Page 78 of Highland Ruse

Delilah’s tears dried within the hour, but the ache never left. Not once in the entire two and a half days it took to arrive at Edirdovar Castle.

The skies had wept through the entire journey, as if they too could not stand the force of her suffering.

Leasa straightened in the seat opposite her. “There it is.”

Delilah followed the direction of Leasa’s gaze toward the castle in the distance. The red stone stood dusky against the gray sky, its walls high and imposing.

She turned to Leasa and took the maid’s cold hand in her own. “We’ll be fine.” She had reassured Leasa many times, and knew it would not be the last.

Truth be told, the redundancy helped to assuage Delilah’s own trepidation. They’d been over all the different strategies, until both women had memorized how alternate scenarios could be handled.

“I do not want to go,” Leasa confessed in a voice laden with misery.

“Donnan will be near.” Delilah gave Leasa an encouraging nod. “Everything will be fine.”

Leasa’s head bobbed in a mirrored nod and the coach rolled to an ominous stop.

Delilah sighed slowly before meeting Leasa’s gaze. “It’s time.”

The other woman nodded again and swiped at her tears.

Delilah exited the coach first, her steps light and careful to keep the boxy cabin from rocking. A dark-haired man stood in the large entryway with a thick, black mantle draped about his squared shoulders.

He was handsome from what she could tell, with high cheekbones and a strong jaw. At least Elizabeth’s father had intended to give her a husband near to her own age, which was far more than some fathers did.

The red stonework of the castle did not appear any brighter up close than it had far away, but the sheer size of the castle was significant. Delilah had to crane her neck to see its pointed top.

Laird MacKenzie approached her in a confident stride, and the mantle at his back fluttered like the folded black wings of a giant bird. “Welcome to Edirdovar Castle, Lady Elizabeth.” He bowed low in front of her like a courtier and rose with a charming grin.

He was even more handsome up close, with straight, white teeth and a refined, aquiline nose.

Delilah gave the grand curtsy she’d perfected while at King James’s court. “It is good to finally have arrived, my lord. Thank you for having procured my release so expediently.”

His pristine smile glinted with an edge. “It’s a good thing ye’re bonny enough to appear to have warranted so great a price.”

He crooked a finger back toward the castle and a servant emerged with a large sword held between his outstretched hands. The servant carried the sword to the coach and passed it to the driver.

Donnan had left their coach an hour prior to their arrival to secure a location where he could watch over them unhindered. Only the coachman remained.

A gust of wind ruffled Laird MacKenzie’s hair. “We should head inside. It’s far too cold for such beauty to stand idle.” He turned away to enter the castle before she could. “Wouldn’t want ye to get sick after all ye cost me.” He didn’t bother to temper the final words or shield them from her ears.

The entryway was large and lacking comfort and warmth. Much like the rest of his welcome. Several sconces flickered on the walls, but they did little to chase away the darkness of the overcast day.

Laird MacKenzie motioned to a woman standing in the shadows. “Have yer maid go with her to unpack yer things. I’ll have ye speak privately with me in my solar.”

Leasa cast a hesitant glance at Delilah and did not move to follow his orders.

MacKenzie took an intimidating step toward Leasa. “Surely ye dinna mean to protect her from the man who will be her husband.” The cold thread of condescension in his tone made Delilah want to land a very unladylike punch on his perfect nose.

Leasa’s cheeks went bright red, and she dissolved backward into the shadows with the other servant. MacKenzie turned from Delilah and strode down a long hall, leaving her to follow him.

He led her into a solar which seemed almost as empty as the one in Kindrochit, the dilapidated castle where she usually lived with Sylvi and the rest of the women.

No books showed on the dark shelves, and only a few tapestries lined the wall—all simple and without gilded adornment.

MacKenzie walked around her in a slow circle, the way a wolf inspects its prey before attacking. The hairs at the back of her neck prickled. “I must say, ye look a bit different than I remember, but ye have grown into a comely lass.”

An icy trail of dread trickled down her spine. He’d met Elizabeth before?