She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear the door open behind her, and when she heard the light footsteps, she whirled about, ready to do battle.
“Did…did you enjoy the MacGregors?” Kit stammered, unsure of what the fury on her face meant.
Instantly, Elizabeth’s face changed. She knelt, opened her arms to the child and held him very, very close.
“I missed you so much, Kit,” she whispered. When her eyes cleared, she held him away from her. “I stayed in a big room with a secret staircase behind a tapestry and your papa and I had a pie fight and we went swimming in a very cold lake.”
“Bronwyn gave me a pony,” Kit answered, “and Uncle Stephen took me riding and what kind of pies?” He leaned forward and whispered loudly, “Did you make Papa angry?”
“No.” She smiled. “Not even when I hit him square in the face with a cherry tart. Come and sit down by me and I’ll tell you about how Bronwyn’s dog saved me from wolves.”
It was some time later that Miles found them together, asleep, both looking perfectly content. For a long time Miles stood over them, quietly watching. When he heard the muffled sounds of horses in the courtyard below and knew it was Gavin leaving, he bent and kissed Elizabeth’s forehead. “I’ll give you more children, Elizabeth,” he murmured, touching Kit’s cheek. “See if I don’t.”
“I most certainly will not!” Elizabeth said to Miles, her face set grimly. “I have nearly killed myself doing what you want but I will not remain here alone while you chase about the countryside having a good time.”
“Elizabeth,” Miles said patiently, “I am going hunting and you will not be here alone. All the MacArrans—”
“MacArrans!” she shot at him. “All those men near me for three days! No, I will not stay here. I’ll go on the hunt with you.”
“You know I’d love to have you but I think you need to stay here. There will be times when I can’t be with you and you need to learn…” He stopped when she turned away.
“I don’t need you or any other man, Montgomery,” she said, shoulders stiff.
Miles touched her but she moved away. “Elizabeth, we’ve been through too much together to let this come between us. I think you should stay here with Kit and the men and try to conquer some of your fear. If you don’t think you can do that, tell me and of course you can go with me. I’ll be downstairs.”
Elizabeth didn’t look at him before he left the room. Nearly two months had passed since that day Gavin had first arrived, and during that time Elizabeth had found out what happiness was. She and Miles and Kit had spent lovely, long days together, playing in the newly fallen snow, laughing together. And Christmas had been such as she’d never experienced before—a family together.
Bronwyn had taught her a great deal, not by lectures but by example. Elizabeth rode with Bronwyn a few times and visited some of the crofters. There were a few instances of panic and once when Elizabeth drew a knife on a man who was following her too closely, Bronwyn had interceded and calmed Elizabeth. After that there was no more of the initial hostility between the women. Bronwyn seemed to adopt Elizabeth as a young sister rather than look on her as a potential rival. When Bronwyn started ordering Elizabeth about just as she did everyone else, Miles and Stephen relaxed. Three times Elizabeth told Bronwyn she could drop herself off the cliff road and Bronwyn had laughed heartily.
Rab also seemed to have adopted Elizabeth and quite often he’d refuse to obey either woman, skulking off into the shadows instead. When Stephen called the dog a coward, both women turned on him.
And daily, Miles and Elizabeth drew closer. Sometimes, while she watched Miles training, the upper part of his body bare, glistening with sweat, she felt her knees go weak. Always, Miles sensed her presence during those times and the hot looks he turned on her would make her tremble. Once, Stephen’s lance had just missed Miles’s head because Miles was concentrating on Elizabeth’s lustful looks. Stephen had been so angry he’d started choking Miles.
“Another inch and I could have killed you,” Stephen screeched in rage.
Both Bronwyn and Elizabeth, as well as Rab and Sir Guy, entered into that fracas. Stephen, his entire body red with fury, had demanded that Miles take Elizabeth away from the training ground. Miles, completely unruffled by his brother’s anger, had agreed readily. And what a memorable afternoon that had been! In spite of Miles’s outward calm, Stephen’s unusual anger had upset him and he alternately attacked Elizabeth and clung to her. They made love in the bed, across a chair, the arm nearly breaking her back, a
nd against a wall. Unfortunately, Miles slammed Elizabeth against a tapestry and she grabbed it. The heavy, dusty rug fell on them, knocked them to the floor—but they kept on until they started coughing. Locked together, they crawled from under the tapestry and continued on the cold stone floor. When they appeared for supper that night, flushed and exhausted, the entire Clan MacArran set up a howl of laughter. Stephen was still angry and all he’d say was to issue an order for Elizabeth to stay away from the training ground.
Two whole months and one week together, almost five months since her “capture,” she thought.
But now she knew that time was running out.
Gavin sent a messenger to Miles. Roger Chatworth and Pagnell had gone to the king together and Roger’d told King Henry that Raine Montgomery was trying to raise an army against the king, and that Miles was holding Elizabeth in bondage. The king declared that if Miles did not release Elizabeth, he’d be declared a traitor and all his lands confiscated. As for Raine, the king threatened to burn the forest.
Gavin had pleaded with Miles to release Elizabeth. Miles spent days hardly speaking, but sometimes looking at her with great longing, and Elizabeth began to realize that their days together were numbered. Miles began to push her to spend time with the MacArrans, almost as if he were trying to prepare her for the future—a future without him.
Elizabeth was torn both ways. She did want to learn how to cope with her terror of men, but at the same time she wanted to spend every moment with Kit and Miles.
“Damn!” she muttered, alone in the room. How had she come so far from independence to utter dependence?
Gavin had come to Scotland again, this time in a rage that made his first one seem mild, and for the first time Elizabeth felt some guilt at wanting to stay in the peaceful MacArran household. When Miles came to their room, she asked him to allow her to leave with Gavin. She’d planned to say she wanted to save both his family as well as hers but Miles never gave her a chance. Both Stephen and Gavin’s rages together were nothing compared to Miles’s. He cursed in three languages, he threw things, tore a chair apart with his bare hands, took an ax to a table. It took both Tam and Sir Guy to hold him.
Gavin and Stephen had obviously seen their little brother like this before. Even Gavin gave up and went home after Miles’s display. And Elizabeth was left weakened, looking down at the drugged Miles with tears in her eyes. Roger and Miles, she thought over and over, Roger and Miles. She had a home with two brothers, one of whom was tearing the Isles upside down to find her, yet she sat and cried over her enemy, a man who’d also protected her, who’d shown her patience and kindness and taught her that life could be good.
Drowsily, Miles opened his eyes. “Did I frighten you?” he asked huskily.
She could only nod.