Page 53 of Taken By the Highland Villain
“Because I overheard my braither conspirin’ with my husband to force yer hand—and that was before they didthisto me…” Ailsa indicated her battered state. “He wants to force ye to be his bride, one way or the other.”
She shivered, her eyes filled with fear.
“Nathan will stop at nothin’ to have ye, but it is clear that yer heart belongs to another.” She squeezed Valerie’s hand, her strength surprising, seeing her frail appearance. “I dinnae ken if ye have a plan for escaping him, but I will tell ye this—follow yer heart. Dinnae let my braither decide the course of yer life. If ye have someone ye care for, go to him. Stay with him. Dinnae let Nathan’s twisted desires bind ye.”
Valerie felt her stomach twist. “I wish I could follow yer advice, but it is too late. I’m leavin’ in the morning.”
“But what ye told my braither…” Ailsa’s face was stricken. “Ye cannae let him destroy yer life like he did mine.”
Valerie shook her head. “I spoke too soon and too rashly. There’s nothin’ between Laird MacFinn and me but affection, and tomorrow, I must return to my clan.”
And keep my promise, since I cannae escape Laird MacOlley, nay matter how hard I try.
Ailsa looked as if she wanted to burst into tears, and Valerie pulled her into a gentle embrace. “Dinnae fret. It will work out in the end.”
Somehow. I dinnae ken how, when Laird MacOlley threatens my kin and Jude is unwillin’ to make any claim or stance of his own, unless it is based on a falsehood that folk would soon see through. Still, somehow…
Somehow, I will make things right. And I will do whatever it takes to protect all of us, including ye, Lady Ailsa. Ye, my sisters, my niece… and even Jude Reid and his folk, whom I’ve come to care for as much as my own.
CHAPTER 23
The sky washeavy and gray with clouds, the air full of moisture, and a brisk wind was ruffling the grass in the moors. Jude watched it with a casual eye as he limped through the corridors.
His knee always ached in weather like this, but that was far from the most important thing on his mind.
Valerie was leaving. He had one last chance to convince her to stay. He’d hoped their intimate night might convince her, but Lady Ailsa’s arrival had changed things. There was, however, still one thing he could do.
He reached Valerie’s door and lightly knocked on it. He waited for her call, then entered. He found her packing her bags, the blue-green silk dress folded and tucked almost reverently on the side.
“Ye really are leaving.”
“Aye. My work here is done, and I cannae stay.” Her voice was as solemn as his own. “Ye ken it as well as I do.”
“I dinnae. But even so, if I cannae convince ye to stay, can I at least convince ye to delay yer departure?” He stepped closer. “There’s a place I want to show ye, afore ye leave.”
“Somewhere ye want to show me?” Valerie’s brow creased. “Moira’s shown me most of the castle already…”
“It isnae in the castle. It is about an hour northwest.” Jude offered her his hand. “I want to show it to ye—I think ye’ll like it.”
Indecision flickered in her eyes, and Jude stepped a little closer. “If ye willnae stay, at least make one last memory of beauty and joy?”
Valerie hesitated, then relented, “All right. I will go with ye.”
Hand in hand, the two of them made their way down to the stables, where Valerie’s mare and Jude’s favorite horse were waiting. Jude started to help Valerie into the saddle, but she gave him a raised eyebrow and a smirk, then swung herself up smoothly into the saddle without any assistance at all.
Jude chuckled and followed her, swinging himself up into his saddle with a slight grunt of effort as he bent his injured knee.
Together, the two of them rode out of the gate, then Jude took the lead, guiding her down a narrow track toward the hills. Thepath was a thin, faint one, but he was familiar enough with it that he could have navigated it in his sleep.
The path wound on, into the hills, then deeper, to where the hills began to rise higher into the craggy cliffs. Jude turned his horse to follow the path, then through a gap in the cliffs. Once they emerged on the other side, he stopped.
“Here. This is where I wanted to bring ye.”
He heard Valerie’s soft gasp of wonder as she dismounted and took a few steps forward. “Och, it is beautiful.”
He nodded in agreement, then dismounted, looking around with a sense of nostalgia.
The valley wasn’t large—it could be crossed in a quarter of an hour or less at a swift walk—but it was filled with flowers, grass, and heather like a thick green carpet on top of which a riot of color bloomed. A single cascade of crystalline water fell down the far side of the bowl and into a shimmering, perfectly clear riverbed, filled with pure mountain water.