Two Days Later…
COLIN stared into the bleakness of the dungeon Sinclair kept him in, counting down the days until his men would come in search of him, prepared for battle. He suspected that Sinclair was up to no good, but never had he anticipated being betrayed the way he was. By now Ewen and his men would be preparing for an assault on these lands. He’d overheard two guards earlier in the morning discussing some raiding plans, but he couldna hear where. They dropped their voices to a whisper once they noticed he’d been watching them. Sinclair didna possess an ounce of dignity to cross such boundaries.
Aye, raiding was the life of most Highlanders. Not one of the clans could deny their part in it. Yet, for Sinclair to expect him to accept one of his daughters as a bride, all the while raiding his lands and secretly taking them over, no. Sinclair went too far. He, Laird Colin McIntyre, would never give in to the traitorous laird. When Colin’s men breached the fortress, Sinclair had best have a plan in place. Colin would drive them all from their home and put an end to this madness.
In the darkness, shadows cast down the stairs and danced against the river-rock slabs. The twisting and folding shapes inched toward him. The hairs on his arms stood on end, warning him be to be ready.
A feminine form stopped at the final step.
A plaid, old and weathered, draped across her gown, her golden hair was disheveled, and a tattered gown barely covered her sinfully tiny ankles. How could he have missed all these details? The young woman inched closer, her dark stare set on him and her lips pursed.
Colin’s body hummed with a desire even from behind his iron confinement.
She held a torch in one hand and a plate in the other. The woman stopped a few feet away from him and placed the dish down on a board held up by two larger stones. She removed a key hidden away from the cell, stepped toward him again, and smiled.
“Laird McIntyre,” she whispered as she fumbled with the lock and opened the heavy gauge iron. “I’ve been asked to bring ye sustenance in hopes it will clear yer previous judgment with Laird Sinclair. He advises ye have only until morning to claim one of his daughters as yer future bride, or he will ride that very day to yer land and lay claim to it.”
His heart slowed as he considered the proposition. She stood there with her hands at her sides. Her fingers delicately pulled at the folds of her skirt. Nervous. He then noticed the skin around her wrist. The blue was faint with a tinge of yellow.
The servant returned back to the plate and brought it before him and smiled.
“I am sorry he’s done this. Between ye and me, there’s no one fit to manage either one of his daughters. The mutton is a day old, as is the bread and cheese. It was all I could find left over from the last meal.”
“What was yer name again, lass?”
“My name is Beatrice, sir.”
“Thank you, lass, I appreciate the food, no matter the age.” Colin grazed his fingers over the top of hers, his touch lingering a few seconds longer than it should. An unfamiliar warmth washed over him, and all he could think of was to take her into his arms.
Beatrice stepped back and frowned.
“I’m sorry, lass. I meant nothing by the touch and wish ye no harm.”
“Why are ye here? The laird rarely receives strangers, and for ye to be guest and then prisoner, ye must have insulted the laird. Yet, something tells me my laird deserved the slight.”
“I’d come to speak to yer laird on urgent business, as he stated in his missive to me. Seeing as I’ve answered yer questions, why not answer one for me? Have ye always been a Sinclair?”
“I fail to see the relevance of my relation to the clan,” she barked.
“’Twas only a question, Beatrice. Ye doona seem to be at home here. At least that is what I’ve heard. Can ye at least tell me where yer from?”
“I cannot, sir. I was brought here to live with the former stablemaster and lived with his wife after his passing. My guardian a few days ago abandoned me in a rush for reasons unknown to me, and I was left alone in the hut until the laird summoned me to the castle and put me to work in the kitchens and doing general laundry duties.”
“So you were an orphan.” Colin pondered over their conversation. “Thank ye, Beatrice. Ye may return to yer duties and report. I will have an answer ready for him in the morning.”
Beatrice turned away without glancing back at him.
Where the hell was she from?
Guardians…a second chance at life…none of it made sense, and yet he was sure if he dug deep enough, the answer would be found. All he could do was trust in his men arriving any day now.