Page 81 of How to Be a Scottish Mistress

He lifted his chin a bit higher. “Aye, there’s horror in truth, milady, make no mistake about it.”

He reached out and Aileen gave a soft cry, but that did not deter him. He swiftly cut the ties around her wrists. Then his hand held her ankle and he cut the binding around her feet. Fiona thought his hand lingered too long on Aileen’s shapely calf. He glanced up and found her staring at him. He grimaced in distaste, then pulled the hem of Aileen’s gown down past her ankles.

But Fiona had seen the gleam in Gilroy’s eyes. Frantic, she glanced through the trees, wondering how far they could get on foot.

“Remember yer promise to me,” Gilroy warned, as if able to read her thoughts. “Ye’ll not get far before I catch ye and ye won’t be happy when I do.”

“We promised to obey ye,” Aileen said with dignity. “We dinnae promise not to escape.”

Gilroy leaned back on his haunches. “I can see that Laird Sinclair has raised a bold lass.”

Aileen tossed her head. “I am a lady, sir, not a lass.”

Gilroy broke into a lazy grin so reminiscent of Gavin that Fiona nearly smiled, too. It tugged at her heart, giving her a thin shard of hope that beneath all the anger and resentment there lay a modicum of decency.

“Be ye lady or lass, ye’re still under my control. And ye’ll do what I say.”

A warm flush of blood pinked Aileen’s cheeks. “My father will have yer head on a spike if ye mistreat us.”

Gilroy’s grin widened. “He needs to catch me first.”

“Ewan!”

They all turned. Alec stood grim-faced, his wiry frame attempting to hold back a few of the men. Gilroy’s expression became pensive. “Stay within my sight at all times, do ye understand?”

“The earl will pay you handsomely for our safe return,” Fiona blurted out.

Gilroy gave her a hard look, his mouth twisting in a thin line. “It’s not just coin I’m seeking from the earl. Though I suspect ye already knew that, Lady Fiona.”

And with that cryptic comment, Gilroy turned and walked away.

Ewan cursed loudly. Encouraged by a disgruntled Magnus, the men were starting to argue again. Some couldn’t decide how much the women were worth in ransom, while others thought it foolish to even let the earl know they were the ones who had taken them. Then there were a few who were in favor of simply getting rid of theproblem.

The passionate words and heated exchanges let Ewan know it wouldn’t take much to spark a fight and have them turn against each other. And him.

The boon that Ewan had believed had come his way the moment he spied Lady Fiona and Lady Aileen riding outside the castle, unattended and with no protection other than the few men riding with the grain cart, was starting to become his misfortune. But only if he let it.

There still had to be a way to turn this to his advantage. Both these women were an important prize, and truth be told, he did not want to waste it on mere coin. Though the raised voices and disgruntled comments suggested he might be forced to compromise and do what the majority of them wanted.

Still, Ewan’s mind could not help but run wild with the endless possibilities of requests, most of which involved humiliating his brother in some manner. Having him kneel and pay homage to Ewan in front of the entire clan before proclaiming him a recognized and respected son of the Earl of Kirkland, no longer a bastard with no name and no heritage.

Other thoughts were less grand—forgiveness of any and all of Ewan’s past transgressions, a pardon for his men, a promise that they would be allowed to live as free men and not outlaws. Or the grant of a holding of his own on McLendon land, along with the right to keep his own men-at-arms. It didn’t have to be a large demesne. A small keep would suffice, but one that was his and his alone, where he would be free to do as he pleased.

It seemed that his requests were only limited by his imagination, yet in reality Ewan knew the earl would refuse to grant even one. Or if he did, he would relent and take his revenge.

“If we hold them fer ransom, the earl will know who each and every one of us are,” Magnus insisted.

“Nay,” Ewan retorted. “I’ll be the one negotiating with the earl. He’ll not know any of ye. Ye’re safe.”

Mollified, a few of the men nodded their heads. But Magnus wasn’t satisfied. “The women have seen us. They can describe us, identify us.”

Ewan shrugged. “We already live as outlaws. What does it matter if the McLendons know yer names?”

It was the wrong thing to say. Instead of looking at him, several of the men stared at the ground, avoiding his gaze.

“If the earl discovers who we are, we will be hunted men fer the rest of our lives,” Alec said. “We’ll never be able to return our families to a proper village life.”

“Aye, and they might suffer fer our sins,” Magnus added.

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