Page 53 of Taken By her Highland Enemy

But nothing ye lot couldnae handle. That I knew!” The Scots cheered. “Unfortunately, we didnae have time tae get any of the wealth I had heard tales about before I got myself intae this mess.” He looked at Eamon with a scowl for a moment before laughing.

Eamon did as well. “I said we could only grab it if we had the time, but I suppose we didnae count on the fire working as fast as it did. I do apologize for yer lack of reward, lads.”

“Who says we havenae been rewarded?” Lukas stood, a comical smile on his face. “I have been able tae dress as a toffish English soldier, been beaten, bruised, and captured. I got tae see Englishmen get their comeuppance, and…” He pulled a large bottle out from behind the wooden stump he was sitting on. “I have been the lucky finder of this lovely bottle of whisky. What say ye?”

The whole crowd burst into cheers and laughter, no longer concerned about what noise they made in the darkness. As the evening grew, and each person became merrier through whatever alcohol they had left to share amongst each other, Isabelle found her way towards Eamon, who was sitting a little apart from the merrymakers, his eyes on the fire, his expression a little strained.

She sat down next to him, but not too close, afraid she might see him recoil away from her proximity. “Eamon, where is Arya?” she asked gently.

For the first time since the excitement of her rescue and freedom, Isabelle thought about her dear friend and lady’s maid. Eamon kept his eyes on the fire and said, “She is safe. I have left her with Rose in the village.”

“Rose?”

“Sean’s wife. She will be safe there, and she can decide what tae do next once we return.”

Isabelle relaxed. “Thank you, Eamon. It means a lot to me that you have saved my friend. I am glad she was not in the party to charge the fort. She would have also been on the execution block as well.”

He nodded and began tracing lines in the dirt with a stick that had been lying near his feet. “Arya asked that I rescue ye. She told me that ye most likely didnae want tae stay with yer father and that if ye wanted tae go, I must take ye with me.”

“Ah, I see.” Isabelle’s heart fluttered with hope. Eamon was talking to her and edging closer to the matters they needed to discuss. I must tread carefully, or else he will pull away once more.

“Then, I am doubly grateful to her. She knows me well. She knew that I did not want to leave and that I only went with my father to try to save the MacManus clan from the fire he was going to create. I know him. He would not have stopped until the whole place was burnt to the ground, even if he could not get inside those walls.” Her voice was still tinged with anger, but her last words died out, and she looked down, afraid to catch his gaze.

After a pause, Eamon said, “Aye, she told me that as well, but I couldnae believe her.” He sighed long and deep. “How could ye nae tell me about yer disguise as the spy, lass? It would have been simple enough, and yet ye chose tae keep it from me, even after we—” He didn’t finish the sentence, but Isabelle knew of what he spoke.

“I know, and I can only say how sorry I am. I kept it from you because I feared that you would send me back to my father, thinking that I was in league with him when it was really I who had created everything. I wanted to be kidnapped. I wanted to be with you.”

He furrowed his brow and took his first glance in her direction. Isabelle was lost in his dark eyes as they sparkled in the firelight. “What do ye mean?”

She blushed. “Since I have met you and began to give you information about my father, I have wanted you. You were everything I knew to be right about a man: courageous, strong, powerful, confident, and loyal. I spent many nights dreaming of the next time that I would meet you.”

Isabelle could tell Eamon was surprised by the way his lips parted slightly. “But ye did want the Scots tae have freedom? Or was that a lie?”

Isabelle shook her head, wishing that Eamon would get over his anger and fall into her arms. He knew that she loved him. She had basically just admitted it then, but he was too pigheaded to realize it. “No, Eamon. It was not a lie. The only lies I ever told you were about being the spy and who planned the kidnapping. That was it. I wish you could believe me. I wish you could believe that I—”

He stood with some effort, looking angry again. “I dinnae ken…” He trailed off and shook his head before walking towards the forest, away from the laughter and shouts of the group around the fire and the cluster of tents. Isabelle had a flash of anger, and she chased after him. After all that had happened, there was no way she would let him get away with his continued grudge. She was going to do something about it.

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