Page 6 of Kilted Abduction
“Nothin’. I’m just goin’ tae miss ye is all.”
“I’m comin’ back, Elspeth. Just as soon as I can.”
“I ken. I just… we’ve nae been apart since we was just babes.”
Ciara stepped forward and pulled her friend into a tight, warm embrace. The girl melted into her arms, and they clung together for several long moments. Elspeth finally stepped back and used the cuff on her sleeve to dab her suddenly red and watery eyes. Ciara took her hand and gave it a firm squeeze, holding her gaze.
“I am comin’ back,” she said fiercely. “And when I do, things will be different here. Things will be better. I promise ye.”
“I believe ye. I dae.”
Hand in hand, they strolled through the garden back to the keep. The sun was slipping toward the horizon, casting the sky aflame in vivid shades of red and orange. But the bank of dark clouds in the distance sent a chill through Ciara for she knew that cold weather and very likely, snow, were on their way. The trek to the Highlands would be difficult. But her plan was already in motion and there was no turning back.
“Here she is,” her father said. “Lord Fairfax, I would like tae formally introduce ye tae me daughter and yer bride-tae-be, Ciara MacDougal.”
The English nobleman stepped forward and took her in. Dressed in white breeches, high boots, and a deep, rich blue surcoat that bore his house sigil over a white linen shirt, Fairfax gave off an air of nobility. His white-blond hair was cut short and neatly styled and he wore a thick mustache to match. His long, angular face and slightly hooked nose only reinforced that air of nobility he wore as comfortably as the furs he had draped over his shoulders.
“Good evening, me lady,” Fairfax said.
Dipping into a slight curtsey, Ciara nodded. “Good evening, Lord Fairfax.”
He reached out with long, slim fingers and gripped her by the chin, raising her head then turned it side to side, inspecting her. Her face burned with the indignity, and it took every ounce of strength in her to not slap his hands away. While she was able to control her hands, Ciara couldn’t manage to control her mouth.
“Would ye care tae check me teeth and ears next?” she snapped.
Fairfax paused and stared at her for a moment, seemingly stunned by her outburst. His hard, icy blue eyes bore into hers and as she stared in their depths, Ciara knew all the stories about his cruelty were one hundred percent true. This was a man who enjoyed inflicting pain onto others. The corner of his mouth quirked upward as he released her chin then turned to his father who was glaring at her, his face lined with mortification.
“Begging pardon fer me daughter,” her father said. “She sometimes forgets her place.”
“Nothing to apologize for. She’s very spirited. I’ve had horses like that,” Fairfax replied, his voice crisp and curt. “I find it makes the moment you break them, that moment when they submit to your will, incredibly satisfying.”
“Quite so,” her father said then raised his wine goblet. “Tae breaking the spirited ones.”
“Indeed. To breaking the spirited ones,” Fairfax said, his eyes never leaving Ciara.
His words and the look on his face sent a flood of ice water washing through her veins and she suppressed a shudder. It was quickly replaced though, with a rush of heat as the anger built inside of her once more. To be looked at and treated like a prize horse at auction was the pinnacle of disrespect. If she’d had a sword, she would have run them both through.
She gave herself a small shake and pushed those dark thoughts away. She just had to get through the meal. If she could do that,she would be able to put it all behind her. She just had to hold it together for a little while longer.
“I hope ye’ve brought yer appetite, Lord Fairfax,” her father said. “Me cooks have put together a feast unlike anything ye’ve had before.”
“As it so happens, I am famished,” he replied.
“It’s good tae hear. Then come, let’s share a meal together,” her father said. “Ciara, come,” he ordered looking at her behind his shoulder like she was the family dog.
He was being so deferential and servile, it was all she could do to keep from getting sick. Her father was many things, but obsequious was not one of them. Until now, apparently. He was very clearly desperate to curry favor with Fairfax and it turned her stomach. That he would sell out to the English the way he was doing made her as sick as it made her angry. Aligning with the English was a death sentence for their clan. Ciara didn’t know how he couldn’t see it.
The dinner passed uneventfully. Ciara didn’t eat much, drank even less, and spoke rarely. Truthfully, she hadn’t uttered a single word the entire meal. Not that her father or soon-to-be husband had noticed. Or asked her thoughts about anything. She was there merely as a prop. As something for Fairfax to leer at and, judging by the lecherous gleam in his eyes, imagine the foul and vile ways he would have her once they had taken their vows. Ciara thought it was too bad for him he would never get to fulfill those fantasies. Not while she was still breathing anyway.
After dinner, they moved to her father’s salon where the two men continued the discussion about war and politics, and their dissatisfaction with the monarchy, they had begun over dinner. Ciara sat in the corner, cradling the glass of after-dinner wine that had been poured for her, listening to their inane ramblings.
“Well,” her father finally said as the end of the evening blessedly drew near. “I must bid ye a good night, but I encourage ye tae stay and get tae ken me daughter better.”
Ciara’s blood ran cold—colder still when Fairfax turned his cold, predatory eyes upon her.
“I thank you for your hospitality, Laird MacDougal,” the Englishman said. “This evening has been most… pleasant.”
The way he eyed her made Ciara think he had plans to cap the evening with an experience he thought even more pleasant. Gooseflesh broke out all over her body. Her father fixed her with a gaze that silently reminded her of his admonition to give Lord Fairfax whatever he wanted. With a slight bow to the English lord, her father turned and exited the chamber, the resounding boom of the heavy door closing behind him reminding Ciara of the door to one of the dark cells beneath the keep being shut.
