Page 22 of How to Woo a Highlander

All she needed was her wits, the element of surprise, an opening, and her speed. Whenever she played, she was always taken for granted, which was her biggest asset. She resembled a small and weak boy, so the men never took her seriously or saw her as a threat. Especially when they were huge like the ones she was currently with. All she needed was one opportunity to break away from them.

“Dae ye want to play again? Maybe ye will win this time?” She asked, feigning naivety. Red Beard turned to the others, tapping them and laughing.

"Dae we want to play again? Can ye imagine the gall of this foolish lad," he mocked, making them laugh.

She spotted her chance while they were distracted and took it. Clutching her winnings tightly to her chest, she turned, hopped athletically over the seat behind her, and took off running even as they gaped at her. They recovered from the shock of her escape much quicker than expected and charged after her, more furious than before.

"Och! Stop! Stop right there, ye bloody dobber," Red Beard yelled angrily with spittle flying out of his mouth. She flew down the street, her heart beating quickly as she weaved her way through the crowd, which jumped apart after she passed to avoid the furious men barreling after her.

She was sure she had drawn the attention of the whole town with how much noise her pursuers were making.

Curses! The plan was to be inconspicuous, Jane! How is this inconspicuous?!

She dodged a man swaying in the streets with a gourd of wine in hand. His confused expression flashed in her vision for a second, and she could see that he was drunk. She pitied him immediately, glancing back to see as the men barreled into him, Red Beard leading the charge and shoving him out of the way with a sharp swing of his bulky arm.

She winced as he was sent flying, doubling over in pain, and crashed into the people on the sidelines, his gourd of wine overturning on his head.

I can not help but feel like that was my fault.

She turned her attention back to the road ahead of her, and her heart sank with despair. In the seconds she had spared to check the fate of the drunk, she had doomed herself. Right in front of her was a fruit cart she could not avoid. Before she could correct herself, she crashed into the cart.

Fruit tumbled over her head as she rolled onto the floor with the cart falling on her back. She could hear the cart owner complaining sorrowfully over his ruined merchandise, but she could not spare any pity for him as she was now in a dire situation herself. As she pushed the cart off her, she already knew that she was caught, coming face to face with their feet.

Red Beard grabbed her by the back of her cloak and lifted her to meet his furious gaze.

"I finally caught ye, ye slippery snake. Let's see ye run now," he said as he dragged her off the road and threw her against the wall of a building. She winced as she made contact with the wall. They gathered around her in the darkened alley, cracking their knuckles.

“I thought that ye were only good with yer hands, who ken that ye were also fast, eh? Nay wonder ye had made it away with so much loot, but today is yer unlucky day,” Red Beard said.

Oh no, you're in real trouble this time, Jane. They mean to beat you up. It looks like I will not be able to avoid violence.

Her breath caught in her throat; she had never been caught before. Only one hit from any of their fists could have her bedridden for weeks seeing as they meant to inflict grave harm. The best thing to do was to try to run away again without drawing blood. Perhaps if they were concerned about the money, she could get away. Leaving the money pouch, she tried to escape again, aiming for the narrow space between Red Beard and Long Nose.

Unfortunately, they were alert, and before she could make it through, Long Nose grabbed her by her cloak. This time there was a loud rip, causing everyone to freeze as her skin was exposed.

No. The only way out now would be to use the short sword.

She had just reached into her kilt to withdraw the weapon from its sheath when a familiar voice caused her to freeze.

Chapter Eleven

Alastair had been stewing in his thoughts for several moments, his ale untouched when he heard the shouts coming from the street. He poked his head out of the window just in time to see a small man weave his way through the crowds, clutching a money pouch to his chest while five burly men gave chase.

Did he steal from them? Why are they so annoyed?

He mused to himself, watching the scene unfold. Upon a closer look, Alastair noted that the man being chased looked like a simple young boy while the men behind him were brutes. They looked like they would smash him to pieces. It was lucky the boy was fast.

I hope the lad can escape

Just as he thought it, he saw the fruit cart and noticed the young man was not watching. He did not need to see it happen before he knew that the boy would be caught. He bit his lip as the men surrounded him and dragged him off the moment he resurfaced from the under the cart.

They had approached an alley, so now they were out of his sight. He worried his lip between his teeth. He did not know the boy, and it was none of his business, yet his conscience could not rest.

They could kill him if I dae nothin'

He had seen, so he could not ignore. He tossed back the remainder of his drink and got up, hurrying to save the young man.

Who knows why he had to run. Perhaps they tried to steal from him. He could have family dependin' on him. A fast young man like that, maybe he could be of some use to the clan.