He knew his comment startled her, for her eyes widened and he had to nudge her again when she came to an abrupt stop.

Alec was standing in the center of the courtyard next to his mount. His expression didn't give her a guess as to what he was thinking, but Jamie didn't believe he'd been patiently waiting for her arrival, as Beak had said. No, the Kincaid didn't look like the patient sort at all.

Alec was certain she was going to cause an uproar when they reached the Highlands. He held her gaze a long minute, wondering to himself just when he was going to get accustomed to her. Her eyes were the most vivid shade of violet he'd ever seen.

There was blue and then there was blue. Beak had made that odd remark, Alec remembered. Now he understood what the stable master meant.

He couldn't allow her to captivate him this way. Her mouth was too damned appealing for his peace of mind. Yes, she was going to cause an upset all right, whether she realized it or not, Alec mused, for though he was certain none of his clansmen would dare to touch what belonged to him, their thoughts would certainly be strolling in that direction.

The woman was simply too appealing for her own good. She was still frightened of him. Alec told himself that was a good beginning. A wife should always be a bit uncertain of her husband. Yet her fear irritated him, too. He would have ordered her to get on her mount and be quick about it if he hadn't seen the apprehension in her gaze. She reminded him of a deer just picking up the scent of danger.

It was high time he took control, he decided.

Alec gained his stallion's back in one fluid motion. The great black horse pranced a nervous sidestep into Wildfire's flanks. Jamie's horse was already in a prickly state, having been forced to stand next to a male whose scent she was unfamiliar with, and immediately tried to rear up. Alec reached over, grabbed the reins from the inattentive groom, and commanded the mare to settle down.

Wildfire immediately obeyed.

Beak heard Jamie's in-drawn breath, noticed the way she stared at the Scottish warrior, and came to the conclusion she might be in jeopardy of fainting. He put his hand on her shoulder again.

"Get your gumption back, girl. Ain't going to make you feel any better if you disgrace yourself by swooning. I taught you better, didn't I?"

The grumbled words got her immediate attention. Jamie straightened away from the stable master. "There isn't going to be any swooning," she muttered. "You insult me by suggesting I have such a weakness."

Beak hid his smile. He wasn't going to have to nudge her forward any longer. The fire was back in her eyes.

With the grace befitting royalty, Jamie lifted the hem of her gown and walked over to her mount. Beak helped her get settled on Wildfire's back, then reached up to pat her hand. "Now, give this old man your promise to get along with your husband," he ordered. "It's a sacred commandment, if you'll remember," he added with an outrageous wink.

"It is not a commandment," Jamie announced.

"It is in the Highlands."

Alec had made that statement. He had sounded as though he meant what he said, too. Jamie gave him a disgruntled look before turning back to Beak.

The stable master was smiling at her husband. "You'll remember your promise to me, Laird Kincaid?"

Alec nodded. He tossed Wildfire's reins to Jamie, goaded his stallion forward, and left Jamie staring after him.

He wasn't going to wait for her. Jamie held Wildfire steady, determined to see just how far Alec would ride before he stopped to wait for her. When horse and rider disappeared across the drawbridge and out of sight, she came to the conclusion he wasn't going to wait at all. The man hadn't even bothered to glance back over his shoulder.

"What did you mean when you asked him to remember his promise to you?" Jamie asked almost absentmindedly while she stared at the drawbridge.

"Nothing to concern yourself with," Beak said quickly.

Jamie turned to look at him. "Out with it, Beak," she commanded.

"I just had a little talk with him, Jamie, about your… innocence."

"I don't understand."

"Well, now, there's going to have to be a wedding night, lass. Since I was the one who told you about the ways between a man and a woman, I thought I'd caution your husband-"

"Oh, God, you talked about that?"

"I did. He promised to be careful with you, Jamie. He'll try not to hurt you much the first time."

Jamie knew her cheeks were flaming red with embarrassment. "I'm never going to let him touch me, Beak, so your gaining his promise was all for naught."

"Now, Jamie, don't sound so stubborn. I was afeard for you. 'Tis the truth I didn't tell you much about the actual mating ways. I explained to Kincaid that you didn't understand much about-"

"I don't want to hear any more of this talk. He'll never touch me and that's that."

Beak let out a loud sigh. "You're in for a surprise, then, me girl. The way he looks at you tells me he'll be taking you at first chance. Might as well accept that in your stubborn mind, Jamie. Just do what he tells you and you'll come out all right."

"Do what he tells me?"

"Now, lass, don't raise your voice to me. You'd best be moving on, Jamie," he urged.

Jamie shook her head. "I'll go in a minute, Beak. First I must gain your promise you'll come after me if there's trouble here."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

She couldn't quite look him in the eye when she whispered her explanation. "It seems that Papa took some gold coins from Andrew. It was a loan, Beak, and not a dowry, but I'm still worried. I don't know how Papa will be able to pay Andrew back."

She dared a quick look up, to judge Beak's reaction. She needn't have bothered.

His bellow of outrage nearly pushed her off her mount. "He took gold for you, Jamie? He sold you to Baron Andrew?"

"No, no, you misunderstand," Jamie said quickly. "It was just a loan, Beak.

There isn't time to argue about this. Just give me your word you'll come for me if Papa needs help."

"Aye, lass," Beak said. His sigh sounded angry. "I give you my pledge. Any other worries I should know about?"

"I pray not."

"Then off with you. If your husband-"

"One last matter, and then I'll leave."

"You're deliberately stalling, aren't you, girl? You want to poke his temper.

He'll guess the truth about you then," Beak predicted with a grin. "And after all the trouble I had telling him my lies."

"What lies?"

"Told him you were a sweet, gentle maiden, I did."

"I am a sweet, gentle maiden," Jamie countered.

Beak snorted. "As sweet as the taste of soap when your temper's riled."

"What else did you tell him?" Jamie asked, looking suspicious. "I'd better know the full of it, Beak, so I can defend myself."

"I told him you were timid."

"You didn't!"

"Said you were weak, used to be being coddled."

"No."

"And that you liked to spend your days sewing and churchgoing."

Jamie started to laugh. "Why would you tell such stories?"

"Because I wanted to give you a little advantage," Beak explained. His words fairly tripped over one another in his haste to hurry through the explanation.

"I didn't tell him you could speak Gaelic, either."

"Neither did I."

The two confidants exchanged a grin. Then Jamie asked, "You're not sorry about all the skills you taught me, are you?"

"Of course not," Beak answered. "But if your husband thinks you're puny, I figure he'll be on his guard to see to your safety, lass. He'll have more patience with you, to my way of thinking."

"I don't care what he thinks about me," Jamie returned. "My pride's pricked because you made me out to be so inferior, though."

"Most women are inferior," he countered.