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She’d not make a second mistake—she wouldn’t let it happen. She’d trust Aidan was coming for her, and she’d hold on until he did. She’d be a worthy pirate bride and help save herself.
Stall him. She racked her brain for an excuse to keep Fraser talking. “What if I’ve changed my mind? What if I don’t want to marry you after all?”
Fraser laughed. Looking bored, he stood to take a turn around the room. “You’ve no choice. ”
“What if I do?” As long as Aidan was alive, she had a choice. They could sail away, live off the fruits of the sea, docking in uninhabited isles and charmingly exotic ports.
“Are you thinking of someone else?” He stopped his pacing to give her a pointed look. “I assure you, I am the only man with means enough to save your family. ”
Fraser spoke the truth, and she hated him for it. In destroying her home, he’d taken her options. He stepped closer, putting words to her thoughts. “Only through our marriage will your father be spared the poorhouse. ”
She shot upright in her seat. “A poorhouse you put him in yourself. ”
“A man does as he must,” he said with a rueful shrug. “But now I am ready to pull you from the ashes, as it were. ”
“Does as he must?” Her eyes widened. “So you confess it? You set the fire?”
“I am capable of many things. Think of it as a lesson. And I’ve another one to teach you tonight, after we’re wed. ” Fraser stroked a finger down her cheek.
She shuddered and looked away, unable to bear the sight of him.
He thought she had no choice, but she did, and she would make it. The greatest of heroines endured tragedy and overcame. And so would she.
“Thinking of our wedding night?”
Standing, she strode around him to the window. “You could say that. ”
Keeping her back to him, she dug her fingers down the front of her bodice, tying a few extra knots into her laces. And a little insurance never hurt.
He came to stand at her back, and she gripped the sill, staring blindly out the window. He traced a finger down her spine, making her flesh crawl. “You must relax yourself, settle into the notion. I always get what I want, Elspeth. ”
Not everything he wanted. Not this time.
Her eyes snapped into focus. There was a boat on the horizon. Could it be Aidan? She just needed to hold on.
A bell rang on the floor below, and voices carried up to them.
“The minister,” he said with a smile. Fraser proffered his arm. “Are you ready to become the Lady Fraser?”
Her heart thundered in her chest. The moment was upon her. She strained, looking back out the window, but saw nothing but a white-and-gray haze.
What if that were Aidan, coming for her on his sloop? She needed to wait for him. Needed to delay, for him.
She sidled away from Fraser. “You won’t get everything you want, you know. ”
His expression narrowed. “And what is it I’m to be denied, Elspeth?”
“My maidenhead. ” She swooped behind an armchair, bracing herself on its back as if it might guard her. “I’m no longer a virgin. ”
“So I’ve gathered. ” He shook his head, looking amused. “I’m no fool. ”
“Even now, I might carry his child. ”
Anger hardened his features. He stalked toward her. “Then we’ll find a way to slip the babe. ”
She dashed to the door, leaping for the knob. “I’ll escape. ”
He cut her off, slamming and bolting it shut. “Do I need to teach you your lesson before we’re wed? I can be quite an unforgiving teacher, ready to school you all the day long. ”
