Quest of the Highlander (Crowns & Kilts #5) - Cynthia Wright Page 0,46

not have regrets.”

“I took your innocence, a precious gift. I will remain your husband if that is your wish.”

Guilt rushed over her. To have him make such an offer out of obligation made her feel smaller than ever. If he knew the truth…! Reaching up, she touched the side of his jaw and managed to smile. “You are a good man, but what we shared last night was freely given on both sides, was it not? We are wed by chance, not choice, and I would not alter our arrangement.”

She thought she saw relief in his face as he pushed up on one elbow. “Ye must be hungry. Shall we dress and see what there is for breakfast?

Watching as Lennox wrapped the length of tartan wool around his waist, fastening it with a belt as he rose to his feet, Nora resolved again to tell him everything.

Soon. Perhaps tomorrow she would find the right moment…

Chapter 13

Contrary to Lennox’s determined plans, he and Nora did not reach the Isle of Mull for several days. They were plagued by setbacks, including more drenching rains, impassable roads, and a lost horseshoe for Chaucer. The journey had been an ordeal Nora could never have imagined, for Scotland truly was a different world from anywhere she had lived before.

As they made camp at the end of the sixth exhausting day, Nora marveled aloud that England was far more civilized than Scotland.

“Believe it or not,” she remarked under her breath, “in England it is not unusual to travel in a real coach, on real roads, suffering only minor discomfort before sleeping in a real bed in a real inn that serves—”

“Real food?” Lennox broke in, pausing in the midst of building a fire. His tone was dry. “Perhaps ye have noticed we have that here as well.”

It came to Nora that she had doubtless offended him. The days filled with an unending succession of obstacles had taken a toll on both of them. “I think you must know what I mean,” she replied evenly. “There is a difference between the sort of food we manage to scavenge in the woods or passing through a village and a hot venison pie or a roasted chicken, freshly cooked at an inn.”

Lennox, whose even temper she had come to rely on, now gave her a sharp glance. “In case ye have forgotten the reason ye must endure this terrible ordeal, I would offer a reminder that it was your idea, not mine.”

She felt like crying, but that was out of the question. Their entire situation was fraught with confusion, from the handfasting ceremony in front of her beloved father to the night they had mated under the stars. And most confusing of all was the fact that she carried the tiny baby of another man, a man she despised and had known for only one day.

Nora went to join Lennox, who crouched beside the kindling. “I beg your pardon,” she said sincerely. “I must sound ungrateful, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I am tired and craving a bit of comfort, I suppose.” Pausing, she swallowed. “Also, I had forgotten that, in spite of everything, you must still be loyal to Scotland.”

There was turmoil in his green eyes. “In truth, I do not know where my loyalties lie any longer. I once would have sworn I was a Scot to the last drop of my blood, but now it’s all a mystery.” Turning away, Lennox muttered, “I’m going to find a rabbit or quail for us to eat. Tomorrow we’ll reach Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull, where you’ll doubtless find at least some of the comforts ye long for.”

That night, Nora lay inches away from Lennox and listened to his deep, even breathing. She thought of the way it had been that first night in the woods, when he had held her, kissed her, touched her bare skin, caused her to feel sensations that were beyond anything she had ever imagined. Since then, Nora had doubtless done more to stay at arm’s length than he had, for despite her resolution to tell him the truth, it seemed impossible. She felt ashamed for him to know about Slater and that she’d kept it from him. It came to her that perhaps he never needed to know. If their paths should diverge, they might part before he ever learned her true situation.

Lying there in the dark, Nora’s heart ached. She could feel the warmth of his strong