Chapter 3

Ian ran his hand over the shadow of his beard, looking at this girl. With her hunched shoulders and scared look in her eyes, she looked less at ease than the cat. Yet, there was something flickering in her eyes, some inner strength that reminded him of… no, he couldn't think about them. He wouldn't let that influence his judgment. The cloak that wrapped around her shoulders hid most of her body, other than her hands. The shackles were sturdy, and no wonder the guards were looking for her if she had stolen from Lady Boyd. But how was he supposed to trust a thief?

Rory hissed insistently at him, jerking his head towards the stairs, indicating that he wanted to speak with Ian in private. Ian scowled at Lucy. "Wait here," he ordered, not that she had anywhere to go. The window was easy to crawl into, but hard to climb up to. There was just a sheer wall there now as Ian had moved the shelves to try and prevent the cat from entering, but it had not been perturbed by the fall. Neither had Lucy, and he wondered what else would find its way into his shop.

"I think we should make a deal with her," Rory said as soon as they were out of earshot.

Ian wore a skeptical look. "Ye dae, dae ye?"

"Aye. She's a fugitive. She's hardly gaeing tae give herself up tae betray our secret."

"And right now, we are nae only guilty of haeing a distillery, but also of harboring a fugitive. I dinnae know her, and I dinnae trust her. If she were nae a pretty lass but an old, sleazy man, then I think ye may nae be sae quick tae trust her either."

"That hae naething tae dae with it," Rory grew tense, clenching his jaw and narrowing his gaze towards Ian. "I hae an older sister, remember. I know how cunning women can be, and how good they can be with secrets. If she is a fugitive, then she is hardly gaeing tae stick around, and it's nae as if anyone outside of this clan is gaeing tae be bothered about the distillery. Besides, there is such a thing as honor among thieves, aye?"

"In my experience, thieves are the last people ye should trust," Ian muttered. "I hae spent tae long being careful with this business, and now it could all come crumbling down because of a lass," he put his hand to his head, thinking about guards ransacking his home, dragging him up to the keep and throwing him before the Laird. For all of Ian's boasting, he was actually quite scared about facing the consequences of his actions. While he may not agree with the law banning distilleries, it was still a law and the Laird's judgment was not going to be questioned. He gulped when he thought of spending the rest of his days in some dark dungeon.

Cursing, he grabbed one of his hammers and then headed back downstairs. Rory gasped and chased after him, trying to grab his arm. Ian was too quick, though, his strides too long. His thick fingers curled around the handle of the hammer and he gritted his teeth, determined to fix this situation right now. That's what he was good at, after all, hammering things into shape. He would just have to do that with his own life, to make sure that things fit the way he wanted.

"Ian, what are ye daeing?" Rory cried out from behind him. Ginger mewed and scurried away to hide behind a worktop, peeking out with a fearful look in her eyes. Lucy had the same look, but she could not run. She squealed in despair as Ian bore down on her. He did not care that he must have been a terrible sight to her, all swarthy and dark, holding a hammer that was used to dent metal, so human flesh and bones would not have offered any resistance at all.

"Nae, please nae! I swear I will nae tell. I will keep yer secret!" she wailed. Ian ignored her cries and grabbed the shackles that bound her wrists. Using them, he pulled her towards a counter and placed her hands on top of it. The movement caused her cloak to fly back and he caught a glimpse of her slender figure. For a moment, he was distracted by the curves that flowed down her body, and he was so distracted he did not notice that the clothes were too beautiful for a simple maid.

Ian held the shackles down with one hand. A finger slipped off the iron and grazed her finger. Her hands were as soft as a winter's mist. He took aim and brought the hammer down. She angled her head away, expecting her hands to be crushed, but the hammer clanged down onto the shackles once, twice, three times and then the lock broke apart. The impact was enough to damage the mechanism. Lucy was able to slip her hands out of the iron bonds.

"There ye gae, lass, at least that's one less thing for ye tae worry about, now sit down," he said, flinging a hand towards a chair in the corner of the room. She brought her hands quickly into her chest, wringing them together and rubbing her wrists, massaging them and making sure that this was no dream.

"Thank ye, thank ye sae much," Lucy rushed towards the chair and sat down. As she did so, her legs escaped her cloak. He noticed the elegant dress that covered the length of her body. She placed her hands in front of her and he became distracted by them. The fingers were slight and gentle, the hands far smaller than his own. She ran her fingers across her wrists, and the glimpse of her narrow forearm stirred something within him. He found himself staring longer than he ought to, and debated with himself whether he had been too rough with her when freeing her from the shackles. Now that she was free of the shackles, her features had changed, growing more relaxed. The light-brown hair dusted her cheeks. Her soft lips were vibrant with color, her nose was dainty, her face as serene as the Moon. He forced himself to look away, not wishing to be one of those simpering men who were always so taken with a pretty face.

"Dinnae thank me yet, I hae nae decided what I'm gaeing tae dae with ye," Ian said, perhaps more harshly than he truly felt. He did not want her to get too comfortable here. "Just dinnae touch anything here, otherwise I'll use this hammer again, and ye will nae be thanking me."

"Of course," she dipped her head and her tongue darted out, wetting her lips. "What are yer names?"

"I'm Rory, and this is Ian," Rory said. Ian turned and glared at him.

"What are ye daeing, lad?" he exclaimed, incensed that Rory would give away such precious information like that. Rory wore a helpless look on his face and shrugged. Ian just shook his head.

"Ian, Rory, I know ye dinnae trust me and I'm sorry for breaking intae yer shop. I dinnae know if either of ye can understand what it's like tae want a better life, but that's all this is. I just want tae taste freedom. I dinnae want tae be hauled back tae the keep."

"Well, ye should hae thought about that before ye stole Lady Boyd's jewels," Ian said, shaking his head. Lucy jutted her chin out defiantly.

"I may be a thief, but that dinnae mean I am a traitor. I hae nae reason tae betray ye. I promise that if ye send me on my way, ye will never see me again. I will disappear intae the world and ye will be free tae continue with yer business," her voice hitched before the last word.

Ian studied her. When he spoke, his voice was low and drawling. Rory remained quiet, glaring into silence. "Ye may nae hae a reason tae betray us now, lass, but what if the guards catch up tae ye? I believe Lady Boyd is quite precious with her jewelry, and the Laird is nae one tae allow such a personal theft tae gae unpunished. Ye hae nae idea how far he will gae tae track ye down. Escape may nae be as easy as ye think. And what's gaeing tae happen when the guards grab ye and bring ye back tae the keep? What's gaeing tae happen when ye are standing before the Laird and he's looking at ye with those beady eyes of his, telling ye all the horrible things that are gaeing tae happen tae ye, describing all the misery that's gaeing tae happen in all the years he's gaeing tae steal from ye. I know what's gaeing tae happen, because it would happen tae anyone. People want tae save themselves, and even if ye mean what ye say now, that's gaeing tae change. Ye are gaeing tae tell him that ye know a secret, and ye are gaeing tae trade that for whatever ye can get. And then I'm gaeing tae be minding my own business here when suddenly guards are gaeing tae break down my door and tear this place apart. I hae worked tae long and tae hard for this place and I'm nae gaeing tae lose it because ye happened tae stumble intae my life," he loomed over her like a giant, jabbing a finger in the air. Lucy shrank in the chair, dipping her head low, gnawing her lower lip. There was something vulnerable about her that made a protective instinct in him twitch, but he consciously ignored it. This was an important matter and he wasn't going to allow Lucy to get under his skin.

"Now stay down here. I need tae think," he turned his back on her and motioned to ascend the stairs, but Lucy was not completely cowed. Her tongue was still strong, and she had more to say.

"I know that ye are in a difficult situation, and ye hae nae right tae trust me. I hae nae proven my word tae ye yet. But I can tell ye are a kind man because ye freed me. Let me stay here a while. Keep me out of sight of the guards, but I will help ye in any way I can. I will make myself useful tae ye and prove my trust. Since there's only two of ye, I'm sure that ye could use an extra pair of hands, even if it's just tae clean the place. And then I will be involved with the illegal business as well. If I told the Laird about it, I would only be implicating myself as well. I will make myself guilty sae that ye can trust me, and once ye are satisfied, then I can be on my way and ye will never hae tae worry about me again."

Ian stopped and turned to face her. Rory was beside him. Ian stroked his chin and thought about things carefully. He wasn't ready to release Lucy yet, but to keep her prisoner in his basement didn't seem right either. The thought of killing her had not crossed his mind. She seemed reasonable enough, and her wits were quick. She must have had some good reason to take such a risk as stealing from Lady Boyd as well.

"I think we should give her a chance. She's right, she would nae want tae give herself up," Rory whispered, leaning towards Ian.

"Ye just want tae get out of sweeping," Ian muttered, but he couldn't really disagree with the pragmatism of her proposal. "Very well, lass, ye can stay, but only for a wee while, and if ye dae anything tae bring guards tae my door, then I will dae everything tae protect my business, dae ye understand?" his words were harsh, as was his stance. Lucy nodded demurely, and Ian's heart sank. He couldn't help but feel that this was a mistake. However, he didn't feel as though he had any choice.