Page 14 of The Outlaw's Bride
Adaira nodded, her belly contracting. “My maid usually comes to my bower shortly after dawn. She’ll raise the alarm … if the dungeon guards don’t wake up first.”
Lachlann ate his third bun, although not with the ferocity of the first two. Around them the dawn chorus of birdsong echoed through the trees: blackbirds, song thrushes, and warblers. Their chirping took the edge off Adaira’s anxiety and soothed her ragged nerves.
“I love the sound of the dawn chorus,” she said eventually, “but I can’t hear it from my bower. Sometimes I get up early and go to the gardens at dawn just to listen to the birds.”
Lachlann’s mouth quirked, and Adaira wondered if her comment had amused him. Here they were, running for their lives, and she was admiring birdsong.
Finishing his meal, Lachlann dusted crumbs off his filthy braies. He sat a couple of yards from Adaira, yet she could still smell him. The man was in need of a bath and fresh clothing. However, both would have to wait.
Lachlann then met her eye once more. “Why were ye so desperate to flee Dunvegan?”
Adaira had been expecting the question, but she still tensed when he asked it.
He’s my protector now, she reminded herself.I need to trust him.
“I’m to wed Aonghus Budge of Islay,” she murmured, dropping her gaze.
Lachlann gave a low whistle. “Say no more … I know all about him.”
Adaira’s head snapped up. “Aye … he killed his first wife—and he’d kill me too, I’m sure of it.”
Lachlann Fraser’s eyes shadowed, before he nodded. Remaining silent, he packed away the remaining food, stuffed it into the satchel, and got up. Slinging the satchel across his front, his gaze met Adaira’s once more. “In that case, we’d better keep moving.”
Adaira winced as she slipped upon a mossy rock and her ankle twisted.
“Can’t we rest for a while,” she panted. Holding her skirts high, she splashed across the creek bed after Lachlann. Cold water soaked through the soft leather of her boots. Adaira glanced down at them with dismay. The boots were new and made of costly chamois, but they’d be ruined after this journey.
They’d been traveling all morning, without respite. The sun beat down on them; it seemed that summer had returned after days of colder weather. The heat was both a blessing and a curse. It would make sleeping rough easier, but it also made the journey much harder work. Adaira’s cheeks glowed like two hot coals.
“No time for that.” Lachlann cast a glance over his shoulder. “Yer father will be hunting us now.”
Adaira frowned. She knew that—she didn’t need reminding of it.
“I know ye are tired,” he continued, turning his attention away from her once more. “And as soon as we find a place to hide, we can rest. It’s safer traveling at night anyway.”
That made sense. They’d been fortunate so far and hadn’t seen any other travelers, hunters, or farmers. Yet, as they approached the east coast, that would change.
Adaira plowed on behind him. Her wet boots started to chafe her feet. Lachlann had relieved her of her cumbersome mantle and now carried both that and her satchel. All she had to do was follow—yet she could feel herself flagging.
I’m slowing him down, she thought dully.If we get caught, it’ll be all my fault.
The realization sent a jolt of panic through her. She couldn’t let that happen. Capture was unthinkable. She couldn’t let Budge get his hands on her.
And so she struggled on, closing her mind off to the exhaustion that pulled down at her with each step.
How far were they from the coast now? She’d long since lost any sense of direction. Lachlann had assured her they were journeying east, toward the port village of Kiltaraglen.
The village lay directly across the water from the Isle of Raasay. Once they found a boat, they would have to travel south, around the island, before turning east to the mainland.
Kiltaraglen was also the closest port to Dunvegan. Nervousness fluttered under Adaira’s ribcage. She hoped Kiltaraglen was a wise choice. Perhaps she should have gone to Duntulm instead—to Caitrin.
Adaira’s throat constricted. How she wished to see Caitrin. But such wishes were foolish. Malcolm MacLeod would search for her at Duntulm.
No, Adaira wouldn’t involve her sister. She’d already risked Rhona and Taran’s necks. Best to stick with the original plan: go to her kin on the mainland. Her mother had spoken often of Gylen Castle, where she’d grown up. It sounded a welcoming place.
They would take her in; they would protect her.
On and on they trudged as the sun rose high into the sky. And, just when Adaira’s step was beginning to falter, when she was considering calling out to Lachlann and begging for him to stop awhile, he did just that.
