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“Henry, we cannot—”
“Quiet, Fiona.”
The sharpness of his tone stung, but she obeyed without further comment, knowing in her heart she needed to trust in Henry’s judgment. He was wise and worldly and caring and would do what was best.
Fiona reached down and grasped her husband’s hand, squeezing tightly. Her faith in him was unconditional. Yet as she gazed at the broad, powerful shoulders, hard eyes, and stonelike expression of the Scotsman who had brought this turmoil into their lives, she realized why she was so frightened.
’Twas indeed true that her loyalty and trust in her husband was steadfast. Her opinion of this heathen Scot, however, was another matter entirely.
Gavin McLendon, Earl of Kirkland, tried to ignore the play of emotions that flitted over Lady Fiona’s face when she realized her husband was going to aid them. He swore he could almost hear the spirited objection that sprang to her lips, but somehow she kept it at bay and held her tongue. Gavin could not help but be impressed at her self-control.
He vaguely recalled hearing that the baron’s second wife was considerably younger than her husband, but somehow he had not expected her to be so pretty. Beautiful, really.
She had a buxom figure with lush breasts, perfectly curved hips, and an angelic face that looked as if it had been carved from marble. Her head was uncovered and a long, thick braid of honey-blond hair trailed down the middle of her back, ending at the base of her spine. It made her appear maidenly, innocent; an odd occurrence for a married woman.
Her eyes were an unusual shade of green, vibrant and sparkling with intelligence—a trait he did not often ascribe to the female sex. His own wife, though not a simpleton, would never have grasped the enormity of this current situation on her own.
And if by some miracle she did, she would never have been so calm. Or cooperative.
“How many men are with you?” Henry asked.
“Twenty-five. But most are wounded,” Gavin answered readily, then cursed his loose tongue. After being on the run for nearly two weeks, exhaustion was finally starting to overtake him. Though his relationship with the baron was of long standing, it was never wise to be so trusting.
The tension in the small clearing subtly began to rise. Gavin saw his men look warily from one to the other, their hands drifting down to the weapons at their sides. From the corner of his eye, Gavin noticed Lady Fiona give her husband an anxious glance.
“I will do what you ask of me,” the baron declared. “And provide whatever medical assistance I can for your men. But in turn, I expect a boon from you.”
Gavin stifled a curse. He had never assumed the aid would come without a price, but at this moment in time he had little to give. “Aye. Name yer price.”
“Before the end of summer, I expect you to lead a raid on my village and steal my cattle.”
For the first time in many days, Gavin felt his lips move into a smile. “I’ll take the entire herd, if ye want.”
“Most obliging of you, my lord. And don’t forget to steal some grain,” Henry added, his broad face breaking into an answering grin. “Though I expect it to be promptly returned and my fields left as they stand.”
“ ’Tis the usual agreement. The plundered grain returned and the fields left trampled, but not burned.”
“The usual agreement?” Lady Fiona’s voice climbed to a high, wavering pitch and her chest rose and fell with quickening breaths. “So, you have done this before? And yet, you both act as though it means nothing. I can’t imagine that our people share your opinion, Henry. How terrified and helpless they must feel when they are attacked.”
“We attack no one, shed no blood,” Gavin insisted. Her obvious dismay rankled, though he wasn’t sure why. He and the baron had done nothing wrong. On the contrary, they had found a way to live in peace and harmony and avoid any suspicion over their secret alliance by outwardly appearing as enemies.
“We devised this agreement years ago. The McLendon clan come under the cover of night,” Henry explained. “They are rarely seen by the villagers.”
She shot her husband a startled look. “And that makes it acceptable?”
“That makes it safe,” Henry countered, his voice rising with impatience. “For all concerned. Our people suffer no injury and nearly all of what is taken is eventually returned. It would look suspicious if we were the only castle along the border to suffer no raids from our thieving northern neighbors. King Edward does not look kindly upon the Scots, but I do not share his belief that they must be conquered.”
“As if ye could,” Duncan said tersely, stepping forward, his hand moving down to the hilt of his sword. “Damn English. Yer a bunch of dishonorable cowards.”
“Duncan!” Gavin pinned his cousin with a cold, hard stare. Duncan was a fine soldier and a loyal retainer, a man not inclined to run from a battle. It had been harder on him than most to accept this defeat, but Gavin could not allow him to jeopardize the one alliance that could save them now.
Duncan did not wilt under his glare. For an instant he looked confused and then he mumbled something beneath his breath. His manner still proud, the chastened man released his grip from his sword handle and took several steps backward.
Fortunately, the baron took no offense at Duncan’s remarks. Gavin slowly exhaled, blessing whatever reasoning had pushed the Englishman to propose a truce between them, along with a radical plan to ensure its survival. It was a rash act on Gavin’s part to agree, but one he had never regretted. Especially now.
“At nightfall for the next five days, I will bring food and drink for you and your men and leave it at the base of this tree.” Henry pointed at the massive oak. “You can hunt for game in my northernmost woods to supplement the fare. I shall keep my men away from the area for the remainder of the week, so you won’t be discovered.”
“We will keep to the north.” Gavin attempted a smile of thanks, yet failed, for there was one more thing he needed. It galled him to ask, but it was necessary to improve the chances of survival for several of his more severely wounded men. “Clean linen bandages would be useful, along with some medicine.”
