Read The Last Debutante for Free Online Page B

woman was determined to kill him.
    “Do you know who has harmed you?” she asked, stepping closer. Her gaze was on his mouth, as if she expected to see the words as they emerged from his lips. Behind her, the one called Mamie looked as if she might faint.
    Jamie could not begin to guess what was happening with these two Englishwomen on Brodie lands. Were theyin bed with the Brodies? But as he could scarcely move, he decided in that moment to play dumb until he could at least stand. “I donna recall,” he said simply.
    Daria’s shoulders sagged; she looked entirely deflated. But behind her, Mamie puffed up with relief that her secret was intact. “There, you see?” she said brightly. “We should allow him to rest now—”
    “Do you know your name?” Daria asked, ignoring the old woman. She was a determined young thing, which Jamie found a wee bit incongruent with her age and the fact that she was English. He’d always found Englishwomen a bit spineless. They were not the hardy women of the Highlands, to be sure.
    At the moment, however, her determined questions were complicating things. He couldn’t think clearly and was fearful of revealing too much before he knew how he might need to defend himself. “No,” he said simply.
    Mamie’s breath caught; she quickly turned away, no doubt to hide her great surprise.
    “No?” Daria repeated disappointedly. “Not even your given name?”
    He merely looked at her.
    Daria frowned uncertainly. “You should rest. In the meantime, we will summon the authorities.”
    “What?” Mamie very nearly shouted. “No!”
    Daria looked back at the older woman. “Whyever not?” she asked. “Surely someone around here knows him and can vouch for his identity.”
    “No!” Mamie said. “Oh no, I cannot think that is a good idea at all!”
    “No,” Jamie hoarsely agreed. The last thing he neededwas Brodie men finding him incapacitated before his own men did. They’d make quick work of him after what his brother had done to Cormag.
    Daria looked between the two of them. “Why not ?”
    “Suppose he is wanted,” Mamie said. She was rubbing her forehead with her fingers, as if she were trying to tease out her thoughts. “What if he has done something quite wrong?”
    “Diabhal,” Jamie muttered under his breath— devil . Aye, she was the devil, this one. Now she would paint the picture as if he had done something wrong?
    “Him?” Daria asked. “But he’s the one who’s been shot—”
    “Yes, but someone obviously had cause to shoot him, don’t you see?”
    Daria seemed to consider that.
    “I didna deserve to be shot,” Jamie said, his gaze fixed on the old woman.
    That drew a curious look from Daria, but Mamie said impatiently, “Daria, you do not understand how things are done here. Scotland is not the least bit like England. People here tend to take matters into their own hands. They don’t live by the strict rule of law as we do.”
    What were the Scots, then? A lot of savages gallivanting across the Highlands?
    “But if he is a criminal, then should we not bring the authorities to our aid?” Daria asked.
    That gave the old woman pause. She swallowed and glanced nervously at Jamie. “Let’s discuss this in another room so the poor man might rest. Come along, Daria,” she said primly, and ushered the younger woman out before her.
    Daria reluctantly allowed it, but she was staring at Jamie over her shoulder as she went, her expression skeptical.
    Mamie, on the other hand, could scarcely bring herself to look at him at all.
    When they’d gone, Jamie moved gingerly, painfully, onto his side. The scent of wildflowers washed over him again; he sighed and closed his eyes. Duff, for God’s sake, where are you?
    Bloody hell, he’d have to break free of this cottage by himself, then. Just wait until the other Campbells heard that he’d been held captive by a grandmother. There’d be no end to it.
    With a groan, Jamie forced himself to move his good leg,