Page 115 of Seduced By the Reckless Highlanders
Gowan sighed. Normally he would have swept his hand backwards through his hair in agitation, but he stopped himself just in time. “That is my business,” he told her firmly. “And I can speak to you properly without revealing my face. It makes no difference to my voice.”
Minna shrugged. “Have it your own way.” Her voice was indifferent. “What do you plan to do with me?”
“I plan to keep you alive,” he answered. “I will not let anything happen to you as long as you are with me, but now that you know I am not the devil my protection is gone. If you tell anyone that I am here I will either have to run or be killed.”
Minna could tell by his manner that Gowan was dejected. He sat cross-legged, playing with the leaves on the floor, his whole attitude one of hopelessness.
“But why? What is it that makes you so afraid?” Minna was mystified. “Who are you?”
Gowan thought about her question for a moment then decided that it would be too dangerous to tell her, even though they were on the same side. Once again, he ignored her question.
“I want to help you leave, but not at the expense of my own safety,” he said at last. “I will find you a horse and take you on the best road out of here, then you can go wherever you wish.”
“And you? What will you do?” Minna asked. “Stay here until you are an old man? From what I can see of you, you look young and healthy - it seems like such a waste.”
“If I must.” His tone suggested that he was not prepared to talk about the subject any more, but Minna persisted.
“Then I will stay too.” Her voice was firm and determined. “I am going to see my brother and I am going to make him pay for all the misery he has caused in this estate and in the village since my family stole it from its rightful owners.
“People have forgotten its rightful owners,” Gowan said sourly. He did not wish to listen to her - the subject was too painful.
Minna shook her head. “No, they have not,” she argued. “They still speak about Laird Hepburn and how kind and fair he was. But my own father - I am ashamed of him, of my brother, of my whole family. They are nothing but thieves and bandits, and I can't tell you how much I despise them.”
Despite the fact that she was meant to be his enemy, Gowan felt infinitely sorry for her. She was like a good, sound apple in a barrel full of rotten ones. While listening to the villagers’ conversations, he had heard her praises being sung over and over again, and he was delighted to find that what they had said of her was true. She was a kind, compassionate person, and he knew that given half a chance he could fall in love with her, but that was a distant dream. Fate might have flung them together, but she was a fickle mistress who could also tear them apart. He was determined merely to enjoy the time he had with her, and when she had gone, he would go back to his lonely existence and live with his memories of her.
“When you leave here, where will you go?” he asked softly.
“Nowhere,” she answered. “I am going to stay in this place and kill my brother. He has murdered so many with his greed and neglect that he does not deserve to live.”
Gowan was horrified. “You can't do that !” he cried. “He has a hundred guards around him. How far do you think you will get? Even if you managed to be within touching distance, do you not think he would defend himself? He is a big man. He could kill you with his bare hands.”
“I have a responsibility to Cairndene and its people!” Minna yelled. “I can't leave them like this! What areyoudoing for them?” She poked a finger in his chest so hard that he fell back on his elbows and the hood of his cloak fell onto his shoulders, revealing his face.
They stared at each other for a moment.
“Are you happy now, Mistress Darroch? Now do you see why I hide away like this? No-one likes to look at this ugly scarred face of mine. Run away if you like - I don’t care any more.” Gowan said bitterly. He turned away, but Minna pulled him back, then turned his face so that he was looking straight at her. To her astonishment, instead of the green, gray or blue eyes she had been expecting, his eyes were deep brown, a vivid contrast to his shining golden hair. He was stunning.
“You are not ugly,” she said gently. “I see a very handsome man with a little puckered skin on his left cheekbone, and I would be proud to be seen with you.”
Gowan looked at her doubtfully. Perhaps she was paying him these compliments to make him feel better, although why she would do such a thing was beyond him. She could not be serious.
“How long has it been since you looked in a mirror?” , she asked, seeing the doubt on his face. He thought for a moment, trying to find the answer to her question. “A few years,” he replied. In fact, he had not seen his face since before he had been thrown out of the castle. A small flame of hope crept into his heart at the thought that he might not be as disfigured as he had thought. Perhaps he had healed a little and was not quite so disfigured any more.
“What is your name?” Minna asked suddenly.
CHAPTER 14
“Who I am is not important,” Gowan stated firmly. “I am no one you know, and no one you are ever likely to concern yourself with. Once you are feeling better you can leave here and never look back.” He had pulled his hood up again, and clearly, despite having revealed his face to her, he was still self-conscious.
“And you? What will you do?” Minna was troubled. “I know where you are now, and I know what you look like. I have no idea of your name, but I know your face and your voice now, and I know you are the tallest man for miles around here. If I tell people I am sure it will be easy to identify you.”
Gowan was silent. She was right. The only thing keeping her in the hut was the bolt on the door, and if she could escape she could tell anyone she liked about him, including the Laird.
“I could kill you,” he pointed out, trying to sound threatening. “I am a big man.”
“That you are,” she agreed. “But you are not a killer. I have met killers, and you are not one of them. If you wanted to kill me you would have done it by now. You would not have helped me at all, but let me die. No, you know what suffering is and you will not inflict it on anyone else.”
She sat down beside him and looked into his shadowed face. At first, he avoided her eyes, looking down at his hands, then he looked up. When she first laid eyes on him, Minna had been astonished at the improbable contrast between his deep brown eyes and golden blond hair, and she was still surprised every time she looked at him.
