She glared at him. “I didnae say that,” she said fiercely. The distress that she displayed in the tavern was gone, and the fighting woman he had come to know showed herself once more. At the moment, her cheeks were flushed and her lips were set in a pout. His gaze dropped down to her mouth, and he felt a sudden urge to kiss away the anger. Any thoughts he had of the past seemed far away…
What the hell was wrong with him?
He compressed his lips into a thin line as annoyance swelled in his chest. Somehow he had allowed Adrina to get underneath his skin, and he struggled with wanting to wring her neck one minute, and lusting after her in the next. He didn’t have time for this nonsense. Once again, he regretted the burden that Rory bestowed upon him. At the time, it seemed logical for Duncan to take up the assignment. The chief needed a man to uncover the true allegiance of Tevon MacGill. And everyone knew that Duncan would discover the facts using his methodical ways. But now that he thought about it, Griogair should have been the one to play the escort. And while his younger brother’s methods were different from his own, Griogair had skill enough to obtain the necessary intelligence.
“Why must we fight the English?” Adrina asked, cutting into his thoughts.
“Ye dinnae ken?” He blinked at her, surprised. The earlier irritation he felt abated slightly. Most people were taught to dread the enemy, and were clever enough to hide away from them when they were close. Perhaps Adrina’s life in Castle Dunnvie had sheltered her from hearing the recounts of horror and abuse. It was the women, children, and the elderly that suffered the most during the raids. Was it possible that Adrina was unaware of the menace that the English represented?
But she shook her head, and clarified her position. “What I mean tae say is, why cannae our countries live together in peace?”
“Ye have high ideals about peace,” he said slowly. “Ye speak about harmony between our two countries, but concord is impossible if the goal of one country is tae oppress the other.”
He watched as a red squirrel scampered up a hazel tree, its feet scraping along the rough bark.
“’Tis in our best interest tae fight, and keep our independence.” Duncan paused, uncertain whether he should continue. But then he hardened his heart. War was nigh, and she needed to be prepared for it. It was beyond his conscience to allow her to think that all would be well. If he injected fear into her, then perhaps she would no longer hold onto her ideals. He looked ahead to the skyline, the information from the past unfolding in his mind. “’Twas nae too long ago, I followed Rory into England in search for a Scottish healer.”
“’Twas Lady Venora ye were trying tae find,” she said.
“Aye,” he nodded. “’Twas she. As we were returning tae the highlands, we came across an English cavalry that camped several miles from the Scottish border. I went tae scout the enemy, and when I saw the many cookfires that lit the forest, I became sick tae my stomach. There were more than a dozen, and ‘twas obvious that they were waiting for more troops tae join them. I surmised that once they gathered their numbers, they would cross into our land.”
“Does the queen know about this?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“She does.” He shifted his focus back to her. “I’ve already informed her of the oncoming attack. ‘Tis the reason why we’re heading tae Bracken Ridge — tae join forces with Gertrude’s men, and tae lie in wait for our enemy. The English dinnae ken that we’re aware of their presence. Sae when we intercept them at the pass, the element of surprise will be on our side, and those bastards would be defeated once and for all.”
“Are King Harold’s men now making their way tae the Ridge?”
“Nay, I dinnae think sae, but they’ll be here soon. The Scottish terrain is unknown tae them, and they’ll need tae get the lay of the land first before they maneuver inland. ‘Tis likely why they’re sending scouts.”
“Then all clans must join together in this fight.”
“Aye, ‘twould be the only way tae squash the invaders.”
She became silent for a long while. “Ye suspect that my father willnae side with ye in this war,” she said. There was no question in her tone. “That’s the true reason ye are coming tae Dunnvie Castle, is it nae?”
He gave her a curious look. Indeed, they did need to confirm MacGill’s allegiance to the country. The worse thing was to discover traitors in their midst. Still, Adrina’s moments of astute observation startled him. There were a few times he caught her staring vacantly into the horizon, and he wondered whether she only possessed beauty but little intelligence. However there were other times where she demonstrated keen intelligence, and seemed to comprehend situations that were beyond the capacity of an average lass.
“I can assure ye that my father is true tae Scotland,” she continued, and didn’t appear to notice that he hadn’t answered her question. “However I despise war. ‘Tis my belief that many will die.”
“That’s the way of it,” he said, his tone a matter-of-fact. “We lost many guid men in the last battle with the English. My da and Rory were at odds about fighting in the war. On the one hand my da insisted that we joined the queen’s cause. But on the other hand, Rory refused tae lead the men into combat, believing that the queen was a poor ruler.” He frowned as he recalled the quarrel. “I sided with my sire, of course. For centuries, the English coveted our land. The way I saw it, ‘tis better tae have a familiar ruler, rather than one that’s foreign and a tyrant. Under nay circumstances can we hand over our land, and willingly enter into slavery. Tae me, being under Harold’s domination would be equivalent tae death.”
Adrina opened her mouth to respond to his impassioned speech. But her brows furrowed, and she fell silent once again.
He had a distinct feeling that she had more to say than she was willing to reveal. Venora had confided in him that she believed Adrina possessed mystical gifts. However he scoffed at the idea. He had seen too many people profess to have these so-called gifts, but they were impostors. If they had any role in society, it was to give people false hope, and that was all.
“Will we be stopping soon?” she asked, finally breaking the silence.
“Aye,” he said. “We’ll find a spot tae set up camp.”
The sun was starting to sink into the horizon, and from his estimation, they had a few more hours of daylight.
He led Adrina to the edge of the forest where they followed a stream. It was best to ride into the forest, and stay in its protective cover rather than remain out in the open. In this regard, they could avoid the detection of any enemy that might be in their vicinity. And if a large party drew near, he had the advantage of seeing them long before they became aware of his presence.
In single file, they rode through the wooded area. There really was no road to follow, but enough travelers had passed through this way that he could see a faded path that led through the dying vegetation.
Fortunately the forest, glens and moors were his element. Roaming over the varied terrain provided him with a serenity that he couldn’t find in the confines of civilization. His father had taught him and his brothers to track the land. But it was Duncan who discovered a keen interest in it. He became proud of his abilities, and honed his skills to the point where his observations were quick and automatic. He was so well attuned to his surroundings that he often hunted with bare feet. It was strange how he felt such oneness with the earth. There were clues everywhere, and the turf always had something to show him.
On horseback, however, he didn’t have the luxury of using all his senses. Still the damp, musky scent of leaf mold permeated his consciousness, and he noted the low, hollowkraahof a lone raven perched somewhere in the nearby oak tree.
