Hannah Howell (25 page)

He silently cursed. What did it matter? He was almost thirty years of age, and he had never found a woman who felt
right
or who
fit.
Mavis gave him the chance to be his own man, to be laird of his own keep, and to have control over his own lands. Mavis was a sensible choice. He did not love her, but after so many years and so many women without feeling even a tickle of that, he doubted he was capable of loving any woman. Passion could be stirred with the right touch, and compatibility could be achieved with a little work. It would serve.

He was just about to ask Alana how extensive a search her kinsmen would mount for her when he heard the sound of someone approaching above them. “Stand o’er there, lass,” he said as he nudged her to the left. “ ’Tis time for the bucket to be emptied and food and water lowered down to us. I dinnae want to be bumping into ye.”

Alana immediately felt chilled as she left his side. She kept inching backward until she stumbled and fell onto a pile of blankets. She moved around until she was seated on them, her back against the cold stone wall. The grate was opened, and a rope with a hook at the end of it was lowered through the opening. The lantern this man carried produced enough light to at least allow them to see that rope. Gregor moved around as if he could see, and Alana suspected he had carefully mapped out his prison in his mind. She watched the bucket being raised up and another being lowered down. As Gregor reached for that bucket, she caught a faint glimpse of his form. He was indeed very tall and very lean. She cursed the darkness for hiding all else from her.

“We will need two buckets of water for washing in the morn,” Gregor called up to the man, watching him as he carefully lowered the now empty privy bucket.

“Two?” the man snapped. “Why two?”

“One for me and one for the lass.”

“Ye can both wash from the same one.”

“A night down here leaves one verra dirty. A wee bucket of water is barely enough to get one person clean, ne’er mind two.”

“I will see what the laird says.”

Alana winced as the grate was slammed shut and that faint shaft of light disappeared. She tried to judge where Gregor was, listening carefully to his movements, but she was still a little startled when he sat down by her side. Then she caught the scent of cheese and still warm bread, and her stomach growled a welcome.

Gregor laughed as he set the food out between them. “Careful how ye move, lass. The food rests between us. The Gowans do provide enough to eat, though ’tis plain fare.”

“Better than none. Perhaps ye had better hand me things. I think I shall need a wee bit of time to become accustomed to moving about in this thick dark.”

She tensed when she felt a hand pat her leg, but then something fell into her lap. Reaching down, she found a chunk of bread, which she immediately began to eat. Gregor was obviously just trying to be certain of where she sat as he shared out the food. She did wonder why a small part of her was disappointed by that.

“Best ye eat it all, lass. I havenae been troubled by vermin, but I have heard a few sounds that make me think they are near. Leaving food about will only bring them right to us.”

Alana shivered. “I hate rats.”

“As do I, which is why I fight the temptation to hoard food.”

She nodded even though she knew he could not see her, and for a while, they silently ate. Once her stomach was full, Alana began to feel very tired, the rigors of the day catching up to her. Her eyes widened as she realized there was no place to make up her own bed; she doubted there were enough blankets to do so anyway.

“Where do I sleep?” she asked, briefly glad of the dark for it hid her blushes.

“Here with me,” replied Gregor. “I will sleep next to the wall.” He smiled, almost able to feel her tension. “Dinnae fret, lass. I willnae harm ye. I have ne’er harmed a child.”

Of course, Alana thought and relaxed. He thought she was a child. She had briefly forgotten her disguise. The thought of having to keep her binding on for days was not comforting, but it was for the best. Thinking her a child, Gregor treated her as he would a sister or his own child. If he knew she was a woman, he might well treat her as a convenient bedmate or try to make her one. She brutally silenced the part of her that whispered its disappointment, reminding it that she had no idea of what this man even looked like.

Once the food was gone, Gregor set the bucket aside. Alana heard him removing some clothing and then felt him crawl beneath the blankets. She quickly moved out of the way when she felt his feet nudge her hip. After a moment’s thought, she loosened the laces on her gown and removed her boots before crawling under the blankets by his side. The chill of the place disappeared again, and she swallowed a sigh. Something about Gregor soothed her, made her able to face this imprisonment with some calm and courage, and she was simply too tired to try and figure out what that something was.

“On the morrow, we will begin to plan our escape,” Gregor said.

“Ye have thought of a way out of here?”

“Only a small possibility. Sleep. Ye will need it.”

That did not sound promising, Alana mused, as she closed her eyes.

Hannah Howell is an award-winning author who lives with her family in Massachusetts. She is the author of nineteen Zebra historical romances and is currently working on a new Highland historical romance,
Highland Lover,
which will be published in June 2006. Hannah loves hearing from readers and you may visit her website,
www.hannahhowell.com
, or write to her c/o Zebra books. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you wish a response.

Hannah Howell
is an award-winning author who lives with her family in Massachusetts. She is the author of over thirty Zebra historical romances and is currently working on a new historical romance featuring the Murrays,
Highland Master
, coming in December 2013! Hannah loves hearing from readers and you may visit her website:
www.hannahhowell.com
.

ZEBRA BOOKS are published by

 

Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

 

Copyright © 1992 by Hannah Howell

This book was previously published under the pseudonym Sandra Dustin.

 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

 

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

 

 

Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

ISBN: 978-1-4201-2896-3

 

eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-3200-7
eISBN-10: 1-4201-3200-8