“I thought you were very handsome, but very arrogant,” she replied frankly, looking him in the eyes defiantly.
Duncan laughed softly. “Has your opinion changed?” he asked.
“Yes,” Eliza answered. “I have seen some of your good qualities.” She dropped her gaze to the floor and fell silent, and Duncan realised that she was not going to offer him another word.
“I thought you were beautiful,” he remarked. “But also proud and defiant, so I suppose there was no love lost between us.” He paused, then said, “I have not behaved well, but know this, Eliza. I will protect and shield you with every means at my disposal, and if there is anything you need, you only have to ask me.”
“Thank you, Duncan.” Eliza yawned suddenly.
A headache was beginning to throb behind her eyes, and she was utterly exhausted.
“You’re tired,” Duncan said regretfully. “I have kept you awake too long.” He took her hand again and led her to his horse, then took her by the waist and lifted her into the saddle again.
Then suddenly, on an impulse, Eliza leaned down and brushed her lips against Duncan’s in a brief but very sensual kiss. She smiled at him, and her eyes were sparkling.
He returned the smile and rubbed his lips softly with his fingertips in a gesture that said everything words could not. In some strange way, a deal had been struck—Eliza would help him and he would protect her. They may have met through a transaction, but something real was blossoming between them.
It was frightening and exhilarating all at once, and best of all, it was a challenge, and there was nothing Eliza loved more.
9
They rode back to the castle in comfortable silence, and Eliza took comfort and strength from the delicious feel of Duncan’s hard body behind her, his arm around her waist keeping her steady. However, she dared not enjoy the feeling too much, she reminded herself; sooner or later, it was going to end, since she and Duncan would never share a life together. It was a sad and sobering thought, but Eliza knew that she had to keep it at the front of her mind. Nothing lasted forever.
They crept inside very quietly, helped by Duncan’s muffling of the horse’s hooves. After he had removed the saddle and bridle, he helped Eliza dismount then led her back to her chamber and unlocked the door, but when she tried to enter he stopped her with a raised hand.
“Stay there,” he whispered, before stepping inside.
Duncan lit a candle, then took a few moments to look around the room, even opening the doors of the cupboards and checking under the bed to make sure that no one was hiding there.
When he had finished, he opened the door and beckoned Eliza inside, then looked down at her, his gaze roaming all over her face before he spoke again. “Eliza, even if our arrangement is a temporary thing, and will come to an end soon, for all intentsand purposes we are a couple now. You are my betrothed, and I am yours, so you must not just act like the mistress of the castle. Believe it. Be it. Can you do that?”
“Of course I can,” she replied. “Rely on me, Duncan. I will not let you down.”
“That was the answer I expected.” He smiled, then his expression became serious again as he whispered, “Meet me in the armoury beside the stables tomorrow at midnight, and make sure nobody sees you.”
Eliza nodded. “I will,” she promised. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
He smiled, then hesitated, his amber gaze drifting to her lips, and there was a heartbeat’s pause when neither of them seemed to know what to do next.
Is he going to kiss me?Eliza wondered, but a moment later, Duncan slipped past her and left the room. Eliza stared at the door for a while, wondering what would have happened if Duncan had stayed just a few moments longer.
She went to bed a few moments later and slept deeply and dreamlessly, utterly exhausted.
Duncan, on the other hand, dreamed about the vibrant English girl he had bought from the moment he closed his eyes until the moment he woke up.
When he had bathed and dressed the next morning, he left his chamber and saw her striding down the corridor with Maisie at her side. She looked authoritative, as if she was on some sort of mission, and he wished he could follow her so that he could be there when she carried it out.
Eliza had grown tired of the disrespectful attitude of the castle staff, who either ignored her or obeyed her orders with great sullenness. She frequently intercepted ugly glances and came upon conspiratorial huddles who were obviously gossipingabout her. The atmosphere of hostility surrounding her was toxic, and after another few days, Eliza could stand it no longer.
The final straw was when she returned to her chamber after going to the kitchen to plan the day’s meals. Two chambermaids were there, but they were not working—quite the opposite. One was going through her wardrobe, taking out dresses and holding them against herself, while the other made derisory comments.
“Look at that red neckline!” the woman said, laughing. “When she wears that, she is goin’ tae look like that cockerel that wakes everybody up in the mornin’!”
It was obvious that neither of them had noticed Eliza standing just inside the door, since they both fell about laughing for a few moments before she spoke up.
“I would rather look like a cockerel than resemble either of you,” she said, her voice low, but throbbing with rage. “And I would rather sound like one, too. I have heard crows with sweeter voices.”
The two women whipped around to face her, and there was a frozen silence which lasted for almost a full minute while Eliza glared at them, and they looked down at the floor.
