Aye, the Scots are like that, he agreed.

This is the strangest proposal of marriage Ive ever heard, she said, her eyes narrowing to golden slits.

He turned away from her and spoke directly to Rob Kennedy. Im not proposing marriage. Not for the present. A hand-fasting only. Both parties free tae withdraw if the union doesnt suit.

Valentina felt she had been struck by a thunderbolt.

Rob Kennedys face purpled as he opened his mouth to protest.

Ram Douglas forestalled him. Naturally, Ill sign a bond pledging tae wed her if she becomes pregnant wi my heir.

The very air in the room crackled with outrage. Let me speak with her alone, Ram said to Kennedy. Well let her decide.

Rob had to be satisfied with this. Reluctantly, he left the room.

Ye are a lass not distinguished for yer chastity. It takes a great deal of sugar on the pill when other men have licked it. Fortunately for ye, yer parents are prepared to pay me a great deal to take you off their hands.

Hatred for this man almost blinded her. He thought her a whore! It was not possible that her parents were paying him! Through a violet mist of hate she saw the Douglas device upon his breast. She swore an oath in that moment that her heart would never bleed, but his assuredly would. He was the challenge of a lifetime. She sent up a prayer to aid her to bring just one Scot low. A hand-fasting suits me far better than marriage. It was clever of you to think of it It satisfies the demands of the king and the earls, yet allows us to be free of each other in a few months time Then its settled. It was not a question. His next words, however, were. His eyes dropped to her breasts Are they real?

What?

Yer tits. Is that ye, or is that padding? In two long strides he was before her. He unfastened the pearl buttons and slipped his hand inside her bodice to cup the lovely round globe.

Her mouth opened in astonishment, and her heavy black lashes lifted to reveal the golden outrage blazing in her eyes.

Instantly the dull ache in his groin was replaced by the pleasurable feel of his shaft thickening and lengthening and hardening. He made no effort to conceal the enormous bulge.

Her eyes slid down deliberately Is that you, or is that padding? Her daring hand reached out to cup his swollen manhood.

Ram felt his gut melt. His dark eyes bored into hers, and she knew a need to tear his rakehell face to pieces.

Then his mouth was on hers savagely in a strong, male desire to overpower her. His need for her was naked in his face. She knew her boldness had placed her in jeopardy. Lord God, why did she say and do such impulsive, outrageous things without a thought to the consequences? He was a man who took what he wanted, whenever and wherever he wanted it, and he made no secret of what he wanted this moment. She knew she must do something to disentangle herself with her innocence intact. As his mouth descended upon hers again, she sank her teeth into his lip. Ram cursed, and Tina fled to the door, quickly fastening her gown. She turned the knob, saying, Father, I believe we have reached an understanding.

The older man came back into the room feeling relief.

Douglas departed without a backward glance. Suddenly she felt triumphant. Ada was right! She did have weapons. If she learned to wield them well, she would defeat him.

Lass, are ye sure? her father asked worriedly. Ill go tae the king, Ill tell him its an impossible match.

No, no It suits me well, Father. Only think of the pitying glances I would have received once it was bruited abroad that Id been jilted by Patrick Hamilton. I dont pretend I wont receive glances as Ramsay Douglass woman, but they wont be pitying. She shrugged her shoulder. We are better acquainted than you realize.

While you were at sea, I was a guest at his castle. There is unfinished business between us.

Lord Kennedy was surprised, yet not surprised. Hed seen them together in Stirling and knew they were a combustible combination, like setting a flame to a keg of gunpowder. At the moment they seemed to have a loathing for each other that held them in thrall. If that loathing ever turned to passion, their obsession with each other would bring rapture or madness. If he should ever give ye hurt, promise me yell repudiate him and come home?

She nodded, biting back a question about his paying the Douglas to wed her.

Do ye need more time? Saturday will be upon us before ye can turn round.

Saturday is as good as any other day. The die is cast.

Think of the relief you will all feel when Im raising merry hell at Douglas rather than Doon.

By Friday night, everything was in readiness. Her clothes alone filled ten trunksthen, of course, there were her linens, her silver, and her heirlooms collected over the years from her mothers family as well as the Kennedys.

Mr. Burques kitchen equipment, utensils, and supplies filled two wagons. Tina had decided she would take as hers the bedchamber that had belonged to Damaris.

She would not need to take her own bed, but her personal bedhangings had been cleaned and folded lovingly with woodruff. The damask woven in the east was a shimmering aqua with silver dolphins. Her silken carpet was patterned in dark gold and burnt amber. Her bathtub was handpainted with exquisite seashells and was fashioned in the shape of a great scallop shell.

She was taking her sorrel mare as well as her Barbary, Indigo. To spite Ram Douglas, she had almost decided not to take Indigo to be part of his stable, but then she realized that every time he saw her ride the mare he coveted, it would be a thorn in his flesh. She had said her good-byes to her mother, who had taken to her bed with yet another feigned illness so she would not have to travel to Douglas for the celebration.

Beth had tried to thank her for saving her from a fate worse than death, but Tina had brushed it off lightly and advised her to set about capturing Lord Andrew Kennedy before a mate was chosen for her. Now, however, as she sat pensively before the fire with Ada, all her mercurial energy had been sapped.

At last she heaved a great sigh and admitted, Ada, I behaved outrageously when Douglas came with his insulting offer.

Tina, a hand-fasting is not an insult. It is a time-honored Scottish custom. For all intents and purposes it is a marriage. You have a year in which to decide if the union will be permanent. After a year it becomes a legal and binding marriage for life. In your case he has pledged marriage earlier if there is a child. You will be accorded the place of honor in all his castles. You will be husband and wife. You will be Lady Douglas.

Ill not take his damned name! I hate Ram Douglas! He is a swaggering bastard. I want to bring him lownay, more than that, I want to break him.

There is only one way to gain power over him, Tina.

Yes, I know. Im going to try to make him fall in love with me. If I ever bring him to the point where he cannot live without me, I shall laugh in his face and end it, she said with intensity.

Well, youll never bring Hotspur Douglas to that point unless you can seduce him and make him a slave to your sexuality.

I know he feels desire for me. She blushed. He couldnt keep his hands off me. He undid my gown and fondled my breasts on the pretext of seeing if I was padded.

Adas eyebrows rose. With your father just outside the door? What did you do?

II touched his sex and demanded to know if he was padded.

Omigod, Tina, you are the limit! Now I know what you mean when you say you behaved outrageously!

I have a slight problem. He assumes I have had a lot of sexual experience.

I wonder why? Ada asked dryly.

In actuality I am abysmally ignorant about sexual matters. How on earth am I to make him a slave to my sexuality?

Darling, Ram Douglas will soon teach you all youll ever need to know. Learn what he likes, cater to his needs.

His reputation as a lover is legendary. Surely you realize the name Hotspur carries a wealth of sexual connotation?

No, I didnt realize. Ada, Im afraid. Hes enormous, like a stallion. Ive seen how mares scream when they are mounted for the first time.

Oh love, you have to get beyond that first time. There will be pain and blood, but dont become repressed by it, as so many women do. Allow him to give you pleasure.

There is nothing on earth to compare with total fulfillment. It starts with a spark of desire and builds to an unbearable pitch, and if you can simply abandon your body to his at that moment, you will experience bliss, rapture, paradise It sounds mystical.

It is! And the more he sees you enjoy it, the more he will enjoy it, and he will strive to bring you more pleasure with each encounter. Dont think only a man can experience lust. It is a fallacy that while men do it for pleasure, women only do it for love. You must switch that about and enjoy it purely for the pleasure. Men think of sex as conquest until they realize the power they feel when they learn how much pleasure they can give a woman. Indulge your own lust. Bind him to you with his lust. Soon he will be bound forever with chains of lust and love.

Ada, he really intimidates me, but Ill be damned if Ill let him see it.

Ada put her arms about Tina. Get some sleep. I have every confidence in you. You are passionate about everything in lifeyou cannot fail to be passionate in bed.

Chapter 17.

Lady Valentina rode between her father and Archibald Kennedy, Earl of Cassillis. Her brothers Duncan and David with a score of Kennedy clansmen rode at the head of the cavalcade, and the baggage wagons brought up the rear. In addition to Ada and Mr.

Burque, her father insisted she take her own groom, and her mother had provided her with one of the Kennedy maids by the name of Nell.

Every male wore the green and red Kennedy tartan, and even Tina wore a plaid sash draped across one shoulder of her fashionable green riding habit. She sat her horse with the pride of a queen, with Adas words ringing in her head. Because Ada was English, she saw Scotland and its people more clearly than they saw themselves. Scotland is a savage, brutal land, rugged and uncompromising. Its men reflect this perfectly, Tina.

They are strong, arrogant, and only half civilized. Only by pledging total loyalty to a clan are they able to survive.

Scotland has the bloodiest history of any land. Gaelic blood makes the Scot wilder and prouder than other nationalities. You and Ram Douglas are much alike. You are both ruled by passion and fury. Your short tempers and your recklessness have fostered a personal feud where you enjoy fighting each other. If you intend to gain the upper hand, you will never do it by force, for he is stronger than you. You can only win by guile. Put on a velvet glove when you spar with him, keep the guard on the end of your rapier. Tease him, make him laugh with you, and make him love you, then when he is most vulnerable, you must disarm him, thrust home, and pierce him to the heart.

When the castle at Douglas rose up before her, she relived the day she had faked the riding accident and lain in the rain until Ram had come upon her and carried her inside. She shivered remembering his dangerous strength. Now that the season was changing to summer, the cold, wet chill was no longer in the air, and she had no reason to shiver, she told herself sternly as she unfastened the high neck of her velvet habit and fingered the gray-brown Lazarus beads she had deliberately worn today to ward off evil.

The sound of their horses hooves upon the drawbridge was hollow, she thought, almost ominous. The moment they reached the bailey, she saw that preparations for todays event were well under way. She saw vivid splashes of yellow, orange, and green as vegetables spilled from their baskets. Barrels of oysters and crabs lined a wall where two scullions sat shucking them.

Across the courtyard a pair of oxen turned slowly over firepits, their juices dripping and hissing upon the coals beneath, while the wolfhound named Boozer sat on his great haunches giving the roasting carcasses his rapt, undivided attention.

Douglas grooms rushed to attend the arriving Kennedys, their dark heads contrasting with the bright red of their guests. The Earl of Angus came forward to greet the Earl of Cassillis, and Lord Ramsay Douglas greeted Lord Rob Kennedy with great formality, before he even glanced toward Valentina.

Mr. Burque, who had ridden Tinas sorrel mare, dismounted immediately and went to her side, deftly shouldering aside both the Douglas groom and her own Kennedy groom. Rams eyes widened, then narrowed as he raked the elegant, tall, slim man with the beautiful face. Hed received part of his education in Paris, and he had never seen a male as attractive as this one outside of France. His suspicions were confirmed as he heard the gallant raise his arms and say, Allow me, cherie Ram left Rob Kennedys side to observe the tableau before him. Tina gave the Frenchman a brilliant smile and leaned down to him. Douglas growled, Ye relieve me of my obligations. Tina went down into Mr. Burques arms with a flurry of petticoats, then looked up at the dour Scot and said sweetly, Mr. Burque is indispensable to me, my lord.

In what capacity? Douglas asked coldly.

Mr. Burque is my chef.

Yer chef? he asked incredulously. Think you we have no such servants at Douglas?

Her laughter trilled out at his ignorance. Ah, sir, cooks you may have aplenty, scullery maids and potboys, but you have no one who can even begin to compare with Mr. Burque. He is the finest chef in Scotland, and he is mine.

While Douglas glared fiercely, Mr. Burque excused himself to supervise the unloading of the precious tools of his trade.

Hes too pretty to piss, said Douglas with disgust, and Tina laughed up at him to show that he had amused her.

He reached out a bold finger to touch the Lazarus beads at her throat. Are ye trying to conjure Auld Horny? he asked with derision.

She cast a sideways glance at the forbidding Earl of Angus and said, It must have worked, for theres Archibald himself!

Ram gave a shout of laughter, and she gave him a bewitching look from beneath her lashes. There. We have amused each other. What more can a man or woman ask? Aside from money, land, and ships, of course? she added wickedly.

Smoothly he replied, Knowing women as I do, Im sure yell be asking my favors come dusk.

His repartee was more skillful than she had expected. All his words could be interpreted to have more than one meaning. She found the witty repartee infectious and tried her hand at it, fastening wide eyes upon his mouth and breathing, Ah, milord, I find I cannot wait until dusk for your favors. Will you not come upstairs with me now?

Yer desire is my command, he emphasized.

Goodthen you wont mind if I claim the chamber that belonged to my aunt Damaris. She turned and beckoned Ada and at the same time saw Rams brother Gavin approach. Ada, have my trunks taken up to my chamber. I am to have Damariss room. She turned back to Ram, her wicked juices bubbling deliciously. Here comes another to relieve you of your obligations. Im sure Gavin will be happy to take me upstairsso I can familiarize myself with things. She gave Gavin a saucy look as she took his arm. What would I do without your aid, sir? I must get out of this riding dress and into my bath at the first opportunity. Gavin grinned like a heathen; Rams ill-concealed fury added to his amusement.

The earls were impatient to get on with the business pertaining to this union, and the four men retired to the ancient Douglas weapons room where the business of the clan had been conducted for centuries.

Ram offered his guests purled ale, which Rob took thankfully to wash the dust of the journey from his parched throat, but the two earls turned up their noses, and he knew only whisky would satisfy their jaded palates. He splashed two measures of the dark amber liquor from a large Venetian decanter, and they all drew up chairs about the large map table.

First came the deed for the land in Kirkcudbright, which Kennedy signed over, and then came the ownership and captains papers for the two vessels, the Scotia and the Valentina It was understood by all that the ships would now be crewed by Douglas men.

In return, Ram Douglas signed the pledge to wed Lady Valentina Kennedy in the event that she quickened with child. The hand-fasting required no signed documents just a verbal pledge, with both families as witnessand this would take place later in the day. Now came the all- important document the king had demanded from the chiefs of these two ancient clans. The bond of friendship between Clan Kennedy and Clan Douglas was signed by the two earls and witnessed by the other two men. The sealing wax was melted, and all four stamped their gold seal rings onto the crackling parchments. Finally, Rob Kennedy gave into Ramsay Douglass hands a bank draft for ten thousand pounds Scots. Angus insisted they drink a toast to the occasion in pure, raw Scotch whisky, and Ram took perverse pleasure as he felt the hot liquor blossom inside his chest.

As Tina ascended the main staircase with Ada on one side and Gavin upon the other, they were met by Colin, who had been awaiting them. He held out his hand.

Welcome tae Douglas, Lady Kennedy. Ye will be in grave need o a friend in this castle. I would be honored to fulfill the role.

Colin, she said low, her eyes looking deeply into his with gratitude. The honor is mine, sir.

He drew her closer to place a chaste kiss upon her brow, and Ada saw that their hands touched in a silent pledge. I am to have Damariss chamber.

His eyes took on a strange light. I knew that ye would, he said simply, leading the way down the hall and opening the chamber door.

Tina entered and lifted her hand to the beautiful portrait above the fireplace. As Ada gazed up, she said, The artist has captured her exactly. The man is a master.

Thank ye, Colin said quietly.

Tinas eyes widened. You painted this, Colin?

Guilty as charged. The ladys beauty is what ye admire, not ma poor talent.

In the far corner of the room Damaris blushed. She recalled sitting for the portrait as if it had been yesterday, and she knew in her heart that Colin had had more than a brotherly affection for her.

I shall leave ye in the hands o the servants If there is a Douglas who does not do yer bidding instantly an tae yer satisfaction, I shall deal wi him.

Damaris stared as a dozen servants carted in the ten trunks, carpet, bedhangings, and fantastic bathtub. After more than fifteen years of relative solitude, here was change indeed.

A young squire came in carrying oat cakes and wine, but Tina could not be tempted. Ada took the tray from him and sent him for hot water for the bath. Have you eaten anything at all today? asked Ada, eyeing Tinas pale cheeks.

Tina shook her head and wrinkled her nose. Oat cakes would be like sawdust in my mouth.