Page 51 of Highlander's Runaway Seductress
A tight grip on his hair had Damien jolting awake and when he did and his eyes focused, Ben was glaring at him hatefully. “Ye,” he hissed. “Ye traitor.”
“B-ben?”
“Be quiet!” he hissed, “We came all this way to get that silver and now, yer going to leave without it! I want that money.”
Damien managed to twist his head to see Amelie laying a foot away, sleeping soundly. He would have expected her to be awake as well, but she was still fast asleep. His mind flew to the late-night drink that was sent up for her and realized Ben might have added a sleeping concoction into it.
The older man leaned in.
“Let me tell ye boy, I want that money, and if I have to get rid of ye to get it, I will!”
Confused, Damien lifted his hands—only to find they were bound. “Ben, ye daenae need to do this. Amelie’s father is goin’ to—”
“Give me what I want,” Ben sneered. “Ye’ve disappointed me boy, all those years, groomin’ ye into a man I thought would realize that the world has nothin’ for him and that he would have to take everythin’ he can is now lost. All because ye think ye have foundlove. Let me tell ye somethin’ boy,lovedoesnae put food in yer belly or clothes on yer back. The silver that we came here for, I will take. And I am goin’ to get it, without yer help.”
Before Damien could saw a word, a heavy object struck him hard on the temple—and then, blackness was all he knew.
* * *
Waking up, Amelie reached out for Damien, but felt only cold sheets. Sitting, Amelie rubbed her face and looked for Damien, but he was not there, his clothes were not on the floor where had had dropped them last night.
She felt deeply bereft and hurt that he was gone and when she shifted on the bedding, she blushed at sight of the bloodstain on it—proof of the loss of her maidenhead.
Moving from the bed, Amelie donned her discarded dress, her cloak and put her shoes on. She wanted a bath and left the room to ask Mister Murdoch to send up the water. Furthermore, she wanted to find Damien.
Getting to the lower floor she saw Ben there, at the trestle table and drinking. He looked up with a light happy gaze.
“Ah, Miss Amelie, or should I say, Lady McDulah?”
Blushing, Amelie said, “Just Amelie, thank ye. Have ye seen Damien this mornin’?”
“Aye,” Ben nodded. “He said that he was going to the town to buy some good clothes as he dinnae want to see yer faither with shoddy, travel-dirty rags.”
“Oh,” Amelie sat across from him. “Do ye ken when he’ll be back?”
“Nay,” Ben said. “But he told me that we should go ahead of him when ye woke up and that if he comes back and finds us gone, will come to the castle alone.”
Shooting a look to the door, Amelie hesitated. “Maybe we should wait for him.”
“Nay, lass,” Ben stood, and she saw that his clothes were a suit she had never been seen before. His shirt and trews were clean, and his face was washed. “I think we should go now. Yer faither will want to see ye, aye?”
“I—I,” she faltered, then she relented, seeing no hardship in going with Ben. “I suppose there is nay harm.”
“Good, call yer carriage back from the stables,” Ben smiled pleasantly.
“I will but I need a bath first,” Amelie replied and while standing, Mister Murdoch came around the corner. He caught sight of her, and his booming voice washed over her like a warm wave.
“Good mornin’ me Lady, how are ye this morn?”
“I’m doin’ well,” she said. “I have two favors to ask ye. First, can ye send up some bathin’ water for me, and when I’m done upstairs, please send for the carriage that took me here last night?”
“Aye,” Mister Murdoch nodded. “I’ll have the water for ye. Go up lass, it’ll be with ye presently.”
Turning back to Ben, Amelie sighed. “I’ll be down soon, and I suppose Damien will find us when he is ready.”
Nodding to her, Ben went back to his drink and Amelie took to the staircase. She got back to the room and took the cloak off before going back to the bed and skimming her fingertips over it. She tugged the sheets off and managed to roll it up into a ball just in time for two women to come in with her warm water.
They filled the bath, and she slipped into the water, grateful to be able to scrub the sweat and—she blushed—traces of blood from her inner thighs. Knowing that Ben was waiting for her and that Damien might be at the castle ahead of her, she took only a few minutes to soak in the water before climbing out.
