Chapter fifteen

 She scanned the faces. She knew most of them and wasn't surprised by any , except one. William MacNee met her gaze and quickly turned away , his face as red as a tomato. Willy was the younger brother of one of her friends and a nice boy . She'd expected better of him, and he knew it.

 But her attention was soon focused on the two boys at the center of the spectacle. One was big , thick, and mean the other was small and thin , and didn't know when to back down. After assuring herself Paul was alright beyond the broken nose, she turned to Dougal. "What in the world is the meaning of this? How dare you lay a hand on him? "

 The boy obviously was usually not used to a girl challenging him. Recalling the bruises she saw on the boy's mother head it seems the father is as brutish as the son is.

 But after sizing her up , she realized bit wasn't just her sudden interference that has startled him; it was her clothing. She'd forgotten about the fine gown and realized he'd never seen her dressed like a lady before—like the daughter of an chieftain. Except she wasn't the daughter of a chieftain and everyone knew that.

 They thought her an orphan rescued by the absent MacGregor marquess. Not a peasant, but not a lady either. Somewhere in between . By not telling Maxwell the truth about her father , the stain of her bastardy had not followed her to Glenlyon.

 Seeming to remember her status, Dougal puffed up and thrust out his chest like a preening peacock. " 'Tis none of your affair mistress. This is between us men. "

 She lifted a brow at that, making the seventeen-year-old boy flush.

 She took a step toward him. Though she was about half his weight and a full head shorter, the fierceness of her expression must have startled him. Instinctively he moved back. "paul is my business, "she said firmly. "He is my family. "

 " He's a worthless, thieving no- name bastard! "

 Rage expanded every vein in her body. Paul , too, let out a roar that bellied his size and launched himself at the other boy, fists pummeling . "Am not a thief. It was you who took my money. I was only trying to get it back! "

 Paul's advantage of suprise didn't last long. He landed only a few blows before Dougal retaliated with an upper cross to his jaw. Blood sprayed from his mouth as Paul's body went flying, back through the air like a sack of bones.

 Carissa didn't think , she reacted. Dougal's fist had barely returned from his side when she took hold of his arm and twisted it around his back.

 Leverage, position, and hitting the right spot, she reminded herself, not physical strength. Still , her pulse was racing. This wasn't the training yard.

 But it was working. She couldn't believe it was acting working! She was really doing it.

 Dougal let out a help of pain and stared at her as if she'd suddenly sprouted a second head. Levering her foot around his body, she pulled his arm until his eyes started to water and sweat poured off his reddened face. His knees were buckling to absorb the pain, so when she leaned toward him their noses were only inches apart. " You're nothing more than a big bully, Dougal MacCarty . A weak boy who preys on others physically smaller than you. But size doesn't equal strength. " She tugged his arm a little harder until he cried out . " I hope you've learned your lesson because if you touch one hair on his head again, I will find you and ensure you do. "

 Suddenly she was conscious about the rest of the boy's . Coming out of their shock, they'd started to murmur and shift back and forth a little uneasily, as if they knew they should do something. She'd been so carried away by the success that she'd forgotten about the others. But Carissa was painfully aware that using what she'd learned on one man was vastly different than on a half-dozen.

 "Please,"he said , the crack in his voice reminding her of her age . " You're going to break my arm. "

 " You'll remember? "

 He nodded vehemently.

 " Good." She released him and took a few steps back . He was rubbing his shoulder, staring at her with a mixture of disbelief, embarrassment, outrage and hatred. "Being mean doesn't make you a man. And fear is not Respect. I hope you will remember that as well. "

 Deciding it might be prudent to get out of there as quickly as possible, she turned to help Paul up. The next thing she knew , she was facedown in the mud. It wasn't the first time she'd been knocked down from behind, but it was the only time she'd ever wanted to cry. The sodden, muddy edge of her pink veil reminded her of what she was wearing . Her gown was ruined.

 The gown Lady Miriam had bought for her.

 The gown she'd wanted to impress Maxwell with.

 The gown that had made her feel. . .pretty.

 She heard Paul shout in outrage, spewing a litany of inventive threats that almost made her smile.

 Making a show of slowly dragging herself to her knees, she waited , her pulse racing . Just like practice. . .

 Dougal's feet appeared by her side. " You stupid bitch. I'll show you who is a real man. "

 His words unleashed a twisted flurry of anger and pain, his threat a brutal reminder of what had happened to her mother. She wanted to lash out. She wanted to cry. She wanted to punish any man who would ever think to rape a woman.

 But Sam warned her that her weakness wasn't in her limbs but in her quick temper. So instead she waited patiently for what she hoped was coming.

 He didn't disappoint. Dougal moved his leg to kick her in the ribs, and she caught it, using the momentum to Catapult him into his back with a ground smacking thud. A moment later she had her knee on his chest and her blade pressed against his thick neck. "You are a bully and a coward, Dougal MacCarty. "

 He looked at her wide-eyed. "What kind and of lass are you? "

 "The kind who has a blade to your throat, so unless you want to continue this , I suggest you take your friends and go home."

 This time when Carissa let him up , she made sure to keep an eye on him as he rejoined his friends. They whispered back and forth, and every now and then Dougal would cast a scathing glare at her direction.

 She still had the dagger drawn and ready but when they didn't leave right away ,she felt the first prickle of sweat on her brow. It was the worried look Willy sent in her direction , however that made her pulse flutter. They were planning something and there were so many of them. Six, not including Willy . If they chose to fight as a group. . .

 Carissa swallowed , her mouth suddenly dry. Her advantages were surprise and quickness. She'd lost the first, which would seriously impact the second, even with one opponent. With six. . .

 Deciding she'd made her point, and perhaps she would be the one to back off, she motioned for Paul to come to her side . 

 Before he'd reached her, however, the sound of an approaching horse did what her threat had not , sending Dougal and the other boys scurrying off toward the village.

 Carissa let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She turned to face their unwitting rescuer just as the rider drew the horse to a halt on the edge of the riverbank.

 She froze , the blood slowly draining from her face in horror....