Page 14 of Highland Hero
“’Tis good ye are awake,” he said. “Ye can see to your ablutions at the burn. Then we best move on.”
Juliana managed to stifle a groan as she took a stiff step toward the sound of the water. Lord have mercy! She wasn’t used to being in a saddle for so long, and she certainly wasn’t used to a bed that was nearly hard as stone. She winced as she took another step.
“Riding will take the aches out, lass,” Rory called after her.
She frowned. Was she being that obvious? She wasn’t delicate. “I will be fine. Just give me a few minutes.”
“Doona take too long. Dawn broke near an hour ago. The Camerons will be on the road.”
All remnants of sleep left her. “Why did you not wake me sooner?”
“Ye only got a few hours’ sleep as it is.” He shrugged. “Besides, Baron needed the rest, too. He’s going to have to carry the both of us until we get to Fort William.”
She glanced at the saddled horse. “Just give me one minute, then.” Ignoring the aches of sore muscles and stiff joints, she hobbled toward the bushes near the burn. She’d never been one to take long with her toilet and it wouldn’t have really mattered, she supposed, since she didn’t even have a comb to do something with her hair, most of which had come down. “I’ll be right back.”
Five minutes later, after a quick bite of the bread and cheese Rory had brought along, she was back in the saddle, stifling another groan. She didn’t know if Rory was jesting—if so, it was a poor attempt—but her inner thighs felt raw from rubbing against the leather of the saddle. A satin ball gown and thin chemise did little to help. How in the world was she going to endure another day of this? She clamped her mouth shut, determined for once to stay quiet and not complain.
She almost laughed at that thought. Emily would be proud of her restraint. And then reality struck her.
“My sisters are going to be worried.”
“They will ken ye are with me.”
That sounded a bit smug. Twisting in the saddle, she knitted her brows. “How will they know that, pray tell?”
He lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “Since I have nae returned, Ian will ken I am tracking ye still.”
“Your brother may think that, but my sisters might well reason that you have not found me.”
Rory looked somewhat affronted. “Then my brothers will set them straight.”
“They are that confident in your skills?”
“Aye.”
Thatanswer was definitely smug. Juliana turned around to face the direction they were going. “I would still feel better if I could let them know that I am safe, but just delayed.”
“Well, since we have nae messenger to send, ’tis nae likely to happen.” He nudged the horse to a trot as the tree line ended and they were on the road once more.
“Why can we not send a post from Fort William?” Her voice bounced as she was jostled by the trot. “Surely there is a coach that runs from there.”
“We are nae stopping at Fort William.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “You said we were going there.”
“Aye, but nae stopping.”
“Why not? I think we should, so I can send a letter.”
“Ye will just have to trust me that I ken what is best.”
Her temper began to rise. This was exactly why she didn’t want to marry any man. A woman’s opinion didn’t count. A man always thought he knew what was best.
“You have not convinced me. Surely a quick stop at a coaching inn—”
“Nae.”
She glared at him as much as she could—since she couldn’t twist in the saddle and could only turn her head slightly. “Whynot?”
