Page 16 of Bound to a Scot (Sins in a Kilt #2)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“ T ilt yer head back,” Emmeline said.

Lorn did as she said, and she held the scarlet-stained cloth to his nose. A stubborn and proud man, Lorn tried to wave her off but she was not having it and slapped his hand away instead.

“Stop it,” he grunted.

“Dinnae be such a bairn,” she replied. “Stop fussin’.”

“There’s nae need tae make a fuss over me. ‘Tis nae a mortal wound.”

“If ye dinnae stop squrimin’ I may make it one.”

His laughter was a deep rumble in his chest. “Yer bedside manner could use some work.”

“Aye. Probably,” she replied with a smile. “Are ye all right?”

“Aye. I’m fine,” Lorn said. “I’ve had worse.”

She gently dabbed at the big man’s nose with the wet cloth, trying to staunch the blood flowing from his nostrils. Emmeline glared at the archway Maddox had disappeared through, her face flushed with anger at the man. After he’d been so thoughtful and tender with her the night before, to see him behave like an animal—no worse, like a child—enraged her. And to have hurt Lorn, her only true friend in her cursed life, stoked the flames of fury burning inside of her even higher.

“I’m sorry he did this tae ye,” she said.

“’Tis nae yer fault. ‘Tis nae really his fault either,” Lorn replied evenly. “I left meself open. He did what any good fightin’ man would dae and took advantage of it.”

“There shoudnae have been anythin’ tae take advantage of. ‘Twas silly tae challenge ye tae a spar in the bleedin’ first place.”

Lorn chuckled. “The man is skilled with a blade, I’ll give him that. Ferocious fighter. I’ve nae seen many of his like.”

“Ye sound impressed.”

“Aye, I suppose I am. Nae many men can best me in combat. And as much as it pains me tae admit, the man bested me.”

Emmeline grimaced. “Dinnae tell him that. It will only inflate his already overinflated ego.”

Lorn laughed. “Dinnae be too hard on the lad. A warrior has tae have confidence in himself. Confidence in his skills.”

“Aye, but he takes it too far. Ye’re nae like that.”

He grinned. “Of course, I am. I just ken when tae draw it back in certain company. But he’s a laird, so he doesnae have the same rules I dae. As a laird, he doesnae have tae worry about sayin’ the wrong thing tae the wrong person.”

Emmeline frowned. He was taking a far more charitable view of the man than she thought he deserved after that display of immaturity. It surprised her. After being bested, she thought Lorn would have been more upset with Maddox than he was. And certainly, far less complimentary. He seemed to be defending the man’s actions. Emmeline had thought he would have fed her anger with the man but he instead, seemed to be trying to defuse it, which only frustrated her more.

She turned to him, a sour look on her face. “Ye dae ken he was tryin’ tae show ye up, right? He wanted tae make ye look like a fool. So, why are ye defendin’ him?”

“I’m nae defendin’ him, lass. I’m just nae goin’ tae let ye get all worked up on me behalf. ‘Tis nae worth it. And it does nothin’ good fer ye.”

Emmeline pulled a face. She shouldn’t’ have been surprised the man was keeping an even keel and cool head. That’s what he always did. He might entertain her histrionics from time to time, but never at length, and he always talked her down. It was one of his best qualities as well as one that frustrated her to no end when she wanted to howl like a banshee. As usual though, Lorn was right. Being upset and screaming about it would do nothing to change the way Maddox was, nor would it make her feel any better. At least, not for very long anyway.

She turned her attention to Lorn, washing away the last of the blood, satisfied to see that it had stopped flowing. She dropped the rag into the bucket of water then sat down beside him on the bench. He turned to her, giving Emmeline a long, level look. She could see by the glimmer in his eye that he had something serious on his mind.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I dae want tae caution ye though, lass,” Lorn said.

“What dae ye mean?”

“Laird MacLachlan didnae challenge me tae a spar tae impress me ,” he said. “He did it tae impress ye , because he wanted ye tae notice him. I was just a means tae achieve that goal.”

“I dinnae understand. Why would he think sparrin’ with ye would mean anythin’ tae me?”

“Because he fancies ye, lass.”

Emmeline felt a rush of warmth flood her body and she had to fight to keep a smile from flickering across her lips. She could do nothing about the heat flaring in her cheeks which she was certain had turned a bright red. Despite being upset with him, hearing somebody else say that Maddox fancied her made her heart quiver with delight as it confirmed what she already thought. She knew it was improper and knew she should not feel pleased by it. And she most certainly knew that she shouldn’t have feel the same. But she did.

Lorn took her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “Whatever thoughts are goin’ through yer head right now, ye need tae banish them, lass. If yer husband found out?—”

“I personally believe Burchard would welcome the opportunity to send me away with another man and be rid of me once and for all,” she said curtly.

“Ye ken better than that. Yer husband is a petty, vindictive man. Even if he would be glad tae be rid of ye, it would never be tae somebody he views as a rival. And it would never be tae a man ye fancied or somebody ye’d choose fer yerself. Ye ken that.”

Emmeline sighed heavily but said nothing. She knew he was right. If Burchard were to ever put her out, it would be to the most foul and horrible man he could find, just to make her life miserable. She often thought he wished she’d save him the trouble and take her own life.

“Whatever ye feel fer the lad, ye’d be smart tae bury it, Emmeline. Ye need tae cut it out of yer heart and throw it away.”

“I—I dinnae feel anythin’ fer him.”

Lorn pursed his lips. “Ye cannae lie tae me, lass. ‘Tis written all over yer face whenever ye see him. And if I can see it, I can promise ye others dae tae.”

She shook her head, trying to deny what she knew on an instinctive level to be true. She’d thought she had been discreet and had done a good job of hiding her feelings whenever she was around Maddox, but Lorn was right. If he could see through her, it was only a matter of time before Burchard was able to see what he did. And if that happened, it would be very, very bad. Nonetheless, even knowing the inherent dangers, Emmeline couldn’t stop the rush of pleasure that continued to flow through her body.

“Dae ye hear me, lass?”

Emmeline nodded. “Aye. I hear ye.”

“Bury those feelings. Bury them deep.”

She nodded but said nothing as she lowered her gaze. She knew he was right and that his counsel was wise. She also knew it was going to be a lot easier said than done.