The Raider (Highland Guard #8)(107)

Whether Robbie wanted to admit it or not, whatever had happened in the yard that night had kept him from her bed. He blamed his removal from the tower on some problems with his men, and later on the return of the elder Lady Douglas (James’s stepmother) and Douglas’s sister Elizabeth, but Rosalin knew it was more than that. The realities that he’d been able to ignore while Sir Alex and Douglas were away were now staring at him full force. Neither man hid his feelings on the matter.

Rosalin understood that his friends’ disapproval weighed heavily on him, and it only made her more eager for her brother’s response. Even though Robbie spent as much time with her as he could when not busy with his duties, she missed the closeness and the reassurance of sleeping in his arms.

The only consolation was that he seemed just as miserable about the arrangement as she. The longing in his eyes when he looked at her almost managed to quiet the doubts that had risen from his harsh words to Sir Alex. Almost.

With the return of the Douglas ladies, Rosalin’s confinement to the tower was not quite as lonely. Elizabeth Douglas was charming, beautiful, and as refined as any lady of Rosalin’s acquaintance in England—in other words, she couldn’t have been more unlike her terrifying brother. At one and twenty Elizabeth was sophisticated for her years, and Rosalin wasn’t surprised to learn that she’d spent much of the last decade in France.

In some ways it made her as much of an outsider as Rosalin. Elizabeth had been uprooted from her friends—including Joanna—at a young age and returned to Scotland a stranger. Whereas Rosalin longed for the quiet, simple life of the countryside, she could tell that Elizabeth missed the excitement of her life at the French court.

But Rosalin wondered if there was something disturbing her. Elizabeth spent an inordinate amount of time staring out of the window as if expecting someone to come riding into the yard.

The elder Lady Douglas was polite, but she seemed to share her son’s feelings—if not his animosity—toward Cliffords. As she’d spent most of the time in bed recovering from an illness she’d suffered while traveling, however, her stepdaughter was free to spend as much time as she liked with their “hostage.” Joanna had taken to joining them after the midday meal to sew for an hour or two before she had to return to her duties.

Today they were in the solar Joanna shared with her husband on the second floor above the Hall. It was the most spacious chamber, with an enormous four-poster bed, a large fireplace, two large cushioned chairs, a desk, a bench, and two small windows that overlooked the courtyard. As in the other solars, the furnishings were surprisingly fine and comfortable for the castle of the family of a man who was supposedly an outlaw.

Since Cliff’s garrison at the nearby destroyed Douglas Castle had been sent home the year before, he had not attempted to fill it again. The English garrisons in the surrounding areas made periodic sweeps of Douglas, but Elizabeth told her they were more for show than anything else. The rebels left when warned and returned as soon as the English soldiers were gone. Cliff and King Edward might not agree, but the land had effectively been conceded to the Scots.

Elizabeth was asking about Rosalin’s previous trip to Scotland when the door suddenly burst open and the Black Douglas stormed into the room. Like Robbie, he had a way of making a big room suddenly feel small. Unlike Robbie, however, it made Rosalin’s skin tingle with fright, not excitement.

She did her best to sink into her chair and disappear. But it wasn’t necessary, Sir James Douglas only had eyes for his wife. He strode over and leaned down to brush a kiss over her cheek. “I’m sorry to disturb your rest, but I wanted to let you know that I’ll be riding out for a few hours.”

From the way he said rest, Rosalin could tell he was displeased to find his wife out of bed. The Black Douglas’s tender affection toward his wife still took some getting used to. Around Joanna, he seemed almost human.

Joanna brushed off the reprimand with a roll of her eyes. “Is something wrong?”

Rosalin didn’t miss the way his gaze slid in her direction. “Nay, just a short scouting trip. I’ll be back before nightfall.”

Joanna frowned, looking as if she wanted to question him further. But she must have sensed that he would not elaborate with Rosalin in the room and let the matter drop.

“No standing on your feet for too long today, mo ghrá,” Douglas said sternly, but with something in his voice that bespoke real concern. “You should not overtire yourself. You need to rest.”

Joanna reached up and put a hand on her husband’s glowering face. “I’m fine, James. The babe is fine.”

Their eyes held, and something so strong and powerful passed between them that Rosalin had to turn away, feeling as if she were intruding.

A moment later, the terrifying warrior left the room and Rosalin could breathe again.

Joanna must have noticed her reaction. She smiled. “You have nothing to fear from my husband, you know. He would never hurt you. He would never hurt any woman.”

Although she sensed that Joanna spoke true, Rosalin had heard too many terrifying stories and was too cognizant of his hatred toward her brother to ever be completely relaxed in Sir James Douglas’s presence. The same could be said for Robbie, she realized, but he was different. She’d seen the noble side of him before she’d heard the stories.

“Jamie has always had a chivalrous streak,” Elizabeth said. “Remember when we were caught on the other side of the burn near Boradleeholm, and the swell made it too wide to cross, and he and Thommy decided to carry us—”