Page 22 of Betrayed by His Highland Wife

Before too long, Nora was back in her room, her father bolting the door behind them with grave satisfaction.

"Nora," he said, wasting no time, "we have to act!"

He glanced around the heavy mahogany bedchamber. It was well appointed, but still lacking in light.

Behind them, a maid hovered, tapering to light the candelabra, but was shooed away. Just as soon as she was gone and Sorcha had been banished from the chamber, he faced her coldly.

"We have to get this wedding back on track," he said abruptly.

Pulling her up close, he held her chin. Nora, feeling his thick fingers squash her, held her breath. She must stay calm—anything to antagonize him could be fatal.

But her father released his grip, allowing her to leave. However, his eyes still glared, waiting for an answer.

Unsure of what to say, Nora simply agreed. It was safer.

"Aye," she said thoughtfully.

Then, before she had time for anything more, her father nodded.

"An' ye are to be the one to do it," he said, staring. "Ye must do whatever ye can, whatever it takes, to get this wedding to happen. Do it quick!"

"I-I will try," she said, shrinking backward.

All alone in the empty room, Nora felt her vulnerability. She was trapped here, in this castle, in this place. There was no one she could trust aside from Sorcha, and she could hardly confide in her about this.

Circling, her father pinned her with his menacing stare.

"Ye will do more than try, my lass. Ye will succeed! I didnae get us all the way here to fall at the last minute."

Her back against the wall, shaking, Nora nodded once more. She had not noticed that she was slowly walking backward through the chamber, but now he had her effectively pinned to the wall.

"Aye, Father," she said, trembling.

After a while, her father relented just a little. Smiling, a glint came into his eye. Reaching his hand, he stroked her hair. As he came near, Nora tensed, unable to let out a sigh.

"Aye, I ken ye will," he said, smiling. Nora hated it when he smiled like that. It was worse than shouting. "Because if ye fail, I will make ye disappear."

Nora did not move. She barely trusted herself to breathe. Her father continued.

"An' lassie, use whatever thing ye have to get him to the altar. Ye get me? Anything..."

Her father's eyes darkened with meaning as Nora felt her blood run cold. Just the thought of intimacy with William was unnerving. It was risky, unsafe. She might give her true feelings away.

But Nora did not dwell on that. She simply had to get her father away. And the only way to do that was to appease him. Heaven knew she had been doing it all her life.

"Aye, Father," she assented, as he nodded sharply. Then, before she could blink, he was leaving, heavily swinging the dark door shut on her.

At last, Nora sighed, but she was not in the least bit comforted. Her father had put her completely in charge. If anything failed, it would be her fault. She simply had to seduce William and get him to wed her.

Sighing again, Nora sat down on the ample bed. It was warm and soft, but it may as well have been a bed of nails. She felt trapped.

It should have been simple. He liked her, and she liked him. But that was the problem. He was inside her, no longer a faceless foe, but a lover, to be undone. And she had already been undone by him.

Could she really go through with this?

7

"Och! What time is this? Sorcha, I told ye nae to bother me so early."