[Graham Clan 07] • The Queen's Lady by Drake Shannon

Author:Drake, Shannon [Drake, Shannon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9781460308325
Goodreads: 17017933
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Published: 2007-10-01T00:00:00+00:00

ROWAN FELT WEARY, bathed in blood.

He had chosen to leave his quarters in the manor, and that night he took over one of the smaller hunting lodges just beyond the town, in the forest where the MacIveys had thought to make a stand and win the approval of Huntly. It was now peopled with his own men, the men of Lochraven.

The people had rallied behind the queen, and he’d been surprised to find himself something of a hero to the townsfolk. The servants in the lodge were pleased to have him. The lodge itself was, and had been, a royal holding and not beneath the Huntlys, so perhaps it was natural that those who made their livelihood there were pleased with the outcome of the battle.

They had been merry while preparing the meal he shared with his men, despite the vast amount of labor it entailed. And when he chose a chamber within the lodge, the stableboys and valet were quick to bring him a massive tub, and pot after pot of boiling water, though the steward was afraid that he would wash away all the natural defenses he needed against the “agues tha’ migh’ be takin’ a body” after such exertion as the battle.

Rowan, amused, assured the man that he had enough defense within his body, covered with blood and mud or no.

So it was in the wee hours of the night that he at last lay in the great wooden tub, the room darkened and in sweet shadow, the only light rising from the embers of the fire in the hearth. The steam was rising around him, and he welcomed the feeling of cleanliness and the heat that relaxed his muscles. Laying his head back upon the broad wooden rim, he closed his eyes and let out a sigh, enjoying the sweet sensation of heat and steam. He should be jubilant. They had won. But he was still disturbed.

Mary was proving to be a good queen, but she had also shown that she could act recklessly under duress.

What monarch in history had not? he chided himself.

Was it only because of Gwenyth that he felt so angry? Would he have felt so betrayed had it been one of the queen’s other ladies? None among them might have so easily blended with the people here; perhaps Gwenyth had been the best choice.

He realized he was disturbed, as well, because, as yet, they had not found Fergus MacIvey among the dead. The man was dangerous, and it frightened Rowan to think he might still be out there, hatching his plans of revenge, now that the MacIveys would be stripped of their holdings. Clan loyalty was everything in the Highlands, and if Fergus were alive, he would not let the matter rest.

He froze suddenly, muscles going rigid. He’d heard the slightest noise, and it wasn’t the snap of a log in the hearth.

Someone was in his chamber.

He opened his eyes to mere slits without otherwise moving. He couldn’t believe that his men were anything less than entirely vigilant, but…

A hooded figure was tiptoeing toward the tub.

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