Page 10 of Strachan (Hostage Brides #2)

Cecily looked about her. They were in a lonely part of the estuary, where the land fell away to the water. No one could see them from the house. Peyton took a step towards her. His broad hands were fisted by his side, his eyes chilling. God help her. The man could throttle her where she stood or hold her head under the water until she drowned. Then his secret would be safe. There could only be one reason he had told her so much about himself. He thought she would never get a chance to tell anyone.

She backed away from him, clutching her skirts up, preparing to run. If she reached the house, maybe someone would help her. Cecily flinched when cold water seeped into her boots. She was up against the water. There was no escaping Peyton’s evil intentions. Her heart slammed against her ribs, and her legs trembled.

Peyton Strachan held her life in his hands, and judging by the grim look on his face, he didn’t think it had much value. ‘You’ve dug a deep hole for yourself by falling for all those English lies, Cecily MacCreadie,’ he said quietly.

Cecily shrieked and ran along the water’s edge, stumbling and screaming, ‘Murder! Help!’

She did not get far before arms like iron bars encircled her waist. Cecily struggled and fell, with Peyton on top of her. All the air left her lungs as she hit the ground, and his bulk pressing down on her did not help. His cheek came to hers, rough and harsh, and he said, ‘Calm down. There’s no use in running.’

He was huge, and he was heavy. ‘Get off. Get away from me, you fiend,’ she cried.

Peyton clutched her tighter. ‘If I let you go, do you promise not to run?’

She nodded, and he released her. Once she had scrambled to her feet, Cecily grabbed a rock and glared at him. ‘I know you mean to kill me, but I’ll not go easily. I can promise you that. If you touch me again, I will hurt you.’

‘Kill you?’ he laughed. ‘I could have done that already, many times over, you fool. Not that I’d ever kill a woman.’

‘But you just said I could never leave,’ she cried.

‘An exaggeration on my part. Forgive me. I have no wish to kill you now that I’ve saved your life. God, was there ever such a lass?’

‘So what are you going to do with me?’

‘Keep you here, out of harm’s way, where that mouth can’t get you into trouble.’ He looked down at her mouth and blinked rapidly before staring over the water and shaking his head.

‘But I will go mad if I am locked in that room one more day,’ she cried.

‘If you want to get out of that tower, you will have to become part of Clan Strachan somehow,’ said Peyton.

‘And how do I do that?’ Cecily still didn’t trust him, and her palm hurt from digging into the rock.

‘I fear it will be a fate worse than death for you, lass. We will pretend you are my mistress.’

‘How dare you!’

He flashed a grin. ‘It’s not that bad a prospect, is it?’

‘Aye, it is. As if I would want to…to…with you.’

‘I said, pretend, didn’t I? Trust me, my interest lies beyond you, Cecily MacCreadie. And becoming my mistress is the only way you are getting out of that tower. I will tell my clansmen that you are mine and out of bounds to them. And from now on, to hammer home the ruse, we will share my chamber. That way, I can make sure you don’t sneak out and try to escape in the middle of the night.’

‘But my marriage prospects will be ruined by such a scandal.’

‘Ruined is better than dead. And are you that keen to get married?’

‘No, not after what happened. I never want any man to lay a hand on me ever again. But what will folk think of me?’

‘I couldn’t care less, and nor should you.’ Peyton frowned. ‘So, we are agreed. And you should know that the men I have here at Fellscarp are loyal to a fault, but there are other Strachans, beyond these walls, who are not. They want to see me dead, and they constantly plot against me. Edmund’s death is a gift to them. They will not hesitate to surrender me to the Warden’s vengeance and betray your whereabouts. You know, they string women up as high as men.’

‘But I did nothing wrong.’

‘Do you think that matters to an English lord? These are dangerous times for me and my clan. So if you don’t agree to be my pretend mistress, I will be forced to find you a far less hospitable place to stay, for you are a burden I can do without.’ He sighed. ‘I risked much to save you, Cecily.’

‘And you regret it now, don’t you?’ she spat.

‘Strangely, no. I should, for you are nought but a troublesome little baggage. But the deed is done. So while you are at my mercy, you can make yourself useful around Fellscarp to repay my kindness.’

‘Kindness!’

‘Aye. I will get Bertha to set you to work of some kind.’

Cecily put her hands on her hips and glared at him. ‘Would a mistress not lie abed all day awaiting your pleasure?’ she said bitterly.

Peyton held her gaze with eyes so intense, they seared her flesh. ‘You could do that instead if you like,’ he said evenly.

She hated Peyton’s mocking tone and longed to slap his face again, but there were consequences to that which she didn’t want to repeat.

‘Well, is that what you want, Cecily?’ he continued. ‘Perhaps you were no innocent. Do not defy me, lass, or else I will…’

‘Will what?’ she snapped.

‘Teach you obedience in all sorts of ways.’ Peyton’s eyes dipped to her mouth and stayed there.

That look and the thought of lying in his bed with him turned her insides to jelly. Cecily looked down and brushed dirt off her skirt to preserve her dignity. Her cheeks burned. ‘That will not be necessary. I am not afraid of hard work. I will begin now. Anything to get away from you.’

‘Alright. But we must get our story straight. Bertha knows the truth and will help us because she is loyal to the bone. I will tell everyone else that you are from a well-bred family which has fallen from grace, casting you into poverty. Fortunately, with your bonnie face, you found a rich benefactor, but he was a cruel man who mistreated you and then cast you aside. That is close to the truth, so you can lie about it more easily.’

‘And how did I fall into your clutches?’

Peyton smiled. ‘I met you travelling down from the Highlands, lost and abandoned. I was so smitten with your beauty that I decided to take you on.’

‘Take me on. How charming!’

Cecily stalked away from Peyton, but he followed, his voice mocking her.

‘It’s very gallant of me to take on a fallen woman. And as my mistress, you can move freely about Fellscarp with few questions asked. My men will not try to molest my property, and the servants will obey you. And you need not say much. It is alright to have a murky past you don’t want to talk about if you are a man’s plaything.’

Cecily stomped ahead, trying to come to terms with her new situation. Why fight against it? She was already ruined by Edmund. What did more shame matter?

‘We will have to think of a false name for you,’ said Peyton, catching her hand and stopping her. He rubbed his chin. ‘I have it – Prudence.’

‘That does not suit me.’

‘No, it does not. What about Chastity?’ he said, winking.

She pulled on his vice-like grip to no avail. ‘I will not answer to that, and I do not appreciate your mockery,’ she hissed.

‘What then? I know, Constance. I can call you Connie.’

‘And I can ignore you when you do.’

‘Very well. Connie, it is. It sounds a bit like Cecily, so it will be easier to remember.’

He dragged her along the shingle, and she had no choice but to follow in hostile silence. With an urge to wound him, Cecily asked, ‘As I am your bought woman now, am I entitled to know your secrets?’

‘No.’

‘Who was that monstrous man who stormed out a few days ago? He looked like the Devil. Was he one of your many enemies?’

‘Why do you ask?’ said Peyton. ‘Do you want him to join the ranks of your many suitors?’

Cecily narrowed her eyes. ‘No, but he is hard to miss, and I was looking out of the window when he was pounding on your door.’

‘Noticed him, did you?’ said Peyton, with a hint of jealousy.

‘He had a nice horse.’

‘He probably stole it. Did he see you?’ he snarled, squeezing her hand tighter.

‘No. I stepped back so that he would not see me. You are hurting me.’

Peyton relaxed his grip. ‘Good, for it is best you heed me and never get acquainted with that bastard, lass.’

Cecily slid her hand from his. ‘So, he is an enemy.’

‘Far worse. He is family. Black Eaden is a very distant cousin I would prefer to forget.

‘Black Eaden. Why such a strange name?’

‘Because his eyes are so deep brown that they are black, like bottomless pits, and his soul dwells in darkness too. He once bit a chunk out of a man’s ear in a fight and swallowed it. He lives mainly in the Highlands, but he has come down with his band of ruffians and thieves to chance his hand at being a laird. Eaden bears loyalty only to coin and sin, and when he is not tupping servant girls and alewives two at a time or brawling and drinking himself into a stupor, he is trying to unseat me as laird.’

‘Oh. And can he?’ she said with a smile.

‘Stay away from Eaden. When our laird died, I took his place, as there was no one else to lead the clan. But there are some who think I am unworthy, a usurper with no proper claim. They would murder me to take my place, especially Eaden. My life has been one long struggle this past year just to hang on. So you see, I can ill afford a charge of murder on your account.’

‘Then why do it?’

‘I cannot stand to see a woman hurt,’ he said.

‘No. I mean, why be laird if you do not have to?’

Peyton rolled his eyes. ‘Because I am tired of fighting over scraps and being led by fools. And you’d better pray Eaden does not succeed in taking my place, for you’ll be getting no protection from him.’

‘I don’t call this protection,’ she said tartly.

Peyton rounded on her. She seemed to have struck a nerve talking of his cousin. ‘Call it what you like, but you will share my chamber tonight and go along with this ruse.’

‘Aye, as if my life depended on it,’ spat Cecily with her last ounce of defiance.