Chapter 4
Ceana pulled the hem of her gown from Ness’s mouth as the carriage hit another rut.
The goat braced her small hooves against the floor and held fast, apparently determined to carry part of the garment to MacKane Castle. Ceana tugged again and recovered the damp cloth with another row of loose threads along its edge.
Daphne is goin’ to kill me when she sees this.
“Yer sister must have chosen a tasty gown,” Tommy commented from the opposite bench. He gathered Ness against his side before she could lunge for the gown again. “She only eats things she likes.”
“Well, she will be delighted to learn that one of her finest gowns earned a goat’s approval.” Ceana smoothed the ruined fabric across her knees and tried not to wonder whether she would see her sister soon enough to tell her.
The rhythmic sound of horses’ hooves kept pace beside the carriage, and Oscar rode close enough that his low instructions to the driver carried through the wooden wall.
Ceana measured every question before asking Tommy anything about the road or MacKane Castle. Oscar had learned she was the wrong sister and taken her anyway. Giving him reason to suspect an escape plan would earn her another guard.
Tommy patted Ness’s head. “Daenae worry, I daenae think me faither attacks lassies. Only bad men.”
Ceana considered the reassurance. She had lied about her identity, interfered with Oscar’s plan, insulted him several times, and rejected every order that concerned her freedom.
“How does he decide who is bad?” she asked.
“He always kens,” Tommy spoke with complete faith. “Faither defeats enemies and protects everyone in our clan. He can fight three men at once.”
He rose from his seat and raised one arm as though holding a sword. Ness shifted while Tommy demonstrated a sweeping strike that nearly caught the curtain. The carriage wheel dropped into a hollow, throwing him sideways.
Ceana caught his shoulder before his head struck the wall. “Sit down, sweetness. Ye will hurt yerself if ye fight battles while the ground is movin’.”
Tommy looked toward the window as though considering whether an unseen enemy required one final blow. After a moment, he lowered himself onto the bench.
“Ye are right,” he said.
Ceana released him and settled back.
Outside, Oscar’s horse drew closer. His shadow passed across the curtain before he signaled the driver to slow down.
The carriage door opened while they were still rolling at a steady pace.
Oscar handed his horse’s reins to one of the mounted guards, caught the frame, and pulled himself inside with practiced ease.
His shoulders nearly filled the doorway, and his sword struck lightly against the bench as he turned.
Tommy and Ness occupied the opposite seat, leaving him no place except beside Ceana.
He adjusted the sword so its hilt faced away from her, then sat close enough that his cloak brushed her gown.
Ceana shifted toward the wall. The carriage swayed, and his knee touched hers before he braced one boot against the floor.
At such proximity, the dark wool of his coat showed the breadth of his shoulders and followed the firm shape of his forearms. His thighs filled the narrow space beneath his sword belt when he steadied himself, and she hated that she noticed it.
“So tell me. How did ye do it?” Oscar asked.
Ceana frowned. “Do what?”
“Tommy.” He glanced at his son. “How did he listen to ye?”
“I just asked him.”
Oscar waited. When Ceana offered nothing further, he leaned closer and lowered his voice. “That was all?”
“He understood that standin’ was dangerous. Askin’ him to sit required nay great strategy.”
Oscar studied Tommy as though the boy had performed an act beyond explanation. Ceana could see his bafflement in the slight furrow between his eyebrows, though she had no idea what had caused it.
“I wouldnae trust that innocent manner,” he said quietly. “The last person he smiled at disappeared for two days. When we found the man, he refused to explain where Tommy had sent him.”
Ceana searched his face for amusement but found none. “Are ye jestin’?”
“He was found,” Tommy interjected. “And I didnae send him far.”
“That is comfortin’.” Ceana turned back to Oscar. “Perhaps yer son inherited his manners from ye after all.”
The corner of Oscar’s mouth twitched before he smoothed it as another rut pushed their knees together. He made no immediate effort to move his leg.
Ceana swallowed, trying not to show how briefly her heart had jumped.
“Me family doesnae ken where I am,” she said. “They daenae ken whether I am safe or why I vanished.”
“Daenae worry. Yer faither will receive me message and a formal contract later.”
“A contract willnae undo what ye have done. It will force him to answer a powerful laird after ye took his daughter from a festival.”
Oscar’s gaze remained steady. “We will discuss the terms at the castle.”
“And if I refuse every term? Do I have any say?” she asked, her voice rising enough for Tommy to hear.
The boy looked between them with a frown. “That isnae fair, Faither,” he said. “When Paisley and I quarrel, ye listen to both sides before decidin’ who gets punished.”
“Ye are usually the one punished, though, because ye are usually the one teasin’ yer sister.”
Tommy considered this. “Are ye teasin’ her, then? Ye took her away and willnae listen.”
Heat spread from Ceana’s chest up to her neck. Tommy’s innocent question made the cramped bench and Oscar’s thigh against hers seem far more intimate.
Oscar’s gaze paused on the color in her face before lifting slowly to meet her eyes. “I am offerin’ her a choice,” he corrected. “She may become the lady of one of the strongest clans in the Highlands.”
“A choice generally implies more than one permitted answer,” Ceana pointed out.
Oscar held her gaze for another moment. “Rest. We will speak properly when we reach MacKane Castle.”
He stepped out and reclaimed his horse. The space beside Ceana opened, though warmth remained where his body had pressed against the bench.
Evening had darkened by the time the carriage stopped beside a narrow burn.
The guards surrounded the road while the horses drank.
Ceana studied the unfamiliar hills beyond them.
She had no cloak suited for travel, no food, and no knowledge of the route.
Running into the darkness would also leave Tommy alone among men too occupied to notice him climbing ropes.
Oscar approached with bread and a cup of water. He held them toward her without apology.
Ceana folded her arms. “I am nae hungry.”
He set both on the carriage step and walked away to question the driver.
Tommy took the cup and carried it to her. “Ye need water after helpin’ Ness and travelin’ all this way.”
Ceana accepted it.
Across the road, Oscar checked the horses and spoke to the guard responsible for Tommy. He crouched briefly to examine Ness’s freed leg before ordering food brought for his son.
They resumed their journey after nightfall. Tommy soon curled up beside Ceana, with his head resting against her arm, while Ness settled across their feet.
Ceana watched the dark road through the curtain and counted the mounted guards whenever moonlight revealed them. Somewhere behind them, her parents might already know she had vanished. Angus might believe Daphne had publicly rejected him for Oscar.
Tommy slept safely against her as Oscar rode beside the carriage through the night. Soon enough, she dozed off as well, the thought of what to expect in MacKane Castle lulling her to sleep.
The morning light entered through a gap in the curtain and woke Ceana with an ache running from her neck to the base of her spine. Tommy slept against her arm, his mouth slightly open, while Ness shifted across their feet and lifted her nose toward the window.
Ceana moved carefully to keep from waking the boy and looked outside as the road climbed toward MacKane Castle.
Oh.
The castle stood on a rocky rise behind thick stone walls.
Occupied towers guarded the approach, and smoke rose from several working chimneys.
Men watched from the gatehouse as Oscar’s party crossed the final stretch of the road.
They recognized the riders before the carriage stopped, and the gates opened without delay.
Inside the walls, stablehands waited in the busy courtyard while servants gathered near the entrance.
The order of their movements told Ceana more about Oscar’s authority than another threat could have.
No one shouted for instructions. They appeared to know where the horses belonged and which men required attention.
Tommy stirred when the carriage turned into the yard. He sat upright and pushed the curtain aside. “Paisley will want to see Ness. She will pretend she doesnae, but she will.”
Ness bleated as if agreeing.
A stable boy hurried toward the carriage before it stopped and called the goat by name. Tommy opened the door too soon, forcing the boy outside to catch it before it struck him.
Oscar reached them before the boy could offer Ceana his assistance. He opened the door fully and held out his hand.
Ceana looked at it. Accepting help from the man who had abducted her seemed an unnecessary surrender. The carriage step sat further below than she remembered, however, and her legs had stiffened during the night. So she placed her hand in his.
A pale scar crossed the back of his hand and disappeared near his wrist. His grip closed around hers with steady warmth as she moved toward the step. When her foot touched the ground, her tired leg buckled.
Oscar caught her at the waist. Her free hand landed against his chest. Solid muscle beneath dark wool stopped her fall, and his other hand remained firm around hers.
For one breath, she stood close enough to see the faint lines at the corners of his eyes and feel the warmth of his body beneath her palm.
He released her once her feet were steady.