"Thank you," Anna said, her body feeling a bit lighter. It wasn't over yet, but it would be soon. "I just hope that I do not lose the friends I've made."
"They know of your true character now that they've given you a chance," he assured her with a warm smile. "Though it speaks of their own character that they wouldn't until they believed you were engaged to be wed."
The words buried themselves behind Anna's breastbone. Truth squeezed her lungs. It had been a silly idea to earn friends based on a lie. It was borne of desperation, but she saw now that her thought process had never been sound.
Before Anna and her father could break apart, an aggressive banging sounded on their door. She jumped, her heartpounding. No one in England knocked as such, nor did they arrive unannounced.
"Are you expecting someone?" he asked, stepping around her to watch as the butler opened the door.
"No, I…" she said. "Perhaps it's Martha? Perhaps I forgot something?"
She watched in horror as the door opened, knowing in her heart that Martha wasn't the one knocking. The door swung forward, revealing a man Anna didn't recognize. He was handsome, rugged, his blond hair tousled from travel, his tall, muscular frame that of a warrior. Then his blue eyes snapped to Anna.
"We were not expecting any visitors," her father said, though she could tell the presence of the man made him nervous. "What is your name? State your business."
"Me name is Hugh Mullen," the man said, his accent curling around the words in a way that made Anna's stomach do flips. "I am Laird McDonald, and I have come to retrieve me bride."
CHAPTER FIVE
The woman and her father stared at Hugh as though he were a ghost.
Ach, they probably think me one. I'm likely nae the Laird McDonald they were expectin'.
"Your bride?" the man who must be Lord Windham said. His mouth twitched, his eyes widened for half a second before he schooled his expression again. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."
"Ye daenae?" Hugh asked, glancing at the woman standing behind him. "It seems ye may."
That must be Anna. She's a bonnie thing. Plumper than the other English lasses I've seen since I've been in the south. I think she's the only Sassenach I could see meself with.
"Ye must be the woman who wrote me," Hugh said as he pulled out the missive that had kept him company on his journey. He'd read it several times over, looking for clues he may have missed. "Ye're lookin' forward to marryin' Laird McDonald, are ye nae?"
Anna stared at him with wide eyes, not moving when Hugh stepped around her father. He was nearly in front of her when her mouth dropped open, and her eyelids fluttered closed. With the swiftness of a warrior, Hugh closed the distance, catching Anna's body before she collapsed.
Ach, seems to have fainted from the shock. Perhaps I should have announced meself prior to knockin' on the door.
As he held the girl close to his chest, he couldn't stop himself from enjoying the curves and softness of her body against him. Up close, she was even more beautiful. Her eyelashes fanned over her cheeks, and the slight roundness of her face glowed in the sunlight streaming in.
"Who are you, really?" Lord Windham asked again, the man clearly terrified. "Why are you here?"
"I've already told ye," Hugh said, adjusting Anna in his arms to tuck her more firmly against his form. "I am Laird McDonald. And I've come for me wife."
The crack in Lord Windham's expression returned again, and this time it took him longer to cover it. "I don't know what you're talking about. We were not expecting you, nor is Anna betrothed to anyone."
The man was lying, it was written on his face. What he knew, Hugh couldn't be sure. But he would make it his job to find out.
And then I'll wed this bonnie thing, get her dowry, and take her back to the Highlands.
"Tell me where her chambers are," Hugh said, though he was loath to let her out of his arms. "I will put her down, and then we can discuss this."
Windham's eyes darted from his daughter to Hugh's face. Slowly, he took a step forward, puffing out his chest. It seemed as though he were trying to make himself appear bigger. It was almost laughable.
"I can carry her," he said.
Ach, I doubt ye can. Ye look about as weak as any Englishmen I've ever seen. Doubt ye've seen a day of fightin' in yer life.
"Nay need to jostle her," Hugh said, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Just lead me to her chambers. She willnae want to wake up in me arms, I'm sure."
"You will put her down, and then you will leave," Windham said as he led Hugh through the manor.
