she said, and raising her chin, felt fear fan her belly in a hot wave of feeling. Maybe she would have been safer with the Frenchman after all. At least he didn’t have MacGowan’s rugged strength, and if it came to a struggle, she might stand a chance, but with Ram … she skimmed his broad form for an instant, calming her breathing. “Pelted fruit would surely be the lesser of the two evils.” He leaned his back to the wall and crossed his arms against his chest. Dear God, he looked imposing in these narrow confines. “The greater evil being …” “You,” she said, and paced nervously across the oak slatted floor. The room was small and close, with nowhere to hide and no one to come to her aid. She felt her throat close up and turned away, striving for calm. “But lass …” His tone was perplexed, and though she did not immediately turn to him, she knew he shook his head as if wounded. ” ‘Twas you who proclaimed us wed. I meself—” “Would have left me to the Frenchman?”
