Page 113 of Seduced By the Reckless Highlanders
She finished her meal and licked her lips and smiled. “Thank you,” she said, smiling. “That was very good. Fresh food is always the best.”
There was a smile in Gowan’s voice as he answered. “My pleasure,” he said.
Minna could still not see his features but she could discern the glint of his eyes under the hood, and presently a lock of bright blond hair strayed from underneath it. Gowan hastily pushed it back, but Minna had seen that he was fair, and this was evidenced by the pale, freckled tone of the skin on his hands. She deduced, therefore, that his eyes must be gray or green, or perhaps blue like her own.
Yes, now she was painting a picture of him in her mind. With his height and big build she judged that he must look like one of the Norsemen she had heard of in old stories. A longing came over Minna to pull away the hood and examine every feature of this mysterious hermit’s face, but she had a feeling that if she tried it would not take much of an effort on his part to stop her.
“How are you feeling?” Gowan asked suddenly, and Minna was surprised to hear concern in his voice.
“Much better thanks to your care,” she replied with a grateful smile. “I am very grateful to you. If not for you I would be lying at the bottom of the loch by now, and I am forever in your debt.”
“You said that already!” He laughed, then shrugged. “Anyone would have done what I did. It was no more than my duty.” Hefelt his heart beginning to beat faster as he gazed at her. God, she was beautiful!
“I doubt that,” Minna replied, an edge of bitterness in her voice. “Many people would not care.”
“Who was the man who pushed you in?” Gowan asked, curious.
“He is my brother,” she answered. “And although he is my blood kin, I loathe him with all my heart.”
He was silent for a moment. “You loathe him?” he asked. “That is a very strong word. But I think I would feel the same way if someone tried to kill me - was his action deliberate?”
Minna shrugged. “I don’t like to think so - perhaps just careless,” she replied, miserably, sighing. “You probably know the story of the conquest of this castle. My father and his army came and took it by force ten years ago, and my father ruled it with a rod of iron for the first two years. He killed the Hepburns who were here before and was very, very pleased with himself.”
Gowan felt a jet of pure, scalding rage shoot through him, but he restrained himself from reacting. He screwed his face up and clamped his lips together, then counted to ten. He reminded himself that this woman was a pawn in a very cynical game of chess, just as he had been.
“Then he died,” she went on. “They said it was a heart attack, but I think he was poisoned.”
“What makes you think so?” Gowan asked, feeling a sense of unholy triumph. James Darroch deserved everything he got and more.
“Because he was a mean, callous brute, and so many of his soldiers hated him.” Her tone was bitter in the extreme. “So did Jamie and I. We both suffered at his hands, perhaps Jamie more than I, because he was a boy and Da wanted him to be tough. Apparently the way to toughen him up was to beat him.
I did not suffer quite so much in a physical way, as my father did not see any point in toughening up a girl. Also, I had Lorna to protect me - for some reason my father was always a little intimidated by her.” She paused, collecting herself. “I was only eleven when we came here. My father had wanted to marry me off to the young Laird Hepburn, but he and his mother had disappeared by the time I arrived here. You can see what my father did to this estate, and now my brother is doing exactly the same thing. I do my best to help the people in the village to survive, but it is not enough - it will never be enough.”
“But you are doing your best,” Gowan said softly. “I am sure they are grateful.”
“My best is not good enough!” Minna growled, then choked again.
Gowan fetched some water for her and she drank thirstily. “You should rest,” he advised. “Sleep for a little longer. No-one will disturb you.”
Minna nodded, then she took a long look at him. “Why do you not let me see your face?” she asked.
Gowan completely ignored the question. “You will be safe here,” he assured her. “I will protect you.”
“Thank you!” Minna was amazed. “Why are you doing so much for me?”
The man hesitated for a moment. “Because I hate men who bully and abuse women,” he replied grimly. “They are beneath contempt. I had to watch a woman who was very dear to me being taken away to die when I was younger, and I have nightmares about it to this day.” His voice was throbbing with anger.
“I am very sorry,” she said softly. “Was - was it your mother?”
Again, he did not acknowledge the question. He stood up, picked up her plate and his makeshift one, then stacked them together.
“I need to find us some more to eat,” he told her. “Bolt the door for your own protection. I can't keep you here against your will, but I would advise you to stay inside with me, at least for the moment for your own safety. Your brother might come back. There are candles by the fireplace.”
“Thank you for everything you have done - are doing for me.” Minna said gratefully. Then she blushed and said: “When - when I woke up I was almost naked. Did you undress me?”
“I had to,” he replied, a note of apology in his voice. “Your clothes were soaking wet, and you would have been cold and very uncomfortable if I had not. I left your camisole and did not look at you for longer than I had to. I did not touch you in any way -”
Minna held a hand up to silence him. “Thank you,” she said gently. “I believe you. What is a little loss of modesty compared to my life?”
