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Lyndsay was in shock as Douglas left. He had given her the promise of safety, but how could she believe him? She badly wanted to, but after all that had happened, her heart was far too damaged to hope. He had told her no specifics of the plan or what was going to happen to him afterward. She presumed after what he told her that he would return to the Highlands, and she would never see him again. She knew that she was supposed to hate him more fiercely than any man alive, but she simply couldn’t bring herself to have such intense feelings about him. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized that he was more than just a brutish warrior. He had a gentle spirit and a big heart. She was surprised to learn that he wanted the same thing she did: a family.

She had laughed when he revealed this to her, not because it was impossible to believe, but because it was so against everything she had learned about him. When he suggested that no woman would love him because of his scar, well, it may have been the whiskey, but her heart melted for him. He wasn’t even unattractive, at least to her eyes. Perhaps if things had happened differently, then they might have gotten off to a better start and found more common ground between each other, and a deeper connection might have flourished. It was strange to even think this about a man who, on the surface, was so different from her, yet she had smiled when she had awoken in his arms, and that wasn’t something that could be feigned.

Lyndsay’s mind and heart were conflicted, but if she was given the opportunity to leave, then she was going to grasp it fully with both hands.

She rose from the bed and walked to the window, looking with disdain at the bottle of whiskey that stood at the foot of the bed. Her stomach turned as she remembered the taste and how it had lingered in her throat like a phantom. Even the small sips she had taken had addled her mind, and it had probably been partly responsible for the easy flow of conversation she and Douglas had enjoyed the previous night. In other circumstances, she would have been sad to part from him, but this was her life, and if she wanted it to continue, then she needed to be elsewhere, far from these English-hating Highlanders.

When she reached the window, she looked down and saw a flurry of activity. The Highlanders were moving about their horses, saddling them up and loading them with all manner of goods they were stealing from her home. While she couldn’t hear what they were saying, it was clear they were moving with far more speed than what she had witnessed since the battle. Anxiety drove their movements, and even the horses seemed flustered. Panic entered Lyndsay’s heart, and she wondered if they had discovered her presence or if this was Douglas’s doing. Could this have been part of his plan? Perhaps he had warned them about some threat, and they were going to ride away, leaving her free to wander back into England. But if so, then why hadn’t he told her anything about it?

It led her to wonder if that was their farewell. There was something profoundly sad about the idea that she would never see him again. She at least hoped to say goodbye, for although he had brought much sorrow to her life, there had been an affinity growing between them as well, and despite everything that had happened, he had not harmed her, not killed her, and had not taken her virtue when he could so easily have done all three.

She had never considered herself as anything overtly special to the world, but to him, it was clear she had had an effect, but she would never know how deeply it ran.

Since the only thing she could assume was that Douglas had intended for this to be a part of her plan to escape, she ran to the door and tested it, but it didn’t open. She worried that something bad had happened. Perhaps Douglas’s uncle had come here to make the place burn, and she was going to end up being consumed by the flames. It would be cruel to be killed when she was so close to mercy.

Then another thought struck her. Douglas had spoken of his rival and how this Fergus had wanted to kill him. Douglas seemed confident about being able to defend himself, but what if he had been wrong about the threat? What if Fergus had succeeded and was rousing the other Highlanders to leave?

What if he stole the key from Douglas and came into the room to finish the job that Douglas couldn’t?

Fear crawled like a spider down her spine, and she looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. She looked at the bottle again and picked it up by the neck, curling her fingers around it tightly. There were only dregs left in the bottom of the bottle, and she raised it like she would a sword, ready to defend herself against anyone who dared to enter.

The door opened, and Lyndsay braved herself against the inexorable, when all the fear suddenly released from her in one long gasp, for it was Douglas who stood there and rushed across the room.

“What’s going on?” Lyndsay asked in a hurried, hushed whisper.

“We dinnae hae much time. Word came tae us that the English hae declared war on any Scot who finds themselves in England. We hae tae leave.”

“Oh, so you got the reaction you wanted, and now you’re worried?”

“We never expected them tae respond sae quickly, and we’re nae equipped tae deal with a full onslaught. We hae tae get back tae the Highlands as soon as possible where we can gather with the rest of our forces. But it means that we dinnae hae much time tae get ye tae safety.”

“Why can’t you just let me stay here? Surely if you’re leaving, then I can wait for the English to arrive.”

“Because they’re gaeing tae burn the place down, lass. We hae tae leave now,” Douglas said. There was urgency in every word and intensity in his eyes. It was all happening so fast, and Lyndsay wasn’t sure what to do.

“What’s going to happen to me? How are you going to keep me safe?” she asked.

While she had hated being cooped up in this room, she had at least been safe and protected from the rest of the Highlanders. Leaving it now was fraught with danger, even if she was with Douglas. That’s when he tore off a piece of fabric and wrapped it around his wrist before indicating that she should put her hand against his.

“What are you doing?” she asked, stifling a laugh, but Douglas wasn’t joking at all.

“It’s the only way,” he said. “Trust me. We hae tae get married.”

Married. The word lingered in her mind like the dull chime of a bell. This had all begun with her being betrothed to a man she did not love, and now it was ending with a forced marriage. If there was a destiny to the world, then it was clear that hers was to be given to a man not of her choosing.

“I… We can’t do that,” she said, pulling her hand away.

“If ye are my wife, then I can protect ye,” Douglas said through gritted teeth, grabbing her wrist to bring her hand against his again. “I know it’s nae what ye want, and it’s certainly nae what ye deserve, but this is the only way I can think tae keep ye safe. It’s still nae perfect because ye are English, and I’m gaeing tae hae a lot of explaining tae dae, but this bond will protect ye from the others daeing ye harm. It’ll hae tae dae until we can think of something else.”

What she had thought was a jest had turned deadly serious. Lyndsay knew what was at stake, and she also knew that Douglas wouldn’t do this unless it were the only option. She nodded and clasped his hand, allowing him to wrap the ribbon around her, binding them together.

“With this binding, I clasp our hands taegther, I clasp our lives taegether, and I clasp our hearts taegether. I promise tae protect ye and keep ye from harm. I promise tae watch over ye when the storm clouds gather. I promise tae keep ye warm when the winter winds drift across the moors. I take yer life intae my hands, and I vow tae be true tae ye. I make this vow with my solemn heart, in front of the eyes of the gods. I make this oath with my ancestors looking on from the world beyond, and I dinnae lie tae them. Dae ye accept?” he asked.

The words were spoken quickly, but she could sense the emotion within them, and it brought tears to Lyndsay’s eyes, which were quite unexpected. There was a firm determination in Douglas’s voice, as though he meant every word he said. She had a feeling that she would know if he was lying.

“I do,” she said. “I accept your promises. I accept your protection. I accept your heart and your life too. I will walk with you for as long as you keep me safe, and I will not do anything to betray the trust you have placed in me.”

They were not the vows she thought she would be speaking, and they did not begin to cover the depth of emotion she thought she would feel when she eventually got married, but they certainly weren’t lies, and it didn’t feel strange to pledge anything to this man. As she looked up at him and accepted his strength, she looked beyond the scar on his face, beyond the rage that flickered in his eyes, and she saw something majestic and beautiful underneath. There was the man who had kept her warm, who had respected her innocence, who had kept his word when he could so easily have run her through with a sword and left her bleeding in her family home like he had done with everyone else.

Then something else unexpected occurred. It was not enough to simply speak the vows and bind the hands. The marriage had to be sealed with something else. A small moan burst out of her lips when his free hand shot out and clasped the back of her neck. Then his lips were upon her, pressing with their heat and their ardor. The kiss was hard and passionate. There was still a hint of whiskey on his breath, but she didn’t pull away, nor did she wish for the kiss to stop. A storm of emotion swirled within the pit of her stomach and seemed to spread all over, creating this wave of heat that made her skin glow. Her body arched back, and the breath was stolen from her lungs by the sweeping passion of the moment. When the kiss ended, she was left reeling.

“Come on, lass, we hae tae gae,” he said.

Lyndsay held Douglas’s hand tightly as they crept down the stairs. She could hear movement elsewhere in the house, but Douglas was still trying to keep her secret. He grabbed a dark cloak and urged her to put it on. It billowed as she wrapped it around her shoulders and fastened it tightly, pulling up the hood to obscure her features. She remained close to Douglas, feeling the heat and strength emanating from his body, scared that someone else would see them, but assured that Douglas would not hurt her and not sacrifice her life for his as her father had done.

They walked briskly through the house as other Highlanders shouted outside. Flames began to crackle as the house was being lit up with fire. Smoke started to pour through the lower floor, rising through the stairs and spreading through the house like a thick fog. Douglas wrapped his arm around Lyndsay’s shoulders and forced her to keep her head low. She coughed and spluttered as the temperature around her rose, and the house began to groan in pain, almost as though it knew its death was approaching. She and Douglas slipped out of the back where his horse was waiting for them. Lyndsay gulped in fresh air as she was helped onto the horse by Douglas. He climbed on after her, wrapping his arms around her and grabbing the reins.

“Keep yer head low,” he said as he geed the horse, and they started riding away along with other Highlanders.

A steady stream of horses moved away from the estate as the fire took hold, licking up the walls and burning the foundations. The house became charred, and the air shimmered with all the heat of the fire. It was the final nail in the coffin of the life that had been hers before all this.

Everything and everyone she had ever known was dead now, and somehow crying didn’t seem like it was enough.