Bryan’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What do ye mean by that?”
She peered at him shrewdly. “Well, ‘tis rather convenient, is it not? We come across a cadre of yer men along the route ye’ve chosen tae return by, and there’s an altercation in which ye take my side over theirs, thus allowing ye tae earn my trust. Lull me, like a sheep being gently lured tae its slaughter. How could I possibly doubt the intentions of one who would stand up tae his own men in order tae defend my honor?” A mocking tone was creeping into her voice.
“It’s nae too late for me tae take the food back for myself,” Bryan reminded her dryly. Not that he had any real intention of doing so.
“Go on, then,” she challenged between bites from the turnip. “Dismiss my suspicions. Tell me I am a silly lass, and know nothing of the ways of men and their honor.”
“I would never dream of it,” he chuckled. “Rather, I applaud yer keen reasoning, and have from the very start. Most of my own men could nae have proved their worth as strategists so thoroughly as ye have, contemplating things from every angle.”
“Now ye resort tae base flattery tae further quell my suspicions.” But there was a gleam in her eyes that seemed to indicate that she was slowly letting her guard down.
Shewantedto believe in his good intentions. He was sure of it.
He wanted nothing more than to validate them—though, as a warrior and tactician, he knew that he would generally be expected toexploitsuch a connection with a prisoner instead.
Bryan hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
He hoped to form a true bond with her so that she would cooperate fully and not end up in the dungeon that so frequently haunted his nightmares.
“Keep yer suspicions,” he invited with a shrug. “Ye are more than entitled tae them, though I shall continue tae prove myself tae ye as best I can.”
“Oh?” She sounded unconvinced as she finished off the last crumb of bread. “How, precisely, do ye intend tae do that?”
“I shall instruct a pair of my men tae keep watch over us for the next few hours so that we may get some sleep while ye remain unbound.”
Katherine’s eyebrows went up. “Ye would do that?”
“Aye, in point of fact, I would.” He raised an eyebrow. “Now I would nae expect that tae buy yer trust in one fell swoop, but mayhap it will purchase a small sliver of it? Enough that ye might go on and get some rest so that I may as well?”
She nodded slowly, then settled on the ground, cradled in the raised roots of a huge willow tree. Bryan did likewise nearby, gesturing for Barclay to send a couple of men over to watch them. Barclay hesitated for a split second, then nodded, ordering two of his comrades to stand guard. They hopped to their feet and strode over at once.
“Be at peace, Captain,” one of the men intoned gruffly. “No harm shall befall ye this night, nor shall thisladymake her escape.”
“I would expect nothing less from ye,” Bryan replied sincerely.
As he closed his eyes, he addressed Katherine one final time before submitting to slumber, “For what it’s worth, my lady, I believe that yer sharpness of intellect would be a tremendous boon tae any clan, and certainly tae ours.”
6
Katherine remained awake for a while after that, blinking up at the stars in the night sky that seemed caged behind the bars of the willow’s branches. Had that sentiment been calculated? One more bit of flattery to win her over?
Or had he meant it?
She caught herself wishing he had, for if so, then it would mean she might finally be warmly accepted by a clan after so many years of being coldly dismissed by her own.
But Romilly would surely have something to say about that,her brain reminded her.And no doubt ye shall be seeing her soon enough.
Eventually, she managed to drift off to sleep. It was far easier for her, she knew, than it would have been if she had attempted it with her wrists bound together. However, it was still quite a challenge persuading her eyes to remain wholly shut when she was being watched over by a pair of Oliphants with surly expressions.
She knew that Bryan had given them direct orders not to mistreat her, and she had every confidence that he meantto ensure they carried those orders out, whatever it took. Nevertheless, she still could not fully bring herself to shake off the feeling that the moment she allowed herself to sleep, the sentries might attempt to attack or abuse her in some way. And might at least partially succeed before Bryan managed to rise and stop them.
There was also some part of her that was frightened of sleep because of the nightmares she had been plagued with of late. It appeared to her as though many of them were likely about to come true, and she did not wish to endure a mental preview of her coming tribulations.
Still, she finally succumbed to slumber, for she could fight it no longer after the long and anxious day she’d passed.
When she awoke, there was dew beneath her hair, and the sun was already up. She was pleasantly surprised to recall no dreams whatsoever. Despite her anxiety due to her captivity and the uncertainty of what lay ahead, she did feel considerably more rested than she had before.
There were two different Oliphant sentries guarding her, and neither of them said a word to her. They merely motioned to the others that she was awake as she leaned on the tree’s stability to help herself get to her feet. The guards glowered at her and tensed, as though expecting her to flee at any moment.
