Page 30 of Savage Kilted Highlander

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

After they had spent two lazy days holed up at the inn, Bane was pleased to see how much better Constance was looking. Young and stronger than even she believed herself to be, she had bounced back quickly from the physical ordeal of the journey. The good food and comfortable quarters had soon put roses back into her cheeks.

However, at the same time, he had noticed her mood seemed increasingly thoughtful as the day of their departure grew closer. He guessed it had to do with her admitted trepidation about meeting her father. After learning about how he had kidnapped Tav and imprisoned him, it was obvious she was having doubts about what kind of man he was.

Bane felt almost sorry when the day he planned to leave to return to the castle dawned. Though he remained single-minded in his determination to successfully complete his mission to rescue Tav, he was nevertheless found himself growing increasingly distracted by Constance, to the point where he was beginning to seriously question his chosen method of abduction.

He found he could no longer look upon her simply as a means to an end. Her sharp tongue, quick wit, and surprising resilience both disarmed and impressed him. It was hard for him to admit to himself that she sparked feelings within him that he could not quite identify, and that he was increasingly drawn to her. This was problematic while they were sharing such confined domestic quarters, more specifically the bed. It naturally bred a certain level of familiarity, which was beginning to encroach on his ability to keep his distance and not show his growing fondness for her.

On the third day, after a good breakfast in their chamber, they set out on well-rested horses for the journey back to the castle.

“It is awfully cold and bright out here, but I’m very glad it is not snowing or raining,” Constance remarked when the horses were brought out for them. She stood wrapped up in her cloak, shielding her eyes against the pale wintry sun that sat in a dazzling azure sky.

“Aye, ’tis a good day fer travellin’. With luck, it’ll stay like this fer the next few days, and we should nae havetae face as much hardships as before,” Bane said, frowning as she held out her wrists to him.

He shook his head. “There’s nay need tae tie ye, is there?” he asked. “Seein’ as I’m takin’ ye back tae yer faither there seems nay point in ye runnin’.”

She looked pleasantly surprised, and she smiled as she lowered her hands. “Thank you, Bane. Does that mean I can ride Lucy?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

“Nay, ye’ll ride up here with me as before.” He patted the front of his saddle.

Her smile faded. “But why? That does not make sense at all. Either you trust me not to run or you do not.”

Bane knew it made no sense, but he did not care. He wanted to keep her close, telling himself it was to protect her. But if he were completely honest, it was also because he liked having her next to him. “Let’s say I trust ye halfway,” he told her as he lifted her up onto his stallion. To his mild surprise, she did not protest any further.

“It is a beautiful day, for certain,” she said, settling against him and looking about her at the surroundings as they went slowly down the road. “See how everything is glittering like diamonds in the sunshine under this heavy frost. The cobwebs on the bushes are like beautiful necklaces.”

“Aye, ’tis very pretty,” Bane agreed, amused by her poetic turn of phrase. “Ye must be pleased tae be goin’ back tae the castle, eh? Tae meet yer faither and Lady Agnes.”

“Mmm, yes, I guess I am,” she replied with surprisingly little enthusiasm.

“Well, ye dinnae sound very keen.”

“I am keen, of course, I am. I shall no longer be your prisoner, and I am looking forward to that. But even so, after what you have told me about my father, I can’t help wondering what my life will be like with him at the castle.”

“Ye think he’s gonnae keep ye locked up in there like yer sister?”

“Well, the question is, why would he not? If he is as fanatical about keeping Agnes safe as you say, then I do not see why he would treat me any differently.” He could not quite make out her expression as she spoke, but he could imagine the little line that had appeared between her arching brows.

“And ye dinnae like the thought of that?”

“I do not. That is the very reason why I left Ashbourne Manor, so that my life would not be controlled by someone else.”

“Ye’re worried ye may be jumpin’ from the fryin’ pan intae the fire with Laird Kerr? That he’s gonnae try tae control ye just the same.”

“Exactly. But if I want to meet my twin then I must hope that will not be the case.”

She sounded so sad, Bane wanted to offer her comforting words. But he was afraid that the more they talked, the more he would want to talk with her, and the less happy he would be to give her up. That was not a good thing, so, he resisted the urge to comfort her.

Few words passed between them as they crossed the stretch of moorland comfortably.

As they stopped to let the horses drink and to rest, Bane presented her with the locket he had been keeping hidden. He was swinging it on one finger. “Ye kept yer word,” he said, genuinely grateful to her for keeping quiet at the inn. “So, here’s yer locket back.”

“Thank ye,” she replied, turning around and lifting her hair aside. “Will ye fasten it for me, please?”

Once again, he found himself confronted with the delicious nape of her neck, with its soft curling tendrils of auburn, and the golden birthmark shaped like a bird in flight. His fingers tingled as they brushed against her warm skin while he fastened the tiny catch, and his manhood stirred in the front of his trews. “There, ’tis done,” he told her at last, forcing himself to step away to a safer distance, unable to control the effect she had upon him.

“Thank ye,” she told him, tucking the locket inside the collar of her new gown beneath the cloak, bestowing one of her brilliant smiles upon him at the same time. “I am glad to have it back, but our arrangement worked out very well, did it not? I have proved I am trustworthy once I give my word.”