Page 14 of The Son of a Highland Witch
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He still wouldn’t let her ride her own horse.
After several fairly uneventful days on the road, Erica was about ready to scream. Her earlier sympathy for Finn in light of his tragic past followed by his incredible bravery had dimmed. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to get out of the stuffy coach before another hour passed.
Deep down, Erica knew she was probably being unreasonable. He’d made his feelings clear on the matter. When pressed, he’d even gone so far as to say why. He thought it would be harder to protect her if she was on her own horse.
She supposed it might have been true to an extent. But did she really need to be placed under lock and key, as though she would disappear somewhere along the way? She’d tried promising to stay right at his side, but that particular offer had only seemed to make things worse. He’d recoiled from her as if struck and avoided her entirely for the next day.
But today was their last day on the road. By nightfall, she would be in what was to be her future home, and much as the idea excited her, it also scared her. A lot.
“Finn, please may I speak with you?” she asked after breakfast, catching at his sleeve to stop him before he could disappear again.
Of course he protested immediately. “My lady, if we are to make the castle before dark—”
Erica sighed. “Please…just a little of your time. ’Tis all I ask.”
At his nod, her heart soared within her. What was it about him which created such chaos within her? The very fact that he’d quite nearly smiled had set a warmth traveling through her body that she could not deny. Almost desperately, she gestured toward the courtyard of the inn where they’d stayed.
“Perhaps we can walk? I ken ye be a busy man, and I would nae be keeping ye from yer work.”
At this, the slight tilt to his lips deepened. Truly he was smiling, even if the expression accompanying it was wry with a touch of humor. He sketched a bow and gestured for her to lead the way.
“And what might the good lady of Clan O’Donnell be needing from me?”
His gentle mocking held no sharp edges. In fact, Erica suspected her escort might well be teasing her. For a moment, she faltered. Was he so pleased to be rid of her soon that his mood had shifted entirely? Perhaps, though, this would be to her advantage.
“I was wondering,” she said as they crossed to where the men were rearranging the luggage on the coach, “whether I might perhaps ride me own mare today. It being the last day and all.”
His pleasant mood disappeared. “My lady—”
“Please…hear me out!” She stopped, facing him. “Truly, I have been fairly cooperative in riding within the coach with Trudy. But have ye never...” She faltered here and bit her lip, wondering how to word things. In the end, she decided to go with raw honesty, praying he would at least listen. “Finn…” she said, testing his name cautiously upon her tongue as though she had never spoken it aloud before. “Have ye ever given any thought to what it means to a lass when she marries?”
At his blank stare, it was clear he had not considered this. She tried again.
“By the end of the day, I will be…I will be placed within a box, within a role to play which I will never be given leave to escape again. I will be lady of the castle, a Highlander’s bride. Trapped by the very life I have craved since I was small. A lady has…duties to her husband, and eventually to her family. And as such, to have the freedom—”
“Aye.”
“—of being able to…” Erica blinked. “Aye? Ye have said aye to me? That I might ride me own horse?”
“At me side, aye. Though if ye be insisting on talking the whole way, I ken I shall regret it.”
But he was speaking the words without rancor. If anything, he seemed cautious…well, he wasn’t quite so dour anyway.
She almost kissed him. Or at least she wanted to but for the fact that his face and hard, muscled body still haunted her dreams all night and day. Erica settled for hugging him hard, though it was entirely unladylike, and bolted across the courtyard to see if she could rescue a kirtle more suitable for riding from her trunk before they lashed it onto the coach and hence out of reach.
* * *
As Erica expected,Trudy wanted nothing to do with Erica’s triumph and even seemed doubtful it would be proper for Erica to arrive on horseback at her new home.
“Nonsense,” Erica told her for the seventh time. “I will stop before we get to the castle and settle myself properly in the coach. No one need ever know.”
Which to her mind resolved things. Trudy, though, seemed more than a little put-out, perhaps because it left her to her own devices for the afternoon, though Mattie offered to keep her company when he heard her complain. Not that he was allowed to.
Erica, though, savored every moment she was able to ride under the open sky. So high were her spirits that she suggested a race—just to stretch the legs of her horse, she claimed.
“The horses be stretching their legs just fine,” Finn said with a shake of his head. It was clear he was regretting his kind impulse already.
