"Not involved! This is about me, remember?"
She was a fighter, he knew, and would want to be there for the battle-and the victory. Every day that pa.s.sed Alex began to doubt he would ever own Gealach outright. He would not have her near if things turned ugly.
"Not anymore."
Her words reminded him of all he had to do. It was light out and soon Skelley would come to relieve him and wonder that no one was outside Fayth"s room, guarding her. He lifted her off him and sat up, swinging his feet over the edge of the bed.
She grabbed his arm. "You"re wrong. Gealach is not Ridley"s unless I marry Carlisle. And Carlisle is not the kind of man Ridley can push around." She became gravely serious. "You must use me. I want to help you."
Alex searched the floor for his breeks. "What are you suggesting, la.s.s?"
"I could go with them... pretend I"m glad to be escaping from you-"
"b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l-no!" He found his breeks and yanked them on.
"I would escape from them and come back-"
"No!"
She was on her knees on the bed, the sheet wrapped haphazardly about her body, her jaw set mutinously. "Why? I owe you!"
Alex grabbed his shirt off the floor and shrugged into it. "You owe me nothing. I kidnapped you!"
"I was escaping anyway."
"I meant to rape you!"
"But you didn"t!"
He waved his hands at the bed. "I"ve ruined you!"
Her cheeks reddened indignantly. "I wanted you to ruin me." She said it like a queen, delivering a verdict.
He was inflamed with l.u.s.t at her bold declaration, but he would not risk her. And he would never tell her why. "We are enemies."
"We were enemies."
By G.o.d, she was stubborn! He crossed to the bed, placing his hands on her bare shoulders. She glared up at him, challenging him to keep her away. "If we"re not enemies, la.s.s... then what are we?"
Her lips trembled and she swallowed hard, but she squared her shoulders, tilting her chin up slightly. "After last night, I"d say lovers." She leaned toward him, emboldened by the unmistakable evidence of his l.u.s.t. "You"re the only man I"ve ever lain with. I"m your mistress now. Doesn"t that mean we"re in this together?"
She was defiant in everything she did, even taking a lover. He wondered how much of it was calculated to gain his cooperation and how much she truly felt. Was he another Jack? A wild grab at freedom? But he was not a fool like her Jack had been.
She held his gaze, her hands sliding inside his shirt. "What are you thinking?"
He stared down at the wide eyes, gazing up at him with earnest trust, and found he didn"t particularly care if he was nothing more than a tool. h.e.l.l, she would have married Jack, had he lived. Of course, Jack had been a Graham. She would never wed a Maxwell.
The sheet slid down to drape about her hips and as she struggled to cover herself again, he knew he"d take whatever she deigned to give him. He caught at the sheet, pulling it up around her and using it to drag her against him.
She exhaled in surprise, but her eyes glowed with pa.s.sion, as unquenchable as his own. "I"m thinking, la.s.s, I"m safer as yer enemy."
0="17"17.
THEY SPENT THE DAY in the tunnels below Gealach, picking through treasure. Alex searched with her, surrounded by many heavily armed men. Biddy had not been found and Fayth was saddened by what this meant.
Fayth suspected Alex joined her in the search for a ruby pendant for no other reason than to humor her. But that was reason enough for Fayth. This was important to her. Whether he had intended to or not, Alex had saved her from the fate she dreaded more than aught else and now he had agreed to help her find Mona. Fayth must help him keep Gealach. She knew he didn"t believe there was much she could do, but Fayth wasn"t convinced she was helpless in the matter. She knew Ridley well-the Clachan Fala had become his life.
It seemed amazing, too, that her companion in all this was a Maxwell-the very Maxwell that had killed Jack. That was still difficult to contemplate, but this was the border. Men died here every day. It was not an easy life-she knew this. Jack had known this, as well. Jack had probably provoked Alex, or done something unacceptable-after all, he hadn"t been perfect-he"d been a borderer, too. For now, however, Fayth was content to remain ignorant of the circ.u.mstances of Jack"s death. This thing with Alex could not last forever and for now she wanted to enjoy it.
Fayth slid a look at him and found herself gazing into cobalt eyes, smoldering as they had last night when they... fornicated. It rose in her again, the l.u.s.t, as if it had never been quenched but stoked hotter. The air seemed to crackle, thoughts of Jack dissipating like wisps of fog in the morning sun until Skelley"s voice broke through.
Alex left to converse with the older man in the doorway and Fayth bent back to her search, warmed by what happened when she was near him.
Alex glanced over his shoulder, catching Fayth"s eye, and gestured for her to join him. She crossed to Alex"s side, watching the men curiously.
"It"s finally happening," Alex said.
"What? Have Ridley and Carlisle come?"
He shook his head. "The English are ma.s.sing troops in York under the duke of Norfolk. King James is a.s.sembling an army in Edinburgh."
A fist closed around Fayth"s heart. "You"re leaving?"
He held her gaze, hesitating. She knew her feelings were laid bare for him on her face, she"d ever been incapable of hiding them, but at the moment she could not feign indifference. Ridley was set on ma.s.sacring every Maxwell should there be a war and Fayth was beginning to fear he would be successful.
"Aye, but not to Edinburgh."
"Then where?"
He took her arm and led her away from the others cl.u.s.tered at the doorway. "My brother, Lord Annan, has already answered the king"s summons and taken men and horse to Edinburgh. He would never leave Annancreag undefended, of course, but the majority of his men must serve the king. And the Maxwells have many enemies."
He fell silent, staring at her. His eyes were so intense, so full of regret that Fayth became agitated. "What? What"s the matter?"
"I received a missive from Caroline. The Johnstones have attacked Annancreag in Rob"s absence."
Fayth"s hands flew to her mouth. Caroline-in danger! "You must go, of course. I will go with you."
"I cannot take you."
"You must! It"s my sister!"
He shook his head and started for the door.
Fayth followed close on his heels. "Why can"t I come? I can ride and use a latch-"
Alex turned abruptly and she crashed into him. "You"ve been recently wounded. We"ll be riding hard and likely not stop until we arrive."
Fayth made a rude sound. "You"ve been wounded, too!"