The fierce ache in her chest intensified, and Finlay tamped down the worry and concern for her daughter. Like she had told Erik, she would know if Edna had joined the gods and was no longer with them. She felt in her heart that her daughter was alive and well, and hopefully in Malcolm’s capable hands.
Finlay knew that Edna had suffered for months since James had died, some of the light leaving her eyes that had been there when her betrothed was alive. She had watched her become nothing more than a shell of her former self, though there had been a small spark in her when Malcolm arrived.
It was one reason she had begged Erik to send the warrior after their daughter. Edna needed to live again, and what better way than to be rescued by a handsome Scot?
A soft smile crossed Finlay’s lips before she closed her eyes once more. Her daughter was in good hands. She could feel it in her bones. It wouldn’t be long before she came home.
10
Edna detested Malcolm.
The horse plodded along briskly through the night, taking them to her clan’s land, but Edna couldn’t find it in her heart to feel elated truly.
Malcolm had turned down her marriage proposal. It wasn’t that she wanted to wed him. She barely knew him, and their time together hadn’t been, well, the best of a start. First, her attempts to catch his eye, then Edna finding out that he was her betrothed’s close friend.
To finish it all, he had come after her.
Yet, he wasn’t willing to provide her some protection from others, like Laird Belshes. If she were already spoken for, the laird would be breaking old Scottish law by taking her again.
Edna sighed as she stared off into the dark. She was so tired of feeling like her very livelihood didn’t feel like her own.
They traveled a little ways before Malcolm slowed the horse to a stop. “I need tae stretch mah legs,” he rumbled, the first words they had spoken to each other since he had spurned her proposal.
Edna remained quiet as Malcolm slid off the horse and then reached for her, giving her no choice but to accept his hand. Instead of sliding to her feet, she found herself trapped in Malcolm’s arms, her traitorous body reacting thusly. Edna’s heart started to increase in beats, and her body felt feverish, though she knew it wasn’t because she was becoming ill. Her lips parted as she gazed up at Malcolm’s face, and he looked just as taken aback by the sudden situation as she did.
“Edna,” he breathed, reaching up to brush her hair out of her face. The simple contact caused a small gasp to escape her mouth, and she wanted to lean into his touch instead of backing away. She wanted to feel his lips on hers, to chase away the darkness that had been lingering for far too long. This was the closest she would ever come to James again, but it was more than having that connection that she wished to kiss him.
Edna was attracted to Malcolm, even though he had been clear that he wanted nothing to do with her.
An owl suddenly hooted, shattering the still night, and Malcolm released her abruptly, putting a good bit of distance between them. Before he could open his mouth, Edna held up her hand. “Dinnae ye dare apologize,” she hissed, glaring at him. “I know wot I felt, wot I saw in yer eyes.”
His lips pressed together. “Stay near the horse,” he finally said before stalking off.
Edna watched his retreating back before she dropped her hand. The man was infuriating! She couldn’t believe that he was saying one thing, but his body was saying something more.
Stomping off herself, she moved into the woods to relieve herself, attempting to push past what had just happened. Soon she would be home, and there would be a great deal of questions from her parents. What would they say about what had happened? Surely her father wouldn’t force her to go back to the laird now. Edna hoped that he would retaliate and make the laird regret the day that he had decided to take her.
A sudden twig snapping caught her attention, and Edna froze, her untrained eyes trying to peer into the darkness. Was it an animal? Their escape so far had been uneventful, with no sign that Neacal was following them.
It had to be an animal.
Quickly she finished and moved to go back to the road when a hand clamped down on her arm, spinning her around. “Declan,” she breathed, seeing the laird’s brother standing before her, a sword in his hand.
“Ye left mah brother,” he sneered, gripping his sword tightly. “Did ye not think he would come after ye?”
“Please,” she begged. “Let me go.”
He let out a harsh laugh. “Nay, lass, I’m going tae do the opposite. See, ye will either come with me, or I will run this sword through ye. ’Tis yer choice.”
“Alright,” Edna said quickly, hoping that she could catch him off guard. “I will come willingly. I’m lost. That bastard, he dumped me in the woods, and I dinnae know how tae get out of here.” Hopefully, he hadn’t run into Malcolm yet or seen the horse on the road.
Declan released his grip on her arm, and Edna chose that moment to run, hearing his start of surprise. She stumbled through the woods, blindly reaching out so that she wouldn’t run headlong into a tree, feeling the forest tear at her skirts. Edna could hear him crashing through the brush as well, meaning she couldn’t afford to stop lest she find herself in his clutches once more. This time, she suspected, he wouldn’t hesitate to run his sword through her.
Her foot caught the edge of a root in the ground suddenly, and Edna cried out as she pitched forward, falling hard on her knees. Pain snaked across her palms as they made contact with the ground, and her breath stilled in her chest as she heard him coming for her. This was it. Malcolm had to be dead, and she was going to be forced back to the keep to wed Neacal. Her parents would never know what happened to her.
But the sound of swords clanging together caught her attention, and Edna scrambled to her feet, a cry leaving her throat as she saw the scene.
Malcolm was here.
