Page 53 of Saved By the Highland Beast
He urged the horse on into the darkness of the woods, following the trail that Sophia had left.
CHAPTER19
Sophia yankedon the bottom of her blouse and tore another piece off as Luke rounded a bend that led to a clearing. The tips of her finger felt as if they were ready to bleed as she struggled to tear the fabric off. Her wrists were raw and red as the roughness of the ropes cut into her skin.
To make matters worse, Luke had stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth to ensure that she didn’t scream and draw any undue attention to them.
Luke had led her all the way to the edge of the forest and tied her to the saddle of a horse after they’d left Cillian in the snow. She hoped and prayed that someone had happened upon the boy and that no further harm had come to him. She’d never forgive herself if he was hurt or left in the snow to freeze.
Waiting for Luke to look ahead again, she quickly flung the piece of her blouse onto a nearby branch. Being almost certain that Dean would come after her, she had begun leaving a trail as soon as she was tied to the back of the horse.
She began to rip another piece of her skirt when Luke looked back and glimpsed her hands that were bound at the wrists.
“What are you doing?” he asked with a frown, bringing the horses to a sudden stop along the path.
Sophia quickly tried to hide her hands and act as if nothing were amiss, shifting her legs in an attempt to hide the torn sections of her skirt where her thigh and undergarments were fully exposed.
Luke swung his leg over the horse and dismounted before coming around to her side. “Why were you fidgeting like that?” He glared up at her.
She lifted her hands and shrugged with an innocent expression on her face, the handkerchief almost suffocating her as she choked.
“Oh, all right,” Luke said in annoyance as he undid the rope that held her in the saddle and pulled her down, placing her squarely on her feet in front of him. “Do you promise not to scream if I remove the gag?” he asked and narrowed his eyes at her.
Nodding, Sophia signaled her willingness to cooperate if he removed the handkerchief.
Leaning over, he ripped the gag from her mouth in one smooth motion, causing her to cough and splutter as cold air filled her lungs, the dryness of her mouth making it hard to breathe. She would have given anything for a sip of warm ale or even wine to wash away the nasty taste.
“Thank you,” she finally managed through labored breaths. Her throat was raw and stinging from the long ride with the handkerchief in her mouth.
“I’m sorry that I have to put you through this,” Luke said with his chin tilted to the side. “I can’t be sure that I can trust you just yet. You’ve been brainwashed by the laird, it will take some time before you see the truth again.”
Before he can trust me?That’s rich coming from a man taking me against my will!
Taking a deep breath, Sophia decided to buy some time before he set off again. If Dean had found her trail, he would need a few minutes to catch up.
“The truth? What do you mean by the truth?” she asked in a scratchy voice. Her fingers and toes were numb from being in the cold for so long.
Luke shook his head and tutted as if her line of questioning only served as proof of her altered state of mind. “That you and I belong together, my dear Sophia,” he explained. “And I am going to make sure that the spell the Scottish rogue cast over you is broken before the sun sets tomorrow,” he said confidently with a nod.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end at the way he looked at her. “What do you mean by that?” She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.
His lips broke into a sickening grin as he stared at her. “I wanted our proposal to be more romantic than this. I’d always envisioned myself going down on one knee with a bunch of red roses and my grandmother’s ring.” He sighed. “But I guess that beggars can’t be choosers. This will have to do in light of our circumstances.”
Her stomach flipped and churned with nausea as he knelt down in the snow and stared up at her.
“Sophia, I don’t expect you to say yes right now, given your altered state of mind, but I know you will realize once we are married that you and I were meant to be. That is why I am taking you to Gretna Green to marry you.” He paused with a smile. “We shall wed as soon as the sun comes up tomorrow.”
Sophia felt the blood draining from her face as she realized what he intended to do with her. Couples eloped in Gretna Green all the time.
Surely, they won’t force me to marry a man against my will.
“Don’t worry,” he said as she continued to stare at him in horror. “I’ve taken into account the fact that you aren’t at your best. I’ll find a priest or vicar who would be more than willing to marry us with the understanding that you are currently ill and not in the right frame of mind. My cousin once married a girl who hit her head and couldn’t remember that they’d been engaged. Things like this happen more than you would think. The peerage is more corrupt than most criminals when it comes to gold.”
Sophia continued to stare at him in disbelief as he spoke. Luke was clearly a man who lived in a world all of his own. She couldn’t decide whether he was spoilt or just not in possession of all of his mental faculties. She’d run from him if it weren’t for the ropes that held her feet and ankles together.
“What’s that?” he suddenly asked as he spun her around, nearly causing her to fall into the snow. “Why is your skirt ripped like that?” he demanded as he examined the shreds of fabric that hung down the side of her leg.
“My skirt hooked on the saddle and ripped while we were riding,” she lied and quickly tried to close her skirt with her hands that were still bound.
