Why had she been foolish enough to think he would ever marry her? And why had she thought he would fall madly in love with her? Think she was perfect exactly as she was and carry her away to happily ever after? Yes, he was exciting and had shown her a great deal of adventure. But in the end, he wanted a woman who would follow all the rules.
Well, she wasn’t that woman. At the start of this adventure, she had thought all she needed was a respite from tedious suitors and hours of lacemaking. But now she could not ever imagine going back. Yes, she loved her sister and wanted to be with her, but Ines couldn’t breathe in London. As much as she hated all the rain, she was enchanted by Scotland. The deeper they traveled, and the further north, the more gorgeous the landscape became. It was a rugged country, that much was clear, but the soaring mountains and swaths of flower-filled valleys were beautiful and achingly romantic. It was the sort of place where anything could happen.
And so much had happened, but now Duncan would not even look her in the eye. Well, at the moment, she couldn’t see his eyes. He was riding in front of her, toward what looked like an impassable mountain, and she was holding on for all she was worth. Behind them Mr. Fortescue and Emmeline seemed to negotiate their horses with ease. They weren’t afraid of being thrown off or sliding off the animal’s back.
She risked a quick peek behind her, and Emmeline gave her a reassuring smile. The other woman had been unusually quiet lately, too. Come to think of it, so had Mr. Fortescue. Ines wondered if something had happened between them...
The ground tilted down and though the horse did not stumble, Ines felt herself tilting. She grasped hold of Duncan, and he grunted. “Ye willnae fall, lass,” he said, sounding annoyed.
“You would not care if I did, senhor,” she said.
He gave her an exasperated look. “What rubbish is this?”
“There is não rubbish.”
He didn’t argue, and she almost wished he would. She wanted an argument with him. She wanted something more than this silence and coldness.
Hours later, it seemed, the rain slackened, and the late afternoon sun broke through the low clouds. It colored the mountains purple and dark red. In the sunlight, the terrain looked lush and green. Far in the distance, Ines spotted a brook winding through a valley between two mountains. Were they mountains or hills? She was not certain, but they were captivating.
“We stop here for the night,” Duncan said when they’d reached a clearing with another brook running alongside.
“The horses have another hour or two in them,” Fortescue said. “We could go further.”
But Duncan handed Ines down then climbed down himself. Ines clung to the horse, her legs feeling wobbly underneath her.
“The next leg of the journey is difficult,” he said. “We’ll all do better with a fresh start in the morning.” And that seemed to be the end of the discussion. Ines was happy to be back on solid land again.
While the men unsaddled the horses and turned them loose to graze, Ines and Emmeline rifled through the saddlebags for something to eat. The farmer had sent them with food, and Duncan had bought more in some of the small villages they passed through, but even Ines, who knew little about such things, could see what they had would not sustain four people for much more than another meal or two at most.
When Stratford came over to start a fire, he frowned at the meager rations the ladies had laid out. “We’ll have to buy more to eat,” he told Duncan. “This won’t last us long.”
Duncan didn’t even glance their way. “We’ll be fine.”
Ines huffed out a breath. “How do you know?” she asked. “You did not look.”
“I ken,” he said, not glancing at her.
She called him several unflattering names in her native tongue and a few others she knew. Fortescue stood. “I have to agree with Miss Neves.” He glanced at her. “Not about the names she just called you—I speak Spanish.” He winked. “But, Duncan, we need more provisions.”
Duncan put his hands on his hips and turned to look at them. Ines hated how her heart thudded in her chest and her lungs grew tight at the sight of him. She couldn’t help but want him. He was so handsome, so much of what she’d always dreamed of.
But she was not what he wanted. He had made that very clear.
“At least someone listens to me!” she said. Duncan ignored her. Awful man!
“Tomorrow we dine at my mother’s table,” Duncan said. Ines stared at him then looked at Emmeline. She wondered if her own jaw had dropped open.
“We arrive tomorrow?” Stratford asked. “To Kirkmoray?”
“Aye.”
“Why didn’t you say something before?” Emmeline asked.
He shrugged. “Nae one asked.”
Emmeline rolled her eyes and Ines, so angry, marched away.
“Lass, where are ye going?” Duncan called.
“I’ll go with her,” Emmeline said, Loftus following at her heels. Ines slowed enough so that the other woman could catch up. The dog bounded on ahead, keeping just within their sights. The two walked in silence for a long while. Finally, Emmeline stopped at a gentle slope and looked down at a winding ribbon of what Ines assumed must be a road. It looked so small from up here. She studied the green hillsides—or were they mountains?—and the clouds racing over them. Here and there a patch of rock was exposed, proving that underneath the beauty was a hard, cold foundation.
“It’s very dramatic, isn’t it?” Emmeline asked.
Ines was familiar with that word as it had been applied to her on many occasions. She nodded. “It makes me feel small. I look at it and feel so small, sim?”
“Yes,” Emmeline said, her voice fainter. “It does put things in perspective.”
Ines sank down on the grass, which was not as soft as she would have hoped, being that it was mixed with coarse and prickly vegetation too. But she pulled her knees to her chest and tried to ignore the things poking at her. “I do not know this word, perspective, but I realize now I should have gone back to London.”
“No,” Emmeline said, sitting beside her. “Ouch. This looks softer than it is.” She tried to find a comfortable spot then gave up and pulled her own legs close, her posture mirroring Ines’s. “If you had gone straight back to London, you would never have had this adventure. I would never have had this adventure. I’ve always wanted to see Scotland, and now I have.” She took Ines’s hand. “I know those reivers were awful, but this journey has not all been bad.”
Ines gave her a sidelong look. “There was the time Duncan was shot and almost died.”
“That was when we found Loftus,” Emmeline said brightly. In the distance, Loftus raised his gray head and looked at them, having heard his name.
“He is a good dog,” Ines agreed. “There was the time the Duke of Mayne caught us and almost dragged us back.”
“Yes, but we outwitted him!”
“And left our coach behind.” Ines wriggled her toes, which were still sore from all the walking they had done.
“You and I have become friends,” Emmeline said. “Remember when Murray and Stratford thought you did not understand English?”
Ines smiled. “That seems like years ago. And now tomorrow I will meet his mother.”