Ravished by a Highlander by Paula Quinn Read Free Book Online Page A

wish to lie to you, so if we continue to travel together, please consider
     my silence repayment for saving my life.”
    “Ye’re protectin’ me?” His half-smile returned, this time sweet with indulgence.
    “All of us.”
    “Ye must know somethin’ o’ great consequence aboot these two men that they dinna’ want gettin’ oot,” Will said, stepping around
     the fire to sit across from her. After giving her one last wary glance, Colin followed him.
    Davina shook her head and watched Finn fold his legs beside her. “I know nothing about them save that they have many Protestant
     supporters here and in Holland who do not favor a Roman Catholic ruler. Monmouth was involved in the Exclusion Bill….”
    “The Bill that divided the country into two parties,” Colin finished, ignoring the curious look Will aimed at him, and then
     at Rob. “The Whigs who supported it and the Tories who opposed. James was convinced to withdraw from all decisions made in
     the government, and was exiled by his brother, King Charles, fer many years.”
    “That’s correct,” Davina told him, surprised and intrigued by his knowledge of politics. There were some things she would
     never tell these men, or anyone else, but what danger was there in finally being able to share her opinions on matters of
     state and religion? “Unlike the man who is about to be crowned king, Monmouth and Argyll, and many others, staunchly oppose
     religious liberty.”
    “Aye, we know,” Colin said, watching her over the flames. “’Tis our religion the Protestants want to extinguish. We know where
     Charles stood on the matter, but we’ve heard little aboot James of York. What d’ye know of him?”
    Davina decided that this young man’s full attention was only a little less daunting than the warrior’s beside her. Proceeding
     with caution, she met his gaze. “He is a man who stands for what he believes in.”
    “Is that so?” he asked, his voice laced with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism.
    “Yes, it is,” Davina answered, taking up the challenge. “He refused to denounce his faith when the Test Act was introduced
     several years ago, even relinquishing his post as Lord High Admiral. He faced opposition that would have made other men crumble,
     and all because of his beliefs.”
    Colin nodded, and though his features softened in the firelight, his eyes smoldered from within. “I know a man like that,
     but he wouldna’ have wed his daughters to Protestants.”
    Davina gave him one last, measured look before turning to find the pouch of water Will had tossed to her. She suspected Colin
     knew more about the Duke of York than he was going to admit. Still, he didn’t know everything, and his questions were innocent
     enough. “That was King Charles’s doing in an attempt to convince James’s enemies that he had not converted,” she said, finding
     the pouch and turning her attention back to Rob’s wound.
    “How d’ye know all this?”
    She blinked at Finn’s softly spoken question. Her hand, in the process of yanking the plug from the pouch, stopped in mid
     tug. How
did
she know all this, indeed? A curious question, and the most deadly. She’d been so intent on boasting her knowledge of the
     House of Stuart that she hadn’t considered if any one of her listeners would wonder how she had attained it. Damn her, she
     had no skills when it came to deception!
    “I read every day,” she told Finn, averting her gaze from his. It wasn’t an untruth. “Part of my instruction at the Abbey
     included reading over old parchments and books about England’s history.”
    “Well, I dinna’ care who’s after ye, lass,” Will announced, thankfully putting an end to the conversation. He pulled part
     of his plaid off his shoulder, bunched it up beneath his head, and closed his eyes. “Ye’re wi’ MacGregors now.”
    “And a Grant,” Finn added, squaring his shoulders with just as much pride and offering her a smile that tempted