Page 43 of Abducted By the Highlander
Hugh straightened, wiped his brow with his forearm, and then he glanced her way. She smiled and when he grinned back, the lingering worry of her situation faded, as it always faded when he turned his charm her way.
But it was more than charm. He had told her so himself that he’d always intended to return to her after he had left Sgur. And she believed him. There was no reason for him to lie. And while she couldn’t wait to be reunited with her sisters and Amma, part of her didn’t want this strange existence to end, if it was the only way she could be with Hugh.
But no. She wasn’t going to think about that. Because when she left the camp, so would he.
Innis sat beside her. “Don’t be getting any ideas about that one,” she said as she began to darn Rhona’s wool stockings. “Nothing can come of it.”
Roisin’s cheeks heated and she tore her besotted gaze from Hugh and concentrated on her mending. Sometimes Innis’s blunt remarks reminded her of Freyja, except Innis wasn’t her older sister and didn’t have the right to reprimand her. “I’m not getting ideas.”
Instantly, her mind flew to the breathtaking tryst she and Hugh had shared in his tent a few days ago. She replayed those moments so often, they were branded into her brain, and every morning she awoke with frustration blazing through her blood and fragmented echoes of passion-filled dreams haunting her mind.
Nothing close to that encounter had happened since and although she and Hugh had shared a few furtive kisses when they were sure noone was looking, she got the distinct impression he was deliberately avoiding being alone with her in the tent.
So, no. She wasn’t getting ideas. She didn’t need to. She already knew how Hugh felt about her.
“Good,” Innis said. “When ye return to yer kin, ye’ll need to put all this behind ye. There’s no future to be had between a lady of the Western Isles and a common Campbell outlaw.”
It was just the kind of thing her practical sister Freyja would say. Except Hugh wasn’t of common stock, although unfortunately it couldn’t be denied he was currently an outlaw. Still, she was optimistic the earl would pardon him for whatever crime he had committed once he learned how Hugh had saved her from ruin.
She should keep her mouth shut and agree with everything Innis said. Except she couldn’t. “Stranger things have happened.”
“Oh, aye.” Innis didn’t try to hide her skepticism. “In fae tales for bairns no doubt. But those kinds of miracles don’t happen in real life, Roisin. I’m only trying to keep ye from heartache.”
She knew Innis was only trying to be kind, but she made her feel like a bairn herself by the way she spoke to her. “Thank ye, but there’s no need for concern. I’ll be all right.”
“At least ye know enough not to go back to yer fine kin with a bellyful.”
Roisin shot her a scandalized look, but inside panic flickered to life. Did Innis know what she and Hugh had done? To be sure, there wasn’t any danger that she might have fallen pregnant, but it had still been foolish and risky, for anyone might have seen them. But they’d been lucky. Or so she thought.
“I haven’t—Hugh would never—” Good Lord, she needed to stop talking before she completely gave herself away, if her burning face hadn’t done so already.
“Hugh is a man. If ye give him the slightest chance, he’ll take whatever he can get from ye.”
Outraged by the slight on Hugh’s honor, she couldn’t hold her tongue. “He most certainly would not.”
Innis shook her head. “’Tis yer life. I’m only reminding ye to beware. Ye may think this is a romantic way to live with yer very own outlaw, away from the responsibilities of yer kin and heritage. But the shine would soon wear off once winter descends.”
There was a thread of bitterness in Innis’s words, and just like that, Roisin’s indignation evaporated. She had always felt badly for how the women and bairns had been forced into this life but none of the women had ever discussed it and she certainly hadn’t raised the subject. But there was a pinched look on Innis’s face as she concentrated on her darning, and an air of angry resignation emanated from her and Roisin couldn’t remain silent.
“I know ’tis not my place.” Her voice was hushed, and she questioned the wisdom of continuing. She didn’t want to offend Innis or be the recipient of a scathing retort but a stubborn part of her wanted the other woman to know of her regard. “But I do admire yer strength, Innis. And I thank ye for welcoming me when ye have every reason not to.”
Innis shook her head and after a few moments of silence she sighed and gave her a weary look. “Before this feud with the Campbells, my uncle Darragh was laird of a grand estate, and my husband owned two manors. We lost everything that had been in our families for generations. That is how easily it can happen, Roisin. Do not take yer good fortune for granted.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
Innis gave a mirthless laugh. “Don’t be. ’Tis not yer fault. But mark my words. One day Clan MacGregor will rise again. We have the blood of MacAlpin, the first king of Scotland, running through our veins and that is what the Earl of Argyll cannot abide.”
She didn’t answer and concentrated on her mending, but Innis’s words echoed around her head. Was that the real reason why theMacGregors had raised arms against the Campbells, because, with their bloodline, they resented not being the most powerful clan in the Highlands?
It was possible. The news they received on Eigg came from travelers and merchants, and special messengers employed by Amma. But they only relayed what they had been told, and many of the reports came directly from the earl’s circle.
Long ago, the MacDonalds had ruled the Western Isles, until the Campbells, backed by the Crown, had grabbed much of the prestigious land for themselves. It was all in the past now, and MacDonalds and Campbells no longer considered themselves mortal enemies. But despite their alliances, old wounds still ran deep, and Clan MacDonald had never forgotten their formidable seafaring history.
She cast a surreptitious glance at Hugh, who had finished pitching his tent and was now leading his horse to the river. Whatever Innis might think of her, she wasn’t so foolish as to imagine living on the run from the Earl of Argyll was in any way romantic. But if it came to a choice between returning to Sgur Castle alone or remaining by Hugh’s side with an uncertain future, did she really know what her answer would be?
*
Hugh had justfinished grooming Deagh Fhortan when one of the men who had been on lookout returned to the camp with a stranger by his side. He and Darragh grasped arms in greeting before walking along the riverbank away from the other men.
