"Flossie…" She was torn between anger at the girl's disloyalty and hurt that Flossie had hidden so much from her. Flossie had served her for the last ten years, and Mhairi had imagined they had no secrets from each other.
"Och, my lady, dinnae mind me." Flossie made an apologetic gesture. "I'm spoiling our meeting. I’m so happy to know naught bad has happened to ye here."
Apart from being kidnapped and locked up, and losing her good name. No, naught bad at all.
But her relationship with Flossie had changed in the last minutes, and Mhairi didn't voice the sardonic rejoinder.
Anyway, she had something important to say to her maid while they were alone. The Mackinnon had said half an hour. She wasn't sure how much time they had left.
Mhairi drew Flossie further away from the door, although she couldn't imagine the proud Laird of Achnasheen pressing his ear to the wood to eavesdrop.
"Flossie, listen to me, we havenae got long. Do ye know Sheena?"
Flossie eyed her warily. "Aye."
"She's going to help me to escape. Ye can come, too."
"She’s sly and spiteful, that Sheena. I wouldnae trust her an inch."
Mhairi frowned, although given their discussion, this lack of enthusiasm shouldn't come as a surprise. "She's the only person who has offered to help me. It might be our one chance to go home. Surely you cannae want to stay here with these barbarians who snatched ye away from your kin."
Flossie shrugged. "From what I've seen so far, life is better here than in Bruard. Duff says…"
Mhairi recalled a previous mention of Duff. "He's the man who took ye."
Flossie flushed and avoided her eyes. "Aye."
"The man who wears the eyepatch."
"Aye, a Drummond knife cost him half his sight, but he doesnae hold that against me."
"I've got a feeling that you might be holding him against ye, despite Jean's best efforts at watching over your virtue."
The girl shifted uncomfortably. "What if we've shared a kiss or two? I like him and he likes me."
This was a disaster. "Flossie, you've only been here a few days. How can ye change so dramatically?"
"This is a good place. I knew it was, the moment I set foot here. If ye look around, you'll see that, too."
"All I see is that you've lost your mind," Mhairi said sharply. "You've betrayed your kin for nothing much that I can tell."
Flossie looked annoyed and finally met her concerned gaze. "I havenae betrayed anyone, Lady Mhairi. Nor would ye betray your kin if you consent to this marriage – and men alive tomorrow will thank you for the decision ye make today."
Was it true? Was she mad to hold out against wedding the Mackinnon?
No, she refused to yield to a man who gave her no choice about her future. It was one of the reasons she'd rejected every offer of marriage she'd ever received. Flossie was right. She liked going her own way.
So was it sheer obstinacy alone that stopped her accepting the inevitable? It must be more than that. Her soul rebelled at becoming the Mackinnon’s little pet, following him around and sitting up or rolling over at his say-so. How could she marry a man who had stolen her like a hungry man stole a loaf of bread?
A horrible thought struck her. "I trusted ye when I told you about Sheena."
Flossie looked troubled. "I willnae tell anyone, my lady." The reluctance in her voice wasn’t reassuring. "But listen to me when I say you're taking an awfu’ big risk."
Mhairi sucked in a relieved breath. "It's my only chance."
"If you're so determined, I wish ye luck."
Mhairi found it in her to smile. "But ye think I'm wrong."