Page 28 of Transporting a Ruthless Highlander
Struan stared into her green eyes, horrified. “No, I have not!” he replied. He was genuinely shocked. “And I never thought I would hear you say such a thing.”
“No, ye are right,” she conceded. “I have met hundreds o’ murderers in my time, an’ ye are no’ one o’ them. ’Tis a pity because then ye could have the castle an’ the woman ye want.”
“But…” He stopped himself just before the words came out.You are the woman I want,he was about to say. He had already realized that it was true, however. Gavina was not only the woman he wanted, but she was also everything he wanted, even though they were now both penniless and their situation bleak. He loved her completely, and as she stood up and he saw her standing in her worn, too-short dress, he realized that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met, even though he had seen hundreds of others.
Yet it was not just her beauty that attracted him. She might look like a slender sapling, but she was as tough as a mighty oak and had a core of iron, a whiplash tongue, and the uncanny knack of finding her way out of any kind of trouble. She was able to make a little go a long way, and her skill with cards was masterful, but above all those things were her transparent honesty, bravery, and integrity. Yes, this was the love he had always striven for.
“What were ye goin’ tae say?” Gavina asked, feeling uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze.
“Nothing,” he replied, but was saved from any further denials by the appearance of May at the cell doors. She was panicked and fearful and looked around her continuously to see if she was being watched.
“Come,” she hissed. “We must hurry. I have managed to get the keys to the dungeons, but we will have to get past the guards. I bribed one of them and drugged the others, but we must be very, very quick.”
As she was speaking, she was frantically turning one of the keys in the lock, and Gavina began to tremble inside at the thought of one of the jailers catching them. She hugged herself tightly and hopped from foot to foot as the jingle of the keys seemed to echo like church bells down the corridor.
After what seemed like an eternity, the door swung open and Struan stepped out, carrying some of the blankets with him. Gavina picked up the rest and followed him, with May taking the lead. She held a forefinger in front of her mouth to warn them to be quiet, then crept noiselessly along the corridor until she came to a cell whose door was standing open. Not too far away, they heard the sound of the guards talking and laughing. Their words sounded slurred and sleepy.
May urged Gavina and Struan into the cell. “We must wait here and keep out of sight ’til they fall asleep,” she whispered urgently. “I gave them a present of some wine—a rare treat for them—but I put a little something in it that I got from the healer. I told her I could not sleep.”
Struan laughed softly. “Clever May!” he remarked.
Gavina felt jealousy spike through her as she watched the look on Struan’s face and the way May gazed back at him. They were quite clearly besotted with each other. She had been wrong to think that he cared for her in any way and was now thankful that he had pulled away at the last moment since May was obviously the reason why.
“I think they are nearly asleep now,” May whispered as she peeked around the door of the cell.
She heard nothing, and Struan tiptoed forward to gain a better look. Each man was slumped in his chair with a goblet of spilled ale on the floor at his feet. Struan shook each of them gently, but apart from a soft grunt, no one moved or made a sound.
“All clear,” he said in a loud whisper.
“Come.” May took Gavina’s hand and pulled her over to the stairs, but she paused for a moment at the bottom and pulled Struan aside. “My husband is mad,” she told him. “You know that. Do you have any brotherly feelings for him at all?”
“No,” he replied, frowning. He had an awful sense that he knew where their conversation was going. “Why?”
“Kill him.” It was not a plea. It was almost an order, and once again, Struan was horrified. “He is mad. All he thinks about is having his revenge on you.”
“Revenge for what?” Struan was puzzled.
“I told you at the funeral. Your father loved you more than he ever loved Kevin.” She reached up to cup his face in her hands. “He is insanely jealous.”
Struan gently disengaged her hands. “And he is torturing me by making me wonder when he will kill me. He told me so himself.”
“Then run, and take me with you,” May begged. “We will find a way out of my marriage and can wed each other as we always planned to.”
Struan was incredulous. In the space of a few moments, two different women had asked him to kill his brother! He took a step back from May, shaking his head vehemently. “I cannot do that.”
“Why not?” she demanded. “You have killed men before.”
“On the battlefield, yes,” he answered, “but never in cold blood.”
“But he will killyouin cold blood,” May pointed out. “I can give you the weapons and the entry to our bedroom. It would be so easy.”
“I cannot,” Struan said firmly. “I will take you back to your family.”
“My family does not want me anymore.” Her voice and eyes were desperate. “Please, Struan. Kill him and marry me.”
“No.” Struan almost spat the words out. “I will take you with me to your family or wherever else you want to go, May, but I cannot murder a man—not even Kevin.”
There was a tense silence while they stared at each other. May dropped her gaze first. “Where is Gavina going?”
