Leaning back against the wall, Alec folded his arms and watched Cora win him over. It was impressive, and it did amuse him, but it also solidified something for him.
Claire, or whatever she wants to call herself, is a dangerous woman.
Finally, Reid was cleaned, bandaged, and resting. Alec held the door open and motioned for her to join him outside. “Ye did good work in there,” he said softly. “I’ve seen healers who couldn’t stitch a man up the way that ye did.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Nay,” he said softly. “’Tis naught but an observation. I just wanted ye to know that I was paying attention. How are ye feeling today?”
She lifted her chin and stared at him. “What do you mean?”
“Ye spent months in prison, and ye were punched in the stomach yesterday. I know ye are hurting. I’m just asking ye how the pain feels today?” He was close enough to lean down and kiss her, but once again, he held himself back. The desperate urge was there to taste her, touch her smooth skin, listen to the hitch in her breath.
There was a flicker of surprise in her eyes. “You don’t need to worry about me, Laird Sinclair. One little blow is not enough to bring me down.”
Alec shook his head as he watched her walk away. For an English woman, she certainly did have guts.
When Cora made her way to her chambers, she was surprised to find there was a bath waiting for her. Mary finished pouring it and smiled shyly. “Laird Sinclair thought ye might want a chance to wash up before dinner.”
“It’s not necessary, but I wouldn’t want the bath to go to waste. Thank you, Mary.”
“’Tis the least that I could do after the way that ye stood up for me last night. No one has ever done that for me before.” The servant walked forward and grabbed her hand. “I don’t know what yer story is, but I doonae care.”
Was Mary offering to be her friend? Cora was touched, but the circumstances surrounding the situation were vile. “’It was nothing,” she said dismissively. “Thank you for the bath. I will be ready to help you with the evening meal.”
“It wasn’t nothing,” Mary insisted. “No one has ever stood up for me like that. I hadn’t expected it from a Sassenach.”
Cora raised an eyebrow. A compliment and an insult all rolled into one. “Thanks,” she said dryly.
“I shouldn’t call ye that. I’m sorry. Old habits are hard to break,” Mary said with a shrug. “Enjoy yer bath.”
Had she just made a friend? Cora couldn’t help but smile as Mary left. If that were true, it would be the first real friend Cora had made in years. Even in London, she was scorned, although for an entirely different reason.
After her bath, she was in good spirits. She met Mary and Louise to help out with the evening meal. Even Louise was treating her with more respect. Cora couldn’t believe her luck. Maybe things were finally turning around for her.
“Well, get on with it,” Louise grumbled. “Ye just standing there with that stupid smile on yer face.”
Chuckling, Cora bumped the door with her hip and took the first tray of drinks out. The face that grinned back at her made her blood run cold.
Innes Campbell. What was he doing here?
Swallowing hard, she quickly averted her eyes and moved to take Mary’s side of the great hall. The other servant looked at her questioningly but quickly took over her tables. When she got back to the kitchen, her heart was pounding.
“Claire?” Mary hissed. “Are ye okay? What’s happening?”
“Innes Campbell. What’s he doing here?” Cora whispered.
“I doona know, but we were told that he was staying the night. Yer shaking. What is wrong?”
Cora shook her head. “I’m fine, but I don’t like that man. Do you mind if we switch sides? I’d like to avoid him if I could.”
“Of course,” Mary said with a concerned look. “But ye have to serve the laird. Ye should have done it first before providing food to anyone else.”
It was all Cora could do not to roll her eyes. The last thing she was concerned about was protocol, but she nodded and grabbed the next tray of drinks. Aware that Innes’s eyes watched her every step, she made her way to the head of the hall where Alec and his men were waiting.
It was obvious the Sinclair warriors were not happy. “Ye serve the laird first. Always,” Stephen muttered with narrowed eyes. “Ye should be relieved of yer duties immediately.”
Alec didn’t seem all that angry. Instead, he watched her with inquisitive eyes. “Ye normally work the other side. What made ye change yer mind?”
Cora smiled sweetly at him. “I just find you so charming. And I apologize for not serving you first. You and your handsome men just make me so nervous.”
He chuckled. “I don’t know why I ever expect ye to tell me the truth.”
Putting a hand over her chest, she feigned outrage as she kept moving past him to finish serving the drinks. The new laird could think whatever he wanted to think so long as he didn’t try to send her back over to Innes. It surprised her that Innes wasn’t cozying up to Alec, but she got the feeling the two men didn’t get along.
If she knew that she could trust him, Alec could be an ally. He’d make sure that her sister was safe, and he’d protect her.
But the clan was important to him. If he got wind that she was Duncan’s daughter, he’d be first in line to kill her.
Taking a deep breath, she found the courage to look Innes’s way. He was laughing with the men at his table and clapping them on the back. He really was a handsome devil. It was too bad that something truly evil resided inside him. She could see it in his eyes every time he’d raised his hand to strike her.
She could see it now when he raised his head and smiled at her. Chills raced down her spine, and she gasped softly. Not looking where she was going, she tripped over someone’s foot. The drinks on her tray spilled all over a table of men and a hush fell over the room.
“I’m so sorry,” she stammered. She knew they recognized her from last night. Raising her chin, she waited for the violent reaction. A large man stood and narrowed his eyes as he studied her.
“’No worries, lass. ’Twas an accident. Just fetch us some more,” he growled. A few other men stood, and he turned and glared at them. “There won’t be a problem here, right?”
Surprised, Cora nodded her head. “I’ll get new drinks right away.” With wide eyes, she scampered from the room. Mary grabbed her arm.
“Ye have no idea how lucky ye just got. That’s Cormac. His sister works here in the castle.”
“He’s protecting me,” Cora said softly.
“Because by protecting me, ye protected all the women that work here,” Mary said with a smile. “Why are ye scared of Campbell?”
The change in subject threw Cora off balance, and she nearly spilled the new tray of drinks. “I’m not scared. I just don’t like the man. That’s not a crime, is it?” she asked hotly before heading back to the dining hall. She felt bad for speaking like that to Mary, but she couldn’t afford for anyone to guess her secret.
Reaching Cormac’s table, she served the men with a small smile. “Thank you for understanding,” she said softly.
Cormac barely acknowledged the statement, but Cora didn’t mind. The man had already protected her.
That made two Scottish men who had protected her in the past week. Maybe she’d need to rethink her position on them.
Smiling to herself, she went to duck back into the kitchen, but before she could get there, someone reached out and grabbed her arm. They dragged her down the poorly lit hallway and around the corner.
“Let go of me!” Cora demanded. She whirled around to face the man and gasped when Innes grinned at her. “Get your hands off me. I am no longer your prisoner.”
“Aye, but yer still my betrothed. I have the King’s seal to prove it, or did ye forget about that?”
“The King approved a marriage between you and Cora Isles. She’s dead, or have you forgotten that?” she h
issed.
Innes didn’t look at all stressed. Lazily grinning at her, he reached up to touch her hair. She jerked her head back and struck it against the stone wall. The pain nearly brought tears to her eyes, but she struggled to control herself. “Maybe Cora survived,” he said softly. “Maybe Seth imprisoned her to keep her from taking over, and maybe I’m just the man to save her.”
“Or maybe you and Seth killed my father and then beat me for six months,” she snapped. “You touch me, and I’ll tell everyone the truth. Alec Sinclair is laird now.”
“Aye, but this clan belongs to me. I helped Seth with his plan because he was going to help me kill my brother, but he’s dead now, so I want this clan. And the MacKays want me. Even they’ll forgive me for marrying an Englishwoman if she’s the daughter of Duncan MacKay. This clan worshipped the man, and there is nothing you can do to stop me because ye know that I’ll kill that lovely sister of yours. She’s set to enter her first season next year, right?”
Cora swallowed hard and closed her eyes. “Just leave me alone. Please.”
Innes gripped her arm and leaned forward. For a hellish moment, she thought he might kiss her. “I can’t, Miss Cora. You belong to me. Just because yer walking around freely does not change that.”
“Well, doesn’t this look cozy,” Alec said coldly.
Innes stepped back and turned his head. “I’ve heard yer decree. Trust me, this one is more than willing, laird.”
“Claire?” Alec asked softly. “I think it would be best if ye served our meals now.”
“Of course. My apologies.” Pulling away from Innes, she hurried past Alec and tried to keep the fear from showing on her face.
She would never be free from her nightmares. Once Innes left, she’d have to make her escape and reach London before he knew she was gone.
It meant more lying to Alec, and for some reason, she hated the very thought of it.
5
Alec paced in his chambers and tried not to revisit the evening in his mind yet again. Watching Innes touch Cora awoke something primal in him, but it was even worse that she hadn’t pushed him away. He’d spent this whole time thinking that she’d been his victim, but what if he was wrong? What if Claire and Innes are working together?
It made sense. If they were working together to bring Seth down, it would explain why she was in prison and why she was reluctant to give him any information.
Did that mean he was next on her list? Innes no doubt thought he was next to be the MacKay leader. No one would suspect that the wee English woman would be able to bring him down. No one would suspect her treachery.
How would he get the truth out of her? He wanted to shake her until she said something that was honest, but he had a feeling that wouldn’t work. She had to have some weaknesses.
Despite her prickly nature, he recognized the look of lust in her eyes. He couldn’t bully the truth out of her, but maybe he could seduce her.
His body responded to the thought, and he set his jaw. He couldn’t keep thinking of her as a wronged thief.
She could very well be an assassin.
Alec didn’t sleep well that night, and he was up well before the rest of the castle began to wake. Stealing down into the kitchen, he was surprised to find that he wasn’t the only one up before the sun.
“Jamie,” he grunted. “Why aren’t ye sleeping?”
“I find this place unsettling,” Jamie muttered.
Alec eyed his old friend. “Ye want to go back to SInclair land.” It wasn’t a question. He knew things weren’t easy for them here. It wasn’t easy for him either.
“Mebbe eventually,” Jamie said with a shrug. “I don’t mean it’s unsettling because it’s filled with MacKay men. There is something unnatural about these stones.”
Alec snorted. “Ye and yer superstitious nonsense.”
“Ye don’t believe in ghosts?”
“’Tis an old castle, Jamie. I have no doubt that there are plenty of spirits still hanging around. The same can be said about the Sinclair lands as well.”
Jamie shook his head. “There’s just something about this place. I think it’s Seth. His evil nature still haunts the halls.”
“Seth was only laird for six months. Before that, it was Duncan, and while we didn’t get along, he was a good man and a good laird. There’s a good feeling in this place. I have a good feeling about it. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. I wouldn’t ask ye and Shane and Stephen to stick around if I didn’t. I hope ye know that.”
Jamie grinned. “We know that. I’ll get used to the place. Don’t worry about me. Biscuit?”
Alec eyed the biscuit suspiciously. “Who did ye seduce to get biscuits this early?”
“Mary might have her eyes on ye, but she’ll settle for me,” he said with a wink. “I’ll share if yer nice.”
Rolling his eyes, Alec snatched the biscuit out of Jamie’s hand and took a bite out of it. “What do ye think of Claire?”
“So ye aren’t calling her the thief anymore?”
“I saw her talking with Innes Campbell last night. They looked intimate.”
Jamie raised his eyebrows and waited a beat. “Were ye going to ask a question?”
“What am I supposed to think? I find her in the prisons. No one in the clan can vouch for her. She lies about her name. She’s English, and last night she was pressed against Innes and the wall. She’s a spy for him.”
“No.” Jamie shook his head. “Innes is a scoundrel, and he’s seduced his fair share of women, but I doonae get a bad feeling from Claire. I doonae think she’s done anything wrong.”
Normally, Alec trusted Jamie’s instincts. The man had a strange power to read other people, but this time, there were just too many things that didn’t add up. “Why doesn’t she tell me the truth? Why doesn’t she at least lie and try to leave?”
“Maybe something is keeping her here,” Jamie suggested. “Maybe she really is a thief, and she hasn’t gotten her hands on what she wants.”
“Ye just said that ye didn’t think she’d done anything wrong.”
“Maybe she took something that belongs to her. It should not surprise ye that Seth MacKay would take anything he wanted, whether it belonged to him or not. The point is that it does not matter. She is just a lass. She can do no real harm. You can continue to stand here and be consumed by her, or ye can get a few practice rounds in before the rest of the men join us.”
Was Jamie right? Was his obsession for nothing? Whether she was innocent or not, how much damage could she inflict? Even if she were a spy for Innes, he could easily thwart her by ensuring that no real information reaches her ears.
Determined not to let the beautiful enigma consume him further, he followed his man outside the castle. Part of the reason that Alec wanted to stay was that the MacKay lands were breathtaking. He’d always be partial to the lands he’d grown up in, but the MacKay fields had a breathtaking view of the cliffs and the valley below. It made half the castle impregnable, and supposedly there were secret tunnels beneath the lands so that the MacKay people could never be trapped. So long as the laird could protect the other side, the MacKays would never surrender. Every clan on this side of the valley wanted these lands.
And now they were his, but only if he could keep them. He wasn’t about to let the liar and Innes Campbell take them from him.
“Mary!” Louise bellowed. “Why were there a dozen biscuits left out on the counter?”
Mary grinned and winked at Cora. “Why are ye asking me? Earlier ye were calling me a lazy cow for sleeping in a few minutes.”
The plump cook narrowed her eyes and studied the pretty servant. “I know yer little tricks. Ye think the fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
“Among other things,” Mary said with a sly smile.
Cora couldn’t help but feel her stomach tighten. Was she talking about Alec? Had Mary found a way to the man after all?
What did she care? Alec didn’t belong to her. He could b
ed whomever he wanted. It didn’t bother her any.
Yet another lie. Jealousy burned through her even though she didn’t understand it. How could she care about a man that she didn’t altogether trust and who did not trust her?
“Ye don’t look like ye slept at all,” Louise said as she studied Cora. “What’s wrong, love? Other than being English, of course.”
Cora chuckled. “I assure you, being English does not keep me up. I’m still trying to adjust to my new life. Do you happen to know if Mr.Campbell is still here?”
“Mr. Campbell?” Mary asked sharply. “Ye mean Innes? What’s yer story with him? Ye looked terrified of him last evening.”
“No,” Cora denied quickly. She didn’t want it getting back to Innes that the servants thought she was terrified of him. “He just gives me a bad feeling.”
“He’s not a good man,” Mary said darkly. “Ye would do well to stay away from him. I think he’s still here.”
Trying to sound casual, she cleared her throat. “Is he planning on staying long?”
Louisa frowned. “I overheard his men saying that they wanted to keep an eye on things. Check up on the new laird. They’ll probably be here for a few more days. Why?”
“Just wondering.” Cora tried not to smile. If Innes was distracted here, then it was possible that she could slip away and get a head start to London. The man was a heavy drinker. After dinner this evening, she’d wait until he was good and drunk and then make her move. That would give her a solid eight hours start ahead of him, and if she was lucky, even longer. She might even get to London before Innes even realized she was gone. She’d get Lana and hide her away. Maybe then, everything would finally be in order.
She could go back to living her life and could forget about this whole nightmare. When Louisa and Mary started bickering again, Cora swiped a few biscuits and tried to hide her guilt. The two women were treating her like a friend, and she felt like she was betraying them.
Highlander's Beautiful Lia ( Historical Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance) Page 5
