Chapter twelve

 " A sound plan,"the king said with an affirmative nod.

 Maxwell held back a grimace."it should have been ."

 "But?"

 Christ ,this was like pulling his own teeth. "But our presence became known and the Welsh surrounded the place where we were hiding. Fortunately,the previous occupants had dug a hole underneath the floor to preserve their winter stores ,and we hid in there while the soldiers searched."

 "That couldn't have been too comfortable."

 That was putting it mildly. Three well over six foot tall ,broad shouldered warriors jammed In a space no more than five feet for nearly two hours had been hell.

 "Good thing my cousin smells so sweet from the bath."MacSorley said referring to MacBoyd well known for cleanliness. "The whole place smelled like roses."

 MacBoyd gave his cousin the cold, I'm- going-to-stick-a-knife-in-your-back-when-you-least-expect-it look that had earned him his war name " Ripper."

 " You're damn lucky not to be taken, " Robert said.

 No one argued with him.

 The king sat back in his chair , crossing his arms contemplatively." So is anyone going to tell me how your presence became known in the village?"

 Maxwell didn't need to look to know MacSorley was already fighting the laughter and dying to make some kind of jest— especially as it was one of his favorite topics to joke about. You'd think that after eight years he'd get tired of it .

 Maxwell should be so damned lucky.

 Usually,it didn't bother him ,but this time it could have gotten them killed. His mouth fell in a hard line ." It seems the farmer's young lass couldn't keep a secret and decided to blut it all out to few of her friends that we were there."

 "A few?"

MacSorley said. " The business lass sold nearly a dozen tickets to see the 'most handsomest man she'd ever seen in her entire life.' ". He added the last word in the dreamy singsong voice of a friend fifteen years old lass that made Maxwell itch to put a punch through that gleaming grin.

 " Tickets?". Robert asked amusingly." You can't be serious."

 MacBoyd nodded , smirking. "Aye, at a penny apiece. And all these years we've been looking at him for free."

 Maxwell shot a glare at him. Now MacBoyd was making jest ?Damn hell had truly frozen over .

 "I told you not to take off your helm," MacSorley said still smirking at him.

 "For bloody three days ?" Maxwell replied exasperatedly,raking through his hair with his fingers. It was so bloody ridiculous. It wasn't the fact that he was a elite warrior in the king's Guard taking on the most dangerous missions that was going to likely get him killed ,it was his damned face.

 Although he had to admit there were times when it wasn't a curse—in the alehouse last night,for example ,with that pretty, luscious serving maid who'd crept into his bed—but it sure as hell didn't have a place in war.

 Just once he'd like to meet a woman who didn't love him just because of his fine features. Or at least one who wasn't married to one of his friends.

 Maxwell stood silently as MacSorley and MacBoyd exchanged a few more glances at his direction. By the time they were done ,even the king was chuckling.

 Aye,it was fucking hilarious. He supposed there were a lot worse things than having women throw themselves at him all the time but at times it began to wear.

 After a minute Robert sobered. " So how long do you think it's going to take before someone connects 'the most handsomest man she's ever seen 'who was part of the failed attack at castell coch with Maxwell MacGregor,the famed Bowman and 'most handsome man in Scotland'?"

 Maxwell cringed again. Christ ,he hated that moniker." I don't know sire."

 That his anonymity in the Guard had possibly been jeopardized was one of the worst parts of the whole fiasco In the village.

 They were all still reeling from the traitor Albert Seton's defection to the enemy. He'd betrayed them all. Thus far he hadn't revealed any of their name to the enemy. But after what happened at the village it would take no more than a little time before he was unmasked.

 Maxwell would do his duty to defeat the Welsh,help the man he looked up to as a father to him secured on the throne again and do his duty to his clan on his own Merritt . By deed and skill alone.

 "Aye, well, neither do I," the king said ,"But I think you should at least stay away from sight for a while ." Maxwell started to protest ,But Robert cut him off." Only a few weeks.it will be Christmas soon anyway. I will send for you we are ready to take Edinburgh." The king intend to lay siege on Edinburgh castle in early January. He smiled appeasingly. "God knows we can all use a little break. A few weeks to relax and clear our heads. I need you all at a hundred percent."

 The words were directed at all of them,but Maxwell wasn't fooled . The king had been struggling of late . That was the real reason for this "break." Maxwell had let him down. Shame twisted in his gut ,but all he could do was nod.

 "Besides ," Robert said , handing him a folded piece of parchment,"this arrived from your brother a few days ago."

 Maxwell let out a groan of deep dread eyeing the note as if it carried the plague . Bloody hell,what had she done this time?

 He took the note with reluctance , not wanting to know. Maxwell hadn't had much schooling but his younger brother Sam had meant for the church before their two older brothers had died ,and he could write as well as read. Maxwell had only a bit of the latter skills but it was enough to make out the short missive." Come as soon as you can. Emergency."

 Rather than raise alarm,the note only made him curse .

 "Problems?" Robert asked innocently .

 He might be king,but that didn't mean Maxwell couldn't glare at him from time to time. "It seems I'm needed at home."

 "Something wrong, Maxwell? Don't tell me those golden wings of yours have finally tarnished in your adoring wee Ward's eyes ?" MacSorley said guessing as the king had , what had provoked the curse.

 " She's not my ward you arse!" He ignored the reference to the lass's mistaking him for an angel. Thank God for Rachel Lachlan. Until she'd arrived and assumed the nick name , MacSorley had called him angel.

 " Then what is she ?" MacBoyd asked.

 Hell if he knew. A termegent?A penance?God's test of his sanity? The lass was always landing in one trouble after another.from the moment he brought her home she'd been causing some sort of emergencies after another .

 Like the time she'd entered a local archery contest in the form of a boy in a hooded cloak and bested all the local lads, nearly causing a fight. Damn it that was probably his fault. But he'd never imagined when he told her that she could learn to protect herself from harm that the lass would take to warfare quite so seriously and with enthusiasm. Sam who'd been teaching her said she was better than some men he knew . His brother was exaggerating, of course ;she was only a lass—and not a big one at that.

 But his first impression of her all those years ago had been right. The lass was a fierce little thing . A real fighter . She was stubborn, proud,bossy, and confident. All fine characteristics in a man but not in a young girl.

 It was hard to remain angry with her , though. She wasn't a beauty by any means,but she was cute in an amusing way. Until she smiled . When she smiled she was as cute as the devil.

 She also adored him. Which made him uncomfortable as hell. Especially of late,as she grew older . She'd become a . . . distraction. Which was exactly what he needed to be rid of.

 "So when are we going to meet this ward of yours?" Robert said . Not such a wee lass anymore, Maxwell recalled uneasily. The last time he'd been home—a year ago, when his mother had died—that fact had been brought home to him in an embarrassing style, when Carissa had broken down crying and somehow ended up in his arms. And on his lap." What was her name ? Carissa?"

 Maxwell nodded , surprised that the king remembered. Seven years ago when they'd returned to camp after leaving the lass with his mother , Robert had been horror struck by what had happened to the villagers. He, like the rest of them,had been deeply moved by the lass's tragedy and had taken a personal interest in her.

 "Carissa Patrick ." Though his mother had called her rissa.

 "How old is she now?"Robert asked.

 Maxwell shrugged. " Ninteen or twenty."

 "Hell, Max," MacBoyd said. "If you want to be rid of your ward so badly ,why don't you just find her a husband?"

 If he weren't such a blasted bastard, Maxwell would have hugged him . of course! marriage! Why hadn't he thought of it earlier?

 There was only one problem. He had to find someone fool enough to take her one....