Chapter Fifteen
“Who is the lass?” Galan asked as he and Cam faced off under a bright winter’s sky. “She’s been watching you from the lists for the better part of two weeks, Cam. Surely you know her by now.”
Cam abruptly stood up straight, turning to wave to Isadora. From her usual spot right at the edge of the arena, she waved back. With a grin, Cam returned to his defensive position, ready to withstand an attack from Galan.
Cam and Galan were now training partners, part of Milo’s troop, and Cam was happier than he had been in a very long time.
Of course he knew who Isadora was, but that wasn’t something he was willing to divulge to Galan just yet.
Isadora was part of his past, part of his future, and an integral part of the privacy he kept so fiercely guarded.
Even though Galan was his friend, he didn’t want to share Isadora with him, not yet.
He was here to learn to fight, not have a romance in public.
But in private…
“We’re here tae fight, not speak on women,” he said. “Women are a distraction.”
Galan grinned wolfishly. “And excellent ones at that.”
With that, he suddenly charged at Cam, but Cam was faster. Using a slick move to spin behind him, Cam had his sword at Galan’s throat in the blink of an eye.
“Ye’ll have tae be faster than that, Sassenach,” Cam muttered in Galan’s ear. “I can outrun ye.”
Galan rolled his eyes. “That is because outrunning an Englishman is in your blood,” he said. “All we do is chase you bloody bastards all over Scotland.”
Cam laughed, releasing Galan and shoving the man away from him. “I wonder how I will react if an English laird wants tae purchase my services. I will be quite torn.”
Galan squared up across from him again, preparing for another go-around. “A dilemma, indeed,” he said. “You cannot serve a man you are born to hate.”
The smile faded from Cam’s lips. “There are more men tae hate than the English,” he said. “There are plenty of Scots tae hate as well. There are times when I wish the English armies would march north and burn the Highlands tae cinder, erasing those wicked men from the earth. Sometimes I wish…”
He stopped, realizing he sounded a little mad.
“There are wicked men everywhere,” Galan said. “England, Scotland, Wales… I grew up on the Welsh Marches. Believe me when I tell you that the Scots do not have the market on wicked men.”
Because Galan had lowered his sword, Cam lowered his as well. “If ye grew up on the Marches, why did ye come tae Scotland tae learn tae fight?”
Galan wiped the sweat from his brow. “I am the third of three sons,” he said. “My eldest brother shall inherit the lands and titles upon my father’s death and my second brother has an inheritance from my mother. But me… I must earn my own way.”
Cam nodded in understanding. “I was wondering why ye were here.”
“Now you know.”
“Now I do.”
“And you? Why are you here?”
Cam’s defenses went up immediately, a natural response to anyone asking about his past or his motivation for coming to The Cal. But over the past two weeks, he and Galan had become good friends. He’d finally made a friend and had no regrets.
Now, out here in the middle of the arena, Galan had asked a question with no easy answer. But Cam trusted the man. Perhaps there would be no harm in telling him. Perhaps there was a part of him that needed to confide in his new friend.
“I came here because I want tae learn tae kill,” he said simply. “My grandfather was murdered. I want tae punish those responsible.”
It was clear that Galan hadn’t been expecting that answer. His expression turned serious and he closed the gap between them so their conversation couldn’t be overheard.
“Is that true?” he asked quietly. “God’s Bones, Cam… I did not mean to pry. I thought it was something much simpler.”
Cam smiled, a lopsided gesture. “Ye dinna pry,” he said. “If I dinna want tae tell ye, I wouldna have done it. But ye asked… and it is the truth.”
“Aye, but it was a question I should not have asked. I see that now.”
“I asked ye the same question. There was no harm in ye asking in return. But now ye know.”
Galan put a hand on Cam’s shoulder in sympathy. “Then I am sorry for you. No man should have to suffer through the death of his family. Murdered, you say? That makes me want to seek revenge on your behalf. You are a good man, Cam. You did not deserve what happened.”
That was something Cam needed to hear. Galan had proven himself to be good company, thoughtful, and humorous much of the time. Cam had never really needed a friend, or so he thought, but he was coming to feel a connection with Galan.
Milo suddenly appeared out of nowhere, coming up between them and pushing the pair apart.
“That is enough lovemaking, ladies,” he said in a way that made the men smile. “We are practicing disarming an enemy. Cam, you have been using a good maneuver on Galan. Let me see it again.”
Cam genuinely liked Milo. He insulted them, was demanding of them, but not belittling.
He was out to strengthen men, not beat them down.
Therefore, his men worked hard for him, Cam included.
He did as he was commanded, disarming Galan three more times before the tables were turned and Galan used the same maneuver on him.
When Milo finally called a break so the men could have a few moments of rest and share some water, Cam headed for the lists and for Isadora.
“Well?” he called out as he came near her. “Was I better today?”
Isadora smiled broadly. “Much better,” she said. “Ye’ve improved a great deal since I’ve been here.”
Cam was grinning, leaning against the chest-high wall that surrounded the arena floor. “Thanks tae ye,” he said softly, his gaze raking over her affectionately. “Ye’ve helped me more than ye know. Will I see ye again tonight?”
Her cheeks flushed at the question. Every night since her arrival, she’d come to Cam in the darkness and they’d spent the time talking, or kissing, or simply holding one another.
It had been a time of discovery and passion, and Cam’s feelings for Isadora had deepened by the hour.
He hadn’t made love to her yet, however, and not because he didn’t want to.
It was his time to come to know her better than he’d ever known anyone in his life and, to be truthful, he’d never made love to a woman, so it was new territory for him.
It was a big step and he didn’t want to ruin what they were building by acting on impulsive lust. The lovemaking would come when the time was right, for them both.
But he had to admit, it was growing increasingly difficult to resist.
He was deeply, madly, and helplessly in love with the woman, but that was also part of the problem. He was in deep with someone he suspected could quite possibly be part of the clan behind the burning of Netherton.
Oh, he’d known it from the start. He wasn’t na?ve about it. He’d told his grandfather once that he didn’t care what clan the woman was from so long as her heart was pure, but after the devastation on Netherton, that had changed.
He cared very much.
Perhaps he needed to know the truth before he became more deeply entrenched in something that was already consuming him.
Perhaps it was already too late.
“I’ll be there,” Isadora said quietly, cutting into his thoughts. “I think my brothers are becoming suspicious, though. I think Ewan tried tae follow me last night.”
Cam grunted. “Let him show up at my cottage. He’ll not like my reaction.”
Isadora grinned. “There was a time when Ewan could best ye.”
“When?”
“In the Vale of Demons. Do ye remember the first time we met? ’Twas Ewan who pushed ye tae the ground.”
“The first and last time the man bested me. I hope he enjoyed it.”
She started to laugh. “I think he did,” she said. “Ewan is not a bad warrior, though. He uses his brain, like ye do. He just dinna grow up tae be as strong as ye did.”
Cam eyed her. “I dunna remember him, tae be truthful,” he said. “And ye grew up quite a bit from that lass in the vale I once knew. I remember that ye were a dirty and skinny child.”
“I’ve grown, too.”
“And ye’ve learned tae bathe.”
She laughed again. “Ye noticed?”
“I did,” Cam said, a seductive look in his eye. “I’ve noticed everything about ye, Is. The smell of ye… the taste of ye…”
She was back to flushing violently. The man could make her heart race so when he spoke to her like that. “Shh,” she said, looking around. “Someone might hear ye.”
He took pity on her, a sly grin on his face. “As ye wish,” he said, leaning back against the half-wall casually. “There’s something ye said tae me that I’ve been meaning tae ask ye about. Ye told me that yer da is looking for a warrior tae lead his men.”
He was changing the subject and she went with it. “He is.”
“Ye asked me if I’d be interested.”
“Aye, but I asked ye after yer bout with The Beast. Mayhap it wasna the right time.”
“Probably not. But I’ve had time tae think on it.”
“Are ye interested?”
He eyed her. “Mayhap,” he said. “What has happened that ye need a highly trained warrior?”
Isadora leaned forward, resting against the arena wall just as he was. “We’ve had some… trouble,” she said. “Trouble enough that we need a skilled man tae lead our men and teach them better methods of fighting.”
Cam was silent for a moment before speaking.
“Ye’ve never told me of yer clan, Is,” he said.
“Do ye remember back in the days when we first met? Ye told me that there can be a good deal of hate in the Highlands. There are fierce loyalties and fierce hatreds. Ye were afraid that things would change if we knew too much about each other.”
She nodded faintly. “I know.”
“I think the time has come that we do, Is. Ye know I love ye, lass. Nothing can change that.”
She looked at him, an expression on her face that he’d never seen before. There was such sorrow there as well as fear. That told Cam everything he needed to know before she even said a word.
“And I love ye, also,” she said softly. “I know ye’re from Netherton and loyal tae Clan Lindsay.”