“I teach the girls that when they drink, they’re not fast enough to escape.” She swallowed. “Some aren’t fast enough anyway.”
Mr. Bates shook his head. “I’ll never understand the Scots.”
She didn’t have the strength to argue the many things wrong with that attitude, but Sadie rounded on him with a vengeance. “Don’t tell me the Sassenachs never beat their wives. Do you say you’ve never seen a man mean with drink? This is not a Scottish vice.” She sat back with a huff. “Or notonlya Scottish one.”
He didn’t argue. Instead, his eyes were troubled as he looked at her. Enough that Iseabail looked away rather than face the questions in his gaze. But to look away brought her back to her fears.
They’d found her.
She gripped her fingers so tight they throbbed.
Sadie twisted in her seat. “Will the watch come for us?”
“Yes,” Mr. Bates answered.
“They attacked us first. Everyone saw that.”
“Yes.”
“But it won’t make a difference, will it?” Sadie continued. “Not if he’s her husband.”
Iseabail jerked. “He’s not!”
“Well, of course he’s not. But he has a paper saying you are. How do we prove that you’re not?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I don’t know.” For all she knew, her uncle could have married her by proxy. She’d only heard of that happening in the old tales when women were forced to marry men out fighting battles. The priest married them to an axe or a scabbard. But she’d never heard of it done the opposite way.
“I have the paper,” said Mr. Bates as he held it out. “It took it off—”
Iseabail snatched it from his hands and tore it into a thousand tiny pieces. It was a lie. Every word of it was a lie and she’d be damned if another soul saw it.
Mr. Bates snorted. “I would have burned it myself. But I suppose if the pieces are small enough.”
Sadie grabbed pieces off her skirt and tore it into tinier bits. Iseabail took those pieces and teased out the thread. By the time they were done, there was nothing but broken threads that would be useless to anyone but a mouse. And probably not even them.
It was very satisfying.
It also took several minutes. Long minutes when they should have arrived at the countess’s home ages ago. Iseabail looked out the window.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Cheapside.” Mr. Bates’s voice was calm. That reassured her. “I’m taking you to a place to change. You can’t appear before the watch in those clothes.” He gestured toward Sadie and her blood covered gloves. “Plus, it will give you time to decide on your plan.”
Plan? Her plan had been to find a Sassenach husband who could protect her from her uncle. That hadn’t happened, and now she was out of time.
They’d found her.
But she still had a little time. Her clansmen would come back, but they weren’t here right now. She needed to think fast. She needed toactfast.
She lifted her chin and turned to Mr. Bates. If she were a beauty, she would put all her coy whiles into her position. She wasn’t, so she faced him with honesty and simple need.
“Mr. Bates, sir, will you marry me?”
Chapter Twelve
“What are youdoing?” Miss Allen gasped.
Reuben was startled as well. Certainly, he’d been propositioned before. A man in his position had plenty of women who asked to join his bed. But never had one been so bold or so elegant in her question. No feminine wiles, no coy glances, but a simple, forthright question.
