Chapter Nine
“I dunnae like this,” Angus said as he faced Robert, who had arrived at Angus’s bedchamber when he was done in the garden. “I dunnae care to rely on the wench. I dunnae trust her.”
“Careful,” Robert growled. “Ye’re one of my oldest and closest friends, but do nae disparage Elizabeth.”
“I hope yer loyalty is well placed,” Angus snapped. “I’ll nae be pleased to say I told ye so if it’s nae. In fact, I may nae be able to if I’m killed in an ambush!”
“She is helping us,” Robert said slowly, “nae leading ye to an ambush. She warned me of what her father and the king had planned, for Christ’s sake!”
A brittle silence descended in which Angus glared at Robert. Then his friend said, “Do ye nae see it could all be part of a larger plan?”
“Nay,” Robert ground out. “I do nae. I’d stake my life on it that she is nae working with her father and the king.”
“Nay,” Angus said in a hard voice. “Ye are staking my life on it.”
Angus’s words struck Robert like a blow. He was putting Angus at risk based on his belief in Elizabeth. He trusted her, yet was he willing to risk Angus and his men for such blind trust? He yanked a hand through his hair and began to pace the room. His mind turned as he thought. Finally, he stopped and faced Angus. “Get word to Gwendolyn to go to Fraser and ask him if he knows of any plan.”
Angus let out a relieved breath. “I’ll go now.”
Robert nodded as Angus departed the room. One guard would likely follow him, but the man would think nothing of Angus meeting a pretty lady-in-waiting. Robert took to pacing the room once more, feeling as if he could not sit still. He went through every moment he had spent with Elizabeth and everything they had said, and he came to the same conclusion: he still believed her. He also had no notion how he should proceed given what he was starting to feel for her. He moved to the window and stared out into the starry sky. He desired her, but it was not simply desire. He was drawn to her, intrigued by her, and awed by the strength and compassion she had shown. He wanted to unravel her secrets and know her in a way he had never longed to know another.
The intensity of what he felt was troublesome. What future was there for them if he pursued her? What could he offer her but a future filled with certain danger? He could live with the daily threats to his own life, but if he opened himself up completely to her, could he live with knowing her life was also threatened? Could he still do what he must knowing it would put them both in the direct path of imminent danger?
The door creaked behind him, and he swung around, tense. He hadn’t been expecting Angus so soon, yet Angus came through the door and shut it before moving well into the room. “Fraser was sent out this night, directly after supper, with a host of men. They were heading to Ettrick Forest in search of yer men. They dunnae ken the exact location, so there is still hope I will reach them first.”
Elizabeth had been telling the truth. He had known it, yet hearing it confirmed released the small knot of doubt Angus had created. Robert was ashamed he had questioned her character when she had given him no reason to. “I assume Gwendolyn told ye this?”
He felt no need to point out to Angus that he had been wrong about Elizabeth. Besides, the man still had a stubborn set to his face, and his arms were crossed over his chest. Angus was not ready to trust her. He would, in time, though. His friend was a fair man—just a careful one, which was one of the reasons he was so invaluable to Robert.
“Aye. She was coming to see me actually. Fraser had instructed her to get word to us about his departure, but she had been unable to get away from the queen long enough to do so. I told Gwendolyn I would be ready to depart in the morning and to tell Elizabeth to have her cousin prepare to depart with me. I also told her ye bid her and another she trusts to distract Elizabeth’s guards in the morning. She seemed a bit wary to do so but agreed.”
“Excellent,” Robert replied. “Directly after ye break yer fast should be the best time and nae draw suspicion.” His thoughts shifted now to the men he had left hiding in the forest.
“Aye. I instructed Gwendolyn to convey the same to Lady Elizabeth.”
Robert nodded. “Ye should get some rest. The ride will be long and hard from here to Ettrick.”
“Aye. I’ll see ye in the morning.”
Robert made his way out of Angus’s bedchamber and to his own to get rest, as well, yet he could not sleep. He lay in his bed thinking of his men. Fraser knew where Robert had left them, so hopefully the man would have success in directing the king’s men away from Robert’s. But there was only so much Fraser would be able to do, if anything, to slow the knights’ progress once they knew the location themselves. Robert prayed Angus would reach the men in time so they could prepare to battle the king’s knights, and he prayed he could shield Elizabeth from her father’s wrath when Lillianna’s disappearance was discovered. He thought the best hope was to make a very public showing of his desire for Elizabeth, which would not be difficult considering it was all too real.
The next morning, Robert and Angus managed to have their guards distracted by two chambermaids, who were only too happy to oblige, after each was given a bag of coins. Once Robert and Angus slipped out of the great hall, they quickly made their way to the garden where he had told Elizabeth he would meet her and her cousin. They were both there, facing Angus and Robert as they approached. Elizabeth stared eagerly at him, and the concern on her face touched him. Once they were near, they all moved into the cover of the thick trees, and he noted Elizabeth was clutching a sack in her hand.
Her cousin, whom he had met years before at court, looked frail, and he worried that she couldn’t make the trip. Elizabeth motioned to Lillianna. “Robert, I believe you and my cousin have met. Er, Angus,” she said, looking at him with such hesitancy that Robert understood instantly that the Scot’s distrust was apparent to her. “This is Lillianna, who I put in your care.”
Robert glanced to his friend and blinked with surprise. Angus, who stared at Lillianna, had a momentarily gentle look on his face that Robert had never seen but a scowl soon replaced it. “Pleased to meet ye,” the Scot said, his voice gruff and not making him sound pleased at all. “Yer mother was a MacLeod, I’m told?”
Lillianna nodded, her long brown hair falling like a veil across the right side of her face. She reached up and tucked it behind her ear, and Robert saw the dark bruise on her cheek. He curled his hands into fists and opened his mouth to ask her which guard had struck her, but Angus spoke first. “Who struck ye, lass?”
Her large green eyes met Angus’s. “Stephen. He wished to use me, and I did not wish to oblige,” she said in a sarcastic tone that showed her body may have been battered but her spirit was still strong.
“I’ll repay his treatment,” Angus assured her, surprising Robert.
“Nay,” Robert said. “Ye can nae risk returning to the castle.” He looked to Lillianna. “Do nae fear, lass. I’ll see that Stephen is punished for striking ye, and er—” He fumbled for the right words.
Lillianna laughed then, part-bitter, part-smug. “Think you he ravaged me? No! He could not even stand after I struck his manhood with the hilt of his dagger, the fool!”
“Verra clever,” Angus said, sounding wary and impressed at the same time.
She smiled shyly. She was quite lovely, though not nearly as beautiful as Elizabeth.
“How did you slip away from your guards?” Elizabeth asked both Scots.
Angus and Robert exchanged a long look. “Coin,” they said in unison.
“Much coin,” Robert emphasized. “And yer guards? Did Gwendolyn do as instructed?”
Elizabeth nodded. “She did.” She opened the sack in her hands and withdrew a priest’s frock, which she held toward Angus. “Put these on. I already sent my lady’s maid to the stables to have them ready my horse and Lillianna’s, as well as one for Father Dorian, so hopefully when we get to the stables, they will not ask questions of you. We’ll ride into the forest together, and I will wait several hours before returning to give you two as lengthy a lead as possible.”
“Nay,” Robert said flatly. “I’ll nae have ye in that forest alone. All sorts of men lurk in there, nae just ones who are loyal to the king. Nae just ones who give a damn that ye are Elizabeth de Burgh. Desperate men lurk in the forest. Hungry men. Men trying to flee debtors or crimes. They would nae hesitate to use ye and ravish ye.”
“You cannot go with me,” she said in an unbending tone. Robert scowled. Elizabeth was a wee but bold lass. “You must be free of suspicion when it’s realized that Angus and Lillianna are gone.”
“And what of ye?” Robert demanded.
She glared at him. “My father would not kill me, nor would the king. I am too valuable as a tool to be used—if not with you, then with another. You, on the other hand, the king might very well lock in your room and call a trial if he thinks he can prove you are breaking the temporary truce.”
“The king is breaking the truce,” Robert growled.
“You are in his castle. Under his authority. Don’t be a fool, Robert.”
He found her stubbornness and lack of fear of him both irritating and amusing at the same time. He fought the amusement as best he could. “Ye are the first woman to ever call me a fool.”
She offered a sweet smile. “I did not call you a fool. I said don’t be a fool.”
“I kinnae believe I am saying this,” Angus said, “but I’m in agreement with the lass.”
“As am I,” Lillianna said. “Though, Elizabeth, I fear greatly for you. Uncle will surely suspect you.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Yes, he will, but I will bear it.”
Robert felt such pride at that moment it shocked him. “I will protect Elizabeth, Lillianna, have no fear.”
“Protect yourself,” Elizabeth chided. “You are the hope of Scotland.”
“Nay, lass,” he said, his heart thudding hard suddenly. “All of us standing here, all of us who fight for bonny Scotland, are the hope. It is nae just me, one man.”
“Well, the cause would be all but lost without ye, Robert, so ye should make haste back to the keep and seek the company of the king or of de Burgh, so they will recall ye were with them when they realize later that I am gone,” Angus said.
What they said was true, he knew it was, but the idea of Elizabeth alone in the woods for any length of time made his blood cold. “Be damned the risk to myself.”
Elizabeth stepped toward him and pressed her hand against his heart. “You must think as a king would now, for one day you may well be one. You must put the good of the many before the good of one. I will be fine.”
Lillianna cleared her throat. “Angus and I will just wait by the tree to give you two a moment to say goodbye.”
Angus frowned. “I did nae agree to that?”
“No one asked for your agreement!” Lillianna said in a stern tone and then gripped Angus by the arm. “Come along and don’t be a clot-heid.”
Angus, who never held his tongue, nor rarely abided anyone telling him what to do, opened his mouth, then clamped it shut. He jerked his head in a show of reluctant submission and allowed Lillianna to lead him away.
Robert focused on Elizabeth once more when Angus and Lillianna had moved out to the tree in the distance. There was nothing she could say that would convince him to allow her to linger alone in the woods, and he was about to tell her that when she spoke. “You must see reason.”
“I see only the possibility of ye being ravaged. If I am ever king, I would still nae sit by and allow a woman to put herself in danger so that I would nae face it.” Elizabeth’s frustrated gaze flickered past him to where Angus was standing. “Ye will nae convince me to allow this, Elizabeth, nor can Angus.”
“Yes,” she said, her voice solemn. “I see that now. Very well. Wait at the north edge of the woods, closest to the keep by the statue of the king, and we will meet you there. You can ride my horse with me to take Angus and Lillianna into the woods. You certainly cannot attend us as we get the horses. That would most definitely be call for suspicion later.” Her gaze flickered past him once more, and Robert turned to see that Angus was changing with Lillianna’s aid. It took only moments before he was dressed and Elizabeth motioned them over.
Robert grabbed her by the wrist as she made to turn from him and depart for the stables. “Vow to me ye will do as ye say,” he demanded. He cut his gaze to Angus. “Ye, as well, Angus,” Robert said in a louder voice. “Vow it to me. I will nae forgive ye if ye willingly put Elizabeth in danger.”
“I vow it,” Elizabeth said. “I will return to you.”
He nodded, as satisfied as he could be. He did not think she would go against her word. “Angus,” Robert growled. “I’ll have yer word now.”
“I vow to ye that I will return to ye,” Angus said with a wink. “I did nae ken ye cared so much for me, Robbie.”
“I care so much that if ye are lying to me, Angus, yer face will meet my fists when next we meet.”
“Promises, promises,” the Scot replied as he turned. Robert noted how Angus set his hand to the small of Lillianna’s back as a man would do with a woman of whom he felt protective.
Once Robert was out of sight, Elizabeth paused and turned to Angus, who stood on the other side of Lillianna. “You should know, I have no intention of meeting Robert in the woods.”
The Scot grinned at her. “I was hoping ye would say that, and that I’d nae have to fight ye on it.”
Elizabeth exhaled with relief. She knew Angus did not trust her, but he would also do everything he could to protect Robert. “Did you suspect I was lying to Robert?” she asked, worried that if he sensed it, Robert might.
“Aye,” he replied to her dismay. “The choice of yer words struck me as odd.”
She frowned. “If you suspected me of lying, then mayhap Robert does and will come searching for us.”
“I did not suspect it,” Lillianna chimed in.
Elizabeth gave her cousin a gentle smile. Honestly, Lillianna barely looked strong enough to be standing so it did not surprise Elizabeth that she had not suspected anything was amiss. Angus waved a hand at Elizabeth. “Dunnae fash yerself about Robbie. He is a fool when it comes to ye.”
“Should I take that as a compliment?” Elizabeth asked dryly.
Angus’s eyebrows arched high. “Nay,” he said, his tone matching hers in dryness.
She started walking again, knowing there was no convincing him in this moment to trust her, so instead she asked, “Why do you call him Robbie?”
“His grandfather called him Robbie, and so mine did, and that was how I was first introduced to him. He’s like a brother to me.” Angus gave her a long look. “We trained together to be warriors, and he saved me from death in the first battle I ever fought in at twelve summers.” A half smile curled Angus’s lips. “How do I look?”
Elizabeth frowned. “Not at all like any priest I have seen.”
“You are entirely too lean and too handsome,” Lillianna blurted.
Angus gave Lillianna a suspicious look that make Elizabeth wonder what had occurred in his past to make him so distrustful. “Did ye just compliment me?”
“Not purposely,” Lillianna said hotly, making Elizabeth smile to see some of her cousin’s fight returning. Lillianna would be fine, and Angus, though obviously reluctant to travel with her, would see her to the safety of the MacLeod clan as soon as possible because he was loyal to Robert and had vowed it.
“Listen, lass,” he said, looking to Elizabeth. His tone was intense. “Robbie was right about those woods. Ye do need to take a care. Have ye a weapon?”
She shook her head.
“Well, ye need one,” he said, leaning down and withdrawing a dagger from a holder at his calf. “Take this.” He held it out to her, hilt first. “I dunnae suppose ye ken anything about using a dagger?”
“Oh, I do,” she assured him. “My brother Walter taught me how. He even gave my own blade, but my father took it away when he—” She stopped herself. Angus would not care to hear about her problems.
“When he what?” Angus asked, surprising her.
“Well, I was stripped of the many freedoms I was fortunate to enjoy, and the dagger was one of them. Ladies do not carry daggers.”
“They should if they have any sense,” Angus retorted. “Why did yer father do such a thing?”
“For my part with the incident at Moray Castle.”
“Oh, aye. I heard about that. I suppose there must be good in ye.”
“Are you softening?” she teased.
He scowled. “Nay.”
“Of course not,” she said with a chuckle as the three of them continued toward the stables.
The horses were ready and waiting for them, and the stable hands did not even question Angus’s presence, so they were on their way to the forest in no time. Elizabeth led Angus and Lillianna to a path far from where Robert waited for them, and as she did, guilt niggled at her. “I hope he does not wait long,” she said more to herself than Angus.
“I hope he dunnae come after ye when he realizes we are nae meeting him,” Angus said, with a frown.
Fresh worry filled her. “I had not even thought of that.”
“I did. I ken well just how stubborn Robbie is, but I hope he’ll see the best thing to do is to head back to the keep as we suggested.”
They rode in companionable silence into the thick woods, but they had not gone far when Angus pulled his horse to a halt and motioned for her and Lillianna to do the same. “This is as far as ye need to venture,” he told Elizabeth. “The closer ye stay to the castle the less likely ye are to encounter any trouble from men wandering in the forest. Keep yer weapon drawn and yer horse near. When the sun starts to leave the sky, head back. Ye dunnae need to be here when it’s dark. Understand?”
“I do, believe me, I have no intentions of lingering. Take care of yourself and my cousin,” she said to Angus as he turned his horse to depart. He moved a few paces away, and she moved her horse near Lillianna, and they reached out and hugged each other fiercely.
“I will see you again,” Elizabeth said, tears filling her eyes.
Lillianna swiped at her own tears. “I pray it’s so, Elizabeth. I am forever in your debt for risking yourself for me in this way.”
“You would do the same for me,” Elizabeth said, her chest squeezing with sadness.
Lillianna nodded as Angus said, “We need to depart, now.” His gruff tone did not worry Elizabeth because kindness was in his eyes. Her cousin moved to Angus’s side, and he locked gazes with Elizabeth. “If ye betray Robbie, I will come for ye.” The threat was real, but the tone was tempered, and she took heart that maybe she had won the tiniest bit of his trust.
“I’d expect no less,” she assured him. “And if you fail to keep Lillianna safe, I will come for you.”
His eyes widened but then he smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Take care of Robbie. Scotland needs him.”
As she watched them ride away, her throat ached painfully. She had neither known for a great length of time nor been around Robert very long since his return, but she felt part of something much bigger than herself around them, and it was something good and true.
She dismounted her horse and set her dagger down only long enough to secure her destrier to a tree. Then her weapon was in hand and at the ready to strike, and she made her way to the nearby little stream that ran near the south side of the woods. The day was growing warm, and her gown and undergarments were making her all the warmer. She removed her slippers, waded in the stream for a bit, and then made her way back to the edge. Once she found a patch of thick green grass, she sat, put her slippers back on, and kicked her legs out in front of her. She turned her face up to the sliver of sun that had managed to seep between the cracks of the thick tree branches. Closing her eyes, she allowed her mind to drift to Robert, and she went through each moment they had spent together so far, each touch they had shared, and each kiss.
What if their future was one where they were destined to be husband and wife? Incredibly, she could imagine it, and that frightened her given the little time they had spent together. Oddly, she felt she knew him completely, and when he was near, she felt protected. Yet, how would a future look for them? Would there be a shadow of doubt constantly between them? Would he fear that she was reporting back to the king and her father? Would she have any peace from either man?
She ran the palm of her hand over the prickly blades of grass before sinking it deep into the cool lushness. Blooming lilacs fragranced the air, and the birds were in full force in the forest and chirping a lovely song. A sense of freedom filled her yet she knew it to be false. When she returned to the keep, her father and the king would be there with watchful eyes to observe her every interaction with Robert.
All of these thoughts swirled noisily in her head as she sat there, and when a stick cracked behind her—so very near that a piece of bark hit her hand—she knew her distraction might well prove her downfall. With the dagger in her hand, she went to scramble to her feet, but she was jerked up and around to face two men.
“Looks like we’ve found ourselves a prize,” said the taller of the two men.
When he released her arm in an attempt to cup her face, she swung her dagger toward his forearm. The blade tore through his shirt, met skin, and caused him to bellow in rage. His dark eyes bulged, and he bared yellowed teeth while gripping her arm that held the dagger and squeezing so hard pain shot from the point where he gripped down to her fingers, which went numb. She cried out as the dagger dropped near her feet, and her voice seemed to echo around her.
The birds went flying from the trees, and the shorter man stepped beside her, kicked her dagger toward a bush, and took hold of a handful of her hair. “Ye look like a lady, but what sort of a lady carries a dagger and kens how to use it?”
“A wise one,” she panted, trying and failing to place the man’s accent. He was Scottish, but from where, she could not be certain. The other man had sounded English.
The shorter man tugged her hair back so sharply that her scalp stung, and his face came so close to hers that she could see his eyes were the green of a grass snake, and though his teeth were not rotted, when he said, “I recognize ye,” his hot foul breath made her want to lose her accounts. “Gilfred,” the shorter man crowed, glancing momentarily at his friend who still gripped her arm. “This is de Burgh’s daughter.”
“You don’t say,” the taller man replied with a nefarious smile. “Well, my pretty,” he continued, as he released her arm and ran a hand over her cheek before sliding it to her neck and curling his fingers around her throat. “Your father sent us on a most dangerous assignment and then refused to pay us. We were on our way home, empty-handed,” he growled. “But now, now I think we can collect our debt, Damien.”
A chill swept through her. She scanned the forest, trying to think what to do. Had Angus had enough time to get away if she screamed and drew attention? She thought he had, but she could not be sure. Still, she could not stand here and fall victim to these men. Taking a deep breath, she said, “What have you in mind to get your coin?”
“First, a little entertainment with ye, love, before we tell yer father we have ye. What say ye to that?” demanded Damien.
She forced a smile to her face and prayed her lips did not tremble. “I’d say I will be much more entertaining if you release your hold on me. You are hurting me, and I have no intention of running.”
“Ye don’t?” Damien asked, frowning.
“No, I don’t. I’ve been looking for a way to get out of a marriage of convenience, and this is perfect. My father cannot force de Beauchamp to wed me if I am soiled.”
The men grinned at each other, which made Elizabeth’s skin crawl. Then Damien said, “I like the way yer mind works.” He released her and motioned for his companion to do the same.
Gilfred was apparently not as trusting, for he hesitated. “You will not be able to outrun us,” he threatened.
“Of course not,” she said sweetly. She had already come to that conclusion. What she needed to do was get hold of her dagger.
The man released her, and her pulse raced ahead. She tugged at the ties that bound the front of her bodice until they loosened and she was sure she had the attention of both men. Disgust turned within her, but she said, “What is it that would please you both?”
“Take off yer gown,” Damien said.
She nodded, stepped backward toward the bush where she could see her dagger glinting on the ground, and kicked off one slipper. Then she took another step to kick off the other. When her toe touched her dagger, her heart jolted, and she swooped down to grasp the weapon.