Page 25 of Scottish Rose: Coira

“There is nothin’ to say,” she snapped.

“My lord, I think there is something Lady Coira should know,” interrupted Jack.

“Not now, Jack. Can’t you see I’m trying to talk to my wife?”

“I thought ye were different, and that ye cared about me,” Coira continued.

“I do, sweetheart. I care about you very much.” He reached out to touch her on the shoulders. Coira pushed his hands away.

“Ye are no better than yer uncle.”

“Now, don’t even say such a thing, because that’s not true.”

“My lord?” said Jack, once again trying to get Lance’s attention.

“Not now, Squire.”

“It is true, and I ken that now. I am only glad that I gave ye the wrong information.” She smugly crossed her arms over her chest.

“Wrong information?”

“My lord?” said Jack.

“What do you mean, wrong information?” A look of fear mixed with disbelief showed in Lance’s eyes.

“I am no’ daft. I kent ye were tryin’ to find out where the stone is hidden, so I told ye its last hidin’ place.”

“So, it’s not in the river now?”

“Nay,” she said with a smile, shaking her head.

“Then where is it?”

“No one kens the answer to that but the MadMen MacKeefe. But even if I kent the answer, I wouldna tell ye.”

“So, you betrayed me as well,” Lance pointed out.

“That’s different,” she said. “I was only throwin’ ye off the path to protect Scotland’s coronation stone.”

“You both seem to have betrayed the other,” Zara interrupted.

“You have no idea what you did,” Lance said in a low and steady voice.

“My lord,” interrupted Jack once more.

“God’s eyes, Squire, what is it?” snapped Lance.

Thunder rumbled off the walls of the castle as rain pelted down against the wooden shutter covering the window.

“I just thought you and Lady Coira should know that when you left, the dog tried to follow.”

“Sweetcakes?” Coira looked up in surprise, realizing she hadn’t seen the dog since they’d returned. “Where is she?”

“She’s gone,” explained Jack.

“Gone?” asked Lance. “Where did she go?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” Jack sighed and held up his hands. “I tried to keep her in the courtyard as you’d instructed, but the dog wouldn’t stay. She ended up running out the gate just before it started to rain.”