Page 17 of A Laird and a Fugitive

“Dinnae move a muscle,” she said, wielding the bandit’s sword in trembling hands. The tip was pointed straight at Ryan’s heart. Ryan seemed more amused than frightened. He didn’t make any motion to grab his sword.

“Dae ye think killing me will dae ye any good? My guards will return soon, and if they find ye near my corpse…”

“I’ll say the bandits did it. Ye are nae keeping us prisoner.”

“Ye are nae prisoners. Caroline here has agreed tae become my wife. She will be afforded all the respect that Lady Knox deserves, and as her sisters, ye will be protected as well. Put the sword down. There is nae need for us tae be enemies. We will soon be family,” he punctuated the words with a sly smile.

Something cold crawled down Caroline’s back. Her lips parted, her heart filled with fear. After witnessing what Ryan was capable of, she did not want Nessa to suffer the same fate. If she went ahead with this attack, then Ryan would be forced to defend himself, and that would be the end of Nessa.

“Nessa, nae,” Caroline shook her head.

Nessa frowned, a look of disbelief in her eyes.

“See Nessa, there’s nae need for violence,” Ryan opened his palms and looked every inch a peacemaker. Caroline might even have been able to believe it, had it not been for the bodies lying around.

But soon enough there was one body less. The bandit who had knocked Caroline prone had regained consciousness and was returning to his feet. There was a dark malevolence in his eyes. He picked up the dagger he had dropped, and his gaze was focused on Ryan, whose back made an easy target. The dagger winked as the bandit lunged forward.

Caroline wasn’t sure what possessed her to do what she did next. Perhaps it was her innate goodness, or it was a sense of revenge against this bandit who had promised her something deadly, but she found herself running towards him, flinging herself through the air between him and Laird Knox.

“Stop!” she cried out, which alerted Ryan. He spun around abruptly to see Caroline’s hands wrenching at the bandit. The bandit cursed.

Ryan immediately strode up to them and pushed Caroline away. Then, he thrust his palm into the man’s chest and wrenched the dagger from his hands, slicing the blade across the bandit’s throat in one smooth, flowing motion. The whole matter had taken but a few seconds. That was all the time that was needed for a man’s life to be ended. Ryan watched with a cold stare as the bandit fell to the ground. Death was so swift that he didn’t even have a chance to clutch his throat. Blood dripped from the blade of the dagger.

Caroline and Ryan were locked in an intense stare. She had just saved his life. With him dead, they might have been free. Had she condemned her and her sisters to a dreadful life? Had she just made a sin of virtue?

Ryan tilted his head to the side and had a thoughtful look. He inclined his head in thanks. This man was to be her husband, and she had just saved his life. It should have been a noble act, but she couldn’t help but feel as though she had done something wrong. The way he looked at her made it seem as though her skin was being peeled away, and he was peering at the soul beneath, with all her secrets exposed.

What did he see when he looked at her? Was she just some meek woman to him, an object he could use and control and display, like one of the banners that hung upon his wall? Or was there the beginning of respect, the sense that she was more than what he assumed.

Before she could come to a conclusion, Knox guards returned with a frantic, trembling Tara in two. She was looking around and only calmed down when she saw that Caroline and Nessa were still alive. Nessa was the opposite of relieved. With the return of the guards, even she knew better than to hold a sword, so she threw it down on the ground and huffed.

Tara ran up to Caroline, and they approached Nessa. They hugged tightly and sobbed. It seemed as though they were never going to be free of this tyranny.

“That bandit had him. He was about tae die and ye saved him. What were ye thinking, Caroline?” Nessa said in a derisive tone.

Caroline remained silent for a moment. “It seemed like the right thing tae dae. And even if he hae died, there was nae guarantee we would hae escaped the bandits, or rescued Tara.”

“I hae the sword. I could hae taken the bandit. Ye said ye wanted tae save us, but instead ye hae condemned us. Ye are tae be his wife. What is gaeing tae become of us?”

Tara cringed with fear and the girls nestled together. Caroline had all these thoughts and more swirling about her mind. They were chaotic, senseless, and she simply didn’t know what was going to happen next, other than a joyless wedding.

She lifted her gaze over Tara’s head to the man who was to be her husband. Laird Knox was conferring with his guards, giving them orders. A few of them were already tending to the bodies. Laird Knox didn’t seem perturbed by the violence at all. He had taken it in his stride, as though it was just an everyday occurrence. What kind of life would he promise her? What kind of vile things would she be witness to as his wife?

She closed her eyes in an attempt to stem the flow of tears, but was unsuccessful. Saving his life had been a moment of instinct, a moment where thoughts had not entered her mind. She prayed that it had not been a mistake. She wrapped her arms around Tara and Nessa tightly, reassuring herself by the thought that at least they were together, at least they were alive. Things may not have gone to plan at all, but as long as she kept Nessa and Tara safe, then she considered things to be a success.

She kissed them both on the top of their heads and whispered that she loved them. They were both trembling, Tara with fear, Nessa with frustration, but that would all pass. Caroline would see that they had a prosperous future. They would benefit from her marriage, even if she wouldn’t.