“He will,” Finn said. “Until he does, I give ye my pledge ye will not be harmed.”
“I’m to take your word for that?” she asked.
“Aye.” He gave her a smile that usually won over the lasses.
She arched one delicate eyebrow. Apparently, she was not fully persuaded.
“Look, lass, I don’t want to do this either. As neither of us has a choice, let’s be off,” he said. “We’ve a long journey ahead of us.”
The lass did not give away much, but Finn sensed a subtle change in her. Perhaps his admission that he was forced into this kidnapping had worked to ease her fears, as he had hoped.
“A long journey?” she asked in a soft voice that had the effect of fingertips brushing against his skin. “Where are ye taking me?”
She appeared to accept that she was going with him. This was going surprisingly well.
“I can’t tell ye where just yet,” he said.
“But it isfar?” she asked.
“Aye.” He found it odd that his answer did not appear to upset her. But then, she was a cool-headed lass who did not reveal much.
“Since you’re a Highlander”—her gaze darted to his kilt, which had the dual effect of making her cheeks go pink and his cock spring to life—“ye must be taking me somewhere in the Highlands?”
“Aye.” He saw no harm in telling her what she already knew. He unwound the rope he’d brought from around his waist. “I’m sure ye understand I must take the precaution of binding your hands.”
“I’ll make a bargain with ye, Highlander.” She stood up and backed away from him with her hands raised. “If you’ll agree not to bind me, I’ll give ye my word that I’ll go willingly.”
“Ach, I cannot do that.”
“Did ye not say this would be easier on both of us if I cooperated?” she asked, tilting her head in a verra fetching way. “On such a long journey, surely there will be many opportunities for me to attempt to escape or cry for help.”
“That would indeed make the journey tedious,” he said. “But I’m afraid you’ll have to earn my trust.”
“Me,” she said, “earnyourtrust?”
“All right, I’ll give ye one chance,” he said, holding up his finger. “If ye try anything, I’ll bind ye handandfoot. Now, we must leave.”
“I can’t go in my shift,” she said, sounding more shocked at this than at being kidnapped.
When she looked down at the offending garment, his gaze followed hers and lingered. He could not see through the damned thing, and yet his throat went dry imagining her naked body beneath it.
“If ye care nothing for my discomfort,” she said when he failed to respond, “anyone who sees me like this will know something is amiss, and you’ll be caught for certain.”
Traveling with this lass in a night shift would certainly draw unwanted attention. When she started for the other room, he suspected a trick and caught her arm.
“You may not come into the bedroom with me,” she said in a quiet but firm voice.
Did she have a man in there, waiting for the opportunity to attack him? Finn drew his dirk. Holding her by the wrist, he eased the door open with his shoulder.
The room was tiny and sparsely furnished with a narrow bed built into the corner. After finding nothing under the bed but a large basket, he relaxed.The opening to the loft above was too small for a grown man to fit through. And if a man did manage to squeeze through there to hide instead of protecting his woman, he wasn’t anyone to worry about. There was nowhere else to hide and no windows to offer Lady Margaret an escape.
“Whose cottage is this?” Finn asked.
“My friend’s,” she said. “He’s away.”
Finn was curious who this friend was to her and why she came here. Sometimes bored noblewomen found it exciting to bed men not of their class. Lady Margaret was sinking low indeed if she was carrying on an affair with a villager.
The room was so small that they were mere inches from each other and the narrow bed. He eyed the bed and imagined it would be a tight squeeze for two, but—