An Auctioned Bride (Highland Heartbeats #4)(27)
The more Dalla told him, the more Hugh grew angry at people he didn't know. Was it possible that Dalla’s own father and her uncle would treat her that way? Of course it was. The machinations of those who sought power usually exhibited few scruples, if any.
“So what happened? How did you end up being kidnapped? And why?”
She shrugged. “I can only make suppositions, as I truly don't know. My companion Megan and I were walking one evening when we were accosted. I still don't know…” She paused, swallowed, and took a breath. “I still don't know what happened to her. She might be dead.” After a brief pause, she took a breath and continued her tale, her voice as calm as if she commented about the weather. “A hood was placed over my head, and I was tossed over a man's shoulder. I was taken to a seaport, bound and gagged, and dumped in the hold of a ship. After several day's travel on the open seas, I arrived at that seaport and was put up for sale. You bought me.” She turned to him. “And you know the rest.”
He found it hard to believe her story, but no one would make up a tale like that. Someone had betrayed her, treated her cruelly, and likely hoped that she would disappear forever.
“Would you let me go, to return to Norway?”
He frowned. “And why would I do that? So that whoever arranged for your kidnapping and sailed you into captivity, perhaps even death, could have another chance at it?” He shook his head. “Someone obviously wanted to get rid of you, Dalla, and now you ask me to send you back?” He frowned. “No. I will not.”
She said nothing for several moments. “I'm not sure why anyone would believe that I posed a danger to them or their political aspirations, if that was truly a reason.” She shook her head, looking off into the distance. “I have no interest in becoming an active member of the royal family. Nor would I want my child to be embroiled in such goings-on.”
“Due to your station, you have little choice in the matter, or so your father believed. And yet somebody believes that either you or your issue would be a threat to them.” He looked at her, eyes narrowed. “Would your issue be in a direct line to inherit the throne? Or to have political power and influence?”
She scoffed. “My mother was a sister to the king's younger brother, by a stepmother. As such…” She shook her head. “Still, since when does a woman have any influence over the decisions of a man? I may have a royal blood flowing through my veins, but that doesn't give me extraordinary powers. I am not a queen, nor even a princess. What possible influence…” She paused again. “My mother died when I was a child. I have been to the royal court less than a handful of times in my life. My father purposely kept me away from all that. During my youth, I thought it was to protect me from the… the dangers of being a member of the royal family. As I grew older, I realized it was because he wanted to prevent me, or so I must assume, from growing closer to my mother's side of the family, most of whom have taken up residence either in the royal household or at their estates within the environs of Oslo.”
Hugh's frown deepened. The ramifications of her tale were sobering indeed. Chances were that, if someone had deliberately tried to have Dalla killed, and found out that she was still alive, her life could still be in danger.
He had come this far north to try to find his brother, and now he was… he realized that he could not drag an unwilling companion into any of the northern coastal cities as he looked for Derek.
For several seconds, he felt a great surge of resentment toward her for making such a mess of his life, but he quickly tamped them down. None of this was her doing. While he was not responsible for her kidnapping, he did take responsibility for purchasing her. He could not blame her for that. But what of his brother? Would he have to give up his search for Derek before it even got started?
He realized she was speaking again, and focused on her, pushing his own concerns into the back of his mind, at least for now.
She offered a wan smile, glancing at him. “I know my father and my uncle often ventured to Oslo, but exactly what importance they hold in the government or the royal family, I really don't know.”
Hugh wasn't sure he believed that. Wouldn't any member of the royal family, no matter how distant from the throne, at least be aware of the influence their family members had at the royal court? He knew nothing of politics, his experience with leadership was limited to his laird, Phillip Duncan.
“It seems, Dalla Jorstad… or more correctly, Dalla McInnis, that you are truly better off with me, than back in your own homeland.”
That comment didn't appear to please her in the least. Her frown, her grunt of displeasure, and the flush of color in her cheeks as she turned to him was unmistakable.
“But I don't want to be here. I don't want to be married to you or any other man!”
The color in her face deepened and her displeasure and frustration was palpable. She unfolded her hands and crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head as she spoke sharply.
“I don't want to be any man's wife, whether it be a Norwegian or a Scot! I am no man's chattel! I will be no man's slave! To be treated as no more than a piece of property or an animal! And you… and you can't…”
Abruptly, she stopped speaking and turned away, her chest heaving with emotion, her voice tremulous. She swallowed thickly.