Chapter 4 #2
The fishermen splashed after them, curses flying, but the current caught the little craft and carried it out of reach. One hurled the gaff hook, and it clanged against the side before sinking into the waves.
Ruby collapsed onto the nearest bench, clutching the edge with white knuckles as the boat rocked violently. Her heart hammered in her chest.
“You...are insane,” she panted.
Evan only smirked, planting the oars and pulling with easy, practiced strokes. “And yet here ye are.”
Ruby scowled and turned her face toward the sea, determined not to let him see how shaken she was.
The strait stretched wide before them, gray and featureless under the autumn sun. The island fell away behind, a dark smudge of cliffs and cottages against the horizon. Ahead, the mainland rose green and rolling—but seeming very far away.
Yet as the journey unfolded, Ruby’s fear began to ebb. The rocking of the boat grew steady, almost soothing. Salt spray cooled her cheeks and above, gulls wheeled and cried, their wings flashing silver.
For the first time in weeks, she wasn’t thinking about the wreckage of her life: the canceled wedding, the shame, the hollow gnaw of betrayal.
Those things seemed impossibly distant, left behind on the other side of the arch.
Here, in this small wooden boat with the waves slapping gentle rhythms against the hull, she could almost believe none of it had happened. Almost.
Evan sat across from her, strong arms flexing as he rowed. His expression was taut with focus, but there was an ease to his movements, a confidence that spoke of long familiarity with the sea. He belonged here, she thought. Just as much as she didn’t.
Ruby leaned back, letting the warmth of the sun sink into her skin.
For a blissful moment, she let her troubles drift away on the tide.
She was on her way to Charlie. Soon she’d see her cousin’s face, hear her voice, and everything would make sense again.
She ignored the sliver of doubt whispering inside her—that this man was no savior, that this reckless plan was doomed, that she had made a terrible, terrible mistake.
The sound of wood grating against pebbles woke her from a doze she hadn’t realized she’d fallen into. She bolted upright, looking around wildly. They had arrived at what looked like some kind of port with stone quays and far more buildings than on the island.
Evan had guided the fishing boat to a beach that bracketed the harbor and as the bottom scraped against the shingle, he jumped out to drag the little fishing boat higher onto the shore.
Ruby gathered her skirts and clambered after him, gasping at the shock of the cold water against her ankles.
She steadied herself with a breath, then looked around.
The port was a bustling place. Dozens of ships rocked at anchor, their sails furled, masts jutting into the sky like a forest of timbers.
Some were modest fishing vessels but others were clearly cargo ships with high sides and tall sails.
Dockworkers shouted over the screech of gulls, hauling crates from gangplanks, rolling barrels across the quayside.
The air was thick with the mingled scents of tar, salt, and fish.
Ruby’s heart lifted. Civilization! From here, it couldn’t be more than a few miles to Charlie’s door.
“There ye are, lass,” Evan said. “Safe on the mainland. Goodbye.”
He walked off but Ruby lunged after him, grabbing his arm. “What are you doing?”
He jerked his chin toward the busy docks. “Plenty of ships sail south. Ye’ll find passage easy enough.”
A cold prickle slid down Ruby’s spine. “South? What do you mean ‘south’? Edinburgh is just there, isn’t it?” She pointed vaguely inland.
Evan’s mouth twitched—whether with amusement or exasperation, she couldn’t tell. “Edinburgh is leagues away, lass. Far to the south.”
Her stomach dropped. “No. No, that’s not right.” She shook her head, voice rising with panic. “I paid you to take me to Edinburgh!”
His eyes narrowed. “Did ye, now? As I recall, the bargain was that I got ye off the island. And I’ve done that. Ye are welcome.”
Her jaw fell open. “You...you tricked me!”
“Nay. Ye assumed more than I promised.” He tipped his head. “That’s on ye, lass.”
And with that, he turned and strode up the quay, weaving easily through sailors and traders, not sparing her another glance.
Ruby stood rooted to the spot, fury rising hot and bitter in her chest. Her fists clenched at her sides. The nerve of him!
She had given him her locket—her only real treasure—and this was how he repaid her? By dumping her in some nowhere port, miles away from Charlie?
Anger surged, so fierce she could taste it. At Evan, at herself, at Irene bloody MacAskill for sending her into this madness in the first place.
She wanted to scream after him, to hurl every insult she knew.
But her throat closed, and no words came.
Only shame. She had been an idiot, a complete and utter idiot.
Too quick to throw herself into this, too desperate for a lifeline, too ready to take ridiculous risks that she would never have taken if she was thinking straight.
Ruby drew in a sharp breath and forced her chin up. Fine. Let Evan Campbell walk away with her locket and his smug grin. She didn’t need him. She would find her cousin on her own. Her anger settled into something sharper, colder.
Determination.
“Edinburgh,” she whispered to herself, turning toward the docks. “I’ll get there somehow.”
Even if she had to walk every damned mile.