Page 31 of Abducted By the Highlander
“So am I,” he said, and he smiled at her again before offering her his arm. After a moment’s hesitation, she looped her arm under his and rested her fingers just above his wrist. It was an intimate gesture and illicit thrills coursed through her, even though she was wearing gloves. “I shouldn’t wish to lose ye in the crowd.”
“I shouldn’t wish to lose ye, either. I’m not certain how far from either of my sisters I am.”
He sighed and as they headed further into the heart of the market, he moved closer to her side and, combined with his evocative scent of leather and wild Highland grasses, it was a struggle to breathe normally. She hoped he wouldn’t notice. “We’re a fair way from either of them.” He sounded reluctant to admit it. “But don’t worry, I’ll find a messenger in town, I promise ye.”
That reminded her. “Maybe we can stop at the inn after we’ve looked around the market so I can write a note to my sisters.”
He didn’t answer but he gave her a contemplative, sideways glance as though he wanted to say something but had thought better of it. She certainly hoped he’d thought better of it if he had intended to tell her he had changed his mind about sending a message from her to her sisters. Did he think she’d break her promise and tell them she was being held by rebel MacGregors?
To be sure, it would be a tricky message to write, and she hadn’t yet worked out what she was going to say. But the most important thing was her sisters knew she was alive and well and would return to them as soon as she could. She could explain everything to them once they were together again.
Perhaps she wouldn’t tell them everything. She was still trying to come to terms with that kiss and Hugh’s reaction to it. But more than that, she harbored the hope that when she left the MacGregors, Hugh would accompany her. Surely the earl would look favorably upon him, if he realized Hugh was the reason she had escaped a fate involving the brigands?
They passed by several stalls selling grains, fruit and vegetables. On Eigg, they grew most of their own produce in the castle’s kitchen gardens, and their meat was hunted on the Small Isles. There was a weekly market in the local village, of course, but it was a far cry from the wonders displayed here.
She lingered at a stall that displayed a vast array of dried herbs and spices, and while Sgur imported a great variety of exotic spices from foreign lands, they cultivated most of their own herbs. The castle’s gardens had always provided these necessities, but ever since she was a child, she’d grown up with Freyja’s passion for exploring every possible medicinal use for everything the gardens yielded and her sister’s enthusiasm for ensuring whatever she used was exactly as she believed it to be, and it had inevitably affected her.
She picked up a glass jar and scrutinized the contents. Unless one grew the plants oneself, how was it possible to tell whether the herbs had been cut with a cheaper alternative to enhance profits? And if the product was compromised, how could anyone judge its effectiveness?
“Do ye want that?” Hugh glanced at the jar she held, and she heard the concern in his voice. Hastily, she returned it to the stall.
“No, I’m just looking.”
He leaned closer so there was no chance of them being overheard, and she held her breath, so she wouldn’t inadvertently succumb to the faint, tantalizing aroma that would forever remind her of him. Not that she succeeded, and her head spun as though she’d overindulged in the finest French wine.
“If there’s anything ye need, let me know.”
She tore her bewitched senses from his mesmeric gaze and cast another glance at the goods on display. If Innis had come to the market, would she have bought any of these offerings? Maybe she was being overcautious, but she couldn’t risk giving the women anything if she wasn’t absolutely certain of its origins.
Besides, she had no coin on her and the last thing she was going to do was ask Hugh to buy things for her. “I’ve everything I need in my satchel.”
He glanced at a neighboring stall. “Then I’ll get some apples for ye and yer maid. Be sure to keep them out of sight of the women.” He flashed her a grin. “And don’t worry, once Symon has sold the horses,we plan on taking back plenty of fresh fare for the bairns.”
That was good news, and it made her feel better about accepting the gift of apples from Hugh. “Thank ye. Sweet Ecne has missed his daily treat of apple slices.”
“Aye, well, I should be grieved if Ecne went without.” His smile caused the breath to lodge in her chest. “And his mistress, too.”
“The difference is I know we shall soon return home, but there’s no way to make Ecne understand that.”
As they moved on to the fruit stall, Hugh moved closer to her, so that her arm brushed against his body. The air evaporated and she was strangely lightheaded as her heartbeat echoed in her ears, but for all that she berated herself by reacting so to his touch, she wouldn’t change it for anything.
“As long as he’s with ye, I’m certain he is happy.”
“I cannot imagine ever being without him.” A shiver raced through her at the prospect, and with it a sliver of fear. “But he is eleven, and although he still runs around like a young pup, his years are catching up with him.”
He flashed her a glance that was filled with concern and they came to a halt a short distance from the fruit stall. “Ye grew up together.”
She sighed. “I was nine when he was born, along with his littermates Sjor and Dubh. Their dam was Amma’s favorite, and she gifted the pups to my sisters and me. We had recently received word that our parents had died of the fever on the mainland and although, of course, nothing could ease our grief, having sweet Ecne by my side helped me get through the dark hours.”
“I’m sorry.” His voice was hushed, and she gave him a faint smile.
“I’m sorry too. I can scarcely remember them, and that breaks my heart.”
“My lady mother also died of the fever eleven years ago.”
“That is a sad coincidence, indeed.”
“I’m fortunate that I had almost fourteen years with her. My weesister was scarcely two years old when she died and cannot recall a thing about her.”
