“Ye be good,” she told her as she adjusted her riding cloak, pulling it around her shoulders.
“Aye, and make sure ye do all that yer new husband asks,” her father cut in gruffly. He had hardly looked at her since they had convened at the entrance of the Keep at dawn, ready for the carriage to carry her back to her new home.
“I will,” Ailsa muttered, her voice laced with distaste.
She hated the thought of playing at being some dutiful wife, but she could not stand the thought of what Tavish might do to her if she tried to make a stand for herself.
Tavish strode out of the Keep and towards his horse, greeting her with a slight lift of his chin.
“Laird Kerr, Lady Kerr, we will make our departure now.”
She could see that gleam in his eyes, something arrogant she did not care for. She wished she could have done somethingto wipe that expression from his face, but she did not want to imagine how he might have punished her if she had dared try.
He mounted his horse with ease, throwing one leg over and grasping the reins of the black stallion knowing that was where he belonged. He looked back at her expectantly, and she tore her gaze from him, making her way into the carriage. At least she would have a fine view of the countryside as they rode, unfettered by his presence. She wanted to drink up the last of her time as an unmarried woman while she still could. She was sure that he would do all in his power to make her suffer once she could no longer claim such a title.
Climbing into the carriage, she raised her hand to bid farewell to her parents, but her view was soon obscured as a guard climbed in beside her, blocking her view of the window beyond.
“I dinnae need a guard,” she snapped at him. “It’s a carriage journey. I dinnae think that?—”
“Laird’s orders,” he intoned, not even looking at her.
She sighed, slumping back against the leather seat as the wheels began to turn beneath her. So she would not even be able to see the hills in peace as they rode out.
She crossed and uncrossed her legs, twisting her hands in her lap as she tried to dispel some of the discomfort that was building in her body, but it gave her little relief. She had always found the sight of nature rather relaxing, the rise and fall of the trees and the seasons a reminder of how everything came in rotation, but she could not even see that now. The best she was granted was a few glimpses of the reddening leaves that she could see past the enormous, bull-headed guard beside her.
Outside, she knew that Tavish rode out freely, with no restrictions, nothing to hold him back. And a steady, seething resentment began to build inside her. Was this what she would be expected to do when she was his wife? Nothing more than tosit, without being granted so much as a view of the countryside beyond? To be hidden away by guards in the confines of this carriage and paraded about as though she was nothing more than a prize to prove how much of a man he was?
Her heart began to thrum harder in her chest, sweat appearing on her brow. She needed to get out, to take some air, something, anything, to calm herself.
“Can ye move a little?” she asked the guard, sugaring her voice as best she could.
He grunted, hardly glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.
“Then let me speak to Tavish,” she demanded, through gritted teeth.
The man made no move to stop the carriage, gave no indication that he had so much as heard what she had said to him. It only served to infuriate her more. She reached for his arm, shaking it pointedly.
“Are ye listening to me?” she asked. “Can ye no’ hear me? I need to speak to Tavish, now!”
He tensed. She could only imagine what Tavish had said to him about keeping her in hand, what he had told him about making sure that she did not cause him any trouble. But she would not let it go so easily, she would not. If she allowed herself to be pressed under his thumb before he had so much as married her, it would only get worse and worse from there on out, and she could not risk letting such a thing happen.
“I said, let me out!” she demanded, and she leaned forward once more and bashed her hands on the inside of the carriage, where she could just make out Tavish’ horse galloping ahead of them.
The whole carriage shuddered, but it did not halt, the hooves outside thundering with just as much certainty as they had before. She tried again and again, and the guard moved to stopher, trying to pull her back into her seat. The moment he moved, though, he left some space for her to throw herself across him to the door, and she scrabbled at the handle, managing to get a grip on it before he could pull her off.
“If ye dinnae stop this carriage, I’ll throw myself out!” she warned him.
His hands flexed, his face draining of blood. If he laid a hand on her, he knew how it might look, and she could only imagine what a man like Tavish would do if one of his own men touched his property. The man rose to his feet, slamming his fists against the front of the carriage.
“Stop!” he roared. “Stop!”
It took a couple of attempts, but finally, the carriage rumbled to a sudden halt below them. Without missing a beat, Ailsa threw open the door and practically rolled out of the carriage, racing off to the adjoining forest before anyone could try to stop her.
“Lady Ailsa!”
The guard’s voice burst, terrified, after her. She glanced over her shoulder, and it seemed to her that everyone was frozen in shock, with no idea how to react. She expected Tavish to call out to them and insist that they give chase, but, to her surprise, he did no such thing. No, as he leaned on his horse, observing her, she could have sworn she saw a small smile on his face, almost as if he was giving her a head start to make the chase more exciting.
She gathered her skirts as she rushed into the forest, heaving in deep breaths as she brushed through the trees. Branches snagged at her skin and her hair like grasping fingers, but she did not stop, did not dare to. She had no idea where she was running to or if she would even get there, but she did not care. She just wanted to breathe in the fresh air, as if this would be her last chance to try before that beast took her to his Keep and locked her up where nobody could find her.
