Chapter 13

Glancing at the big hulking form of Connor from her position where she was tasked with stoking the fire for the night, her chest still ached whenever her gaze fell upon her dark, handsome obsession. With dirt and grime streaking his shirt and kilt, even days of lacking a proper shower and cleanse did not deter Evie from noting how darkly handsome he was, nevermind that she was supposed to be angry at him. Sure, they had not spoken, nor even exchanged a glance in two days, but that did not stop her mind from wandering where it wasn't supposed to.

It was at times like these that the redhead daughter of the Viscount wished she had brought along her best friend and handmaiden, but Hammond had been adamant in not letting Amelia come along. Her cousin had said it was because they had no time to care for another helpless maiden, but Evie couldn't see why twenty men and two brawny Highlander warriors would fail to give adequate protection to them. Fearful of getting her dream rejected however, she had not argued much.

Yet at these times where she felt like strangling at kissing Connor Gilroy simultaneously, she admitted that having her elder friend's wise counsel would've been good. Having been affianced before, Amelia had some experience at least, compared to Evie's woeful lack of knowledge.

"The fire's going strong. Good going, my lady."

Fabian's voice made her turn, and give a wane smile at her supposed intended husband, before letting the stick she had been using to prod the flames fall next to her. She continued staring at the dancing flames however, a morose aura that did not escape the blond male's notice.

He knew that Evie had been woeful since their little run-in in the woods three days prior. Ever since then, he's noticed a frigid coldness between Evie and the Highland chief, something which had been absent. Fabian had to admit, he had been worried between how close the Highland chief would hover next to her, but at the very least then, the redhead had sparkled with vibrant life. Right now Fabian would liken her more to a scared deer then the vivacious gypsy he's known her.

He had recently permanently taken up residence in the Rothesay Manor, but even the brief encounters he's had with Evie whenever she had visited Pippa at home, was enough to show how bright and lively Evie was. Compared to the watered down maidens available in London's marriage mart, she was a breathe of fresh air. While his favoring her was nothing like the love his parents had, she had been a logical choice. After all, since the Rothesay estate needed some help, Fabian figured that he didn't have the time to go about the messy business of falling in love. He still remembers the occasional but drawn out arguments his parents goes through.

But as he looked upon her green eyes, almost lifeless and reflected by the dancing flames, a stew pot position over it, Fabian was beginning to wonder if his decision was the right one.

"We'll be there soon, right Hammond?" Evie asked, just as her redhead cousin walked past. Hammond looked down with, Fabian realized, kind eyes if a little uncertain. He was a fair soul, even if the Highland laird appeared hard around the edges. Anyone who knew him would have no doubt that Hammond was skilled with his claymore and sharp of mind, and Fabian had no question as to why his men loyally followed him, nor did he doubt that Evie would be well taken care of within MacKenzie Keep.

Hammond on the other hand, had his suspicions about the young male in their troupe. As it is, he already suspected that the blond dandy was the cause of his commander's broody nature, and as soon as he soothed his cousin, the fierce laird shot Fabian a sharp look and continued his way to where Connor practiced against a strong oak alone. The bark of the old oak tree already bore marks of where his sharp claymore found their hold, but even despite Hammond nearing him, Connor showed no signs of slowing down, not even when Hammond called his name.

"Enough of this foolishness Connor, get your head together man!" Hammond lost his temper, and unsheathed his claymore in one fell movement to block his commander's next swing with his own. The sharp clang of metal against metal reverberated, so loudly that even their men in the campsite stared at the two sparring warriors. Neither backed down, not until Hammond took advantage of Connor's winded stamina to pivot to avoid a swing and took a backhand against his commander. The sharp edge of his sword landed just afore Connor's neck, to which he finally let his sword drop and heavy breathing ease.

"Cease your brooding, Captain. You make me repeat myself, but you are of no use to me in this state. If you continue this way, ye will only put everyone else here at a risk."

Panting and heaving, his chest felt tight from exertion, but he would do anything to avoid the different kind of tightness he felt whenever his accidentally glanced at the Lady Evelyn Verrick. She had deceived him into bringing her to his home! He had wanted to bring her to the Highlands, to entice her with it's beauty and bring her permanently home with him. He had thought she wanted the same as well. But she was promised. To another.

Unable  to resist from looking over, a low growl rumbled in him when he noticed her supposed fiancé seated right next to her, in a spot Connor ached to be in. The most infuriating of all was that even knowing her deceit, he still wanted her. The past two nights, he had rolled in his sleep, barely getting any at all as he remembered and recalled the feel of her lips under his, as his large hands spanned her tiny waist, the tumble of her bright, silken red hair and the ringing of her vibrant laughter. He knew he shouldn't, but he missed trading their stories of childhood while they rode together during the first few weeks of their travels.

Now, it was only a few more days till they got home, and for once, a gloom settled over Connor even despite him being in his beloved Highlands.

Connor was not alone in his gloom however. Even as the men from MacKenzie Keep cheered and laugh as they traded songs, stories and experiences, Evie could only afford to listen with half an ear. Like it or not, she found her mind constantly wandering back to the insufferable Connor Gilroy. How could someone so impossible be so... impossibly handsome and charming when he wanted to? It was simply unfair, at least to Evie's mind. She scowled as she glanced across the fire at the way her mind wandered, where the dark haired warrior stood with a bowl of stew and a crust of bread in hand, laughing at a joke one of his kinsmen had just finished. How could he laugh, as she wallowed in her misery?

Unable to take it any longer, Evie stood up abruptly and was beginning to leave the company crowded around the campfire when a drawl of a voice that haunted her dreams stilled her steps. "Lady Evelyn."

"May I help you, Captain Gilroy?"

Tension was palpable in the air, for even the rest of their company has noticed the estrangement between the two. No one dared so much as move, twenty two pairs of eyes wide and cautious as Evie turned around. Connor's gut tightened. Her eyes already glittering like emeralds from the fire, looked even more alive when she was angry. With the messy, loose tendrils that fell from her chignon that was slowly coming undone, she looked like a spitfire on revenge, which only made Connor want her more.

Firmly pushing that whir behind his head away, the captain scowled before speaking, trying to appear as put off by her as she apparently seemed to be with him, when all he wanted was to collect her in his arms and disappear elsewhere with her. "Do not wander far. Scotland is no' like yer London streets. Tis beautiful, but verra dangerous."

"I think I know how to protect myself, thank you."

With a haughty tone that reminded Connor of a regal queen, she turned away to her tent not too far from his, the glow from within showing her falling on her pallet before he forced his eyes away from the image, only to be met with his best friend's knowing ones. "What happened between the two of ye, man?"

"Tis as ye say. Woman are trouble. English woman are trouble and deceit rolled in one."

Hammond sighed, watching as his captain and most trusted ally abandoned his barely touched dinner in favor of the ale they had with them. At the rate Connor was going through them, it was a quickly dwindling stock. Hammond was half-glad they were arriving at the keep in a couple of days, because at this rate, he was thinking even he would go mad at trying to strangle the two of them.

---

Used to maids waking her up in the morning, and as a late sleeper, Evie found herself more and more surprised at how her eyes would blink open at the first break of dawn, ever since she started on this journey together with her Highland kin. While she would like to say the fresh air and abundance of heather invigorating her, the girl attributed her early rises to the hard ground she slept on. Even the pallet she was provided was not enough to mask the hard ground she slept on, a stark difference from the downy beds she had back in Cavalon Castle.

Determined not to complain and fulfilling their teases of her being a soft boned Sassenach however, the redhead stuck her way through it, and dressed quickly in her shift and pale violet kirtle before stepping out into the cool morning air with a smile that quickly found her way to her lips. The smell and feel of heather was something that Evie rarely had contact with in her years spent back home, but she found herself liking it more and more, as she liked the rugged, almost untouched terrain of the Highlands.

Something about the sway of untrimmed grass that grew wildly, the rocky and rough terrain that had surrounded them throughout the past week since they had ascended to the Highlands. Even the horses they had exchanged in an inn right at the edge, were different from the sleek and well groomed creatures of her father's castles. Shaggy and long-maned, their new steeds were sure-footed as they picked their way through non-uniformed grounds.

Not even realizing she had wandered, a sudden call above her alerted her back to reality. Evie tilted her head up to identify the foreign sound, quite different from a passive song of a blackbird or coo of a pigeon. The loud screech came from a large bird swooping above, a falcon or eagle Evie could not identify at a distance. What she could be certain was that it was infinitely different from the tame birds in London she had been used to, the screech almost representing all that she had seen in the Highlands; untame, wild and beautiful.

The smile that was about to creep on Evie's lips however, never found it's way there. Before she could turn and start to find her way back to the campsite, a clamp over her mouth stifled any scream that was about to be emitted, a rough and shaggy arm was all the lady of twenty-two saw before she was dragged through the underbrush.

---

"Does she always rise so late?" Connor asked gruffly, loathe to make conversation with whom he now called in his mind as the London dandy. Fabian gave an amused look at the darkened tent of Evie's, and chuckled. "It'd be a miracle if her father could rouse her before noon."

"She's been waking on time over the past week or so since we entered the Highlands though. I better go and check." Hammond was a suspicious guy, a fact that Connor had known since boyhood. He left his laird to his misgivings, only to whip around faster then lightning at Hammond's cry. "She's not here!"

"What?" Fabian got up in a hurry too, breakfast forgotten as a flurry of men grabbing their weapons ran through the campsite, with Connor and Fabian hurrying over to take a peek into Evie's tent. Sure enough, her night rail was laid out neatly on her pallet, along with a drying bowl of water.

"She wasn't taken from her tent, surely she would've made some scuffle and I have my tent almost next to her."

"Stupid girl left the campsite?" Connor cursed. Fabian was just about to defend Evie when the captain just took off, not bothering to saddle the horse he grabbed. Within seconds, Connor thundered towards the forest, claymore in hand and vengeance like a cloud on his face.

Because he only had one thought on his mind. If anyone had laid a finger on Evie, he would make sure ten fingers were taken in payment.