Page 1 of The Highlander's Auctioned Virgin
CHAPTER 1
Elinor’s eyesgleamed in the moonlight as she walked away from the garden. It was a futile endeavor, trying to garden at night, but it was the only time she got to leave the castle.
Lots of eyes were on her at this moment; she could tell. However, the last thing she wanted to do was draw even more attention to herself. Her every move was already being scrutinized.
She moved away from the flowers, noting the white petals and how they seemed to glow in the moonlight when she stared at them from a certain angle.
The cold night air whipped at the hem of her dress, a chill suddenly descending on her like some kind of warning. She wrapped her arms around herself as tremors started wracking her body. Still, she wouldn’t leave.
“Ye shouldnae ignore that warning, M’Lady,” a familiar, comforting voice called behind her.
She turned and came face to face with Thomas, one of her guards. “If it stops me from having to go see the Laird before he retires for the night, I’d say it is a cold well caught.”
Thomas laughed. “Ye need to go inside. Looks like it will rain, and ye need to be under the covers when it starts.”
“That’s if that is where I’ll be. Ye can never tell with the Laird and his—well, his desires.”
Thomas laughed again.
Elinor and the young guard had grown close over the past two years since she had come to MacAdair Castle. He had always protected her whenever she went out, and she soon realized that he was only here because of some debt his parents owed the Laird.
He harbored the same disdain for Laird MacAdair, which had presented an opportunity for Elinor to develop a friendship with him. Till this day, Thomas was the only person she could speak to about the Laird without worrying whether it would get back to him.
“Should ye nae be manning yer post? What if an intruder manages to break in?”
“They’ll have me to answer tae . I havenae broken any bones in a long time,” he responded.
Elinor laughed. She had seen Thomas fight a few men in the past. He knew how to hold his own, and she wouldn’t have anyone else protect her if she could help it.
“I keep saying that yer potential is being wasted on manning a post at night. Ye should be doing more. Ye should be a man-at-arms instead.”
“I would man a chicken if it means I daenae have to follow Murdock around the village as some kind of second-in-command,” Thomas scoffed, his voice clear.
Elinor studied him in the moonlight for the briefest of seconds. His dark curls hung low over his forehead, and his dark brown, almost black eyes were almost not visible at night, adding an edge to his words whenever he spoke.
“Ach, well, it could be worse,” Elinor pointed out.
Thomas nodded. “Of course, M’Lady. It could always be worse.”
Elinor sighed. “I might as well head back inside. One way or another, this night must end.”
Thomas gave her an encouraging grin. “Aye, M’Lady. And I shall head back to me post.”
Elinor’s eyes swept over the flowers one more time before she turned around and walked towards the castle, leaving Thomas, the flowers, and the cold night air behind.
The walk to her quarters was a bit long, and she prolonged it further by walking as slowly as possible. She trudged past a few maids and stable boys who stopped to greet her before continuing on their way. A flurry ofM’Ladysreached her ears as she walked, and her heart pounded hard in her chest.
“M’Lady,” one of the maids called out loudly as she approached her from the end of the passageway. “Is everything all right? Do ye need anything?”
“Does it look like I need anything?” Elinor bit out coldly.
“Nay,” the maid responded, the apologetic look on her face masking her nervousness.
“Good,” Elinor muttered and continued on her way.
She stepped into her room and shut the door behind her, a wave of the remaining cold shooting down her body in immense waves. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a loud thunderclap.
Thomas was right; she didn’t want the rain to catch her outside. She walked to her window and placed her hands on the sill, looking out.
