Highlander Unmasked Read online

  “Doesn’t it?” Isabel encouraged.

  Perhaps it did, Meg realized. If Alex felt there was still something he had to do. “Do you know why Alex is really at court, Isabel? Does it have to do with what you’ve just told me?”

  Something distinctly resembling guilt flashed across Isabel’s stunning face. “I’ve said too much already,” she murmured dismissively. “But I do know that the loss of that battle weighs heavily on him. It changed him. In many ways, Alex is living in the past, trying to make up for his perceived failure that day.” Isabel looked as though she wanted to say something more, but she held her tongue.

  “But what can I do?”

  “I don’t know. You’ll have to discover the rest from Alex. He deserves to find happiness. If there’s any chance that he can find it with you—”

  “You two look as thick as thieves at a fair,” Elizabeth said, approaching them from across the room.

  A quick glance over to Rosalind forced a smile to Meg’s lips.

  “I see your conversation is as enthralling as ever, Elizabeth,” Meg teased, eyeing her mother napping peacefully in her chair.

  Elizabeth laughed. “I think we may have missed the truly scintillating conversation. But I’ll wager I can guess what—or should I say whom—you were conversing about.” Elizabeth turned to Isabel and said, “Your brother by marriage has made quite an impression on my friend.”

  “I think it’s mutual,” Isabel said, returning her smile.

  “I think you’re right,” Elizabeth agreed.

  “If you two are finished speaking about me as if I’m not here, I believe I’m ready for that game of chess you promised me, Elizabeth.”

  Elizabeth ignored her. “Isabel, did Meg tell you about the game of chess that she—”

  “That’s enough for now, Elizabeth.” Meg stood up and playfully pulled her smirking friend across the room.

  Meg knew that she was only delaying the inevitable. She’d hear all about her prodigious loss to Alex yet again. But the teasing didn’t bother her. Alex was a worthy foe—or ally, for that matter. She’d always thought of him as invincible. But in a strange way, learning about his past loss on the battlefield made him seem more human. The failure in no way diminished the man he had become, but rather explained it. The loss had framed his life. But had it overtaken it?

  Talking with Isabel had only strengthened Meg’s belief that whatever Alex was doing at court, it was for good. She didn’t care who he was. Mercenary. Outlaw. It didn’t matter. He was still the man for her. She knew the truth in her heart.

  But Isabel had also made her realize something else. She had to do something soon or she would lose him.

  But what could she possibly do to show him how much she trusted him?

  Though Rory and Isabel had arrived only yesterday, to Alex it seemed intolerably longer. He had been anxious to advise his brother of what he’d learned but had been forced to wait until they could ride well away from the palace to preserve the damn pretext of a falling-out. Now that he’d confided in his brother, Alex was relieved to have unburdened himself, but at the same time he was uneasy, realizing that the time for him to depart court was drawing near.

  Rory rode next to him in prolonged silence, no doubt considering the ramifications of the MacDonalds’ treachery and King James’s insatiable thirst for Highland bloodshed. His brother’s reaction had been much the same as Alex’s: shock followed quickly by anger and resolve. The grim set of Rory’s chin and the tightness around his mouth told Alex just how determined his brother was to battle this last betrayal.

  When they figured out exactly how best to do so, Alex would be on his way to the Isle of Lewis.

  Alex brushed the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. But it was useless, he was drenched. The heat clung to him like a wet plaid. After a long day in the saddle, he was hot, tired, and in desperate need of a good dunking. The scorching summer sun crested high in the clear blue sky, reminding him of the last time he’d gone riding. In deference to that day, a handful of Rory’s fiercest warriors trailed close behind them. With Dougal MacDonald thirsting for blood, they were taking no chances.

  “You don’t have to do this, you know,” Rory said, breaking the silence.

  Alex snapped his head around in surprise. That wasn’t what he’d expected to hear. His gaze narrowed as he assessed his brother, not sure how to react.

  Alex knew exactly what “this” meant—leave for Lewis. What he didn’t know was why Rory would suggest that Alex abandon his plan to join the fight with their kin.

  “Of course I do.” If Alex’s voice sounded sharper than necessary, it was because he wanted to make sure Rory understood just how important this was to him.

  “I’m not questioning your fighting skills,” Rory said, knowing that was precisely the conclusion Alex had jumped to. A wide grin spread across his deeply tanned face. “I haven’t forgotten the dunking I took on the lists a few years ago.” He rubbed his shoulder. “Or the soreness of my muscles afterward.”

  Alex smiled, remembering their invigorating battle and Isabel’s effective way of putting a stop to it. He’d had a few aches of his own.

  Rory’s hard blue eyes met his own. “You’ve changed in the last month, Alex. And I’m glad of it. I wondered whether you’d ever settle down long enough to fall in—”

  “There’s nothing—”

  “Don’t bother denying it.” Rory lifted his hand from the reins, staving off Alex’s denial. “You forget, I’ve been there myself.”

  Alex clamped his mouth shut. Rory was wrong, but there was no point in arguing with him.

  “In fact, I think it’s an excellent match and a golden opportunity for you. I wouldn’t blame you if you were tempted to take it. You’ve risked enough here already. Our cousin Douglas can go to Lewis in your stead.”

  Alex could tell from Rory’s voice that he was not convinced. They both knew that although Douglas was a strong warrior, Alex was the only one with the skills and experience necessary to help their kin—other than Rory himself. But because he was chief, there could be no question of his going. “You know as well as I do that I must go,” Alex said. “I’m needed on Lewis. I want to finish what I started.”

  Rory’s gaze intensified, but Alex didn’t flinch. His fearsome brother hadn’t been able to intimidate him in a long time. They’d been through too much together. But Rory’s continued scrutiny was uncomfortable all the same.

  After a moment, Rory reached a decision. “You weren’t to blame, Alex,” he said gently, broaching the forbidden subject.

  Alex flinched. His brother understood him better than anyone. Rory knew well why he pushed himself so hard. He turned away, focusing his attention on the rugged terrain of the grassy moors and rocky crags that surrounded them. Soon, the gray stone walls of the palace would come into view. Holyrood. What was once a guesthouse for the old Abbey of the Holy Rood, where a miraculous cross had appeared to King David I, was now a royal bastion of greed and deception.

  “It could have happened to anyone, Alex. No one blames you.”

  The bloody image of his murdered cousins flashed through his mind. “But I do,” he said to himself, hoping his voice was drowned out by the steady pounding of the horses. But Rory had the hearing of a hawk.

  “There was nothing you could have done. There was nothing anyone could have done. Dougal MacDonald is a bloodthirsty cur, he was looking for any excuse to kill them. Getting yourself killed on Lewis won’t bring them back.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?” Alex said tightly.

  “I just don’t want you to make the same mistake I did. I almost lost Isabel for the sake of revenge.”

  The raw emotion in Rory’s voice took the edge off Alex’s anger. He remembered that long week a few years ago when Rory thought Isabel had betrayed him. He’d never seen his seemingly invincible brother suffer like that before and probably never would again. Rory and Isabel were more in love than he ever thought two people co