at himself for making her angry, for not grilling her about his mother.
Mo chreach, the fire in her was mesmerizing and clearly made him forget himself. And he was pleased to have found out that she was not falling into Dirk’s arms every night. She might love the man like a brother, but it was plenty obvious to anyone with eyes that Dirk felt quite a bit differently.
“She might slit your throat while ye’re sleeping, Fraser. Be careful.” The called warning came from another soldier on watch duty, followed by a snort of laughter and every other warrior within hearing distance laughing their bloody arses off.
Though they jested, Toran didn’t doubt they were right. Probably why he wasn’t ready to confront her, to find out that she might actually be capable of murder. And yet that very thought just didn’t sit right with him. Toran believed himself to be an excellent judge of character, and there was nothing in Jenny that made him think she could be guilty of any heinous crimes, especially what was done to his mother.
The lass was all fire and ice, aye, but not evil. Holy hell, he wanted to melt her and douse her in wet heat at the same time.
And blast it all, he’d been so distracted he’d not told her what he and Dirk had found.
Twelve
Jenny shouldn’t have gone up to the wall. She should have let the idiot keep on brooding as he’d been wont to do the past several nights, but she couldn’t help it. When she heard about the sudden brawl between him and his broody cousin, her feet had moved of their own accord. And she was halfway up the stairs before she’d even realized exactly what it was she was doing.
Blast it!
Seeing him standing there, staring out over the land, she had found it an effort not to run her fingers over his swollen eye, to wipe the droplet of blood from the corner of his mouth. Luckily for her, the man had the ability to make her temper flare as much as he made her desire ignite. What was she to do with him?
And what the bloody hell was that line of questioning?
Dirk? Her lover?
She’d been considering allowing Toran to kiss her, dragging him into bed before they went off to war. It would have just been to assuage the want and in the hope it would keep her from thinking about him when the enemy was closing in, but the arrogance! Oh, she wanted to slap him. She wanted to punish him. And they were both right; the perfect punishment for him was for her to walk away and leave him there. Except it was a heady punishment for her too, one she wasn’t certain she’d survive.
Toran was jealous.
The notion struck her so hard, Jenny stopped short in her steps and stifled a gasp.
All the feelings and emotions she’d been battling he must have also been… She shook her head and kept marching forward. This was ridiculous.
Jenny found Dirk outside the barracks. “Gather a few men. We’re riding tonight.”
Used to her sudden nighttime rides to seek new allies, he nodded. But this time he also asked, “A missive has been sent?”
Jenny shook her head. “I want to sit in at the taverns and listen. Dress for the occasion.”
“Did Toran speak with ye?”
Jenny cocked her head, certain what she and Toran spoke about would not be anything Dirk would be privy to. “About?”
“What we found.”
“Nay.”
“All right, we’ll share at the tavern.”
Jenny nodded and then hurried inside.
With her mother and Isla safely tucked into bed, Jenny was able to slip easily into her chamber and change into her trews, léine, and frock coat. She tucked her hair up under her cap and slipped the white cockade of the rebels into her coat pocket. The symbol was enough to get her arrested and executed if spotted by the dragoons, as much as it was a symbol of unity among rebels.
She pulled on her boots with trembling fingers, her nerves still on edge from her conversation with Toran.
Outside, the torches had been doused near the place where the horses stood, and she could make out four mounts and three men. The closer she got, she could see exactly whom Dirk had chosen to ride with them: Mac, Archie, and Toran.
Jenny narrowed her eyes, but Dirk’s subtle nod caused her to hold her tongue. This was a test for their new recruits, and she found herself applauding Dirk’s initiative as much