Highlander's Ransom (12 page)

Just when she thought they could get no closer to the
rocks in front of them, Robert seemed to almost walk through them. She realized
they were headed into a shallow cave. It was only about ten feet deep, but
provided shelter and cut the slight breeze that had picked up after the sun had
gone down.

Robert released her elbow, and without a word, went
back outside the cave to his horse. He returned a few moments later with his
saddle and bags. Tossing them on the ground, he removed his bedroll, water
skin, and a few more biscuits and dried meat wrapped in parchment. Setting
those things aside, he went about starting a fire toward the mouth of the cave.
All the while, his men were doing as he had. Some spread out their bedrolls
several paces away from the cave, out in the fresh crisp air. When the fire was
started, Alwin saw that a dark smear of soot covered the cave’s roof. These
men, or others like them, must have used this spot before.

As the fire blazed cheerfully, the men chewed on hard
biscuits and talked quietly, seeming to pick up on the tension between their
leader, his second in command, and their captive. Not wanting to sulk in the
shadows, though, Alwin adjusted the plaid she still wore around her shoulders,
and sat on the ground in front of the fire. She let herself gaze into the
flames, mesmerized by their dance and content to not look at, talk to, or touch
Robert.

All too soon, though, he interrupted her thoughts.
Coming up beside her, he silently offered her food and water, an unreadable
look on his face. She hesitated, not wanting to take anything from him, but
then decided that she wasn’t going to let herself starve. She could use him for
her benefit just as he was using her. She took the proffered food and chewed
slowly, forcing herself to dismiss him again from her mind and return her eyes
to the fire.

After they were done eating, the men around the fire
stood one by one and walked out to their bedrolls, which were scattered out in
the open. Within a few minutes, she could hear light snores coming from outside
the cave. Two men were assigned watch, and they too disappeared into the night.
Soon, only Burke, Robert, and Alwin remained by the fire.

“Burke, may I have a word with you?” Alwin said
flatly, her voice cutting through the tension.

“Aye, my lady,” Burke said reluctantly. He stood and
offered her his hand to assist her in rising. Robert stood too, but without a
word turned and strode out of the cave, leaving the two of them alone.

Alwin trained her eyes on Burke, trying to sort
through all her thoughts and questions, not to mention her frustration and
fear.

“When did he come up with this plan?” she finally
said, arms crossed in front of her.

“He first told me of it after Warren’s attack, my
lady. I do not know how long he had been thinking on it, but I can tell you
with certainty that we were all genuinely surprised to have found you in that
supply wagon.”

“What did he say to you to convince you to go along
with him in this madness?”

Burke sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair.
“He is my Laird,” he said simply after a moment.

“Is that it? You do what he tells you because you are
forced to give him your loyalty?”

“I am not forced,” he snapped in response, heat edging
his voice. “I follow him because he leads our clan toward prosperity and
peace.”

“Prosperity?” she spat out. “You mean stealing from
Warren and conning away my dowry?”

“Nay, my lady, I mean rebuilding, protecting our
people so that they can farm and raise livestock again, and save enough to
build a better future for their children. I know Robert’s heart. He is looking
to do right by the clan.”

“And what of me? My life doesn’t matter?” She took a
breath to try to calm herself. “I don’t think either one of you can understand
what it is like to struggle your whole life for the freedom to make your own
choices, then have the hope of such freedom taken away in a single moment.” Her
voice grew tight as she continued. “I knew I would have to become a wife one
day, and that I likely wouldn’t have any say in the matter, but this? I might
as well have been a load of supplies in that wagon in the borderlands, for that
is how everyone treats me!”

Burke’s eyes softened as he watched her struggle to
maintain control of herself. “You may be surprised by how well the Scots
understand your desire for freedom, my lady,” he said quietly. Shaking himself
a little, he continued more firmly, “I do not know what the future holds, but I
am positive that it will prove better to be wed to Robert than Raef Warren. He
is not perfect—he can be harsh, but he is also not cruel.”

“I refuse to accept that we actually
are
wed,
Burke. What happened back there at the cottage?”

Burke lowered his eyes, not wanting her to see both
his anger and his shame. “Father Paul is indeed a priest. He conducted the
ceremony in Gaelic so that you wouldn’t understand. Robert spoke the words, and
I spoke them for you.”

“And what were those words?” she asked, fear creeping
in. She realized that although she hated Robert for what he had done, a part of
her didn’t truly believe that it had actually happened, that they were wed in
the eyes of God.

“That you are his wife, and that you will obey and
honor him, for better or worse, until death.”

Alwin sputtered and nearly choked.
Obey? Honor?
Her kidnapper? She hadn’t spoken those words! Though they may be bound for the
time being, she most certainly wasn’t going to behave according to something
she hadn’t even agreed to. She straightened her spine and said levelly, “The
moment that it is possible, I
will
have this deceitful union undone.”

“Aye, you may try, my lady,” Burke said cautiously.
“Though truthfully, once we are back at Roslin, I doubt anyone would want to go
against both their Laird’s wishes and Father Paul’s actions. Both are well
respected and loved throughout the Highlands.”

“Thank you for your honesty, Burke, though I am not
sure I am ready to forgive you for your part in this lie.”

“I understand, my lady. I am not sure that I am ready
to forgive myself either,” he said with a little sideways smile touching his
lips.

Just then, Robert stomped back into the cave’s mouth,
a frown darkening his features.

“You’d better get some rest while you can, Burke,” he
said coolly. Burke nodded and with another glance at Alwin, he moved out of the
dying light of the now-low fire.

“You don’t have to be rude,” she said crossly.

“Forgive me, but I do not like other men smiling at my
wife
,” he responded harshly.

She couldn’t stop the gasp of shock that escaped her
lips. Why would he say such a thing? Was he just trying to get under her skin,
to remind her of the powerless position she was in thanks to his plotting? Or
was there also a genuine note of jealousy in his tone?

She pushed aside the thought, not wanting to fret over
his actions. All she could do now, all she had ever been able to do, was control
her own reactions and responses. She had already learned the hard lesson from
her father that she couldn’t change men’s control over her life. Robert was
just another one in a line of men who were trying to use her. She had to take
control of her own destiny. That meant getting out of this farce of a marriage,
but for tonight, she would have to settle with ignoring Robert’s mysterious
comments and actions. She had decided somewhere along the way that she would no
longer attempt to escape from him and his men. From what she had seen of Raef
Warren, she grudgingly admitted, Burke was right: she was better off with
Robert. She would allow him to take her to his home, but once there, she would
find a way out—she would claim her freedom.

She smoothed her face and walked farther back into the
cave, settling herself on the ground, which was surprisingly soft. Centuries’
worth of dried leaves had settled inside the cave, making a carpet of sorts
over the rocks beneath. She rearranged the plaid so that it both covered her
and cushioned her head, then gave Robert her back and attempted to fall asleep.
She could feel his eyes on her for several moments, then heard him arranging
his bedroll only a few feet from her. She nearly turned over and demanded to
know what he was doing sleeping so close to her, but then reminded herself that
she was strong enough to ignore him. He was likely just trying to assert his
power over her again, to cloud her thoughts with his masculine scent and
intimidate her with his honed and muscular body.

She silently thanked the stars that he had not claimed
his husbandly right yet. That thought had her reeling again. Even though she
considered their marriage a sham, technically he could consummate the union,
which would thwart any attempt she might make for an annulment, as well as any
chance she had to return home to be wed to another. She shuddered inwardly,
frightened to think of how her life now balanced on a razor’s edge. With the
slightest nudge one way or the other, she could fall to ruin. As sleep took
her, she thought again of Robert’s kiss, but instead of being frightened, she
felt that strange heat suffuse her, and a longing for something from Robert she
feared she shouldn’t want.

Chapter 18

Sometime well before dawn, Alwin awoke to the sound of
mumbling. She recognized Robert’s voice, but couldn’t make sense of what he was
saying. She realized that he was talking in his sleep, so she sat up and
reached out in the dark with her hand to try to wake him. On instinct alone,
she ducked just in time to miss one of his massive arms go whirring through the
air right where her head had been. He was fighting someone in his sleep.

“Robert!” she hissed. “Wake up! You are dreaming!”

Cautious of his powerful limbs, she placed a hand on
his shoulder and shook him. All of a sudden, though, his arms came up and
wrapped around her, dragging her down onto his chest. She squirmed and
struggled to get out of his embrace, but his arms were too heavy for her to lift,
and besides, he was clutching her tightly. On a pause for breath, she realized
that his mumbling had stopped, and that his hold on her seemed to be calming
him. Instead of fighting against his grip, she eased her arms from between them
to a more comfortable position, then adjusted her neck so that her head rested
on his chest. He inhaled slowly, deeper sleep returning, and she heard his
heartbeat resume a steady beat. She lay there tense for a long time, unsure of
what to do. The last thing she wanted right now was to be snuggling her body
against his as he slept—wasn’t it? His warmth enveloped her, and she soon found
her eyelids drooping. His slow breaths soothed her frayed nerves, and she felt
herself slipping back into slumber. This was not exactly taking control of her
destiny and distancing herself from him, she thought just before sleep claimed
her once more.

Robert slowly drew out of a wonderful dream. He had
been lying on a bed of roses, with a warm lass in his arms—and not just any
lass. In the dream, he had felt every one of Alwin’s delicate curves pressed
against him, the scent of her hair filling his nose. He cracked his eyelids
open to see the first hint of dawn beyond the cave’s mouth. Suddenly, something
tickled his neck. He thought to brush at it, but realized that his arms were
wrapped tightly around—Alwin! She was warm and limp in his embrace, still
deeply asleep. One of her legs was thrown over his thigh, dangerously close to
his very awake and needy cock. Her hand rested on his chest and her head was
nestled on his shoulder. As she exhaled, her warm breath fanned over his neck.
He nearly jerked upright, but managed to control his body so as not to disturb
her. She made a little noise in her sleep, and nuzzled closer to him. He cursed
silently to himself. He doubted that she had simply crawled into his arms
during the night. More likely, he had been having one of his dreams again,
where he battled and endless sea of English soldiers but could never quite stay
ahead of their attacks. He had long known that he had such nightmares, and that
they caused him to flail and talk in his sleep. He hoped he hadn’t frightened
her, or worse, accidentally swiped her with his thrashing.

He hated to think that she might wake and assume that
he had pushed his body onto hers during the night, but he had to admit that the
thought of sleeping like this again appealed to him. His dream had made the
blood rush to his cock, and the reality he found upon waking only increased his
desire. As slowly as he could manage, he tried to peel her from his body as he
sat up. Based on her attempts to keep her distance from him since they were
wed, he guessed that she would be none too happy at their current position. His
movement disturbed her, though, and she blinked her eyes open. Cloudy grey,
with just a hint of deep blue, enveloped him for a moment, and he felt like he
was gazing deep into the Highland sky.

She jerked out of his embrace. “You were talking and
thrashing in your sleep” she said quickly.

“Aye, I guessed as much. Did I hurt you?”

“Nay, you just sort of…held me and wouldn’t let go,”
she said, averting her eyes. A beautiful flush was rising up her neck and
settling in her cheeks

“I apologize,” he said simply.