Page 20 of Healing the Highland Sinner
On horseback, Ellair led her out of town and up into the hills that surrounded Thurso. When he was planning this, he’d found a secluded area that would serve his purposes well. Over the last couple of weeks, Rosalind had been taking him on her errands more frequently. It was likely because Ciar was still injured, his wound taking longer to heal than expected, but Ellair had used the time well, doing his best to work his way into her good graces. He had been doing everything in his power to get her to trust and rely on him. And he thought he was almost there.
The sun had just crested the distant horizon when he led her off the well-trodden path and onto a smaller one that led deeper into the hills. As they slipped behind some tall rocks and disappeared from view, he could sense that she was growing uneasy. He cast a look back at her and saw the unease he was feeling all over her face. He chuckled.
“What are ye afraid of?” he asked.
“Why are ye leadin’ me back intae the bleedin’ hills like this?”
“Are ye afraid I’m goin’ tae kill ye and hide yer body among the rocks?”
“Are ye plannin’ tae kill me and hide me body?”
“Probably nae.”
She pulled a face but chuckled despite herself. “Seriously. What are we daein’?”
“I’m plannin’ tae make ye better at yer job.”
“And how dae ye plan on daein’ that then, eh?”
He rounded the bend and led them into a large clearing that stood in the shadow of a massive stone outcropping, forming a natural amphitheater of sorts. With the stone wall at their back, they could not be seen, let alone snuck up on, as there was no view from the town below. It would be difficult, if not impossible for anybody to know they were there. Ellair climbed down off his horse then motioned to Rosalind.
“Here we are,” he said.
“And where is this?”
“Climb down.”
She was tense but she did as he said anyway. Ellair took her reins and led their horses over to a spot where there was plenty of grass for them to eat and a small brook that cut through the stone, allowing them to take water as well. After he’d tied them off, he unstrapped the pack he’d tied to his saddle before they left that morning. Carrying it into the middle of the amphitheater, he dropped it on the ground then untied it, revealing the cache of wooden sparring weapons he’d brought.
“What is this?” she asked.
“If ye’re goin’ tae hold on tae what ye have, ye’re goin’ tae need tae learn tae wield a blade,” he said. “There may come a time when yer life depends on kennin’ how tae fight.”
“What? I can fight.”
He pulled a face and arched an eyebrow at her. “Come now, lass. I ken ye cannae.”
Her cheeks flushed and she looked away. But she still didn’t seem ready or willing to admit that she could not handle a blade, as if it was a source of shame for her. Ellair had to make her understand it was not something to be ashamed of. It was something to work on. To improve. Everybody started somewhere in their training and this, if she wanted to survive, should be her starting point.
“When ye took me tae meet with that prissy arse wearin’ all them silks—Evander, was it?”
She nodded and grinned ruefully. “Aye. ‘Tis Evander.”
“I kent after that meetin’ that ye didnae ken how tae fight. That ye barely ken how tae hold a dagger proper,” he said. “Of course, it only confirmed what I already kent.”
She frowned, her look of embarrassment deepening. Rosalind lowered her head and shifted on her feet. She seemed to be thinking about his words, then finally raised her head.
“And how did ye ken?” she asked.
“In me line of work, ye learn tae figure out pretty fast who can and cannae fight,” he said. “Ye learn tae size people up in the blink of an eye because yer life depends on it. That first night I met ye, in the alley, I saw the way ye held yer dagger and kent ye werenae a fighter.”
“I could’ve taken yer jewels that night.”
“Aye. But ye were standin’ so close, ye couldnae have missed. Also, I wasnae lookin’ tae fight ye,” he told her. “In a real fight though, I would’ve had that dagger out of yer hand before ye could’ve even said jewels.”
“So, what? Ye’re goin’ tae teach me?”
Ellair nodded. “Aye. I’m goin’ tae teach ye.”
