Page 11 of Highland Ruse

Silence fell between them, long enough even for the maid’s whimpers to stop.

The side-to-side sway of the coach lulled him, tempting him toward sleep.

The groggy sensation was unwelcome, not because the women might seek to flee—he knew he’d wake before they even touched the handle of the door—but because of the horrors which sleep brought.

He dipped in and out of his fight with sleep when the hushing of whispers broke through his fogged mind. He opened his eyes and found Lady Elizabeth’s hard stare fixed directly on him.

“We have needs which must be met.” She arched one well-groomed eyebrow, as if daring him to challenge her.

He did not need to ask which needs she’d referred to and had already anticipated such interruptions. It was one of the many reasons he’d chosen to bring the maid as well.

He rapped his knuckles against the roof of the cabin three times, as he and Donnan had discussed prior, and the coach rolled to an easy stop.

Kaid opened the door and stepped out. Donnan hopped from the driver’s perch and curiously glanced into the cabin where the women were easing from their seats.

“At least that noise stopped, eh?” Donnan winked at him.

By “that noise” Kaid knew Donnan referred to the maid’s crying. And though they’d been responsible for her keening wails, Kaid too was grateful for the quiet.

Lady Elizabeth emerged at the mouth of the coach, and before Kaid could even realize what he’d done, his hand shot out to aid her down the single stair.

She accepted the offer with the nonchalance of entitlement, and he suddenly realized she had expected his help. Not that he should be surprised by her reaction. Doubtless it’d been how she’d lived her entire life.

She arched her back slightly, a discreet stretch after having been in the coach so long. It did not escape his notice the way the rounded tops of her bosom swelled against her bodice.

Again.

While he might not appreciate English ideals, he found the cut of the gowns appealing.

Kaid’s thought was echoed in the lift of Donnan’s brows.

In fact, all of Lady Elizabeth was rather bonny now that Kaid could see her standing rather than sitting in a fluff of skirts. She was shorter than he’d initially thought. Her head scarce came to his chest. While the cone of her skirts concealed her hips and everything below, the narrowness of her waist was entirely visible.

Unaware of his assessment, Lady Elizabeth turned toward the coach and beckoned the woman still huddled within. “Come, Leasa.”

The wheels creaked, and the cabin rocked. “Coming, my lady.”

No sooner had the maid spoken than she appeared in the doorway and stumbled out of the coach in a graceless splaying of arms.

Kaid and Donnan both stepped forward to help her, but she managed to catch her own balance.

Her cheeks flushed to a deeper red, and she lowered her face to hide her embarrassment. She smoothed at her skirts before glancing up at Elizabeth. “Are you ready, my lady?”

Elizabeth stepped toward the forest. “Yes, I—”

“Only one of ye,” Kaid said.

The noblewoman stopped and turned slowly, a look of measured patience on her face. “Are you saying my maid will not be able to attend me?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m saying I dinna trust ye to no’ run off and intend to hold one of ye while the other goes.”

Her eyes narrowed.

He’d known she wouldn’t like it even before he had said it.

Not that kidnapping women should be easy, but this woman was going to make the upcoming days a veritable hell.

Chapter Three