He looked up and gazed into her eyes. She had turned to face him, her features soft in the light. The scent of whiskey lingered in the air, while the echoes of their teasing laughs reverberated through their minds. She could feel the truth swelling up inside her, wanting to break free. She longed to tell him her real background and sweep away all the lies she had told him, but she also wanted to learn about him as well. She wanted to hear about his family, for surely there were more than his sister? What happened to them? How did he end up here?
“I look at ye, lass, and I am nae sure what I see,” his words were slurred together, his breath hot. “Is it a thief? Is it a maid? I’m nae sure. I just see…” he reached up and pushed back a stray lock of her hair. The feeling of his fingers against her skin made her gasp. She was wholly intoxicated, not just by the whiskey, but also by his presence. She felt herself drawn to him. Instincts inside her were aroused and stirred, and it was as if she wasn’t in control of her own body. He got closer and closer, his whiskey-stained breath scorching her lips, his brooding eyes gazing deep into her soul, and she wondered what secrets he would reveal. There was so much about her life that had been out of her control, managed, arranged, but she had turned away from all that. She wanted to be more like Ian, to take her destiny into her own hands and… and…
And she put it into action.
She leaned forward, closing her eyes, as though she was jumping off a cliff into an abyss. Their lips met and the fire of it engulfed her. A hazy, delirious feeling surged through her body, making her tingle all over. His kiss was insistent, his lips firm, and she gasped as she tried to process the sensations. It was as though some new force had been unleashed from within, and sought to flit through her like a whirlwind.
“Lucy…” he whispered, the word slurred, the eyes hazy. She craved him, craved rebelliousness, but he was so intoxicated and she was scared of what it might mean. She pulled away from him.
“I think we should get some sleep,” she cooed.
“Ye are probably right,” he said, but as they looked at each other, there was reluctance in their eyes. Neither of them said anything, however. They just turned, holding on to the fire that had been created between them. Lucy’s mind was in disarray.
9
The sun was too bright. The world was too loud. Bakers were yelling for people to buy their bread and pastries. Irritating children were giggling with gleeful laughter. Doors were being flung open, rugs were flapped clean, wheels of wagons creaked, and horses brayed. Merchants were at their stalls, garish colors displayed like a peacock vying for attention. The village was alive and awake, the slumber of the night having been shrugged off. They were all well-rested and eager to make something of the day, but it was all too vivid for Ian. Other blacksmiths were hammering loudly. The tone of their hammers against anvils was offbeat and wrong. It made something twitch in his mind. What were all these people doing being so loud? Ian wanted to yell at them, but he knew they wouldn’t listen to him. There was a thrum in his mind, and he lamented Rory’s absence because if the lad had still been around, then Ian could have sent him to market to get supplies. But no, Rory had gone off, leaving Ian with Lucy. And he couldn’t have sent her off to the market, since she might have been seen by the guards. He hadn’t even spoken to her, as he didn’t know what to say.
The night was fuzzy, but one moment stood out in stark clarity. The kiss. When he had awoken he thought he might have dreamed it, but it had been so real, her lips so soft, her eyes so bright. By the gods… what had he done? It wasn’t that he regretted it as such; the kiss in itself was a lovely kiss, a perfect kiss, a kiss that had reached deep down into the depths of him and tore him asunder, breathing life into feelings that he had choked a long time ago. But what was she going to think of him? Some drunken lout who returned home, plied her with whiskey, took advantage of her except… except the way he remembered it, it was Lucy who had kissed him. But that couldn’t be right, could it?
He shook his head, trying to dispel the noise that blared in his mind, wishing for a moment’s peace so that he could justthink.He had even mentioned Fiona’s name to Lucy as well, broken an oath that he had spent years keeping. Still, he wouldn’t have blamed Lucy for leaving after his display last night. She could probably make it away from the clan if she was swift and stealthy. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she was gone by the time he returned, although he would have been disappointed. He was just getting used to her company, and the kiss, oh that interminable kiss that would not leave his mind at all. How he wished it was a dream, because if it had been a dream, then he could have kept it to himself. He could have held it close to his heart and never breathed a word of it to anyone, certainly not to her. She was trouble, she was mischief, she was a fugitive from the law and if she was found in his shop then he would be punished for harboring her.
But she was also beautiful, soft, and sweet. Her words lashed him, but they were not mean-spirited, never mean-spirited. She had a wild streak about her, an untamed flair that made her unpredictable and riotous, and to his dismay, this stirred something deep within him. He gnawed at his lip and grit his teeth, even dug his nails into his palm to try and distract himself with pain. It didn’t work, though. She loomed large in his mind, and the kiss became one of the defining moments of his life.
Perhaps it was better that Rory wasn’t there to witness Ian like this. Rory would have crowed over him, teasing him for falling victim to Lucy’s tempting allure.
Ian muttered to himself, grabbing things off market stalls hurriedly in the hope of returning home before the sun blinded him. He got caught up speaking to one of his merchant friends, although Ian’s half of the conversation mostly consisted of muttered grunts and sharp nods.
Then the merchant sighed. “I am a law-abiding man, but something about their presence just makes me feel like I hae done something wrong,” he glanced towards the guards. They were the same ones Ian had spoken to a few days ago, the first night when Lucy had escaped.
“Aye, well, better tae stay out of their way I suppose,” Ian said. The merchant agreed, but Ian found himself unable to take his own advice. He thought that if he could find out what the guards knew, then he would have a better idea of his own safety. It was a risk, but he thought it was one worth taking.
The guards were currently speaking with a group of people, who were all shaking their heads. When they moved away, Ian approached them, forcing his most charming smile on his face, and making a sincere effort to ignore the dull pain that pressed against his skull.
“Hae ye nae caught the scoundrel yet?” Ian asked.
The guards scowled. “Unfortunately they are difficult tae find. I dinnae suppose ye hae seen anything suspicious?”
Ian rolled his shoulders. “I dinnae see much from my forge, but then again a thief is hardly gaeing tae announce himself, is he? It might help if I knew who I was looking for. If they are as good at hiding as they seem then I’m gaeing tae need more details. Dae ye know what area they headed taewards? I could look out for them when I’m one one of my deliveries,” Ian said. His heart thumped in his chest and he hoped they weren’t going to reveal that the thief was found near Ian’s shop.
The guards glanced at each other. One of them stroked his jaw and leaned towards his companion, whispering something into the man’s ear. After a moment, the other guard nodded.
“I suppose we are gaeing tae need the assistance of reputable businessmen like yerself, but dinnae gae spreading this about. If I find that people are wagging their tongues about this then I’ll come and find ye, and the conversation we hae will nae be pleasant,” the guard pointed a stern finger at Ian, jabbing it in the air like he would a spear. Ian nodded, gulping as he hoped to hide his deceit. He was hardly as reputable as these men suggested.
The guard lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Ye should be on the lookout for a lass, and nae just any lass. She’s the daughter of Hamish Glennrock. Ye can understand why we are trying tae keep this a secret. Tae think that a noble daughter could dae this…” the guard trailed away and shook his head. The other guard had a disappointed look on his face as well.
“It’s unthinkable,” Ian gasped, although his shock was for an entirely different reason. His eyes went wide as he realized why Lucy had shown such a lack of ability when it came to maidly duties. She wasn’t a maid at all. She was a girl of nobility, but that meant there was no sick aunt either. Ian clenched his jaw and trembled with rage. His face turned crimson and he began to tremble. Not only had she lied to him, but she was also the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the clan. If he should discover that Ian has been hiding her, there was no doubt that his life would be in danger.
“If ye see her, bring her straight tae the keep, and be quiet about it,” the guards said as they moved away. Ian barely heard them, though. The memories of the kiss began to turn sour as he realized that he hadn’t known the woman he was kissing.
* * *
Lucy was in the basement,keeping out of sight when Ian returned. She could hear him stomping around upstairs. It sounded like a wild horse had entered the building and was cantering about, slamming its hooves into every wall. Lucy sighed and glanced at Ginger. The cat had been restless all morning, and Lucy assumed she missed Rory.
Lucy had no idea how to greet Ian. She had been thinking all morning how she should handle the situation, and she decided that it was probably best to just ignore the whole thing and pretend like it never happened. Ian had been very drunk, and the last thing she wanted was to make the situation complicated. She became sure of her conviction when she heard him crash around upstairs. His mood was dark, and she wondered if it had anything to do with their kiss. Was he angry at her for not going to bed with him, or did he regret the kiss itself? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.
Eventually, he came downstairs, an intense look in his eyes. Ginger sensed that something was wrong and darted into a shadowed part of the basement. For a moment, Ian stood at the bottom of the stairs, hands on his hips, glaring at her.
“Are ye well?” Lucy managed to squeak out in an uneven voice.
