Page 15 of The Highlander’s Gypsy Temptation

“I know,” she breathed back, giving his hand a squeeze.

They continued on in silence until they saw the dark outlines of a house up ahead. “We will nae be received well, banging on the door in the night. They may refuse tae help us.”

“Perhaps I should go alone. They are less likely to refuse to help a woman. You remain here and stand guard. If I sense any danger, I will cry out for you.”

Bran hesitated. He was loath to put such a burden on her shoulders alone, but he knew she spoke the truth. A woman seeking aid in the middle of the night was far more likely to get it than a man. “I will be here. Dinnae hesitate tae call out tae me.”

Idalia nodded. “I will return, but it may take some time. They are unlikely to let me leave easily once I have told them my tale of woe.”

“Perhaps we should wait for the light.”

“Do we have the time?”

Bran sighed. “Nae, we dinnae. Come the light we will lose any element o’ surprise that we might have.”

“Then we must do what we must do.” Squaring her shoulders, Idalia stepped out into the clearing and walked up to the door of the house.

“God be with ye, lass,” Bran breathed, as he faded back into the darkness.

—

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CHAPTER SEVEN

Idalia raised her hand and knocked on the door. She had never approached a stranger’s house in the middle of the night. She was nervous, scared of capture, and more than a little confused as to why she felt the need to go completely against her instincts of self-preservation to help a man who had kidnapped her to begin with. I may have very well gone mad. The sound of shuffling feet from behind the door brought her thoughts back to the present moment. The door opened and a bleary-eyed man stuck his head out.

“Who is there?” he grumbled, his beady eyes peering up at her. His breath was rancid, smelling of alcohol and tobacco.

“Please forgive the intrusion, but I am in need of immediate assistance,” Idalia answered him, taking a small step back to escape the stench.

“Oh, aye?” he peered down at her, attempting to focus on her face in the dim light of the candle in his hand. “Ye are nae from around here are ye, lassie?”

Idalia sighed. She was used to such observations by now, but it was still annoying to have it be the first thing that people noticed about her. She was beginning to understand why Esmerelda spoke the local dialect with a regional accent. “I am not. Please, I am in need of assistance. Is there someone within who might be able to deliver an urgent message to Strathnaver? It is very important. It is a matter of life and death.”

“Strathnaver?” The man thought for a moment. “Aye, for a fee.” His eyes glittered with greed.

“I will be happy to pay.”

“Lad!” the man yelled into the house over his shoulder. “Come tae me!”

A brief moment later a gangly young lad appeared in the doorway. “Da?” he asked, eyeing Idalia with interest while scratching his backside. His hair stood on end in every direction. He made a most amusing sight. If Idalia had not been so terrified for her own life, she would have laughed aloud at the sight the father and son made. The family resemblance was undeniable.