to the man who sneered at or belittled her every suggestion earlier? Or was the change simply because she wasna objecting to his plan?

“The first time I came here, Brice had given me directions. I was to enter the wood when I reached that large rock by the shore.”

“We did that, right enough.”

Colin’s reassurance warmed her briefly and gave her confidence. “Then I was to ride straight until I reached the pines and found a dead tree that looked somewhat like a sentinel with a bent arm.” She held her hand aloft, her elbow bent to be certain he understood.

“I’d nae call that stretch from the rock straight.” His lips lifted. “We wove between the trees in a rather crooked line to avoid having the branches knock us from our mounts every moment or so.”

She frowned. “Aye, and since I could no see the way well enough, I may have put us off course.”

“We could ride the border between the pines and oaks.”

She wished that were all that was needed but knew better. Her hope of succeeding lay on her mind as chill and dark as the night. “If we did and failed to find a place I recognize better, I might not be able to find this spot when we return. Besides, riding in search of a tree I may or may not recall correctly will take time we dinna have. No, if you insist we continue, I think proceeding from here is our best chance.”

She was nae certain at all, but what else could she do? ’Twas too late for regrets; she was here now. She’d been a fool to yield to Colin’s pressure to do this tonight.

“Well enough. How do we locate the right tree?”

“Once I reached the sentinel tree, Brice’s instructions were to advance past five trees on my left then turn right and proceed beyond four trees on my right. Then left again past two trees and right past one. The hiding place is a hollow within the next tree on the right. I’ll know if it is the correct hollow. I had to find a rock to stand on in order to reach high enough to drop the badge within the hole, and I left the rock behind.”

“Then lead the way, and I will keep count of trees with you.”

The night was too still, but then nae creature with an ant’s wisdom would venture out in this cold.

They set off again and at every turn confirmed with each other that the number of trees passed was correct and which turn should be made next. Finally they arrived at a huge pine with its branches starting well over a tall man’s height.

Sorcha circled the big pine on foot while Colin tethered the horses. She’d made a complete circuit when she re-joined him.

“I canna find the rock I left should I need to come back, nor can I see any opening at the height I recall from when I hid the badge.”

“Then most likely we dinna have the right tree.”

“Or my memory has failed, and I misremembered the directions or some other detail, or I veered too far from the correct path while dodging branches on our way up the slope.” Her whisper shrilled. She hated the indecision forced on her by circumstance.

“Or” —he placed a hand on her shoulder—“’tis simply too dark to see well enough to find the hollow, since it is over your head.”

Her tension eased a mite.

“You could look for it,” she suggested.

“Aye, I could, but would I recognize it if I saw it?” He cast a glance skyward. “We are almost out of time, the sky is lightening the tiniest bit, and I see fewer stars.”

“’Twould be difficult to see any stars with all these trees blocking the sky, but I will take your word about dawn’s approach. What shall we do?”

She searched his face and saw a frustration to equal her own.

“Naught can be done tonight. We must return another time.”

“So this entire risky adventure has been in vain?” she exclaimed quietly.

“Aye. I should have listened to you.”

Astonished, her head jerked backward. Few men she knew, including her brother, would admit to being wrong, and even fewer would concede that a woman should be listened to. What kind of man was Colin Marr now who could admit to being both wrong and a spy? Who claimed he had no feelings for her yet taunted her when she denied him her bed? Well, the last she actually understood. Men in general didna need to have feelings for the women they bedded.

“Sorcha?”

Recalled to her surroundings, she shook her head. “What is it?”

“We should be going.”

She nodded and moved with him to the horses. “Help me mount.”

“Aye.”

Pine boughs rustled nearby as she placed her hands on his shoulders. He clasped her waist and lifted, but instead of placing her onto her mount, he dropped to the ground and rolled with her to the bottom of the tree where the steeds were tethered.

“Wha . . .?”

His hand covered her mouth.

“Ssh,” he breathed into her ear. “Something or someone is out there.”

Fear needled her skin. Her teeth longed to chatter, but she kept them tightly clenched and silent. A squirrel or night bird was as capable of rustling sounds. How could he know a person caused the noise? And if he was right, how could he be so calm?

The rustling came again and again. Stopping and starting at regular intervals. Colin was right. She wished he had been wrong and huddled within her cloak beneath his heavy body.

She peered into the dimness beyond Colin’s shoulder and saw a deeper darkness pass between her and the trees.

’Twas too big an object to be a wolf or boar. It might be a bear, albeit an oddly shaped one. But wild bears had not been seen in the highlands in many generations. Besides, any animal this close would have scented them regardless of the lack of wind and attacked or fled. The only other possibility was the one she’d already acknowledged—a human being. Man or woman, no details were visible enough to show which. She held her breath. Whoever the stranger might be, a slight shift in direction would have him or her stumbling atop the spot where she and Colin lay. Thank Mary Queen of Heaven for keeping their horses quiet.

Time seemed to crawl, but eventually the person moved off and out of the copse. However, Colin still pressed Sorcha into the ground. Uncomfortable, she wriggled beneath him. His heavy, muscled body molded to hers. His spice, leather, and musk scent wrapped around her as surely as his sheltering arms. Arms that imprisoned as much as shielded. What if the stranger returned and caught them? She couldna move and would have nae chance to escape. Colin would be forced to fight. If he were killed, she would likely be murdered as well for she’d nae thought to bring a weapon for defense. What was it like to feel a sword pierce your belly, a blade slit your throat? Her heart raced, and fear made her cling to Colin’s solid form.

“Ah
muirnean
, dinna fear. The danger is gone,” he breathed in her ear. Then his lips were on hers urging her to open for him.

For an instant she surged into the kiss then she boxed his ears.

Holding his injured ear, he rolled aside. “What did you do that for?”

She stood. “I told you I’d nae be your leman,” she hissed. “Yet you take advantage at the first opportunity. Keep your lecherous hands to yourself.”
I’ll nae yield to you nae matter how frightened I might be
.

She strode to her horse, waiting with false bravado for him to lift her into the saddle. “Will you get up, you lunatic? If we dinna hurry, we’ll be too late to slip into the stronghold unseen.”

“Aye,
muirnean
.” His voice held a sheepish note.

He came up beside her and lifted her into the saddle then mounted and paced beside her whenever their path allowed.

They rode in silence. She was certain only a human would make the regular noises that caused Colin to shelter her body with his. Who was the stranger, and what was he or she doing in the piney copse at the same dark hour as she and Colin? Jumping to the conclusion that the stranger’s purpose was the same as theirs was compelling and troublesome, for it almost confirmed Colin’s claim of spies. Which brought her thoughts back to Colin.

’Twas a subject she’d much rather avoid. She had to come to terms with his ability to incite passion in her, for she didna want to want him. Ten years ago, events had made purging him from her life easy. Now, if she wanted any inner calm, she must do the deed herself. That task was made more difficult by the circumstances, which would keep him in her life for the foreseeable future. For her own sanity, she must be certain he was gone from her heart.

• • •

With dawn a gray hint on the horizon, they left the loch headed for the woodcutter’s cottage. Had he made nae just one mistake but several?

What had possessed him to try to kiss her, especially in such a dangerous situation? When that unexpected stranger appeared, Colin’s only thought was to protect her. Her safety was his responsibility. His impatience to find the badge and lure out a traitor could have gotten both of them killed. Perhaps relief had hit so hard when they’d gone undiscovered, he’d kissed her for the sheer joy of being alive. ’Twas a blessing, he supposed, that she’d boxed his ears, for it had brought him to his senses. It had also made him realize that ignoring Sorcha’s objections about this adventure had been a serious error of judgment. She was an intelligent woman, and he was learning the hard way what that meant.

Sorcha reined to a halt in front of the hut and cast a glance at the lightening sky. “I will leave you here. I’ll be safe enough returning to the stronghold alone, especially if I dinna dawdle.”

“Aye.” Still troubled by his thoughts, Colin dismounted. “If I am nae there before you, wait for me in our chamber.” He turned to enter the cottage.

“Colin.”

“What?”

“Be careful.”

He grinned. “Are you saying you’re worried about me?”

She flashed him an impatient glare. “I’m saying you’re an idiot. ’Tis that which worries me, for even if I go undiscovered, what do I say when my husband, so recently close to death, is found in complete good health, wandering outside the stronghold?”

“I will claim God and your love produced a miracle.”

“Pah.” She rolled her eyes. “And none would believe you.”

“They might if they saw you as I did beneath that tree tonight.”

She opened her mouth then closed it and, turning her back, rode on without him.

Colin set his teeth. The male animal within him wanted to howl his frustrated lust to the sky. The intelligent man knew better. Sorcha may have resisted tonight, but he knew her. She was a passionate woman and restraining herself must be difficult. St. Andrew’s Cross, ’twas hard enough for him. How long could they continue working and living together before desire broke free and consumed them both? Whenever that happened, as it surely would, could they live with the consequences?