Ruariwatched his cousin leave then looked at Sorcha. “Ye werenae trying to sweetenthe poor lad so that he would help you, were ye?”
“Dinnaebe a bigger idiot than ye already are,” she snapped. “The mon was justinquiring about my Aunt Neil. I believe he may be taken with her.”
Heshook his head. “I noticed that. He almost got himself captured or, worse,impaled on that sword she was waving around.”
“AuntNeil would never have killed an unarmed man.”
“Yecan ne’er trust a woman wielding a sword.”
“Idinnae ken why ye try so hard to anger me. ‘Twould be hard for me to become anyangrier. ‘Twould please me greatly if this outrage, this blatant disregard forcustom, has ye decried far and wide as the outlaw ye are.” Even as she said it,Sorcha realized that, despite her fury, she would never wish him to suffer sucha dire penalty.
“Outlaw?”gasped Malcolm as he arrived with food and enough water for Sorcha to tidy herself.“Is there a chance that ye could be cried an outlaw, Ruari?”
“Nay.Dinnae fret, Malcolm. The lass but spits out her anger. She cannae stomachdefeat weel, and it sours her,” said Ruari.
“Yeare what sours me.” She briefly smiled her gratitude at Malcolm before hescurried back to the others who were seated around a sheltered campfire. “Am Ito be allowed no privacy to wash away the muck and the dust of travel?” sheasked, glaring at Ruari.
“Yemay step around the tree, but dinnae forget I am near at hand, and I have verrakeen hearing.”
Asshe stepped behind the thick, knotted trunk of the tree, she only brieflyconsidered trying to escape. She was not sure where she was or how to get backto either the town or Dunweare itself. After the long day of trying to escapeRuari, followed by a hard ride, she was also too exhausted. Sorcha doubted shewould get very far at all before she lacked the strength to go another step.Neither could she run and leave Margaret behind even though she knew her cousinwould not only be safe, but also quite happy.
Itwas difficult to get very clean with the meager washing supplies Malcolm hadgiven her, but she did her best. Removing even a little of the dirt and odor onher skin and clothes was better than doing nothing at all. She ached to indulgein a long, hot bath and decided she would demand one the moment she reachedGartmhor. She would demand that Ruari give her the same comforts she hadprovided for him.
Exceptone, she suddenly thought. If Ruari thought she would climb back into his bedfor the time she would be his captive, he would have to think again. That wouldsurely mark her as no better than a whore. This time, before she allowed him totouch her, she would have more from him than sweet words of desire. At Dunweareshe had believed she would only have a few days with him and then would neversee him again. That had all changed now, and he would find that the rules forsharing her bed had changed as well.
Stillfeeling dirty, but at least somewhat refreshed, she stepped back out frombehind the tree and sat down to eat the food Malcolm had brought her. “Am I tobe kept away from the others, then?” she asked, finally meeting his steadygaze.
“Fora wee while, aye,” he replied as he sat down facing her. “I think it best if yedinnae talk to your cousin until ye are both secured behind the walls ofGartmhor.”
“Yedinnae think Beatham is enough of a manacle to hold Margaret?” She noddedtoward where the young couple sat close together, whispering and smiling ateach other.
“Mayhap,but ye made her run from him before. ‘Tis clear ye ken a way to make the lassconsider duty to her clan o’er her heart’s desire.” He frowned toward thelovers. “Of course, ‘twill be difficult to pull them apart again, but it mustbe done. Unless, of course, Margaret has gained both land and fortune o’er thewinter.”
“Aye,it fell from the sky at Michaelmas.”
“Tsk,still a sharp tongue.”
“Ifye dinnae wish to hear it, dinnae ask such foolish questions.” She took a longdrink from the wineskin Malcolm had left with her. “Margaret will beheartbroken yet again, and that will only add to my brother’s fury.”
“Iam all atremble.”
“Arrogantbastard. Dougal verra nearly caught ye several times today.” She could notfully suppress the pride she felt over the hard, skillful chase Dougal hadaccomplished.
“Beingnearly caught isnae quite good enough, is it? For all his efforts I still holdye and Margaret, and he must limp back to Dunweare to await my ransom demands.”
“Andthere will be an act of complete senselessness. I told ye we were poor. Did yethink I lied? Aye, perhaps ye did. Weel, ye will soon discover that demandingransom for a Hay of Dunweare is like asking the sky to turn royal purple.”
Ruaristood up and idly brushed himself off. He found that her words irritated himand he suspected it was because he was beginning to really believe her talk ofbeing poor. Although he would never admit it to her, Dougal had put up amasterful chase. He had lost because he lacked the right horses. His mountswere sturdy animals, but not the sort a knight with any coin weighting hispocket would ride. If it did prove impossible for Dougal to raise the ransom heintended to demand, he would be confronted with a difficult problem. Shruggingoff his sudden doubt and hesitation, he decided he would face that particularquandary when and if it arose.
“Iwill set Rosse to guard ye while I eat,” he said, catching Rosse’s eye andwaving the man over. “Dinnae try any of your cunning female tricks on him.”
Sorchafought the urge to toss her plate after him as he walked away. The grin onRosse’s face as he sat down across from her told her he had guessed herinclinations. She smiled faintly and returned to her meal. It struck her as alittle odd that she did not find Rosse’s amusement irritating at all, whileRuari’s set her teeth on edge.
‘Tisbecause Ruari was so cursed arrogant, she mused, glaring his way. His blatantgloating did little to improve her mood either. She heartily wished there weresome way Dougal could gather the ransom in but hours and get her out ofGartmhor, for she was certain that a long stay with an openly victorious Ruariwas going to be extremely hard to stomach. A quick look toward Beatham andMargaret warned her that Ruari’s arrogance was not all she would finddifficult.
Shesighed as she set her empty plate down. Ahead of her lay an extremely tryingtime, and complaining about it would not help. She decided it would be wise touse the time before she got to Gartmhor to prepare herself for the trials yetto come. As she leaned back against the tree and let her exhaustion takecontrol, she prayed that Dougal had returned safely to Dunweare.
Neilstood up as she espied the weary horsemen ride back into town. She had settledher sisters in their bedchamber, then taken up her post just outside the inn.Sleep would have been impossible as she needed to know if Dougal had succeeded.She also needed to know he was safe. The dejected way he slumped in his saddletold her he had failed to rescue Sorcha, but she was not surprised. For themoment, it was enough that Dougal and his men had returned unharmed.
