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“Go, then,” Malcolm said, “and have a rest in my bed I won’t need it for hours yet”

Angus gave hius’s father had died when he was just a boy, Malcolest son of the laird who’d lost the lands to the English Lawler, and Angus and Tam were the sons of Malcol he had toocare of his deceased brothers’ boys to make any of his own

“Shall I wake you when she goes out for her ride?” Malcolm asked

“Who?”

“Come now, boy,” Malcolm said, “surely you’ve heard of the niece”

“I’ve heard about nothing else but her! Last night I almost expected the raiders to turn back and return the cattle they’d stolen just to have word of her I thought they’d ask me if she wore a blue dress or a pink one”

“You laugh, but that’s because you haven’t seen her”

Angus gave a jaw-cracking yawn “Nor do I want to I’m sure she’s a bonnie lass, but what does that o back south and live in a splendid house in London I don’t knohy she wanted to coh at us?”

“Maybe,” Malcol but smile at people so far”

“Oh, that’s good of her,” Angus said as he stood, stretching “And do her s? ‘Yes, my lady No, my lady’ they all say to her ‘Let me carry your fan for you, my lady’ ‘Please let me empty your chamber pot’ ”

Malcolive up “I feel sorry for the girl There’s a sadness in her eyes that you can’t help but see Morag said the girl has no family left except for old Neville”

“But she has ive her a passel of brats and she’ll be happy enough No! I want to hear no h—or o back to London before I have to see her angelic” He waved his hand in dis to sleep If I’m not awake by this time tomorrow, check if I’m dead or not”

Malcolus would no doubt be up in a few hours and wanting so about

As Angus went into the roo horse the niece had brought with her froray, and now it raised its legs io He’d been told that the niece took a long ride every day, always accompanied by an escort, a us had been told what a fine horsewoirl was

Malcolht, and as Angus lay down, he thought that he’d like to see the girl ride as he’d had to these last two nights The poor pony was tearing across rocks and shrubs as Angus pursued the raiders stealing the cattle But the thieves had had too much of a head start, and their mounts were fresh so he’d lost them in the hills

As he fell asleep, he sirl holding on for her life

When he awoke, every nerve in his body was alert An unusual sound had awakened him, and he didn’t knohat it was He’d spent half his life in the stables and he knew every sound, but this one didn’t belong The rustlers wouldn’t have dared come this close to the house, would they?

Angus lay still, nothis eyes in case there was so at the open door, and listened hard It was co from the stall next to Malcolm’s room, the stall the niece’s beautifulso, then there was a little intake of breath that us shake his head Sha it

Tiredly, cursing in his us hauled his on the wall, and moved one of theenious device his uncle hadseen “Lazy brats!” he’d said to Angus “When they think I canna see thes that are not work”

Angus looked through the hole and saw Sha to the cinch of the girl’s saddle, and Angus wanted to groan Had theone of his cruel tricks on Lawler’s niece? While it was true that Sha so after anyone who had a protector—as he’d learned as soon as Angus grew to be taller and nearly as strong as the older Shamus was

But here he was, loosening the girl’s saddle What was his intent? If Angus knew Shamus, it was to eh at her “That’s all we need,” Angus said as he closed the peg and leaned his head against the wall For themaster But he was unpredictable A h it off, but another day a ed Souing with Lawler to save the skin of sous himself, Lawler had never dared touch him

Angus, still tired—he figured he’d been asleep only a few o back to it Why was it any of his business if the girl was laughed at? It ood for everyone if she were seen as human On the other side of the wall, he heard Shamus lead the mare out of the stall, and he heard that awful little self-satisfied grunt theto happen because of his prank

“None of us said to himself and went back to the bed He closed his eyes and let his body relax Like all Scots able to fall asleep anywhere and at any tius just loosened his belt, rolled himself in his plaid, and went to sleep—which was yet another reason the English had outlawed the gars when they run,” the English said “They wear their beds on their backs”