Page 19 of Claimed
Tonight
WHEN THEY STOPPED at noon, Drew felt sick with nerves and excitement.
After the initial burst of speed, both she and Broderick had slowed their mounts, pacing themselves for the long day’s journey. The highway had taken them south. They traveled across wild moor for a spell before entering a highland region. Bulky pine-clad mountains rose above them, etched against a windswept sky. These peaks were different to those of Skye, Drew reflected. The mountains of her home isle were craggier, almost brutal in appearance. The landscape upon the mainland had a softer edge to it.
Loosening her horse’s girth, and letting it take a brief drink from a highland burn, Drew leaned against the courser’s sweaty neck and attempted to draw strength from the beast.
It has to be now, she told herself, gathering her courage as anticipation churned in her belly.Ye have to ask him.
Drawing in a deep breath, she turned, her gaze going to where Broderick was handing out bread and cheese to his men. He then approached her.
“It’s simple fare again, I’m afraid,” he said, “although two of the men will ride ahead and see if they can hunt some game for tonight’s meal.”
Drew’s gaze widened. “We’ll be sleeping outdoors?”
“Aye … there aren’t any inns until our destination, so for the next two nights we’ll be pitching tents.”
Drew frowned. That complicated her plans a little, and for a moment her resolve faltered. Her courage balanced upon a knife edge.
“Carr,” she said softly, taking the bread and cheese he offered. Her fingers deliberately brushed against his as she did so, and she heard his breathing catch. No, she hadn’t imagined it. It was desire she’d seen in his eyes that night. She would press on. “Can I speak to ye alone for a moment?”
He frowned at the question. The others were standing a few feet behind them. The men weren’t paying them much attention, for they’d already begun to eat and were bickering gently about what game would be the best to hunt for later in the day.
“This won’t take long,” Drew continued, moving back from him. She needed to make sure they were safely out of earshot of the others, before she said anything.
Wordlessly, Broderick followed her, although his brow was furrowed now. He could sense her tension, and it concerned him.
Leading him over to where a single spruce rose high above them, its blue-green needles bathed in wintry sunlight, Drew turned to Broderick and took in another steadying breath.
God’s bones, this was harder than she’d expected. Where was her usual brazen self-confidence?
She’d spent most of the morning going over and over in her head what she’d say to him, how she’d phrase things, and all the ways he could possibly respond. Only, now that Carr Broderick stood before her, and the heady scent of pine enveloped them, she felt flustered and tongue-tied.
“Is something amiss, milady?” he asked, his gaze searching her face.
“No … aye … well, not really,” she replied, stumbling over her answer. Heat crept into her cheeks. She wasn’t doing a good job of this. “The thing is … this journey has made me reflect on things … reflect on my life thus far. Quite frankly, it’s been dull. I will go to Inishail and follow my mother’s example … but before I do … I …” she halted there, struggling to get the words out in a coherent fashion. “Before I do that, I want to live. I wish to enjoy carnal pleasure and … well … will ye lie with me?”
Broderick went still at that, his face freezing. An awkward silence stretched out between them, and when he eventually spoke, his voice sounded strangled. “Lady Drew … I don’t think—”
“I’ve thought this through,” she cut him off. He was going to refuse her, and she couldn’t let him. “It would only be once … tonight … and then we could just pretend it never happened. When we reach Inishail, ye and I will go our separate ways.”
“This is folly, milady,” he replied, his voice roughening now. “A woman’s womb can quicken with a bairn after just one coupling. How would ye explain that to the nuns … to yer mother?”
A laugh rose within Drew, yet she choked it back. “There’s no need to worry about that,” she replied with a shake of her head. “Ye forget that I was wed for years and Egan never managed to get me with bairn. I’m barren.”
It was an ugly word, one that made Drew’s throat close up. How often had Duncan mocked her over her failure to produce children; he’d angered Egan over it too, when he’d brought up the subject at mealtimes in the Great Hall.
Silence settled between them once more. The shock on Broderick’s face would have made her smile in other circumstances, but not now. She felt as if she’d just handed him a weapon he could so easily wield against her.
“I’m yer guard, Lady Drew,” Broderick said finally. There was a pleading note in his voice now, blending with its usual gruffness. “Ye shouldn’t be asking this of me.”
“Why not?” Heat kindled in Drew’s belly as her anger rose. In her head, this conversation had gone quite differently. She’d imagined his initial surprise and then ready agreement. He was staring at her as if she’d just sprouted devil’s horns. “Am I distasteful to ye, Carr?”
Carr stared at Lady Drew and resisted the urge to take a step back from her—anything to ease the tension of this moment. He felt light-headed, his chest so tight that it hurt to breathe.
“Don’t ask me that, milady,” he rasped. “Ye shouldn’t—”
“Is that it?” she countered, high spots of color appearing upon her pale cheeks. “Ye can bed a kitchen wench, but the thought of touching me turns yer stomach?”
