The Saint Read Free Page A

“I can’t live without you.” Not “I want to ravish you senseless.”
    There was a tiny pinch in the vicinity of her heart. Helen told herself she was being ridiculous. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? He’d told her how he felt—even if it wasn’t exactly with the flourish she’d hoped for.
    He was so confoundingly
controlled
. Not cold and unfeeling, but calm and even-tempered. Steady. A rock, not a volcano. But sometimes she wished he’d explode.
    When she didn’t respond right away, he added, “Surely this can’t come as a surprise to you?”
    Actually it did. She bit her lip. “We never talked about the future.” Perhaps because they’d both been trying to ignore the realities.
    Marriage
. It was the only option for a woman in her position. Then why did the very idea strike fear in her heart?
    But this was Magnus. He understood her. She loved him. Of course she wanted to marry him.
    But what he was asking was impossible. “Our families will never allow it. The feud.”
    “I’m not asking our families, I’m asking you. Run away with me.”
    She sucked in her breath. A clandestine marriage? The notion was shocking. But also, she admitted, oddly appealing—andundeniably romantic. Where would they go? Perhaps the continent? How exciting it would be to travel across the countryside with only each other to please! “Where would we go?”
    He looked at her strangely. “Strathnavar. My father will be angry at first, of course, but my mother will understand. He’ll come around eventually.”
    Northern Scotland, not the continent. The MacKay lands were in Caithness, which bordered Sutherland. Arguments over land for the neighboring clans had started and fueled the feud for years.
    “And where would we live?” she asked carefully.
    “At Castle Varrich with my family. When I am chief, the castle will be yours.”
    Of course. Silly lass, how could she have thought differently? His mother was the perfect lady of the castle. Naturally, he would expect as much from her. Her lungs squeezed, and her heart raced. “Why now? Why can’t we wait and see—”
    “I’m tired of waiting. Nothing will change.” His jaw hardened, an unfamiliar glint of steel in his eye. He was growing impatient with her. For a moment she thought he might lose his temper. But Magnus never lost his temper. Sometimes she even wondered whether he had one. “I’m tired of sneaking around, not being able to speak or even look at you in public. You are eighteen now, Helen. How much longer before your father finds you a husband?”
    She blanched, knowing he was right. She’d escaped a betrothal this long only because her father was ill and needed her.
    Her heart stopped. Oh God, who would take care of her father? She looked at him helplessly, the enormity of the decision making her hesitate. She loved him, but she loved her family, too. How could she choose between them?
    He must have read her indecision. “Don’t you see, this is the only way it can be. What we have …” His voicedropped off. “What we have is special. Don’t you want to be with me?”
    “Of course, I do. But I need some time—”
    “There isn’t time,” he said harshly. But he wasn’t looking at her. A moment later, she knew why.
    “Get the hell away from her!”
    Her heart dropped. Helen turned around to see her brother flying toward them.
    Magnus saw the blood drain from Helen’s face and wished he could spare her from this moment. But it had been inevitable. They’d been fortunate to escape discovery for so long.
    Although if they were going to be discovered by anyone in her family, he would rather it had been her eldest brother, William, the heir to the earldom. He at least wasn’t a complete arse. If there was anyone he disliked more than Donald Munro it was Kenneth Sutherland. He had all the arrogance and all the snide mockery of Munro, with a hot temper to boot.
    Instinctively, Magnus moved around to block Helen. He knew she was close to