that wouldn’t thaw.
“Longshanks has enough to contend with at present.” Gavina continued after a pause. “His hold on Scotland is tenuous at best … Robert won’t be his focus.”
Shifting her attention from their supper, Aila noted that Elizabeth’s gaze glittered. “I want to hope,” she admitted softly. “But I’m not sure my heart can take it.”
“Worrying about Robert is all well and good, My Lady,” Jean spoke up, her voice brittle. “But it’s yer own neck ye should be concerned about.” She glanced around the darkening glade. “Where’s the Captain? We should be moving on.”
“We won’t be leaving here until dusk settles,” Aila replied. “It’s not safe to travel in daylight. The storm has passed … it should be a fair night and the moon is waxing, so traveling won’t be difficult.”
Jean’s mouth pursed. “Captain Gaius should be here … protecting us.”
“He’ll be back soon enough.” Elizabeth cast Jean an irritated look. “Ye should be pleased that he’s gone to scout. Edward will have soldiers out looking for us.”
Jean dropped her gaze. “Aye, My Lady,” she murmured, chastised. “I am indeed grateful.”
“We have much to thank the captain for,” Gavina added softly, before sighing. “We’d have never gotten this far without him.”
Aila swallowed to ease the sudden tightness in her throat. Her mistress was right, of course. Nonetheless, she didn’t want to think about Cassian, let along talk about him.
At that moment, the man himself appeared at the edge of the glade. Cassian’s face was inscrutable as he strode across to the fire and lowered himself down before it.
“Any sign of the English, Captain?” Gavina greeted him.
Cassian shook his head. “We got a good head-start on them it seems … although they will pick up our trail soon enough.”
Lady Elizabeth exchanged a worried look with her maid at this, while Lady Gavina’s attention remained upon Cassian. “Back in Stirling … did ye see it happen, Captain? Did ye see David die?”
Cassian raked a hand through his hair. The gesture caused a visceral reminder in Aila, of how she’d threaded her fingers through those soft strands when they’d lain together. Longing pulsed through her before Aila clenched her jaw. Stop it.
Oblivious to the war Aila was waging, Cassian nodded. “They were in the garden … David went for Edward with his dirk.” he paused then, scowling. “But he was no match for him. Edward disarmed him in a couple of moves before stabbing him twice in the throat.”
Gavina swallowed hard. “What was David thinking?” she murmured. “This wasn’t what we’d planned. All he had to do was feign submission to the king and gather details that could help us.” She broke off there, shaking her head in despair. “But no, he had to go after glory. Selfish, vain man!”
A sharply indrawn breath filled the glade. All gazes shifted to where Jean sat. Scorn twisted the maid’s face. Gone was the mask of gentle subservience she usually wore when in the presence of the ladies. She was now glaring openly at Lady Gavina.
“Ye are a cold, hard bitch,” she choked out the words. “Yer husband has just had his throat cut, and ye sit there dry-eyed, condemning him. No wonder he couldn’t stand ye.”
XXVII
HOLDING BACK
THE WORDS FELL heavily in the warm afternoon air. Suddenly, it went quiet in the glade, save for the crackling of the fire and the gentle gurgle of the burn.
When Lady Gavina spoke, her tone was as wintry as her expression. “And ye wouldn’t condemn him for putting all our lives at risk?”
The maid didn’t answer. She merely stared at Gavina, her eyes burning with fury. But Aila could sense the lass’s grief. It pulsed just beneath the surface.
“How long have ye been stealing into his bed?” Gavina demanded. Her small frame had gone rigid, and her blue eyes were narrowed.
“Two moons,” Jean replied, raising her chin in defiance.
“And do ye think ye are the first servant to spread her legs for him?” Jean flinched, but Gavina continued, leaning toward the maid now. “Do ye actually think he cared for ye?”
“He did.” Jean bit out the words. “What we had was special.”
Aila’s heart twisted as she watched the pain on Jean’s face. Poor, foolish wench. Was that how she appeared to Cassian?
Gavina’s mouth twisted. “Ye weren’t special to him. David De Keith loved no one but himself.”
Aila’s breathing caught. Gavina had played the role of long-suffering wife for years now, despite the laird’s callous behavior. He’d never bothered to hide his disdain for her, or hidden his outrageous