Margaret beamed.
Alex stuck his head in the door. “What are you two conspiring about?” he asked, his voice laden with exaggerated concern.
Both women jumped apart guiltily, Isabel recovering first. “Good morning, Alex. Margaret and I have just decided on a most opportune arrangement. A way in which I might help her with her duties.”
His face immediately lost its jocularity. “Are you feeling well, sister?” he asked, concerned. “Have you been working too hard?”
“Stop fussing over me, Alex. I’m fine. It’s only that I’ve never had a head for numbers.” Instinctively, Margaret looked to Isabel for help. Isabel understood her frustration. Big braw men like Alex and Rory’s first instinct was to protect. But their oversolicitousness in treating Margaret as if she were a fragile piece of porcelain that could break at the wrong word was surely not only tiresome, but, Isabel suspected, also prevented her from healing.
“We’ve decided that I’ll keep the accounts,” Isabel said. At Alex’s look of surprise, she explained. “I know, it must seem odd, but surely as Margaret was already performing these duties, it must not be impermissible to have a woman act as seneschal.”
“It’s not that, Isabel.” Alex turned to Margaret with a meaningful stare. “Have you cleared this with our brother, Margaret?”
Margaret’s face fell. “I had not thought of that, Alex. Of course, you are right. I need to speak with Rory. Isabel, I’m afraid that I’ve accepted your generous offer without aforethought. I must obtain Rory’s permission first.” She paused and continued in a contrite, weak voice, “I’m not sure he’ll approve of our arrangement.”
Isabel knew why. Not only would Rory be wary of her poking into his financial concerns, he also wouldn’t want her involved in the household management when he intended to send her back.
Responding to his sister’s obvious distress, Alex said, “Well, maybe we could keep it a secret amongst ourselves for a little while. Rory has been very busy, and perhaps we might wait a wee while to bring it up. Until then, there is no reason why Isabel could not help you with the ledgers.”
Both women smiled at him, but it was Isabel who moved quickly across the room to place a soft, grateful kiss on his cheek. Isabel was moved by Alex’s desire to bolster his sister’s newfound confidence. But she didn’t anticipate the movement of his head, and her lips landed near the edge of his mouth.
Rory heard none of their conversation as he entered the library.
His attention was held by the sight of Isabel’s full, sensual lips landing precipitously close to his brother’s mouth. He froze. Something akin to a gunshot exploded in his chest.
It took him a minute to clear through the haze of rage. He’d seen enough to know that the kiss was nothing more than a spontaneous show of gratitude for something, but the effect was no less devastating. The strength and intensity of his reaction told him far more than he wanted to know.
He clenched his jaw and cleared his throat.
Isabel jumped back with such a show of guilt on her face that Rory wondered how he could ever have suspected her of snooping last night. She gave away her emotions on her face—even when, like now, they weren’t warranted. Though he’d have to insist that she not bestow kisses, harmless or not, on anyone.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” he asked lazily, masking his reaction.
“No, of course not,” Isabel said too quickly.
“No,” Margaret assured him at the same time. They looked at each other, and Rory watched them exchange some silent form of communication.
They were up to something. But when he looked to Alex, his damn brother just grinned.
He’d deal with Margaret and Alex later, but right now he needed to speak with Isabel. He hadn’t come directly to the library. Colin had intercepted him with a missive that he could not ignore.
“If you two aren’t too busy, I need to speak with Isabel.” Rory thought he detected a bit of reluctance, but they did his bidding. When they’d left, he turned to notice Isabel eyeing him warily.
“It was nothing,” she explained.
“I know. But you shouldn’t be kissing anyone other than your husband.”
She lifted a brow at that and seemed about to offer a reply, but she refrained. Instead she said, “I was looking for you.”
“Why?”
She put her hand on his arm. “I wanted you to know that I truly was searching for the library last night. And nothing else.”
They stared at each other for a long while, and something passed between them. He believed her. One side of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. “Well, it looks like you’ve found it.”
Isabel returned his smile, and Rory felt a strange skip in his chest. A skip that turned into a full-fledged leap when she reached out to tuck a strand of his hair behind his ear. He wasn’t sure whom she’d shocked more. The strange intimacy of the act took away his breath.
Heat filled her cheeks. “It had come loose.”
His throat thickened. Nonplussed, he turned his gaze. “I came to tell you that I must be away.”
The blush slid from her face. “What?”
“I’d planned to take the cattle to the fair at Port Righ next week, but it appears I cannot delay.” Though only twenty years old, the fair at Port Righ grew each year in popularity, attracting more and more people from beyond the Isle. The Islanders brought their goods, usually sheep, cows, linen, and cheese, twice a year to sell or trade.
“You will be back soon?”
Rory shook his head. “I must leave for Edinburgh directly after the fair.” He masked his anger. James’s missive had reminded him of the onerous duty of all the Island chiefs to present themselves in Edinburgh once a year before the Privy Council to show their “good behavior.” Ever since James had assumed power in his own right nearly fifteen years ago, he’d been tightening his grip on the Highlands and the Isles with a series of new laws—the General Band—aimed straight at the heart of the clan chief’s authority.
Rory and the other Highland chiefs chafed uncomfortably under James’s unwelcome bridle. For hundreds of years, the Highlands and Isles had existed almost as their own fiefdom: a Gaelic kingdom under the dominion of Clan Donald, the Lords of the Isles. But since the forfeiture of the Lordship over a hundred years ago, the largely ineffective Scottish central government had, by necessity, led to the rise in power of the clan chief. Now the king sought to change that shift in power by weakening the authority of the clan chief. Presenting themselves at court was just another way James sought to remind them all of that shift.
Instead of giving voice to his frustration, he said simply, “The king has requested my immediate presence.”
Her eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands together. “You’re going to court!”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“But this is grand. I was just telling Margaret—”
Rory told her brusquely, “I’m afraid I must travel alone,” and he could read her disappointment.
“I see,” she said. But she didn’t.
“Alex will be in charge while I am gone.”
She didn’t say anything. He turned to leave, but something held him back. The memory of last night was still too fresh in his mind, as were the sensations that rocked his body. He’d leave the book for her, but she needed to know something else. He tipped her chin and forced her gaze to his. “Never believe that I didn’t want you.”
Her gaze softened. Before he could stop himself, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a hard, fast kiss. A real kiss, not like the one she’d given his brother. This kiss was of possession. A reminder to leave her with.
When at last he released her, he left without a backward glance. Not wanting her to see how difficult it was for him to do so.
Chapter 11
“Margaret, I must venture beyond the walls of this castle before the winter storms come or I shall surely turn half-crazed.”
Margaret, who was sitting at the l
arge library table across from Isabel, lifted her face from the ledgers and grinned broadly. Little was left of the shy, tentative creature to whom Isabel had first been introduced. Except for the patch. Margaret’s nose wrinkled.
“Isabel dearest, you know what Alex said. It is not safe to travel about the forests right now with the Mackenzie’s recent attacks.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Of course, if you ask, mayhap Alex will agree to a short outing. He seems unable to refuse you anything.”
Isabel laughed uncomfortably at Margaret’s gibe. Although Alex did not show it openly, she sensed some thing beyond brotherly affection reflected in his dark blue eyes when he looked at her. Isabel suspected that he thought himself infatuated with her. She would have to speak with him soon, but she wanted to give him time to work it out on his own. Shaking off the discomfiting feelings, Isabel stood up from the table and crossed her arms with resolve.
“Very well, I’ll ask Alex this time. Anything to breach these walls. It’s been so long since I’ve sat upon a horse, I may well have forgotten how. Perhaps we might convince Alex to let us have a wee hunt.”
Margaret clapped her hands like the excited bairn that her willowy delicate beauty so resembled. She seemed young, even though she was older than Isabel by some five years. “I should love to hunt, but…” Her expression fell, her elfin face suddenly devoid of its endearing childish glee. “I don’t know how I ever shall learn with—”
Isabel threw her a withering stare that stopped her cold. She pursed her lips tightly and lifted an eyebrow in mock surprise. Margaret got the message and laughed, the happiness returning in an instant.
“Very well, Isabel, I know. You are no better than Bessie, that old taskmaster. Of course I should love to learn to hunt. It will surely not hurt to try.”
Isabel gave her a fond hug. She was pleasantly surprised by the pronounced changes in Margaret. Nearly every vestige of shame over her injury had disappeared. The transformation was so dramatic that even the household servants had commented to Isabel on the difference. Perhaps they gave her some credit for the improvement, as their friendliness had increased noticeably over the last few weeks. Isabel had a plan where Margaret was concerned, but it would take some time yet. “Never underestimate yourself, Margaret. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish once you set your mind to a task. And by the by, Bessie thinks herself a lambkin—as do I!”
Both girls looked at each other and burst into hearty peals of laughter.
Margaret recovered first. “I don’t know why I’m laughing, Bessie has been fussing over me just as much as you lately. We’ll have to think of something to distract her. I’ve seen the way Robert watches her of late. Maybe we shall dissuade her hovering with romance.”
Shocked, Isabel’s eyes grew round. “The porter Robert and Bessie! I hadn’t noticed any particular regard from him toward her.” Her fingers stroked her chin. “But now that you mention it, he is very solicitous and helpful. And he has seemed to be hanging about more often of late. I did not realize…I doubt even Bessie has realized.” She dropped her hands to her hips. “You are a sly one, Margaret MacLeod, seeing what others do not.”
Margaret grinned. “Maybe the loss of the sight in my right eye has forced my left eye to work stronger. I do seem to observe more now than I did before. In fact, most of my senses seem sharper since the accident.”
Margaret looked as though she wanted to say something more. “What is it?” Isabel asked.
“Nothing, I was just thinking how refreshing it is that you do not censor your language by avoiding all reference to sight. You would never believe how awkward it can be. Before you arrived, I never spoke of the accident.” She took Isabel’s hands. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Isabel smiled. “You would have found your way soon enough. You have too much spirit to have lain dormant for long.” She closed the book she had been working on. “And speaking of dormant, I’m about to burst. I must get out of here.”
Margaret’s brow wrinkled with mild concern. “You know, Isabel, even if Alex agrees, Rory will be furious to discover we have left the castle even for a hunt. He expressly warned Alex not to let us out of the keep for fear that one of us might be kidnapped by the Mackenzies and held for ransom. Or worse.”
Isabel tossed her hair and moved to the window, gazing at the sea. “The Mackenzies wouldn’t dare an attack this late in the season, not when their escape could be cut off by storms. We will be well guarded and stay close to the castle. And since Rory is not here, he can hardly expect us to seek his permission, can he?”
Isabel couldn’t hide her irritation. It was almost November, and Rory had been gone for nearly two months. Leaving her with only the memory of that confusing, heart-stopping kiss. A memory she’d tried to hold on to, but that with each passing day grew more faint. She’d wanted to believe that after the disaster of the night before, he’d been trying to reach out to her. And that belief had been bolstered when she’d returned to their room and found The Faerie Queene propped up in the middle of the bed. Her mercurial heart had leapt, thinking it was surely a truce offering or maybe even his way of apologizing. She’d hoped for something more. But although Rory had sent brief missives to Alex and Margaret, Isabel had heard not a word.
Now, she didn’t know what to think.
And more frustrating was that Isabel realized she missed him.
She’d spent much of the two months devouring first The Faerie Queene and later other books she’d discovered in Rory’s vast library, working on the accounts as she and Margaret did now, and getting to know Margaret and Alex better.
She and Margaret had spent countless hours as they were now, working, chatting, and laughing. Once Isabel had exhausted the stories of her time at court, which the enthralled Margaret couldn’t get enough of whether scandalous or mundane, they took turns regaling each other with anecdotes from their childhood.
Isabel had especially enjoyed stories of the youthful Rory, the carefree lad who had roamed the Isle before the role of serious chief was thrust upon him so unexpectedly following the death of his brother. She also realized that even though she had not explicitly told her, Margaret had probably deduced among the silly stories of her childish escapades what her own situation had been like.
With Margaret she’d found the first real friend she’d ever had. And a sister.
Margaret was studying her intently. “What is it?” Isabel covered her cheeks with her hands. “Do I have ink on my face?”
“He doesn’t know what to say, Isabel,” she said quietly.
Isabel’s eyes jumped to her friend’s face. Had her thoughts been so transparent? Margaret did see too much. Her back straightened. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You hide your disappointment well, but I see how much it hurts you when each day passes and you do not hear from my brother.”
“You see all that, do you,” Isabel said wryly.
“Rory cares for you more than he wants to admit. There’s a softness in his gaze when he looks at you that I’ve never seen before.”
Isabel tried to cover her hope, but Margaret gathered her hands and forced her to meet her gaze. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, Isabel.”
“He intends to send me back,” she said hollowly.
“I know. The feud will only be over when your uncle is destroyed and the MacLeods hold Trotternish. The only way for that to happen is with the Earl of Argyll’s sway with the king. An alliance with Argyll’s cousin Elizabeth Campbell will provide that sway.”
Isabel turned her eyes away. It hurt too much to see Margaret’s sympathy. “Does he care for her very much?” Her voice sounded very small.
“He barely knows her. It will be a horrible match. The lass has not the fortitude you do to stand toe-to-toe with my imposing brother. Elizabeth Campbell is a sweet but timid little thing. Rory will terrify her.” Margaret sighed. “But it matters not. Rory will always do his duty, even at the expense of his own happi
ness.”
Isabel knew Margaret was right. She’d thought quite a bit about Rory in his absence. More than she wanted to. The night before he left, she’d caught a glimpse of the passionate man behind the revered chief. But his position as chief would always dominate. His clan called him “Rory Mor”—Rory the Great. The title fit. Even if she succeeded in making him fall in love with her, he would send her back if his duty demanded it.
“You’re not angry with me, are you?” Margaret asked.
“How could I be angry with you for speaking the truth?” Isabel managed a wry smile. She tried to pretend that her friend’s words did not bother her, but Margaret was not fooled.
Isabel moved back to the table and began closing the ledgers that she had been working on, carefully returning the parchments to their place on the bookshelf. She was grateful for the distraction of the accounts. Even with Michaelmas behind her, there was much to be done. Managing the rents from Rory’s lands, the livestock, and the household accounts took a large portion of her days. She fought back an unwelcome twinge of guilt. She’d been so busy, she’d not found much time to search for the flag or a secret passage out of the castle.
With Rory gone, it should have proved an opportune time. But she was no closer to achieving her goal, and nearly three months had gone by since she’d arrived. Time enough for her to form strong friendships and attachments that made the thought of betraying the MacLeods unbearable. It wasn’t just the lives of her clan that were at stake, but the lives of the MacLeods. If she failed, her clan would be left landless and at the mercy of the heartless Mackenzies. But if she succeeded, it would be at the expense of the MacLeods. If only she could think of a way to help her clan that did not involve harming the MacLeods. Perhaps it was time to write to her father.
She looked back to Margaret. “Well, are you going to break out of this keep with me or must I go alone?”
Margaret’s moment of seriousness fled, and she turned to Isabel with a wide grin. “If you are game, I am willing to brave the tempest.”