Highlander's Reckoning (The Sinclair Brothers #3) (29 page)

“Those two came upon me and took me to the King’s
camp,” Rona said quickly.

“‘Came upon’ you?” Daniel shot a dark look at Finn
and Ansel.

“We recognized the Sinclair plaid around her
shoulders. We Sutherlands are good at that,” Finn said dryly, which was met
with a few knowing chuckles. Though they were all united behind the Bruce in
the campaign for Scottish freedom, Rona had gathered earlier from Meredith that
the Sutherlands and Sinclairs had a long history of animosity between them.

“I told the King what was happening, and he
mobilized the army. We arrived in time to help, thankfully,” she concluded.

“You’re leaving out how you told us where the
English were positioned and helped us form a plan of attack,” the Bruce said, a
mischievous grin on his face.

Rona shrugged, and more barely muffled laughter
rippled through the group.

She glanced up at Daniel to see if he’d joined in
the astonished merriment, but he wore a dark look. She felt a frown forming on
her face to match his.

“What are you so displeased about?” she said under
her breath, though her tart tone caught some of the ears nearby.

Daniel shook his head slightly. “You put yourself in
great danger,” he said.

“What else was I supposed to do?” She crossed her
arms over her chest, sitting up straighter.

“You could have waited out the battle at Ian and
Mairi’s cottage, as I instructed,” he replied, mirroring her crossed arms.

“I had to do something to help! After all,
you
saved
me
from Dunbraes. Now
I’ve
saved
you
.”

Daniel opened his mouth, but before he could form a
retort, the group exploded in laughter. She looked around in surprise and
noticed Daniel glance at the others in confusion.

“You’re even, then—and evenly matched!” the Bruce
said through his mirth. “I take all the credit for your happy union—or at least
for the fact that your marriage will always be lively!”

The frown melted from Daniel’s features, to be
replaced by a reluctant smile.

“For which we thank you, sire,” he said, pinning
Rona with a devilish look. “Now if you’ll excuse us, I believe we have some
more…lively discussion to have.”

Rona blushed as a round of ribald comments and
whistles were thrown out at them, but Daniel paid them no mind. He stood and
extended his hand to her. She placed her hand in his and they hurried off
through the night toward the keep.

By the time they reached their chamber, Rona was
breathless, and not just from their hasty departure from the yard. The low fire
in the brazier caught Daniel’s eyes, and she knew he too felt the passion
building between them.

He stepped close to her, bending his head slightly
to brush his lips against hers. Even that light contact sent a shiver of
anticipation through her. The Bruce was right—they were matched perfectly.
Their stubbornness and willfulness meant occasional clashes, but the heat that
crackled between them could melt even their most hardened obstinacy.

Daniel moved his mouth to her neck and placed a
tender kiss there.

“I’m surprised you’re not more upset that I went
against your instructions,” she breathed, barely able to concentrate on the
words as his lips trailed along her neck.

“Aye, I’m a bit surprised myself,” he whispered
against her skin. “But you’ve changed me, Rona. I’ll always be commanding. But
you’ve taught me that I also need to trust. Like a falcon and falconer.”

Startled, Rona pulled back slightly. “What do you
mean?”

He straightened and gazed down at her. Would she
ever grow tired of his strong jaw, his determined brow, or those stormy
blue-gray eyes? She didn’t think so.

“Ever since Ian told me that a falconer can never be
sure his falcon will return, I’ve thought about us that way,” he began. “The
falcon needs its freedom, and though the falconer hopes the bird will return,
he must trust her enough to let her go.”

Rona felt something shift in her chest, and tears
stung her eyes.

“Some believe that the falcon only returns to the
falconer for food—that the bird is only following the easiest path to
survival,” she said, her voice thick with emotion as she echoed Ian’s words.
“But I think they’re wrong. I
know
Bhreaca. It is something I can’t put
into words, but there is an invisible thread that joins us for life.”

“Perhaps the best word for that is love,” he
whispered, tracing a finger over her cheek.

“Aye, love.”

As his mouth lowered to hers, she knew it was the
perfect word.

Robert the Bruce ran his palm along one of the
curtain wall’s large stones.

“You know that my father and I built this wall, and
the tower keep, by hand?” he said quietly to Daniel.

Daniel glanced over his shoulder at the tower, then
returned his eyes to the wall in front of him. He and the King stood on the
battlements looking westward toward the village.

“Aye, sire.”

“Please, call me Robert when we are alone,” the
Bruce said with a little smile.

Daniel nodded but said nothing. He didn’t think he
would get used to calling the King of Scotland by his given name. It was still
hard to believe that he stood next to the man now.

The Bruce gave the stone beneath his hand a pat and
returned his eyes to the loch. In the days since the attack by Warren’s forces,
the village had slowly returned to normal, and even now several boats moved
between the castle and the village.

“We made hundreds—nay, thousands—of trips between
the shore and the island to transport these stones. Once, as we were lifting a
stone out of the barge, my hands slipped and I dropped my end. The damned thing
fell right to the bottom of the loch!”

The Bruce shook his head ruefully at the memory.

“I was sure my father would give me a severe
tongue-lashing, if not a proper flogging! But instead he took me by the
shoulders and gave me a serious look. He said, ‘Son, this is our home. She will
shelter us, protect us, and be our family legacy. We must show her respect,
care for her, and always protect her in return.’”

Daniel glanced over when the Bruce fell silent and
noticed that his brown eyes were distant with memory.

“That was…sixteen years ago!” the Bruce said after a
few moments. “How much has changed in those years. I was just a lad then,
though I thought I was a man. And now I’m the King of Scotland.”

While many men would turn that comment into a boast,
the Bruce’s voice was actually heavy and somber.

“There is still so much to be done…” he said
quietly, and Daniel wasn’t sure he was meant to hear him.

But then the Bruce shook his head a little and
turned his attention on Daniel.

“My father was a wise man,” he said, his voice
intentionally lighter. “And I think if he were alive, he’d share a skin of his
finest whisky with you for what you’ve done for Loch Doon, and for Scotland.”

“It is an honor to serve you…Robert,” Daniel
replied.

“And there’s a bit of pleasure in it, too, I think,”
the Bruce said, a mischievous twinkle entering his eyes. “Is it safe to say
that you have joined the rest of your family in matrimonial bliss?”

“Aye, sire—Robert,” Daniel said, raising an eyebrow
at his King. “I will be forever in your debt for your match.”

The Bruce sobered slightly. “Nay, Daniel, it is I
who am in your debt.”

The Bruce turned away from the loch and gazed at the
castle, which was lit by the cheery morning sun. Daniel glanced up too. The sky
was the same bright blue as Rona’s eyes. Spring was finally blossoming after a
hard winter.

“Will you be able to stay on here at Loch Doon for a
while?” Daniel asked after a moment of silence.

“Unfortunately, I cannot.” The Bruce’s face fell
slightly. “My men and I will travel southeast to secure Dunbraes, and then
we’ll move on through the Borderlands.”

Daniel nodded. He had already been apprised of the
Bruce’s plan to raze Dunbraes to the ground so that the castle could never be
retaken and used against the Scottish again.

“You’ll join Sir Douglas, then?”

James “the Black” Douglas was already at work razing
castles and holdings all through the Lowlands and Borderlands at the Bruce’s
order. It was arduous, gut-wrenching work, but if they could ever hope to end
these wars for Scottish independence, they needed to destroy before they could
rebuild.

“Aye, at least for a time. We must secure the border
against the English, yet some of our fellow Scotsmen continue to challenge me
as well. I will eventually need to travel north to end this in-fighting once
and for all,” the Bruce sighed. “I’m not sure when I’ll ever be able to truly
come home. I’d like you to stay on as keeper of Loch Doon.”

“Of course, Robert. Let your mind be at ease that
Loch Doon will be safe and well cared for,” Daniel said.

The Bruce turned to him. “With a Sinclair behind
these walls, I’ll sleep well at night. I truly am in your debt.”

Daniel began to protest again, but stopped in
mid-sentence. Just then something occurred to him.

“I serve you freely and loyally, Robert. But…may I
ask a favor?”

The Bruce’s eyes narrowed, but a smile played at the
corners of his mouth.

“What did you have in mind?”

Rona placed her hand on the door to the study.

“Go on. The King is waiting,” Daniel said quietly
behind her.

He had pulled her away from the others only a moment
before, saying that Robert the Bruce wanted to see her, but he refused to tell
her why.

She cautiously pushed the door open and stepped into
the study, Daniel following her. She blinked in surprise as she took in the
room. The desk had been moved, and the Bruce sat calmly in a chair facing her.

Then she saw Ian and Mairi. They knelt before the
King, their faces tight with confusion and worry.

Fear sliced through her. She took a step forward.
“What is—”

“Please, join us, Rona,” the King said levelly. He
gestured toward the floor on Mairi’s right.

Rona swallowed hard and glanced at Daniel, but his
face was impassive. She stepped next to Mairi and knelt on the floor, her head
bowed.

“I’m sure you’d all like to know why you’re here,”
the Bruce began in a serious voice.

Rona’s heart hammered in her chest. She had a
terrible, sickening feeling she already knew why they’d been brought before the
King.

“I understand that Ian and Mairi Ferguson fly a
falcon,” the Bruce said bluntly.

All of Rona’s worst fears were confirmed. She raised
her head and started to protest, but the Bruce held up a hand to silence her.

“And not just any falcon, a snowy white gyrfalcon.”

Rona lowered her head again but shot a sideways
glance at Ian and Mairi. Mairi’s lips were pressed together in a white line,
and Ian bore a grim, resigned look.

“Moreover, they have trained Rona Kennedy—Sinclair,
rather—in the art of falconry, and she flies a peregrine falcon of her own. So,
the three of you have captured, trained, and flown falcons above your station.”

Rona swallowed again, her knees trembling against
the study floor.

“That would be quite dangerous if you didn’t have
the King’s express permission to do so,” the Bruce said calmly.

As his words sank in, Rona raised her head in
confusion.

“Luckily, you three have a royal dispensation to
practice falconry unhampered,” the Bruce went on.

Ian’s head snapped up and Mairi’s eyes went wide.

“What?” Rona blurted out, then clapped a hand over
her mouth.

The Bruce only chuckled at her.

“At Daniel’s request, I have written up
dispensations for you all with my royal seal attached. That should solve this matter.
You should have nothing to fear any longer.”

Rona’s eyes flew to Daniel, who stood back with a
smile on his face. She leapt to her feet and strode to him so that they were
chest to chest.

“You,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him, jabbing
a finger into his chest. “You tricked me! You led me to believe...”

Daniel lowered his brows at her and opened his mouth
to make a retort, but before he could form the words, she launched herself at
him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and planted her mouth on his. He
tensed in surprise, but then chuckled against her lips before returning her
kiss.

“Rise,” Rona heard the Bruce say to Ian and Mairi
behind her. She broke off her kiss with Daniel and flung her arms around first
Mairi and then Ian.

“Thank you, sire,” she said, turning to the Bruce
and dropping into a deep curtsy.

“Thank
you
, Rona, for looking after Loch Doon
and slaying one of Scotland’s greatest enemies,” the Bruce replied, taking her
hand and pulling her out of her curtsy.

She looked between Daniel and the Bruce, confused.

“I told the King how Raef Warren met his end,”
Daniel said by way of explanation. “We all agree that you have earned the title
of fierce warrior and defender of Scotland for your bravery.”

She lowered her eyes in embarrassment, but her heart
swelled, and it felt like it might burst with joy.

“And now I must be off if we are to reach Dunbraes
before dark,” the Bruce said a little sadly, dropping her hand.

“The others are ready to leave as well,” Rona said
to Daniel. “I was starting to say my goodbyes when you called me up here.”

“We’d best see them off, then,” Daniel said. They
all filed out of the study, led by the Bruce, and descended through the great
hall and out to the yard.

Everyone was gathered in the yard. Rona let her eyes
drift around the group. Ansel and Meredith had their heads together and were
talking quietly. Finn, Angus, Colin, Garrick, and Jossalyn stood nearby with a
few of the Bruce’s other men. Burke stood on Robert’s right side, while Alwin,
with Jane in her arms, stood on the left.

“Is everything ready?” the Bruce said to Garrick.

“Aye. The men on the shore have been notified that
we’ll march out this afternoon.”

“You are going to Dunbraes also?” Rona said to Jossalyn.

She nodded her blonde head and smiled, though there
was a sadness in her green eyes.

“Yes, we’ll travel with the rest of the army and
help as we can.” She looked up at Garrick, who looped an arm protectively
around her waist.

“Forgive me,” Rona said quietly as she stepped
closer to Jossalyn, “but I thought you’d be happy to return to your former home
and sad to see it brought down.”

The sorrow deepened in Jossalyn’s eyes.

“Dunbraes was where I lived for many years, but it
wasn’t my home. My brother made sure of that. I will be glad to see it
dismantled—as long as its innocent inhabitants and the villagers are kept
safe.”

Jossalyn directed those last words to the Bruce, who
had approached while they spoke.

“I will hold true to my word, my lady,” the Bruce
said solemnly. Then he looked up at the position of the sun.

“It’s time.”

Rona curtsied to the Bruce again and bid a warm
farewell to Finn, Angus, Colin, and Ansel. Then she gave Jossalyn a hard hug as
Garrick said his goodbyes to Daniel, Robert, and Burke.

“Farewell, sister,” Jossalyn whispered. As she
pulled back from the hug, there were tears shimmering in her eyes.

Rona had to hold back her own tears as she continued
with her goodbyes to Burke, Robert, Meredith, Alwin, and baby Jane.

“Must you all leave at once?” she said, her voice
thick with emotion.

“We are needed as Roslin Castle,” Robert replied,
though Rona thought she saw a hint of sadness through the man’s stony exterior.

“And at Brora Tower,” Burke added.

“But you’ll all come visit when the babe arrives,
won’t you?” Meredith said, unchecked tears on her cheeks.

“Of course we will,” Daniel said, coming to Rona’s
side.

Rona and Daniel saw the large group to the gates,
and then they climbed to the battlements overlooking the docks as the others
filed onto the waiting boats. The Bruce and his men, plus Jossalyn and Garrick,
took one large barge, while Robert, Alwin, Meredith, Burke, and the Highland
warriors who’d accompanied them took another. Ian and Mairi said a quick
farewell and boarded a small rowboat headed for the village.

Rona leaned against Daniel’s chest atop the
battlements. They watched as the boats pushed off from the castle and set out
across the loch. Rona waved furiously until the boats were mere specks, tears
burning her eyes. She never expected when she’d been told to marry a Highlander
named Daniel Sinclair that she would also gain such a warm, loving family.
Their departure cast a somber shroud over her that clashed with the mild, sunny
afternoon.

“The castle will seem empty without them,” Daniel
said, nuzzling her hair.

“You read my mind,” she replied, her throat tight.

“Then again…”

Daniel burrowed through her locks to nibble on one
earlobe. “Perhaps we will enjoy some peace and quiet.”

She turned and looped her arms around his neck.

“And if we do what you have in mind,” she said with
an arched eyebrow, “the castle will fill up quickly again, but with children.”

“A man can dream,” he said with a grin. “I hope they
have your fiery hair, and your temper to match.”