Page 16 of The Highlander's Dangerous Bride

“I almost died out there. I’m grateful that ye saved me.”

He shrugged with false casualness. “I didnae ken it was ye. Otherwise, I might have left ye tae drown.”

She gave a weak smile. “I wouldnae have blamed ye if ye had.”

He did not know what to say to that, feeling strangely awkward in the face of her humility. Inside, he was torn between the need to remain calm and disguise his pain and the urge to shout and rage and scream at her about how much she had hurt him.

“Will ye nae come and sit down by me, so we can talk?” she asked.

“Nay, I’ll stand,” he replied, so agitated he did not think he could sit still for a moment. He shifted from foot to foot, needing to move around to keep himself under control. He decided not to beat around the bush. “So, how come ye managed tae hide yersel’ from me so well fer so long, eh?” he demanded, folding his arms and staring back at her.

“I told ye in me letter nae tae come lookin’ fer me, that ye wouldnae find me.”

“Ha! And ye really just expected me tae dae that, did ye? Ye hoped I’d just sit back and say, all right, she’s gone and left us, me and Thorsten, and just carry on as if naethin’ had happened?” he shook his head.

“I told ye in the letter, I’m nae who I said I was.” Infuriatingly, she was as calm as a millpond.

“Aye, I ken that all right. How d’ye think that made me feel? Like a bloody idiot tae find out ye’d been lyin’ tae me all along, that’s how.”

“Aye, I’m sorry fer it, Arne. I hated lyin’ tae ye. But it was necessary, tae protect the both of us, but most of all, Thorsten.”

“Did ye ever ken anythin’ about who I am?” he demanded, knowing he was starting to lose his cool. “Did ye nae trust me tae protect the both of ye? More tae the point, who the bloody hell are ye?! Or are ye even gonnae tell me the truth now?”

A grimace of pain passed over her face. “I want tae tell ye the whole truth, of course, I dae. But ye have tae believe me—’tis still much too dangerous fer ye, and fer Thorsten, tae ken everythin’.”

“Ach! Of course, it is! That’s yer excuse, eh? ‘’Tis too dangerous.’ Ye never say why, dae ye? How convenient fer ye. Ye still havenae told me how ye managed tae hide from me fer so long, Maeve.”

For a moment, she was silent, merely looking at him as if trying to decide what to tell him. Finally, she said, “I suppose I may as well tell ye me real name now. ’Tis nae Maeve, ’tis Raven.”

Suddenly, the memory came to him of what Meg had said when he told her Maeve’s name the night he had saved her.

The healer’s words echoed in his ears now.“Are ye sure about that?”He realized the healer-witch had known all along the name was false, while he had been laboring under a lie all this time. His anger and resentment threatened to boil over.

He gaped at her wordlessly before repeating the name in an astonished whisper. “Raven?”

“Aye, and me last name’s nae Carter either. I was born a MacNeil. Maeve Carter was just the false name I used tae protect mesel’.”

“Raven MacNeil? Ye mean that’s yer clan?” He was shocked by the admission. The MacNeil’s were a respected clan who had their territory further south. He had never imagined that was where she had come from.

“Aye.”

“Is that the truth or another of yer lies?” he asked, warning her with his eyes to be truthful.

“’Tis the truth, I swear it.”

He scoffed. “That means naethin’ tae me. But suppose I chose tae believe ye, tell me, is that where ye’ve been these last three years, Raven MacNeil, back in yer clan lands?”

“I dinnae want tae lie again, Arne, so can ye stop askin’ me questions that force me tae keep doin’ it?” she asked, her eyes beseeching. “Ye dinnae ken what me life’s been like,” she said with some fire. “I’ve never had a moment’s real peace. Since I was eighteen, I’ve always been runnin’. ’Tis nae life.”

“Ach, I dinnae want tae hear about yer self-pity! Fer all I ken, ’tis just more of yer lies.” He actually found himself stamping his foot in frustration. “I just want tae ken where ye were. Is that too much tae ask after all ye’ve done?” he asked, conscious his voice was rising. He pulled himself back sharply from totally giving way to his emotions.

“I cannae tell ye that.” She sounded so sad; his heart clenched with pity. He crushed it mercilessly.

“Ach, I suppose ‘’tis too dangerous’ again, is that it?”

“Aye, that’s it.”

“So why are ye here and nae there, then?”

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