Page 38 of Taming the Highland Misfits
“I know.” Finley gazed down into her terrified eyes again and felt infinitely sorry for her. He kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly, then, after thinking for a moment, said: “I willnae put ye through this if ye feel that ye cannae dae it. That would be very cruel. There is still time tae change your mind.”
Isla replied without hesitation. “No, Finley.” Her voice was firm. “I can do this.”
Finley had hoped inside that she would think better of the plan, and was almost disappointed that she had refused to back out, but he knew it was for the best.
“I know ye are scared,” he said, “but the sooner this is done the sooner we can put it a’ behind us, Isla, an’ if that man lays a hand on ye the wrong way I will knock his heid off. Now go. I know ye can dae this—ye are a strong, brave woman, Isla Thomson.”
Isla nodded wordlessly and began to trudge up the street, feeling as though her feet were made of lead. Every step that took her closer to the tavern increased her dread, and she had to force herself not to turn and flee.
The doorway of the tavern loomed before her, and she looked back to see Finley a few yards behind her, gazing at her intently. He nodded encouragingly, and Isla took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.‘You can do this, Isla,’she thought, trying to gather her courage. She pushed the door open and took a step inside.
Immediately, the eyes of two dozen men were upon her, and she cringed inside as she felt their lascivious looks creeping like a loathsome live thing over her skin. She almost turned and ran outside again, but then she saw him; Iain Crawford was grinning at her from the corner of the bar.
It was a horrible, leering expression, and as his eyes roved up and down her body Isla felt as if she wanted to scrub herself clean. Suddenly one of the men at the bar took a step towards her, but stopped abruptly as Iain Crawford cried: “oi you! Get back!”
The man obeyed instantly, looking scared, and Iain Crawford advanced towards Isla. Now she realised what everyone had meant when they described him as ugly. He was around six feet tall, with shoulder-length greasy dark hair and an equally dirty beard. However, that was not the most repellant thing about him. He was hugely fat, with a great, protruding belly and at least three chins. There were pouches of fat all around his eyes, turning them into slits and making it impossible for her to see what colour they were.
He had the bulbous, blue-veined nose of the incessant drinker and reminded her of the toads that she had seen at the edge of the riverbank, ugly creatures to be sure, but infinitely prettier than Iain Crawford. He was absolutely repulsive.
She was acutely aware of the stench of body odour that became stronger with every step he took towards her, but managed to force down her desire to vomit.
“Is it Isla?” he asked, his face creasing in a puzzled frown. “Isla Thomson? I havenae seen ye since I came tae your house when my Da was buyin’ those bronze statues tae decorate our house.”
“Yes,” she replied, nodding nervously. She had no need to pretend; she was shaking inwardly and outwardly, and fervently hoped that he had not noticed. “Iain Crawford. I recognised you at once.” She did her best to look as confident as she could, hoping he could not see her fear.
“It has been a long time,” he answered, nodding and making his jelly-like chins wobble. He smiled, showing a mouthful of crooked yellow teeth. “Ye look a bit shaken up, hen. Are ye all right?”
“I have just had a bad experience,” she replied. “Can we speak outside for a moment, please?” She did not want to be inside the tavern with this loathsome creature, since anyone could hear what they were saying.
“I have a better idea,” he answered, taking hold of her arm. “My Da is away on business today, an’ his office is empty. Why do we no’ talk in there?” The look in his eyes confirmed Isla’s worst fears. He would not stop at talking, and although he was in very poor physical shape, he was still a man, and therefore much bigger and stronger than she was. She would be trapped in a small room with this beast. She remembered all the tricks Finley had taught her, but they gave her little solace now that she had seen her adversary face to face.
Isla looked around for Finley, and saw him by the door. The grim look on his face told her that he had heard everything, and she felt a flood of relief, since she knew that he would not desert her. She nodded. “That sounds like a good idea,” she replied, with a tight smile.
Walking into the Crawfords’ domain was the hardest thing Isla had ever had to do, but somehow she managed it. The room that Iain led her into was surprisingly large and airy, with a big window that looked onto a large garden. Isla looked around her and panicked for a moment; where was Finley?
While Iain turned away to close the door, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, and saw a hand waving at her from outside the window. By the time Iain turned back, it was gone. Isla felt a rush of relief—Finley was close at hand, and she was safe.
Iain turned back to her and waddled over to one of the two chairs beside the fire. Isla sat down on the edge of the other one.
“I am happy tae see ye, Isla,” he said, grinning so widely that his eyes almost disappeared between rolls of fat. “I heard ye had run away. Is the thought o’ marryin’ me that bad?”
He looked hurt, but Isla was not fooled. He did not care what she thought of him as long as she married him and he could show her off to his friends. However, she had to play her part and reassure him.
“Oh, no! No!” she said hastily. “I am so sorry you thought that. You see, I would have had the same reaction to any man my father picked. I thought I was very clever and I wanted to choose my own husband, you see.” She paused to collect herself, looking flustered. She did not have to pretend; Iain Crawford was hugely intimidating.
“I ran away, and I stayed in an inn here, and another one there, but the more I saw of the world outside, the less I liked it, so I decided to come home. On the way home I was attacked by bandits, but fortunately I have a very fast horse and I managed to escape from them.” She passed her hands over her eyes and took a deep breath.
“But I am too scared to face my father, because I know he will be furious with me, so I decided to come to you, since I know you are good friends and I know my father would never have chosen a bad man for me to marry. I am a coward, I know, but I wondered if you could tell my father I am back? Perhaps you could also be there when I see him for the first time.”
Iain looked like the cat who stole the cream. “Of course I will, hen!” he replied delightedly. “Have nae fear. I will tell him. I know your Da very well, an’ he is as gentle as a lamb after a couple o’ drams.”
“Thank you, Iain.” Isla smiled and pretended to sigh with relief.
“Now,” Iain said smugly, “if ye have been around the town, ye will notice that there are quite a few new establishments wi’ the Crawford name on them. Da an’ I are tryin’ tae build a wee empire in Inverleith, so we have bought a few old properties an’ failin’ businesses, an’ we are hopin’ that we can bring a bit o’ prosperity back tae the town.”
‘And to yourself,’Isla thought bitterly. “Yes, I noticed as I came in. The town looks much better now. As you know, my house is quite a long way away, and my father is very protective, so I am not allowed to come here very often.”
“Let me show ye around the Black Hog, our new tavern,” he suggested. He did not give her a chance to answer, but got to his feet with great difficulty and made for the door. Reluctantly, Isla followed him.
