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Josephine was all set to have words with her sister, but something in Justine’s tone caught her attention.

The woman didn’t have the usual wild-eyed look about her.

In fact, there was some reason in her gaze.

It occurred to her that her little sister had something up her sleeve…

but what? Josephine didn’t press her, however, but she most certainly would later when they were alone.

There was so very much to talk about, she hardly knew where to begin.

“Very well,” Josephine finally said, then looked at Donald. “Donald, I’m very glad to see you.”

Donald, ever gallant, kissed her hand and openly admired her beauty. “Ye outshine the sun, my lady.”

Josephine grinned at her flattering friend before turning turned back to her sister. “Have you been given your rooms yet?”

Justine shook her head. “Not yet,” she said. “But soon, I hope. I am weary from the journey.”

Josephine understood that all too well. “Then come,” she said, gesturing to a nearby table where more refreshments had been placed. “Let us sample some of this wonderful food while you are waiting.

Justine followed her, with Donald and Nicholas bringing up the rear. Justine grasped her sister by the arm and leaned in to her.

“Where is Sully?” she whispered. “Have you seen him?”

Josephine paused at the table, catching Nicholas’ eye. “Aye, I have seen him,” she said. Then, she lowered her voice. “He is in the dungeon.”

“What?” Justine shrieked, her hands flying to her mouth. “Why is he there? What has happened?”

“Shhh!” Josephine grabbed her sister to keep her from attracting attention. “Do not worry; Nicholas will free him, I promise.”

Justine looked at Nicholas in a panic, realizing he knew about Sully and Andrew’s appearance. Certainly, Josephine would not speak so casually in front of the man had he not known. There was some relief to that, but there was also some fear.

“But the dungeons?” Justine gasped, tears in her eyes. “Why is he there?”

Josephine slapped a hand over her mouth because she was growing loud. “Quiet!” she hissed. “Have no fear, please. All will be well but you must trust Nicholas!”

Justine’s eyes were as wide as saucers and Josephine was hit by the intensity of the woman’s anguish. She was terrified for the husband she’d had for less than a week, and rightfully so. She’d never before seen such a look of intense fear on Justine’s face.

But then, it dawned on her. Justine was in love with Sully.

Her sister– her strange, flighty, and obstinate sister– actually loved Sully.

Josephine would have let her joy show but, somehow, it didn’t seem right at the moment.

Sully was in a crisis and Justine was nearly hysterical.

With her sister’s feelings in mind, she turned to Nicholas.

“Can we do anything now?” she asked him.

Nicholas looked thoughtful. “Possibly,” he said. “Does the king yet know of Sully’s imprisonment?”

Josephine was at a loss. “I do not know,” she said. “Why?”

“Because,” Nicholas said, “I would imagine that if his two beautiful cousins pleaded with him to release Sully, he would easily give in.”

“There is no need.”

The statement came from the doorway near the table and everyone turned to see Ridge standing there.

Josephine’s face darkened. It had been Ridge who had imprisoned Sully in the first place and she was furious with him.

But it wouldn’t do to harass the man, not when he possibly held Sully’s life in his hands.

Neither would Josephine tell Justine of Ridge’s role in Sully’s imprisonment.

It wouldn’t do for Justine to charge the man and possibly be thrown into the dungeons right along with her husband.

“Why not?” Josephine asked the man. “And how long have you been standing there?”

Ridge emerged from the doorway, heading in their direction. He greeted Justine politely before returning his attention to Josephine.

“Long enough to hear you discuss Montgomery with his wife,” he said. “Voices carry in this hall. I would wager to say I wasn’t the only person who heard what you said.”

Josephine sighed sharply, looking about the hall, not realizing voices carried in it. “So, you heard me,” she said, snappish. “That still doesn’t tell me why we should not make the effort to plead for Sully’s release to the king.”

Ridge glanced at the food and reached over to pick up a sweet oat cake. “Because I released him myself not ten minutes ago.”

Josephine was shocked, looking at her sister, who reflected her own confusion. “I do not understand any of this,” she said. “Why is he released? And why did you imprison him in the first place?”

Before Justine could react to the news that it had been the big, dark knight who had incarcerated her husband, Ridge focused on Josephine.

“Because,” he growled. “Consider it a warning to the man. The earl must realize that here in Edinburgh, the king is absolute. There will be no half-assed rescue attempt by a mercenary and a nobleman. The king has decreed that you shall marry the Earl of Annan and Blackbank, and we must all obey the king’s decree. Is that in any way unclear?”

His voice was so very hard, and Josephine’s lovely face darkened with anger.

Several heated retorts sprang to her lips, but she refrained.

Ridge was speaking with his head, not his heart, and she knew it.

She knew the man well enough to know he was saying all of that for show.

Voices carry in the hall , he’d said. He was being smart about this, whereas she hadn’t been.

But looking in his eyes, she could see that he had every intention of making sure she obeyed the king and her heart sank.

It was Ridge, the ever-firm upholder of the king’s wishes.

No matter what he felt, he wasn’t going to give in to those feelings.

He would see the king’s wishes carried through no matter what.

God, she hated him for it.

“Remember your debt to me, de Reyne,” she countered with equal steeliness. “That is all I demand of you.”

Ridge’s dark eyes glittered at her but he didn’t say a word. He didn’t react in any way. Infuriated, upset, Josephine turned her back on him, facing the food table as she began to help herself. Justine wandered up beside her.

“What now?” Justine she asked. “And who is that knight?”

Josephine shoved something sweet into her mouth. “He is the king’s bodyguard,” she said. “He came with Alexander to Torridon. Did you not see him?”

Justine wasn’t sure so she glanced at him again. “I do not know,” she said. “What does he have to do with any of this?”

“He is the one who abducted me from Torridon.”

Justine looked at Ridge through new eyes, perhaps newly hostile eyes. “He did?” she hissed. “And then he put Sully in the dungeons?”

“Aye.”

Justine was quite certain that she didn’t like Ridge de Reyne now, not in the least. “Then where is my husband?”

Ridge heard her. “He was released outside of the gates, Lady Montgomery,” he replied, his gaze on Josephine’s stiff back. “No doubt, he was unaware of your arrival. I shall attempt to locate him for you.”

Josephine heard the man’s offer and she almost stopped him, but decided otherwise.

Ridge could find him faster than anyone else could and having Sully inside the castle would be the perfect situation– Ridge would bring Sully to Justine and everyone would assume Sully had come with his wife.

No one would know he’d come days earlier with Andrew in an attempt to protect her from the earl.

Besides… Josephine felt decidedly safer with Sully close by.

“I do hope you brought your husband some clothes, Justine,” she said to her sister. Her mouth was full of the same pears in wine that Donald had been scarfing down. “The last time I saw him, he was in a sorry shape, indeed.”

Justine stared at her sister, still pondering her words to Ridge.

As Ridge walked away, presumably going off to find Sully, Justine found that she was increasingly confused by Ridge’s relationship to her sister.

She didn’t know the man at all but, clearly, he knew Josephine and she knew him.

There was something strange going on there that Justine didn’t like.

“ What debt, Josephine?” she asked. “What did you mean by that?”

Swallowing the food in her mouth, Josephine told her. Having the king’s bodyguard be indebted to her for saving his life was not a bad thing, after all.

*

Sully nearly came to blows with Ridge when the knight found him on the street on his way back to the inn. Sully had thought that Ridge had changed his mind about releasing him and had come back for him. But Ridge’s lips pressed into a hard line at Sully’s defensive stance.

“At ease, Lord Montgomery,” he said irritably. “I came to inform you that your wife has arrived at Edinburgh. If you will trust me, my lord, then I shall escort you to her.”

Sully’s face went from anger to genuine surprise. “Justine? Here ?”

Ridge nodded. “And she brought Donald Muir with her.”

Several things rushed through Sully’s mind at that moment– to return to the inn to await Andrew, but he also felt a strange desire to see his wife.

His wife.

Sully found that he very much wanted to see her, and that was reason enough for him to return with Ridge.

But another thought occurred to him. By infiltrating the castle and staying with his wife, as she was the king’s cousin and therefore an honored guest, he could also stay near Josephine.

He wondered why de Reyne hadn’t thought of that.

Or perhaps he had.

In any case, Sully would go to Justine. Then, somehow, he would get word back to Andrew as to the current situation.

Much had happened.