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“Stephen shares my views, in this matter, at least.”
“You…you have discussed it with him?” She could not contain her mounting outrage. “You had no right”
“I disagree. I had every right.”
Katherine could only gape at him. Gone entirely was the good-humoured, courteous if somewhat bold host. Gone was the man whose gentle persuasion had seduced her into his bed just hours before. Instead, she faced a stern, implacable lord whose eyes glinted like emeralds and whose firm jaw looked to have been chiselled from granite. There was to be no reasoning with him.
“So,” he continued, “now that we have that settled, ye will mark my instructions. I expect ye tae present yourself in my solar immediately after ye have broken your fast i’ the morning, an’ we shall address the issue of your failure to pay due and proper heed to your safety. I think a half dozen strokes with a switch will be sufficient tae make my point.”
For several moments, words failed her. At last, she gathered her wits. “You cannot mean to do this. It was not my fault that those…those murderers attacked me.”
“I agree, an’ I shall deal with them as they deserve. But the fact remains, they couldnae have committed this outrage had ye no’ presented them with the opportunity.”
“No! This is monstrous. You promised not to beat me.”
“I would never raise my hand to ye in anger, but I will be master in my own keep. An’ I will protect those dear to me. When ye agreed to become my countess, I told ye I would no’ hesitate tae spank ye if such was warranted, an’ it is.”
“It is not,” she insisted, indignation now taking over from shocked outrage.
“Mine is the final word. Ye’re tae receive a spanking, and I hope ye will manage tae accept your just punishment like a grown woman, a countess, not a sulky child.” He rose to tower above her. “An’ now, I shall ask Aggie tae return an’ tend ae ye while ye consider the matter. I hope, by the morning, ye will have arrived at a more submissive state of mind.”
“Then, my lord, you are likely to be disappointed.”
He inclined his head. “We shall see.”
CHAPTERTEN
Robbie closed the bedchamber door behind him, then leaned back against it. He let out a ragged groan, raked his fingers through his hair, and gazed up at the rafters.
He had so nearly lost her.
It was only by sheer good luck and God’s infinite mercy that they had left the crypt when they did and had been in the right place at the right time. And that the sharp-eyed Flora had noticed Katherine’s cloak floating past them in the river. She recognised the garment, having borrowed it herself on several occasions. Moments later, they had spotted the red of his bride’s gown as she rushed towards them, flailing helplessly, carried along by the torrent.
There were but moments before she would be swept past them and most likely gone forever. Pausing only to divest himself of his sword, Robbie had launched himself from the back of his stallion, straight into the water. He was almost dragged away downstream himself, but he was a strong swimmer and oblivious to the icy water, having spent countless days as a boy playing in the loch. He managed, by sheer force of will, to swim into the middle of the river in time to catch her as she raced by.
Stephen was also off his horse and grabbing the rope from his saddlebag. He fashioned a loop, then flung it to Robbie. From there, the rescue was relatively straightforward. Stephen hauled the pair of them in, then helped Robbie to pluck Katherine from the water.
Only then, once the immediate danger was past, did Robbie allow himself the luxury of reflecting upon the circumstances.
First, and foremost, his almost-countess had nearly died.
Second, what the fuck was she doing in the bloody river?
And third, why was she even outside his castle at all?
The first required not an answer, but a prayer of gratitude to whatever saints had so graciously intervened. He had offered that up right there and then, beside the river.
On the second point, his blood ran cold when Katherine spluttered out what had actually taken place. He had feared something, but not this. Not an attempt on her life. And not so soon. He intended to address the matter with all possible haste.
As for the third issue, well, that would be dealt with in the morning.
It was not difficult to identify the culprits. Several carts laden with firewood had entered his keep that day, but only one was dragged across his drawbridge by three men answering the description he had been given. Armed with the information he gleaned from his steward, as well as the account provided by Katherine herself, Robbie made his way down to the small farmstead tenanted by the Mullett family. He was accompanied by Stephen, Charles, and a dozen of his men.
The Mulletts were his serfs. They paid a modest tithe to him for the use of their scrappy, windswept, and ungenerous couple of acres on the edge of the nearest village. They kept a few pigs, hens, and possessed one skinny heifer. Mostly, they survived on what they could scavenge and coppicing from their strip of woodland. He assumed that had been their business on this day.
Auld Fergus Mullett had died a few years earlier, leaving his widow, Meg, his three sons, and one daughter-in-law to manage as best they might. It was those sons with whom Robbie had pressing business.
He drew his stallion to a halt before the door to their dilapidated cottage.
