Page 11 of A Highland Bride Taken

He raised an eyebrow at her tone. “The guest chambers ye will stay in until yer faither arrives on the morrow,” he answered tonelessly.

“I…”

“I willnae hear any protest. Ye are the daughter of a laird, and I will treat ye as a guest.”

“Will I be allowed to see the boys, then?”

“Nay,” he answered.

She made a frustrated noise. “Why? I should use me time here to see them.”

“I dinnae think it wise to make the boys get used to yer presence when ye will be returning home,” he argued, stopping in front of one of the doors in the far wing of the castle. “Surely ye’re nae so selfish as to hurt the boys.”

She drew back as if he had slapped her and turned away from him. He felt guilty, seeing the hurt in her eyes, but he pushed away the thought as quickly as it had come.

He called to a maid who had been passing by.

“Ye will help the lady with her needs while she is here,” he ordered. “I expect ye to watch her at all times. She mustnae leave her chambers.”

“Aye, Me Laird.”

“Ye call me a guest, but ye treat me like a prisoner,” Mabel spat when he turned to leave.

He said nothing, but cast one last look at the vexing lass, who was pouting as she looked around the chamber, before stepping out of the room and putting all thoughts of her out of his mind.

The bottle of whiskey called to him more than ever, and now he had a good reason to open it. Perhaps it would be enough to rid his mind of the image of sinfully full lips and forest-green eyes.

5

“Itake it the lass has ruffled yer feathers,” Magnus teased when he saw Campbell draining a glass of whiskey. “‘Tis barely evening, and ye’re in yer cups.”

Campbell sighed, setting the glass down. The letter he had been writing to Laird MacLennan sat finished, only awaiting to be sealed, and the more he looked at it, the more irritable he felt.

“Dinnae speak of her,” he muttered gruffly. “I have had a long day.”

“As ye wish, Me Laird,” Magnus said, struggling to hide his smile. “Shall I then inform ye of the day’s business?”

Campbell nodded, even though he would rather be alone and brood.

Magnus took a deep breath and started his report. Every once in a while, he would shoot Campbell a displeased look.

“I willnae speak of her, even if it upsets ye so,” Campbell told him with a pointed look.

“Ye’re an unkind man.” Magnus frowned. “I heard she was good with the bairns.”

“She was, but she lied to me,” Campbell countered.

“I dinnae understand. Will she nae be their governess?”

“She didnae come to be a governess,” he explained. “She claims she is the bairns’ godmaither.”

He recounted his encounter with Mabel to his man-at-arms, who laughed loudly when he finally finished his tale. Perhaps he should have omitted the part where he had teased her about marrying him.

“She must have ruffled yer feathers to make ye propose marriage.” Magnus laughed. “Ye’ve never wanted to marry.”

“I am nae against the institution. I just want to wait until I am certain. I would need heirs, and now I have the heirs I need.”

Campbell shot him a deadpan look and tossed back the last of the golden liquid in his glass. He had to extend his thanks to his friend for such a lovely brew with a nice wedding gift.