Highland Warlord - Amy Jarecki Page 0,22
the rear. Coira and Caelan rode at the flanks with the palfry in the lead. And being a good five and twenty miles west of Stirling, they were well and truly beyond the reaches of any English troops. This was Bishop Wishart’s territory and, thus far, Edward’s men had given the burgh a wide berth.
Thus far.
It was nearly midday and the lass riding in front of him hadn’t uttered a word since they set out this morning. Even though Lady Ailish’s posture reflected angry tension, every time James inhaled, he bathed in her scent. And the woman’s alluring perfume drove him to the brink of madness. Never before had he wanted to take a lass into his arms as much as he wanted Lady Ailish now. If only he could dig in his spurs and make love to her in a fortress of peace—a place free from war, where the sun shone every day.
But such a place did not exist. At the moment, James did not even have a chamber to call his own let alone a humble shieling in the Highlands. And if it hadn’t been for Bishop Lamberton’s generous gift celebrating James’ knighthood, he wouldn’t even own the warhorse beneath them.
A wisp of her hair slipped from under her veil and swept across his face. He shifted his reins to one hand and wound the tress around his finger. Bringing it to his nose, he closed his eyes and inhaled. The winsome fragrance made his heart squeeze all the more. He glanced over his shoulder. The others were far enough back, if he kept his voice low, he could try to calm the waters without being overheard.
“Are you looking forward to rejoining your kin?” he asked.
Ailish immediately stiffened as if his question riled her. “There’s no need to make idle chat.”
James unwound the lock of hair and let it drop. “No, there isn’t.”
“Hmph.”
If only she’d allow him to tighten his arms around her and urge her to recline against his chest as she’d done the day before. But showing her how much he cared would only cause hardship for them both in the long run.
“I’d like to meet Harris and Florrie,” he whispered, trying again. She might be angry with him, but he didn’t want a rift between them when he left her with her kin. At least there was no harm in attempting to rebuild the wee friendship they’d begun.
“They’re both sweet dear ones,” she replied. “Neither of them deserves to be orphaned, hiding behind the walls of a nunnery.”
“Nor do you.”
She turned her head and glared up at him with those bonny yet unnerving ice-blue eyes. “No, I do not.”
The corner of his mouth ticked up. “I’m glad we have that settled.”
“Aye.”
He ground his molars as she faced forward again and laced her fingers through the palfry’s mane. She fashioned the coarse hair into a plait, mussed it, and started again, her fingers working furiously.
“I’m sorry for being a mutton heid this morn.”
“Och, so ye own to it, do you?” Ailish’s fingers stilled as she leaned out and glanced back to the other riders. “You kissed me,” she whispered. “Then come dawn, you acted like I was a harlot.”
“Nay. It was not you at whom my ire was directed.”
“It did not seem as such to me.”
“Forgive me. I cursed myself for…”
She waited while an air of awkward expectation swelled between them. “Ugh,” she groaned. “Are ye going to tell me why you transformed from Lancelot into Mordred in a matter of hours or nay?”
He chuckled at her metaphor. “We are both tasked with duty to king and clan. You pledged an oath to your father to protect your brother. And I have been assigned with the forming of an army to defend our border.”
“No small task.”
“You are right there.”
“Where will you find men to support you? We’ve been at war for so long, Scotland’s sons are either dead or bone weary.”
“Och, that doesn’t sound like the spirited lass who impersonated a nun and traveled to Scone to pledge fealty for a king who some consider an outlaw in his own realm.”
She gave him a sardonic leer. “Was that your attempt to make amends? I woke this morn floating like a soap bubble but someone below stairs took his eating knife and made it vanish with a single barb.”
“Ye do have a way with words.”
“And you haven’t answered my question. Where are you planning to find your army?”
“They’ll come. Caelan and Torquil are just the beginning. Once