The Heather Moon by Susan King Page B

there, as elusive and shining as the shadow of a fish slipping past underwater.
    A moment passed, no more, while he wondered at what he saw: innocence pure enough to tug at his heart, a precious spark of trust. Then her eyes clouded and she looked away.
    "Th-thank you," she murmured, her voice hoarse.
    "Tamsin," he whispered. "Are you hurt?" He cared only that she was safe. He scarcely noticed the three men who stared at him, one in gratitude, two in anger. They were dim candles beside her eloquent flame. He felt her heat beneath his hands, spreading into him.
    "She's unhurt." Jasper Musgrave waved a hand casually as if to dismiss the incident.
    "Tamsin?" William asked again.
    She nodded, her bare fingers easing over her throat. "I am fine." Her voice was faint, strained. William merely nodded, though he felt a raging impulse to throw a Musgrave or two through a window. Silent, deliberately calm, he lifted his hand from her shoulder.
    "Lassie, are ye sure ye're unharmed?" Archie asked beside him. The girl nodded, and her father turned to William. "I thank ye, sir, I do," he said gruffly. His eyes were as light and vibrant a green as his daughter's, William noticed. Relief and gratitude, and something more, seemed to shine there.
    "I did what was necessary to stop a cruel thing," William said, looking at Musgrave in disgust. He walked away, turning his back on the others to stare out the window.
    "Eh, she's fine," Musgrave muttered. "'Twas but to make a point with Archie."
    "The devil's own point, Jasper," William snapped over his shoulder. "Ill thought and ill done."
    "'Tis a mighty fuss over a gypsy," Jasper replied in a low voice.
    "Over a woman," William corrected.
    "Aye! And a bonny woman she is, and shouldna be treated thus! Rookhope knows it, hey!" Archie said.
    William heard Jasper snarl at Arthur, blaming his son for a cruel act that had been his own suggestion. Arthur slammed the door as he left.
    William stared unseeing through the thick window glass. He fisted his hands and took in a breath as he mastered his temper. The sight of the noose around the girl's neck had shaken him deeply. Such a threat meant little to men like the Musgraves. Hanging was a common punishment dealt out by reivers, lawmen, and kings alike. But William did not regard the act of hanging so casually.
    Even the sight of a noose could bring a cold sweat upon him, could make his heart pound and edge his temper toward boiling.
    He would carry the gruesome memory of his father's death forever.
    Seventeen years had passed since that day. He had learned to cool his anguish, to bury it deep, suffering the occasional dreams and memories in silence. But nooses, ropes, and cruel acts such as Musgrave favored could draw the pain and the anger to the surface in an instant, challenging his usual calm.
    When he had seen the rope around that fragile, beautiful throat, a well of fury and fear had gathered within him. Control alone had kept him from exploding into a savage act. Now his temper still rocked, his legs still trembled. He flexed his hands and stared through the window in silence.
    "She's a fine lass," Archie said, capturing William's attention. "Some man will be fortunate to have her to wife. And nae Musgrave is worthy to speak her name! Ye're the de'il's own, Jasper, and yer son. I willna forget this."
    "You and your damned tawny stole my horses, you scoundrel!" Musgrave shouted. "'Tis a hanging crime!"
    William turned. Though he did not look directly at the girl, he felt her gaze, full and luminous, on him. Since the moment she had walked into the room, she had claimed a steady thread of his awareness. Now he felt the thread strengthen to a cord, as if his act of protection had truly bonded them.
    "Jasper," he said. "If you want my cooperation, deal with these people honorably."
    Musgrave drew a breath. "Armstrong, your girl's life will be spared... or not. That depends on what you decide now."
    "'Tisna necessary to threaten me through my