Page 39 of A Touch So Wicked

“His being here offends me,” Elissa said fiercely. Her voice gentled. “Donna fret, Mama. Naught is wrong. I am fine. I’m merely anxious for you to get well enough to leave before Lord Damian discovers the tunnel. He’s been actively searching for it.”

“Do you really want to leave, dearling?”

Elissa would do anything to escape Damian’s sensual allure. “Aye, ’tis what I want.”

“Then I shall endeavor to rise from this bed and get strong enough to flee with you and Lora.”

Elissa’s eyes lit up. “Oh, Mama, I want you well for myself and Lora, as well as for your own sake, for I willna leave Misterly without you.”

“Tomorrow I shall ask Maggie to help me walk about a bit so that I may strengthen my legs.”

“I love you, Mama,” Elissa said, giving her mother a quick hug.

Suddenly the door opened and Lora burst through. “Mama! Damian let me ride his horse! Did you know Cosmo carried Damian in battle?” She cast a glance behind her. “Tell Mama how brave I was, Damian.”

Elissa froze as Damian appeared in the doorway. “I hope I’m not intruding, Lady Marianne.”

“Not at all, my lord. Please come in and tell me about my daughter’s adventure.”

Damian smiled at Lora. “Lora was very brave, indeed, and Cosmo acted like a perfect gentleman. I sat her before me and we took a turn about the courtyard.”

Elissa looked down when Damian’s silver gaze found her. Did her guilty expression give her away?

“Lady Elissa,” Damian said in a commanding voice. “A word with you in private, if you please.”

“Go, daughter,” Marianne said, “Lora and I will be fine here. You canna imagine how pleased I am to see her health improving. Thank you, Lord Damian, for your good care of her.”

“’Tis no trouble, my lady,” Damian said. “Now if you’ll excuse us, I would speak with Elissa.”

He guided Elissa out the door and down the corridor to her chamber. He opened the door and ushered her inside. He followed and shut the door firmly behind him.

“We shouldna be in here alone,” Elissa said, backing away.

“A private word is all I want.” His eyes darkened. “Though in truth I’d like much more from you.”

’Tis best accomplished in your bedchamber, Tavis had told her. Kill him. No one will blame you. She couldn’t. Not Damian. He was so vibrantly alive. Let someone else wield the knife, for she couldn’t…wouldn’t.

“What do you wish to say to me, my lord?”

Damian sighed audibly. “Still stubborn, I see. Ah, well, in that case, I’ll state my business as succinctly as possible. ’Tis about your mother. She seems to be gaining strength. Do you not agree?”

Elissa was immediately suspicious. “Perhaps. Why do you ask? Do you still intend to send Mama and my sister to the convent?”

“’Tis what the king wishes, but I’m willing to delay the journey until Lady Marianne’s strength is fully restored. She seems to be much improved, for which I am grateful. I want no woman’s death on my conscience. I have grown fond of your sister and mother and believe they will be safe in the convent. The king’s arm is long, I want them where no harm will come to them.”

“What about me, my lord? Donna you wish me safe?”

A slow smile stretched his lips. “I can keep you safe, Elissa. Come to my bed and I will protect you from the king with my life.”

“I must refuse your offer, my lord. We both know the king will have his way whether you make me your mistress or not. Send me to the convent with Mama and Lora.”

Damian’s expression hardened. “So you can escape and wed Tavis? Nay.”

“Then we have nothing more to discuss, my lord.”

“We have a great deal to discuss. The least of which is the way you respond to my kisses. Why are you fighting the inevitable?”

Why indeed? Elissa wondered. Tavis wanted her to bed Damian, but for a reason she couldn’t countenance. Did her refusal make her a traitor? She did not like the sound of that. She was a loyal Highlander. Killing a hated Englishman, the usurper of her home and lands, should not be a difficult task, so why did she balk when so many people depended on her?