‘I couldn’t care less, and nor should you.’ Peyton frowned. ‘So, we are agreed. And you should know that the men I have here at Fellscarp are loyal to a fault, but there are other Strachans, beyond these walls, who are not. They want to see me dead, and they constantly plot against me. Edmund’s death is a gift to them. They will not hesitate to surrender me to the Warden’s vengeance and betray your whereabouts. You know, they string women up as high as men.’
‘But I did nothing wrong.’
‘Do you think that matters to an English lord? These are dangerous times for me and my clan. So if you don’t agree to be my pretend mistress, I will be forced to find you a far less hospitable place to stay, for you are a burden I can do without.’ He sighed. ‘I risked much to save you, Cecily.’
‘And you regret it now, don’t you?’ she spat.
‘Strangely, no. I should, for you are nought but a troublesome little baggage. But the deed is done. So while you are at my mercy, you can make yourself useful around Fellscarp to repay my kindness.’
‘Kindness!’
‘Aye. I will get Bertha to set you to work of some kind.’
Cecily put her hands on her hips and glared at him. ‘Would a mistress not lie abed all day awaiting your pleasure?’ she said bitterly.
Peyton held her gaze with eyes so intense, they seared her flesh. ‘You could do that instead if you like,’ he said evenly.
She hated Peyton’s mocking tone and longed to slap his face again, but there were consequences to that which she didn’t want to repeat.
‘Well, is that what you want, Cecily?’ he continued. ‘Perhaps you were no innocent. Do not defy me, lass, or else I will…’
‘Will what?’ she snapped.
‘Teach you obedience in all sorts of ways.’ Peyton’s eyes dipped to her mouth and stayed there.
That look and the thought of lying in his bed with him turned her insides to jelly. Cecily looked down and brushed dirt off her skirt to preserve her dignity. Her cheeks burned. ‘That will not be necessary. I am not afraid of hard work. I will begin now. Anything to get away from you.’
‘Alright. But we must get our story straight. Bertha knows the truth and will help us because she is loyal to the bone. I will tell everyone else that you are from a well-bred family which has fallen from grace, casting you into poverty. Fortunately, with your bonnie face, you found a rich benefactor, but he was a cruel man who mistreated you and then cast you aside. That is close to the truth, so you can lie about it more easily.’
‘And how did I fall into your clutches?’
Peyton smiled. ‘I met you travelling down from the Highlands, lost and abandoned. I was so smitten with your beauty that I decided to take you on.’
‘Take me on. How charming!’
Cecily stalked away from Peyton, but he followed, his voice mocking her.
‘It’s very gallant of me to take on a fallen woman. And as my mistress, you can move freely about Fellscarp with few questions asked. My men will not try to molest my property, and the servants will obey you. And you need not say much. It is alright to have a murky past you don’t want to talk about if you are a man’s plaything.’
Cecily stomped ahead, trying to come to terms with her new situation. Why fight against it? She was already ruined by Edmund. What did more shame matter?
‘We will have to think of a false name for you,’ said Peyton, catching her hand and stopping her. He rubbed his chin. ‘I have it – Prudence.’
‘That does not suit me.’
‘No, it does not. What about Chastity?’ he said, winking.
She pulled on his vice-like grip to no avail. ‘I will not answer to that, and I do not appreciate your mockery,’ she hissed.
‘What then? I know, Constance. I can call you Connie.’
‘And I can ignore you when you do.’
‘Very well. Connie, it is. It sounds a bit like Cecily, so it will be easier to remember.’
He dragged her along the shingle, and she had no choice but to follow in hostile silence. With an urge to wound him, Cecily asked, ‘As I am your bought woman now, am I entitled to know your secrets?’
‘No.’
