Page 9 of A Highlander's Bride

“’Tis strange that I doona remember that.” Lady Munro glared at her daughter, but didn’t say anything else.

Daniel would bet his best horse Lady Beth never let anything put her to bed in the middle of the day. Except him, however, if he had any say in it.

So ye have already decided, then?

“Mayhap I can join ye tomorrow morning for a ride, Lady Beth. I like to go early since I generally have some problems to address with the clan during the day.”

She nodded, a broad smile on her face. The lass thought she had won because she avoided a walk in the garden when she would have to speak with him? Nay. Maybe for today. However, he could come up with as many plans as she had. He was really looking forward to this visit now.

What Lady Beth didn’t know was that, aye, he had already selected which lass he wanted for his wife. ’Twasn’t a difficult choice. Lady Beth was beautiful, charming when she wasn’t trying to be otherwise, would never bore him, would always challenge him, and bring life and humor into the castle and his life.

Also, he was already planning hours and hours in his bed running his hands over those lush curves and teaching her ways to bring pleasure to them both.

It was apparent, however, that Lady Beth was going to try her best to avoid a betrothal agreement. He needed to learn if there was another man standing in his way that held her heart back at Foulis Castle.

While Lady Alice seemed to be a sweet lass, she was much too shyand accommodating for him. A warrior did not do well with a woman who wasn’t his equal in temperament, and Lady Beth surely was. He almost rubbed his hands with excitement and delight at how the chase would be this week with his guests.

He could not believe King George II did something right.

*

Beth changed intoher riding clothes and left the keep. She would have a free day enjoying the fresh air and riding over the hills and valleys outside of Castle Leod while Laird Mackenzie was stuck walking through the flower garden entertaining Lady Alice.

Although not pleased, her mam didn’t try to stop her from riding. Feeling free for the first time since her da had told her about this visit, she passed the men training on the lists and waved briefly to a few of them who called out to her.

She made her way to the immense stables behind the keep. And a wonderful stable it was! The horses were well cared for, healthy, and appeared anxious for a run. The animal she was given, Tiger, fit her perfectly.

The stablemaster seemed reluctant to allow her to ride without permission from the laird, but she assured him Laird Mackenzie did, in fact, give her permission and she was quite capable of handling any animal he would present her with.

Since she had mentioned she’d like to take a ride, and The Mackenzie hadn’t said anything against it, as far as she was concerned, that was permission.

So, she was now riding in the fresh air, far away from Laird Mackenzie and Lady Alice and the flowers she was interested in.

After a couple hours of riding, stopping a few times near a stream to water her horse and give the animal a rest, she spotted a village in the distance and decided to enjoy the rest of the day by taking a look atthe vendors who had set up tables in the middle of the village green. She left her horse at the village stable with an assurance to the stablemaster that Laird Mackenzie had allowed her to ride one of his horses.

The bright smile she had cast at the blushing young man who assisted her had most likely helped, as well.

The air was beautiful, warm but with a bit of a chill. The vendors were different than the ones that sold their wares in Foulis Castle.

She enjoyed a lovely sweet cake as she strolled along. She was tempted to enter the village tavern inn and have an ale, but she was reluctant to antagonize her parents further by doing such a thing if they discovered her misstep.

But ’twas nice enough to enjoy what was offered by the village vendors.

It seemed in no time at all that her stomach was growling, the sun was beginning its descent, and she was quite thirsty. Since no one seemed to be looking for her, and the vendors in the green had begun to pack up, she decided to enter the tavern inn, anyway. With luck she would be able to eat and drink an ale and make it in time to dress for supper, which her stomach did not want to wait for.

She was taking a sip of ale after enjoying a mutton pie when a voice she never really wanted to hear again said, “Lady Beth Munro, how verra nice to see ye here.”

She groaned and closed her eyes. Laird Daniel Mackenzie drew out the chair at her table and sat. “If ye were hungry, our cook Jemima would have been happy to feed ye something before the evening supper.”

Why was this man plaguing her? She wanted nothing to do with him, but every time she looked up, there he was, smirking at her.

Beth shrugged. “I dinna want to bother her.”

He nodded at the lass who set down a mug of ale in front of him. “And ye took one of my horses to ride to the village.”

She backed up and stared at him. “Was I no’ allowed to do that? Aren’t I one of yer guests? And I told ye I was going for a ride. Did ye think, then, that I would be riding a wagon wheel or one of yer chickens?”

He grinned. “Aye, while another of my guests and I were traipsing through the flower garden.”