“So ye keep sayin’,” Malcolm responded, lancing forward with his claymore. Ewan dodged the sweeping arc of the blade by the skin of his teeth.
“Dae I havetae name the lassie? Come on, Braither, admit it, ye’ve always had a fancy for those pretty green-eyes of hers, even when ye were naught but a lad. And now fate has landed her in yer lap.”
“Fate would never be so kind tae me,” Malcolm retorted with grim certainty, skillfully parrying another series of strikes from Ewan.
“But what puzzles me is why ye havenae done anythin’ about it yet,” Ewan grunted as their targes collided.
“What is there tae dae? She’ll be goin’ home tae Duncan any day now, where she belongs.”
“So? If ye both fancy each other, then there’s naethin’ tae stop ye from—” He stopped talking as the tip of Malcolm’s sword sliced neatly through the leather laces of his jerkin.
“Match over, I win,” Malcolm puffed out, pulling off his helmet and pushing his sweat-soaked hair from his eyes.
“I’ll let ye have yer wee victory, until the next time,” Ewan told him over the sound of cheering and applause from the soldiers looking on.
“Right, ye lot, ye’ve had yer fun, now get back tae yer trainin’, lads,” Malcolm commanded them before he and Ewan slowly walked off the field back to the armory.
A few minutes later, the brothers were in the armory stripping off their gear, discussing the repair of some masonry on one of the outside walls when they heard the door open. They both looked up. Malcolm was more than surprised when Catriona walked in.
“Why, Cat, what brings ye here?” Ewan asked, going to kiss her hand in greeting. Malcolm was rooted to the spot, wondering exactly the same thing as he eyed her closely. She smiled and cheerfully bid him a good day.
“I came tae ask Malcolm somethin’,” she answered, flicking a glance at him.
Malcolm stared at her in silence, his pleasure at seeing her mixed with dread. What did she want?
Ewan’s eyes swung from one to the other. Finally, he said, “Well, I have a young lady waitin’ fer me, so if ye dinnae mind, I’ll leave ye two alone. See ye at supper.”
“Aye, see ye supper,” Catriona echoed, thankfully not seeing Ewan winking at his brother as he slipped out of the door.
Alone with her again, Malcolm’s heart sank, torn as he was between his attraction to her and his loyalty to her brother. Hefeared he was running out of resolve and ought to leave. The tension between them rose quickly, becoming almost palpable.
Finally, not knowing what else to say, he asked, “Are ye all right?”
“Aye, perfectly, thank ye,” she answered with surprising normality.
“So, why are ye here?”
“Well, I’ve been thinkin’ about askin’ ye fer a while, but I had tae wait until me ankle mended. And now it has, I’d like ye tae give me some trainin’ lessons.”
Malcolm was taken aback by the request and did not even consider it before shaking his head. “Nay. Out of the question.”
Catriona frowned. “Why nae? Is it because I’m a woman?”
“Aye.”
“Well, that’s exactly why ye should teach me.”
“How d’ye work that out?”
“D’ye nae see? If I’m bein’ hunted, then I wantae be able tae defend mesel’ if I havetae.”
He groaned inwardly. How could he argue with that, when he wanted her to be able to defend herself too?
“All right,” he reluctantly agreed, getting up to fetch her a practice sword. When he returned, she faced him with a trusting eagerness that touched him deeply. But he made sure to hide it, instead looking at her skirts dubiously.
“Ye need tae tuck them up out of the way,” he said, gesturing at them. He almost wished he had not mentioned it when she did as he advised and kilted her skirts up into her waistband, flashing her long, slender legs. Swallowing hard, he averted his eyes and handed her the sword.
She gripped it valiantly in one hand and looked to him for guidance.
