Chapter 18

18

A nne hung her head. She was trapped in the basement, and there was no sign that she would be rescued. She had tried to escape, but Murdoch had tied her bindings tightly around her wrists and ankles. Struggling only made the pain worse, and tired her out.

She was still reeling from what Murdoch had said to her as well. She kept telling herself that he must have been lying to get under her skin, but he seemed to know so much about Finlay. At first, she was angry with Finlay, devastated even, but she couldn't deny the fact that she had lied to him as well. As it turned out, they had both been conning each other without realizing it. However, the more she thought about things the more she realized that there had been a lot of truth shared between them. She remembered the way Finlay spoke about his father. She couldn't imagine him making up the emotion he displayed there, and wondered if he was talking about his real father. They seemed more alike than she had believed at first, and if so, he might have done what she did when she lied; sprinkle enough truth so that it was believable.

It didn't really help her in this situation, though. She would not get the marriage she wanted, and Finlay was clearly not rich enough to buy her freedom from Murdoch. Finlay still thought she was the niece of a wealthy merchant, so he might think that her freedom would be bought easily. The only person she had to rely on was Rory, but what could he do? He was still a child, even if he would have scowled at the description, but he was. She had led him here and now he was alone. She had been reckless to help Finlay, and now she had left Rory alone, just like her father had left them alone. Was she always doomed to repeat the mistakes of her parents? She cast her gaze to the ceiling and wished that she was anywhere else, for she felt awful. A part of her hoped that Rory would be hard-hearted enough to leave her here and run away to join some prosperous clan. He had a good heart and a strong work ethic. He could make himself useful to anyone, and they might be able to give him a better life than she could.

But she knew Rory wouldn't do that. He saw himself as the protector of the family, and he would try to rescue her. She just hoped he wouldn't be foolish enough to try and do anything by himself, for it would likely end up with him being killed.

A sob swelled and slipped through her lips as she bemoaned her current state. But then, from above, she could hear a commotion. While she could not discern the details, there was a lot of movement and it became clear that something important was happening. A few moments later the door to the basement was opened and two burly men came stomping down the stairs. They grabbed Anne and did not heed her frantic cries for help. Their fingers were as sharp as daggers and she was certain that they would leave bruises on her skin. She wondered what fresh hell she was being taken to, and hoped that Murdoch had not changed his mind about keeping her safe.

She was hauled up the stairs, her ankles knocking against the wooden steps, and carried into the tavern. There, she saw Finlay, standing in the middle of the room. Seeing him there elicited a strong emotional response. Anger flowed through her. She had lost her prized possession and her freedom because she had tried to rescue him, but their love had been a lie.

"Ye liar!" she cried out, her words coated with fire. "All this time ye hae lied tae me. Dae ye know what I hae done for ye? Dae ye know what I hae given up?!"

"I think ye two should hae a moment alone," Murdoch said, chuckling to himself as he moved to the bar and fetched a drink. Finlay grabbed Anne and led her outside. Rory was waiting there, at a distance. Finlay undid the bindings on her wrists, and as soon as her hands were free, she slapped him and glared at him, her cheeks red with anger. Finlay bore the brunt of the impact and slowly turned his head back.

"I dinnae think there's a need for that, lass. I did just save ye, after all."

"Save me? I would nae hae been in this situation if it was nae for ye!"

"I hae just given up the rest of my life tae serve that man tae ensure yer release," Finlay fired back.

"Well, that should nae be a problem for ye since ye are a criminal already, and ye hae been since before the moment we met," she crossed her arms and moved her head from side to side as she spoke. Her voice rose to a loud volume, but she didn't much care about who could hear.

Finlay recoiled, struck deeply by the description of being a criminal. "I'm nae a criminal. I just…I did what I needed in order tae survive," he spoke in a small voice, and Anne knew how he felt for she had done the same thing. Her anger softened a little. "I never meant for ye tae get involved in this. I already agreed tae dae something for Murdoch because he promised tae leave ye alone. The only way tae keep ye safe is tae work for him from now on, but Rory told me what ye did. I appreciate that ye tried tae save me and I want tae make it up tae ye. I will pay ye back. My things…they're back in the tavern. All the gold I possess is there. Please, take it and maybe that will make up in some small measure for the strife that ye hae been through."

Anne turned her head away in shame. Perhaps one reason why she was so angry at him was because she was angry at herself. After all, was she so different from Finlay? She had spent the night with him and then robbed him in the first place, as well as pretending to be someone she was not.

"That may be hard tae dae…" she said in a small voice. "Half the money I used tae pay yer debt tae Murdoch was that gold anyway. I… well… I took it this morning," her voice was flat now, devoid of the febrile emotion that had given it such life. She ran her hand along the back of her neck and kept looking away at Finlay. She couldn't very well chastise him for being a liar without telling him the truth as well, especially not after he had just condemned himself to a life working for Murdoch in order to save her. "There's something ye should know about me as well, Finlay. I'm nae exactly who I said I was. Ye see, I'm nae the niece of a wealthy merchant, and he is nae a merchant's apprentice. In fact, he's my brother. Our parents are dead, I dinnae lie about that, but I was hoping, well…"

"Ye were hoping tae take advantage of a wealthy man at this gathering, and when ye met a Laird's son ye thought ye could snare him intae marriage sae ye and Rory would never hae tae struggle again," Finlay finished the thought for her.

Anne pursed her lips and nodded. "I dinnae mean tae deceive ye, it's just that, well, life hae been hard for sae long and I'm getting tired of lying and stealing just tae survive."

Finlay wore a knowing smile and ran his hand along his chin. "And when I met the niece of a wealthy merchant I thought I could receive a boon as well. It seems we both came up with a similar lie, and the only one who got anything out of it is Rory. Dae ye know how annoying it was for me tae buy that dagger?"

Anne giggled. "Well, I did think ye were a Laird's son at the time. I dinnae think coin would be a worry for ye."

Finlay's grin widened and he started laughing as well. From the moment they met, Anne had been terrified of the moment when Finlay would find out the truth about her, but somehow knowing they had lied to each other brought them closer.

"Murdoch said that ye ran away from here a long time ago because ye stole a sword," Anne said.

Finlay scowled. "I was betrayed by a man I thought was a friend. He lied tae condemn me, and naebody believed me when I tried tae tell them the truth. I was shamed, branded a traitor and a thief. I hae tae leave tae save my Da the humiliation. I tried tae earn a wee bit of coin here before I left, but Murdoch's men cheated. I hae nae way tae pay the debt, sae I ran. Since then I hae done things I am nae proud of, but I thought I needed tae in order tae survive."

"I can understand that," Anne said, relieved that Finlay wasn't guilty of the crime of which he had been accused. Deep down she still felt that there was a good man inside him, just as there was a good woman inside her. It was only circumstances that had made criminals of them. As they spoke they moved closer to each other. Despite everything that happened, it was clear that the attraction between them still existed. The gleam in his eyes was still pleasing to her, and she found that she could not be too angry with him.

"Ye know, despite lying about sae many things, I was nae lying about the way I felt about ye. That was all true," Finlay said. Anne's eyes began welling up with tears. Despite everything she knew that she couldn't stay here with him, not while he worked for Murdoch. It might have been easier had Finlay said he had been lying about everything, even though she was pleased that he hadn't been.

She took his hand and pulled him even closer to her. "Prove it," she said, leveling her gaze at him. Their eyes were locked together, and the world melted away just as it had done before. He reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and then he leaned in to kiss her. She closed her eyes and fell into the fiery passion, allowing herself to linger in the feeling for a short time. She then pulled away and hugged him tightly, putting her mouth next to his ear.

"I cannae stay with ye, Finlay. I love ye, but I need tae think of Rory. He hae already been in tae much danger and this life…I dinnae want him tae turn out like…"

"Like me," Finlay finished her thought for her. He bowed his head and nodded, pursing his lips. "I knew from the moment I met ye that it was tae much tae ask that we end up taegether. Ye were always tae good for me, Anne, and ye deserve a man who can give ye a prosperous life. It's why I tried tae stop ye speaking about marriage."

Anne smiled. "In another life it would hae been wonderful."

"Aye, in another life," Finlay said, resigned to his fate. Anne grabbed him again and kissed him with more passion, knowing that it was the last time she would ever feel such heat. Tears were already flowing down her cheeks and she tore herself away from him, knowing that if she didn't force herself to leave now, then she never would. Their paths had crossed for a short time only, and they were not destined to be together even though their hearts beat to the same rhythm. It was just another tragedy to add to her life, but this one was so devastating that she knew her heart would never be repaired. At least, she supposed, that meant it could never break again.