Page 2 of A Laird and a Gentleman

At the realization, Mariam’s composure crumpled, her shoulders trembled and slumped. She had to talk to Cameron immediately, before he sent her away for good.

*

When the trial had ended, the remaining warriors who comprised King James VI’s Magnificent Seven gathered outside the ruins of the Old Parish Church to give Lachlan and Elizabeth privacy as they let the verdict and the consequences of the trial sink in. Cameron Sinclair, Alexander Ross, Malcolm Hamilton, Rhys Elliot, Quinn Douglas, and Reid Douglas waited beside two carriages: one that would take their brother-in-arms and his wife back home, while the other would see the king safely back to Falkland Palace where he and the queen currently resided.

“Lachlan and Elizabeth have been through the trial of a lifetime in the past few days,” Cameron Sinclair commented as he took the reins of his horse from a waiting stable boy, offering the lad payment for his work tending not only the carriages but also the other six horses while the trial had concluded. “It will be an honor to escort the newlyweds safely home.”

“Their trial is over,” Alexander said, mounting his horse and nudging it toward Cameron’s. “But I fear yours has just begun.”

“What do you mean?” Cameron asked with a frown.

“Your ward.” Rhys’s gaze shifted to something in the distance. “Seems she means to further try your temper this day. She heads for us now.”

Cameron twisted around to see Mariam advancing on them. Her unrestrained red hair was snatched by an errant breeze, making it swirl temptingly about her curvaceous form. When their eyes met, her lips parted. In the span of a single heartbeat, the Mariam he had known for the past year vanished and a madwoman—a witch with red hair—took her place. And as quickly as it had come, the image was gone.

As reason took hold once more, Cameron found himself staring at Mariam as she approached. The two were only six years apart, with her being in her eighteenth year and him in his twenty-fourth. The king had placed her with him when her own father had gone into service as the king’s witch pricker.

In the past few years, John Swinton and his pricker’s needle had exposed nearly five hundred witches in the Scottish Lowlands alone. Tensions were running high between the families of those who were executed and the man responsible for exposing their loved ones as witches.

John Swinton was not only feared, he was hated by most everyone in Scotland. And after there had been an attempt on the life of the man’s daughter by an angry husband whose wife had just been burned at the stake, the king had decided to place Mariam in Cameron’s care. When Cameron had asked the king why he’d been chosen, King James had said it was because Cameron had never lost a battle or any of his own men in any conflict.

Above all others, the king trusted Cameron to keep Mariam safe. But how could he protect her from herself? She seemed determined to act upon her emotions and not with logic. He’d tried to teach her equanimity during the past year, without any success. Lachlan’s trial was evidence of that fact.

She stopped before him. Anguish lingered in her eyes. “Cameron, my lord,” Mariam said breathlessly. “You must understand I had no choice but to remain silent. I could not—”

“It matters not. What’s done is done.” Cameron’s nerves reacted to her nearness, but he held himself in check. He might be her guardian but he was not blind to her beauty. He straightened as he pushed the thought from his mind. Mariam had been on trial here today as well, and she had failed. His ward had taken advantage of his generosity and understanding far too often, and she wouldn’t get away unscathed this time. He’d had his fill. “We’re done talking about this today. I will deal with you when I return to Ravenscraig. Understood?”

Her pulse leapt at her throat and the heat of a blush rose to her cheeks. “I understand your anger—”

“I’m disappointed in you more than I am angry. Go back to Ravenscraig now, this minute. I will deal with you when I return in a week or so.”

“But I—”

Cameron steeled his features. “You had your chance to speak up, and you failed to do so. I have no desire to hear your excuses, however noble you think they might be. Go home.”

Ignoring Mariam, Cameron signaled to the captain of his guard. “Ian will see you safely back to Ravenscraig.”

The distress in her green eyes vanished as anger sparked. “For how long might I remain?”

“I have not yet decided,” Cameron said sharply. “Perhaps time away from you will temper my thoughts to your advantage. Or not. Until my return, behave yourself if you can, or you may yet feel my wrath. Understood?”

Anger and anxiety mixed with frustration in her eyes, until she finally nodded. “I understand.”

“This way, milady,” Ian said, ready to escort her back to the stable where Cameron’s own carriage awaited. He watched until they were out of sight before turning back to his brothers-in-arms.

“A bit of a shrew,” Alexander said as he returned to Cameron’s side.

“You must see it, Cameron,” Reid said with concern. “Mariam is nothing but trouble. If I were you, I would send her back to her father, or marry her off as soon as possible and make her someone else’s problem. None of us needs any kind of distraction at present, not when the Wizard Earl is back in Scotland to stir up trouble for the king.”

Cameron frowned. “Aye, our duty to protect King James from the Earl of Bothwell is more important than all else. And now we are down a man with Lachlan leaving Scotland for a while. But I am certain once Mariam has had time to consider her actions, she will come around. She cannot have had the easiest life with a father like John Swinton. She is misguided, but not a hopeless cause. Besides, I alone cannot marry her off. The king must approve any sort of match.”

“You are making excuses for her behavior,” Alexander said.

“Perhaps it is time to get the king involved in finding her a husband,” Reid said.

Rhys scoffed. “A tyrant bride—who needs one of those?”

“I agree with Cameron.” Malcolm who had remained silent finally spoke. “As someone who has been misunderstood his entire life, I see past her defenses as you may not. There is something dark and dangerous about Mariam, but I also see a goodness in her she doesn’t yet see in herself. If Cameron chooses to foster her growth in a different direction for a while longer, we should all support him.”