Page 8 of Highland Spy

She took an instinctive step back and hit the cold stone wall behind her.

He smirked. “No’ anything like that. I need ye to get information for me. Most men never suspect women. I imagine it’s why ye went the whole night without being caught. Several other women work for me as well in Scotland. They’re trained on what to listen for, and how to defend themselves. Ye wouldna be alone in yer duties. Ye’d have a place to stay, food to eat, fine clothes, and a monthly stipend.”

Ariana’s mind raced faster than her heart. Could what he said be true?

“And what of the king?” she asked. “What if he finds out you’ve concealed my cheating from him?”

Connor tipped his head at a sly angle. “Who do ye think I work for, lass?”

Ariana sucked in a breath of cold air. “You want me to be a spy? For the king?”

She was a noble’s daughter, raised only to become a wife. What he was suggesting was ridiculous, unheard of. The fraying of her nerves began to unravel everything civil and social within her.

She was a fox cornered in a hunt.

“Come to Scotland with me, and I’ll teach ye things ye’ll no’ learn anywhere else.” He held out his hand to her.

She stared down at his wide palm creased with lines. His long, thick fingers had seemed so graceful in candlelight but now appeared quite menacing.

“Even if I dinna tell on ye, it’s only a matter of time until ye get caught,” he said. “Without a way out.”

He was right.

If he’d noticed her, someone else could too.

“If ye dinna come, I’ll have to tell the king.” The heavy note of disappointment in his rich voice made her open her eyes. His hand was still extended.

She looked up at him, at the lines of muscle showing at his neck, at the square set of his jaw. But for the hardness of his appearance, his regard toward her now could only be described as soft.

How long had it been since anyone had looked at her so?

Not for as long as she could remember.

Her throat tightened.

“The coin I left inside…?” She couldn’t even form the groveling question. But she had to. She would not see the servants suffer for her actions.

He gave a simple nod. “Ye may have it delivered to yer servants.”

The frantic gnawing of panic in her waned at his agreement. She drew a breath, a real, true one, for the first time since she’d been caught.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He lifted his extended hand higher, into her view. “Come work for me, work for yer king. Ye dinna need to live like this anymore.”

The kindness in his eyes pressed deep into a dark place within her, and for a moment she felt as if he truly understood her.

A spy. For the king. Such a position was one of great power.

She’d had a taste of being powerful—when she sat at the card table and manipulated the odds into her favor. It melted on her tongue like a sweet.

Her breathing came faster at the thought. Never again would she have to slink helplessly through the card tables, securing just enough coin to see her through the next fortnight, nor would she go to bed with her stomach gnawing at itself in hunger.

Blood pumped through her veins with vigorous energy, an energy she tasted only when she cheated at cards. She placed her hand in his, and hoped to God she was not making the wrong decision.

• • •

Connor strode from the brilliantly lit hall, leaving the chattering noise of the party behind. He’d been successful in his mission.