unconscious?”
“It’s hard to say, but it feels like quite a few hours. We’ve been traveling at a steady pace the whole time.”
“Any idea why we’ve been taken?”
She shifted uncomfortably.
His stomach drew tight. “What did you do, Nora?”
“Nothing,” she said defensively. “I can’t help being who I am anymore than you can.”
“What do you mean?”
She sighed and stared down at her hands as she wrung them in her lap. “I think they must have recognized me. They did say they had beenthrough Aquitaine and England. ’Tis quite possible they ran across Eleanor and—”
His temper exploded. “Would you stop with the Eleanor nonsense? I need you to be sane for a moment.”
She stiffened and glared at him. “I beg your pardon? What makes you think I would lie about something like that?”
“Because my brother is an advisor to King Henry, and if his niece was here in Scotland, Sin would have mentioned it.”
She looked even haughtier than she had before and pinned him with a disbelieving stare of her own. “Well, if your brother is so close to Henry, then why has he not heard of me ?”
He was baffled by her logic. “What?”
“Mayhap your brother is not as close to Henry as he would lead you to believe. After all, what Scotsman would Henry trust near him? He has a very strong disliking for anyone born north of Hadrian’s Wall.”
This was ridiculous. Why would she not see reality? He needed her sane if they were to escape.
“That’s utter nonsense,” he snapped in his brother’s defense. “I have seen Henry embrace Sin myself.”
She made a rude noise at him. “I don’t believe you,” she said, her eyes narrowing to sharp amber points. “I know my uncle well. He embraces no one. Not even his sons.”
Ewan ran his hands over his face. The womanwas beyond sanity. For whatever reason, she firmly believed herself related to Eleanor.
Arguing with her would get him nowhere.
Which left him with the one burning question. Why had they really been abducted?
What did the gypsies hope to get out of this?
Lochlan would sooner die than ever part with coin for Ewan’s life. His brother would expect him to get himself out of this mess, and well he would.
There was no other reason to abduct him.
Mayhap Nora was the reason for it, after all. Like as not, her father was someone important, and he would probably pay a king’s ransom for his daughter’s return. Any decent father would, and though the lass was delusional, she was rather endearing at times.
“Where do you think they are taking us?” she asked.
“I have no idea. Did they say anything to you?”
“They said they would take us to Lochlan’s castle. But I don’t think that’s where we’re headed.”
“Truly now?”
She stiffened at his sarcasm. “You don’t have to mock me.”
Ewan leaned his head back against the wagon’s wall behind him and closed his eyes. How had he gotten himself into this? All he’d wanted was to drown out his pain with some ale.
He should be at home in his bed, oblivious to the world. Instead he was trapped in a ricketywagon with a woman who had no comprehension of the virtue of silence.
“Where do you think they’ll take us?” Nora asked. “You think they have a cell waiting for us? Perhaps it’s some noble’s castle. But who would dare to keep a MacAllister in their lair? I wonder if they’ll cut off your ear or mine as proof that they have us. My father oft tells the story of his grandfather whose hand was taken as proof of his capture by his enemies when they held him for ransom.”
She held her hand up and studied it in the dim light. “I should hate to lose my hand. I’m sure you feel the same way. A man’s hand is a necessary thing. I wonder what else they might take…”
“Mayhap they’ll take your tongue as proof.”
She frowned at him. “My tongue? How would that prove anything? I should imagine one tongue would look the same as any other.”
“Aye, but
“It’s hard to say, but it feels like quite a few hours. We’ve been traveling at a steady pace the whole time.”
“Any idea why we’ve been taken?”
She shifted uncomfortably.
His stomach drew tight. “What did you do, Nora?”
“Nothing,” she said defensively. “I can’t help being who I am anymore than you can.”
“What do you mean?”
She sighed and stared down at her hands as she wrung them in her lap. “I think they must have recognized me. They did say they had beenthrough Aquitaine and England. ’Tis quite possible they ran across Eleanor and—”
His temper exploded. “Would you stop with the Eleanor nonsense? I need you to be sane for a moment.”
She stiffened and glared at him. “I beg your pardon? What makes you think I would lie about something like that?”
“Because my brother is an advisor to King Henry, and if his niece was here in Scotland, Sin would have mentioned it.”
She looked even haughtier than she had before and pinned him with a disbelieving stare of her own. “Well, if your brother is so close to Henry, then why has he not heard of me ?”
He was baffled by her logic. “What?”
“Mayhap your brother is not as close to Henry as he would lead you to believe. After all, what Scotsman would Henry trust near him? He has a very strong disliking for anyone born north of Hadrian’s Wall.”
This was ridiculous. Why would she not see reality? He needed her sane if they were to escape.
“That’s utter nonsense,” he snapped in his brother’s defense. “I have seen Henry embrace Sin myself.”
She made a rude noise at him. “I don’t believe you,” she said, her eyes narrowing to sharp amber points. “I know my uncle well. He embraces no one. Not even his sons.”
Ewan ran his hands over his face. The womanwas beyond sanity. For whatever reason, she firmly believed herself related to Eleanor.
Arguing with her would get him nowhere.
Which left him with the one burning question. Why had they really been abducted?
What did the gypsies hope to get out of this?
Lochlan would sooner die than ever part with coin for Ewan’s life. His brother would expect him to get himself out of this mess, and well he would.
There was no other reason to abduct him.
Mayhap Nora was the reason for it, after all. Like as not, her father was someone important, and he would probably pay a king’s ransom for his daughter’s return. Any decent father would, and though the lass was delusional, she was rather endearing at times.
“Where do you think they are taking us?” she asked.
“I have no idea. Did they say anything to you?”
“They said they would take us to Lochlan’s castle. But I don’t think that’s where we’re headed.”
“Truly now?”
She stiffened at his sarcasm. “You don’t have to mock me.”
Ewan leaned his head back against the wagon’s wall behind him and closed his eyes. How had he gotten himself into this? All he’d wanted was to drown out his pain with some ale.
He should be at home in his bed, oblivious to the world. Instead he was trapped in a ricketywagon with a woman who had no comprehension of the virtue of silence.
“Where do you think they’ll take us?” Nora asked. “You think they have a cell waiting for us? Perhaps it’s some noble’s castle. But who would dare to keep a MacAllister in their lair? I wonder if they’ll cut off your ear or mine as proof that they have us. My father oft tells the story of his grandfather whose hand was taken as proof of his capture by his enemies when they held him for ransom.”
She held her hand up and studied it in the dim light. “I should hate to lose my hand. I’m sure you feel the same way. A man’s hand is a necessary thing. I wonder what else they might take…”
“Mayhap they’ll take your tongue as proof.”
She frowned at him. “My tongue? How would that prove anything? I should imagine one tongue would look the same as any other.”
“Aye, but
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