Page 35 of Bound to a Scot (Sins in a Kilt #2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

C old and bedraggled, Emmeline shifted in her seat, her belly churning, her throat dry, and a sheen of cold, greasy sweat upon her body. She swallowed hard and kept her gaze fixed on the table in front of her. Maddox sat casually enough across the table from her, his full lips turned down, but Emmeline could see by the way his shoulders were bunched and the tightness around his eyes that he was nervous. He hid it well, but she was getting to know him enough to be able to read him.

Burchard paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, a cup of mead in his hand. The flames flickered across his features, pinched and tight, and glittered off eyes that were narrowed to slits. The room was silent, and the air crackled with tension. Burchard was angry. She cut a glance at Lorn who stood silent sentinel in the corner of the salon, arms folded over his broad chest, his face like stone, emotionless and unreadable.

Burchard stopped pacing and turned to her. “Where have the both of ye been?”

His voice was low, menacing, and the way he watched her reminded Emmeline of the way a hawk might watch a plump field mouse moments before it struck. She shrank back in her seat.

“Well? Answer me, woman,” Burchard growled.

“Me laird,” Maddox said. “The Lady Emmeline was?—”

“I didnae ask ye, did I?” Burchard snapped as he rounded on Maddox. “When I want ye tae speak, I’ll ask ye directly.”

Maddox fell silent and sat back in his chair, his face tight and a frown stretched across his lips. He obviously didn’t appreciate being spoken to that way but seemed as if he was trying to give Burchard the respect one laird should give another. The trouble was, Emmeline knew that Burchard had the right to be angry. She was his wife, and she had been out of the castle all night with another man after all. From that perspective, she understood his anger. But that did not give him the right to treat Maddox that way.

Burchard swung his head back to her, his eyes narrow, cold, and reptilian. “Now, wife of mine. Where were ye all night? And why did ye come back with him?”

Emmeline swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat and sat up straight. She held his gaze and reined in the torrent of emotions swirling around inside of her, doing her best to project a sense of confidence. Her strength wavered though, when she recalled the events of the previous day and just how close she had come to being killed. The emotions returned and she felt herself tremble.

“I was set upon by three men just outside the village yesterday when I went tae fetch Cecilia’s weddin’ gown as ye’d asked,” she said. “If nae fer Laird MacLachlan, I’d have been killed.”

“Killed?” Burchard asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

“Aye, me laird,” she replied. “The men meant tae kill me.”

A skeptical look crossed his face as he pursed his lips. And as Emmeline realized that he didn’t believe her, she felt an unexpected stitch in her heart. She shot to her feet and threw the cloak around her shoulders to the ground, showing him her rumpled and torn dress.

“And how dae ye think this happened? Dae ye think I bleedin’ fell down? Did this tae meself, eh?” she roared.

Burchard looked as surprised by her ferocity as Emmeline felt. But that rush of anger felt good. Her defiance in the face of his skepticism made her feel more powerful than she could ever recall feeling before. Still frowning, Burchard turned to Maddox.

“Is this true?” he asked.

Maddox nodded. “Aye. It is, Laird Macfie. When I came upon the Lady Emmeline, she had been set up on by three men. One had her in a pond and was tryin’ tae drown her while the other two stood on shore and watched.”

“And who were these men?” Burchard pressed.

Maddox shrugged. “I dinnae ken. I killed them before I could ask.”

A strange look flashed across Burchard’s face that made Emmeline frown. It was there for the blink of an eye and then it was gone like it had never been and she was left struggling to understand what it meant. Or whether she had simply seen something that wasn’t there at all. She knew it was possible she was already so on edge, and perhaps feeling guilty about what had happened with Maddox, that she was ascribing dark and nefarious looks to her husband that weren’t really there.

“And how did ye ken where tae find her, Laird MacLachlan?” Burchard asked.

“I heard her screamin’ in the forest while I was out lookin’,” Maddox replied.

“’Tis nae what I meant. What made ye go and look for her in the first place?”

A quiver of fear ran through Emmeline. It felt to her that Burchard already knew what had happened between them in the cabin and was trying to trap them into admitting it. But she and Maddox had already talked about it and knew they could not admit that they’d slept together. Burchard must never know. If they told him, they knew his retribution would be swift and terrible and so they had both vowed to keep their secret.

However, as she sat there beneath the dark and judgmental eyes of her husband, Emmeline couldn’t keep her mind off what had happened. As wrong as she knew it had been to give herself to Maddox, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Couldn’t stop recalling the way he had felt inside of her. Her mind was flooded with the memories of their coupling and the pleasure he had given her. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before and simply remembering it was enough to send a quiver through her body and reignite the fires between her thighs.

Maddox had been solely focused on her pleasure. It was almost as if pleasing her had somehow brought himself pleasure as well, so he had worked extra hard to make her feel good. She recalled the way his hands had felt on her body. The way his kiss had stolen her breath. The way his tongue had felt on her most intimate parts. And of course, the way he’d felt buried deep within her. Despite the seriousness of the situation she was in at the moment, she had to fight to keep the smile off her face as she thought back on the night before.

“It was me idea tae have Laird MacLachlan go and look for Emmeline when I noticed she was overdue tae return from that village,” Lorn said suddenly.

Lorn stepped into the light of the fire, hands clasped behind his back, his face still stony and unreadable. Burchard looked at him with a deepening frown.

“Ye sent him?” he asked.

“Aye, me laird. I had matters here than needed tae be attended tae,” Lorn replied. “I didnae expect anythin’ tae be amiss, certainly nae that the Lady Emmeline had been set upon, but she is normally very punctual and when she didnae return when she said she would, I was mildly concerned. Since Laird MacLachlan had naethin’ tae dae, I thought he wouldnae mind goin’ tae collect her.”

“And once the storm hit, I didnae want tae risk returnin’ tae the castle kennin’ the men I killed might have had friends out there waitin’, so we hunkered down and waited it out,” Maddox explained. “The lady was wounded so I cleaned the cut and stitched it up best I could. I didnae want tae take the risk of ridin’ through a storm in the dark. Nae without kennin’ who or what was out there.”

Burchard turned toward the fire, his face troubled. Emmeline could see his mind spinning but she couldn’t for the life of her, understand what it was he was thinking. What didn’t seem to be bothering him though was that his wife was almost murdered.

“Who were these men?” he asked without turning around.

“If I had tae guess, I’d say they were cutpurses,” Maddox said.

She cut a glance at him, and he subtly shook his head, silently cautioning her to remain silent. Emmeline wasn’t sure why he wanted her to be quiet, but she nodded and said nothing.

“Cutpurses, eh?” Burchard asked.

“’Tis me best guess, aye. They looked rough.”

“Aye. All right,” he said softly, the wind seemingly having been taken out of his sails. “Well. Thank ye fer savin’ me wife’s life then, Laird MacLachlan. I am in yer debt.”

“Just glad tae have been in the right place at the right time,” Maddox said.

“Indeed. Well… good night then.”

Without another word, Burchard turned and stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him. Emmeline didn’t think he sounded grateful, but that could have simply been her. She knew she tended to view her husband and everything he said and did through an inherently negative prism. She, Maddox, and Lorn remained where they were for a long, silent moment, all of them feeling the relief washing through the chamber as the tension subsided.

Maddox got to his feet and nodded to them both, his eyes lingering on hers for a moment. They sparkled, setting her insides ablaze with memories… and desire. She turned away, trying to fight off the flush of warmth that was rising to her cheeks.

“I think I’ll take me leave as well,” he finally said. “Good night tae that both of ye.”

“Good night, Laird MacLachlan,” she said without looking at him.

Emmeline waited until she heard the door close before she finally raised her head, only to find Lorn staring at her, a knowing look on his face. He knew her better than anybody and seemed able to see through her. She had no doubt he already knew something had happened between she and Maddox and although the downward curl of his lips suggested he didn’t approve, his eyes told Emmeline that he understood, that he didn’t blame her for seeking comfort in the arms of another man.

Trying to hide the quiver in her body, Emmeline got to her feet. “I should go as well,” she said. “I’d like tae take a bath before I retire fer the night.”

“Aye, me lady. ‘Tis a good idea.”

“Thank ye,” she said whispering. “Fer helpin’ us.”

“Of course. As I told ye, I always have yer back,” he said. “But if I may offer ye one piece of unsolicited advice?”

She nodded. “Please.”

“Be discreet,” he said. “Somethin’s afoot. I dinnae ken what it is just yet, but I can feel the wheels of somethin’ turnin’ and they’re only speedin’ up. Practice caution and take care ye dinnae get ground up in the gears.”

“I will. Thank ye, Lorn.”

He inclined his head as she walked out of the room and made her way toward her bedchamber, wanting a hot bath more than anything, hoping the warm water would soothe her mind and wash away the unrelenting sense of dread she’d felt since returning to the castle to find Burchard there waiting for them.

“I was so worried about ye.”

“I’m fine, lass. ‘Twas nothin’ tae worry about,” Emmeline said.

“I heard me faither talkin’ tae Laith. I heard him say ye’d been set upon and almost killed.”

“Laird MacLachlan saved me.”

After her bath, Emmeline had found her way to Cecilia’s chamber. She figured the girl would have been worried about her and when she had nearly burst into tears upon seeing her, Emmeline knew she’d figured right. They sat together on the girl’s bed. Emmeline had her arm around her narrow shoulders and was gently stroking Cecilia’s hair.

“How’d he save ye?” Cecilia asked softly.

“He… he made the men stop tryin’ tae hurt me.”

Cecilia was quiet for a long moment, but Emmeline felt her body tense up and when she spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper. “He killed those men, didnae he?”

Emmeline hesitated, unsure whether she wanted to share the details with the girl. But when Cecilia raised her head and looked up at Emmeline, her wide blue eyes searching hers, she knew she could not lie to her. She had always wanted to protect her, even from ugly truths, but she had never lied to Cecilia. And she never would.

“Aye,” Emmeline finally answered. “He did.”

“Good,” she said firmly. “Fer tryin’ tae hurt ye, they deserved tae die.”

It was a surprising thing for Cecilia to say. She was sweet, quiet, and most of all, she was gentle. One of the gentlest souls Emmeline had ever known. She had never expressed anything so harsh before. In truth, Emmeline didn’t know the lass was even capable of harboring such dark thoughts toward anybody before.

“Ye care fer Laird MacLachlan, dinnae ye?” Cecilia asked after a long moment.

Emmeline swallowed hard and felt the shadow of fear crossing her heart. Maddox was her betrothed, after all. It was wholly inappropriate for Emmeline to feel the way she did about him. And what they had done together the night before was wrong. She felt awful and it only added to the growing pile of guilt inside of her. She didn’t want to lie to Cecilia. But she didn’t necessarily want to tell her the truth of what happened between them either.

“Why would ye say such a thing?” Emmeline asked.

“I’m nae blind. I see the way ye look at each other,” she says. “’Tis the way I want the man I’m tae marry tae look at me.”

Emmeline’s heart quivered, partly because Maddox was Cecilia’s betrothed and what she’d done was wrong. But also, because the feelings that had developed between her and Maddox were so obvious to Cecilia.

“’Tis all right, Emmy,” Cecilia said. “When ye’re with him, ye seem happy. Happier than I think I’ve ever seen ye before.”

“Cecilia—”

“I dinnae want tae marry him. He seems a kind man, but I dinnae love him,” she says. “I dinnae ken if I’ll ever be able tae love him. And I dinnae want tae be forced tae marry a man I dinnae love, Emmy. I’d rather never be wed and spend me life alone.”

As Emmeline thought back to how miserable she had been throughout a marriage she had been forced into, her heart ached. She never wanted Cecilia to feel that way. But she also knew that, although Maddox was not a bad or cruel man and would never treat Cecilia the way Burchard treated her, the fact remained that she did not love him. And marriage without love would be an exercise in misery and unhappiness.

“Dae ye love him?” Cecilia asked.

“I dinnae ken how tae answer that,” Emmeline said.

“Whenever I see ye look at him, ye look like ye love him.”

Emmeline remained quiet. She didn’t know how to respond to the girl’s words and thought it better to say nothing. Not that any of it mattered. Even if she wanted to be with Maddox, she couldn’t. She was married, Cecilia was going to be—whether she wanted to be or not—and nothing about either of their situations seemed likely to change.

“Thank ye fer always lookin’ after me, Emmy,” Cecilia said. “I ken ye want the best fer me. I’m grateful.”

“I’ll always protect ye, lass,” she replied softly. “Always.”

Cecilia laid her head back down on Emmeline’s chest and she resumed stroking the girl’s hair. Her mind spun wildly as thought and memory collided inside her skull, making for a dizzying clash of emotions that was exhilarating. At the same time though, it left her feeling heartbroken knowing she could never have that which she wanted with her entire heart, body, and soul.

Maddox.