“Actually, it’s not the lass who’s caught my eye, ye busy-body.” MacMasters sounded like he held back a laugh. “I’m more interested in that leather bag of hers.”
“Knowin’ ye as I do, I’m half inclined t’believe ye.” The housekeeper sent him a wink. “Now that the lass has returned, I thought ye might be needin’ me.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Duncan, but your assistance is not needed,” the physician said.
“Since ye’re all up and about, would ye like me to put on a fresh pot of tea?” The matron stalled.
Harrison nodded. “As a matter of fact, that might be just the thing. I’ll come with you. I’ve developed a sudden taste for that shortbread you made this afternoon.”
“I’d be happy to bring it to ye.”
Harrison marched to the door. “I’ll get it. I need to stretch my legs.”
The heavy panel closed behind the physician’s back with a soft snick.
A renewed sense of alarm coursed through Johanna’s body. She was alone with Connor MacMasters. She felt no fear of the man. But, my, the man had the capacity to unnerve her. The delicious impulses his nearness spurred in her body were far more troubling than fear.
Connor leaned against the desk, his stance deceptively casual. The granite set of his jaw contradicted his relaxed posture. Well, she wasn’t about to be cowed. Not even by the likes of him.
“Tell me what Cranston wants with ye. He’s not one to negotiate.”
“I have no intention of discussing my arrangements with the man. Not with you. Nor your brother. Not even with the ghost of Bonnie Prince Charlie.”
“The man is not a fool. If ye think to deceive him, ye’ll find ye’ve made a grave error.”
“I’ve no need for deception. I’m prepared to honor his terms.”
“Honor?” Connor slowly shook his head. “He doesnae know the meaning of the word.”
“At least, I know what he wants. I have no idea of your motives. What reason do I have to believe you possess more integrity than the men in that alley?”
“Ye’re still breathing. And untouched. That sets me several notches above the likes of those bastards.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Ye want to take yer chances with those louts. Then go. Find out for yerself what I’m telling ye is true.”
She pulled in a breath. “Tell me why I should throw my lot in with you.”
“I cannae do that. If I were you, I wouldn’t trust any of us. I’d make my way back to London, and from there, I’d sail to America and pray Cranston didn’t catch up with me.” He cocked his head to one side, seeming to study her. “That’s what I’d do, Miss Templeton.”
MacMasters eyed her with a gaze that made her feel stripped, more vulnerable than she’d ever felt in her life. She watched the flickers of emotion in his eyes. Was he telling the truth? Or was he a skilled charlatan who knew how to manipulate her fears? The reality was yet to be determined.
Damn the man. What did he know of the desperation that clawed at her belly? Of the regret that she’d done nothing to prevent her niece’s abduction? Of her need to find Laurel, no matter the cost?
Determined to bring the child home, she’d boarded a train in King’s Cross on a grim, drizzly morning when the chill cut to the bone. By this time, Laurel should’ve been at her side. Tears welled in Johanna’s eyes. She blinked them away and swallowed hard against the bitter taste of defeat. She couldn’t let the girl pay the price for her failure. She had to save her.
“Running from Cranston isn’t an option.” She bit out the words between nearly clenched teeth.
He seemed to digest her words. Lightly, he dropped his hands over her shoulders, as if anticipating she might still bolt. Arrogance flashed in those keenly intelligent eyes. The honesty of the emotion soothed her fears. Just a bit.
“Well, then, ye’d better start telling me what the hell ye’ve got yerself mixed up with. Ye dinnae want to admit it, but I’m the best chance ye’ve got.”
Chapter Ten
“My best chance?” Johanna met MacMasters’s gaze. She would not shrink from this man. Showing any sign that he’d intimidated her wouldn’t do at all.
“Yer best chance of staying alive. I’ll protect ye. Ye can trust that.”
She deliberately cocked a brow. “Trust? I’m not sure I still know the meaning of the word. I have no reason to trust you. Or your brother.”
“Nae, you don’t.” His big hands slid from her shoulders to her upper arms. Not in restraint, but in a touch that spoke of confidence and reassurance. “But as I see it, ye don’t have much choice. If ye decide to leave, there’s the door. I won’t stop ye. As I told ye, I’ll have my chance at whatever ye’ve got in that case once Ross gets his hands on it.”
“It’s only a prize to you, an object you can sell to the highest bidder.” She struggled to keep the strength in her voice. Weakness was unacceptable. With this man, it might well be her downfall. “But I’ve much more at stake. Ever so much more.”
He regarded her for a long moment. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Say something, damn you.