ye,” he said belatedly, and then peered back at the door to see that Cat was peeking out through a crack, her eyes full of trepidation.
Anyway, it was a damned peculiar thing to say with the trouble that was brewing.
As though only now noticing, Leith asked him, “Why the hell are you blue?”
“ Because his bride is a gaddamn savage!” David offered sourly, his words enraging Gavin.
Gavin leapt toward David, but Montgomerie maneuvered his horse between them, stopping him short.
“ Enough of this banter!” David declared impatiently, and then shouted at the house. “Show yourself girl!”
Gavin moved back toward the door instinctively, ready to fight for the woman he loved.
Catrìona had known she could not hide forever.
The time had come to reveal herself.
She spied the men with King David—the ones who had stripped her and bound her, knowing that, if given the chance, they would do Gavin harm and she would not see him suffer for her sake.
Och, he had called her his bride.
She wanted to smile, but her throat thickened. She wished with all her heart that it were true.
A little timidly, she ventured out of the house, moving toward Gavin, clinging to his back. He moved to shield her from the men’s view, but she could still see beneath his arm pit.
Several of the men—all strangers to her—simply peered at one another curiously. One by one they all shared some silent message, their body language revealing something she knew instinctively.
Their wordless gestures bespoke a loyalty as old as time.
“ Is it true?” one man asked. “Do you love her, brother?”
Gavin straightened his back, his arm snaking behind him to reach for her. “I do,” he said without hesitation.
The man who had spoken conferred with another—a man who looked very much like Gavin, with his blond hair and wide-shouldered stance, save that his eyes were blue. The eldest of the two had called him brother.
Catrìona swallowed convulsively, knowing that these were the moments that would determine her fate.
Another man—the one who had complimented her roof—looked directly down at Cat, “Do you love him?” he demanded.
Catrìona nodded jerkily. Her legs trembled beneath her. Never had she been surrounded by so many strangers but she would not disgrace her brother or her kinfolk by cowering now before them. She squared her shoulders, realizing Gavin had not seen her gesture, and answered loudly for all to hear. “Aye, this man holds my heart!”
King David had yet to speak—not a word from the moment she had shown herself.
All at once, the crowd shifted, moving away from David. Horses surrounded her, entrapping her.
All she heard now were disembodied voices.
The deepest of them all—the one who had called Gavin a preacher—now asked David, “Is this the girl you seek, David? Surely you have mistaken her?” he suggested with an undertone to his voice that held a certain menace. “After spending so much time in the English court, perhaps we savages all look alike?”
David said nothing.
And then Catrìona heard a voice that stopped her heart.
With twenty horsemen at his back, Aidan rode boldly into their midst. He had watched until Catrìona appeared outside the door of the little hovel. He could never mistake his sister’s brilliant mane of hair. It shone like copper under the glinting sun, even hidden as she was now behind so much horseflesh.
“ Catrìona!” he shouted again.
He could see her on tippy toes, trying to peer over the barrier they had set between her and David’s men.
David’s mount pranced nervously beneath him, but Aidan only gave him a cursory glance, recognizing the man he needed to speak with. He had not known what the MacKinnon would look like, but he recognized a true leader when he spied one.
“ Iain MacKinnon, descendant of the sons of MacAlpin, I seek only thy council!”
The MacKinnon’s horse spun to face him, and David stepped back, his face mottling, but
Anyway, it was a damned peculiar thing to say with the trouble that was brewing.
As though only now noticing, Leith asked him, “Why the hell are you blue?”
“ Because his bride is a gaddamn savage!” David offered sourly, his words enraging Gavin.
Gavin leapt toward David, but Montgomerie maneuvered his horse between them, stopping him short.
“ Enough of this banter!” David declared impatiently, and then shouted at the house. “Show yourself girl!”
Gavin moved back toward the door instinctively, ready to fight for the woman he loved.
Catrìona had known she could not hide forever.
The time had come to reveal herself.
She spied the men with King David—the ones who had stripped her and bound her, knowing that, if given the chance, they would do Gavin harm and she would not see him suffer for her sake.
Och, he had called her his bride.
She wanted to smile, but her throat thickened. She wished with all her heart that it were true.
A little timidly, she ventured out of the house, moving toward Gavin, clinging to his back. He moved to shield her from the men’s view, but she could still see beneath his arm pit.
Several of the men—all strangers to her—simply peered at one another curiously. One by one they all shared some silent message, their body language revealing something she knew instinctively.
Their wordless gestures bespoke a loyalty as old as time.
“ Is it true?” one man asked. “Do you love her, brother?”
Gavin straightened his back, his arm snaking behind him to reach for her. “I do,” he said without hesitation.
The man who had spoken conferred with another—a man who looked very much like Gavin, with his blond hair and wide-shouldered stance, save that his eyes were blue. The eldest of the two had called him brother.
Catrìona swallowed convulsively, knowing that these were the moments that would determine her fate.
Another man—the one who had complimented her roof—looked directly down at Cat, “Do you love him?” he demanded.
Catrìona nodded jerkily. Her legs trembled beneath her. Never had she been surrounded by so many strangers but she would not disgrace her brother or her kinfolk by cowering now before them. She squared her shoulders, realizing Gavin had not seen her gesture, and answered loudly for all to hear. “Aye, this man holds my heart!”
King David had yet to speak—not a word from the moment she had shown herself.
All at once, the crowd shifted, moving away from David. Horses surrounded her, entrapping her.
All she heard now were disembodied voices.
The deepest of them all—the one who had called Gavin a preacher—now asked David, “Is this the girl you seek, David? Surely you have mistaken her?” he suggested with an undertone to his voice that held a certain menace. “After spending so much time in the English court, perhaps we savages all look alike?”
David said nothing.
And then Catrìona heard a voice that stopped her heart.
With twenty horsemen at his back, Aidan rode boldly into their midst. He had watched until Catrìona appeared outside the door of the little hovel. He could never mistake his sister’s brilliant mane of hair. It shone like copper under the glinting sun, even hidden as she was now behind so much horseflesh.
“ Catrìona!” he shouted again.
He could see her on tippy toes, trying to peer over the barrier they had set between her and David’s men.
David’s mount pranced nervously beneath him, but Aidan only gave him a cursory glance, recognizing the man he needed to speak with. He had not known what the MacKinnon would look like, but he recognized a true leader when he spied one.
“ Iain MacKinnon, descendant of the sons of MacAlpin, I seek only thy council!”
The MacKinnon’s horse spun to face him, and David stepped back, his face mottling, but
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