Page 31 of Claimed Highland Brides

9

COMPROMISED

D aividh was happy to give the Englishman a chance to prove himself but he was no fool. He would not let him run through the keep unsupervised. He had more skill than Daividh would ever hope to find in a steward but Delwyn had to gain his trust somehow. If it was not for his help in the fight he would have never given him this chance.

So while there was an uneasy peace at the mines, he tasked Simon with keeping an eye on his new steward. It occurred to him to wonder whether the sudden withdrawal of Hunter’s men from agitating at the mine had something to do with the Sassenach’s presence in their lives. He did not want to think so but then again, he did not believe in coincidences.

“Where do the miners get their food from, sir?” Delwyn had asked him much to his surprise.

“Why do ye ask?”

“Well I was doing inventory as you told me to and it occurred to me that I might have to factor them in, especially as the winter months draw nigh…unless they have another source of food?”

Daividh expelled a breath, thinking about his answer. There was nothing he could tell the man that he could not learn from questioning any passing tinker. “They buy what they need with their wages,” he said at last.

“From us?”

“From the keep yes, but also surrounding farms. There’s plenty of food tae go around.”

“I see. Well, that takes care of that I suppose,” Delwyn murmured, looking dissatisfied. Daividh squinted at him, trying to see beneath the surface.

“Ye’re running from something,” he said at last.

The Englishman jumped as if he had been shot. “I beg your pardon?”

“Ye’re running from something are ye no? Did ye impregnate some girl? Are ye in disgrace?”

The nobleman opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. Daividh was hard put not to laugh.

“I did not impregnate anyone!” The man sounded quite outraged.

Daividh blinked at him a few times before shrugging. “My mistake.” He turned away without apologizing just so that the Sassenach would know that he was not in the clear. Walking away, he heard the man heave a sigh although he was not sure if the Englishman was relieved or simply annoyed.

Fiona had told him of Jamesina’s interest, an interest she seemed to think was mutual. This meant that whatever the man was hiding, they needed to find out quite soon. Before all was irrevocably lost. He could not help thinking of his own wife and the troubles that had beset her before their marriage.

* * *

Having finished his inventory, Delwyn announced that he would take a walk and get to know the countryside a bit. Nobody tried to stop him—or worse, accompany him—and so he took his walking stick and headed for the hills. He knew the goldmines could not be far because the laird rode there and back within the day. However, he had no real inkling as to just how far they were and he could not ask anyone without arousing more suspicion.

And people are wary enough of me as it is .

He had tried to speak with Jamesina at supper the night before but she had made sure to have both ùna and Aileen between them, making private conversation impossible. ùna had entertained him with various stories about her sisters, all remarkably informative if somewhat innocuous. He supposed it was good to know just how much Jamesina hated picking strawberries, going so far as to arrange the most ridiculous excuses to get out of it; but he did not see how that information would help him win her.

He was running out of time. The kidnappers’ deadline was fast approaching and he was not getting anywhere. If he could perhaps find his sister and initiate a rescue with no harm done to anyone..?

If not…

If not, you will have to get Jamesina to marry you forthwith .

The sun rose to the zenith of the sky, rays warming him up until he felt as if he might expire from the heat. The mines were most definitely much further away than he would have liked. He could feel a blister developing on the heel of his right foot. With a sigh, he found a convenient boulder and sat down on it, thinking hard.

I could try again tomorrow…on horseback .

He looked up the road which led to the top of the hill before descending along the other side. Who knew how much further the mines were from there. As he was still dithering, unable to make a decision, he heard the steady clip-clop of hooves approaching, interspersed with verbal encouragement from a driver, he assumed. Whatever the oncoming vehicle was, Delwyn could not see it as it was concealed by a curve in the path. He waited for the transport to come into sight and was unsurprised to see a man and his donkey appear. The man occasionally smacked the donkey’s behind with a long stick as it pulled a wagon along, head bent in disinterested fatigue.

Delwyn got to his feet, a ready smile on his face.

“Good even to you, sir,” he called as the man came abreast of him.

The Scotsman favored him with a suspicious glance but did not say a word.

“I am looking for directions if I may?” Delwyn continued unperturbed. “Would you happen to be heading towards the goldmines?”

“What’s it t’ye?” the man spit onto the ground, not far from Delwyn’s feet.

Calmly Delwyn continued “Well, I was hoping to catch a lift.”

The man’s frown deepened.

Delwyn hastened to stick his hand in his purse and emerge with a coin. “I can pay you.”

The man’s face brightened. “Fine, ye can sit in th’ wagon.”

Delwyn beamed. “Thank you.” He handed over the coin and settled himself on the wagon, as the man urged the donkey to resume its slow plodding up the hill. Delwyn breathed a sigh of relief and pushed away the thought of how he would get back for later. At the moment, he had what he needed. A ride to the mines and perhaps means to find his sister.

Once they got closer to the mines, Delwyn looked up at the hills in surprise. This gold mine was not what he was expecting. The hill was cut up in large gullies and channels. As he looked up further he could see a dam at the top of the hill. Several men were busy all over the hillside and at the river flowing along at its bottom. Those at the bottom had pans in their hands or were standing over large makeshift wooden tables digging through boxes of soil and fine rock.

Delwyn’s sharp eyes looked back up the hill. He noticed the remains of several old gullies that had been formed from water released from the above dam that had poured down the hill laying bare the rocks and soil underneath.

He walked towards the hill and was immediately stopped by one of the men.

“Och, ye cannae be jes walking aroun the mine! Tis nae safe, ye fool!” The man who had spoken stepped forward and held his hand out to stop Delwyn.

Delwyn stopped in front of the man and offered him an interested smile. He could not help but to stare at the man. He was covered from head to foot in dirt. There was no color to his hair, his skin, nor his clothing. Only his bright blue eyes had any color and right now they looked alarmed.

“Forgive me,” Delwyn said with a nod of his head. “I am most interested in this-”

“Och, I am sure ye are and I ken that ye are a Sassenach just from the look of ye. Even before ye opened yer fool mouth.” The man scowled at him. “Take yerself away from here. Ye’ll nae be getting any part o our gold!”

Delwyn frowned and decided to try another tactic. “I am not interested in your gold, sir. I am looking for my sister.” He swallowed, hoping the truth would give him the answer he needed as to his sisters’ where-abouts. “She was brought here, by a man. She is English like myself. Have you seen her, perchance?”

The dirt covered man stared at him aghast. “Do ye see any women folk here, ye glaikit mon?”

“Perhaps your village?” Delwyn asked hopefully.

The man laughed and wiped at the dirt on his nose with an even filthier finger, smudging the dirt across his already dirt stained cheek. “I think I would know if there was a Sassenach woman in the village!” The man coughed and spit out a mouthful of dirt near his feet. “Ye cannae git to the village anyhoo.”

“Why not?” Delwyn asked, trying to hide his frustration.

A shout from above them on the hill caught both of their attention.

The men working the hill channels as well as at the base near the river began scrambling like ants, running everywhere.

“That is why,” the man said loudly as chaos increased around them.

“What is going on?” Delwyn shouted as he turned back to see the man frantically gathering his tools. Delwyn grabbed the man’s arm before he too ran like all the other men.

The man angrily shook Delwyns’ hand off of his arm.

“Git yerself oot of the way, Sassenach!” He pointed to the top of the hill. “They are releasing the dam to cut a new channel! Ye musnae be in the way or ye will be caught in the water and mud tearing down the hillside and ye’ll surely die!” The man started to run but looked back over his shoulder at Delwyn. “No one will care to dig out a foolish Sassenach!” he hollered as he ran away.

Delwyn had no choice but to quickly get as far away from there as possible.

He also realised that without any answer as to where his sister was, he knew what he must do.

He must pursue a betrothal to Jamesina.

He smiled grimly as he ran his hand through his black hair. He would not admit to himself how he felt about this.

* * *

“Has the new steward already absconded?” Jamesina asked sarcastically as the Englishman did not appear for supper.

Daividh lifted a surprised eyebrow at her. “I am told he went for a walk this afternoon. Why? Is he no allowed?”

Jamesina looked away, trying to hide her blush. “He can do whatever he wants.”

“I expect he stopped at the tavern for a drink or maybe he went in search o’ a woman. He is a braw laddie after all.”

Fiona made a disgusted sound. “Don’t be crude, Daividh.”

The laird bowed mockingly to his wife. “My apologies.”

Fiona hit his arm, glowering prettily at him and he grinned in response, leaning in to plant a kiss on her pouting lips. Jamesina smiled to see them playing with each other. For a moment she even forgot Daividh’s suggestion that perhaps the Englishman had gone in search of a woman. But only for a moment because then the thought came crashing back into her mind and she stiffened with shock.

Her hands curled into fists as she imagined the Englishman with his mouth all over one of the tavern wenches, pulling her dress up, touching her body, his eyes glazed over with lust. She almost whimpered with pain at the thought and had to stand up abruptly and leave the table.

“Jamesina?” she heard Fiona calling her but did not turn around or acknowledge her in any way. She did not want her sister to see her face and know how affected she was by Daividh’s thoughtless words. Instead, she ran out of the room and climbed up three flights of stairs until she reached the battlements.

From there, she could look out over the town. The moon was full, adding an eerie glow to the countryside and calling to mind every fairy tale she had ever heard about the creatures that lurked in lochs and duns all over the country.

She snorted to herself, embarrassed at her reaction but unable to do anything about it now.

“Miss Douglass?”

She gave a small scream, heart thumping with fear as she whirled around and her hand flew to her bosom. “Dinnae scare me like tha’ again,” she growled at the Englishman.

“My apologies. I keep on making the same mistake, thinking you’ve heard me when you actually haven’t.” Delwyn’s search in the mines had proven completely futile and could have been most dangerous. Jasmina was now his only hope...

She breathed in a few times, waiting for her heart to stop beating so erratically. Then she frowned, remembering that he had missed dinner. “Where have ye been?” she demanded.

He looked taken aback by her tone but still deigned to answer. “I went for a... walk.”

“A walk? Really? Until now? What kind o’ walk was tha’? And why are your clothes dirty?”

She was infuriated when the Englishman laughed.

“Well, I got a bit lost in the countryside, I’ll admit, and had to beg a passing tinker for a lift. Since he was mostly selling his wares as we rode, it was slow going.”

Jamesina stared at him, wondering what it was about him that was not quite…right. He did not tell me why his clothes are dirty.

Delwyn took a deep breath. It was now or never. He took a step towards her and she pressed back against the balustrade.

“What are ye doing?” she said sharply as she looked up at him.

“It’s a beautiful night. A full moon. It always makes me feel a bit reckless. I feel the urge to do something…stupid.”

“Is that so? Weel ye can do it awa’ from me.”

He took another step closer. She looked so beautiful. If the situation was a bit different he might actually fall in love with this girl. “Or I could do it to you.”

She frowned sternly and swallowed. “What are ye on about?”

“This,” he whispered before swooping down and covering her lips with his. She froze, not knowing what to expect but his lips continued to barely touch hers. He moved them gently from side to side, rubbing their mouths together. It was not so much a kiss as a question.

May I ?

Jamesina was torn. Her heart had resumed its erratic gallop while her hands shook slightly. She wanted to coil them around his neck and pull him down so that their lips could fuse together. She wanted to taste him, feel him pressed against her. At the same time, she wanted to run away screaming.

So she stood frozen and waited to see what he would do next.

His tongue flicked out wetting both her bottom and top lip before disappearing back in his mouth. She whimpered, arching her face up, opening herself to him. He increased the pressure of his mouth on hers, just a little, and she parted her lips, her own tongue flicking out, searching for his.

Their eyes were open and staring and somehow, that increased the intimacy of the moment. The almost biting, almost sucking that their lips were doing. She fisted her hands so as not to wrap them tight around him, but he had no such qualms. His finger ran slowly back and forth along her knuckles and just that simple point of contact was almost more than she could bear.

His other hand ran up the sleeve of her dress, feeling the fabric yet barely touching the flesh beneath. She shivered with need a small moan escaping her lips as she arched into him in surrender.

His lips descended upon hers finally, capturing her own in open-mouthed suckling, licking adoration. Her fingers opened, and closed about his wrists, bringing his hands up to her waist, and urging him to pull her in, closer. Something inside her purred with satisfaction when he obeyed at once.

“Jamesina!” Fiona’s sharp voice froze her in her tracks. “What are ye doing?”