Read The Highlander's Bargain for Free Online

as she leaned close. “Relax.”
    “Show? I dinna ken what you mean, lass.” He kept his eyes fixed on the catwalk, lest the ruffians attempt anything more severe than words.
    “It’s all make-believe, a pageant. Including those guys. I know them. We belong to the same club.” She tugged on his arm. “Come on. The parade is over. Let’s go. I’ll show you around and explain how things work.”
    He sent one more scowl toward the louts and let his lady lead him away. Confused and disoriented, he had difficulty grasping what had just transpired, especially once the clapping ensued. “Force of habit prevails,” he muttered. “’Tis ingrained in me to protect those who cannot defend themselves. A gently bred lady should no’ be subjected to the insults and rudeness of such rabble.”
    “You think I can’t defend myself?” She laughed. “Oh, Robley, you have a lot to learn about the twenty-first century.”
    “Without a doubt.” He glanced back at the catwalk, still angry that their party had been subjected to such an outrage.
    “Come on. I’ll take you to the jousting arena. That should be a kick.”
    “A kick?” He frowned. “I swear, your speech is passing strange. Even more so than Lady True’s used to be.”
    “Ha! It’s the other way around, sir knight. You’re the foreigner here. It’s your speech that is passing strange .”
    “Ah, I take your meaning.” He nodded. “’Tis true. I dinna exactly fit in, do I?”
    “Not even a little bit,” she said, grinning at him. “Tell me about this Lady True you keep mentioning.” Erin looped her arm through his again, steering him in the direction she wished him to go.
    Warmth spread through his chest, and once again he covered her wee hand with his, marveling at the feel of her soft skin next to his callused palm. “Alethia Goodsky was sent to us from your time. We call her True for many reasons, one being she is a truth-sayer. She has the ability to discern whether or no’ a person speaks truly, and occasionally she has visions of the future. Her gifts have saved our clan more than once. The faerie who sent her to us—”
    “Whoa. Hold up.” She stopped walking and gaped at him wide-eyed. “Faerie?”
    “Och, aye, one of the ancient ones, the Tuatha Dé Danann. ” He nudged her into motion again. “Madame Giselle poses as a fortune-teller at fairs like this one.” He nodded to the surrounding area. “She stole Alethia from your time and sent her to ours so that she might save the life of a young orphaned lad who needed her special kind of help. He has the blood of the fae running through his veins, as does she. ’Tis why she has the gift . True is wed to my cousin Malcolm now. They have a daughter and another bairn on the way. Plus, they’ve adopted Hunter, the lad whose life she saved. The lad is also gifted.”
    A stunned expression suffused Erin’s lovely features, and she brought her hand up to press against her mouth.
    “What is it, lass? What troubles you?”
    She shook her head and averted her gaze. “Nothing. It’s just . . . well, it’s all kind of difficult to believe.”
    “I speak naught but the truth.” He suspected there was more to her reaction than that, but he let it go. “We found Lady True all alone and fast asleep by the side of the road. I believe my cousin fell in love with her that very moment.” He smiled. “Believe you me, she led him on a merry chase. Malcolm did his best to keep her safe and by his side, but she wouldn’t have it. ’Twas quite entertaining.”
    “For you.” She bumped her shoulder against his. “Probably not so much for him.”
    “To be sure.” He chuckled. “Malcolm’s beleaguered heart nearly faltered more than once. Our True has a propensity for placing herself in harm’s way, but only to protect those she loves.” They’d come to a circle of fairgoers oohing and aahing as they watched something going on in the center. The familiar metallic ring of sword upon sword