Page 110 of Highlanders for the Holidays
“I’ll be rotting beside ye.”
He did not add that Alexander had said he’d throw them into the same cell and leave them there until Lily gave into Roderick’s charms—or tired of the rats—and agreed to the marriage.
It never paid to defy the Lord of the Isles.
* * *
“There’sa hot bath waiting for ye in the guest chamber,” he said as he unlocked the iron door. “We set sail for Skye in an hour.”
Though Lily would be glad to wash off the filth of the dungeon in a hot bath, it annoyed her that Roderick had been so sure she would agree to go to Skye. She only had because it would be far easier to escape from an old woman’s cottage than from the Lord of the Isles’ dungeon.
“Alexander granted me this time alone with ye,” Roderick said, “but there are guards at the top of the stairs who will take ye to your chamber and then to the boat.”
“Fine.” She started to march past him, but he caught her wrist.
His touch threatened to undermine her control.
“Ye gave me a bad fright when I thought ye were on that ship,” he said. “My parents were lost at sea in a winter storm.”
“Don’t pretend you care,” she said, glaring up at him.
“And what were ye thinking, going off on your own at night with drunken warriors everywhere?” he continued. “Then ye put yourself in the hands of that slippery Spaniard when ye must have known he had plans to seduce ye.”
“Now that’s calling the kettle black,” she said. “At least the Spaniard did not plan to trap me forever through deceit.”
“I know you’re angry,” he said, and wiped a smudge from her cheek with his thumb. “But ye can’t truly believe I took ye to bed to acquire a seer.”
“Your performance was impressive,” she said. “Your chieftain can’t fault you for failing to apply yourself to the task.”
A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.Good.She wanted to make him angry.
“Ye think that’s all it was?” he bit out.
“Ach,” she said, imitating him, “no sacrifice is too great for the clan.”
“Damn it, Lily,” he said, digging his fingers into her arms. “It wasn’t like that, and ye know it.”
“It must be a grave disappointment to find out that I’m not who ye thought I was,” she said. “All that trouble, and the poor girl doesn’t haveThe Sightafter all.”
Her voice wobbled as she said the last part, which infuriated her.
“Ye could never disappoint me,” he said, his eyes fierce. “I don’t care if ye haveThe Sight.”
“Since I don’t,” she said, “will you use your skills in bed to lure another woman here to serve your clan?”
“You’re the one I want, the only one,” he said through clenched teeth. “For God’s sake, Lily, I love ye.”
His words sucked the breath out of her. He looked as shocked by what he had said as she was. Even he knew he had gone too far this time.
Her heart could not take any more. She backed away from him until her heel hit the bottom step of the stairs.
“How could you say that?” she said, shaking her head. “You’ve no cause to hurt me further.”
“I should not have said it, not now,” he said. “But it is the truth.”
“Everything you ever said to me was a lie.” She could not fight the tears now, and she wanted to wound him for that final lie. “You’ve hurt me more than the foul man who raped me in my shop.”
He recoiled as if she had slapped him. The pain and shock in his eyes told her she had hit her mark.
“I trusted you!” she shouted, and then she turned and ran up the stairs.
