Page 21 of A Temptress in Tartan

She tensed at first, then unable to resist the warmth lingering on Lachlan’s cloak as it permeated through to her flesh, she relaxed. She should back away, refuse to take the comfort he offered, but she found she could not. Instead, she focused on the howling of the wind as it whipped across the Firth. Whitecaps danced on the surface, giving evidence of the strength of the wind. “Will it be safe to cross in this weather?”

“It is always a little windy here at the Firth. And ’tis nothing to a large ship like The Golden Rose.”

“Thank you for the warning,” she said after a long moment.

“I will see you safely across.”

She looked down at his chest, refusing to meet his eyes. “I used to think I didn’t need anyone or anything in my life—that I was fine being alone, being ignored by my clan, being unloved by my father. He wanted a son, you know. He was never pleased that I was his only child.”

“You were his child. That should have been enough. He should love you for who you are.”

“Love?” She startled at the word. “Do men know the meaning of the word?”

He pulled back to look into her face. “Aye, Elizabeth, they do. I’ve seen that miracle twice recently with my cousins, Reid and Quinn. I cannot wait for you to meet them and the women who stole their hearts, Lucy and Vivian. You’ll like them.”

He was talking to her as though she were a part of his family, not a stranger who he did not truly know. Tears sprang to her eyes and ran down her cheeks, only to be whipped away by the wind. “I don’t know why I’m crying,” she said as she impatiently wiped her wet cheeks. “It’s foolish to weep over the past.” And maybe even the future. Would Lachlan’s family treat her the same way the residents of Ravenscraig Castle had? She couldn’t change who she was. Or could she?

He didn’t comment on her crying. He merely held her until her tears dried up. When she was at peace once more, he loosened his arms and took her hand, leading her to a log that sat facing the water on the beach. “Sit here and wait until I load the horses, then we will set sail.”

As she watched Lachlan head toward the boat, she wondered what it would have been like to be loved by a father. If he had loved her, would it have made a difference in her life from the start? If she had learned to trust love instead of reject it? She was finding it harder and harder to see Lachlan as her father had always painted their enemy—as ruthless and dangerous. Instead, the longer they were together she saw him as caring and almost tender. Was that what a man who could love was like? She’d thought Roland had shown her love before, but perhaps true love was something bigger than she’d ever imagined.

*

Less than an hour later, with the wind in her face, Elizabeth curled her hand around the rail on The Golden Rose’s forecastle. She gazed at the tall, round masts and the sails that were taut, filled with wind as they made their way across the Firth of Forth. The water below was turbulent, but the ship remained steady, lifting then falling in a constant rhythm. Below her, sailors darted to and fro as they adjusted the sails and tightened the rigging. It was like a well-orchestrated dance between the wind and the men who chose to capture it, however briefly, to do their bidding.

“The wind is sharpening. You should go below deck.” Lachlan came to stand beside her.

“Soon,” she replied. “I like it here.” She gazed out at the point where the sea met the sky and listened to the wind as it sang through the rigging. “I feel like everything is so clear out here on the water. Like nothing is hidden from view except what lies beyond the horizon.” She turned to him with a smile. “But that is where the mystery begins. There is so much promise beyond that horizon.”

He studied her expression. “You are a sailor at heart.”

She turned back to look at the horizon and felt her exhilaration fade. “Except that women have no place on a journey of exploration. Their place is at home, surrounded by chi—”

“Your place,” Lachlan interrupted, “is wherever you choose it to be.”

She gazed at him incredulously. “You truly believe that?”

“Of course. Life is short and often filled with difficulty. It is our dreams that make our lives worth living.”

“Is it your dream to be a warrior and protect the king?”

His lips tightened. “I do what I do out of loyalty to my kin and my country, and because I have never had any reason to do anything else.” His voice faded as he looked out at the water, suddenly tense.

“Excuse me, Elizabeth,” he said before he rushed to the back of the forecastle and stared into the distance. “There’s a boat in distress to our starboard side. They are sinking.”

“Fishermen?” one of the seamen asked as he came to join Lachlan at the railing.

“Most likely,” Lachlan replied. “And if we do not hurry, they will all drown.”

The seaman shouted orders to reduce the sail, which slowed the ship. The swells seemed large now that The Golden Rose wasn’t gliding over their tops. In the distance, Elizabeth could see an overturned boat with six men struggling to keep their heads above water as they clung to the wood. It seemed to take forever to get The Golden Rose into position alongside their small boat.

“Bring her up close,” the captain commanded the seaman at the rudder.

“Aye, Captain,” he shouted and put the ship into a quick turn that sent white water along the lee rail. As they got closer to the men in distress, several seamen who could swim leapt into the water, Lachlan among them.

By the time they arrived at the scene, only four men remained above the water, clinging to the boat. Elizabeth’s breath stilled in her chest as she watched Lachlan dive below the water’s surface, no doubt looking for the two men who had vanished beneath the waves. Long horrible moments passed while the sodden men were lifted out of the water and hauled onto the quarterdeck by those who had remained aboard.

Where was Lachlan? She could see nothing in the water, which now appeared an inky black. Finally, a dark-colored head broke through the choppy surface, followed by a more familiar one. Relief ran through Elizabeth’s blood so potently she felt dizzy. Lachlan was all right and he had saved one of the men who would have drowned.