Page 59 of It’s in his Highland Kiss

It was a good thing that Marion never planned on being one of them, she thought.

“And a very beautiful young woman,” the commander added, as he came to a halt right in front of her, a hand coming up to brush a stray curl away from her face. Marion bit the inside of her cheek, her hands curling into fists in her pockets.

They weren’t shaking anymore.

Marion didn’t move, nor did she try to avoid the commander’s advances. She wasn’t in any immediate danger, she knew, as she doubted that the commander would do anything to offend her.

“Tell me, Marion,” the commander said, taking in a deep breath as he turned around and walked away from her. “You come from a good family, do you not?”

He must think he is irresistible. What a ridiculous man.

“I suppose I do,” she told him, though she frowned at the sudden change of topic. Why was he asking about her family, Marion wondered? Didn’t he already know everything there was to know about her parents?

“You see, I am still unmarried,” the commander said, and it was then when Marion realised what it was that he was truly asking. He wanted to know if her family was wealthy enough for him to consider her as a potential wife.

I wonder what he’ll do if he doesn’t deem me wealthy enough to be his wife. Perhaps he’ll want me as a mistress.

Marion had no doubts that this was the kind of person that the commander was. He was handsome, after all, and he had enough power to make young women all around England swoon over him. Some of those poor girls would soon find out what a monster he was, Marion thought, and she couldn’t help but pity them for it.

“I’m sure that my father would be happy to discuss with you everything that you would like to know upon our arrival,” Marion assured him. If anything, her parents would be delighted to know that the commander had shown interest in her. She had no doubt that they had been certain for a long time that she would never find a husband.

Marion’s words seemed to appease the commander. She watched him as he downed the rest of his wine and filled up his cup once more, before doing the same to Marion’s own.

“My, you have barely touched your wine,” he told her, when he saw how little she had drunk. “I feel as though I am at a disadvantage.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say so,” Marion said, turning to flattery. What better way to deal with someone like Commander Forbes? “How can a man like you ever be at a disadvantage?”

The commander laughed, perching himself on the edge of one of the chairs by the table and gesturing at Marion to join him. She did so reluctantly, still trying to keep her distance from the other man.

“You flatter me,” the commander said. “I seem to find myself at a disadvantage too often these days, I’m afraid. Mainly with those savages.”

There it was again, Marion thought. The commander had switched the topic of their conversation once more after pretending that the Scots were not the one thing on his mind that eclipsed everything else, after putting Marion at relative ease.

“All they know is war,” Marion said. “I am not surprised that they are good at it.”

“I can’t say that you don’t have a point, but there is no greater army in the world than that of England,” the commander said. “All we need is to find out what their plans are. Would you happen to know anything about their plans, Marion?”

Marion hesitated, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. She didn’t want to seem too eager to give the commander the information, nor did she want him to think that she knew too much, more than she could have possibly been told by Eiric and the laird.

And then, she began to tell him everything that the laird had instructed her to say. She told him about battle plans that would never be put into action, about unguarded doors and passages that would most certainly be filled with men if the commander decided to attack, and about everything else that he wanted to hear.

While Marion talked, the commander drank and drank, emptying his cup time after time and filling it up again. There was no time better than when he was drunk for Marion to get even more information out of him, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, it became clear to her that the commander had other things in mind.

“You know, Marion, it’s not easy being in my shoes,” the commander said, much to Marion’s confusion. She couldn’t imagine what could be so hard about being Commander Forbes, save for the weight on a conscience he didn’t even seem to have. “I have been looking for a wife for a long time.”

“And what makes it so difficult to find one?” Marion asked, even though she was quite certain that the answer to her question was his hideous personality.

“None of the women I meet seem to be good enough,” the commander said. Marion very much doubted that the women the commander had met were not good enough. She simply believed that the commander thought too highly of himself. “But you, Marion . . . I can see myself marrying you.”

Marion remained silent. There was nothing she could say, after all. She couldn’t bring herself to feign excitement over the news, not when all she could think of was Eiric.

She didn’t know what she would do if the commander continued to insist that she was a good candidate to be his wife. Surely, if he brought her home to her parents, then they would be delighted, and if he deemed her wealthy enough, there would be no stopping any of them.

What will I do if it comes to this?

She would have to make her own way back to Scotland, she decided, in that case. She would have to run away and hope for the best, hope that she would make it there before the commander could catch up to her.

Marion’s body was suddenly filled with a nervous energy that she could hardly contain. She stood and made her way to the other side of the tent, where she gazed outside through the gap in the fabric. It didn’t take long for John to join her, and when he did, he positioned himself right in front of her, blocking her view of the camp.