THE GIFT: A Highland Novella (14 page)

“
She won
’
t.
”

“
But if she does?
”
Lily persisted.

“
Then you
’
ll have to wed me,
”
he said,
“
or return to this dungeon until ye rot.
”

“
And what happens to you if I choose the dungeon?
”
she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

“
I
’
ll be rotting beside ye.
”

He did not add that Alexander had said he
’
d throw them into the same cell and leave them there until Lily gave into Roderick
’
s charms
—
or tired of the rats
—
and agreed to the marriage.

It never paid to defy the Lord of the Isles.

***

“
There
’
s a hot bath waiting for ye in the guest chamber,
”
he said as he unlocked the iron door.
“
We set sail for Skye in an hour.
”

Though Lily would be glad to wash off the filth of the dungeon in a hot bath, it annoyed her that Roderick had been so sure she would agree to go to Skye. She only had because it would be far easier to escape from an old woman
’
s cottage than from the Lord of the Isles
’
dungeon.

“
Alexander granted me this time alone with ye,
”
Roderick said,
“
but there are guards at the top of the stairs who will take ye to your chamber and then to the boat.
”

“
Fine.
”
She started to march past him, but he caught her wrist.

His touch threatened to undermine her control.

“
Ye gave me a bad fright when I thought ye were on that ship,
”
he said.
“
My parents were lost at sea in a winter storm.
”

“
Don
’
t pretend you care,
”
she said, glaring up at him.

“
And what were ye thinking, going off on your own at night with drunken warriors everywhere?
”
he continued.
“
Then ye put yourself in the hands of that slippery Spaniard when ye must have known he had plans to seduce ye.
”

“
Now that
’
s calling the kettle black,
”
she said.
“
At least the Spaniard did not plan to trap me forever through deceit.
”

“
I know you
’
re angry,
”
he said, and wiped a smudge from her cheek with his thumb.
“
But ye can
’
t truly believe I took ye to bed to acquire a seer.
”

“
Your performance was impressive,
”
she said.
“
Your chieftain can
’
t fault you for failing to apply yourself to the task.
”

A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.
Good.
She wanted to make him angry.

“
Ye think that
’
s all it was?
”
he bit out.

“
Ach
,
”
she said, imitating him,
“
no sacrifice is too great for the clan.
”

“
Damn it, Lily,
”
he said, digging his fingers into her arms.
“
It wasn
’
t like that, and ye know it.
”

“
It must be a grave disappointment to find out that I
’
m not who ye thought I was,
”
she said.
“
All that trouble, and the poor girl doesn
’
t have
The Sight
after all.
”

Her voice wobbled as she said the last part, which infuriated her.

“
Ye could never disappoint me,
”
he said, his eyes fierce.
“
I don
’
t care if ye have
The Sight
.
”

“
Since I don
’
t,
”
she said,
“
will you use your skills in bed to lure another woman here to serve your clan?
”

“
You
’
re the one I want, the only one,
”
he said through clenched teeth.
“
For God
’
s sake, Lily, I love ye.
”

His words sucked the breath out of her. He looked as shocked by what he had said as she was. Even he knew he had gone too far this time.

Her heart could not take any more. She backed away from him until her heel hit the bottom step of the stairs.

“
How could you say that?
”
she said, shaking her head.
“
You
’
ve no cause to hurt me further.
”

“
I should not have said it, not now,
”
he said.
“
But it is the truth.
”

“
Everything you ever said to me was a lie.
”
She could not fight the tears now, and she wanted to wound him for that final lie.
“
You
’
ve hurt me more than the foul man who raped me in my shop.
”

He recoiled as if she had slapped him. The pain and shock in his eyes told her she had hit her mark.

“
I trusted you!
”
she shouted, and then she turned and ran up the stairs.

CHAPTER 14

Roderick was in command of the twenty men on the boat, but unlike the last time they sailed, he spoke little to them. He seemed weighed down by sadness
—
or perhaps it was guilt. He did not speak to Lily at all, except to ask if she needed anything, but his gaze was often on her.

Lily felt herself softening toward him by the hour. He was unfailingly considerate, even tucking wool blankets around her that had been treated with grease to shed the rain. Though he deserved to suffer for deceiving her, Roderick had saved her life and protected her from Harold and the other Douglas men.

When he sat down beside her after two days at sea, she was near to forgiving him. She would not, however, let herself forget that he had tried to control and use her
—
and he would do it again if she let him.

“
This is Skye,
”
he said, nodding toward the island they were fast approaching.

The entire journey through the isles had been breathtaking, but this island, with its rocky shores, green hills dotted with sheep, and blue-gray mountains, was even more beautiful than the rest.

“
There
’
s something I need to say to ye before we arrive,
”
he said.

Lily folded her arms and waited for his apology
—
not that it would make any difference.

“
I
’
m so verra sorry about what happened to ye back in London.
”
His eyes looked haunted as he spoke.
“
I wish I could kill the man who stole your innocence.
”

This was not what she had expected him to say.

“
I shouldn
’
t have mentioned you in the same breath as that man.
”
She felt a bit guilty herself about throwing that in his face, as if what he had done to her was worse. Though Roderick had hurt her more deeply, that was only because she had allowed herself to trust him.

“
I wish ye had told me about it earlier,
”
he said, staring at the sea.
“
I wouldn
’
t have pressed ye that night if I
’
d known.
”

“
You didn
’
t have to press me much,
”
she admitted, remembering how she had melted at his first touch.
“
I wanted to do it.
”

She waited for the rest of his apology, but he seemed to have nothing else to say to her.

“
Is that all you feel guilty for?
”
she finally asked him.
“
Not for deceiving me and trying to trap me here for the rest of my life?
”

“
I never meant to force ye to stay past the winter storms.
”
He shrugged.
“
I thought if ye were meant to be our seer, ye would come to see that yourself. If not, you
’
d go.
”

“
Don
’
t lie to me again,
”
she said between clenched teeth.
“
Your grandmother told you I was the next seer, and you believed her.
”

“
Truly, I could not be sure what my grandmother meant to tell me,
”
he said.
“
Once ye meet her, ye might understand.
”

If he were not twice her size, she would throw him overboard. Instead, she turned away from him and fixed her gaze on the shoreline of the island.

They were both silent as the boat rounded a point and sailed into a large inlet bordered by green rolling hills on one side and rocky cliffs and mountains on the other. Her curiosity got the better of her when the men sailed the boat to the mountainous side and into a small, deserted bay next to a sheer rock cliff.

“
Why are we stopping here?
”
she asked.
“
Is there something wrong with the boat?
”

“
My grandmother
’
s cottage is here,
”
Roderick said, pointing straight up.

Lily tilted her head back. Now she understood why Roderick and the Lord of the Isles were not concerned she would run away from the old woman
’
s cottage.

“
There
’
s not even a village,
”
she said, looking at the empty beach.

“
I fear it will be quite dull, especially for a London lass,
”
he said after he lifted her down from the boat.
“
But
’
tis better than spending the winter in a cold dungeon.
”

That did not sound encouraging. As escape appeared unlikely, she tried to adjust to the notion of being in this desolate place for the entire winter.

“
I
’
ll be across the inlet at Dunscaith Castle,
”
he said, pointing to the impressive fortress on the opposite shore.
“
I
’
ll sail over every week or so to see how the two of ye fare.
”

“
You
’
re leaving me alone here?
”

“
I must return to my duties,
”
he said.
“
I
’
m captain of the guard at the castle.
”

He led her to where rough-hewn steps had been cut into the side of the cliff.

“
The steps to the cottage are slippery when it
’
s wet, which is most the time in the winter, so be careful,
”
Roderick said.
“
Go first so I can catch ye if ye fall.
”

Good heavens, he was not joking. She imagined herself plunging into the sea, but she was not about to let him know that she was frightened half to death. After saying a prayer, she started up. The climb up the side of the cliff was harrowing and so steep that she was soon out of breath.

“
Anything else ye ought to warn me about?
”
she said between gasps for air when they were finally nearing the top.

Roderick emitted what sounded like a string of curses in Gaelic.
“
I
’
ve told her time and again not to do that. One day, she
’
ll fall into the sea.
”

Lily followed his gaze upward and gasped when she saw a figure with gray hair and a wizened face leaning precariously over the edge to peer down at them. The woman must be mad.

“
There is one more thing I should warn ye about,
”
he said as they continued up.
“
My grandmother speaks only Gaelic.
”

So, Lily could not even speak with the mad old woman she would be alone with for weeks on end. Perhaps she should have stayed in the dungeon.

“
But it won
’
t matter much,
”
he added,
“
as she usually knows what you
’
re thinking.
”

***

The moment Lily entered the cottage and saw the rows of drying herbs hanging from the rafters and the shelves filled with bottles and vials, her face lit up like she
’
d come home.

“
Oh!
”
she said, clasping her hands together.
“
This is so much like my shop.
”

Roderick had not seen Lily smile since the bonfire, and it did his heart good.

“
I don
’
t recognize that plant,
”
she said, crossing the tiny cottage to examine a bunch of tied herbs hanging next to the hearth.

Before he could introduce them, she and his grandmother were chattering, each in her own language, as Lily pointed to various herbs or picked up vials and sniffed them. After a time, his grandmother waved Lily onto a stool and set a hot drink next to her on the table. Her feisty terrier made his appearance then. Lily
’
s laughter filled the cottage when the wee dog jumped into her lap and started licking her face.