Page 40 of Kidnapped By her Highland Enemy
“We have nay king,” the man replied. “The old weakling Balliol abdicated his throne and ran off. We have five Guardians, the chief of them is Sir William Wallace, sirrah, and ye can find him at Sterling Castle more oft than not. That was where the fighting stood.” With that, the man tipped his hat and went off, leaving all four of them in grim straits.
If the King was gone—which meant he could not have been the source of the meddling in their clans—and they had a Guardian that they barely knew, where did that leave them?
Lucas rubbed his face, “God’s blood…I was wrong. We came here for naught.”
Resting a hand on his arm, Maisie shook her head, “Probably nay. Even if the King is nay here, it could be another, and if our fathers are here, we might still use his court as neutral grounds to stop the feud.”
Lucas grunted. “But if the source of our main problem isnae here, we will return with it.”
Resting her hands on his arms, Maisie dropped her tone to comforting, “I ken, but if we put an end to the nonsense, we’ll go back home with enough peace that we can jointly find out who is behind this betrayal and then, he will face the fury of two lairds.”
The rigidity in Lucas’s stance began to sag. “Hopefully, there’s an inn or at least someone willing to take us in and then we can plan how to get to this Sterling place. I daenae ken about ye, but I need an hour or two of sleep and some hearty food.”
They arrived at a small inn as the sun began to set and Oliver helped dismount before Lucas followed and handed the reins off to a stable boy. With one hand resting on the small of her back, Lucas led her inside and to the main desk.
While waiting for someone to attend to them, Lucas scanned the room’s occupants and was mildly reassured that it was not full. There were a couple of drunken men in one corner, slumped over a table with tankards in their hands but they were not a threat.
“Apologies for making ye wait, sir,” a man came in, wiping his hands. “Name’s Archibald Prescott, may I help ye?”
Lucas arranged for two chambers, and feed for their horses. “Please have some food be brought up along with a tub and as much hot water as you can manage. Long horseback rides make her incredibly stiff. I’d have her soak in a tub.”
“Aye, sir.”
They followed the innkeeper up the stairs to the last room on the right, where the man opened the door, and they were greeted bya surprisingly well-appointed room. The bed was large enough to accommodate them, and a fire could easily be lit in the grate. It was clean, and the linens looked fresh.
“The bath and meal will be up shortly,” the man bowed his head as he backed out of the chamber.
As the door closed behind them, Lucas found the closest chair and slumped into it. His head lolled back and in a while, his hand lifted to massage the knots out of the back of his neck.
Sitting opposite him, Maisie said, “Are ye all right?”
“Nay,” he grunted, “I am at a loss here. I was so assured this was the King’s doin’ and now I hear that we lost the King and we have a Guardian. I suppose we should have opened that missive from the crown that I threw into a fire.”
“We’ll get through this, Lucas,” Maisie said while trying her best to keep her composure. “If we do get the feud behind us, that is a victory in me eyes.”
He peeled his hands from his neck and opened his eyes; confliction rested in his green orbs but softened to amusement. “Yer right, I just cannae believe my gut steered me wrong this time. Every time me instinct told me one thing an’ I followed it, I was never wrong. This is troubling for me.”
Moving from her place, she sat in his lap, and touched his cheek. “It’s nay yer fault, Lucas, I would have kent the same thing if I had seen such betrayal firsthand.”
While he still looked conflicted, Maisie leaned into Lucas and brushed her lips against his as the tip of her tongue darted out and swept across the seam of his mouth. When he did not pull away, she pressed her lips firmly to his but time he opened without hesitation, and their kiss slow.
They explored one another’s mouths finding each, sensual and comforting while Lucas pulled her hand over his chest to rest her palm on his heart. Then, Lucas cupped her luscious bottom, and held her tight as his kiss grew deep, possessive, and promising. Maisie met his passion with her own and was ready to lead him to the bed—when a knock came on the door.
With a sigh, she pulled away. “I suppose we’ll have time later on.”
He stroked her chin, “I hope so.”
While Maisie had her bath, rain pattered outside, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Lucas hoped the shower would peter away, but then, the skies turned angry gray, lightning flashed, and thunder rattled the walls. White sheets of rain fell, pounding the roof and streets, making Lucas pull away from the casements.
“I suppose we shall travel on the morrow,” he said as he went to stroke the fire higher then joined Maisie on the bed. “There’s nay traveling for a while.”
Reaching for her, he wrapped her into his side, and kissed her temple. “Once upon a time I kent ye were fragile, but I ken better than that. Yer hardly fragile, but ye are precious to me.”
Pressing a kiss to his bared collarbone, Maisie said, “And I kent ye were a one-minded brute, but I see ye for the honorable man ye are. I just wish I had kent that before I decided ye were a miscreant.”
Chuckling, Lucas shifted them, so her back was pressed to his chest and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Oh, I am a miscreant, but in the best ways.”
Laughing, Maisie replied. “Ye’ll have to show that on the morrow. Hopefully, this Guardian will give us leave to stay in his court when our faithers come along.”
