Whether she chose to believe in Bryan’s promises regarding her safety or not, the fact remained that she was entirely at his mercy.
For as she could not match her sister in divining friend from foe, neither could she hope to free herself from Bryan through tactical cunning, martial skill, or even swiftness. Their father had trained Romilly and neglected Katherine.
Now both were in the hands of the Oliphants, with no hope of the second aiding the first or even alerting the McGregor Clan of their enemies’ intentions.
When she finished drinking from the stream, the captain did likewise, as did his horse.
“I’d nae wish tae drink after him,” he informed her with a wink, “lest the essence of horse linger in its flavor.”
“If such are yer concerns,” Katherine informed him primly, “then I daren’t tell ye what sorts of foul things the fish get up to in streams.”
He laughed loudly at that, and she was startled to find herself joining him. It gave her a peculiar tingle, having been able to make her captor laugh.
But was that because some part of her felt it might increase the likelihood that he would treat her well on the journey, and continue to see her treated well when they reached their unfortunate destination? That if she continued to appeal to his better humors, he might even take pity upon her and let her go?
Or was it because some other part of her—situated further back, in the shadows of her heart—thought it might cause him to lower his guard, so he might afford her a chance to escape after all?
Wouldshe make the attempt despite her ignorance in matters of stealth or strategy, asking herself the whole time what Romilly would do in her place?
These thoughts weighed heavy in her skull like smooth and icy stones as Bryan helped her onto the horse again, then joined her there. The moon shone down, and the lonely silence of the horse’s hoofbeats drummed out across the moors and mists.
5
Katherine had no way of knowing how much time passed before they stopped again. She tried to occupy her mind by counting off the seconds as they turned into minutes, if only so she might quiet the panic in her mind. However, the chaotic thoughts of her unhappy future in the clutches of the Oliphants continued to win out, and so she lost count over and over again until she gave up entirely.
She wondered if Romilly would have been able to keep her composure in similar circumstances, and whether her older sister might have already managed to suss out some weakness in Bryan which could be properly exploited to her advantage. At the very least, Romilly might have used her wilderness skills learned from their father to properly determine the route they were taking, in case there might be anything along the way that might prove useful in terms of escaping and evading recapture.
Katherine did her best. She peered around discreetly as they rode, looking for elements of their surroundings that might potentially be used to her benefit. It was no use. All she could discern was a lot of scenery blurring around her as the horse galloped past it with great haste.
She was no warrior, and that made her little more than a victim.
For his part, Bryan privately allowed himself to be impressed by how Katherine was behaving under pressure.
Oh, he could feel her frenzied heartbeat through her back as it pressed against his chest, right enough—she could not hide that from him. Outwardly, though, she was holding herself under far tighter control than most people in her position could be expected to exhibit. She had ceased asking silly questions, having learned that they would largely only lead to vague answers from him in return.
Instead, she was wisely remaining silent, and, from what he could determine, she was taking in their surroundings as much as possible without turning her head too much to either side.
Even so, the smallest movements she made were carefully cataloged by him, and admired.
She could claim to her heart’s content that she hadn’t been a loyal pupil of her father and older sister, but he had a difficult time believing that. She was sharp of mind and clever of tongue, and he knew it was entirely possible that she might be every bit as diabolical as her older sister. He decided then and there that he was not inclined to turn his back on her for the remainder of the journey to Castle Oliphant.
And yet…
Bryan discovered, to his own surprise, that there was some part of him that hoped she was telling the truth.
He knew he couldn’t take that chance, of course. He couldn’t afford her any less than his full vigilance, for to do otherwise would be disloyal to his laird, and he would sooner have faced death than failed in his duty to his clan. If there was even the smallest possibility that she was a threat, then she would need to be watched over accordingly.
Even so, he had a strange certainty that if it turned out she was a genuine enemy of the Oliphants, someone devious and dangerous, it would disappoint him deeply. She seemed so level-headed, so frank and perceptive, that she seemed interesting to him.
Her outward beauty was part of it, Bryan had to admit.
She was a striking woman, perhaps the loveliest he could remember ever having seen. She was short and willowy, with brown hair, large brown eyes that seemed as bright and curious as a bird’s, and sharp, elfin features. He did his best not to stare at her, but it was difficult for him to cut his gaze short, especially when they were so close together for such long periods of time.
Still, he knew it was more than that. It was the earnestness with which she had managed to defend her sister without necessarily condoning Romilly’s behavior or actions. Katherine really did seem as though she were a luckless innocent, woefully caught up in the middle of her family’s ghastly machinations.
And either way, what difference does it make to me?he thought, trying to clear his mind of what was currently cluttering it. Whether she was a pawn of her father’s or blameless in the whole endeavor, he had been charged with delivering her to Laird Alex so that he could use his best judgment, and that was what he intended to do.
Except he knew that therewasmore to it than that, whether he wished to acknowledge it or not.
