Free Grant Clan 06 - My Desperate Highlander by Keira Montclair

again.
    He left the field with only two tokens, Diana’s and the one from his betrothed. Diana’s mind was sheer mush, barely able to concentrate on the tournament in front of her. What did all of this mean? She had asked Aunt Elspeth, but the woman shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. “Mayhap naught, mayhap everything.”
    She chastised herself for even getting her hopes up. The man was betrothed, and surely not interested in her. However, he must have friends, and his friends would be knights.
    The knight defeated challenger after challenger, snapping lances as if they were naught but toy wooden sticks. Each competitor rolled on the ground in pain and agony. She was certain they were making a bigger show of their loss than many Scots would have done, but it didn’t matter. It was the best show she had ever seen. The knight did have an occasional break when the field would fill with men on horseback, not in armor but in colorful clothing meant to dazzle the audience with their tricks.
    After two hours of jousting and the horse showmanship, the herald came into the center of the field and held his arms up. “The tournament will continue after a one hour break so our competitors can regain their strength. Any new challengers may approach the judge’s tent at the end of the field. Please take this time to enjoy our many merchants and their goods in the nearby meadow.” He turned toward the end of the field and held up his arm. “Another round of applause for our English knight, the champion at the halfway mark.”
    The knight came galloping onto the field. Finally, he would remove his helm, and she would get to see him. She stood and leaned toward him, the anticipation almost too keen for her to bear. He pulled off his helm and shook his blond tresses out to the squeal of all his admirers.
    Randall Baines grinned and looked directly at her, then nodded briefly before leaving the field.
    Diana fell back into her chair in shock. Randall was the betrothed knight?
    Aunt Elspeth fanned her face. “My dear, you look as if you have seen a ghost. What is it? What happened?”
    “I have met him.”
    “What? What are you talking about? Where did you meet him?”
    “Last night. I met him last night.” Diana tried to hide the horror growing inside her. She had been kissing a betrothed man. Had she known, it never would have happened.
    Aunt Elspeth gave her a suspicious look. “And how did you meet him? He is betrothed.”
    Diana turned away from Aunt Elspeth, hiding the expression of guilt on her face. How could she have known he was betrothed?
    “Just for a moment, Aunt Elspeth. He was at one of the booths I had stopped at, I think the ones with the ribbons. But I had no idea he was the knight who is about to be married.”
    “Wasn’t he with his betrothed?”
    “Nay, he was alone.”
    “Hmm. Not surprising, he was probably out searching for another lass to steal favors from before he marries. Seems to be a tradition within a sennight of the ceremony. Lads run wild right up until the day they are wed.” She shook her head.
    Aunt Elspeth finally made sense of a few of her comments, apparently, because she looked at her with a strange expression on her face. “What exactly happened last eve? The man came for your favor. What prompted him to do that? Did you kiss him or tease him?”
    “What?” Diana shook her head and expressed her shock at the crude comment, but then she realized it was exactly what had happened. She blushed and turned away again. Not only had he stolen favors, but he had touched her in inappropriate places. Worst of all, he had lied to her. The niggling doubt she had felt since meeting Randall grew to enormous proportions.
    Aye, she had asked him if he was a knight and he’d denied it. Why? Diana could come up with no acceptable reason, but she continued to review everything that had happened between them in her mind. All her hopes were crashing around her, leaving a feeling of utter defeat