Page 40 of The Highlander's Twisted Deal
She kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead, clenching her jaw against the jerky, rutted track they were following. Abruptly, the hard-packed, gravelly earth smoothed out into well-set paving stones, curling round towards the front of the Keep.
Ava saw dozens of horses and carts trundling in and out of the Keep with goods and merchandise. There were people, too, traveling alone or in little groups, chattering with each other on their way to the market.
Just a little further,and then I can get out of this cart and away from him.
But that wouldn’t be the end, would it? She still had to pretend to be his betrothed. There would be family dinners and public appearances. Talk of the incident in the village would fly around the clan, about how Laird McAdair and his betrothed, a healer, arrived and saved a local lass and her babe. It was the sort of story people loved to hear. She and Callum would be well-spoken of for quite a while.
They’ll be disappointed when the betrothal is broken off,but I will be relieved.
Yes, relieved, that was the right word. If Ava kept saying it to herself enough, she would start to believe it. Hopefully.
The cart rumbled through the courtyard, heading towards the stables. There, at the entranceway, Sara was waiting. She looked just as austere as before, although Ava could have sworn that she flashed a tight smile. She spotted Marin, too, shoveling straw in the stables.
“Lady Ava, Laird McAdair,” Sara greeted them, stepping forward. “Yer guests are here. I took the liberty of showing them to Lady Ava’s rooms.”
Ava sucked in a breath. “Ye mean me maither and Elsie are here?”
Sara nodded, and Ava flung herself down from the cart, her foot catching in the hem of her dress and nearly falling face-first onto the cobbles.
A strong arm saved her, a hand clamping around her upper arm.
“Careful,” Callum said, his voice low and deep.
She swallowed hard, determinedly not looking back at him. “Thank ye.”
“It’s nothing. Just be more careful in the future.”
“I meant for bringing me maither and me friend here. So quickly, too.”
There was a brief pause, and Ava risked a quick glance over her shoulder. Callum’s face was unreadable, his jaw set, a muscle jumping in his cheek. As soon as their eyes met, he turned away to stare at the horse’s back.
“As I said,” he said shortly, “ye are welcome.”
With no further ado, he tapped the reins, and the horse pulled the cart forward into the shadows of the stables. Ava stared after him for a moment before she caught herself. She would need to change her clothes, at least. She glanced back at Sara, who was watching her with an oddly pensive expression.
“Right,” Ava said brightly. “Lead on.”
* * *
Perhaps part of Ava had thought that it was all her imagination or some cruel trick. Either way, when she first opened the door to her room and saw Elsie and Niamh waiting for her, she instantly burst into tears.
“Oh, me wee lass!” Niamh cried, her eyes glittering, and she rushed forward to wrap Ava in her arms. Elsie was just behind her, blubbering freely.
For a few moments, the three women stood together, all tangled up in each other’s limbs, enjoying the moment of reunion.
Elsie broke the hug first, sniffling hard and pulling back, staring intently at Ava. “What did he do to ye?” she hissed. “Did he hurt ye? Tell us, Ava. I’ll make him pay, I swear it.”
“He hasnae hurt me, not in the least,” Ava said, laughing tearfully.
The venom in her friend’s voice was almost amusing. Ava might have chosen poison as a weapon of choice against Elsie’s attacker, but she could see Elsie choosing a knife.
“Why are ye here, then?” Niamh questioned. “Ye must ken how terrified we’ve been for ye. Ye were swept away by an enemy laird, and there was no word for days. We were mad with fear. And then, some soldiers turn up at our door, along with a sour-faced woman in a cap. She explained that ye were betrothed to the Laird, and we were to join ye here, but ye cannae blame us for not believing her.”
“Her name is Sara, Ma, and she’s not that bad—not really.”
“Is it true?” Elsie asked eagerly. “Are ye engaged to the Laird?”
Ava sighed. “I suppose. I’d better tell ye the whole truth. But ye cannae breathe a word to a living soul, do ye hear?”
