Warily looking around, Clarissa sighed when she saw that they were still alone. Nevertheless, she followed, knowing she couldn’t do anything about it now. And he was taking her to the sheep, which was what she asked for. For that she was thankful.
The cool breeze loosened her hair from its bun, and she swept at the flyaway strands, tucking them behind her ear. As they neared a hill, she could hear the bleating of the sheep even though she couldn’t yet see them.
An hour and a half later, Jacob was looking positively perturbed as she sat in the meadow, surrounded by Campbell sheep with a huge smile plastered on her face. They all looked well. They had been eating the resources provided by the land and Alexander would be happy to learn that they hadn’t been sheared. Their woolly coats were still intact.
“Have you satisfied your curiosity, Miss Gordon?” Jacob shuffled from one foot to another.
“Aye. They look healthy.”
He scoffed. “Why wouldn’t they be?”
Clarissa shrugged. “Mayhap because ye have no experience in caring for such a flock. I was unsure what their fate may be.”
He moved close to her, inhaling deep.
Did he just sniff her? She hid the shudder that threatened to rattle her whole body.
“Well, now that you are here, they will be returned to Campbell lands soon.”
The louse didn’t show the least bit of embarrassment at openly admitting that he had used her as a bargaining tool.
“That is, if things progress as promised.”
She stepped away from him, a sense of foreboding enveloping her.
