Ransom

'I feel like such a fool. I really thought Brodick and I were betrothed. He did ask me to marry him. Honestly. No, that isn't quite true. He told me he was going to marry me.'

'You cannot be upset about this.'

Gillian shrugged. 'I don't know what to think or feel,' she said. 'Come. We mustn't keep Brodick waiting. He lacks patience.'

Bridgid walked by her side along the curving path. 'I don't know if I should admire you or feel sorry for you.'

'Why?'

'Because you looked disappointed.'

'I was embarrassed.'

'Oh, I know all about that. Today I was thoroughly humiliated. Did you hear what Stewart said? My mother tossed me out of her home… I thought it was my home too, but she corrected that misconception. If Stewart knows, then everyone else does too. And do you know what's worse?'

'What?'

'My laird knows. He had me move my things to the castle, using the excuse that he needed someone to help with his brother, Michael, but that isn't the reason. It was my mother. She asked him to do something about me.'

'Do something?'

'Those were the words she shouted at me while I was packing. She's disgusted with me because I've refused to marry.'

Bridgid explained the details, and by the time she was finished, Gillian forgot all about her own embarrassment. 'Your mother was wrong to make you leave your home.'

'She wants me to be Ramsey's problem,' she said. 'My mother's newly married, and I'm a difficult daughter.'

They strolled along the path, stirring the scent of the bordering flowers with the rustle of their skirts and sharing confidences in whispered voices, as comfortable with one another as if they were already old friends. Neither Bridgid nor Gillian wished to hurry. Bridgid wanted to pour her heart out to someone who wouldn't judge her, and Gillian wanted to forget her own problems for a while.

'So you see, I can't blame my mother. She cannot help the way she feels. I'm weary of talking about my problems. I want to hear more about you. Do you really love Brodick?'

'Yes, I do.'

'Have you known him long?'

'Actually, no, I haven't known him long at all.'

'There you have it,' Bridgid exclaimed. 'When you get to know him, you'll come to realize it was just an infatuation.'

Gillian shook her head. 'I didn't choose to fall in love with him. It just happened, but I do love him with all my heart.'

Bridgid sighed. 'I, too, am in love,' she admitted.

Gillian glanced at her. 'You don't sound very happy about it.'

'I'm not. I'm plain miserable, as a matter of fact. I don't want to love him.'

'Why not?'

'Because he doesn't love me.'

'Are you sure?'

'He's a very stupid man.'

Gillian laughed. 'Yet you love him.'

'I do.'

'Who is he?'

'A Sinclair.'

'Does he know how you feel about him?'

'No.'

'Are you going to tell him you love him?'

'I've given the matter a great deal of thought, and I've tried to get him to… notice me. I've been hoping that he would be perceptive, you see, but thus far he hasn't figured it out.'

'I think you should tell him. What have you got to lose?'

'My self-respect, my dignity, my pride, my-'

'Never mind, then.'

'I know you're right. I should tell him. If I continue to wait, I'll be an old woman before he gets around to realizing I'm the best thing that ever happened to him. No one will ever love him the way I do. I know all of his faults, and there are many, I assure you, but still I love him.'

'When?'

'When what?'

'When will you tell him?'

'Oh, I won't.'

'But you just said-'

'That I should tell him. I won't do it, though. What if he doesn't want me to love him? He may not even like me. Come to think of it, I don't believe he does. He's always telling me how difficult and stubborn I am.'

'Then he is noticing you, isn't he?'

'Yes, but only as a nuisance. The men here court the ladies. Is it the other way around in England?'

'No, it's the same.'

'Then he should chase me, shouldn't he? No, I won't tell him how I feel. When did Brodick tell you he loved you?'

Three soldiers came striding up the path, and Gillian waited until she wouldn't be overheard before she answered, 'He hasn't told me he loves me, and to be completely honest, I'm not sure that he does. I know he's fond of me, though.'

'Yet you told him you loved him?'

'Yes, I did.'

Bridgid was clearly impressed. 'You're more courageous than I am. The fear of being rejected pains me to even think about, yet you boldly told Brodick how you felt, even though he hadn't spoken his feelings.'

'Actually, he told me I loved him.'

Bridgid laughed. 'How like a man. They're all arrogant, you know.'

'Most are, anyway,' Gillian agreed. 'But Brodick also happened to be right, and when he pressed me to admit I loved him, I did. I couldn't lie to him.'

'And he told you he was going to marry you. It's terribly romantic, but it's also a little… shocking.'

'Why?'

'Because he's a Buchanan. May I ask you a personal question… really personal? You don't have to answer it if you don't want to,' she hastened to add.

Gillian could hear the hesitation in Bridgid's voice. 'What is it you wish to know?'

'Has Brodick ever kissed you?'

'Yes, he has.'

'What was it like?'

Now Gillian's face felt warm. 'It was very nice,' she whispered. She glanced at Bridgid and grinned. 'The man can make me shiver just by looking at me.'

Bridgid sighed with longing. 'I've only been kissed once, and he didn't make me shiver. I wonder what it would feel like if the man I love kissed me.'

'Your knees will go weak, your heart will race, and you won't be able to catch your breath. And do you know what else?'

'What?'

'You'll never want the kiss to end.'

They sighed in unison, then laughed over their own behavior. Bridgid turned the topic then when she