Free The Viper by Monica Mccarty, Mccarty Page A

sobbed. "How will we make it to Kildrummy with only a handful of men to protect us?"
    Bella didn't say anything. What could she say, when she didn't know? The king sending the women away with only a small band of knights to protect them sounded terrifying to her as well.
    Her cousin lifted her head, eyes red-rimmed and swollen. "I've never even heard of the man who will be leading us. Lachlan Mac ... Mac--"
    Bella stiffened. "MacRuairi?"
    Her cousin nodded furiously. "That's it--do you know him?"
    Her mouth fell in a grim line. "He was one of the men who brought me from Balvenie."
    In the months of frustration and forced separation from her daughter--her husband had dared her to try to come and fetch her--Bella had told her cousin most of what had happened. The heartbreak hadn't lessened; it had only grown worse as each day of their separation passed. She dared not ask herself when she would see her daughter again; the answer was too painful to contemplate.
    But at least Joan knew Bella had not intentionally left her behind. A few weeks after the coronation, Robert told her that a message had been taken to her daughter. He wouldn't tell her the details but assured her Joan had been told everything. Bella had been touched by the king's thoughtfulness.
    Margaret gasped. "The one who lied to you about Joan?"
    She nodded, and her cousin looked appropriately horrorstruck.
    Bella couldn't believe it either. Not only was the king sending them away, he was entrusting his family to a man who made no qualms about being loyal only to his purse. MacRuairi's untrustworthiness wasn't her only objection. After their last meeting, she didn't want to have to rely on him again for her safety--or for anything, for that matter. And perhaps most significantly, she didn't like her own reaction to him.
    Lachlan MacRuairi made her uneasy.
    "Don't worry, cousin, I'll speak to Robert and get to the bottom of this. There must be some mistake."
    Leaving Margaret with the task of gathering their meager belongings, Bella went in search of the king.
    He wasn't at the King's Hall--how the army had taken to referring to the royal hut. After Queen Elizabeth confirmed Margaret's story, she directed Bella to the banks of the loch where what was left of the king's army camped.
    Bella hurried to the loch. But the sight that met her only increased her anxiousness. What was left of the army was in disarray. Perhaps only two hundred men remained, many of them wounded and bleeding, some with limbs barely attached, lying on the ground where they'd collapsed or been dumped after yesterday's retreat.
    The stench was horrible. She covered her mouth to try not to retch. She should be used to it. But the scent of blood, sweat, and other bodily fluids simmering together in a sickly mess was something she didn't think she'd ever get used to.
    Men were rushing everywhere. Tearing down tents. Packing their belongings. They didn't notice her. Or if they did, they were too busy to care. The army was disbanding, fleeing for their lives. Sweet Mary, how could this have happened?
    Finally, she caught sight of Edward Bruce. She didn't much like Robert's younger brother. Quick-tempered, volatile, and arrogant, Sir Edward was nearly his brother's equal on the battlefield, but he lacked Robert's gallantry and natural chivalry.
    "The king," she asked. "Where is he? I must speak with him."
    Edward's eyes slid over her. Though the hard, ebony-like gaze betrayed nothing, she sensed the crude thoughts. "He's busy. What do you need? Perhaps I can give it to you?"
    Her eyes narrowed, hearing the suggestion in his words if not his tone. She knew what was being said. The vicious lies started by her husband as a basis for setting her aside had spread even through their own camp. That Edward Bruce would even hint at Buchan's lies infuriated her. He should know better.
    "I need the king ," she said in a tone that suggested a substitute--especially a younger brother--would not do. She knew how