By Fire and by Sword (28 page)

Beauty itself doth of itself persuade

The eyes of men without an orator.

—William Shakespeare (1564-1616),

English poet and playwright.

R
evered and ancient, the brooding black crags of Castle Rock came into view. An extinct volcano, its ridges carved by glaciers, it seemed proud of its past—Bronze Age fort, thriving Roman settlement, royal residence, military garrison, prison and place of refuge.

Like Rome, Edinburgh was built on seven hills; like Rome, it had been attacked and rebuilt numerous times. And like Kenna Lennox, it had a turbulent past, and seemed destined to repeat it—at least that had been true in the past.

These were the memories that occupied her mind as she made her way along the quay, as she began to search the harbor for a ship flying an American pennant among a throng of foreign flags.

And then she saw it.

Dancing Water…

Her heart began to pound. Her mind filled with questions and self-doubt. Was she doing the right thing? Would he even be on the ship? Would he agree to see her?

She saw a man loading a few supplies into a small boat. She headed his way and stopped next to him. He took no notice of her until she cleared her throat and spoke. “Would you be available for hire? I need someone to row me to the ship
Dancing Water.
”

This time, she did not haggle over the price but paid it gladly, for this trip was worth a king’s ransom to her. She stepped into the small boat, and kept company with her thoughts as the boatman rowed her closer to the moment when she would know if this trip had been a wise move or fool’s chase.

As she was helped on board
Dancing Water
, she said, “I would like to speak to Captain Montgomery.”

The man who turned to face her was a hot-blooded Latin, and her eyes lit up at the sight of him. She smiled at the sight of his dear face. “Are you Alejandro Feliciano Enrique de Calderón?”

His face was alive with humor. “
Señorita
, I am anyone you wish me to be, and I am entirely at your service,” he said with a bow.

Tears rolled down her face as she said, “It is so good to see you again, dearest Alejandro.”

He smiled and opened his arms, and she stepped into the circle and left a few tears on his shoulder.

“It is good that you have come,” he said. “I have not
had anyone to tease for these many weeks. What took you so long to get here?”

She stepped back to look at him, with his long black hair, queued back, smoldering eyes and a smile whose sole purpose was to persuade women, and she remembered one woman in particular whom he had persuaded.

“There is someone I think you would like to see. She is waiting at the Edinburgh Inn.”

A smile appeared. “And do you think I would like this woman?”

“Oh, very much, for she is the perfect complement for a man such as you.”

“I shall go see for myself,” he said, “as soon as I take care of you. Come this way,
señorita
, and I will take you to our captain.”

What he needed was a woman.

Not just any woman, but one with fire in her heart and her hair, and eyes as golden as doubloons…and an excellent sword arm, he added as an afterthought.

This was not the best time for someone to puncture his dreams with a loud knock at the door.

He stared moodily at the door; the urge to choke whoever was on the other side growing with each breath he drew.

Another knock, this one louder. Alejandro’s voice called out, “You have a visitor, Captain. A
female
visitor.”

“Of course I do. Now, go away.”

Alejandro swore he was not joking. “Truly, Captain,
there is a woman here to see you…a woman you will want to see.”

“Of course there is. I can see her now, this woman who simply appeared on my ship, asking for me. Shall I tell you how she looks?”

“No, Captain, let me tell
you
how she looks. She has hair as red as a sunset, and eyes the color of Incan gold. She is obviously of noble class, for her clothes are finely made, and she wears a sword of a most unusual design.”

The door opened and Colin’s head snapped back and his jaw dropped at the sight of her flaming curls peeking from the hood of her green cape, with her lovely face turned toward him.

The impact of it hit him like a fist in the gut, and he knew for the second time in his life that he had made a mistake in letting her go…a terrible mistake.

“I hope you are not angry that I have come,” she said.

“That all depends on why you are here.”

She looked him over—so alluring in his well-fitting tan pants and a white ruffled shirt, and it set her heart racing. “My circumstances have changed,” she said.

“What circumstances might that be?”

“I am no longer encumbered by the past and devoted to the sport or the cause that took up my time.”

He stood and came around the desk, and stopped not more than a foot away.

“What makes you think that would interest me?” he asked.

“I have heard you are a man of much wisdom and good judgment, who never passes on a sure thing.”

“Does it involve a woman?”

“Yes.”

“I have sworn off women.”

“A very wise man once told me there are three things you must remember about a woman.”

“Which are?”

“Never take her for granted. Never think you know what she is thinking. And never think you know what she will do in a given situation.”

“I find women difficult to understand.”

“That is true. A woman is like smoke. She will curl seductively around you one moment, burn your eyes the next, tickle your throat until you cough, and then poof! She is gone. She is a mirage. She is a thunderstorm. She is a sailboat on a mirrored lake. She will run when you reach for her, and come to you when you wish her away. You can solve a problem. You can analyze logic. You can explain how vapor turns into water. But you cannot understand the mind of a woman. And do you know why? Because she does not understand herself.”

“Then what does one do?”

“You love her and deal with her in all honesty. You earn her trust. And then you put your faith in the Almighty, who made women the way they are, believing that He knew what He was doing.”

“And you believe this story?”

“With all my heart.”

He took her in his arms, and he was so achingly familiar to that impossible-to-blot-out image she carried of him in her mind every moment that they were apart. And she was here now, impossible though it was, in Edinburgh and in his arms.

“I love you, Colin, and I am so sorry for…”

He kissed her to silence, and then asked, “Lord Walter? What of him?”

“Lord Walter is dead.”

He held her more tightly. “I should have been there. The thought of it scares the hell out of me even now. I could have lost you.”

“As you can see, you have not, and I am here for good, if you will have me.”

A wicked gleam came into his eyes. “Lady Lennox, are you proposing to me?”

“I am.”

“And if I refuse?”

“I have brought my persuasion with me, to change your mind.” She put her hand on the sword at her side.

“I don’t have to spend the rest of my life sleeping with that between us, do I?”

“Never, for as long as you are at my side, what need do I have for it?”

“Do you have any idea what you have put me through and how long I have waited for this?” The moment he said that, he could see she was finished with this game she played.

She put her hands on her hips. “Is that a no or a yes, Colin?”

“Do you need to ask?”

“No,” she said, and stepped into his arms, where she belonged. “Take me home, Colin, to Loch Lomond and Lennox Castle, for I long to see my family and to have them meet you.”

“I have a better idea. Why don’t we invite them to a wedding in Edinburgh?”

“On your ship?”

“If it pleases you.”

She had her fairy-tale wedding, on the deck of his ship, and she would never forget the way he looked. His black cape swirled around his feet, the wind tugging it back just enough to expose the merest whisper of a tucked white shirt, in a manner wickedly pleasing. It intrigued her and made her wonder just what else lay hidden beneath that cloak.

Later that night, she found out.

ISBN: 978-1-4592-3577-9

BY FIRE AND BY SWORD

Copyright © 2006 by Guardant, Inc.

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