Mhairi closed her eyes and prayed for strength. Over the pounding in her head, she heard him sigh.
Suddenly he swept her off her feet and carried her over the grass.
"Put me down." The words emerged as a breathless whine instead of the defiant snap she intended.
"As ye wish, Mistress Drummond."
She didn't want to acknowledge the fact, but his hands were gentle as they lowered her. Nor did they linger, once she was securely placed on a tree stump.
A silence fell. Eventually her heaving stomach settled, and she opened her eyes. Her captor stood a few feet away, studying her with another of those assessing stares. She shifted uncomfortably under that unwavering regard. "What?"
"I'd like to make a bargain with ye."
Hope, crushed since her failed attempt to steal his horse, rose. "You're going to let me go?"
His laugh was dismissive. "Hell, no, lassie. No’ after I've gone to all this trouble to get ye."
She shouldn’t be disappointed. It had never been terribly likely. "What then?"
"I’ve got a comb and a looking glass in my saddlebag. Ye might like to tidy yourself up before you arrive at Achnasheen."
She frowned. "Ye want me to primp and preen for your pleasure?"
He shook his head. "You’re a proud wee creature. Ye might feel less…at a disadvantage in my home if you're no’ so bedraggled when you enter the castle."
The devil of the matter was that he was right. But she knew enough to be suspicious when an enemy offered concessions. "Why should ye care?"
"I havenae set out to humiliate ye."
"It’s humiliation enough that ye drag me into your lair, with everyone knowing I'm to share your bed."
She waited in an agony of suspense for him to deny her accusation. After all he'd told her she was safe. And if she was indeed a hostage, the protocols should protect her.
When he didn't immediately fill the silence with assurances of her continuing chastity, she felt sick again.
He shrugged and turned away. "I've made the offer."
The bastard was halfway back to his horse before she conquered her pride enough to speak. "And the bargain?"
"What?"
"Ye said the comb was part of a bargain."
He turned. "Ye eat something, you get the comb."
"That's…"
"I willnae have you falling at my feet the moment I get ye to Achnasheen."
She wouldn’t like that either. But he’d stolen all her power. Refusing sustenance from his hands was the only thing she could do to flout him.
When she didn't answer, he headed for the horse. It crossed her mind that her hands were untied right now and he wasn’t watching. Unfortunately she was too shaky to get far. Even if she managed to evade him, she had miles of hostile territory to cross before she was safely back on Drummond lands.
Curse the Mackinnon, he knew that. It was why he allowed her this illusion of freedom.
He was clever, and she needed to keep her wits about her. Perhaps eating something wasn't a bad idea. She wasn’t anywhere near famished yet, but who knew how long it would be before she had another opportunity to escape? When it did, she wanted to be strong enough to take advantage of it.
"I accept." Her voice was a squeak.