Chapter 1
Lady Nora Sinclair wrung her hands together.
The carriage trundled along the unknown road. She scratched at her cuticles with trembling fingers and her breaths were ragged. Fear lined her heart, and there were occasions when she was thrown about the carriage as it passed over rough ground.
Nora did not have the opportunity to defend herself as she was blindfolded, and even though she was alone in the carriage she dared not take off her blindfold. The guard had made it clear that it was a demand from her new husband, Laird MacPherson.
“If ye disobey his rules, ye will forfeit the marriage,” the guard had said as he roughly fastened the blindfold around her head and pushed her unceremoniously into the carriage, almost as though she were a prisoner being transported rather than a bride.
Perhaps that was more of an apt description than she wanted it to be. Home seemed a world away now, not that it brought any further comfort. Thinking about her last conversation with her brother only brought a sense of unease.
“Ye must gae,” he said, so upset he was shaking.
“I dinnae want tae gae! I dinnae want tae marry him.”
“We all must dae our duty for the clan, sister.”
“And what is yer duty, tae drown us in debt?”
The look in his eyes was harsh as Nora’s words struck as deep as bone.
His hand clenched into a fist and she thought he might strike her, but he managed to restrain himself for that sin, although as with so many things he did not bear any responsibility himself.
“Dinnae make me hurt ye, Nora. I am the Laird. Ye must dae as I say. This is the way I am saving the clan from debt. This marriage will forge an alliance that will bring gold flowing intae our Keep, sae I will nae hear any cheek from ye,” he said.
Nora assumed the gold that flowed in would flow straight out again, knowing her brother.
There was nothing she could do to alter the situation.
It was all beyond her control, she was but a pawn of men who treated her like something to be traded.
While she wasn’t inclined to sacrifice her freedom for her brother, she thought of the other people in the clan.
The farmers who toiled, the villagers who brought joy to the community, the children who should grow up knowing prosperity and safety.
It was they who deserved her duty, they who she would serve.
Even if it meant serving Laird MacPherson, a man who wanted his bride blindfolded.
Why?
Would he demand she stay this way forever?
The thought chilled her, and not only because he demanded this, but also with what else he might demand.
She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat and tried to quell the nauseous feeling that swam in the pit of her stomach.
The skin around her nails would be shredded by the time she reached her destination at the rate she was going, and—
CRUNCH!
The carriage came to a thunderous halt.
Nora was thrown forward and just barely managed to raise her hands in time to protect her face from smashing into the other seat. She groaned as she turned her head around, wondering if they had reached their destination.
She heard the guard jump down from his seat, then move to the side of the wagon. He cursed under his breath. Nora pressed her hand against the door, but she dared not open it. That had been another rule given to her before they left.
Had they reached their destination? It seemed unlikely given what she could hear, but then where were they?
There was another noise, something muffled.
She strained her ears, but it was difficult to discern anything when she had been robbed of her sight.
A finger rose to her face and she slipped it beneath the black silk, pulling the blindfold away just enough to let light creep in.
A little more and she would have freed her vision, but she stopped at the last, fearing the consequences.
She would not want to doom the people of her clan to a life of poverty and despair because she had made a simple mistake.
The vague grunting noises stopped suddenly.
Nora’s heartbeat thumped in her chest and echoed in her mind.
She was standing beside the door and as the moments passed they became interminable to endure.
Her hand fell against the handle. The gentle weight was enough to open the door, and she would quickly regret it.
A strong hand clamped around hers, squeezing her palm tight.
There was no mistaking that it was the hand of a man; large, rough skin, the heat of masculine power sizzling upon his palm.
He hauled her powerfully out of the wagon and she fell down the few steps, landing against his hard chest. It might have been a wall, albeit a living wall that thrummed with a firm heartbeat, drumming against her back.
The heat of him overwhelmed her and his grip was unbreakable, his other hand rested against her waist, keeping her in place.
His fingers pressed into her skin, her dress suddenly feeling as though it wasn’t there at all.
It was a strangely intimate touch, but one that made her recoil with revulsion.
Her one free hand rose to her face and she ripped off the blindfold, unable to stand being robbed of her sight any longer.
She hoped her husband would understand the extenuating circumstances.
The blindfold fluttered to the ground.
The man relaxed his grip just enough to let her shift around.
She blinked, her blue eyes needing a moment to adjust after being shrouded in darkness for so long.
The blurred vision sharpened and he came into focus, the dangerous man with long, untidy fair hair, a jaw flecked with rough stubble, his lips either smiling or sneering, she could not tell which.
His eyes were the same green as a dark forest, one that held mystery and threat.
He was tall and lean, the kind of lean that was all strength and nothing unnecessary.
He smelled earthy and sweaty, but the aroma was not unpleasant.
Perhaps it was just because he was the first thing she had seen since leaving home, but there was something captivating about him, something she knew was wrong and tried to resist. Yet, she was there all the same, gazing into his eyes, her pulsing body pressed against his, his hand still lingering at her waist.
Then she looked past him and saw the dead guard, prostrate on the ground.
“What…” Nora uttered, the scream rising sharply from her throat and bursting out. She struggled to get away, but the stranger hushed her.
“Ssh, bandits. I fought them off, but they may return. We cannae linger here. I’m sorry that I could nae dae anything for yer friend,” he said, turning towards the guard.
“He was nae my friend,” Nora said softly, frowning as she tried to understand the situation.
She pulled herself away from the stranger and limped towards the guard, wanting to see the truth for herself.
Sinking to her knees, she touched his still body and looked into his glassy eyes.
There didn’t seem to be much difference between him now and when he lived, only the stillness, the silence.
He looked more peaceful now too, his face not twisted in anger, his voice not barking rough orders.
She noticed the stain of blood emanating from his chest and darkening the ground beneath him. Closing her eyes, she turned away.
The stranger was standing nearby, hands on his hips. Now that Nora could concentrate more, she saw that he had a bruise under his eye and a mark on his neck.
Fear shuddered through her as she gazed at her surroundings, seeing threats everywhere.
“If there are bandits then we need help,” she said, hating how scared she sounded; how her hands were still trembling. Hating that she had no idea how to defend herself.
The stranger loped up to her and loomed over her like a giant, blocking the sun.
“I’ll help ye. The name’s Callan Blackwood,” he said, staring deep into her eyes.
She looked up at him and had no idea what to make of the man.
“Ye will be safe with me, lass,” he said, and stretched out his hand.
With little choice, Nora took it. This time the touch was gentler, and there was no vigorous yank as he pulled her towards him.
Distance remained between their bodies, although she wasn’t sure she would ever forget the sharp sensations that occurred in her mind when she was held against him.
It had been so intense it almost felt taboo, and she had to remind herself that there wasn’t anything wrong with what she did.
In fact, she hadn’t done anything at all.
It was he who pulled her free, he who held her tight.
Laird MacPherson couldn’t punish her for that, could he?
Callan released her hand and then turned back to the carriage.
“I’ll get yer things,” he said.
Before Nora could correct him, he was already taking long strides.
He wore a bemused expression as he stared at the empty roof of the carriage, then disappeared inside.
The carriage tilted from side to side as he moved around the small space.
Nora’s gaze landed at the javelin that was caught in the wheel.
That must have been what caused the sudden stop, she thought.
There was a deep crack running down the side of the javelin where the wheel’s rotation had been interrupted.
Bile rose at the back of her throat and she clutched her hands to her heart.
Was this what it had been like for her parents?
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to put the thought out of her mind.
A feeling she couldn’t ignore was crawling down her spine, and once again she turned to peer at the treeline, wondering how many pairs of eyes were staring at her, waiting to strike.
On the ground, the stray piece of black fabric rested at her feet.
She picked it up and ran it through her fingers, wondering what would happen now.
Would Laird MacPherson be annoyed? Would he try to find her? Would he forgive her for disobeying his rules? Perhaps it would be enough to wear it when she was in his presence again.
“Well, it seems as though ye hae been robbed already. Those bandits chose the wrong carriage,” Callan said, jumping down with a rakish grin on his face. Nora stuffed the blindfold beneath her dress and turned to face him.
“What if they come back?” she asked.
“Then we hae better get moving. Come, I ken a safe place nae far from here. What’s yer name, lass?”
“Nora… Nora Sinclair,” Nora said.
She gazed into his eyes but could only stare at them for a short time because they were so intense.
She had never seen a pair of eyes like them and wondered how she had been so fortunate to benefit from a stroke of luck.
If he hadn’t been passing at just the right moment she might have ended up being captured by bandits or suffering the same fate as her parents.