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The boy flushed, grinned, then said breathlessly, ‘You have to try them on and if they don’t fit I’ve to take them back and get them changed and is there anything else you need?’
They were top-of-the-range trainers. Avalon tried them on, then smiled at the boy. ‘They’re perfect, Jamie. And no, there’s nothing else I need at the moment.’
As soon as he’d gone Avalon poured another two cups of tea from the enormous teapot. ‘We’ll have this then I’ll help you with the washing-up,’ she offered. ‘Then I’ll have to go down to the village. Do you think there’s any chance of me finding a few days’ work there?’
The brown eyes widened in shocked surprise. ‘Work? But…why?’
‘Why?’ Avalon repeated. ‘Because I’ve no money, that’s why. I’ll have to earn enough to repay you for all this and then pay my fare home. Of course I suppose I could always hitchhike. That would save—’
‘Oh, you poor wee thing!’ Kirsty burst out suddenly. ‘I…I didn’t realise. You still haven’t any idea why you were brought here. How could you? You must have been wondering what I was talking about half the time.’
‘Well…’ said Avalon, feeling thoroughly bemused at Kirsty’s outburst. ‘I’m sorry, Kirsty, but at the risk of appearing rude I still don’t know what you’re talking about. No one brought me here. It was just—-just an accident.’
‘You may think it was an accident but it was all planned by them,’ Kirsty maintained stoutly. ‘They told me. How else do you think I knew your name or that you came from London?’
She could see that Kirsty was beginning to get agitated and she replied in a calm, reasonable voice. ‘Well, anyone can tell from my accent that I come from London. And, as for my name…Well, perhaps you heard me talking in my sleep last night That’s the most likely explanation, isn’t it?’
Kirsty gave an emphatic shake to her head. ‘You must believe me, Avalon. The guardians brought you here to us. Your destiny is here.’
Oh, God, thought Avalon. She’d been right. There definitely was something odd about Kirsty. Guardians…and destiny? Mild delusions, more likely. Perhaps she’d been living here too long on her own. There was probably a medical name for it.
Kirsty heaved a sigh. ‘Oh, dear. I suppose the sooner you know the truth the better.’
Avalon gave her a cautious smile. You didn’t argue in cases like this. You simply played along and pretended to agree with everything they said.
‘I’ve known about you coming here for the last two months,’ Kirsty began quietly. ‘The guardians told me to expect you. They assured me that the old tradition would carry on.’
‘And what tradition is that?’ Avalon asked with feigned interest.
‘The bride of the Clan Chief always comes from the sea.’ Kirsty took another puff at her cigarette. ‘You can’t deny that you came from the sea, can you?’
Somehow, Avalon managed not to laugh outright. ‘No. You’re right about that So you’re telling me that I was brought here to marry this…this…What was his name again?’
Kirsty eyed her solemnly. ‘Young Fraser of Suilvach. Soon you’ll be his wife and the First Lady of the Clan.’
‘Well, that’s nice,’ said Avalon, going on with the game. ‘I’m sure that it’s a great honour, Kirsty, but are you sure that your Chief will agree to marry a complete stranger?’
Kirsty gave an emphatic nod. ‘He’ll marry you gladly. You’ve been chosen by the guardians, you see. If he were to refuse their choice…Well, it would bring nothing but disaster to the Clan. We don’t want that, do we?’
‘No,’ Avalon agreed in a grave voice, ‘we certainly don’t.’ If she ever told anyone about this they’d laugh in her face and accuse her of making it up. ‘Look,’ she said in quiet desperation, ‘these Clan guardians you keep talking about. Are they a committee or something? If they’re down in the village perhaps I can go and have a chat with them. We can get all this sorted out without anyone getting into trouble.’
Kirsty laughed at the very idea. ‘The guardians don’t live in the village. They live on the Nevay.’
Avalon held her patience. ‘All right, then. Where’s the Nevay? Is it far from here?’
‘Not at all. You can see it from the bedroom window.’
Avalon thought for a moment. ‘When I looked out of the window I couldn’t see a thing. Just empty moorland stretching for miles.’
‘Aye,’ nodded Kirsty. ‘That’s the Nevay. The enchanted land. That’s where they live.’
The enchanted land? Suddenly Avalon was seized by a horrible suspicion and she took a deep breath. ‘Kirsty? Who exactly are these guardians? What do they look like? Can you describe them to me?’
Kirsty laughed again. ‘Good heavens, lassie! No one has ever seen the guardians. They like to be left alone. They’re shy. And apart from that they don’t really trust us mere mortals. They think we’re coarse and ignorant. I’m the only one around here they ever talk to. Whenever they have something to tell me they send me a sign. Sometimes it’s a light at night and I go out to the Nevay and listen to their voices.’
An unaccountable shiver ran down Avalon’s spine and the words were out before she realised what she was saying. ‘I saw a light last night. A big, tall flame. That’s how I knew someone was here.’
Kirsty nodded wisely. ‘That was the Fire Magic. If you saw it then that proves you were the one who was chosen.’
Avalon stared at her in amazement, her suspicions now a certainty. This perfectly normal-looking nice old lady was telling her that she’d been brought here by fairies to marry a Clan Chief! Some big, hairy ruffian in a kilt, no doubt. It was unbelievable! Fairies…? God almighty!
Weakly, she got to her feet and managed a smile. ‘You just sit there and rest, Kirsty. I’ll do the washing-up.’
‘Aye,’ Kirsty said cheerfully. ‘And then I’ll give you a brush and you can do something with your hair. We can’t have the Chief seeing you like that, can we?’
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_67606a84-611d-5f10-8ceb-fc0a30df6b62)
NEITHER of them had heard the Land Rover drawing up outside. Avalon had just finished brushing the tangles out of her long, silvery blonde hair and was surveying the result critically in the mirror when she saw the reflection of the man striding through the door. She turned slowly, then stiffened and felt a hot flush of resentment rush to her cheeks. So last night it hadn’t been a dream after all. This was the same raven-haired man who’d gazed down at her on the bed and run his hands over her naked body.
Over six feet tall and wide-shouldered, he seemed to fill the room with his sheer dominating presence. In her ‘dream’ last night his features had been blurred and indistinct but now every detail imprinted itself on her mind—the finely chiselled nose and cheekbones, and the wide sensual mouth. Every uncompromising line added up to a display of proud, almost arrogant power and self-assurance. His clothes sat easily on his lean, muscular body—a plaid shirt rolled up at the sleeves and light brown cords tucked into hard-worn combat boots. And those eyes! They were fixed on her now like two blue lasers scorching their way through the tattered fabric of her dignity.
Finally he spoke in a hard, clipped voice. ‘I’m Fraser of Suilvach. I hear that you’re the girl I’m supposed to take as my wife.’
Oh, my God! She’d been hoping that when he arrived he’d simply take her down to the village, apologise for Kirsty’s strange delusions and send her on her merry way, but now it was obvious that she had another crank on her hands. Well, enough was enough. She didn’t mind humouring Kirsty but she was damned if she’d play this game with him. She decided simply to ignore him, then had second thoughts. There was a dangerous, hard edge to this man and she guessed that people ignored him at their peril.
Impatient for an answer, he turned to Kirsty. ‘Has our little sea-witch eaten yet?’
Kirsty nodded happily. ‘Aye. There’s nothing wrong with her appetite.’
‘And does she have a name?’
‘It’s Avalon. I said it would be, didn’t I?’
‘Yes, Kirsty. You did.’ His blue eyes returned to Avalon and began surveying her doubtfully from head to toe, like a man deciding whether or not to buy a second-hand car. Finally he growled, ‘She’s pretty enough, I grant you that. Are you quite sure that she’s the one?’
Kirsty was busy rolling herself another cigarette. She licked the paper then bobbed her head. ‘There can’t be any doubt about it now, Fraser. Didn’t she just tell me herself that it was the Fire Magic that guided her here?’
Avalon groaned and began to sink into a morass of despair. Fairies! Fire Magic! This was like something from The Twilight Zone. Were they all crazy up here? God knew what kind of things they got up to at the full moon. Painted themselves blue and howled at the sky?
Suddenly she flinched and drew away as he reached out to touch her face, and he rapped, ‘Stand still, dammit I want to see that bruise on your temple.’
Anger at last overrode her caution and she snapped back at him, ‘My bruises have nothing to do with you. Kindly keep your hands to yourself. I don’t like being treated like some circus freak.’
There was a tense, crackling silence then Kirsty said placatingly, ‘The poor wee thing is still a bit confused, Fraser. She’ll need time to settle down.’
‘Aye,’ he observed grimly. ‘And she’ll have to learn some manners while she’s at it. When I ask a question I expect the courtesy of a reply. Perhaps you should go and tell your friends on the Nevay that I’ve no intention of saddling myself with a woman I know nothing about but who seems to be as cold as the sea that gave her birth.’
The threat obviously alarmed Kirsty and she hastened to reassure him again. ‘She’s a lovely little creature, Fraser. Just give her time. All this must be very strange to her.’
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.’
