Chapter 8 #3
“Then …” he repeated, looking at Jillian. The woman was worried and afraid. But then, someone needed to be. “Why then,” he said lightly, “perhaps, I would beat her black-and-blue and throw her into the sea. Excuse me, I will let you know when you may be with your lady again.”
He left Jillian and hurried along the corridor.
He was tired, and he wished he hadn’t left Mellyora MacAdin in his chambers.
He’d had no sleep the previous night, but he wasn’t going to sleep with her near now.
He was far too fond of living. He’d speak with her and give Angus a respite now, then sleep in Angus’s room while Angus remained on guard.
When he woke, he would determine what to do until the wedding.
She would be safe enough with Angus watching her—there was no way out of the bolted room from within.
The windows in the knights’ quarters were arrow slits, nothing more.
Not even the slender Viking’s daughter could escape through them.
The only way out was through the bolted door, and Angus would die and destroy half an army before that would happen.
He wondered how far the king’s decision had traveled. Did Eleanora know that he was to be wed to the Lady of Blue Isle?
He was sore and tired. He missed her touch. He wished that she could be with him then, stroking his brow, setting his flesh on fire …
Laird Lion did not return to his chambers.
Mellyora spent hours, pacing endlessly, jumping every few minutes, certain that he had returned. At one point, she tried to exit the room. The bolt was firmly in place. She swore, pacing again. The door opened, and the huge bald man smiled at her. “My lady, is there something you need?”
“Could I possibly return to my own chambers?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“I’m filthy, hungry …”
“We’ll see to your needs.”
“But—”
The door closed. She paced before the fire again.
Soon after, she heard a tapping; the door opened.
Angus was back, stepping into the room ahead of a small group of kitchen lads who brought with them a tray of food, a handsome hip tub, soap, towels, and endless pails of water.
They came and went quickly, leaving the tray on a trunk, and the tub before the fire, steaming with hot water.
“Have I forgotten anything?” Angus asked politely.
“No, you’re quite thorough, but I can’t possibly make myself so completely at home in my Laird Waryk’s chambers,” she said.
“Ah, well, my lady, you shouldn’t hesitate to make all that is Laird Lion’s your own.”
“I have no clean clothing.”
Angus hesitated just a moment, then stepped into the room and opened a trunk at the foot of the bed. He drew a long white gown with delicate needlework from the trunk, offering it to her.
“Will this suffice?”
She hesitated, then said softly, “It’s not mine.”
“It is yours now, my lady.”
She stared at him, amazed to realize that she was blushing because they both knew that Angus was offering her a garment that had been purchased for another woman.
“It’s been worn by no one else,” Angus said kindly. “I realize your discomfort, but you’re not free to leave these chambers. Waryk remains with the king, lady. The day is wearing on, you do have a smudge of mud on your nose.”
She lowered her eyes. “Well, then, thank you, Angus, for your kindness.”
“To serve you, my lady, is my pleasure,” he told her, and exited the room.
Once again, she heard the bolt slide into place. She moved uneasily about the room, looked into the flagon, and found it filled with a dark-brewed ale. She sipped it, found it rich and good, and looked at the tub longingly. He could return at any moment.
Then again, she’d already been down to bare skin in his presence.
Before she had known who he was.
Still, she was tired, anxious, and encrusted in mud.
She would remain tired, anxious—even desperate—but she could do something about the mud.
She began disrobing while she picked at the contents of the tray—smoked fish, bread, a sweet sheep’s cheese.
She drained a long swallow of the ale, and by then, had stripped down to crawl into the tub.
The water was so hot it hurt at first, but then felt delicious.
She soaked her hair, scrubbed away mud and river silt, and lay back, still encompassed by the steam. She opened her eyes and looked around.