The Niece of His Highland Enemy by Alisa Adams
7
The maze of flowers, trees, and neatly trimmed bushes was one of the most magnificent sights that Moire had ever seen. It seemed that no matter which direction she looked, there were new colorful plants to attract her attention. A few times, she even gasped audibly in spite of herself. When she did, she heard Fergus chuckle.
“A beautiful collection, isn’t it?” he commented.
“Where did they all come from?” Her voice was hushed with awe, and her eyes looked as big as saucers.
“My grandmother. She wanted her legacy to be something beautiful that the members of our clan—and our guests—would be able to enjoy for generations to come. She asked my grandfather to pay sailors and merchants to collect the loveliest specimens from their travels and compensated them handsomely. Alas, not all of the plants survived in this climate, but as you see, enough of them did to create a truly impressive garden.”
“That’s wonderful,” Moire breathed, cupping her hand around a delicate bloom and marveling at it. As she did, a butterfly fluttered up from a nearby bush and briefly lighted on her arm before moving on. She laughed, clapping happily.
“I am so pleased that you seem to be feeling better after the tribulations you’ve endured,” Fergus said.
“I am,” she agreed. “And once more, I must thank you for your hospitality. Donella has been very attentive and a good companion.”
“I am relieved to hear that. She has worked as a servant girl for two years, but she has no experience as a proper lady’s maid, so I thought it might take her a while to settle into such a role.”
Moire thought about the way Donella had pulled her hair while brushing it and almost mentioned it, then thought better of it. The last thing she wanted was to get the poor girl into trouble.
“She appears to be learning fairly quickly,” she answered tactfully.
“And you enjoy the castle, do you?” Fergus asked. “Beyond just the gardens, I mean?”
Why is he asking me that?Moire thought, suddenly seized with suspicion. Does he intend to keep me here for longer than he’d originally said? Am I to be his prisoner, after all? A bargaining chip to be used against my uncle?
“Certainly,” she replied, deciding it would be best to try to avoid giving offense. “It is most impressive, to be sure.”
“How does it compare with your uncle’s, if I may ask?”
Ah, so that’s what this is, she told herself. He wants to use me to collect more information about his enemy.
Moire desperately wished that she did not need to search for ulterior motives behind Fergus’s words and actions. She wanted more than anything to take him at face value as the man who had saved her life, the man who had promised to reunite her with her family.
But she was all too aware of how precarious her position was. She knew she had to keep her eyes and ears open and her mind sharp. She had no interest in being a prisoner, not even one kept in a gilded cage such as this castle.
“My uncle’s castle is a formidable edifice, to be sure,” she answered carefully. “It is older, though…or rather, not as well-kept. It can be gloomy and drafty at times, and the facade is somewhat forbidding to travelers and outsiders, which may have been a deliberate point in its design, now that I think about it. But it has been home to me for most of my life.” She paused, then added, “I look forward to seeing it again.”
Why had she included that last bit? She wasn’t entirely sure. Perhaps she hoped to elicit sympathy from him, to convince him to return her to her own people freely, instead of holding her against her will.
Her eyes met his again, and she was once more struck by how free of guile they seemed, despite his stolid demeanor. He clearly did not wish for his expression to betray his true feelings, yet he could no more effectively conceal them than he could a roaring bonfire on a dark night. His emotions smoldered and crackled right at the surface, plainly visible to all.
Yes, he was holding something back; that much was obvious. Still, his strong attraction to her seemed genuine. She got the distinct impression that he honestly meant her no harm.
She hoped she could trust her instincts.
“And so you shall, and soon,” Fergus replied briskly. “Tomorrow morning, we shall set sail for the Highlands. You will see your uncle. And after that, if he grants his permission, I will personally escort you to your siblings so that you may be reunited at last.”
Relief poured into Moire’s heart, and she lunged forward before she could stop herself, throwing her arms around Fergus’s neck gratefully. She could not help it; she had been waiting for someone to speak those words to her for as long as she could remember.
“Oh, thank you, sir, thank you! I cannot begin to tell you how happy that makes me!”
She could feel his heart pounding nervously against her chest, and hers was fluttering as well, just like the wings of the butterfly that had landed on her earlier. His scent was suddenly overwhelming to her, the smells of grass and leather, wool and clean sweat, and sunshine. She felt dizzy and clung to him even tighter.
It would be so easy for them both to give in this time, to kiss as they almost had before. Each quivered with the certainty that the other wanted it just as much as they did.
Moire decided to follow her heart. She raised her head, her mouth searching for his…
But at the last moment, Fergus pulled away, casting his eyes aside.
Confused and disappointed, Moire was seized with the urge to demand answers from him. He was clearly enamored with her, so why did he refuse to act upon it? Why did he choose to torture them both like this? Did he intend to resist his own desire for her during the entirety of their journey together, to Ronald’s castle and beyond?
She could not bring herself to ask these questions, partially because doing so would embarrass her grievously and partially because she was too frightened of what the answers might be.
Better to let the matter rest for now,she decided. The way things were going, it seemed as though they would have plenty of time ahead of them, and she hoped much would be made clear then.
Otherwise,she thought ruefully, this will be a long and frustrating journey indeed.
“I will take my leave of you now,” Fergus said stiffly, taking several steps back, “and bid you a good day and a good evening as well. I look forward to traveling with you and meeting your uncle at last.”
Those last few words made Moire slightly uneasy, but she did her best to hide it. “Rest well, Laird Fergus. Until the morrow, then.”
Fergus withdrew from the chambers, his heart weighing as heavy in his chest as a cannonball. Of course, he had wanted nothing more than to surrender to his infatuation with her, to allow her to kiss him and to return that kiss tenfold. It had taken all of his self-control to resist those urges.
But in the end, his guilt had won out.
Yes, Moire obviously fancied him, but he was convinced that was only because she had no knowledge of how he intended to use her to get to her uncle. True, it was the best course of action in protecting his clan and its interests. It had to be done.
He just wished doing so didn’t need to involve using Moire as his unwitting pawn.
Besides, he told himself, returning to his own chamber and closing the door behind him, my aim is to make peace with Ronald Campbell. Despoiling the virtue of his niece would not make him more inclined to ally himself with me…quite the reverse, in fact. So I must hold fast. I must remain resolute. My will must not waver. The fate of my entire clan depends upon my ability to govern my own accursed impulses.
Sometime later,there was a knock at the door of Moire’s chamber.
Her first thought was that Fergus had returned, that he had decided to follow his heart, to take her in his arms and kiss her. She was not entirely sure how she felt about that. What he’d said about her uncle upon leaving had soured her romantic mood somewhat and called up her previous suspicions about his intentions toward her. She felt that she was locked in an infuriating battle of wits and wills with him, and she was determined to remain sharp enough to gain the upper hand.
Yes, well, that’s all well and good, an unwelcome voice inside her spoke up, but we shall see if you are able to maintain such a resolute stance when you are face-to-face with that strong jaw, those piercing eyes, those broad and powerful shoulders…
Another knock, and she realized that she had allowed her attention to wander. Not an auspicious start to this encounter. “Yes? Who’s there?”
“Edmund, milady,” a man’s voice answered. “Friend to Fergus Brodie. We met before, briefly, on the beach, though we were not properly introduced. May I enter?”
The idea of another strange man in her chambers put her ill at ease, but she supposed she was hardly in a position to refuse. “Very well.”
The door opened, and she found that she did vaguely recognize him from the few moments when she’d regained consciousness at the shore. He had been by Fergus’s side. That seemed like a good sign, at least.
“I am pleased to see that you are recovering from your tribulations,” he said, stepping into the room.
“Thank you.” Something about the way he immediately began to circle the room, like a restless tiger, put her off her guard. His posture and tone made it instantly clear that this was anything but a casual visit. “I owe it all to Fergus, naturally.”
“Yes. Naturally.” He tilted his head to one side, his eyes sharp and inquisitive. “A fascinating thing, is it not? Having just come from a battle with the Campbells, and you a Campbell yourself.”
“A curious turn of events, yes,” she agreed quietly.
“Almost as though some larger force set all this in motion,” Edmund mused, stroking his chin. “If you believe in that sort of thing, of course.”
“Now see here!” she snapped indignantly, putting her hands on her hips. “I have been savaged and very nearly drowned, and on top of that, I’ve awakened to discover that my rescuers are at war with my family! As if that were not enough, now I find myself subjected to some obtuse interrogation? I tell you, I find it most objectionable and deeply insulting, and I would like you to leave my room at once!”
The tirade had gotten away from her a bit toward the end, but it had the advantage of being sincere. Her nerves were already raw, and she had no desire to keep parrying this man’s questions.
He nodded slowly. “You are right, of course. I am sorry to have disturbed you.”
Edmund gave her one last look, suspicion gleaming in his eyes, and then withdrew, leaving her to breathe a sigh of relief.
She prayed she would have no more visitors that day other than Donella.
Mercifully, her prayers were answered.
