Chapter 2
The bed should have been comfortable, since it was large and well-padded, but Eliza was acutely aware of Duncan’s hard male body beside her.
Although she tried to turn her back and put as much space as she could between them, she could still feel his warm breath on her neck and smell the musk of his skin.
Despite herself, she found it arousing in the extreme.
She fell into a fitful doze just before dawn, only to be awakened by Duncan’s hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. She opened her eyes gingerly to find his amber eyes smiling down at her.
“Good morning, lass,” he said. “Did you sleep well?” There was a hint of mischief in his smile.
Eliza rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands; they felt raw and gritty, and she knew that they would be red and bloodshot.
I must look like a witch, she thought, yawning.
“Well enough,” she lied, even though she knew Duncan did not believe her.
“I will have breakfast sent up for you,” he told her. “I’m going to settle our bill and organise the carriage while you eat and dress. We must leave as soon as we can, there is a long way to go.” He paused and looked at her doubtfully. “Eliza, are you sure you are well?”
“Fine, thank you.” Eliza turned her back on him and went to wash and dress, then ate her breakfast, all the while trying not to think about Duncan’s presence in her bed a few hours before.
It would have been so easy to turn and wrap her arms around him—after all, she and one of her sisters had often slept in the same bed and done the same thing.
However, sleeping with a large, muscular, extremely masculine man was quite a different situation, and God alone knew where things would have led if she had allowed herself to succumb to that temptation!
Perhaps sleeping on the floor would have been a better idea, she thought. I might have had a better night’s sleep!
Presently, Duncan came to pick up her overnight bag and escort her down to the carriage.
The driver frowned, then looked at Duncan with a sly smile as he raised his eyebrows. “Did she no’ sleep well?” he asked suggestively, earning a sharp glare from her.
Duncan laughed and put a finger in front of his mouth to urge the man to be quiet.
Just then, the same young woman who had served them the evening before came out with a bundle of food and a flask of ale for their journey.
Duncan stepped forward and took it from her, giving her a bright, beaming smile. “Mmm, this smells delicious,” he said appreciatively. “Thank you, what is your name, hen?”
“Flora, Sir,” the young woman answered with a shy, blushing smile. Duncan dropped a few coins into her hand, flushing her a charming grin, and at that moment, Eliza appeared and pushed between them roughly to climb into the carriage.
Duncan threw his head back and laughed heartily, then he dropped a coin into the waitress’s hand. “I apologise for her rudeness,” he said. “She did not sleep well, despite my ‘delicate’ state.”
The look on his face made the young woman colour and turned away. Duncan watched as she made her way back to the inn. He was about to deliver some harsh words to Eliza, but when he climbed into the carriage, he saw that she had dropped off to sleep.
Duncan was almost relieved as they started their journey. Now there would be no awkward, pointless conversation and no uncomfortable silences, and he could lie back and think about the issues that were troubling him and perhaps find solutions to his problems.
Yet, he could not make himself concentrate on rational thought when there was such a beautiful woman only a few feet away from him. Eliza Tewsbury was one of the loveliest women he had ever seen, and he had thought so since the first moment he saw her.
He studied her fine, sculpted features, her arched eyebrows, high cheekbones and full, cupid’s bow lips.
He wondered what it would feel like to kiss them, and felt his body stiffen in response.
Eliza had round, generous breasts and a small waist that flared into round, womanly hips.
She was temptation personified, and it would have taken very little encouragement for him to indulge himself to the fullest extent, for she was everything he had ever wanted in a woman.
As well as that, they had plenty of time to kill in the carriage.
They had been moving for a couple of hours, and Duncan was utterly bored. He wished Eliza would wake up so that he could at least have someone to talk to—even if it was mostly to argue—but she was still fast asleep.
Presently, the carriage began to bump and rattle over the ground, then it came to a juddering halt. Duncan was alarmed, and jumped out of the carriage to see what the problem was.
He found the driver standing looking down at the front wheel of the carriage with an expression of exasperated annoyance on his face.
“What is the problem?” he asked, frowning.
The driver pointed to the wheel, and Duncan followed his pointing finger to see that two of the wheel spokes had broken. “There was a big pothole in the road,” he explained. “I tried tae avoid it, but I couldnae.” The driver sighed and shook his head.
Duncan looked at the two carriage horses and frowned, then came to a decision. “How far away are we from the nearest village?” he asked.
“About half a mile fae Weirmouth,” the driver answered. “I can walk.”
“Go there and get the carriage fixed,” Duncan said, dropping some coins into his hand. “We will take the horse and ride.”
The driver nodded and smiled, pointing at the horse. “Take care of my Jock, he is a good lad.”
Then he went on his way, leaving Duncan to unhitch the horse. He stood beside the animal for a moment, stroking his grey neck, wondering what to do next.
“Well, Jock,” he said sadly, “here’s a mess we could well have done without. It’s a good thing you’re a fine, strong lad, since you will have to carry two of us. How do you feel about that?”
Jock whickered and nuzzled Duncan’s hair, seeming to signal his approval, drawing a laugh out of him.
Because Jock was a carriage horse, there was a bridle but no saddle, and he realised that not only would they have to share a horse, but they would have to ride bareback.
Duncan sighed and ran a hand backwards over his hair, putting off the evil moment when he would have to tell Eliza about their predicament. He walked over to the carriage and looked inside, then climbed in, slid along the seat and put his arm around her shoulders.
For a moment Duncan did nothing but hold her, breathing in her scent of lavender, roses and woman, loving the feeling of her pliant body resting against his. He sighed, realising how long it had been since he had enjoyed this kind of embrace.
However, he had no more time to indulge himself. It was past midday, and they still had a very long way to go. Granted, the daylight did not disappear until about midnight at this time of year, but they still had a considerable distance to travel until they reached his home at Lennoxburn Castle.
Reluctantly but very gently, Duncan shook Eliza awake. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around herself for a moment, clearly wondering where she was, but when she looked up and her gaze met his, she pushed away from him and sat up.
“What happened? Why did we stop?” she demanded, wrapping her arms around herself as if for protection.
“One of the wheels on the carriage broke,” he replied. “The driver has gone to have it fixed, but we must make haste, so we will have to ride.”
“But I do not know how to ride,” Eliza protested. “I never learned.”
For a moment, Duncan was stunned. Every young lady of his acquaintance could ride; it was almost regarded as mandatory, but they would have to manage somehow. Then he reminded himself that Eliza Tewsbury was no Highland woman, but an English lady.
“No matter,” he said firmly. “We’ll be riding the same horse, so I will keep you safe.”
Eliza stared at him for a moment, and he could see the fear and doubt in her dark eyes. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew that she would push him away, so he waited patiently for her response.
At last, Eliza sighed. “It seems I have no choice.”
Duncan helped her out of the carriage, then hoisted her effortlessly onto the horse and climbed up behind her. He had seated her sideways so that she would not have to straddle the animal, since that would have been uncomfortable and undignified for a lady.
They set off, but as soon as Duncan urged the horse into a trot, Eliza gave a little squeal and grabbed his arm so tightly that he knew that it would bruise him. He laughed at her antics; she was so stubborn and determined to let him know that he was not her keeper.
“My god, are you not a wildcat, Eliza?” he asked, laughing.
Then she turned to him, and Duncan saw the look of pure terror in her eyes and realised that she was genuinely afraid. He remembered his own first ride on a horse at the tender age of six, and how scared he had been, and he felt ashamed.
“Don’t be scared, Eliza,” he said, his voice gentle. “I said I would keep you safe, and I will, I promise. We will not go too fast, and if you feel uncomfortable, please tell me. Will you?”
Eliza wiped her eyes and nodded. “I’m sorry,” she said huskily. “I will. I have never been on a horse before, and it seems such a long way down to the ground.”
Duncan took one hand from the reins and wrapped his arm securely around Eliza’s waist, pulling her against his hard, muscled body.
Eliza sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. For a moment, there was silence, then she asked, “Why did you buy me, Duncan? What are you going to do with me?”
Duncan noticed that it was the first time Eliza had called him by name, but he did not mention it. He sighed, knowing he’d have to tell her sooner or later, and now was as good a time as any.
“My mother was English,” he replied. “She was a wonderful woman, and I loved her very much, but many of my family despised her because she was not Scottish. I’m an only child, but there are plenty of cousins who are full-blooded Scotsmen, and one of them wants to get me out of the way so he can inherit my title and property.
I have an idea who it is, but I’m not quite sure, and I would hate to implicate an innocent person. ”
He frowned, sounding troubled, then he looked into Eliza’s dark eyes again. “I need your help,” he said. “You can pretend to be my betrothed and help me discover the traitor.”
Eliza’s face suddenly flushed with rage. “And why would I help you?” she demanded. “You bought me as if I were a prize heifer!”
Duncan shook his head. “No,” he replied, grinning. “You remind me more of a wild horse.”
Eliza saw red. Consumed by anger, she yanked on the reins, trying to stop the horse, but Duncan responded by laughing and pulling her even more tightly against him, and Eliza felt his lips graze her ear in a breathy kiss.
His hand moved slowly from her waist to her thigh, and Eliza gasped as she felt his hands gathering up her skirt.
Then she flinched as his fingertips touched her bare legs just above her knee.
“You are my betrothed,” he said, laughing softly. “I give you permission to take advantage of me in any way you choose. I will make it worth your while if you help me save my clan.”
Duncan gazed at her, loving the feel of her, her sheer femininity, and the way his maleness was even now responding to her with such ferocity as he felt his shaft harden.
Eliza was furious, but it seemed that the more he annoyed her, the more attractive she found him. He was everything a woman dreamed of in a man; big, strong, dominant yet strangely gentle—damn him!
She opened her mouth to deliver a furious response, but at that moment she heard a soft whistle and felt a breath of air on her cheek.
A moment later, she heard a hard thudding noise and saw an arrow embed itself in the trunk of a tree a few feet in front of them.
She squealed in fright and huddled closer to Duncan, as though she was using him as a shield, and felt his whole body tense.
Then he growled and looked over his shoulder before he said grimly, “Hold on tight, lass!”
He spurred his horse on, urging it to go as fast as it could, and the stallion leapt forward and began to gallop at breakneck speed.