Page 7 of Bound to a Scot (Sins in a Kilt #2)

CHAPTER SEVEN

A fter that less than pleasant meal with Macfie, Maddox stalked the halls of the castle, trying to burn off some of his frustrated energy. He knew going back to his chambers to turn in would be pointless. He was so irritated with Macfie and the situation as a whole, he knew he wouldn’t be able to get a minute of sleep anyway. Only when he’d run out of hallways to pace did Maddox throw up his arms in disgust and make his way back to his chamber.

The moment he stepped through the door and into the darkened room, he saw the silhouette of a man by the window and instinctively reached for the sword he normally wore on his hip. Being in another man’s castle though, he’d forgone wearing his weapon out of respect and it stood uselessly in the corner. There was no way Maddox would be able to get to it before the man descended upon him, so he balled his hands into fists and prepared to fight.

“’Tis about bleedin’ time. I’ve been waitin’ here fer hours,” the stranger grumbled.

Maddox immediately recognized the voice and felt the tension ebb from his shoulders as he opened his fists and let his arms fall to his sides.

“Adair,” he said. “What are ye doin’ here?”

“Came tae have yer back,” he replied, then dryly added, “And tae make sure ye didnae bollocks things up with Laird Macfie.”

“I didnae send fer ye,” Maddox said.

“And yet, here I am anyway.”

Maddox chucked to himself, then went about lighting the candles in the room, chasing away the shadows and allowing him to see his cousin and closest advisor. Several inches taller than Maddox, Adair was a beast of a man. Broad through the shoulder and chest, and with arms thicker than most men’s thighs, Adair looked like he could crush a man’s skull with his bare hand. His eyes, hair, and long, thick beard were as black as midnight and gave him a wild, imposing appearance that often set people running.

Big, strong and very skilled in combat, Adair was formidable. But his marital skill wasn’t what Maddox valued most about the man. It was his mind. It was something most people didn’t understand about him, unable to see past his physical traits. They underestimated him. But the man had a keen sense about people, a sharp, quick, tactical mind and an ability to cut through the noise and see the truth of things.

Adair was also not afraid to voice his opinions, no matter if they were in opposition to Maddox’s. He was also not afraid to tell Maddox if he was being a fool. It sometimes rankled him, but in truth, Maddox knew it was what he needed. He had seen too many simpering, whining, lickspittles advising other lairds and knew he needed a strong hand to help him guide his clan after the death of his father.

Adair perched on the chair at the small table in the corner of the room and picked up the cup of wine from a tray that had been brought in. Maddox walked over and sat in the other chair, letting Adair pour him a cup of wine as well. They silently toasted each other, then sat back and drank.

“I had the servin’ girl bring me some refreshments when they told me ye were havin’ supper with the laird and I wasnae allowed in,” Adair said.

Maddox grunted as he thought about everything that was said and done around the table. It had been a less than pleasant experience.

“So?” Adair asked. “How did it go with the laird?”

A grimace crossed his lips before her took another drink, fortifying himself. Once he was ready, he told Adair everything that had happened, everything that had been said. And as he spun his tale, his advisor’s face tightened. Adair shook his head and sighed as he drained his cup of wine then quickly poured another.

“I dinnae like the man,” Maddox said.

“Ye dinnae need tae like him. Ye just need tae seal the bleedin’ pact with him,” he said. “Our people need this, Maddox.”

“That’s the thing. He’s tryin’ tae marry me tae his daughter tae seal our bleedin’ pact. He’ll have it nay other way.”

“That’s the bleedin’ way things are done. Ye ken this.”

“Daesnae mean I like or agree with the practice.”

“Ye dinnae need tae. Ye wouldnae be the first man tae nae like the woman chosen fer them. But it makes both sides feel like they’ve got blood in the game. It binds those ties tight.”

“I ken that. I still dinnae like it.”

Adair took a swallow of wine and leaned back in his chair. He stared at Maddox silently for a moment, a mischievous smirk on his lips.

“Is she a beast?” he finally asked.

“What are ye talkin’ about?’

“Thae girl he wants ye tae marry. Is she a beast?”

He was taken aback by the question and stared at his advisor with an expression of confusion.

“Is me question that complicated?” Adair asked. “Dae I need tae spell it out fer ye?”

“Nay, she’s nae a beast. She’s quite comely.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“The bleedin’ problem is she’s seen just fifteen summers.” And that I kissed her stepmother a few hours ago.

The first hint of a disapproving frown flickered across Adair’s lips. Like Maddox, he didn’t think much of taking a child bride and seemed just as appalled by it. But then his frown faded, replaced by an expression of steely determination that Maddox knew well. It usually meant Maddox was about to tell him something he wasn’t going to like.

“I understand yer hesitance. But most people think a lass who’s seen fifteen summers is a woman. She’s able tae breed at that age,” he said.

“Bein’ able tae breed isnae what makes a lass a woman,” Maddox growled.

“Some people believe it is,” he replied. “Laird Macfie obviously thinks so. After all, he married his wife at fifteen, eh?”

Maddox grunted and took another swallow of his wine, staring through the window and into the darkness of the night beyond. Despite all the talk about marrying Cecilia, he couldn’t stop thinking about Emmeline. The moment their eyes had locked when he walked into the dining hall, his heart had leapt into his throat. It still felt lodged there.

The minute he’d seen her, their kiss had popped into his mind and he hadn’t been able to shake it since. And he knew that when she’d seen him, her mind had gone back to that moment as well. He’d seen it in her face. He’d seen it in the way her eyes had widened and her cheeks had colored.

“What is it?” Adair asked.

“What is what?”

“What is it ye’re thinkin’ about? And dinnae bother tellin’ me nothin’ because I can see it all over yer bleedin’ face.”

That was part of the problem with him and Adair being so close—he was never able to get away with anything. The man seemed able to see through him, intuit his thoughts. It drove Maddox crazy more times than not, but it also served him well to have somebody who knew him so well serving as his chief advisor.

“So? What is it, then?”

Maddox sighed but told him everything. Not that there was a lot to tell, but he told Adair about what had happened at the inn and the moment he’d walked into the dining hall to see her sitting there. He’d told him about his conflicted emotions and that at least a small part of his reluctance to marry Cecilia stemmed from his attraction to Emmeline. Adair drained another cup of wine as he listened and when Maddox had finished, he set his cup down.

“Ye’re a bleedin’ idiot,” he said.

“Aye. I ken that.”

“And ye ken ye cannae dae anythin’ about that,” he said. “Ye’ve got tae put the lass out of yer bleedin’ mind.”

“I ken that too,” he said.

Although he did know that he had to keep Emmeline out of his mind, he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried. The attraction he felt for her was on a deep, primal level he hadn’t ever felt before. And the more he tried to push it away, the tighter it held him.

“Maddox—”

He waved Adair off. “I ken, I ken.”

“Dae ye though?

“Aye, I dae.”

“She’s the wife of the laird ye’re lookin’ tae ally with.”

“I ken, Adair. Drop it.”

“I cannae drop it. Nae until I ken ye’ve got the lass out of yer bleedin’ mind. And I can tell by the look on yer face, ye dinnae.”

Maddox sank back into his seat and frowned, knowing that Adair was right, but not knowing what to do about it. Not knowing how to get his mind off a woman he knew he’d never have. A woman he knew he shouldn’t even be thinking about.

“This is what I meant when we talked about makin’ a sacrifice fer the good of the clan,” Adair said. “Puttin’ aside yer own wants and desires aside, tae make a deal with Macfie that would secure the future of our people.”

“I ken, Adair.”

“I hope ye dae, because carryin’ on with Macfie’s wife like ye are isnae goin’ tae dae any of us any good. If anythin’, ye’re goin tae get a lot of people hurt because the kind of fire ye’re playin’ with often blows up intae war.”

Maddox scrubbed his face with his hands, biting back the irritation of being lectured by Adair. He would have snapped at him, but he knew the man was right. About everything. If Macfie ever knew what had happened between him and his wife, he could very well declare war on his clan. And while Macfie didn’t have an overwhelming force he could bring to bear, the fact that his people were hungry and discontented meant he might not either. If war broke out, his reign as Laird of Clan MacLachlan could come to a sudden and bloody end.

“I hear ye, Adair. I’ll put her out of me mind,” Maddox said.

“Will ye?”

“Aye. I will.”

Adair studied him in silence for a long moment, his eyes boring into Maddox’s, then finally gave him a gruff nod.

“All right then,” he said. “Be sure ye remember that. Ye’re doin’ this fer yer people.”

“Aye. ‘Tis impossible fer me tae forget with ye bleatin’ in me ear every minute.”

“Somebody has tae because if I dinnae, ye may run off and get yerself all tangled up with another man’s wife,” Adair teased.

“In me own defense, I didnae ken who she was at the time.”

“Well… now ye dae.”

“Aye.”

Maddox drained the last of his wine then got to his feet. “I need tae use the privy.”

“Well, dinnae get lost on yer way back. We’ve got much tae discuss still.”

“Aye, aye. I’ll be right back, Maither.”

They shared a laugh as Maddox headed out of his bedchamber and down the corridor to the privy. A moment later though, the door opened behind him and when he turned, he found Emmeline standing there, a frown upon her lips. Images of the kiss they’d shared flooded into his mind as thick and powerful as the desire and arousal he felt just looking at her.

“What th–?,” He muttered.