Page 9 of Tales of Highland Loyalty

There, in the mélange of bodies, she glimpsed the man's outline. It was hard to pick out the details; both dizziness and surprise got the better of her. But as the fog cleared, she saw a rugged face gazing quizzically at her.

It was the blue eyes she noticed first. Piercing through the gloom of the morning. In that strange moment, they seemed brighter than the sun.

Things slowed down.

"Miss?" the man said again. She could feel his arm upon her, but gradually relaxing his grip. Slowly, he disengaged from her, gently leaving her upright against the bridge.

It was the first time she realized she was on a bridge. Beneath her feet, the sounds of water rushing penetrated.

"How fare ye, good lady?" Malcolm asked her.

Concern blinked through the man's eyes. But Lissie was not really noticing that. She was lost in the depths of their color; a deep, profound blue that seemed to penetrate the gloom around them.

It took quite some time before she even moved on to the rest of his face. And when she did, she was not disappointed. Slowly, the world unraveled, and she was looking at a handsome, tall man of approximately thirty.

Unusual for an Englishman, his hair was raven black, which was the second thing she noticed about him. Just after discovering his gravelly voice.

"Ye were in a swoon, madam," he stated politely. By now he had rested her against the narrow bridge and withdrawn a suitable distance.

Maybe he had noticed the look on Malcolm's face as the clan's chief guard came closer. Malcolm approached the man.

"How are ye, mistress?" Malcolm muttered. He seemed about to rest his arm upon her, protectively, but at the last moment, he seemed to think the better of it.

Instead, he stood beside Lissie, deflecting her from the man. Lissie frowned. The first interesting man in nearly five hundred miles, and Malcolm was in her way.

Surreptitiously pushing Malcolm a little, Lissie curtsied and forced herself to smile.

"I am braw, yer lordship," said Lissie, with what she hoped were her best manners. She went to a lot of trouble to perfect a curtsy for the gentleman, but all the while, she was trembling.

The man's blue eyes followed her searchingly. She wished he wouldn't look at her like that.

A pause. The hazy gray clouds lifted to reveal the morning sun. There, on the narrow bridge, they beamed down a cold light. Enchanted, Lissie could not help staring. He was teasing her, a small ridge of stubble enticing her hand's caress. She almost leaned over to touch it; his toned texture laid bare before her.

The man wore a quizzical expression, bringing his firm brow into a knot. But he did not have the pickled skin tone of so many of his contemporaries. Instead, he was refreshingly clear.

"I beg your mercy, madam?" said the man. He looked bewildered. It took a moment for his confusion to register with Lissie. "I did not quite catch that."

The bridge was at a standstill. Despite being pushed to the sides, they were under siege. A surge of sheep had locked the traffic hard. Now, a line of shepherds and peasants going to market stopped them dead.

For the first time, Lissie was aware of holding up the entire bridge.

"Dinnae fash," she said, blushing.

The man looked even more confused.

"Nay...who?" asked the man politely. Then he tried again. "Do you speak English?"

Stunned, Lissie turned around. Malcolm's incredulous face spoke for her.

She might have known it. He could not understand her.

Just as she was stammering out a response, Malcolm came a little closer, fastening his arm around her shoulder.

"Come, mistress," said the guard, with a pertinent look to the man. He ushered her away, weaving her far away through the animals, sights, and smells of the new town.

"H-He didnae mean any harm," she started, as the servant led her away. All of a sudden, Lissie felt rude. The man had only tried to help her. But by the look on Malcolm's face, he was in no mood to hang about.

In fact, he was not happy at all. Just when he had pushed her away from the main thrust of the bridge, he turned to Lissie.