Page 40 of A Scot for Bethan
But couldn’t he see? They had to help the girl before it was too late! Angus and Murdo were writhing furiously, evidently in agreement with her. But with their mouths gagged they could not talk and expose the lie. Bethan tried to fight Cameron’s hold. In vain. The arm around her waist was iron-hard, the hand holding her mouth shut, unrelenting. She could barely move, even if her breathing was unimpaired. Still, she moaned in protest. He had to let her go; they could not leave Morag in such a predicament alone. She would never forgive herself if anything happened to the girl. How could Cameron be so heartless?
“Do you want me to knock you senseless? I will do it if it stops you from placing yourself in danger,” he warned, speaking low in her ear. She stopped fighting, believing he would not hesitate. “I will not release you until you have listened to me. Think! There is something amiss here. Why is Morag wearing a velvet gown?Were you the one suggesting she dressed thus?” She shook her head. That the girl had put one of her dresses on had come as a surprise to her as well. “Did you ask her to pretend to be you in case we were put upon?” Again, a denial. “Who prepared the food for Angus and Murdo this morning? The food that evidently made them sick?”
Bethan stilled.
Morag.
Morag had been the one preparing the food and ale. Morag had insisted she be part of the escort. She had made no mystery of what she thought of Malcolm McDonald. She had asked Bethan if she was sure she didn’t want the man. It all became clear. The girl had meant to usurp her place all along, make the most of the McDonald laird’s desperation to marry to trap the man she desired into a union with her.
She had said she wanted to better herself. This was the solution she had found.
Bethan didn’t know whether to be appalled or impressed. She lifted her gaze to Cameron and nodded to indicate she had understood what he was trying to tell her and would not protest anymore. He took his hand away, stroking her cheek lightly as he did, a mark of approval.
“This is not just a distraction. She is not going to reveal her identity until they are married,” she told him in a breath. The girl had not so much wanted to help her as to give herself a chance at a more prestigious life.
“Aye,” Cameron confirmed, sliding off of her at last. “I think she saw an opportunity, that’s why she asked to accompany you to Wales. She hoped that Malcolm would indeed stop us on the road, would mistake her for you if she looked like a rich lady and would marry her before he realized his mistake, binding him to her permanently. She made sure Angus and Murdo were in no state to fight, so as to ensure she did fall into the McDonalds’hands. How did I not guess something was amiss? Though I did think it awfully unlucky that both of them should be struck by the illness at the same time…”
“So did I. And now, with their mouths gagged, they won’t be able to go against what she says.” It was perfect. Had Morag not been escorted by fierce warriors who were doing their best to defend her, McDonald might have suspected a trap. As it was, he had no reason to be suspicious. The two Scots looked suitably furious at their powerlessness.
Cameron rubbed his jaw pensively. “’Tis a foolish and dangerous plan if you ask me. The bastard might well marry her, since he has no reason to suspect she is not who she claims she is, but it will not take him long to understand that she is not the rich woman he wanted. And then what does she think he’ll do?”
Indeed. She would be lucky to get away with her life. Bile rose in Bethan’s throat. She could not let this happen. “Angus and Murdo might be incapacitated, but we are not. We cannot let her get away with the deception. Please. You know what he means to do to, we must?—”
Before she could finish her sentence Morag lifted the hem of her gown to reveal a shapely leg. Being on a horse helped her to display it to its advantage and appreciative grunts were heard from the men.
“We could always be bedded now, my laird,” she said with an engaging smile. “It would save us some time later. I refused your brother because the fool tried to woo me, even though I knew he was only after my money. But I can tell you want me, enough to fight for me, and I like a man who knows what he wants and is not afraid to take it.” The hem of the gown went up another inch. “Show me you’re not a weak fool. Show me just how much you want me.”
Bethan blinked. No. Surely the girl didn’t mean to— Not here? Not like that?
“She’s not going to?—”
Cameron let out a growl. “She is. The sly minx means to ensure that the marriage is indissoluble, or at least to make it as difficult as possible for McDonald to annul it when he discovers the truth. I cannot say I feel sorry for him, considering the length he was prepared to go to to coerce you into a match with him. He will be given a taste of his own medicine and find himself married to a woman who is of no use to him.”
She would have been happy to see him punished too, but unfortunately, it was not that simple. “But Morag…” What would happen to her when Malcolm found out he’d been tricked? He was hardly going to forgive the humiliation or accept that he was married to a mere servant. Would he kill her when annulment proved impossible? She would put nothing past the man.
“Fret not. She will have weighed the risks carefully. If she acquits herself well of the task of pleasing him, he might agree to keep her as a mistress.” Bethan’s mouth fell open. Was this supposed to reassure her? Cameron made a helpless gesture. “Aye, I ken it, but you can see how it is. She’s hardly being forced into anything. Angus did warn me she was lazy and selfish. If she wants to ensure herself a different life than that of a servant by beating McDonald at his own game, then she’s welcome to it. She’s offered us the best chance for escape we could have hoped for.”
“I suppose.” Cameron was right. Judging from what they were seeing, Morag was hardly being raped.
“I assume that she is a virgin and will use the loss of her maidenhead to prove that the union was indeed consummated. Little does she know that the woman she is impersonating is not as innocent as she is.”
Bethan reddened. No, she was not an innocent maiden, he knew it firsthand.
She turned her attention back to the clearing. While they’d been talking Malcolm had helped Morag down from the saddle. His intention to take her up on her bold offer was written all over his face. His eyes were glowing with lust.
“I will send my men away if you prefer,” he told his bride-to-be with a smile that sent bile to Bethan’s throat. He was making it sound as if he were being chivalrous. “Or we could use them as witnesses that our union was indeed consummated.”
Far from being outraged, Morag agreed to this suggestion which served her purpose as well. She laughed, and Bethan saw that she was not in the least nervous—or appalled at the idea of being taken under the eyes of a dozen men. It would seem that she was utterly under Malcolm McDonald’s spell and ready to do anything to have him.
“It’s not a problem to have them watch,” she said coyly. “As long as you don’t ask them to join us.”
“I won’t.” The man unbuckled his scabbard without further ado. “There will be no need to. I know what to do and will not leave you wanting. By the Virgin, Lady Bethan, but you are bold! I had heard tales of your beauty, and you are certainly pleasing to the eye,” he added with an appreciative tilt of the head. “But you are also as bold as the most seasoned whore.”
“I am not a whore!” Bethan hissed between her teeth.
“I know you’re not, Ealasaid,” Cameron purred in her ear. “But Morag certainly is, and McDonald is convinced that she is you.”
Yes, considering the way the serving girl was acting, it was no wonder the man thought her bold. Bethan felt her whole body sag in defeat. There was nothing else to do here. Morag had made her decision; she would have to face the consequences. And with luck, Angus and Murdo would be released when the retinue left for the kirk.
