Highland Outlaw (Campbell Trilogy #2)(79)
The expression on his face made her step back in horror.
“My God,” she breathed, gazing up at him as if she'd never seen him before. “That's exactly what you intend to do.” Her throat was so hot and tight, she could barely get the words out. “Do I mean so little to you? I thought you …”
Her heart caught, the burning in her chest excruciating. Cared for me—maybe even loved me.
His eyes bored into her with brutal intensity. She thought she saw a flicker of regret before it was quickly shrouded behind the steely veil.
Once she'd admired his control; now she hated it.
“Circumstances have changed, making a marriage between us impossible.”
“Circumstances?” she repeated. Her voice was be ginning to rise, and the other men were glaring in their direction uneasily, but Lizzie didn't care. How could he stand there so calmly—with all the emotion of a rock— when her heart was breaking apart? His coldness infuriated her, making her lash out with haughty sarcasm. “Could you perhaps be any more specific?”
She saw the flash of anger in his gaze. “No, I can't. I told you before that there are things about me—”
“I'm tired of your secrets,” she exploded, her voice shaking with outrage. “Whatever it is, just tell me. Don't I deserve the truth?” She gave him a look full of scorn. “Or do you often seduce women with promises of marriage and discard them when they no longer have use to you?”
“That's not the way it happened,” he clipped, reminding her that she'd been the one foolish enough to seduce him. His eyes blared with something she'd never seen before— recklessness. He started to say something, but his words were cut off. If he'd meant to tell her his secret, she wouldn't hear it now.
“Chie—Captain.”
Lizzie jerked around at the sound of Robbie's harried voice, breaking above the din of stomping hooves. The young warrior had been scouting behind them, and from the anxious look on his face, there was a problem.
Chief. He'd been about to call Patrick chief. That was a strange mistake to make. Her gaze shot back to Patrick, but he'd already turned away from her.
Robbie dismounted by jumping from the saddle and strode quickly to Patrick's side to confer with him. He spoke in a low voice, but she was able to make out one word. A word that sent chills sweeping across her already cold skin: followed.
Patrick knew it was useless to rail against the injustice, against the capricious fates that seemed intent on forcing them apart, but he couldn't prevent the anger. At her for being a Campbell, for being so damn sweet and trusting. And at himself for allowing himself to care.
And God, he cared about her. More than he'd imagined possible. Just looking at her, knowing that he couldn't have her, made him want to lash out wildly. Cruelly. What limited possibilities they'd had for a future had been all but extinguished by the executions of his kinsmen at the hands of her cousin and the rape of his sister.
He knew that she was confused, that she didn't understand his frustration, but it would be better for her to hate him. It would make leaving her easier.
There was one way he could ensure her hatred. And for one reckless moment—despite the danger presented by the handful of Campbell guardsmen that accompanied them— he contemplated telling her. I'm a MacGregor. An outlaw. Chief of a broken clan since your cousin murdered mine.
There was no reason to hide his identity any longer— only the need to get her to the safety of Dunoon without getting his men killed stayed his tongue.
Then Robbie arrived and the impulse was gone, his attention focused immediately on the threat at hand. The only question was who it was from.
“What is it?” he asked.
Robbie's voice was hard and succinct. “We're being followed.”
Patrick's gaze darted meaningfully to Elizabeth, who was making no effort to hide her interest in their conversation. Robbie lowered his voice. “Campbells, Chief. The guardsman Finlay and ten other men, not two miles behind. I wanted to be sure, but they are definitely tracking us.”
Finlay. And ten men? Hell. With the five Campbells he'd brought with him, that would leave him and his five men vastly outnumbered. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't worry him, but he had Lizzie to consider. The threat he'd expected was from his brother, not from the Campbell guardsman. Patrick's mind went to work with the possible explanations for Finlay's sudden arrival hard on their heels, but none of them boded well. “Tell the men to ready the horses.”
“We will attempt to outrun them?”
Patrick shook his head. If it was just him and his men, it would be different. But Lizzie was already about to fall off her horse. “Nay, but I would like to be closer to the hills before we find out what they want.” Though he'd picked a relatively protected area in which to rest, they were still in the valley of the river Forth—and a few leagues away from the forested hills and glens that separated the Lowlands from the Highlands.
If necessary, they could disappear into those hills.
Robbie nodded. “What about the lass?” he asked, broaching the question Patrick didn't want to contemplate.
What about Lizzie?
Though he'd wanted to see her to Dunoon himself, if Finlay had discovered who he was, they would part much sooner than that.
His chest pinched. Perhaps it was for the best. “She'll be safe enough with her clansmen.” And if his fool brother was tempted to attack almost a score of Campbell guardsmen with only a handful of ragtag outlaws, Patrick would keep him at bay.