Page 55 of The Lady of Her Highland Clan

"Fiona, wheesht!" he whispered. Finally, Fiona complied. But she was not happy.

Aggravated, and shaking with nerves, Fiona held her back against the cave wall and listened. Giving Clyde a shove in the ribs, she glared at him angrily. Slowly he removed his hand, putting his finger to his lips.

Fiona just rolled her eyes but remained silent. Inside, she was seething. Not only had Clyde dragged her into this—literally—but now he had the nerve to tell her what to do!

Breathlessly, she waited as the blue-robed men passed by. Hiding against the wall of the cave, Fiona and Clyde held their breath. His body was so close it ached. The heat within him spilled out and over to her. Just being next to him made her bristle. All she wanted to do was go.

Fiona waited as all the men filed past. Each time one of them came a little close, Fiona tensed, but they did not see them. Finally, they all went, and this time nothing could stop Fiona from turning on Clyde.

"Right, well, thanks awfully for that," she said, her expression cool as porcelain. "But I think I could o' managed fine wi'out ye. In fact, damn fine wi'out yer intervention at all!"

Fiona was shaking with rage. She wanted to just shove him out of the way, but she restrained herself. Just about.

"Fiona," Clyde pleaded, "I'm really sorry ye found out like that!"

They were still in the cave; neither of them had moved since the men had dispersed. Fiona glared.

"Ye’re sorry I found out at all!" she hissed.

Clyde could not say anything to that and merely stood there. Very weakly, he shook his head.

"I was going tae tell ye," said Clyde desperately. There was real fear shining in his green eyes, and despite herself, Fiona did not find it in her to pull away just then. Maybe she was too angry.

"Och, when? After the deal? When ye'd given Anderson the gold? My gold." She was so steamed up at this point that she could hardly fashion a sentence. "Our gold, the Duncan clan gold, that nae ye nr this Anderson ha' any rights tae in truth!"

Clyde faced the full force of Fiona's fury. Wearily, he shook his head. "I wasnae..."

His words trailed off. Fiona turned from him abruptly. She didn't want to look anymore. Behind her, he hovered, standing over her.

"We should go," he murmured, but Fiona was not to be swayed.

"Well, go then," she said coldly. Clyde stayed where he was. She had no desire to go anywhere with him. Clyde looked at her tenderly.

"I'm sorry," said Clyde. "The thing is, aye, I had this agreement wi' Laird Anderson...an' aye, I was going tae take him the jewels, or at least most o' them..."

Fiona's eyes flashed angrily at Clyde. "What about our deal?" she asked.

Clyde hung his head. "The thing is, I did have that deal, an' I was sent tae get the jewels. But I quickly learned I couldnae go through wi' it. I mean, nae completely." Clyde turned to her helplessly. "I was going tae give ye my share in the end, I swear."

His eyes opened up wide, and Fiona really wanted to believe what was in them. Now, she was conflicted. Unsurely, she stood at the mouth of the cave.

"I would have given the laird what was left," he said sincerely. Fiona felt her heart turn. But everything inside her had gone hot and cold.

"Hmm, what was left of my own jewels? Braw, Clyde," she snarked. Her green-brown eyes flared dramatically. "I mean, I shouldnae even have agreed to this in the first place. Maybe the treasure should ha' stayed buried—along wi' the past!"

Fiona was horrified to find tears forming. Up and down, her body shuddered. She had not been prepared for the onslaught of emotion she was going through.

"Because ye ken," she said, looking at him directly, "this isnae about gold, or clans, or deals. Nae only, anyhow. It's about finding the gold that belongs tae the Duncan clan, the last connection wi' my parents!"

Clyde looked crestfallen. "Fiona, I'm so sorry."

Finally, Fiona managed to compose herself. Turning to Clyde, she brushed him aside coldly.

"None o' this matters, Clyde," she said calmly. She didn't feel calm, but she was damned if she was going to show it again. "The only thing that matters is me getting that gold back."

Here, Clyde leaned forward, as if he was about to say something, but before he could, Fiona stopped him.

"An' nay, I dinnae want yer help," she said crisply. "I have had enough o' that. Nay, Clyde, now let me pass."

She headed out the mouth of the cave, finally squinting into the gray daylight beyond. The glen had taken a good drubbing from the violence of the rain. It would take time to pick through the wet undergrowth and, of course, it was soaking.

But hitching up her arisaid, Fiona cared not. The only thing she could think about was getting out of there.

Right now.

"Fiona, where are ye going? Ye shouldnae be going on yer own." Clyde watched her hopelessly as she went. Fiona could not believe what she was hearing.

"I'm doing what I should have tae begin wi': going back tae the clan an' telling the elders what happened, an' God kens how I am going tae explain it," she almost spat at him. "An' as for going on my own, well, I think I can look after myself alright."

With a flick of her hair, she was gone, bouncing back down across the wet glen. Just as she left, she turned and looked.

"Goodbye, Clyde..."