Page 25 of Claimed by the Obsessed Laird (Highland Bride Hunt #1)

Chapter Eighteen

Isla groaned theatrically as she slumped back on the bed, her hands clasped to her stomach to soothe some of the twisting discomfort within.

She wasn’t sure what it was that had triggered it, but, for the last few days, she had been feeling restless and decidedly uncomfortable.

Not in the way she had been when she had first arrived.

Νo, it was not that same urge she had felt to flee for the hills and never look back.

But rather as though there was something inside of her she could not quite contain, and she had no idea how to make herself feel better.

It had been nearly a week since Robert had left the Keep, and it was all the better for his absence.

Archie had not made any effort to move on, as Camron had suggested, but he seemed to have been keeping to himself for the last few days, perhaps aware that he was lucky to still have a home here after all that had happened.

He had been nothing but polite to Isla, but she noticed that he suddenly did not have as much to say to her—at least not as much as he had before.

In fact, he seemed to be keeping his distance as best he could.

A few times, she had caught his eye across the courtyard, and offered him a nervous smile, hoping that he would not judge her too harshly for what had happened at the dinner they had shared with Robert.

But he did not return her attempts at connection.

His eyes seemed blank, distant, as though his mind were somewhere else entirely—calculating something, perhaps how best to ingratiate himself with Robert after what she had done.

He spoke not a word to her, though occasionally, she would catch him looking in her direction.

A relief that he did not try to confront her, because she wasn’t sure she could have withstood all his attention the way he had offered it before.

Camron had been so attentive with her, but he seemed not to have noticed how uncomfortable she had been these last few days.

Yes, she had to admit that she had not exactly been forthcoming in telling him about how she felt, not wanting to shatter the peaceful comfort that had risen between them since he had defended her the way he had against Robert, but still… should he not have noticed?

She felt as though she noticed every little thing about him, every change in how he moved or talked, every inch of tension that wracked his body at any given moment.

She supposed that was what it meant to care for someone deeply, to want to make life easier for them in any way you were able to, even when things were hard.

She curled up in a ball on their bed, burying her face into his pillow and inhaling what was left of his scent from the night before.

He had left early, riding out to meet with some villagers who had been struggling with a land dispute, and he had only arrived back an hour or so ago.

She had seen him draw his horse into the stables before he had retreated to his study, and she supposed that it must have been serious for him to not even take the time to check on her first.

Though, she quickly reminded herself that she had been the one to try and prove to him that she was entirely capable of going without the support of anyone other than herself.

Perhaps she was asking too much of him, for him to attend to her every whim when he had so many people to take care of.

She had to remember that he was a Laird, not just her husband, and that there were demands placed on him the likes of which she could only imagine.

Ever since he had been a child, in fact.

That thought stuttered her racing mind to a halt in an instant.

Child. A child. Could that be why she was feeling the way she was?

She tried to cast her memory back to the last time she’d had her monthlies, but she could not recall.

She had been in such distress, she had not thought to keep track of such a thing, but now, it seemed ridiculous, dangerous even, to let such a thing slip her mind.

Her hands clamped down on her belly, as if she could feel whatever was inside her through the skin.

She had been with her husband enough times now that it might have happened, and now that they were husband and wife not just in name, perhaps some part of her was prepared for such an eventuality, even if she could not quite imagine it.

She sprang to her feet. This was not the kind of thing she could manage on her own.

She needed to speak with him about it, and soon.

Just then a wave of dizziness coursed through her as she tried to get her feet underneath her, her head swimming, and she wasn’t sure if it was from the state of her physical condition or just the shock of what she felt she had just found out.

She hurried down the corridor towards his study and threw open the door without thinking to knock. His head snapped up at once, and she saw the flash of frustration in his eyes.

“Isla, I’m in the midst of something important?—”

“I’m sorry, Camron, but I need to speak wi’ ye,” she told him.

She did her best to keep her voice steady, though she was sure he could sense the terror that she was doing her best to contain. He pressed his lips together and rose to his feet.

“Can it wait till I’ve dealt wi’ this land dispute?” he demanded, waving a hand towards the weathered papers laid out across his desk.

“No, Camron I don’t think it can wait?—”

“I have matters to deal with, Isla. I’ll see ye afterwards, I promise”

“Camron let me just?—”

“Enough, Isla. I said I’ll call for ye in a while. Ye can go now.”

“Och, don’t have that tone with me. I’m not here to speak wi’ the Laird,” she shot back, her voice suddenly catching in her throat.

The enormity of everything that was happening all of a sudden felt like it was going to swallow her whole, and she could not fathom how he could not see it, could not see some level of what was going on inside her head in that instant.

“I’m afraid that is the same person. And as my wife, ye should?—”

“Aye, I’m here to speak with my husband,” she continued. “Not the brute I thought I was married to at first. This is not the man I love!”

The words exploded out of her before she could stop them.

She could see the shock that coursed through him at the sound of her telling him that she loved him.

In all honesty, she had not imagined being able to say it out loud, not for a long time, at least. She had pictured him being the one to say it first, not her spitting it out before she could stop herself when she was demanding his attention.

She stared at him, silently willing him to say it back, to say something to soften the blow of her being the first to speak them aloud.

But instead, he stood there, his eyes wide, staring at her as though he had no notion of what she wanted to hear. And, with that, what little remained of her pride seemed to crumble, and she felt tears spring to her eyes.

His silence was answer enough. If he could not find time for her now, find the time even to tell her that he did not want her to go after she had made such an enormous confession, she doubted he ever would.

Whatever he was doing in that moment, it was more important than her, and she could see it as clear as day.

She rushed out of his study, half-hoping that he might call after her, but he did not.

The silence rang in her ears, and she gulped down a breath, the discomfort within her was nothing compared to the weight of realization in her mind.

How could she have told him she loved him?

She felt foolish for even considering the possibility, as if she should have known that he would never care for a woman like her, not the way she wanted him to.

Yes, he could defend her against Robert, but that was more about disowning his father’s cruel legacy than protecting her…

But, before she could so much as catch her breath, she found herself crashing into someone. She hardly had time to mutter out an apology before she heard concerned tones worm their way into her ear.

“Isla, what’s wrong?”

Isla lifted her head for just long enough to make eye contact with Archie. And, though Camron’s words about the kind of man he is, the kind of power he seeks, were still fresh in her mind, she found something crumbling inside her.

Had he been eavesdropping? It wasn’t as though his quarters were anywhere nearby. Doubt tried to break through, but it could not reach her in the chaos rushing through her mind.

“I… I…”

“Here,” he murmurs, as the tears burst down her cheeks.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, and she didn’t have the strength in her to resist. Heaving sobs wracked her body, and she found herself too at a loss to begin to tell him what was bothering her.

How could she begin to tell him, anyway?

This man, she knew she couldn’t trust him, and yet, here he was, when her husband seemed unable to so much as tell her that he loved her.

“I don’t know what it is,” she gasped. “I—I tried to tell him what was going on with me, but…”

“Is there something wrong?” Archie asked, frowning. “Are ye alright, Isla?”

“I’m fine,” she replied, and then she shook her head, almost laughing at how ridiculous she sounded. She was standing there, sobbing, and telling him she was fine? He’d be mad to trust her. Anyone would.

“Isla, ye can tell me,” he promised her, gripping her arms as though doing his best to pull her back to earth.

Her heart twisted in her chest. Here, all at once, was a man who seemed to actually care about the state she was in. All at once, before she could stop herself, the words exploded from her lips.

“I think I might be… wi’ child.”

He stood there for a moment, clearly stunned. A muscle twitched in his eye, and an expression of sympathy that seemed quite practiced fell over his face.

“Ye’re…”