Page 46 of Highlander’s Mercenary Lass

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It was too hot.

Out of nowhere, the heat in the room overwhelmed her. Unable to stand the cloistered atmosphere one second longer, Grace escaped out into the cool corridors beyond the bedchambers. There, from the hallway, Grace caught a glimpse of Andrew from the window. Instantly, she raced out.

"Andrew!"

Gathering her kirtle, she scooped up her skirts and ran down the Duncan castle steps two at a time. Finally, she was out of the heavy air of Paton's chamber, with the man's sticky aroma still on her. It had taken all her resolve not to be sick there and then, but somehow, Grace had managed to hang on and use her head instead of her heart.

So he had asked her to marry him. A simple enough request, but it had thrown Grace's world into disarray. All the time she had been in that room, she had wanted to ask Andrew his opinion. And even if it was a bit too late now, she still desperately needed to see him.

"Andrew!" Grace shouted again.

Andrew and his men were still out on the training ground, but from the look of things, he seemed set to leave shortly. She could see him mounted on his brown horse beside Billie.

With a sinking heart, Grace remembered the assignment he had been sent on. Hoping to make it before they left, she grasped her gown tighter and simply bolted across the hallway and out the door. There, she found herself out in the wild blasts of the Highland winds.

Battling uncertain poulaines, Grace charged across the length of the training ground until she found Andrew.

His troops saw her before he did, stopping in their tracks as she entered.

"Andrew? Billie?"

Grace paused momentarily. Her brother's presence here was tricky. He was part of the problem that needed discussing. Instantly, a shard of guilt pierced her heart. She did not want to betray Billie—or her sisters—by taking command of the clan like that, but Paton had made some good points. And his offer made sense.

"Grace," said Billie, slightly surprised to see her. "Grace, lass, we're just about to leave. The laird o' Ross is expecting us!"

Laird o' Ross? Wasn't that one of the islands somewhere? Grace looked quizzically past Billie to see Andrew's face nodding gravely.

"Aye," said Grace, her brain catching up fast. "But could ye, ahm, just give us a moment together?" She asked so sweetly that even Billie could not say no. He rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Alright, Sister, but dinnae be too long," he said, touching her briefly on the arm. Grace smiled. Billie wasn't such a bad kid, after all. Another pang got her. He might even make a decent laird. One day.

She waited until Billie had gone back inside the castle and then took a surprised Andrew by the hand, leading him away from the gawping eyes of his troops.

Just the very first touch of his hand set off huge waves of feelings inside her. Deep down, Grace was in torment. What would Andrew make of her actions?

Looking at her face, Andrew must have seen something was wrong. "What is it?" he asked, taking her elbow and helping her sit down. In the long, flowing kirtle, coupled with extravagant sleeves, this proved harder than it should have been.

"Andrew, ye need tae ken something. I mean..." Grace stopped dead. She had no idea how she was going to put this. "Paton asked me tae marry him."

She looked anxiously at Andrew. Her tongue had a way of just blurting things out, but this was not the way she had intended for it to be revealed.

"What?" asked Andrew, aghast. They were seated against the side of the castle wall, pressed up against its cool shade. Although the cold air was blowing in from around the glen, Grace felt suddenly very hot.

"Paton asked me tae marry him for the sake o' the clan," said Grace, repeating herself slowly. The words trickled slowly through her own brain. Until she had told him, it didn't feel real.

Andrew gazed at her blankly, his face frozen in horror. "Well, I hope ye told him nay!"

Grace swallowed. "Listen, Andrew," she said, touching him. The sensation of his hair on her fingers buzzed through her. Just being near to him was risky. The feelings she had were getting stronger and stronger, but that would never do. Trying to keep her emotions at bay, she shrunk back into the wall.

Andrew watched her retreat in confusion.

"Listen, no one wants tae take anything from Billie," she said, coolly trying to keep a calm head. "But there isnae any other way tae stop war in the Highlands."

"War?" said Andrew, looking up.

"Aye, wi' the Kennedys." Grace's eyes watched his closely. "Surely ye ken all about that?"