Page 27 of Transporting a Ruthless Highlander
“But where will we go?” Struan asked. “Kevin has no doubt turned every tenant and farmer on the whole estate against me or threatened their livelihood if they help me.” He gripped one of the cell bars, and immediately, May put her hand over his, then smiled at him. It was an expression of pure devotion, and when she stood on her tiptoes and pulled his head down to place a soft kiss on his lips, Gavina felt her stomach sour with jealousy.
“I will take care of that,” she answered. She began to whisper in Struan’s ear. It was too quiet for Gavina to hear, but it was obvious by the expression on her face how May felt.
At last, she took a step backward, and with one last loving look, she left. She gave Gavina no farewell, but then, she had not expected one.
“If only she keeps her promise and sets us free,” Struan sighed.
“She might, but we will be hunted,” Gavina pointed out. “Yer brother is no’ goin’ tae let us go without a fight.”
“I have been hunted before, and I have fought back before,” he said grimly. “I will win our freedom again, Gavina. Besides, I have you with me, and you are my secret weapon. You can do almost anything.”
She ignored the compliment. “Freedom and May,” she remarked. “Then ye will have everythin’ ye want.”
16
It was on the tip of Struan’s tongue to remind Gavina that May was married and unavailable to him, even if he had still wanted her, which he did not. However, his heart melted when he saw that Gavina’s face was white and strained, and he reflected on the few days they had somehow managed to live through. She had a will of iron and was remarkably resourceful, but she was only human, after all. Now, she looked drained of all strength, and although he wanted to pull her into his arms and soothe her, he knew exactly what her reaction would be.
“Are you well, Gavina?” he asked gently.
“Dae I look well?” she snapped, then turned her back on him and closed her eyes. “I’m sleepin’,” she said grumpily.
Struan sighed then remembered the wine that the nurse had left. He opened the flagon and took a sip. It was not of very good quality and had been badly stored, but it was only medicinal wine after all. However, now it tasted like nectar. He closed his eyes, savoring it, but opened them again when a sharp, unwelcome voice interrupted his enjoyment.
“I hope the medicine is working,” Kevin drawled, smiling smugly at his brother. “I keep only the best of vintages for the cure of invalids.” He stared at Gavina. “Is she asleep or unconscious?” he asked curiously.
“Asleep,” Struan answered. “Please do not disturb her.”
Again, Kevin heard the pleading note in his brother’s voice.I have found his weak spot,he thought viciously. “I will not trouble her,” he assured Struan. “I came to see you.” He motioned to one of the jailers to let him into the cell, and then he sat down beside Struan on his mattress, his back against the wall. He was holding a glass of whiskey in one hand and made his brother an ironic toast. “To your health, Brother.”
Although he was seething inside, Struan’s face might have been carved in stone. He did not move a muscle as Kevin began to verbally torture him, and his answers to his brother’s barbed comments were clipped and emotionless.
“So, I hear that my wife has been to see you,” Kevin said. “Obviously out of pity. She is very happy with me. We are blessed to have found each other, really. It is said that out of evil comes good.” He turned to look intently at his brother, but Struan was staring at the stone floor. “If you had not killed Father, May would have married you, and we would all have been extremely miserable. I cannot understand to this day why you murdered him. He always loved you better than me.”
“If you say so,” Struan said lazily. He would not give in to the rage that was boiling inside him, for then his brother would think of something even worse with which to taunt him.
“You are not denying that you killed him, then?” Kevin asked pointedly, looking at his brother with narrowed, suspicious eyes.
“Of course I am.” Struan shrugged and yawned. “But you will not believe me anyway, so I will not waste my breath.”
Kevin was becoming irritated. If there was one thing that gave him enormous pleasure, it was inflicting pain on others, and since Struan was the one person in the world he hated most, he enjoyed it all the more.
“We thought that she might have been with child a few days ago,” Kevin went on, “but alas, her courses came back. However, we have a great deal of pleasure in trying to make a baby. Every night, and sometimes in the morning too. Occasionally I surprise her and visit her in the afternoon as well. She is always glad to see me, and when her blood is up, she can hardly control herself. She is like a wild beast!”
He laughed, delighted with himself for making up a tale that transformed him into a god of desire and pleasure. In truth, May laid back and did her duty, distracting herself by thinking about Struan when her revulsion for her husband became unbearable.
Struan said nothing, merely laid down on his mattress and let Kevin ramble on. He was no longer furious, merely irritated. His brother was an imbecile who was too stupid to see what a narcissistic fool he was and how much he was held in contempt. Struan almost felt sorry for him. He closed his eyes just as Kevin was swallowing his last sip of whiskey, wishing that his brother would just disappear.
Kevin stared at Struan, his eyes blazing with anger. If there was one thing he hated, it was being ignored. He stood up, drew back his leg, and kicked Struan viciously as hard as he could, watching his face for a reaction.
Struan could not help but wince and groan in pain, but he did not look at Kevin, and his brother, frustrated by Struan’s lack of reaction, turned on his heel and stomped out of the cell.
Gavina raised herself from her mattress and watched Kevin’s retreating back. Words could not express her contempt for this travesty of a man who quite clearly thought the world revolved around him. She would never admit it to him, but she was proud of Struan for his stoic reaction to Kevin’s taunting; she doubted that she could have acted with such restraint.
“There is goin’ tae be a bruise there in the mornin’,” she observed as she watched him rub the site of the injury. “Ye should ask the healer for some arnica salve.”
“And do you think my brother would let her give it to me?” he asked cynically. “No, Gavina. Cuts and bruises all heal in time. How is your wound? Are you in pain?”
“A wee bit, but ’tis bearable,” she answered. Then she said casually, “Have ye never considered killin’ him?”
