Chapter 4

Bran stood outside of the canvas and turned his face up to the sky. The wind was blowing, causing sea spray to fly up into the boat. His nether regions ached, and he winced as he attempted to shift into a more comfortable position. As much as she had hurt his lower anatomy with her well-aimed kick, she had hurt his heart and soul even more with her brutally accurate words. She is right about me.I am a monster. After all that I have done in the name o' August Raymond, I am nae good for anyone, but that does nae change the fact that I must save me daughter. She must come above all else, even unfortunate, defenseless lassies such as Idalia Buckland.

Bran wished there was another way, but every plan he attempted to come up with failed in his mind before its completion. It always came down to the fact that August held Mahala hostage. He had spies everywhere, so he would know the moment Bran stepped out of line. Even if Bran managed to kill August's spies, and that could only happen if he actually knew who and where they were, he would still have to somehow get to Mahala and free her from Raymond's encampment before anyone noticed. It is impossible! His heart broke twice over at the thought of what he must do. Idalia does nae deserve her fate, but I dinnae ken any other way. To save me daughter, Idalia Buckland must pay the price.

Not knowing what else to do, Bran retrieved them both some food and returned to the canvas enclosure. He found her sitting against the hull of the ship, tears still wet on her cheeks. Blood dripped down the side of her hand, and he frowned in confusion. It had not been there earlier. He moved over to her side to investigate and found she had been trying to remove her ties by rubbing them against a splintered piece of wood on the ship's hull. The tip of the splintered piece of wood was red with her blood. Shaking his head, he set their food down and using his dirk, he removed the offending piece of wood from the side of the boat.

"Ye attempted tae escape again," he noted, handing her a bannock. "How far do ye think that ye would get 'afore ye drown? Or I or one o' August's spies would find ye? There is nae way out o' this for ye, lass. Yer life is nae longer yer own."

Idalia glared at him, refusing the bannock. She turned on her side away from him without a word.

"Ye must eat, lass, tae keep up yer strength." He attempted to give her the bannock once more, but she ignored him. Sighing, he set the bread down beside her and left it there. He sat next to her, eating his own supper in silence. When night began to fall, before he could no longer see her in the dark, he tied a rope around her waist, then tied it around his own. He did not want to risk losing her in the night as he slept.

As he tied them together, she squirmed and shrieked in protest. Her shirt wriggled up and his cold hands landed on the warm soft flesh of her abdomen. "Do not touch me!" she protested loudly.

Bran placed a warning hand over her mouth and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I will nae harm ye in any way, but I cannae say the same o' the men out there. This is as much for yer protection as it is tae keep ye from escaping."

Her eyes widened at his implied warning, and she stopped squirming. She looked at him with disbelief.

"Aye," he nodded solemnly. "I mean what I say lass. Now, hold still so I can finish tying us together. He returned to the task at hand, but his eyes were suddenly drawn to the birthmark that was currently visible where her shirt had ridden up while she squirmed. "What does the mark mean?" he asked her, tracing the shape with his finger without thinking. He was mesmerized by it and all thoughts of her embarrassment had completely left him.

Idalia blushed and moved her hips in an attempt to move away from his gaze. "It is a family mark. Katarina has one on her shoulder. Lady Katherine has one on the inside of her thigh." Idalia blushed deeper at the mention of something so intimate. "I should not have told you that."

"Lady Katherine? Do ye speak o' Lady Katherine Morgan?" Bran asked in confusion.

Idalia nodded. "I do. She is my cousin."

"How?"

"She is the daughter of my uncle. No one knew about her until Katarina saw the mark. We knew that my uncle had had an affair with a married woman and that the affair had produced a daughter. We did not know who. It was not an easy thing for Lady Katherine to discover, but she has accepted it now and found great happiness with Dunn's brother Tor."

"Tor wed Lady Katherine?"

"He did as per the king's command. Fortunately for them both, they found love and happiness in each other. They both now live at Strathnaver, with Tor as laird."

Bran sat and thought about this new revelation. "And Alistair Morgan? What came o' him?"

Idalia shook her head. "We do not know. He could be dead, for he was stabbed attempting to kill Lady Katherine, but there is no body. No one knows where he is."

"He tried to kill his own daughter? Much has transpired in my absence. My brother Andrew, is he wed?"

Idalia shook her head. "He is not. He never fully recovered from losing you. He has devoted himself heart and soul to the safety of my sister Katarina and her son."

"My namesake," Bran murmured softly.

"Indeed." Idalia's tone told him that she was not without sympathy for his plight, but that she was also still angry with him.

"And Adamina"

"Well and happy to be an aunt. She had not yet wedded."

Bran smiled. "Ewan?"

"Ewan is fine. Serious and helpful as always. He has also not married yet."

"I'm glad to hear he is well".

Bran realized that his hand was still on her bare skin, and he released her, moving to tighten the rope around his own waist. His body reacted to her in ways he would rather it did not. His body wanted her, while his mind wanted nothing more than to forget her. Lying down beside her, he was careful not to touch her. They lay there in silence for a time, until Idalia began to shiver, her teeth chattering loud enough to keep Bran from sleep.

Pulling a blanket out from his bag, he laid it over her and pulled her into his arms. When she began to protest, he silenced her with a soft hand to her lips. "My heat will keep ye warm, lass, it is nae more than that. I will nae touch ye in any way that ye dinnae wish. I may be a monster, but upon this ye may depend."

Sighing, Idalia stopped fighting and allowed him to give her his heat. Soon, her teeth stopped chattering, and her skin warmed beneath his touch. They lay together cocooned under the blanket, each keeping the other warm. Lulled to sleep by the sound of her breathing and the sea beyond, Bran closed his eyes and surrendered to the darkness. His last thought was of how right she felt in his arms, and how he would never be allowed to have her as his own. Yet, it does nae matter... Upon the morrow, she will belong tae August Raymond and her life will be nae more.