Page 45 of The Highlander's Inconvenient Wife
Taking a step forward, Darragh held out his hand and helped the man to his feet. “I think ye better tell us what happened,” he said before removing a flask from his hip and handing it to the man. “Drink this; it will sooth some of the pain...”
MacAdair brought the flask to his lips and swigged while wincing. Bright red marks were visible around his neck as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
Marvelling at the level of trust between the men, Jasper waited for him to hand the flask back to Darragh and speak. He’d never in his life dream of accepting a flask from another man without at least checking the contents first. Their seemed to be a kinship between the men that surpassed even his understanding.
“I thought Joan was bein’ held captive by the MacShaw clan,” he said in a raspy voice that had only slightly been improved by the contents of the flask. He still struggled to speak.
“Did ye gather that from seein’ her on the cliff?” Jasper asked irritably as he fought the urge to knock the man to the ground once again. He’d still been the cause of the separation even if he thought he was acting with noble cause.
“Nay,” he shook his head. “That confirmed it for me when the lass said that she was yer captive.” He looked to the side with a frown. “Now, I can see that she may have meant seomthin’ else; she was nae scared when she said that, but it was her betrothed that came to me for help.”
Both Jasper and Darragh tensed at the same time as the exchanged a worried glance.
“What did the man look like?” Darragh asked as a muscle jumped in his jaw. Jasper could tell that Darragh was just as on edge as he was with the whole situation.
“Gangly English man with blonde hair an’ blue eyes. He said that his betrothed had been travelin’ here in Scotland when she was befallen by the MacShaw clan. He begged me to help him get her back,” MacAdair explained. “I agreed, and since he was English, it made sense when I found the lass with an English accent.”
“That’s the same man that came to me an’ Avery,” Darragh said to Jasper. “He must have left us in pursuit of another option when we sent him away. I dinnae trust him or anythin’ he said.”
“Aye, he said that we were the closest clan that could help him in a hurry,” MacAdair confirmed his story. “He said that he had been turned away by her friends because they dinnae approve of the match. It wasn’t until I took her to him that I realized somethin’ was wrong. The lass reacted to him in a very strange way. She begged me to nae let him take her, but he said that she was just tired an’ delusional form her ordeal. I knew then that I needed to come an’ tell ye what had happened. I’m glad to see that ye are here as well, Darragh,” he nodded to the other laird.
Jasper felt the white-hot rage filling his body once again as he balled his fists at his sides. The more he heard of the man who had tricked her into a betrothal, the more Jasper wanted to end his life. “Can ye take me to the place where ye handed her over?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“Aye,” MacAdair nodded. “Me horse is ready an’ waitin’ outside. I dinnae think they will still be there, but I will be able to track his carriage for ye. He said that they would be headed straight to England where their weddin’ will be happenin’; he also mentioned somethin’ about their families waitin’.”
“There’s nae time to lose then,” Jasper said as he ran to his horse and flung his leg over the saddle in one swift motion. “Will ye go an’ tell the women what has happened?” he asked Darragh before turnin’ his stallion toward the open door. “We must leave at once.”
“Aye, I will keep them calm,” he nodded. “We will be waitin’ for ye here when ye return, I ken ye won’t be long.” He strode over to Jasper’s horse and clapped the beast on the rump. “Bring her back to us.”
“Thank ye,” Jasper used a word for the first time in his life that he never thought he would ever use. “Yer welcome to stay here at the castle for as long as ye like. Stay until ye an’ Avery have rested, even after Joan has come back.”
“So, she won’t be coming back with me an’ Avery?” He raised one eyebrow with a smirk. “I dinnae think she would anymore after hearin’ yer maither speak.”
“Aye, I think I’ll be keepin’ this fiery English lass in particular while ye take yers back home,” Jasper said with a confident smile.
Darragh nodded as Jasper lifted the reins in his hands and urged the horse forward and out the doors where they trotted into the cool evening air.
MacAdair was waiting for him on his own white stallion just outside the stable, confidently guiding his horse forward. “Are ye ready?” he asked with a serious expression. “We will have to ride hard if they’ve already set out to England.” His voice seemed more restored as he spoke.
“Aye, let’s nae waste any more time.” Jasper dug the heels of his boots into his horse’s flanks and set out at a trot before breaking the beast into a gallop with MacAdair riding at his side.
The crispness of the cool evening air refreshed his body and cleared his mind like an invigorating tonic. His pulse began to race as he thought of Joan and what she may be going through in his absence.
Wait for me, Joan. I will be there a’fore ye ken.
His heart called out to her as the men set off into the night with the full moon guiding their way.
23
Joan stumbled as Edwin shoved her forward, causing her to fall on her hands and knees in front of his carriage. The mud squelched, and she winced in pain, taking in a sharp breath as she stopped herself from sinking in any further.
The driver sitting atop the coach glanced down at her before straightening his body again and looking ahead as if he had seen nothing at all. It was clear that Edwin had thought ahead and only enlisted the help of men who would turn a blind eye to what he was doing.
Digging her fingers into the sodden earth, Joan tried her best to think of a way that she could escape. A million possibilities passed through her mind as the rich scent of the earth filled her senses.
I could take the mud and fling it in his face.The thought crossed her mind as the mud squelched between her fingers. Running into the forest and getting lost was preferable to marrying Edwin Grandison.
“Stop laying around.” Edwin’s voice grated on her ears as a searing pain shot through her scalp. He tangled his fingers through her hair, yanking her back with force until she cried in pain. “There is an entire wedding waiting for us back in London, my sweet.” He spat beside her as she tried to grip his fingers though her hair and release some of the pressure.
