“Aye… but I was thinking about yer sick aunt. There’s a herbalist in the market. What sickness does yer aunt hae, exactly? I could always gae and buy the herbs she needs for ye.”
“Oh, well, it’s a rare thing, which is why the herbs are sae expensive. There’s only one healer in the area who supplies them, and it’s nae easy tae get them.”
“I see,” Ian nodded. “Ye must be worried then, haeing tae spend yer time here instead of gaeing after that medicine. Are ye nae worried that yer aunt is nae gaeing tae survive?”
Lucy looked away. “Of course I am, but if I’m captured, then I hae nae way of helping her. I just hae tae hope that she will remain in a stable condition until I can help her.”
Ian pursed his lips. “And ye thought ye hae nae recourse other than stealing jewelry? Did ye even ask Lady Boyd for help?”
“I dinnae want tae trouble her.”
“Nae, I suppose ye would nae, being new tae the keep and all. Since ye hae only been here a short while, I was thinking that ye might be able tae get away with escaping after all. I mean, it’s unlikely many people are gaeing tae recognize yer face. Ye are only a maid, and people dinnae tend tae notice servants. Perhaps ye should take a chance. I would hate for yer aunt tae suffer because ye could nae be free.”
“I… well, I would nae like tae take the risk.”
“Oh aye, but ye took the risk of escaping. And about that, how exactly did ye escape the guards? And how dae ye expect tae get back intae the keep when ye hae the supplies? Ye seem tae care for yer aunt sae much that I cannae imagine ye would just run away and leave her tae her fate.”
“I would find a way tae sneak back in,” Lucy said with a false sense of confidence. Ian was hammering away at her with these questions, and she didn’t like it one bit. It was clear that he was trying to catch her out in her lie. She turned away from him, hoping to end the conversation. “I hae duties tae be getting on with. I dinnae want tae talk about this any longer. It makes me upset tae think of her.”
“Oh, I bet it does, lass, I bet it does indeed,” Ian rasped. His gaze was fixed on her, unmoving. She tried to move, but as soon as she did so, Ian moved as well. He took three long strides, and then he was standing right in front of her, as close as they had been the previous night. This time, however, there was no intimacy in his eyes, only a blazing anger. His breath was hot, his lips parted into a snarl.
“I know who ye are, lass,” he roared, the anger getting the better of him as it rushed out of his throat like a torrent of flames. “Tell me the truth, now, or I’ll drag ye out and take ye back tae the keep myself. I’ll take my chances with the Laird.”
“Nae!” Lucy cried, terrified that he might mean it. She shrank before him, cowering and placing her hands in front of her face. “I’m just Lucy, that’s all. I’m naebody special.”
Ian narrowed his eyes and the tone of his voice dropped. “But that’s nae true, is it, lass? Ye are Lucy Glennrock, daughter of Hamish Glennrock, noble and sweet, the pride of the Highlands. Ye are nae ordinary lass at all.”
Lucy’s eyes widened. “How dae ye know?”
“It dinnae matter how I know, only that I know. Ye lied tae me!” he roared, sweeping an arm in the air. The walls around Lucy’s heart crumbled. Now that the lie had been discovered, there was no use trying to hide it, no sense in pretending. Instead, she had to rely on honesty.
“I hae a good reason!” she began, but as she tried to battle through his furious words, she found herself unable to speak reason to him. He was already convinced of the truth.
“Ye hae put my livelihood in danger, all because ye got bored of yer comfortable life. Oh aye, I’m sure it was sae terrible being waited upon hand and foot every day of yer life, of living in that keep, never haeing tae worry where the next meal was coming from, never being short of a bit of coin. And as for yer sick aunt,” he looked disgusted, as though she was nothing more than a worm. “People in the keep dinnae get sick. They hae the best healers, all the medicine they could want. Ye are nae like us. All of this trouble just because ye are a spoiled lass who wants tae rebel against her father. Well, I suggest ye crawl back tae him and beg him for forgiveness because ye dinnae hae a place out here with the rest of us.”
His words dripped with venom. She hated the look in his eyes, for he knew he saw her as exactly what he said, and it reminded her of the way her father saw her. Anger boiled and churned inside, and then came lashing out like a whip as she finally made herself heard.
“Ye hae nae idea who I am!” she shrieked, eyes blazing with rage, body bristling with tension. “Ye hae nae right tae judge me. Ye are afraid of lying tae me? Well, look at yerself,” she swung her hand around, gesturing to the hidden distillery. “Ye are nae an honest man, and what’s worse is that ye hae dragged Rory intae yer mess. All he wants is tae be a blacksmith, but instead ye are making a criminal of him. Dae ye really hate yerself sae much that ye hae tae mold him intae the same image to feel better? It’s nae fair tae him, sae dinnae stand there and lecture me about honesty when ye hae nae idea what my life is like.”
Fueled by her words, she pushed past him and ran up the stairs. She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she just wanted to be anywhere away from him. Ian chased after her.
“Aye, lass, get on yer way. Better that ye take yer troubles away from me. I’m just trying tae make a living in a hard world.”
“Tell yerself what ye like,” Lucy spat, flinging the words at him as her final greeting. She could hardly believe that she had kissed this man. She turned to leave the shop, but as she did so, Ian’s long arms stretched towards her and pulled her back. He clamped a wide hand around her mouth and her breath was stolen from her as he dragged her back. She bit down with her teeth, but he didn’t react at all. Fear lined her heart, and she looked at him with utter terror, but then she saw the path of his gaze. There was a guard standing just outside of the shop, and suddenly she saw the bars being closed before her, the rope slipping around her neck, and as rough as Ian was being, she knew that he was protecting her.
10
Ian’s eyes watered with pain, but he gritted his teeth and suppressed the urge to cry out. He bristled with anger, and heat radiated from his body. He pulled her back to a small room and pushed her inside, telling her to be quiet and wait. He wished he could say more, but there wasn’t any time. Glancing anxiously over his shoulder, he was relieved to hear silence fade as he returned to the front of the shop. Just then, the door opened, and the guard walked in. If he had been a few moments quicker, then he would have seen Lucy.
Ian glanced towards the basement door, which he had closed shut behind him when he had come upstairs. He hadn’t had a chance to drag the table back across it, but he did kick the rug across the door. He composed himself, trying to make the anger ebb away.
“Morning, what can I help ye with?” Ian put on his most cheerful demeanor and tried to pretend that everything was well.
The guard was a tall man. He angled his head around, surveying the scene. “Is anything wrong? I thought I heard something.”
“Oh, there’s always some noise here, a forge is never a quiet place tae be. It’s probably just the damn stray cat that hae been hanging around. Ye feed it one time and it never leaves,” he shook his head and smiled. The guard nodded, tutting as he did so. He moved across to a shelf and inspected the examples of Ian’s handiwork. He clasped his hands behind his back and leaned forward. Ian waited patiently, ignoring the bead of sweat that trickled down his temple. Had the guard overheard Lucy? Had he seen some glimpse of her? Ian’s heart thumped in his chest, just waiting for the hammer to fall.
The guard rocked back and forth on his heels and then came to the counter. “I’m hoping ye could help me. I need some new shoes for my horse. What’s the best price ye can dae?”
