He released a frustrated sigh. “I’m no’ going to hurt ye, lass. Just cutting yer ropes.”
She didn’t trust that he told her the truth, but if he really wanted to hurt her, he could have done so many times over already. She held her hands out. But before he cut them, he leaned in again.
“I’ll release ye and take ye back to town. But ye mustna make a sound and dinna try to run. Ye are surrounded by enemies here. If ye want to live and make it back home, ye’re going to have to trust me and do as I say.”
She raised an eyebrow at that and he at least had the grace to give her a slightly sheepish half grin. “Aye, I ken very well that trusting me willna be easy, but believe me when I say I’m the only thing that will keep ye safe here.” He grabbed hold of the ropes binding her hands and leaned in farther. “Also believe me when I tell ye the last thing I want to do is draw attention to yer mistress and my kinsman.”
She startled at that. His kinsman?
“But if ye try to escape me, that’s exactly what ye’ll be doing. Understand?”
Not even remotely. But she nodded anyway, desperate to get free of the ropes. She’d worry about whether or not to trust him later.
He watched her for half a heartbeat more and then quickly sliced through the ropes.
The second he looked down to slip his dagger back into its sheath, she jerked her still clenched hands up, clipping him right under the chin. He staggered back, one hand to his face, and she darted in the opposite direction as fast as she could.
She made it three steps before strong arms wrapped around her waist and hauled her back. He kept her pressed tight against him, one arm around her waist, the other across her shoulders like an iron band.
“Did I no’ just say that running will only put ye in danger?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, struggling against him. “Let me go and I promise I’ll stay put this time.”
He snorted and then froze as the sound of voices floated in from another room. He squeezed her harder and she stopped struggling. “Listen to me if ye want to live. I ken well ye have little cause to trust me, but I vow to ye I’m no danger to ye. That is not true of the men about to come in this door. They’ll slit ye through with barely a bat of their eyes, if they dinna do worse to ye first. I’ll explain all to ye, but for now, ye’re going to have to stay put and trust me. Do ye understand?”
The terror bleeding into her veins made any movement difficult, but she forced a nod.
He turned her around so they faced each other, only inches apart. “Do as I say, without hesitation, and dinna speak a word unless I bid ye to, aye?”
She nodded again.
He glanced toward the door as the voices got louder and swore under his breath. “They are going to question yer presence here. I’ll…tell them something to explain ye. But if anything happens to me, run as fast and far as ye can.”
Her eyes widened, and he grasped her chin. “Do ye understand me, lass?”
She nodded again and then…he dragged her to him and kissed her, his lips claiming hers while his arms wrapped around her like a vise. She was too stunned to struggle and then it was too late, because the room was suddenly full of men. Who, after their initial surprise, were all staring at her as if they’d like to run her through with their swords. Or something more sinister. Suddenly, the man who held her, whose name she still didn’t know, didn’t seem quite so dangerous.
“Well, what do we have here?” one of them said, a cruel smile twisting his face.
Rose froze at her man’s side, terror clawing at her. Her eyes darted around the room. There were at least ten men, all armed, all dangerous looking. And only one exit.
“William!” one of the men said. “You’ve returned. And brought with you a little surprise, eh? Well done, brother!”
Rose gasped. Brother?
May the saints preserve her. He was one of them.
…
William tore his lips from the maid and plastered what he hoped was a properly leering smile on his face. He turned to face the men, keeping the woman as far behind him as he could. Not that he felt any safer standing in front of her. If she had any knives on her, other than the one he’d found in her pocket, he had no doubt she wouldn’t hesitate to shove it between his ribs. He could even admit he deserved it. But it would be best if she didn’t do so yet.
“So, who do we have here?” Lionel asked.
William pushed her a little farther behind him, and thankfully she didn’t protest. “She’s nobody to concern yourself with.”
“Well that’s easier said than done when you bring her here,” Lionel said. “Mr. Ramsay doesn’t like strangers. And bringing her around this lot might not have been the wisest course of action.”
William nodded. “Well, as ye can see, she’s no’ exactly a stranger to me,” he said, giving the man a playful wink. “And I didna have much choice. The lass follows me wherever I go.”
Several of them laughed and nudged each other, and Lionel’s expression lost a little of his suspicion. But he still wasn’t going to let it go. “Mr. Ramsay won’t be happy to find her here.”
William nodded again. “I ken that well enough, but the poor lass is miserable without me. I’m afraid she may do herself harm if she’s left all alone. Best if I have her where I can keep an eye on her. I promise ye, she willna be any trouble.”
“Well I don’t know about that, mate,” one of the other men said, stepping forward. “Seems like she might be too much for you to handle. I’d be more than happy to help out if you find you’ve got your hands full.”
The other men laughed, and William kept a tight rein on the sudden flash of rage that surged in him at the thought of anyone else touching her. “That’s all right, friend,” he said. “I can manage my woman on my own.”
“Oh, your woman, is she?” Lionel asked. “I didn’t hear her opinion on the matter. Maybe you have to keep such a close eye on her because if you didn’t, she’d run off.”
That hit a little too close to home, but William stood his ground.
“Enough of this,” Lionel said. “Keep her quiet and out of sight. Mr. Ramsay should be back in a few hours, and the last thing you want is to provoke him.”
William nodded again but didn’t move from his protective stance until the rest of the men had cleared out. Only then did he relax, not realizing how ready for a fight he had been until the tension drained from his muscles. He let out a deep breath and turned around. The woman might be a thorn in his side but at least she knew when to keep quiet.
He nodded at her. “It looks like ye have some brains about ye after all.”
She scowled. “I might be angry enough to run you through, and I’ll certainly never forgive you for what you’ve done, dragging me into a den of murderous brigands, not to mention the mess you’ve made of everything. But that doesn’t mean I’m stupid. If you had wanted to kill me you could’ve done so when I was unconscious or when we were back in the woods. There’s no point in you dragging me all the way here just to kill me in front of all these witnesses. So whatever your plans for me, I figured they must be better than what that lot had in mind.”
William snorted. “Accurate assumption.”
“So…what are you planning to do with me?” she asked.
William sighed and sat on a stool and motioned for her to do the same. She looked as if she’d protest again but instead she slumped back into a chair and stared at him, waiting.
“I think there might have been a misunderstanding here,” he said.
She raised an eyebrow at him. “And what misunderstanding would that be?”
“What is yer name? And dinna waste time with lying or hesitating.”
She looked as if she wouldn’t answer him and then with an exasperated sigh she said, “Rose Thatcher.”
“And yer mistress?”
Her face twisted like she’d rather chew glass then answer him but she finally said, “Lady Alice Chivers.”
At that name Willi
am closed his eyes and rubbed his hands over his face. “And would yer mistress have been meeting a Mr. Philip McGregor on the boat that sailed from Dover this morning?”
Rose sat up straight at that, her eyes going wide. “How did you know that?”
He sighed again and shook his head. What an absolute, bloody nightmare. “Because Philip McGregor is my kinsman. My cousin. We didna think yer lady would meet him, since we didna see her when we arrived. Then, when I saw ye on the dock looking suspiciously out of place, watching the ship, the only conclusion I could come to was that ye were spying for Mr. Ramsay.”
She raised another eyebrow at that. “That’s the only conclusion you could draw? That I was a spy? For the same Mr. Ramsay that you apparently work for?”
“I didna say it was a good assumption,” he said, more sheepishly than he would have cared to let on. “And my being here with Ramsay…it’s not what ye think. I canna explain it now.” His eyes glanced at the door through which the other men had left. “But let me assure ye my motives are in line with yers.”
“Then you must let me go,” Rose said, leaning forward to raise pleading eyes to his. “I was supposed to return back to the inn where my mistress’s family is staying. Her plan was for me to inform the others that she was ill and keep anyone from noticing she was not there for as long as possible. But if I have already been gone for several hours I fear her absence may have been discovered. If that is the case…”
Dread settled in William’s gut. “If that is the case, then the entire town will be on the lookout for yer mistress,” he said, swallowing hard. “And my kinsman.”
Rose nodded and sat back with a frustrated snarl. “All you had to do was tell me who you were and this all could have been sorted out on the docks. If I had known you were a friend to the man my mistress sailed with, instead of an enemy, I would have told you all. Instead you jumped to conclusions, kidnapped me, and now my mistress and your cousin are both in danger.”
“Not to mention those they are protecting,” William added, rubbing his hand over his face. “Aye, lass, I’m well aware how terrible a mistake this is.”
Rose frowned at that, confusion furrowing her brow, but before she could say much else someone shouted William’s name. He scowled and then stood and brushed his legs off. “I’ll try to spirit ye away later tonight, but I must go take care of a few things. Dinna leave this room or speak to anyone. If anyone comes near ye…”
He frowned, pressing his lips together as he weighed the pros and cons of arming her. Finally, he released an exasperated sigh and pulled her dagger from his waistband, pressing it into her hand.
“Where did you get this?” she asked, her eyes widening with surprise. And anger. Not surprising considering he stole it from her.
“I took it off ye when ye were unconscious. It didna seem a prudent choice to leave ye armed.”
Her lips twitched. She might have laughed if he hadn’t been about to abandon her to a room full of mercenaries. His gut twisted at the thought. “If anyone but me comes near ye, dinna hesitate to use that. I’ll try not to be too long.”
She held the dagger up and took a step closer to him, pointing it at his throat. He didn’t truly believe she’d use it, despite the anger still burning in her eyes. But his heart still thudded uncomfortably in his chest.
“And what if I choose to use it on you?” she asked.
He shrugged, forcing a nonchalance he didn’t feel. “Ye can if ye’d like, but then who would save ye from them?” He jerked his head over his shoulder in the direction of the other men.
She hesitated for a second. They both knew he had a point. With him she could be relatively sure she would come to no harm. With the others… He doubted she had any desire to chance it. She might be able to defend herself against one man, but not so many. She gave him a sharp nod and took a step back.
He didn’t truly think she’d be in danger or he wouldn’t leave her. The men in Ramsay’s gang were criminals, but reasonably well controlled. And he wouldn’t be far. Still, he hesitated to leave her until his name was shouted once more. Then he spun on his heels. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said.
“And what exactly am I supposed to do while you’re gone?” she asked.
He paused. “They think ye’re my woman. Do womanly things.”
She rolled her eyes and he left the room chuckling. The woman might be a thorn in his side, but she was a beautiful one. Strong, brave, and intelligent as well. Not traits he typically looked for in a woman. When he sought a woman out it was for temporary companionship. He’d never had a desire to spend more than a few pleasant hours with any of the women he’d known previously.
This one, however…with those flashing eyes and the way her cheeks flushed slightly when she had her dander up. Those full lips that he wanted to kiss even as they berated him. And there was a sharp wit behind that pretty face, one he wanted to explore.
If she could get over her desire to kill him for his admittedly stupid mistake, they might actually get along.
Might being the operative word.
Chapter Four
Rose watched him walk away, taking in every inch of his physique. She’d already noted his height; he actually had to duck beneath the doorway. Her nose barely reached his throat, and she’d had to crane her neck when standing beside him. His long legs were encased in breeches rather than the kilt she’d always assumed his people favored. Must be because he was in England instead of his native land. And in her more civilized country, men didn’t go about wrapped up in lengths of fabric. So, of course, he’d need to dress properly to fit in. Except that deep voice touched with his Scottish brogue betrayed him the moment he spoke. Some women would probably find such a rich-toned voice to be alluring, but not her. She’d barely been affected at all. Any flutterings she felt were due entirely to her dire situation.
She bit her lip and paced around the room, trying to make sense of everything. Could she really trust William? He had been the one to kidnap her, after all. Yet…he seemed genuinely upset at his actions. In fact, as he’d walked away, his broad shoulders had appeared slightly hunched. Maybe from the weight of their plight. From guilt? He had apologized. Admitted his mistake. That was a great deal more than most men would do. He’d looked so distraught she almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
He somehow managed to inspire both sympathy and sheer fury in her. It was a curious sensation. She’d never wanted to simultaneously comfort and maim a man before. Leave it to a Scot. Was it all Scots or only the MacGregors who were prone to wreak havoc on innocent lives? She’d never met a Scot who wasn’t a MacGregor, so she couldn’t be sure. The one thing she was certain about—the MacGregors were trouble.
First, Philip had gone and seduced her mistress into some harebrained scheme, because no matter what Lady Alice said about blackmailing the man, there was no missing the lovesick glint in her eye when she’d spoken of him. This, of course, after Laird John MacGregor, who was a notorious highwayman, no less, had seduced Lady Alice’s bosom friend into running off with him, putting the idea in Alice’s head in the first place.
Then, when Rose had been doing nothing but minding her own business, William had up and kidnapped her, without even bothering to make sure he had cause. And despite this mess being entirely his fault, she still had to smother the urge to comfort him. The nerve!
She sighed. Maybe it was the eyes. Lady Alice had talked about Philip’s. How his deep blue eyes seemed to sear right into a lady’s soul. Perhaps it was a family trait, because every time Rose looked into William’s, her stomach tossed about like the time she’d taken a tumble down the kitchen stairs. As if she was about to scream or be sick, yet still felt so alive and…exhilarated, all at once.
She frowned, trying to restoke her anger. She’d need to steel herself against such thoughts. He was the reason she was in danger. The reason Lady Alice was in danger. She needed to quash any soft urges to reach out and take his hand to offer some support. Or any other urg
es he might inspire. Because he deserved nothing of the sort from her. What he deserved was a good tongue lashing.
She put her hands on her hips and took stock of her surroundings, resolved to put William from her mind. The building had probably been a beautiful manor once and could be again, with a little care…and a full ceiling. She looked up at the gaping hole in one corner and pulled her cloak more tightly about her. The room did offer shelter from most of the elements, and for that she was grateful. But she couldn’t stop worrying about what was going on back in town.
Her mistress had been very explicit in her instructions. Rose was to have gone straight back to their lodgings and camped in front of her door. If anyone came looking for her, Rose was to inform them her mistress was ill. But with no one there to keep them from opening the door, it was only a matter of time before her mistress’s disappearance was discovered. If it hadn’t been already. Since Lady Alice had been in a fine temper over her impending betrothal and had made no secret of the fact that she wanted to see no one, it was possible her family had decided to leave her be. She hoped.
Rose’s disappearance, on the other hand, would cause greater upset, at least in the servants’ quarters. When her mistress had no need of her, Rose helped the other maids or serviced the other ladies in the family. With the family preparing for a long journey, Rose would certainly have been needed. If they had to go search for Rose, the first place they would look would be her mistress’s quarters. Which made the probability that their absence had been discovered, nearly certain.
Rose paced back and forth across the room, her impatience and anger growing with every step. That stupid man! If he had let her alone, everything would have turned out fine. How could he think that she was a spy? Did she really look so sinister? All she’d been doing was standing on the dock, watching the ship. Not skulking around warehouses or whispering with nefarious looking sailors.
The man was insufferable! Intense, soulful eyes and deep, rumbly voice aside. There was obviously nothing behind his abnormally handsome face than gruel for brains.
How to Forgive a Highlander (MacGregor Lairds) Page 3