Page 27 of The Highlander's Auctioned Virgin
“How about we make things more interesting?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
Ciaran laughed. “Me clan may nae be rich enough, but I daenae need yer money, M’Lady.”
“Then we daenae play for money,” Elinor conceded. “We play for questions.”
Ciaran looked up at her, his eyes narrowed. “Questions?”
“Aye.” Elinor nodded. “For every round ye win, ye can ask me a question, and for every round I win, I can ask ye a question.”
Ciaran stroked his chin. “I suppose it isnae too bad if we get to ken each other better. Cannae have a husband and wife nae kenning anything about each other.”
Elinor groaned. “Nae this again.”
“Why daenae ye start?” Ciaran suggested.
She nodded and sank to the floor opposite him before grabbing one of the stones. After a few back-and-forths, she won the first round.
“I bet ye let me win,” she said, her eyebrows arched in mild jubilation.
Ciaran rolled his eyes. “Just ask yer question before I change me mind.”
Elinor lowered her hands to her lap and looked him in the eyes. “Yer nickname. Why the Hound?”
“That is the question ye want to waste yer win on?”
“I am certain ye considered a lot of nicknames. Names even deadlier than that. So, why the Hound?” Elinor pressed, ignoring his comment.
Ciaran sighed. “Ye daenae want to ken.”
“This game isnae going to work if ye daenae tell the truth.”
“This is me telling ye the truth, M’Lady. Trust me. Ye daenae want to ken where the name came from. Ye can ask another question.”
Elinor narrowed her eyes at him. “Fine. Were ye joking when ye told Jack the other day that yer braither isnae dead?”
Ciaran looked straight at her. “Nay.”
“Why did me man-at-arms think he was dead, then?”
A hint of amusement crossed his face. “Ye’re only allowed to ask one question, remember?”
Elinor shrugged, and they continued to play.
A while later, Ciaran landed his first win.
“Be careful with the question ye plan to ask me,” Elinor warned, giving him a pointed look.
“Why an auction?” His voice came out smooth yet sharp, catching her entirely off guard.
“I am afraid I daenae understand what ye mean,” she said.
He adjusted his position on the floor. “How come ye’re organizing an auction to be married again? Every man, woman, and child in the Highlands kens what happened to ye. They ken that he had kidnapped ye from yer home. I would think that a woman like ye, who has been through so much, wouldnae be this eager to get married again. So, why an auction?”
Elinor heaved a sigh. “I suppose I just wanted to make sure that the same thing doesnae happen again.”
“What do ye mean?”
“I thought if I organized an auction, I would have at least some semblance of control over the next man I choose to marry. ‘Tis why I organized the games.”
