Page 20 of Highland Hero
“I left my packages on the counter.”
“We have nae time for them. We must ride before ye get caught again.”
“No one is chasing me.”
“’Tis nae the point…” He stopped. “What do ye mean?”
“No. One. Is. Chasing. Me.” She attempted to tidy her hair, then sighed. “At least I bought a comb.”
“Forget the comb. What do ye mean, no one is chasing ye? The shopkeeper said ye left with a dragoon.”
“Well, yes, but I sought him out.”
“Ye did what?”
Juliana frowned. “He was passing by and I thought—”
“Ye obviously dinna think at all!” He cursed in Gaelic. “We have been trying to avoid the dragoons, lass, nae strike up a conversation.”
“Well, it seemed to me this was an opportunity to reinforce our alibi.” She plopped her hat on her head and retied the ribbon, albeit crookedly. “I thought it best if we got our version of what happened to the dragoons first.”
He groaned. “What did ye say?”
“Simply that we were returning from a celebration at Strae Castle—”
“Ye told him we were returning from Strae Castle?” He somehow resisted the urge to throttle her. “Ye might just as well have declared us MacGregors.”
She glared at him. “I made sure he knew that I was the sister of the Countess of Woodhaven and that—”
“Ye identified yourself?”
“Will you stop interrupting me? It is quite rude.” She gave a sniff as she pushed a strand of hair back. “I told him we were betrothed and on our way to Castle Grant, so you need not worry about disclosing your identity.”
“Humph.” The urge to give her a good shake was still there, but he’d never used violence on a woman. Not even one who drove him completely barmy. “Did he believe the alibi?”
“Well, I did change it a little.”
Rory rubbed his temples, a headache beginning again. “Lass. If ye are going to lie, ye need to stick to the truth of the lie.”
“Thetruthof the lie?” She gave him a look that saidhewas more than a little addled.
“Aye. If ye keep changing it, ye are bound to get caught in a spider’s web.”
“A spider’s web…” She shook her head. “I told the dragoon we thought the ruffians might still be pursuing us since their leader seemed quite…er…taken with me.” She looked defensive now. “Which is close to the truth.”
“I’ll nae argue the point.”
“I did not mean to brag, of course.” She looked a little unsettled. “I just wanted to establish that, if the Camerons do come here, it would be quite clear that I was not agreeable to whatever Neal might claim. I thought…that might keep the dragoons from believing him.”
He raised his brows and waited for her to go on.
“And I also said, if it came to light that the Camerons were involved, Clan Grant would not be happy.”
Rory groaned again. The lass was going to ignite a clan war without any help from anyone. He was almost afraid to ask, but he had to know. “What did the man say to that?”
“He agreed, of course. I suggested he alert his commander so the Camerons could be stopped here at Fort William and Clan Grant would not be involved.” She lifted her chin, her voice stronger. “I think it was a rather brilliant idea.”
He closed his eyes briefly, an absurd image of the Celtic warrior queen Boudicca leading her tribe against the Romans flitting through his mind. Hopefully, a red-haired Sassenach was not about to set the Highlands ablaze.
