Maggie saw the shadow fall over his eyes. He’d made a decision regarding her, she could feel it. And judging by the stiffness of his body, it didn’t bode well for her or her heart.
You expected as much.
Indeed, she had. Now it was time for her to preserve her dignity. Rising up on the tip of her toes, she placed a tender kiss on his whiskered cheek.
“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear, then she stepped out of his arms and walked back to the camp.
Braden closed his eyes as pain washed over him. He understood what she meant and it tore through him that he wasn’t the man she deserved.
He stooped, picked up the plaid from the ground and folded it. Memories assailed him. Memories of her lying naked above him as she gave herself fully to their union.
She was magnificent.
And he was an ass. A giant, arrogant one who should be taken out and beaten by each of her brothers.
Sighing, he tried to put the matter out of his mind as he headed back to camp.
That night passed slowly to Maggie who couldn’t really sleep. All night long, she tossed and turned as she tried her best to prepare her words for the MacDouglas.
Worse, dreams of Braden tormented and seduced her. But of all the dreams she had, the most terrifying was the one of the MacDouglas plunging his sword through Braden as she watched, helpless to stop it.
She woke in the morning with a prayer lodged in her throat and her hands trembling uncontrollably.
“Are you all right?” Braden and Sin asked as she sat straight up.
Her heart pounding, she could do nothing more than nod. But it was a lie and she knew it. She wasn’t all right. She was terrified beyond her capacity.
Everything rested on her shoulders. If she failed, all three of them would pay with their lives.
All throughout the morning, her panic stayed close to her heart.
After breaking the fast, they rode through the morning and well into the afternoon, watching for anyone who might see them on horseback and offer a challenge. But their luck held and they passed no one at all.
In truth, it was eerie that they saw no one in the lush, green fields or along the road as they crossed MacDouglas lands and headed for the castle. In some ways it appeared as if the world had ended and they were the only survivors.
When they came within an easy walk of their destination, they left the horses to graze in a small meadow.
“Do you think the horses will be here when we return?” Maggie asked Braden while he turned the last horse free.
“We’ll see.” Braden and Sin hid the saddles and bridles under a small bush.
Maggie nodded, noting that he didn’t mention the small fact of what would become of them all if she didn’t succeed.
It has to work, she assured herself as they gathered their packs and headed up the steep hill where the castle, and their fates, rested.
She couldn’t fail. Not while Braden’s life depended on her.
It was a couple of hours before dusk, when they finally reached the old stone walls surrounding the MacDouglas stronghold.
Since William Rufus had ruled England, these walls had protected all the MacDouglases from their enemies. No one had ever breeched the fortress, laid a successful siege to the castle, or held a MacDouglas laird hostage.
No one that was until Maggie had forged an alliance with the lady of the castle, and Ceana MacDouglas and her women had driven the men out.
In spite of herself, Maggie felt a little bit of pride at her accomplishment as she noted the large camp of men laying siege to the walls where women stood along the parapets taunting them. It was truly a miraculous sight. One she hoped to someday share with her grandchildren.
As the three of them drew near the camp, Maggie saw the men had left their tents and were grouped around a single individual. From the looks of the camp, it appeared Ceana MacDouglas had wasted little time after Maggie’s departure to put her husband and his men out. And by the dour looks on the men’s faces, she could tell they didn’t share Maggie’s humor at their predicament.
Braden pulled her to a stop as he caught sight of the MacDouglas.
