Miles’s eyes twinkled. “Give him back the dagger, Elizabeth. There needn’t be any concern for Guy’s loyalty.”
Elizabeth didn’t move. Her hand clutched the rock, hidden in the folds of her skirt, and at the same time she made note of the flat rock Sir Guy’s softly clad foot was resting upon. Feet were vulnerable in even the strongest men.
“Where are your men?” she asked Miles, her eyes on Sir Guy.
“Well…Elizabeth,” he began. “I thought perhaps…”
From the slight changes in Sir Guy’s face, Elizabeth knew that whatever had been done had been Miles Montgomery’s idea.
“Speak up!” she commanded.
“We’re on MacArran land and I knew we’d be safe so I decided to walk with you and Kit. There’s never been any danger.”
She whirled to face him but kept Sir Guy in her view. “This was all a trick,” she said evenly. “You lied about your men disappearing. You lied about being in danger. You did this all in an attempt to get me alone.”
“Elizabeth,” he soothed. “We were surrounded by people. I thought perhaps that if we could be alone for a time you might come to know me. And Kit—”
“Don’t profane that child’s name! He was not in this ugly plot of yours.”
“It wasn’t a plot,” he pleaded, his eyes soft.
“But what of danger? You risked my life and that of your son. These woods are full of savage men!”
Miles smiled patronizingly. “True, but these savages are related to me by marriage. I’m sure we’re surrounded by MacArrans even now.”
“I’ve heard no one except this great thrashing boar.”
Sir Guy stiffened beside her.
“There was no harm done.” Miles smiled at her. “Give me the dagger, Elizabeth.”
“No harm except lies given to a woman,” she spat at him.
After that, everything seemed to happen in a single flash. She lunged at Miles with the dagger. Sir Guy’s hand knocked it from her grasp, and as the little knife went flying, Elizabeth’s heel came down on the two smallest toes of Sir Guy’s left foot. Miles, as he turned astonished eyes to Sir Guy’s cry of pain, didn’t see Elizabeth’s fist, wrapped about the rock, as it plowed into his stomach. With a great whoosh of pain, Miles bent over.
Elizabeth stepped back, watching as Sir Guy sat on the ground and tried to remove his boot, his face showing his pain. Miles looked as if he might lose his dinner.
“Well done,” came a voice from behind her. She whirled about to look into the face of a strikingly beautiful woman, with black hair and blue eyes, as tall as Elizabeth, which was rare. A big dog stood beside her.
“That should teach you, Miles,” she continued, “that all women don’t appreciate being used as a man sees fit.”
Elizabeth’s eyes widened as from the trees men began to drop and, coming from the direction of the cottage, an older man was leading Kit by the hand.
“Lady Elizabeth Chatworth,” the woman said, “I am Bronwyn MacArran, laird of Clan MacArran and sister-in-law to this scheming young man.”
Miles was recovering himself. “Bronwyn, it’s good to see you again.”
“Tam,” Bronwyn said to the older man. “See to Sir Guy’s foot. Did you break it?”
“Probably,” Elizabeth answered. “When I’ve done it before I’ve found it usually breaks the man’s smallest toe.”
Bronwyn gave her an acknowledging look of appreciation. “These are my men. Douglas.” As she called each man’s name, he stepped forward, nodded at Lady Elizabeth. “Alex, Jarl and Francis.”
Elizabeth gave each man a hard, appraising look. She didn’t like being surrounded by men and she moved so Sir Guy was no longer behind her. The many men near her made her feel as i
f she were locked in a small stone cell.
Miles, rubbing his stomach, noticed the move and came to stand nearer to Elizabeth, and when Tam took a step closer, Miles touched the man’s arm, his eyes giving warning. With a quick frown of puzzlement, Tam released Kit and stepped away from Elizabeth, noticing that her eyes were wary, watching.