Sean’s fist flew into the man’s face and he landed hard on the ground, blood dripping from his nose.
“Dunna be talking that way about my betrothed.” That felt good. A sense of peace settled in Sean’s gut.
He walked past the man mumbling on the ground, mopping at the blood dripping down his chin. At least her father wasn’t trying anything stupid. Sean touched Thomasina’s arm ever so gently. She resisted when he tried to move her forward.
“Come with me, Thomasina.” He paused, looking down into her face. Her eyes were wide but he couldn’t tell if it was from the shock of him punching her father or at his calling her his betrothed. “Come with me.”
A deep frown settled between her brows but she relented and went with him to Roana. He reached behind the saddlebag and withdrew the small sack.
“How much?” Sean felt like a heel asking how much he could buy Thomasina for but those were the rules of this travesty. He opened his bag then paused to turn and stare at the man who had suddenly managed to right himself.
“Well, I owe the man a goodly amount. Not sure as I ken the exact amount.”
Sean tipped his head in irritation. “So ye’ve already given him her horse. That paid for some of the debt.”
“Aye, but not a large part of it. I’m still quite bad off—”
“Tell me a number.”
“It had been going on for quite a while so ’tis an extremely large—”
Sean raised his hand to silence him. He withdrew some coins, then threw the bag at Thomasina’s father. The coins poured onto the ground but the older man caught the bag. He dropped to the floor, snatching up the coins like they were food and he hadn’t eaten for a week.
“Now get on yer horse and be gone,” Sean said.
“What about the other horse?”
“Nae! ’Tis nae longer yers.”
The man shifted nervously as he counted the gold and silver, his mouth moving with each number.
“Do as I said.” Sean was at the end of his rope. This man needed to leave or he was going to forget whose father he was and give him what he deserved. “I mean now.”
Sean stepped closer and the man scrambled onto the top of his horse. The sack of coins tucked inside his tunic. “I’m going but...” Her father glanced at Thomasina. Was the man suddenly getting a conscience? “I would see her married.”
“Nae!”
Her father stared at her long and hard before speaking. “Have ye no words of goodbye for yer old father?”
Thomasina trembled where she stood beside Sean. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and comfort her.
“Goodbye.”
“Ye dinna care what happened to her afore and now ye’ve lost the right. Go! And dunna come back to bother her again.”
The older man snorted but headed the horse up the steep hill to the east. Thomasina returned to the cave without a word. Sean followed her.
“I’m sorry about all that.” Sean needed to make amends but he didn’t know how.
She turned on him. “Sorry? That ye own me now?”
He shook his head. “Nae! I am sorry that man is yer father.”
Tears shimmered but she remained unmoving. “Now what are ye going to do with me?” She shook her head, her face crumbling. “I should have just gone with him and married the man.”
A knife to the heart. He stepped closer, taking her chin in a tender grip, and urged her head up so he could look into her eyes. “Is that what ye wanted me to do? Let ye go off with him? Do as he ordered ye to?”
A tear slipped down her cheek. Her chin quivered. “I dunna ken.”
