Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

G raeme Ruthven.

Evan knew precisely who the man approaching them was the moment he laid eyes upon him. He had thought it would be harder to approach him, but now he was approaching Evan unprompted, and Evan couldn't help but wonder if he had somehow managed to find out about the plan.

But then his eyes were fixed on Bonnie, as though she was his target and not Evan himself. Did they know each other? Could Evan use her to get closer to the man?

When Evan glanced at her, Bonnie gave no signs of recognition and when Ruthven introduced himself, there was a strange shift in the way she held herself—shoulders hunched and head bowed slightly, as though she was trying to make herself appear smaller.

As though she was trying to hide from him, perhaps.

"Laird Ruthven," said Bonnie as she gave him a bow. "It is a pleasure tae make yer acquaintance."

There was an edge in Bonnie's tone that betrayed her words were not entirely true, but she delivered them with the practiced politeness of a well-taught noble girl. Someone else may have missed it; Ruthven himself may have missed it, but Evan noticed it immediately, simply because he had trained himself to listen for such subtle signs. One never knew when one may find an unlikely ally, and Evan couldn't help but think that Bonnie could be one such ally to him now.

If she dislikes Laird Ruthven, perhaps she can be convinced tae help me willingly.

But why did she dislike him? It seemed like it was the first time they had met each other and as much as Evan hated to admit it, Laird Ruthven was a good catch for a noble woman like Bonnie—or for any woman, in fact. Others would surely be trying to get his attention, but he had come straight to her to introduce himself.

It must have been her beauty, Evan thought, which attracted him. She was a difficult woman to resist.

"The pleasure is all mine," Ruthven said with a wide, charming smile, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners. Evan thought he must have been a little older than his own thirty years, but he wore them well. He seemed like the kind of man who looked better as he aged. "Where are the Laird and Lady MacLaren?"

Before Bonnie could respond, Evan jumped into the conversation, taking his chance. "They couldnae make it due tae the weather," he said, remembering what he had read on the letter Bonnie had received from them. "Me brother an' I were instructed tae accompany Miss MacLaren instead."

From the corner of his eye, Evan saw the shocked expression on Bonnie's face, the way her mouth fell open and her eyes widened in shock. For a moment, he was worried she would refute his claims and tell Ruthven the truth, but then she seemed to think better of it and pressed her lips shut, remaining silent.

She must like him even less than she likes me.

"I dinnae believe I have met ye or yer bother," Ruthven said, his smile never fading even as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Evan MacGregor," said Evan with a small bow, one that Ruthven quickly returned. "Laird of Clan MacGregor. Miss MacLaren an' I are . . . cousins."

It was the first thing that popped to Evan's mind and it was just as good an excuse as any. Ruthven, at least, seemed to believe it, giving no indication of suspicion.

"Then will ye be the ones accompanyin' her tae Castle Ruthven?"

Evan froze, glancing at Bonnie from the corner of his eye, but from what he saw, she was just as surprised by that.

"Am I supposed tae come tae Castle Ruthven?" asked Bonnie. "Why?"

It was Ruthven's turn to be confused. "Well . . . ye are me betrothed. Yer council asked if ye could spend some time in yer new home afore our weddin'."

Evan could hardly keep up with the flood of new information and how it all affected his own mission. He had heard that Ruthven supposedly had a betrothed, but he could have never guessed it would all work out so well for him. With Bonnie as Ruthven's intended, Evan could easily infiltrate Castle Ruthven and get all the information he and Alaric needed to expose his connection to John Balliol.

It could not have worked any better for him. Bonnie, on the other hand, looked less than thrilled at the prospect of visiting Castle Ruthven.

"I wasnae informed that I would be visitin' yer lands," she said, this time unable to stop her tone from assuming a chilled quality, one that made it clear just how much she didn't approve of the plan. "I thought we would meet here an' then I would return home."

"I think it's best if we acquaint ourselves better with each other, dinnae ye think?" Ruthven asked, and though he phrased it as a question, there was no room for disagreement. "We will be husband an' wife soon. We should ken each other well."

For a few moments, Bonnie remained silent, the muscle in her jaw jumping as she grit her teeth. Then, she gave a forced smile and said, "But without me sister an' her husband tae accompany me, then surely, I cannae come. I dinnae suppose ye would wish fer me tae come stay with ye without a chaperone."

This is it. This is how I will get intae that castle.

"Me brother an' I will chaperone ye," Evan said.

The look Bonnie gave him sent a chill down Evan's spine. For such a small woman, she certainly managed to appear intimidating. "I'm sure ye an' yer brother are busy, cousin . I wouldnae wish tae be a burden."

"Yer nae a burden at all," Evan assured her. "Alaric an' I will be pleased tae accompany ye there as well."

Bonnie stared at Evan in silence and he stared back, daring her to disagree. The way he saw it, this was the best solution for everyone. Evan needed a way into Castle Ruthven and Bonnie offered him just that. Bonnie clearly didn't want to be alone with Ruthven and Evan could be the buffer she wanted between the two. They could be useful to each other. Ruthven wasn't going to take no for an answer, so this was Bonnie's next best option.

Evan could only hope that she would realize that.

"As long as I dinnae inconvenience ye," she said in the end with another tight-lipped smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Let us head inside now. We shouldnae miss the festivities."

Without another glance at either Evan or Graeme Ruthven, Bonnie walked through the main doors of the castle. Evan had to rush after her to make sure that he didn't lose sight of her and when he caught up, he grabbed her arm once more to keep her close.

"Where dae ye think yer goin'?" he asked. "I told ye tae stay close."

With a long-suffering sigh, Bonnie led him to one of the tables, sliding into one of the seats. Evan sat next to her, but no sooner had he settled in the chair than Bonnie yanked her arm out of his grip and pinned him with a glare.

"Why did ye dae that?" she asked. "Why did ye say ye would come with me tae Castle Ruthven? I dinnae even ken ye!"

Evan considered his response for a few short moments, then said, "I have me reasons."

He hadn't revealed anything to Bonnie so far and he didn't think it would be wise to tell her the truth before he knew where her loyalties lay. The fact that there was no love lost between her and Ruthven didn't mean that she wasn't sympathetic towards Balliol—then again, few were, if they valued honor over wealth.

"Dae ye truly expect me tae allow ye tae follow me everywhere when ye willnae even tell me anythin'?" Bonnie asked in exasperation. "Why should I trust ye? Why should I dae anythin' ye say? What if I end up like that man on the birlinn ?"

"Keep yer voice down," Evan hissed as he looked over his shoulder at the people around them to see if anyone had heard Bonnie. Everyone seemed to be absorbed in their conversations, though, and no one was paying them any mind. Still, it didn't mean there were no people there who observed everyone closely to gather useful information. "I told ye it doesnae concern ye what I dae. Be glad that ye have someone tae accompany ye tae Castle Ruthven. Or would ye rather go alone?"

Before Bonnie could respond, Ruthven appeared in front of them once more. Next to Evan, Bonnie stiffened, sitting straight-backed in her seat as if she was preparing herself to flee the clutches of a predator.

"May I have this dance, Miss MacLaren?"

If laird Ruthven's presence had displeased Bonnie, then his request brought forth a wave of panic in her, one that was very thinly concealed. Evan was certain Ruthven had noticed, as well—there was no hiding it, no pretending he didn't know Bonnie would rather spend the entire night alone than dance with him. And yet Ruthven made no effort to backtrack, only standing there as he looked at Bonnie expectantly, that polite yet insistent smile never fading from his face.

Evan took pity on her. He was the only one who could save her from spending time with Ruthven and besides, he needed to keep a close eye on her.

"I'm afraid Bonnie has already promised me she would be me partner fer the night," he said, standing as he offered his hand to her. "I have . . . difficulty talkin' tae lasses I dinnae ken, so she has graciously agreed tae keep me company."

Ruthven stared at Evan in silence for a few moments, seeing right through his excuse. It wasn't meant to be a good excuse, though; it was only meant to keep Ruthven away for now.

"Ye may find it difficult tae find a wife, then," Ruthven said.

"Let us hope I willnae have tae," said Evan and with that, he and Bonnie left the table, joining the rest of the people who danced near the band just as the next song began.

He and Bonnie took their places in the circle of dancers, their hands joining after a moment's hesitation from her. Once the jovial tune enveloped the dancers, they all began to move around the circle, cheering and laughing. It was only Bonnie who didn't seem to be enjoying herself—and Evan, of course, who instead of dancing could be spending his time doing more useful things, such as observing Ruthven and trying to find Alaric.

His brother was somewhere there, he knew. He had caught a glimpse of him at the ceremony, after he was done dealing with their prisoner, but now Evan couldn't find him as he scanned the crowd.

"I willnae go with ye tae Castle Ruthven," Bonnie said, her voice barely audible over the music and the people around them. "I would be insane tae go tae a strange man's castle with another stranger! I dinnae ken anythin' about either o' ye. In fact, all I ken about ye is precisely what makes me wish tae stay away from ye."

"Ye will dae as yer told," Evan said. "I need tae get tae Castle Ruthven an' this is the only way I can dae that."

"Why?"

Evan's words brought Bonnie to a sudden halt, but as the people continued to dance, their movement pushed her right into him, before the three people next to her bumped into each other one after the other. Bonnie stumbled, barely keeping her balance along with everyone else, and she scowled as she regained her footing and rhythm to continue the dance.

Evan couldn't help but laugh, which only served to deepen Bonnie's frown. "Stop it."

"Had I kent ye dance like this, I wouldnae have offered," Evan teased, but regretted it immediately when Bonnie, very clearly on purpose, stepped right onto his foot, drawing a pained grunt out of him.

"Tell me the truth," she demanded, relentless in her questioning.

She willnae stop askin'. I must tell her somethin'.

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "But nae here. We will discuss this in private."

There were too many people around and this was not a matter he could discuss in front of them. If Bonnie was to learn the truth about his and Alaric's plans, then it would have to be somewhere where no one else could hear them.

"I willnae go anywhere with ye until ye tell me," Bonnie insisted. "I'm nae afraid o' ye."

There was a slight tremble in Bonnie's voice as she spoke which suggested that she did, in fact, fear him. It wasn't something Evan wanted, though. It would be useful, he supposed; the more Bonnie feared him, the more likely she was to do as he said without putting up a fight. Still, it seemed cruel to keep her in a constant state of fear and panic.

"I willnae hurt ye," Evan said, turning to look Bonnie in the eyes. "I promise ye. I willnae hurt a single hair from yer head an' neither will me brother."

For a while, the two of them simply stared at each other as they danced, exchanging no words. Evan didn't know how else to reassure her, and Bonnie didn't seem to believe him.

"Just like ye didnae hurt that man?" she asked. "Where is he now? Is he still alive?"

Evan refused to speak about this in the middle of the great hall. There was so much he couldn't tell Bonnie, especially when there were people around them. There was so much he had to keep hidden for both of their sakes.

"Ye dinnae have tae believe me," he said in the end instead of answering her question. "But I mean it. I dinnae wish tae hurt ye. Ye'll be safe with me an' Alaric."

From the suspicion in Bonnie's gaze, Evan figured that she didn't believe him at all. Perhaps she would once he explained to her why he had to do everything he did—why he had to infiltrate Castle Ruthven, why she had found him torturing that man. And if that wasn't enough to convince her, then as much as Evan would dislike it, he could use her fear to get what he wanted.