think. I will ride down to the loch. Give me a couple of hours.”
Patting Orion on the rump, he grabbed her hand. “Take as much time as ye need. I will be here waiting for ye.”
She forced a smile as she mounted and rode away.
“He what?” Kenneth’s voice thundered across the room. He sprang from his chair, hands balled into fists, wearing an expression Duncan worried would lead to apoplexy. “My orders were verra clear. She is under my protection. No one is to harm her.”
Duncan watched his father pace the solar. “Ye should have seen it. ’Twas like naught I have witnessed before. She was a cat playing with a mouse. He never came close to striking a blow. After she finished with him, she challenged the whole bluidy clan. Asked for anyone who had a problem with her to step forward.”
The laird stopped in his tracks and his head swiveled to meet Duncan’s gaze.
Seeing the look on his da’s face, Duncan answered the unasked question. “Of course, none did. However, I am not sure if it was because of yer order, or because of what they had witnessed. They all know she is Nessa’s Curaidh.”
The laird drew a deep breath and poured a tankard of ale for each of them. “Where is she now?”
Duncan accepted the drink, frowning as he answered. “She felt guilty about killing him and went for a ride. Said she would be back in two hours. I thought ye should hear it from me first.”
“Ye explained that ’twas not her fault—she isnae to blame? That there will be no repercussions?”
Duncan took a drink before replying. “Aye. Of course I did.”
Shaking his head, the laird placed his tankard on the table, muttering a stream of curses. “Do ye think she will return?”
“Truly, I dinnae know, but I believe so. She said she would. Most of her belongings remain here. I told her I would meet her at the stables when she returns. I am convinced she wouldnae leave without saying goodbye to Nessa and Mother.” He and his da exchanged glances, the same thought clear in both their minds.
How in the hell did a noblewoman become such a deadly warrior?
Chapter 12
Anna gave Orion his head as they raced to the loch. The rush of air over her and the surge of muscled power beneath her always helped clear away confusion. However, Anna found herself as perplexed as before. She no longer felt uncertain about killing Shamus. Duncan was right. The man wouldn’t let her walk away. Remembering what he’d said about her ‘having an accident’ made her recognize the truth of the situation. Pig-headed arse.
That settled, she found herself unhinged by her conversation with Duncan in the stables. Recounting each word he’d said, she rolled them around her mind, trying to discern their meaning. To muddle it further, she remembered Nessa and Isla teasing her, saying Duncan favored her. They told her everyone knew but her. How could she not know? Men do not pursue me. Only idiots playing their games of dominance do, but only for what they might gain from me. I have nothing now.
Duncan knew she was not a submissive, gently bred woman. She’d not bring wealth or connections. He’d seen her kill a number of men, and still he said those things. A sliver of insight crept in. Perhaps it was because of her actions he felt thus? She shook her head. No, not possible. Men want women who are soft, flirtatious, pleasing to the eye. Not me. He had said she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He didn’t make sense. She should ride back to the stables and demand to know exactly what he meant, demand to know his intentions.
She wheeled Orion, sending him back down the trail. A shudder ran through her. What if his words were meant merely as reassurances? He knew she was upset for killing Shamus. His actions were likely those of an older brother who sought to comfort her agitation. Do I fear being spurned?
She’d not given herself permission to feel for him. Yet she remembered seeing his long, dark brown hair, sky-blue eyes, and rough-hewn body the day they first met. Never had she been so aware of a man before. His presence, as much as anything, moved her, something she had no words to describe.
She understood now. Somehow, she’d allowed this man to breach her heart. How much, she only now discerned. It matters not. ’Tis folly, and