Page 65 of Highlander’s Quest of Desire

Chapter Twenty-Five

The smell of salt and seafoam reached her on the wings of a wind. Elspeth’s sat at the oriel window, gazing longingly at the small beach and the vast sea. She marveled at the changing colors, the crash and drag of waves, the almost playful pattern of the foam.

As she watched, a few English soldiers rushed to the beach, discarding their clothes as they went. Elspeth’s face crumpled, and her equanimity soured. Their pale naked bodies entered the sea with a whoop, as if they intended to conquer that too. The sight disgusted her, and she stepped away from the window.

Staring at the blank walls is preferable to that,she thought, sitting down on the bed.

A tray of food sat atop the chest before the bed, but Elspeth had stripped clean the offerings of roasted chicken and potatoes. She was still hungry and aimed to ask the maid for more when she came to collect the tray. It was not that she had given in. No. If she wanted to escape and thwart Leo’s plans, she’d need her strength. Let Leo think he had persuaded her with rich and delicious meals. Men like him never understood the motives of patriots like her.

She lay back on the pillows, her eyes on the stone ceiling but her mind wandering to thoughts of Bruce. She couldn’t get the image of him as she had seen him last out of her mind. The fine form of his limbs, the swift parry of his sword, and the aggressive offence. He was magnificent in those last moments.

No!she berated herself, swiping at the tears in her cheeks. He’s nae dead. Do nae think of him like that. He was so alive, so vital, it was impossible that the fall had killed him. Bruce was alive, she could feel it in her bones.

Getting up, she walked over to the low chest of drawers and filled the basin with cool water. She splashed it on her face, letting the water trickle out the remnants of any tears in her eyes. She was just patting her face dry when the door was unlocked and the maid came in.

“Are ye done with yer meal, Lady Elspeth?” she asked. Gwen was her name, and she was plump and pretty. But she was also afraid and looked steadily at her feet.

“Aye,” Elspeth said. “But I was hoping to get a second helping, if that’s alright.”

Gwen paled. “I’ll have to ask the Laird, Lady Elspeth.”

Elspeth rolled her eyes. “By all means do. I’m sure he will nae object.”

“Of course, I won’t,” Leo said, entering the chamber on silent feet. “I’m very glad to see yer appetite has returned. Bring the Lady Elspeth anything she asks for from now on. And a slice of the gooseberry pie as well.”

Gwen nodded, her eyes wide with fear, and rushed out of the room. She was so frazzled by the presence of Leo that she completely forgot to take the tray with her. It must have struck her too because she whimpered slightly as she came back into the room, picked the tray up from the chest, and cheeks blazing she rushed out again.

“A little daft, that one,” Leo commented, smiling sweetly. “But she’s also the most hardworking. If you like her, I can have her drop the chamber chores and be your lady’s maid.”

“I’m sure I won’t need one,” Elspeth said coolly. She touched the bruise on her mouth. “No lady’s maid could hope to conceal this.”

The bright light in Leo’s eyes dimmed a fraction, but he covered it with a beaming smile that looked more feral wolf than kindly gentleman.

“It’s healing nicely. I’ll have Master Barton come look in at it. We need it completely healed by next Sunday.”

“Are we going to church?” Elspeth asked; her mind had already wandered elsewhere. She strolled to the window hoping the detestable English soldiers had left. They were still splashing away in the surf. One of them had swam further out to sea. Elspeth hoped he wouldn’t come back.

“In a sense,” Leo laughed. “We’re to be married.”

Elspeth’s hand on the window ledge tightened, and her entire body went rigid. The little appetite she had mustered was completely gone. The tethers that held her to the good earth felt loose, and she swayed a little, her vision doubling. The sea and the sky became one, and for a moment she convinced herself she hadn’t heard him correctly. Rage swept through her, ferocious and unforgiving. It melted the ice that held her limbs in its cold grasp and gave her the energy to turn to face her goaler.

“What did ye say?” she asked, her voice little above a whisper.

“We are to be married, Elspeth,” he said, his smile genuine and warm. It repulsed her. He stepped forward, hands held out to her, beseeching. “Our union shall be a welcome celebration for our people who have had little to be happy about in these past few years.”

He touched her arm, and Elspeth’s skin bloomed with goosepimples. Nausea rushed up her throat and only subsided when she slapped his hand away.

“How dare ye?” she hissed. “How dare ye suggest such a thing? Ye can steal our Honors, ye can steal our castles, but ye cannae force me to marry ye. It will never happen. Ye disgust me!”

Leo’s expression darkened, and he was no longer the benign, magnanimous Laird. He looked feral and hungry, like a wolf that could see roasted meat on the spit but was unable to snap any of it away.

“Yer feelings don’t interest me, Elspeth,” he said. “I intend to take what I want. You will be ready on the appointed day, and we will enter into marriage.”

A sickening realization struck her, and she staggered back. “This is why ye kept me alive,” she whispered, her hand raising to touch her lips. The bruise still stung. “This was what ye had intended all along!”

Leo chuckled, and took a seat on the bed. He spread his hands and looked at them for a while before he lifted his eyes to her. “No,” he said. “To be very honest, it was the last thing on my mind.”

Elspeth didn’t believe him. A cool breeze caressed the back of her neck, but sweat trickled down from her scalp and to her back.