Page 36 of Craved By a Highland Beast

And how was it that her council hadn’t seen Ruthven for the man he was? She, too, had been fooled at first by his charm and his politeness, but now she could see it had all been a facade, one that had easily cracked under the smallest of pressure. In the back of her mind, Bonnie had always had doubts about Evan’s and Alaric’s claims, seeing what a perfect gentleman Ruthven was, and had he held onto this mask of politeness for just a little longer, perhaps she would have believed him to be the perfect suitor, after all. But now, seeing him like this only confirmed what Evan and Alaric had warned her about.

This was not a good man. This was not a man who would be kind to her in marriage, nor the kind of man who would hesitate to ally himself with the likes of Balliol.

It must all be true . . . it must all be as Evan says.

And if it truly was, then Bonnie had, once again, involved herself into something much bigger than her.

“I am only askin’ ye fer some time,” she insisted, her tone turning pleading. If she could only trick him into believing she wanted nothing more than to know him better, then perhaps she could escape his clutches. “Spend some time with me. Let us . . . let us speak o’ our past an’ our future. Perhaps we could go on a ride or visit the loch like ye said.”

That seemed to appease Ruthven, if only a little. He leaned back against his seat and stared at Bonnie for a few moments, clearly studying her for any signs of deception. If he found any, hedidn’t share it with her. Instead, that charming smile was back as though it had never left his plush lips, lighting up his whole face.

This change was even more intimidating than the previous one to Bonnie. Once the mask had slipped, it was uncanny to see it back on all of a sudden, as though it was as easy as breathing for him to fool those around him. Bonnie had underestimated the man. Perhaps even Evan and Alaric had underestimated him, but now she knew him for who he truly was: a ruthless liar, terrifying in his abilities.

“Aye, the loch,” he said, his gaze taking on a faraway look. “It’s a bonnie place. I’m sure ye’ll enjoy it very much.”

“We will go soon?” Bonnie urged. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with Ruthven, but for now, it seemed like her best option. She could only count on the fact that he seemed to need the alliance with the MacLaren Clan, and so he couldn’t hurt her—not before their marriage, at least. That gave her some time to protect herself. “Perhaps once the weather clears?”

Ruthven turned to stare out of the window over his left shoulder, gazing at the rain that was still falling with no sign that it would soon stop. As he had the back of his head turned to her, Bonnie took the chance to pull the key out of her pocket, quickly placing it onto the carpet and sliding it in the gap under his desk, where it could have easily fallen off his pocket.

Her heart pulsed everywhere—in her throat, in the ends of her limbs, rattling the bones of her chest. She bit down hard, molar to molar, waiting for the moment Ruthven would reveal that hehad caught her in the act, that he knew precisely what she had done and would now punish her as she deserved.

The moment never came. Ruthven simply turned around again, sipping casually on his wine.

“When the weather clears,” he confirmed. “Hopefully, it will be so soon.”

Bonnie could only nod, not trusting herself to speak. She knew the moment she would open her mouth, her voice would be shaky, breathless, betraying her fear, and so she remained silent, taking a sip of wine to hide it.

“Well . . . if ye wish tae ken somethin’ about me, all ye must dae is ask,” Ruthven said. It was as though the previous conversation had never happened, as if the tension had been nothing but a bad dream, and with the sudden change, Bonnie could almost believe it. But she held onto the memory of his gaze, cold and relentless, betraying his real intentions. “Shall I tell ye about me family?”

With a small smile, one that was as sincere as she could muster, Bonnie nodded.

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

By early afternoon, the skies had cleared over Castle Ruthven and the sun shone through the gaps in the dark clouds, the dappled light bathing the grass and the trees in gold as Graeme Ruthven looked out of the window. In the courtyard, the servants and the guards scrabbled to complete their chores for the day after being unable to step foot outside all morning, reminding him of a colony of ants as they rushed around the grounds.

And there, among them, were Bonnie and Evan. They walked leisurely side by side, just the two of them, discussing something Graeme would never know.

He was so close to getting what he wanted. He was so close to getting Bonnie and the power and influence that came with a bride like her. The MacLaren Clan was more powerful than ever, after all, ever since her sister Cathleen married Macauley Sinclair, and thus solidified the MacLaren ties with the Drummonds, the Hays, the Murrays, and the Menzies—all just as powerful clans, connected through the ties of marriage.

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