Shores Of Love

The Clan Chief didn’t seem the least bit moved by this desperate appeal to his patience. Glowering beneath his dark brows, he observed drily, ‘I’m getting the feeling that our green-eyed little mermaid thinks we’re a couple of fools.’ He continued to stare at Avalon in an unnerving silence which turned her mouth dry with apprehension, then he questioned her sharply. ‘I want to know how you got yourself washed up on my property last night like a piece of wreckage.’

She was tempted to tell him to go and ask the fairies but thought better of it. He was liable to bite her head off. ‘I was on a boat,’ she muttered. ‘I…I fell overboard and swam ashore.’

He raised a darkly mocking brow. ‘You fell overboard? That was a damned clumsy thing to do. What kind of boat was it?’

She eyed him truculently. ‘A motor-cruiser.’

‘How many people were on board?’

She sighed. ‘Five. Including me.’

‘And none of them saw this…accident happen?’

‘No.’ She avoided his eye. ‘It was dark and I was the only one on deck.’

‘Well, no doubt they’ve discovered your absence by now so presumably they’ll be reporting the incident to the authorities.’

She bit her lip and kept avoiding his eye. ‘Yes. I suppose so.’

He subjected her to another silent scrutiny then he turned towards the door and gestured for her to follow. ‘Right Let’s go.’

His cold, overbearing manner refuelled her anger and she entertained the notion of telling him to go to hell, but once again the danger of the situation she was in demanded caution. If she refused he wouldn’t think twice about slinging her over his shoulder. Until she found some way of getting back to civilisation and out of his clutches she’d no option but to put up with his tyrannical behaviour.

‘Fraser! Wait.’

He turned in the doorway. ‘Yes, Kirsty?’

The older woman looked worried. ‘Be good to her, Fraser. Promise me you’ll look after her. Until the Grand Ceilidh, at least.’

He sighed heavily. ‘You know what my plans are for the Grand Ceilidh.’

‘Aye. But plans can be changed. My…my friends don’t want Pamela here. That’s why they’ve sent Avalon. Please be kind to her.’

The Clan Chief eyed her sternly, then he relented. ‘All right, for your sake, Kirsty, I’ll see that she comes to no harm. She’ll stay with me until the ball and we’ll see what happens.’

Kirsty smiled with relief and Avalon desperately weighed up the chances of making a mad dash for freedom. Anywhere back in the land of reality would do.

As the Land Rover set off along the track she looked at him suspiciously. ‘Where are you taking me? I thought we were going to the village.’

He ignored her question. ‘How did you manage to fall overboard? The sea wasn’t rough last night.’

‘I…I tripped over a rope,’ she lied. ‘I told you. It was dark.’ She knew there was no use telling him the truth. He wouldn’t believe her. No one would.

The Land Rover was bucketing recklessly along the rough, potholed track that skirted the shore and rounded the headland to the south. She clung to her seat grimly and wished the maniac would slow down.

‘What was the name of the boat you were on?’ he shouted, apparently determined to go on with his relentless questioning.

‘C-C-Caprice,’ she told him through chattering teeth.

‘Where was it heading for?’

She glared at him in a temper and raised her voice over the noise of the engine and the rumble of the wheels. ‘I’ve no idea. And I can’t carry on a conversation while I’m being rattled about like this.’

He glanced at her sideways and made no comment, and as soon as his eyes were back on the road she made a face and stuck her tongue out at him. She had to endure another five minutes of the torturous journey then he slammed on the brakes, killed the engine, and got out.

She remained still, her arms folded and her eyes fixed straight ahead. He got out, then went round and opened her door. ‘Get out.’ To her surprise he actually helped her down to the ground. She looked around nervously, wondering what he had in mind for her now. On her left there was nothing but that barren, windswept moor while to her right the ground fell sharply down to the rocky coastline.

‘Why did you stop here?’ she demanded suspiciously.

‘This is where you were found last night.’ He pointed down to the black barnacled rocks. ‘Lying down there. Half-frozen and unconscious.’ He paused, then added quietly, ‘You’re an extremely lucky young lady. Old Gavin MacLean was driving by in his tractor and if he hadn’t looked down and spotted you you’d certainly have died from exposure.’

She tore her gaze away from the rocks and said humbly, ‘Yes. You’re right. If I ever see him I’ll thank him.’

‘You’ll see him,’ he assured her with an ironic smile. ‘In the meantime you can answer a few questions.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she said firmly. ‘I don’t feel like answering any more questions. I don’t see what right you’ve got to subject me to this kind of—’

‘I’ve got every right in the world. You’re not in London now. You’re on my property,’ he reminded her harshly. ‘Technically speaking you’re a trespasser and I could prosecute you. So while you’re here you will do as you’re told and you’ll answer any damned question I feel like asking. Is that clear?’

She gulped. He was like a wolf baring its fangs and she hurried to placate him. ‘All right. Calm down. What do you want to know?’

He gave a satisfied nod and permitted something vaguely resembling a cold smile to flit across his face. ‘That’s better. Now, we’ll start off with your full name.’

‘Avalon Rivers,’ she replied stiffly.

‘How old are you?’

‘Nineteen.’

‘Parents? Where do they live?’

She sniffed and knew she was going to catch a cold. ‘I don’t have any.’ She saw him frown and she explained patiently, ‘I never knew them. I was raised in an orphanage. As far as I know they were killed in a car accident when I was a year old.’

‘I’m sorry to hear it,’ he said quietly.

‘There’s no need to be,’ she assured him tartly. ‘It has nothing to do with you.’

His face hardened again. ‘How about friends? Any close friends?’

A chill wind had sprung up, sending low grey clouds scurrying in from the sea. ‘Only acquaintances.’

‘What about boyfriends?’ he demanded.

She shook her head.

‘Hmmm…’ He gave her a long, sceptical look. ‘An attractive young girl like you without a boyfriend? That’s hard to believe.’

‘And I’m finding all this hard to believe,’ she flared in sudden resentment. ‘If you must know, I had a boyfriend but it’s all over. We had an argument and I told him that he was nothing but a snake and I walked out on him.’