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Finally, they left the village behind and resumed a fast pace. Soon they arrived at the castle entrance and Duncan gave the signal to slow their mounts. When they rode beneath the raised metal portcullis Fiona’s back was as rigid as the stone curtain that surrounded the great castle, giving no hint of the fear tearing her apart inside.
I know I am doing what is right, she repeated to herself.The earl is a man who values honor. He will not forsake us in our time of great need.
As Fiona expected, the inner bailey was bustling with activity. Here, the retainers were barely given a second glance. Boys came forward to take their horses and several of the men joked with them. Duncan jumped off his horse, then assisted Fiona from her mount, his hands barely touching her waist. She cast him a shy smile, grateful for his respectful treatment.
All but two other men and Duncan drifted away. Nervously, Fiona followed the trio up the stone stairs into a large receiving hall. The room was massive in size, nearly as wide as it was long, with a high, soaring ceiling lined with thick, dark wooden beams.
A clan banner with the McLendon plaid woven around the edges hung from the center beam and finely embroidered tapestries depicting various battle scenes decorated the walls. Four large hearths were set in the stone walls, two on each side. On this summer day only one was lit, the fire barely blazing.
Slits in the stone at the very top of the walls let in light and fresh air, yet there was a heavy darkness that permeated the vast chamber.
At the far end was a raised dais where one man sat and several others stood.
“Wait until ye’re called,” Duncan commanded before he marched over to the dais, leaving her behind with the two other men.
Hunching over, Fiona craned her neck forward and squinted into the gloom, trying to distinguish the features of the men on the other side of the chamber. Was the earl among them? Or would she first have to speak to another of his retainers? That thought was most discouraging, so she pushed it aside.
“Come forward, Lady Fiona.”
A hush fell over the chamber at the sharply spoken command. Gingerly placing one foot in front of the other, Fiona began the long walk, biting her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. It felt as if every eye in the chamber was trained upon her. No matter. To save Spencer she’d walk through fire, if that’s what it took.
After what felt like an eternity of steps, Fiona finally reached the dais. Her relief at discovering that the man seated in the chair was indeed the earl was short-lived. He met her tentative smile with a fierce gaze that pierced her to the core.
Showing respect and deference, Fiona lowered her head and sank into a graceful curtsy. “I thank you most humbly, my lord, for receiving me.”
The earl snorted, then gave her a humorless smile. “Ye’ve given me little choice in the matter, Lady Fiona. Let me assure ye, the McLendons are not often this lenient with those who trespass upon our land.”
Disappointment rushed through her. She might be an uninvited guest, but there was no need to treat her like a common criminal. Why, he hadn’t even offered her a seat, or a glass of ale or wine to quench her thirst.
“Duncan warned me of the reception I was likely to receive. I see now that I should have trusted his word, but I believed a noble Scottish earl would show a chivalrous hand to a lady in distress. Especially since he had been treated as a friend when he dared to trespass uponmyland.”
The earl raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Are ye scolding me, Lady Fiona?”
“I am relating the facts, my lord.”
His mouth tightened. “With a boldness that many would find insolent.”
His words gave Fiona a chill. For one horrible moment, she worried she had gone too far and he meant to dismiss her. But then the pride that had given her the courage to take this risk flared to life. Her chin lifted, her spine straightened.
“It would be tragic, indeed, for you to perceive an insult when none was given.”
“Aye, it would,” he mused.
Subtly wiping her damp palm on her skirt, Fiona forced herself to smile. “Friends are not easily acquired in these uncertain times. ’Twould be tragic to turn one unjustly into an enemy.”
“Aye.” His gaze slid from the rounded neckline of her gown to her leather-shod booted feet. “Is that what we are, Lady Fiona? Friends?”
Fiona’s breath shortened. She knew the scrutiny was meant to intimidate, but there was something intimate, almost sensual in the earl’s hooded gaze that caught her completely off guard. “My husband counted you a friend.”
Lord Kirkland’s gaze slipped downward. “I was saddened to hear of Henry’s death. He was a good man.”
“The finest.” Fiona blinked, refusing to get teary-eyed.
“Ye were attacked?”
“Ambushed in the middle of the night. My son and I barely escaped with our lives.” Fiona’s voice softened. “That is why I have come. I seek justice.”
“From me?”
