Free The Seduction of Miss Amelia Bell by Paula Quinn Page B

friend an apologetic look.
    “Ye see how they care fer each other?” Malcolm pointed out. “That could work to our
     advantage if the lady here”—he motioned to Amelia—“tries to escape or warn her uncle.”
    “Remind me to beat yer head into something hard when we reach Ravenglade,” Luke said,
     then turned his horse away.
    “What’s done is done,” Edmund said, knowing that if this was going to work, his kin
     needed to stay calm, determined, and focused. The last thing they needed was another
     woman to distract them, but it was too late to bring Sarah back. “We need to go before
     discoveries are made.”
    “Why?” Amelia asked as they rode away from Edinburgh. Her soft voice drew Edmund’s
     attention to her. He gazed down at her profile, aimed straight ahead. He fought not
     to regret what he’d done. “Why did ye kiss me and then cover my face with a poisoned
     rag? What kind of barbarian does such things?”
    Hell, what could he say? She didn’t shout at him this time. He wished she would. She
     sounded defeated and betrayed, and he felt like a cad because he was responsible for
     it.
    He leaned down closer to her ear so she would hear him. “I would speak with ye about
     it later, when we make camp and…”
    She turned in the saddle, and he closed his arms around her to keep her from falling
     again. “I am in my nightdress, ye bastard!”
    “Undress is the fashion, lass.” He wanted to tell her how completely ravishing he
     found her with her hair loose and tumbling down her creamy, gauze-draped shoulders.
    She shook her head at him. “I was terribly wrong about ye.”
    He knew she’d be angry with him. But he still didn’t like it. “Aye, ye were.”
    “I would know yer intentions now. Do ye intend to force me to lay with ye?”
    “What?” His eyes opened wide. “Nae, of course not.”
    She turned away, refusing to look at him. He hated himself for thinking it, but there
     had to be another way to save Scotland. “We have no such heinous plans fer either
     of ye. This is a purely political move against the duke. Unfortunately, ye were caught
     in the crossfire.”
    “My uncle?”
    “Aye.”
    “Ye’re kidnapping me to get to the duke?”
    “Or yer betrothed. We wish to stop them from signing the Treaty of Union.” He might
     as well tell her everything.
    “I see, so this is about the signing, and nothing else. What happened between us tonight
     was just…”
    Her voice went so soft he almost didn’t hear her and leaned in closer. A breeze swept
     a few loose tendrils of her hair across his face. He inhaled the scent of her. Wildflowers.
     Honeysuckle, mayhap.
    “…a clever deception to get what ye wanted. None of it meant anything to ye.”
    He thought about dancing with her, laughing with her, kissing her. “That isn’t entirely
     true.”
    She turned and looked at him now, allowing him to see the disappointment and hurt
     in her eyes. “Nothing ye say can be trusted. Is yer name even Edmund Dearly?”
    He shook his head. He would lie no more. It was best if she knew the truth about everything
     from the beginning. Besides, he was proud of who he was. He would never deny his name.
     “I’m Edmund MacGregor of the clan MacGregor.”
    Her eyes widened on him. “The outlawed clan MacGregor?” When he nodded, she narrowed her eyes on his wig. He quickly pulled
     it off and released a tumble of golden waves over his eyes.
    She snatched the wig, slapped him with it, and then threw it to the ground, where
     it was promptly seized by Grendel and torn to shreds.
    “Speak to me no more, Edmund MacGregor,” she warned. “I want no more lies passing
     my ears.”
    Edmund was relieved not to have to explain anything else at present. There would be
     enough time for that later.
    They rode for a few more hours with Amelia twisting to look for Sarah over her shoulder—about
     as many times as Luke glanced back at the ginger-haired servant. Edmund should speak
     to his