"I ken."
"I'll never fergive ye fer this."
"Then this is goin’ tae be a very unpleasant marriage."
"Probably."
But as he lay next tae her near their dying fire, Tòrr found himself hoping she was wrong.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Dawn broke cold and gray over the Highland forest, mist rising from the ground like ghostly fingers. Tòrr flexed his left foot carefully, testing the throb that had kept him awake half the night. The pain was manageable, but he'd need to favor it today.
"Time tae go," he said quietly, shaking Cameron's shoulder.
His friend stirred, then sat up with the alert quickness of a man accustomed to danger. "All quiet?"
"Aye. But we should make distance while we can."
Beside them, Liliane remained stubbornly asleep despite their voices, though the rope connecting their wrists had gone taut several times during the night as she'd tested her bonds in her dreams.
"Lass." Tòrr gave her shoulder a gentle shake. "Wake up."
She awoke instantly, her body jerking against the rope before memory flooded back.
"Sleep well?" Cameron asked with false cheer as he rolled his bedding.
"Wonderfully," she replied, her voice dripping sarcasm. "Naethin’ like being tied tae yer captor tae ensure pleasant dreams."
"Could have been worse," Tòrr pointed out as he began untying the rope. "Could have been tied tae a tree."
She rubbed her wrist where the rope had chafed slightly. "How considerate of ye."
Cameron stood and stretched, his joints popping audibly. "Well, this has been delightful, but I need tae be headin’ back tae me own keep. Me steward will think I've been murdered by bandits."
"Ye're leavin’?" Liliane's voice held a note of panic.
"Aye, lass. Me business was with the auction, nae the aftermath." He shot Tòrr a meaningful look. "Though I'm sure I will be kept in the loop about how all this is will be settled."
"How what will be settled?" she demanded.
"When ye're safely wed and installed at Keppoch," Tòrr replied, coiling the rope and tucking it away.
"I havenae agreed tae any weddin’."
"Ye dinnae need tae agree. Ye just need tae be there."
Cameron shook his head. "On that cheerful note, I'll bid ye both farewell." He clasped Tòrr's forearm. "Try nae tae let her murder ye in yer sleep, friend."
"I'll consider meself warned."
After Cameron rode away, the forest felt smaller somehow, more intimate. Liliane sat rigidly in front of Tòrr as they continued their journey, her back straight as a sword blade.
"How much farther?" she asked after an hour of silence.
"We'll reach Keppoch by afternoon."
"And then?"
