She could only play make believe for so long before boredom set in once more.
She had no idea how much time had passed other than by the dying of the fire in the hearth. She had just thrown another log onto the flames when there was a knock on her door.
She crossed it and opened it and there was the taller guard. “Did you ask if I could go for a walk?” she said as he took a step into the room.
“He did,” a voice said from the corridor behind the guards. “And I told him I would come and speak to you myself.”
It was Gavin standing there. He had washed the mud from his skin and his muscles seemed to bulge more than the first time she’d seen him. How was that possible?
Her heart began to thud in her chest as she crammed her hands behind her back, not wanting him to see how much they were shaking. How could one man have such an effect on her?
“Hi,” she said, wincing at how squeaky her voice suddenly sounded.
“May I speak with you?”
“Of course.”
He passed between the guards and into the room, closing the door behind him.
“Take a seat,” he said.
She sat, trying her best to look him in the eye, worrying that at any moment she might melt into a puddle and disappear completely. Either that or have a heart attack. She wanted another sip of wine but dared not pick up the glass, her hands were trembling too much.
“You look good,” he said, coughing to clear his throat a second later. “In that dress, I mean. It suits you.”
“Thank you. For lending it to me.”
There was an awkward silence that lasted more than a few moments. She glanced down at his chest, feeling another tingle spreading through her. When she looked up at him again, he was staring at her.
“I wanted to apologize,” he said, leaning forward in his seat, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face. “I ken I treated you roughly when we met by the broch.”
“It’s fine,” she replied. “I’m used to men tossing me over their shoulder and riding off with me. Happens all the time.”
He frowned. “So why did you fight so much when I did it?”
“Because you hadn’t even bought me a drink first.”
Again the frown but this time it turned into a smile that lit up his face. “I will bear that in mind. Understand that I had no choice. If we hadn’t moved fast, you would have been killed by those men who were chasing us.”
“Who were they?”
His expression turned cold. “Outlaws.”
“What did they want with you?”
“Death for us. It was you they would have wanted to keep alive.”
She was about to ask what for but then she realized. “Oh,” she said out loud. “I see.”
“Where were you headed? When I found you?”
“Just passing through.”
“And yet when I mentioned MacGregor Castle, you stopped fighting to escape. Are you an assassin?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Far from it. I’m no one, trust me.”
“Everyone’s someone.”
