Just anyone has, he’d replied with a pointed look. The only thing within leagues of my demesne that fashes me currently rests astride my horse.

“I am not a threat to you,” she said, picking up the thread of the conversation where it had left off a few moments ago. “Why can’t you simply consider what I’ve told you? You saw for yourself that no one knew me in Balanoch. For heaven’s sake, if it looks like a skunk and smells like a skunk, it probably is a skunk,” she said, exasperated.

Drustan unsheathed his sword, propped it by the door, and glanced at her with a perplexed expression. “A skunk?”

“A mammal, weasel family, one of those smelly—okay, so that probably wasn’t the best metaphor.” She shrugged. “What I meant was, be logical. If you simply listen and ask the right questions, you’ll find that my story makes sense.”

He said nothing, and she heaved another sigh. “I give up. I don’t care if you believe me, if you’ll just promise me two things.”

“My hand in marriage is already given, lass.”

Gwen closed her eyes and sighed. “Don’t let Dageus go to the Elliott’s.”

“ ‘Tis too late. He rode out this morn shortly after we did.”

Gwen eyes flew back open. “You must go after him,” she cried.

“Doona fash yourself, lass. I sent a full complement of guard with him—”

“What if that’s not enough? I don’t know how big the battle was!”

“He rides with over two hundred of the finest fighting men Alba boasts. No trivial battle between clan will have such numbers. A clan dispute is usually naught more than a score or two of angry brothers and kinfolk.”

Gwen eyed him. “Are you sure that it might not be a bigger battle?” He did know his century. Somehow, she’d gotten the idea that medieval battles were all as grand as she’d seen in Braveheart. Probably from watching Braveheart.

“The Campbell and Montgomery frequently feud, and ne’er have they sent full armies to meet one another. Even if they did, an extra two hundred on the Montgomery’s side would make them victorious. My men are well-trained.”

Gwen nibbled her lip worriedly. Perhaps that was all they needed to do to keep Dageus safe. Already things had been changed. Initially, according to what Drustan had told her in her century, Dageus had gone with only a dozen guard.

“In addition, I instructed the captain that under no circumstances may Dageus engage in battle. Robert would truss Dageus to his horse and flee battle before defying my orders.” He sighed before adding, “I also told Dageus what you claimed, before he rode out. He will exercise caution. Nay,” he said, when she looked at him hopefully, “not because I believe you, but because I will take no chances, however remote, with my brother’s life. We will see if the battle you claimed truly does come to pass.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?” she exclaimed. “Will you believe me then? If it does?”

His expression grew shuttered. “Off to your chambers, lass. I will have Nell send up a bath and food.”

“Oh, get real, Drustan. You don’t really believe I could get two clans to go to war against each other just to make my point, do you? That’s ridiculous.”

His gaze swept her from hair to slippers and back again. “When I look at you, lass, I doona know what I believe and, at the moment, I’m damned weary of looking at you.”

“I guess that means I don’t get a good-night kiss, huh?” she said, hiding her wounded feelings behind a teasing little pucker.

He froze, his gaze fixed on her lips. Then he shook himself and scowled. “I am a betrothed man, lass,” he said stiffly.

“Remind me to remind you of that the next time you kiss me like you did today,” she said pointedly. “You can’t just go about kissing one minute and hiding behind a fiancée the next. As you said—you aren’t married yet.”

“And as I recall you didn’t care for that sentiment.”

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“And I kissed you only because you threw yourself upon me—”

“Oh, hardly. You kissed me because you wanted to,” she said coolly. “I may not understand much about emotion, and I may be new to sex, but one thing I do know is that you want to kiss me.”

She pivoted and stomped up the stairs.

His mouth suddenly dry, Drustan watched her go. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She was right. He did want to. Again and again and again. Until she melted against him and begged him to take her. New to tupping? He’d like to teach her anything and everything.