Chapter Two

Rose stood at the docks, watching as the ship began to slowly pull away from shore. She couldn’t believe she’d let her mistress talk her into this mad scheme. She’d been the personal maid of Lady Alice since their early teens, and her ladyship had always been headstrong and impulsive. But running away from her betrothed, with a savage Highlander whom she’d blackmailed into escorting her, was a piece of work, even for Lady Alice.

Rose glanced around the dock. As usual, it was a swarm of people. Sailors scurried about, loading and unloading other ships. Passengers, town folk, and other people milled about. Rose could only pray that there were no spies for the notorious Mr. Ramsay, the man who presented danger not only to Lady Alice, but to her dear friends as well. If Ramsay were to discover that Lady Alice was on that ship—and then discover her destination—many lives would be in danger.

Her eyes kept darting to and fro, trying to be sure no one watched the ship, or her, or…looked suspicious in general. A tall task, considering some of the characters on the docks. Finally, once she was certain the ship was well underway, she turned to leave. It was best that she get back to the Chivers’ inn before anyone noticed that Lady Alice was missing. She must keep her lady’s whereabouts a secret for as long as possible. It was early enough they should be fine for a few more hours. But if anyone decided to open the lady’s door before Rose was there to intercept them, all her carefully laid plans would be in jeopardy.

Before she got more than a few steps, a man she hadn’t noticed stepped up to her side and grabbed her arm.

“What are you—?”

“Dinna make a sound,” he said, drawing her close enough that she could feel the tip of his dagger pressing into her side under the cover of their cloaks.

“What do you want?” she whispered, trying to keep her wits about her, though her legs trembled so badly it was a wonder she remained upright.

“You and I are going to have a little chat,” he said. “Let’s go.”

He led her off the docks. She didn’t fight him, even with every muscle in her body tense and ready to do so. Causing a scene might save her, but it would most assuredly bring unwanted attention. No one could discover the Lady Alice was gone until it was too late for them to do anything, and the ship was still visible in the distance. Her lady needed more time to escape.

But when the man led her toward a wagon she dug in her heels. He kept his face in the shadow of his hat so she couldn’t get a good look at him. His voice hadn’t sounded familiar. But if he was someone who meant her no harm, he wouldn’t have a dagger pressed to her ribs. If he was going to kill her, she’d rather he did it where her body might be found. And where he couldn’t have a chance to prolong her suffering before ending her life.

Why had she ever left London? She should have tried harder to talk her mistress out of her mad scheme. A rush of homesickness for the nice, safe room in the Chivers’ London townhouse overwhelmed her, and she wished, more than anything, that she was back home.

“I demand you release me at once,” she said, taking care not to raise her voice loudly enough to draw attention.

“I’ll do no such thing.”

They’d reached the wagon, and she waited for her chance to flee. Hopefully, he’d put her in the bed of the wagon, which might afford her the opportunity to jump out and escape.

Either he had the same thought or simply wanted to keep her close, because instead of tossing her into the wagon bed, he grasped her arm tighter and all but shoved her up front onto the driver’s bench. He was so close behind her she couldn’t even throw herself over the other side. He sat, pulled her down beside him, and wrapped an arm about her shoulders.

“Take the reins,” he said, tightening his grip on her shoulders and keeping the knife to her side.

She hesitated for only a second, but it was enough for him to press the blade in until she gasped from the sharp prick. She glared at him but gathered the reins. He nodded. “Good. Now take us onto the road. Stay to the side and dinna say a word.”

“I thought you wanted to chat,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Aye. Once we are away from prying eyes.”

Her heart thundered at that. She had to get away before they got too far from town. Who knew what his plans would be once they were alone?

She kept an eye out for an opportunity. If she could escape without worrying about drawing attention to herself, she’d scream her fool head off and let the blackguard next to her do what he might. But with Lady Alice’s scheme hanging in the balance… Rose sighed. And then sat up straighter. Up ahead of them was a bend. The road was lined with shrubbery, and a small copse of trees lay beyond it. There weren’t too many travelers. If she could break away and make it to the trees before the man could follow, she might be able to hide in the woods. She’d have a minute or two headway as he’d have to deal with the horses before following.

She shifted in her seat, trying to put a few inches between them. He’d loosened his grip slightly, and his knife, while still poised and ready, no longer pressed into her side. The bend neared, and she tightened her grip on the reins. Just before it was upon them, she lifted her arms and brought the reins down with a crack, shouting “Yah!” to the horses.

The horses shot forward with a burst of speed, and the momentum flung Rose and the man back in their seats.

“What are ye doing?” he hollered.

He’d let go of her when he fell back, and she wasted no time. She grabbed hold of the sideboard and flung herself from the wagon. She landed on one of the blessed bushes which thankfully lessened the brunt of her fall. However, disentangling herself slowed her down. The man managed to bring the horses to a halt and shouted at her again. She didn’t pause to listen.

She gathered her skirts and ran into the trees as fast as she could. His footsteps thundered behind her but she didn’t stop. She did, however, look back over her shoulder once. He was much closer than she thought. She ran faster, turning around right as he shouted, “Wait!”

A blinding pain shot through her head as she collided with a low hanging branch. It knocked her off her feet, flat onto her back. The last thing she saw before the darkness closed in around her was the man standing over her, his arms reaching out.

…

“Lass?” William reached out and brushed her hair from her face, his fingers gingerly pressing along her head as he checked for wounds. She seemed to be fine, albeit unconscious. And a stunning beauty even out cold on the forest floor. Too bad she was probably a spy for his worst enemy.

He held his hand in front of her face. She still breathed. And there was no blood, but she’d have a headache when she awoke for certain.

“Who are ye, lass? Hmm? Friend or foe?”

She didn’t respond. He sighed and gathered her up, swinging her into his arms with a grunt. Thankfully, she hadn’t made it too far.

“Ye’re lucky, lass. If I had to trudge a greater distance with you in my arms, I might have left ye there.”

He ignored the nagging voice in the back of his head that contradicted that lie. Yet, leaving her in the woods would accomplish his objective just as well as taking her prisoner. Mayhap more so, as taking her meant bringing her straight to the man for whom he suspected she worked.

“Leaving ye would make things a great deal easier,” he said, realizing full well he was speaking to someone who couldn’t speak back. Still, speaking aloud to her made her dead weight seem less heavy.

“I ken I dinna have much to go on yet, since ye went and skelped yerself in the head before I could question ye. But then, if ye dinna want to be taken for questioning, ye really should ha’ acted less suspicious on the docks. Truly, the fact that ye were there at all…well, I kent it in my gut. And I mean to hear ye admit that ye’re a spy for Ramsay. As ye most likely are. Why else would ye be standing there where ye have no business t’be, looking as suspicious as the day is long? Ye’d certainly been watching the ship that my kinsman was on, that much is certain.”

He took a deep breath. “I dinna think ye’d made it so far into the woods, lassie. Good on ye. Except that now I have to haul ye back. Ye’re no’ but a wee thing, but still…” He hefted her up a bit higher with a groan. “It would help a fair bit if ye could wake and maybe put yer arms about my neck.”

Instead, her head lolled against his shoulder. He glanced down at her peaceful features. “No? All right then, lass. If ye insist on being carried.”

He walked a couple more feet before he started talking out loud again. “I ken ye’ll no’ likely thank me for taking ye from the docks. But I’ll have ye ken, ’twas a fair risk for me to do so. I’m sure ye’ll no’ appreciate the courage it took. Understandable.”

He laughed at his own joke and hefted her up again. “But I couldna leave ye free to report my kinsman’s whereabouts to Ramsay. Although, I do find it unfortunate that my honor wouldna allow me to leave a defenseless woman in the woods, even if ye dinna prove innocent. Ye’re a bonnie lass, but ye’re breaking my back, if ye dinna mind me saying so.”

He shifted her weight the best he could. If he could throw her over his shoulder, it would be much easier carrying her. But that would force all the blood into her head and give her an even more wicked headache than the one she’d already have. Best to suffer through the dead weight and be thankful he wouldn’t have to carry her too much farther.

He glanced down at her again. “Still asleep, lassie?” He nodded. “Right then.”

He took another deep breath and let it out with relief when he caught sight of the bush where he’d tied the horse and hidden the wagon. “Aye, saints be praised,” he muttered.

Her weight felt a bit lighter now that the end was in sight. Or perhaps his arms had begun to go numb. Either way, he was thankful for the reprieve from his screaming muscles. He’d obviously been lying about too much while in Ramsay’s employ. His cousins would never let him get away with such laziness. There were always chores to be done at the MacGregor households. He’d hated that as a child, but he had to admit, the constant activity had kept him strong and finely honed.

He made it to the wagon and laid her in the back. “Sorry, lass. I wasn’t expecting passengers so, unfortunately, I have no straw. But,” he said, balling up a handful of her cloak to cushion her head, “hopefully this will help a bit.”

He patted her down, feeling through the material of her clothing looking for weapons. “Ye’ll pardon me, I hope, but I canna be too cautious. I’ve spent too long infiltrating Ramsay’s group and earning the blackguard’s trust to let some woman ruin everything now. Ramsay wouldn’t hesitate to run me through if he thought he’d been betrayed. And I’d lose any advantage my inside knowledge has given my kin, if I’m dead. With my position as one of Ramsay’s men, I can keep an eye on things and report anything suspicious to my kinsman Philip, who in turn, reports to our other kinsmen John and Malcolm, the laird of the MacGregors, who everyone calls The Lion. Get all that, did ye? I hope so, because I’ll no’ repeat it.”

A quiet snore escaped her lips, and William snorted. “Ah,” he said in triumph, extracting a small but wicked looking dagger from her pocket. “I’ll return this to ye if ye prove ye’re no enemy to me and mine.”

He bound her hands and feet, tight enough to keep her from escaping but loose enough they weren’t too uncomfortable. He wasn’t a monster for all that he felt like one when he gagged her with the clean handkerchief from his pocket.

“My apologies for all this, lass. But if ye decide to grace us with yer presence again before I can get ye hidden, we’ll both be in danger. Philip, my cousin, the man I’m sure ye saw on the docks, is a known associate of Ramsay’s sworn enemies. Also my kinsmen. Aren’t I the lucky lad? Ramsay, damn his eyes, has spies everywhere. As ye probably ken well enough as ye are most likely one of them. So. I’m afraid there is no way that I can allow ye, no matter how bonnie ye may be, to pose a threat to my kin. Ye’ve seen Philip, I’m certain. On the docks boarding the ship. And ye’ve seen me. As ye ken well. It is very possible ye’ve seen us together and if ye have, well, that puts me in a bind, does it no’?”

He made sure everything was secure and that she wouldn’t be able to sit up in the wagon. The last thing he needed was for a trussed up maid to jump from his wagon, again, at an inopportune moment.

“Had ye sat tight for a few more minutes, ye foolish lass, we could have had our chat and, on the off chance ye’d proven innocent, I’d have let ye go on yer way. Now, I’m forced to take ye with me. Perhaps ’tis for the best. This way, I can ensure ye do no harm. And if ye are’na who I ken ye to be…well, ye still willna be telling anyone about anything ye’ve seen. At least until I’m a fair distance away from ye.”

He hopped back into the wagon and grabbed the reins. He needed to make haste to return to Ramsay’s camp. He’d already been gone too long. What he’d do with the blasted woman when he got there he still didn’t know.