Ellie shook her head. “Not yet. But I’m betrothed.”
A broad smile cleared the worry from Meg’s face. “Then there is still time. You’ll just have to push a little harder.”
Meg made it sound so simple, though it was anything but. Even if she were convinced of Hawk’s feelings—which she wasn’t—there was the betrothal contract to consider. How would her father react if she asked to break the contract? For a woman of her rank and position, personal feelings weren’t supposed to matter. She was expected to do her duty. As it hadn’t occurred to her to tell her father her feelings, she had no idea what his reaction would be.
There was also Ralph and King Edward’s reactions to consider. Though Ralph did not seem to have feelings for her, he could be angry. But given the circumstances of his first marriage, perhaps he’d understand. King Edward’s reaction was impossible to guess.
Her father cared for her, and something made her believe he would not force her into a marriage she did not want. But that didn’t mean he would welcome a pirate for a son-in-law.
She knew there was another alternative. She could always run away with him and risk her family disowning her. But to a girl who’d always tried to do the right thing, who believed in duty and responsibility, who loved her family with all her heart, it seemed almost unthinkable to contemplate. It was something Matty would do—not she. She wasn’t impetuous, she was serious and …
Boring. Doomed to live a life that she didn’t want—with a man she didn’t want.
“Does Hawk know about the betrothal?” Meg asked.
Ellie shook her head. “I don’t think it would matter to him. He’s made it clear that our … uh, relationship is temporary.”
Meg harrumphed. “There is a big difference between what men say and what they feel. You’ll never know how he’ll react unless you tell him.” Meg must have read the indecision on her face. “If you are sure that is what you want.”
Ellie wasn’t sure of anything. But if there was some chance that Meg could be right, she had to find out. And she didn’t have much time to do so.
Meg gave her an odd smile. “I was just about to go to camp to retrieve the cooking pots I sent down earlier.”
Ellie frowned, not catching on right away. “Didn’t Duncan say not to bother, that he would bring them back himself?”
Meg put her hands on her hips. “Well, as Duncan hasn’t seen fit to do so, I intend to fetch them myself.”
Ellie smiled. “Could you use a little help?”
“Why how thoughtful of you,” Meg said, as if the idea had never occurred to her. “I certainly could.”
The two women shared a conspiratorial smile and gathered their cloaks. The wind had picked up, and the torch flickered in the darkness as they carefully wound their way down the cliffside trail to the beach. Ellie had the feeling they were being watched and realized Hawk probably had guardsmen stationed around the perimeter of the cave. But it wasn’t until they neared the entrance that a young guardsman stopped them.
“I’m afraid the captain is busy right now,” he said, twitching and shuffling as if his clothing was too tight.
Ellie could hear the sounds of merriment coming from within the cave. Busy what, celebrating? Her stomach dropped, thinking of the women from the other night. She attempted to peer over the guardsman’s shoulder, but the lad was tall and his chest blocked a good portion of the entrance.
Meg also looked puzzled. “I’ve just come to retrieve the cooking pots.”
“I’ll have Rhuairi get them for you.” He motioned to a nearby guard, who cast him a furtive look and hastily did his bidding.
Something strange was going on. They’d never been refused entrance to the cave before, and it was clear the young guardsman was anxious to be rid of them. Was there something he didn’t want them to see?
Meg must have realized it as well. She took Ellie’s arm in hers. “That’s all right. Have Duncan bring them up later.”
Meg turned them around to head back to the cottage, but in her haste caused Ellie to bump into a man who’d come up behind them.
“Pardon me,” she said automatically.
Ellie glanced up at the man and froze with shock. The blood drained from her face. She blinked in the semidarkness, not trusting her eyes. He was dressed in the rough clothing of a fisherman, but she recognized the handsome, dark-haired man before her: Edward Bruce. Robert’s eldest brother and her brother by marriage.
Why …?
Of course! In that one frozen heartbeat everything suddenly became clear. The final piece of the puzzle snapped into place.Hawk is with Bruce. He wasn’t a pirate, he was a Scottish rebel, fighting with Robert against King Edward. Against her father. The wish for her to avoid her father’s men in the cave suddenly made sense.
This was what Meg meant by complicated. But her friend could never have imagined just how complicated.
Then, the second realization struck: Hawk was going to discover who she was. It would all be over. Once he discovered her identity, there would be no more private moments, no more kisses, no more pleasure. She would never have a chance to find out how he truly felt about her.
