Page 25 of Single Desire
Murdoch said something to Alec, then came toward her. Maura flung herself against him. Her eyes squeezed shut. Tears leaked.
“Don’t, child!” he whispered on hearing her ragged half sob. “I will see you soon. Very soon.” He touched her hair.
Maura nodded, swallowing hard, waiting until she was dry-eyed before she walked to where Alec stood waiting near the gangplank.
On board the ship, she stood near the stern for long, long minutes. She stood until her homeland disappeared from view.
Only then did she turn, her throat achingly tight. Alec stood halfway down the deck, unsmiling, watching her stonily. The sight of him was jarring. How long had he been there?
All at once uncertainty churned in her breast and she could not stop it. God would surely smite her down someday for what she had done. Had she led herself into a trap of her own making? No. She refused to believe it. Her sacrifice was worth the cost. Worth any cost if she found and returned the Circle of Light, home where it belonged. She would barter with the devil himself if it would gain her the Circle. A shiver went through her at the thought.
Perhaps she already had.
Chapter Seven
The crossing across the North Channel was rough. Waves splashed high, spraying over the bow. Maura had been in small boats many times before, rowing around the bay when she was young. But this was different. She stood on deck, looking out, bracing herself with her feet, as if she’d been born to the sea.
Perhaps a quarter of an hour passed, then Alec came up beside her. “For pity’s sake, don’t stand there,” he growled. “You’ll fall overboard.”
“Then you’d be rid of me,” she said lightly. “I should think that would suit you well, your grace.”
He neither agreed nor disagreed. “At least hold onto the rail.”
There was something odd in his tone. Maura looked over at him. Her brow furrowed…suddenly she realized why he was so pale.
“Oh, dear. Are you of a delicate constitution, sir?” she asked brightly. How odd that for a descendant of a pirate, hernewfound husband was a bad sailor. It was all she could do not to crow.
Alec shot her a venomous look. “You needn’t delight in it,” he muttered.
“Oh, but I do not delight in it! I merely inquired out of concern for my husband. It is a wifely duty, is it not, to see to the care and comfort of one’s husband?”
The little witch! Alec grappled for a handkerchief to press to his mouth. It was true the open sea affected him so. But she didn’t inquire out of concern. Why, the chit was gloating!
Wait, my Irish beauty. Wait until I am home in Scotland. At Gleneden. Wait until I have you all to myself. Then we shall see how tart your tongue is.
Ah, yes, wait until he was home.
The ship docked at the port town of Stranraer. The duke’s coachman Douglas was there to meet them. After a quick luncheon they were off. The vehicle was small, built for speed, yet still comfortable and well-sprung.
What was not comfortable was Alec’s regard as he climbed in and took his place opposite her, tossing his hat on the seat. His black hair was tousled; it should have made him look younger. Perhaps it did. But it also made him appear dangerous. His eyes, so icy and pale, drifted over her. It was as if he could see right through her, into her mind. Her very heart. She wondered almost frantically if he’d discovered the truth already. Yet how could that be?
Maura quickly averted her gaze. The carriage rolled forward and gathered speed. She stared out the window at the countryside. Yet all she could see was Alec’s grim visage as she took her place beside him that morning at the wedding ceremony, his jaw bunched hard.
He was angry. Wary. Suspicious. He felt he’d been duped.
And he had.
At length she pretended to sleep. Before she knew it, she began to doze. At some point she was half aware of being tugged down upon the seat. Someone placed a pillow under her head and drew a blanket up over her shoulders.
She woke much later. She felt leaden, almost drugged.
“That was quite a nap you had,” came Alec’s drawl. “Didn’t you sleep well last night?”
That was enough to rouse her into full wakefulness. The incline of her chin high, she sat up. She smoothed her skirts, repinned her hair, and resolutely ignored him.
His soft laughter tipped her chin even higher.
Twilight fell, settling over the treetops. Her heart began to pound. She turned her head toward Alec. She fought to make her voice even.
