Draco A Medieval Scottish Roma - Jayne Castel Page 0,12

had arisen, shrewdness lighting in his eyes. “Be wary of yer brother, My Lady. He will seek to bend ye to his will, I fear.”

Gavina tensed. Here was she thinking that the Wallace had merely come down to see her off. But like Donnan, who’d cornered her in the gallery earlier, he was concerned she might say or do something foolish. It seemed that only Father Finlay had faith in her ability to conduct successful negotiations.

“I’m a woman,” she said after a pause, “but let me assure ye, William, that doesn’t make me a fool. Dunnottar is my home … and I won’t let the likes of Shaw Irvine, whether or not he is kin to me, threaten it.”

The Wallace’s gaze widened at her show of spirit, before a grin split his face. “That’s good to hear.”

They clattered out of Dunnottar in single file, down the steep path that descended to the bottom of the defile. The party then rode up the rugged slope to the cliff-top opposite. A strong wind caught at Gavina’s cloak, snatching at the fine strands of hair that had come loose from her braid. However, she found that she was smiling.

Last time she’d been beyond these walls, the worst had happened. That trip to Stirling was supposed to have been a peaceful mission. But instead, it had transformed into a fight for their lives. She’d imagined to feel nervous upon leaving Dunnottar again, and yet her brief words with the Wallace prior to their departure had really lit a fire in her belly.

She’d show them all that she was a capable laird.

Her father would have called her ‘unfeminine’ for taking on the role. He’d have chastised her for filling her head with ‘men’s matters’, and encouraged her to hand over rule to the steward.

But once she’d taken the laird’s chair in the hall, something inside her had come alive.

David had shielded her from all the important decision-making, and since they’d spent very little time together, and hadn’t shared a bed since the first years of their marriage, he’d confided very little in her. As such, she’d often felt frustrated and bored.

Her escape with Cassian and the others from Stirling had been terrifying, and yet at the same time oddly exhilarating. It had proved to Gavina that she wouldn’t shatter at the slightest hardship.

She wasn’t like her poor mother who’d suffered from ‘nerve trouble’ her whole life. Greta Irvine had possessed a pale, ethereal beauty, but her sickly constitution and fragile nerves sent her to an early grave at thirty winters.

Dunnottar had never before had a female laird, and Gavina wanted to be remembered for doing the role justice.

They reached the bottom of the path. She urged her palfrey into a brisk canter, taking up her position between Maximus and Draco. Two riders carrying the De Keith banner, which flapped and snapped in the wind, rode up front, while the remainder of the company brought up the rear.

The thunder of hoof-beats shook the ground, and Gavina’s smile stretched out into a grin.

This morning, it felt good to be alive.

V

ASSUMPTIONS

DRACO CUT A look right, at where Lady Gavina rode next to him. She leaned forward, braced against the wind. There was something different about her this morning. Her cheeks were pink—an unusual sight, for her face was usually so pale, especially against the dull black of her mourning attire. She rode well, sitting easily in the saddle as her mount lengthened its stride.

And to his surprise, she was smiling.

She actually wants to go on this journey, he thought incredulously. Perhaps she was looking forward to seeing her brother again? Although from what Draco had heard of Shaw Irvine, the man had the personality of a pit dog.

Maybe she’s just happy to be free of David De Keith? This thought made Draco pause. He hadn’t paid close attention to the laird and his wife over the past couple of months, but even so, the unhappiness of their union had been clear to all. De Keith had been a shit-weasel—a man of weak character who’d made a poor laird.

Surely, his lady wife couldn’t do a much worse job of leadership.

Dragging his gaze from Lady Gavina, for he was coming close to staring now, Draco surveyed the lush, green hills that rolled away in every direction. To the north-west, wooded mountains rose up against a deep-blue sky. It was the loveliest morning Draco had seen in a while.

He wanted to be able to smile back at it, the way Lady