Page 46 of The Highlander's Auctioned Virgin
“I told ye.”
“So, ye were just in the cabin with him all night, and when morning came, ye decided to come back?”
“Well, we played Nine Men’s Morris. He helped me dry me clothes.”
Katherine cocked her head. “Did he– ”
“Nay.” Elinor’s response was sharp. So sharp that it came out almost defensive. As if it had happened and this was her way of protecting him. Of protecting herself. “He didnae do anything. But when I woke up the next morning, he had hunted a deer and roasted it for me.”
“Elinor– ”
“I ken. I am just as surprised as ye are. Probably even more.”
Katherine grabbed a stool and dragged it to the table.
For the first time since she had started treating Elinor’s injuries, she no longer had a look of frustration on her face. Just intrigue.
“Ye reckon he’s playing the long game?” she asked.
The question was jarring. Almost out of nowhere.
“What long game?” Elinor arched her eyebrows.
“Alright. So, Thomas told me yesterday that he overheard some of the lairds talking as they retired to their rooms for the night.”
“During the storm?”
“Aye, during the storm,” Katherine confirmed. “Apparently, one of the lairds believed that ye might have died out there, which meant the clan was up for grabs. They were already drawing lots on who would take which part of the castle before ye returned this morning, Elinor. He said that some even considered the possibility that ye might still be alive and that once ye returned and married one of them, they would slowly gain power until ye had faded out of control and they would become the sole leaders of Clan MacAdair. By then, ye would be nothing more than a maid with a place in the kitchen, where ye belong.”
Elinor listened quietly and let silence reign for the next few seconds after her friend stopped talking. Then, she broke into a low chuckle.
“At least I’m nae marrying any of them.”
Katherine nodded. “’Tis good to ken that. But ye’ll be marrying the worst of them. Tell me, does Ciaran ken yer real name? Does he ken yer full story?”
Elinor flinched slightly. There were several instances the previous night where she could’ve told him everything that had led her here. Now, with her friend’s reasonable pessimism, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had done the right thing by keeping it to herself.
“Nay, I told him nothing,” she replied. “But he kens that I’m nae from here.”
“Does he also ken about the other thing?”
Elinor frowned. “What other thing?”
“The fact that ye’re a virgin?”
“I havenae told him that yet. We still have to get to ken each other. We daenae have to spill everything from here on out. Now, are ye fully satisfied?”
“Satisfied?”
“That I am nae injured?”
“Aye.” Katherine nodded. “But I must say, I am deeply worried about ye, Elinor. What if ye get hurt in the long run? He is akiller.The man is literallyknownfor being a killer.”
Elinor laughed. “I promise ye, Katherine, ye daenae have to worry about me.” She jumped off the table. “Now, I had quite along night, and I just dismissed the lairds. The one thing I need now is a warm bath. Did the maids already draw me one?”
“They did yesterday, thinking ye were going to return. But Jenny left to draw another one.”
Elinor nodded.
