Charming the Chieftain Read Free Page A

her eyes.
    “I do not require your opinion thank you very much, and if no one amongst your friends has the temerity to tell you, allow me. Your manners are atrocious, sir,” she bit out between thinned lips.
    His eyes widened in surprise and then he threw back his head and laughed. “I can no’ say my manners have been much discussed, although my blunt ways only exceed your own.”
    Momentarily abashed, she remained silent. There wasn’t much to defend against since the assertion rang true. On the heels of that truth, another popped into her brain. Mayhap she ought to curb her tongue. After all, she had no way to know if the man was a bloodthirsty killer. She pulled a face at the farfetched notion, doubting Onora would send a murderer to procure her safe passage.
    Determined to start afresh, since they were forced to tolerate one another’s company for a time, she cleared her throat and kept all expression from her voice when she offered an apology.
    “Despite your immediate impression of me, I am not in the habit of trading insults. I do apologize if I gave offense, ’tis not my intent, truly.”
    “You can no’ offend me,” he asserted with a shrug, surveying the direction from whence she came.
    She gritted her teeth in the wake of his less than generous statement and followed his line of sight wondering what he hoped to see.
    In a patronizing tone, he continued, “I expect naught else from the English save the back side of one’s tongue, milady.”
    The continuous inflection of her title rankled. Calling his good manners into question had been a mistake. He appeared to be the very worst sort of his kind — quick to take offense, prickly, and bad-tempered. Impatience edged out irritation. And why weren’t they leaving?
    “Tell me, does your escape stratagem include Warford’s men catching up to us?”
    His nostrils flared with annoyance.
    “First you insult my manners, and now you call into question my ability to keep you safe. No matter your relation to Lady Onora, I will no’ tolerate such insolence. We will leave when I say and not afore time. You ken?”
    Incapable of concealing her scorn, she persisted.
    “Bearing in mind the urgency of our situation, although,” she pursed her lips, “you seem quite at your leisure, when do you suppose might we take our leave?”
    Wordless, he clenched his jaw, moved around her and started for the dense undergrowth.
    Frustrated by his taciturn nature, she gathered her skirts and chased after him. His only acknowledgment of her was a quick glance and a grunt, whether in approval or disgust, she had no idea. In a neutral tone, she put her question to him. “Shall we meet with Chief Maxwell, soon?”
    Careful to sidestep a barbed firethorn bush, she bumped into his broad back when he came to an unexpected stop, turning to stare at her. She couldn’t begin to speculate on the reason for the combination of surprised perplexity etched on his face.
    “You expect
me
to take you to Chief Maxwell?”
    She canted her head at his odd manner of question. “Did he not make the journey with you? My aunt’s letter indicated Chief Maxwell would be on hand to deliver me to Caeverlark Castle. Is this not true?”
    The intensity in his pale eyes unnerved her.
    “You are able to read?”
    “Yes.” She stated quietly and waited for him to accuse her of walking with the devil.
    He remained silent for a beat and then nodded. “If you are so inclined, your skill could be put to use at Caeverlark. Father Pollock wears your aunt’s patience thin with his constant demand for learned scribes.”
    “They do not have a man at Caeverlark?”
    “Died last spring.”
    She waited for him to expound on his pronouncement, but he turned on his heel and continued to steer them farther away from her father’s land until she no longer recognized any landmarks. They walked in silence, giving her time to ponder his reaction to her statement. His easy acceptance of her unladylike skill loosened