Page 59 of Surrendering to her Highland Captor
“It is all a front,” he explained hastily. “Baron Dudley does nae care about yer reputation. He only means to embarrass ye. He will nae forgive the way ye slighted him.”
“But what about the peace treaty?”
Taryn was finally starting to look worried and James nearly sighed in relief. Until he realized what he was going to have to tell her next.
“He proposed a new one; one he would only sign so long as yer uncle sends him yer head on a silver platter.”
The words came out forced and gritty, but it was the only way James could bring himself to say such a wicked thing. His eyes darted all over her face, searching for any sign that she had heard him. She nearly stumbled after a heartbeat, and his hands shot out to catch her. They stayed firmly on the tops of her arms, ready to pull her out of the cell and into a run as soon as she was ready.
“Laird McGregor just announced it all in the Great Hall. He was still undecided as to what he would do when I came to find ye. We must leave now. Before anyone else comes looking for ye.”
“M-my father?” she stammered out.
“Did as he always does, put his own interests first.”
Those dinnae seem to include ye.
Though he didn’t speak his thoughts, he could see he didn’t need to. Taryn was clearly thinking the same thing. A maskof resignation slipped over her face. The brilliance of her eyes dimmed as her mouth dipped into a flat line. She might have given up, but he certainly wasn’t going to.
“Let’s go.”
It wasn’t an option, but an order he had given her. Pulling out a hat from the pocket of his coat that she still wore, he tugged it on and tucked her blonde hair into the collar.
“Keep yer head down. We will move quickly. Just down the corridor is a back tunnel. If we can get ye there, we will be safe.”
She stayed silent as they moved with haste out of the cell and into the hallway. With one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other on her back, he led them across the way and towards the tunnel. So few people knew about it that he doubted they would be caught. The door in sight, James went to reach for the handle, relieved that they were finally setting things to rights.
“Where do ye think ye are going?”
