Page 28 of Kidnapped By her Highland Enemy
Lucas trailed his lips down the side of her jaw, and she gasped for breath. There was so much of her body he wanted to slide her hands over, every dip and curve, every stretch of smooth skin… but it was not the time.
Pulling away, he nosed her cheek, “It’ll be well, lass, I give ye me word.”
Her shoulders shook a little, but she nodded and lifted her head, “Where do we go from here?”
“Are ye willing to walk into hell with me?” Lucas asked, “Because that is where we will be headin’.”
“I’d prefer to ride,” she replied.
10
The inn at the outskirts of Munroe territory was almost empty when the four arrived in the dead of night. Maisie had ridden with Lucas, and it had taken everything in her not to look above her shoulder at every moment. They had left the house just as the sun was starting to dip, and they headed south.
The journey from Moray Firth to Perth, north of Edinburgh, where the King resided, was going to take more than a sennight. Between then, they were going to stay in some inns along the way and other times in the forest so as not to leave a straight trail to where they were headed for anyone who might be following them.
After Lucas had paid the fee for the room, and she went in, Maisie took stock of her temporary lodging. The room she was in was clean and somewhat sparse, a slender bed with a coarse wool blanket thrown over sat in a corner. A wooden chest wasnear the far wall, and a copper water basin with a matching pitcher near the bedside.
From beyond the one small window, she could hear the soft neighing of horses, and Lucas went to it, hooked a finger around the curtain’s edge, pulled it apart and looked out. “We’re near to the stables, that’s good.”
“In case we’ll need to run,” Maisie understood.
“Aye,” he nodded and dropped the cloth. After turning to her, he leaned on the wall, cocked a hip on it and crossed his arms. “I daenae ken what will happen when we get to the King, lass, but two things are sure. I will be by yer side an’ I will do all in me power to make sure ye are nay harmed.”
She mustered a smile. While Maisie knew they were safe for a while, she knew that nothing would be set until they got to the King and solved this mystery about who was trying to annihilate the two clans. It was not safe in the village or at this inn and she had a suspicion that news of her presence at this inn would not be secret for long.
“Can ye wrangle that power to gain me a bath here before we leave in the morn?” Maisie asked, a fleeting smile on her face. “Or should I say use yer persuasion?”
He laughed and pushed off from the door. “Let’s see what I can do.”
When he left the room with an amused chuckle and closed the door behind him, Maisie latched it and began to look around the room. The magnitude of the peril they were in had sunk into her heart moments after they had left the seaside home and ran through the dead of night.
They were not safe, and until they found who was behind this plot, both their families would be in peril. Her father would disown her when he found that she was entangled with the son of his sworn enemy, and Maisie would count herself fortunate if she were not exiled as well.
Am I only naïve? Is this because he is the only man that I feel drawn to that I ken I will be all right even when common sense says otherwise?
Sighing, Maisie kept out of sight from the window, but managed to peer through it. There were woods beyond the village line, which stretched up into the mountains and far off to the south where the Ross clan ruled.
As she waited for Lucas to return, she considered the two options that rested before them; if the King was behind this then they would have no other choice but to break from the monarch. However, if he were not, who could it be? Someone in their ranks? A mutual enemy was the most sensible choice but between the two clans, they would have dozens of adversaries who wanted them to fall.
Time slipped away and before Maisie knew it, she was slumbering. A knock on the door had her startling awake thoughand she went to the door to answer it. Lucas stood there with a bundle of cloth under his arm.
“They have a bathing room, lass, with a tub ye can use,” he handed her the clothing. “I ken it’s late, but I managed to get ye some clothing for the rest of the journey.”
She took them with a nod then went back to the bed, only to see Lucas entering behind her and closing the door. Maisie felt confused. “What are ye doing?”
“Staying with ye,” he replied easily. He then quirked a brow, “Ye ken I was goin’ to leave ye alone even though I am nae sure if we have any attackers on our trail?”
She huffed, “I was hoping for privacy.”
“I’ll turn me back,” Lucas grinned. “Daenae ye worry, lass, I’ll willnae be stealing yer bed. I’ll be sleeping on the floor.”
By the time she had slipped into bed, Lucas had amassed a pile of god-knows-what on the floor and was laying on it. Squinting, she tried to make out what it was—was that a horse’s blanket? Shaking her head, she tugged the covers over her and tried to settle down to sleep—but she could not. Maisie found herself attuned to Lucas’s presence as if he were a lodestone and she a shard of iron.
His breathing was steady, but she knew he was awake. After a moment, she asked, “Do you ken of any mutual enemies our clans have?”
Lucas rustled on his makeshift bed. “I ken of a few. D’ye ken that this threat is coming from them?”
“If is it nae from the King, it could be,” she replied while grasping the covers. “Between yer clan and mine, there are many who would want us to fall.”
