Page 45 of The Highlander’s Unexpected Wife

Chapter Thirteen

Cameron banded an arm around Alison’s waist as she twisted and clawed at the hand over her mouth.

“Be still, you little fool,” he hissed.

Alison froze. Then spun in his arms. “You—but what— We must go. Now. A constable. We must find a constable.”

"Were you harmed?” he demanded in a whisper.

She shook her head. “Nae, but the women are inside. We must rescue them.”

“You are the only one I am here to rescue.” He grasped her hand and pulled her along the garden wall toward the street.

“I will not leave them,” she declared.

Cameron whirled on her. “If you value those girls’ lives, you will do as I say—as you should have in the beginning.”

She opened her mouth and he wondered if he would have to bind and gag her. To his relief, she closed her mouth and gave a stiff nod. He hurried them to the end of the alley. At the road, he looked left and right and found the road empty.

“Can you run?” he asked.

She nodded and he answered with a single nod. They raced across the street and reached his horse without a shout of discovery being sounded. Cameron grasped the pummel and swung up into the saddle, then reached for her hand. Alison clasped his hand and he pulled her up and onto his lap.

A stench drew Cameron’s attention to the man’s coat she wore. “What the devil are you wearing?”

“That horrid madame took my cloak. I had to have something to cover my torn dress.”

Torn dress? Cameron forced back rage. Anyone could see that Alison was a genteel lady, not a prostitute. Not to mention—

“Did the madame force the other women into service?” he demanded.

“I do not think so. The men who took us inside said we were not supposed to… Well, Sarah, the madame, said she would not lose money, so I was to remain a virgin but—” Alison broke off.

By God, he would return and deal with the madame. Cameron turned the horse and nudged it into a trot. At the end of the next block, he urged the animal into a canter. At the edge of town, he kicked it into a gallop. Alison buried her face in his chest and held on tight until he slowed the animal to a trot again fifteen minutes later.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To find lodgings.”

For all her bravado, he felt her trembling. Cameron tightened his arm around her. He wanted to lock her in her room and kiss her at the same time, and feared he might break down, either way. He didn’t know how she’d managed it, but despite her meddling ways, he had come to care for her. Which was why he would make sure she never again did anything so foolish.

They reached an inn half an hour later and Cameron swung his leg over the horse’s rump, then stepped to the ground. “Remain here.” He handed her the reins.

“Lord Weston,” she sounded panicked. “Do not leave me.”

Cameron covered her hand on the pummel. “Don’t fret, I shall only be a moment.”

Cameron left her in the shadow of the building, then strode inside. To the right, a few people sat in the dining room.

He approached the young man at the desk. “I need a private room for the night.”

“Of course, but the room hasn’t been prepared. If you would like to wait in the dining room, I will have a fire lit and the room readied.”

“No need. I will attend to the fire.”

“Are you certain? ‘Tis no trouble.”

“I am certain.” He scrawled his name on the ledger. “My horse will need attending to. He is out front. I will require a carriage before first light.”