“Surely we can find another way,” she said. “Ye can’t put yourself in that man’s hands.”
“The exchange is to take place tomorrow,” David said. “That doesn’t give us time to plan a subterfuge, even if I were willing to take the risk, which I’m not.”
He glanced again at the last lines of the message, which he had not read to her.
Alas, the health of children can be so precarious. Remember that before you consider attempting to take the daughters from me by force or trickery during the exchange.
“With Albany gone, I’ve a good chance of fighting the treason charge,” he said, trying to reassure her without actually lying. “The English king is threatening to invade. The Council will want a strong man on the border to keep English troops from reaching Edinburgh.”
“I don’t trust Patrick to stand by the bargain and take ye to Edinburgh,” she said. “Do you?”
He shrugged and said, “We’ll see.”
There was no chance in hell Patrick would give him up. He was as set on revenge as David was—or rather, as he once was. He looked at Alison. Now that he had so much to lose, vengeance was not worth the cost.
“We must find a way around this,” she said. “We’ll offer the castle for both girls.”
“Patrick won’t accept that.”
“Then I’ll beg my brothers for their help.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. They both knew how likely that was to meet with success.
“Things are different now,” she said, clinging to his arm. “They will have heard that when ye confronted D’Orsey hundreds of Scots crossed to your side. They’ll want ye on their side for their fight with the Hamiltons.”
“I’ll send an escort to ride with ye to your brothers.”
Even if her brothers did send help, which he doubted, they would never arrive in time. The ride to Edinburgh, however, would keep Alison safely away from the exchange. If she were there, he feared Patrick would be tempted to add her to his list of demands.
“I’ll not be parted from ye so soon,” Alison said. “I’ll send a message to my sister, Sybil. If anyone can browbeat my brothers into coming, she will.”
David was relieved when she agreed to wait at Hume Castle for their arrival.
As soon as she finished writing her letter and sealed it, he sent for one of his men to carry it the Douglases.
“Lady Sybil must receive it tonight,” Alison told the man. “Tell the servants to wake her if need be.”
After the messenger left, David bolted the door and took Alison into his arms.
“Ach, I missed ye so much,” he said.
“Why did ye leave me?” she asked in a small voice.
“I thought that’s what ye wanted,” he said. “I’m a rough man who doesn’t deserve ye.”
“You’re a good man,” she said. “What I wanted was your trust and your heart.”
“I should have trusted ye,” he said, “but you’ve had my heart from the start.”
He felt like a beast to want her so desperately when they were both filled with such fear for Beatrix and Margaret. Yet he could not help his body’s reaction with her breath on his neck, her scent filling his nose, and her soft curves pressed against him.
“I’ve been a fool to waste the time we could have had together,” he said as he ran his fingers through the thick strands of her midnight hair.
“I’m glad we have tonight,” she said, leaning back to look at him. “Make love to me, David. I need ye.”
“We’ll make the most of this night,” he said. “It may be a while before we have another.”
He knew it would be their last.