Page 54 of Tempted
When the castle at Douglas rose up before her, she relived the day she had faked the riding accident and lain in the rain until Ram had come upon her and carried her inside. She shivered remembering his dangerous strength. Now that the season was changing to summer, the cold, wet chill was no longer in the air, and she had no reason to shiver, she told herself sternly as she unfastened the high neck of her velvet habit and fingered the gray-brown Lazarus beads she had deliberately worn today to ward off evil.
The sound of their horses’ hooves upon the drawbridge was hollow, she thought, almost ominous. The moment they reached the bailey, she saw that preparations for today’s event were well under way. She saw vivid splashes of yellow, orange, and green as vegetables spilled from their baskets. Barrels of oysters and crabs lined a wall where two scullions sat shucking them.
Across the courtyard a pair of oxen turned slowly over firepits, their juices dripping and hissing upon the coals beneath, while the wolfhound named Boozer sat on his great haunches giving the roasting carcasses his rapt, undivided attention.
Douglas grooms rushed to attend the arriving Kennedys, their dark heads contrasting with the bright red of their guests’. The Earl of Angus came forward to greet the Earl of Cassillis, and Lord Ramsay Douglas greeted Lord Rob Kennedy with great formality, before he even glanced toward Valentina.
Mr. Burque, who had ridden Tina’s sorrel mare, dismounted immediately and went to her side, deftly shouldering aside both the Douglas groom and her own Kennedy groom. Ram’s eyes widened, then narrowed as he raked the elegant, tall, slim man with the beautiful face. He’d received part of his education in Paris, and he had never seen a male as attractive as this one outside of France. His suspicions were confirmed as he heard the gallant raise his arms and say, “Allow me, chérie”
Ram left Rob Kennedy’s side to observe the tableau before him. Tina gave the Frenchman a brilliant smile and leaned down to him. Douglas growled, “Ye relieve me of my obligations.” Tina went down into Mr. Burque’s arms with a flurry of petticoats, then looked up at the dour Scot and said sweetly, “Mr. Burque is indispensable to me, my lord.”
“In what capacity?” Douglas asked coldly.
“Mr. Burque is my chef.”
“Yer chef?” he asked incredulously. “Think you we have no such servants at Douglas?”
Her laughter trilled out at his ignorance. “Ah, sir, cooks you may have aplenty, scullery maids and potboys, but you have no one who can even begin to compare with Mr. Burque. He is the finest chef in Scotland, and he is mine.”
While Douglas glared fiercely, Mr. Burque excused himself to supervise the unloading of the precious tools of his trade.
“He’s too pretty to piss,” said Douglas with disgust, and Tina laughed up at him to show that he had amused her. He reached out a bold finger to touch the Lazarus beads at her throat. “Are ye trying to conjure Auld Horny?” he asked with derision.
She cast a sideways glance at the forbidding Earl of Angus and said, “It must have worked, for there’s Archibald himself!”
Ram gave a shout of laughter, and she gave him a bewitching look from beneath her lashes. “There. We have amused each other. What more can a man or woman ask? Aside from money, land, and ships, of course?” she added wickedly.
Smoothly he replied, “Knowing women as I do, I’m sure ye’ll be asking my favors come dusk.”
His repartee was more skillful than she had expected. All his words could be interpreted to have more than one meaning. She found the witty repartee infectious and tried her hand at it, fastening wide eyes upon his mouth and breathing, “Ah, milord, I find I cannot wait until dusk for your favors. Will you not come upstairs with me now?”
“Yer desire is my command,” he emphasized.
“Good—then you won’t mind if I claim the chamber that belonged to my aunt Damaris.” She turned and beckoned Ada and at the same time saw Ram’s brother Gavin approach. “Ada, have my trunks taken up to my chamber. I am to have Damaris’s room.” She turned back to Ram, her wicked juices bubbling deliciously. “Here comes another to relieve you of your obligations. I’m sure Gavin will be happy to take me upstairs—so I can familiarize myself with things.” She gave Gavin a saucy look as she took his arm. “What would I do without your aid, sir? I must get out of this riding dress and into my bath at the first opportunity.” Gavin grinned like a heathen; Ram’s ill-concealed fury added to his amusement.
* * *
The earls were impatient to get on with the business pertaining to this union, and the four men retired to the ancient Douglas weapons room where the business of the clan had been conducted for centuries.
Ram offered his guests purled ale, which Rob took thankfully to wash the dust of the journey from his parched throat, but the two earls turned up their noses, and he knew only whisky would satisfy their jaded palates. He splashed two measures of the dark amber liquor from a large Venetian decanter, and they all drew up chairs about the large map table.
First came the deed for the land in Kirkcudbright, which Kennedy signed over, and then came the ownership and captain’s papers for the two vessels, the Scotia and the Valentina It was understood by all that the ships would now be crewed by Douglas men.
In return, Ram Douglas signed the pledge to wed Lady Valentina Kennedy in the event that she quickened with child. The hand-fasting required no signed documents— just a verbal pledge, with both families as witness—and this would take place later in the day. Now came the all-important document the king had demanded from the chiefs of these two ancient clans. The bond of friendship between Clan Kennedy and Clan Douglas was signed by the two earls and witnessed by the other two men. The sealing wax was melted, and all four stamped their gold seal rings onto the crackling parchments. Finally, Rob Kennedy gave into Ramsay Douglas’s hands a bank draft for ten thousand pounds Scots. Angus insisted they drink a toast to the occasion in pure, raw Scotch whisky, and Ram took perverse pleasure as he felt the hot liquor blossom inside his chest.
As Tina ascended the main staircase with Ada on one side and Gavin upon the other, they were met by Colin, who had been awaiting them. He held out his hand. “Welcome tae Douglas, Lady Kennedy. Ye will be in grave need o’ a friend in this castle. I would be honored to fulfill the role.”
“Colin,” she said low, her eyes looking deeply into his with gratitude. “The honor is mine, sir.”
He drew her closer to place a chaste kiss upon her brow, and Ada saw that their hands touched in a silent pledge. “I am to have Damaris’s chamber.”
His eyes took on a strange light. “I knew that ye would,” he said simply, leading the way down the hall and opening the chamber door.
Tina entered and lifted her hand to the beautiful portrait above the fireplace. As Ada gazed up, she said, “The artist has captured her exactly. The man is a master.”
“Thank ye,” Colin said quietly.
Tina’s eyes widened. “You painted this, Colin?”
