Page 12 of Wild Hearts

Shannon, wise in the way of men, thought, My God, he's soft on her, and made no reply.

Paris moved swiftly to the bed, took the goblet from Alexander and put it to Tabby's lips. Instinctively, she shrank from him, fear springing back into her eyes.

"Drink. It's honey wine made from heather." He tipped it into her mouth, and she was forced to swallow it or choke. "Everyone out! Postpone your dissection until tomorrow. When she is rested, you can have at her, and then I hope to Christ she can give as good as she gets."

CHAPTER 3

It was almost noon when Mrs. Hall awakened her mistress. As soon as Tabby saw the comfortable, familiar face, she sat up and clung to the older woman, "Mrs. Hall, thank God. How did you get here?"

"Behind a great lout of a Borderer o' course. Woke me hours before dawn. I made sure to bring some of yer pretty dresses, so up wi' ye quickly. Ye must bathe and dress. His Lordship has sent me to fetch ye, and yon lot is dying to get another look at ye."

"Mrs. Hall, whatever are we to do?"

"I for one am going to do as I'm told. Always take things by the smooth handle, lass."

"Well, I shan't do as I'm told!" she asserted. Annoyance at the older woman's attitude made her fling back the bedcovers and quickly don the clothes that had been laid out for her.

"Och, lass, don't be daft. Ye canna escape; ye canna even ride a horse. This is a fine, rich castle, so ye might as well partake of the Cockburns's hospitality."

"We are prisoners!" cried Tabby, trying to impress upon her companion the seriousness of their plight.

Mrs. Hall wasn't about to get unduly alarmed. She was a widow, completely alone in the world, who had eked out her existence as a domestic drudge in the homes of Edinburgh's citizens. She hadn't had a job for months and almost despaired that she would soon find herself on the streets, when Maxwell Abrahams had hired her to guard the young girl he was marrying. Since she had obviously done a hopeless job in safeguarding the girl for Abrahams, Mrs. Hall was not anxious to return and face the consequences. Life had taught her-to enjoy today and let the devil take the hindmost! If she could prevent Tabby from rocking the boat and making trouble for the two of them, she would do so. "My lamb, I wouldna advise ye to cross His Lordship, if ye get ma drift. He looks like he has the devil's own temper, and 'tis clear to see he is master here. On the other hand, if ye make yerself agreeable, ye could have the other two Cockburn lads jumping through hoops for ye. More flies are caught with honey than vinegar."

"His sisters are so beautiful." Tabby sighed.

"Och, they canna hold a candle to ye, lass. There now, in that green dress ye make a bonny picture. Ma belly's growling. Please let us go down before we miss the meal."

Tabby finished her toilet and was eager to go below and give the arrogant Lord Cockburn a piece of her mind. How dare he think he could get away with stealing her. She would face up to him and demand that he return her to her lawful husband. What poor Mr. Abrahams was thinking at this moment, she dare not contemplate. He had been so kind and so generous to her, she was consumed with guilt that she was the instrument being used to extort money from him. She descended the stairs with the light of battle in her eyes and found herself in Paris Cockburn's bedchamber.

"I sent for you an hour past. Never keep me waiting again," he asserted, fingering the whip at his belt.

She paled at the implication. Her courage, so high the moment before, dissolved like snow in summer beneath the fierce glare of the emerald-colored eyes.

"I am putting you under free ward in Cockburnspath Castle in exchange for your vow that you will not try to escape."

She opened her mouth but could not defy him. When Mrs. Hall's advice came to mind, she lied, "I give you my word, milord. You know it would be impossible for me to escape, for I don't know how to ride."

"I'll soon remedy that. I'll give you a lesson this afternoon if no pressing matter presents itself," he decided.

"But, then I should be able to escape," she blurted before she could stop herself.

"No you couldn't. You gave me your word," he said matter-of-factly. "Dinner will be served shortly. The stairs outside my chamber lead down to the main living quarters. My sisters will show you where we eat." Once she had left the room, he allowed his mouth to soften into a smile. She was so fair, he knew he would have to possess her, yet the amazing thing was that she was so unaware of her beauty, she had no idea how it affected a man.

Damascus and Venetia were so engrossed, they didn't notice her. Venetia's green-striped gown emphasized her tall, graceful figure. Her upswept hair showed off to perfection a pair of exquisite emerald earrings. She glared accusingly at Damascus. "But why did you have to wear that today? I distinctly remember you said you were saving your green dress for when the dashing Laird of Cessford came," she said with venom. At that moment, Shannon came in, also wearing a green gown. She was instantly annoyed and, with hands on hips, was just about to demolish the other two with a tongue lashing when Tabby coughed to gain their attention. They all swung around to stare at the intruder; another vision in green. Young Alexandria's crack of laughter rent the air as she surveyed the other girls. She wasn't vain and took great delight in pricking and bursting her sisters' vanity. "Oh, you're priceless! You must all have heard the rumor that redheads look their best in green."

Damascus shuddered delicately at her sister's crude laughter. "I am not a redhead. My hair is Titian."

Venetia said, "And mine is auburn."

"For God's sake, stop being such mealymouthed hypocrites. Everyone in this room has screamy-colored hair, and there isn't a damned thing we can do about it," scoffed Alexandria.

"She's right." Shannon laughed, her good nature restored.

Alexander came up to Tabby and softly said, "Let me escort you to dinner, away from the rabble." She smiled at him, and his heart turned over.

Some of Tabby's fear was beginning to evaporate. She knew she must explain to these Cockburns that they were doing wrong and that they must be persuaded to return her to Edinburgh. She hesitated because she couldn't get a word in edgewise; and also because there were so many of them that the thought daunted her. Perhaps she would be wise to try to win them over to her side, one at a time.

A twenty foot oak refectory table spanned the dining room. Servants were everywhere, carrying in water, wine, pewter plates, and huge trenchers of food. Paris was already seated at the head of the table. As the girls arrived, he hid a grin and managed to say smoothly, "A study in green, I see." He received withering looks from his sisters, while Tabby looked down at her fingers to hide the laughter in her eyes. She couldn't believe the amounts of food Paris and Troy consumed. Everyone took whatever he or she desired; there was no-polite waiting to see what the other diners might want. Their voices rose in a mixture of laughter, questions, answers and arguments. Tabby was fascinated by this family. Her study of them took paramount attention over the food, which was unusual for her; she had been hungry all her life.

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