He studied her closely, searching for deceit, yet found only a fierce, stubborn truth in her expression.
“And what is it ye want now?” he asked, his voice quieter now, though no less guarded.
She swallowed, her hands shifting against their bindings as she said, “Shelter… only for a short while, till I can gather me strength.”
James said nothing, and she pressed on, urgency rising in her voice.
“I’ll accept any terms ye set, any at all, so long as ye daenae send me back home.”
There was no pride in the plea now, only raw determination edged with desperation. “I’ll work as a servant if need be,” she added quickly, “I ask for nay comfort, only safety.”
Something shifted in him at that, though he gave no outward sign beyond a slight narrowing of his eyes. Her words rang with a kind of honesty he had not expected, and her courage, even in desperation, stirred a reluctant respect. Yet even as he considered her, another thought pressed in, cold and practical as ever.
I should return her.I’ll nae take another man’s betrothed and risk war for the sake of a stranger, nay matter how bold she may be.
The memory of past choices weighed heavily in that moment, a quiet warning he could not ignore. Still, he did not turn away from her, nor dismiss her outright.
“What is yer name?” he asked at last, his voice measured once more.
She hesitated only briefly before answering, “Eloise Whitmore, daughter to Alastair Whitmore.”
James’s gaze sharpened as recognition flickered faintly. “Whitmore,” he repeated, more to himself than to her, as he considered the implications. “A wealthy landowner, if I recall, though nae one of these lands.”
Eloise nodded slightly and said, “Aye, that’s so, or at least, it was. It’s his debts that have brought me to this betrothal.” There was bitterness in her tone now, though she held herself steady beneath it.
James exhaled slowly, the decision forming even as conflict lingered beneath it. “Ye’ll have shelter here,” he said at last, his tone firm, leaving no room for misinterpretation. “Ye’ll be fed, seen to, and given proper clothing,” he continued, his gaze unwavering. “But make nay mistake, lass, this is nae a permanent refuge. In a few days’ time, when ye’ve regained yer strength, I’ll return ye to yer father, where ye belong.”
James turned to leave, the matter settled in his mind, though not without its unrest, when her voice cut through the air behind him.
“Nay,” she said, firmly, “ye daenae return me to me father, ye return me to Laird Drummond.”
CHAPTER THREE
His step halted at once, the words striking with a force he had not expected. Slowly, he turned back to her, his gaze sharpening as something darker stirred beneath the surface.
“What did ye say, lass?” he asked, his voice low, controlled, yet edged with something dangerous.
Eloise held his stare, though her breath hitched slightly, and answered, “I’m promised to Laird Lachlan Drummond, that’s the marriage I’m runnin’ from. The one ye will be returning me to.”
The name settled heavy in the hall, and for a moment, all sound seemed to fall away.
Drummond. That scoundrel.
The name alone was enough to pull him back years in an instant, to a kirk filled with vows and a sister who had smiled too bravely.He saw Jenny as she had been that day, steady, loyal, trusting him without question, and then broken by a fate he had set in motion.
His chest constricted as memory pressed hard and unforgiving.
I gave her to that man.I bound her to him for the sake of strategy and called it duty.
And now this lass stood before him, bound for the same end, her defiance echoing what Jenny had never spoken aloud.
“Who promised ye to him?” James demanded, his voice rougher now, the edge of command sharpened by something far more personal.
Eloise did not hesitate this time, though her gaze hardened slightly. “Me father,” she said, each word clear and certain, “in exchange for Drummond payin’ off his debts.”
The answer hit James heavily, and he felt a flicker of something close to revulsion twist in his gut.
“Strategy, then,” he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to her.
