Page 28 of A Laird and a Healer

“I know, but Nessa will keep ye safe.” Caroline turned to Nessa, giving her a meaningful stare. Nessa pinched her lips together and nodded. “And Nessa, dinnae discount Tara’s ideas. She is a clever lass, and she just might come up with a way out of this.”

“I will nae,” Nessa replied. This may have been a harrowing situation, but at least it had brought Nessa and Tara closer together.

The guard outside cleared his throat and gave Caroline a look of warning. Caroline hugged them tightly again.

“I will free ye soon. Dinnae dae anything rash, and dinnae worry about me,” she whispered.

Nessa and Tara cried out to her and Caroline hated turning her back on them, but it was necessary. She held the emotion inside her tightly, not wishing to reveal her anguish to anyone else.

“Ye may take me back tae my room,” she said, and the guard seemed relieved.

Caroline was not about to push the limits of her authority just yet. She wanted to see how Ryan reacted first, because she was certain he would hear about this. She couldn’t imagine anything happening in this Keep without him knowing about it.

When she returned to her room, she felt becalmed after having seen Nessa and Tara. They were fed and unharmed, so at least Ryan was keeping his word in this respect. But in order to give them more freedom, she was going to have to sacrifice more of herself.

She ran her fingers across her exposed chest and wondered at what point Ryan was going to take his marital rights. Fear coiled within, but there was a shadow of curiosity as well, and this feeling both shamed her and burned as fiercely as the fire in the hearth.

The day was slow. Caroline had no way to mark the passage of time other than taking note of when the meals were delivered. She didn’t even have a book to read, and the windowless walls were maddening. She closed her eyes and thought about the land she had witnessed the previous day. Her imagination was so powerful that she could almost feel the wind against her skin.

Her thoughts were broken when Ryan returned to her. She had come to recognize his gait by now. Thunderous footsteps made her heart tremble. He walked in wearing that usual arrogant look, his eyes filled with intent. He could take anything from her whenever he liked. Was he just toying with her to make the moment he did even worse, or was there an element of good in him that prevented him from crossing this moral line? She wasn’t sure she would ever know the truth.

“I heard about yer little walk taeday. Very clever of ye,” he said, wagging his finger in the air.

“I wanted tae see my sisters. I am the lady of the clan, am I nae?”

“Of course ye are, and it’s rare that anything should take me by surprise. I hae spoken with my guards and made sure that they understand ye are nae tae be given tae much liberty. I cannae hae ye thinking that ye are a free woman now, can I?”

“I dinnae care about me. I care about my sisters. I hae given ye what ye wanted, there’s nae reason for ye tae keep them captive. I can hardly marry ye over and over again. They deserve their lives,” Caroline spoke with emotion.

Her words were impassioned, and this time she was not sitting on the bed. Instead, she was standing beside the fire, hoping to show him that she was not going to cower before him. Ryan remained silent for a few moments.

“There is still a reason, lass. There is still the matter of the heir.”

Caroline shook with tension and then barked a laugh. “I am never gaeing tae give ye an heir, for as much as I can help it. I will never give ye the means tae take my clan.”

“I already hae the means, but an heir would prevent anyone else from waging attacks and pressing their claims. I’m sure ye hae all manner of greedy cousins who would want it for themselves. Of course, if they want tae attack, then sae be it, but there will be enough unrest already.”

“There already hae been, and I will show ye just how resistant the Gilmour Clan can be. I am nae gaeing tae give ye what ye want, nae as long as my sisters are suffering.”

Ryan moved with alarming speed. He suddenly took hold of her arms and drove her against the far wall. The impact cut the breath from her lungs and her body was pressed against his. His grip was like iron and his eyes blazed with fury. He was so strong that he lifted her off the ground without struggling. Her feet dangled and kicked out, but they had no effect on him.

She was utterly helpless, and his brutal power made a mockery of her resistant pleas. If he wanted it, then he could have it, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. He growled in a low voice, putting his lips right next to her ear so that his words rolled directly into her mind.

“I am eager tae see how long it will take ye tae crawl tae me in bed. Eventually ye will nae resist yer urges because ye are in the presence of a real man now, nae some Gilmour whelp. Ye want me, ye want yer clan back, and ye want yer sisters safe. Let’s see how far ye are willing tae gae tae ensure all of things, my lady,” these last two words dripped with mockery.

Caroline glared at him, her cheeks turning flushed.

“I will nae touch ye until my sisters are freed from that room.”

Ryan backed away and loosened his grip. Caroline staggered as her feet landed on the floor.

“Consider it done,” he replied with a devilish smile, and then left her alone once again.

Gasping for breath, not knowing if he meant it or if he was just toying with her emotions, she staggered to the bed and collapsed. She hated herself for feeling so hot and bothered. There was something about him that got under her skin, as though there was a serpent that writhed within her. And the moment he had spoken about her desires, she realized that some deep, primal part of her was responding to him. Was it just because she was his wife now that she thought she ought to give herself to him? Or was there something deeper, was there something seductive about his power that played havoc with her mind? She clutched the sheets in her fists and wailed with anguish, fearing that she would never know peace again.

Caroline was at least able to sleep that evening, and when she awoke, it was with a clearer head. Ryan had made it clear that he could do whatever he wanted because there were too many things she needed. He had all the leverage and could afford to be as patient as he wished because if she didn’t come to him, then he could just throw her into bed and have his way with her.

She needed something to use as a weapon against him, something that would surprise him. So far, he had been one step ahead of her in every respect. However, if she could surprise him, then perhaps the tables could be turned.