Page 15 of The Cruel Highlander (From Enemies to Marriage #3)

CHAPTER 14

After spending the afternoon chatting with Margaret, Valorie was now “expected at dinner” shortly according to her betrothed. Margaret had left a little while ago, and Valorie returned to her bedchambers to prepare for dinner. As she made her way down the long hallway, she overheard two of the servants cleaning up in Aiden’s room.

“Aye, he was standin’ right outside the library with his ear to the door!” one of the male servants said.

“Nay, he wasnae,” came the voice of the young woman assigned to Valorie.

“I saw him meself! He was out there smilin’ to himself when I walked up. And then he made up some excuse about just passin’ by, but he was definitely listenin’ in…”

Not wanting to be the one caught eavesdropping this time, Valorie quietly continued past Aiden’s room into her own, wearing a large smile.

So, me laird was listenin’ in on us — very interestin’.

Maybe Aiden was not nearly as unaffected as he seemed. He kept leaving her alone, but why had he sought her out this afternoon, and why did he listen at the door instead of just coming into the room? It was his castle after all; he could have certainly made use of his library if he wanted.

Valorie mulled over this as she went to bathe for dinner. The bathing chambers attached to her rooms had a large copper tub, and the young maid had thankfully already prepared hot water for her.

Valorie sighed in pleasure as she stepped into the hot water. The full day she had already experienced weighed heavy on her body and mind. Her head leaned against the rim of the tub, and her eyes closed as Valorie relaxed.

What is Aiden doin’? Valorie wondered, unbidden.

Was he also preparing for dinner? Dressing in something sharp to impress her? Maybe he was also bathing — only one room away from her. And once she had that thought, Valorie could not stop picturing it.

What was Aiden like in the bath? Would he be efficient and speed through the process — soaping himself up quickly and rising from the tub? Or would he take the time to luxuriate and let the day’s worries wash off of him?

Aiden was definitely the type to speed through it, Valorie decided. He was far too practical to soak away. But she could probably get him to relax.

The two of them could easily fit in this tub with Aiden at her back. Instead of the lip of the tub, she could lean her head against his strong chest. As she washed herself, Valorie imagined it was Aiden’s hands on her skin, taking his time to clean her, dropping soft kisses against her throat and neck as he did so.

Where were these thoughts coming from? Valorie shook them from her mind — Aiden was dangerously ingraining himself in her thoughts, and she needed a clear head for this dinner.

Valorie rose from the bath and returned to her bedchambers where the young maid was waiting to help her dress for dinner. The woman was kind but unfamiliar and made Valorie miss Skye and the rest of the servants at home.

Valorie had picked out her favorite dress for the night. The skirts were the perfect green color to match her eyes, and the bust fit her curves beautifully.

The thing that she hoped would really catch Aiden’s attention was the surprise that Astrid had gifted her this morning. Astrid had brought with her an old sash in their family clan’s tartan.

Valorie planned to wear it over her left shoulder, secured with her finest amber brooch, in the traditional way that the wife of a clan chieftain often wore one. Valorie was giddy thinking about Aiden’s face when he saw it on her.

The time before dinner dragged on between dressing and primping, but Valorie spent her time thinking about all that had happened that day. Margaret had provided some interesting gossip, but still, the only thing Valorie was thinking about was Aiden.

What had he been doing all day after she saw him? She longed to just be by his side again. Valore had… missed him today, and that was a terrifying realization. Never before had a man had such an impact on her mood, but Valorie was slightly more melancholy today without Aiden.

Finally ready for the evening, Valorie stood in front of the ornate round mirror in her dressing chamber, admiring her maid’s handiwork. Aiden would surely be in a state when he saw her.

“Ye look beautiful, me lady,” the young maid said from behind her. They had barely spoken throughout getting ready with Valorie’s thoughts so consumed, but she planned to rectify that over the next year. Valorie would need some form of connection here, especially if Aiden planned to leave her to her lonesome each day.

“Thank ye, and please, call me Valorie,” Valorie gently told the woman… again.

“Aye, me lady. We are all just so happy that Laird O’Donnely has finally brought a lady here!” the young woman exclaimed. “The castle is in desperate need of some warmth, and the laird always looks so lonely. The tartan looks especially lovely on ye; he’ll be very excited to see ye in it, I’m sure.”

Before she got to know him, Valorie would never have called Aiden lonely. Surely no one who heard the stories about the callous Laird O’Donnely would ever think such a thing either. But now, spending the day in his castle, it seemed that the mysterious and feared laird was really just alone.

Still, Valorie felt another round of guilt at the maid’s excitement. How would everyone feel when their betrothal ultimately ended? Everyone she met today had been thrilled about the betrothal, but what about when she left? Valorie was used to being the villain who ended betrothals, but this deceit felt somehow worse. Staying true to herself and her dreams was one thing, but pretending to be happily betrothed when she had no real plans to get married was something else entirely.

There was nothing to be done tonight though. For the time being, they had made their choice, so Valorie just forced a smile on her face as she dismissed the young woman.

Playing with her hair nervously, Valorie made her way to the dining room for her first official dinner with Laird O’Donnely. She had chosen to wear her hair in loose waves down her back with a simple decorative hair pin holding a few pieces back.

Is this an appropriate hairstyle for dinner? And what about the tartan — will Aiden think it is too much? We were only pretending to be betrothed after all…

Valorie rarely fretted over these sorts of decisions, but everything felt off-kilter right now, not seeing Aiden since this morning was causing her to overthink every one of their interactions. He was so hot and cold with her that Valorie had no idea what to expect from this dinner with Aiden.

So much had happened since she last saw him, and even more had occurred since she arrived. Between learning about Aiden’s trauma, Margaret’s visit, and Aiden’s apparent eavesdropping, and then, of course, the ever-present memory of their kiss — Valorie was feeling incredibly self-conscious. There were so many unanswered questions and unresolved feelings between the two of them.

Had Valorie ever felt so conflicted about anything? Certainly, neither of her other betrotheds ever had her feeling this way — like she wanted to either be consumed by them or to escape completely.

Unsure of what awaited her in the dining room, Valorie opened the door carefully. Already seated at the long table was Aiden. He was somehow more handsome than ever. Aiden’s eyes snapped to Valorie the minute the door creaked open. Candles on the table illuminated his sharp face, adding to his allure.

Will he kiss me again? Another unbidden thought came, the moment Valorie saw Aiden.

Looking at Aiden’s face in that moment, it seemed inevitable. They were two forces being inexplicably drawn together. The air between them was ripe with tension as she drew closer towards him.

* * *

Aiden folded and refolded the cloth napkin in his lap three times before he finally heard the door to the dining room opening. His head snapped up immediately with the sound. With the sharpest focus, he watched as Valorie strolled into the dining room. She was breathtaking tonight.

The front pieces of Valorie’s hair were pulled back, revealing her beautiful face in full to Aiden, and she wore an elaborate green dress that highlighted the green of her eyes. She walked into the room, standing tall and proud with all the grace of a dancer.

Was that his clan’s tartan draped across her shoulder? She looked absolutely perfect wearing his pattern. Especially when she wore it the way a laird’s wife traditionally did as she had done tonight. Aiden wouldn’t dig into why he wanted to see her in that sash every day, but he most definitely did. Ideally only that sash and nothing else.

The picture of Valorie in his bed, his tartan across one shoulder but otherwise bare, was now permanently seared into Aiden’s mind. He would make it his mission to see that sight for real one day.

Aiden’s mouth was suddenly very dry despite the ridiculous amount of swallowing he was doing. He reached for the glass of whiskey on the table and took a hearty sip. Of course, Valorie had noticed and was laughing lightly as she took the seat right next to him.

“Are ye all right, me laird?” she asked with a sly smile.

“Nay, I think ye stopped me heart just now, lass.” Now it was Valorie’s turn to be embarrassed; she dropped her gaze, and her cheeks heated with the compliment.

“Ye look beautiful, Val, really,” Aiden continued. He reached out slowly with one hand and lifted her chin to raise her gaze. She met his stare unflinchingly, no longer looking shy at all.

Dinner was already taking a dangerous turn; Aiden needed to refocus, but that damn sash!

“I heard ye had a friend visitin’ today,” Aiden said, changing the subject before he did something rash at the dinner table.

“Aye, me friend Margaret,” Valorie paused before laughing. “Hear anythin’ interestin’?” Valorie asked, turning Aiden’s own words from her father’s house back on him.

Aiden nearly spat out his whiskey, and despite his best efforts, he still ending up coughing uncontrollably. The whole while, Valorie looked on and laughed her brilliant laugh. Well two could play that game. Finally getting a handle on the coughing fit, Aiden looked at Valorie mischievously.

“Aye, I did in fact.” Aiden’s smiled widened. “Somethin’ about a wonderful laugh? And overall, what a great laird I am — Did I hear somethin’ about my rugged good looks as well? Honestly, I was quite flattered lass; ye dinnae need to speak so highly of me.”

Aiden watched again as Valorie’s face once again heated to that beautiful pink color. He could go on, but for some reason he didn’t want to joke about Valorie defending him to her friend. That felt too monumental to make light of, so he kept those words to himself. Aiden would always have them to turn to in his mind, but he would not tease Valorie for them.

Of course, the lass was not one to back down from a taunt, so she quipped back, “Mmm, I dinnae know lairds such as ye resorted to eavesdropping on idle gossip.”

“Nothin’ ye’ve ever said has been idle gossip, lass,” Aiden said seriously, dropping the jest. He hung on every word out of her lips; Valorie could be talking about counting grains of rice, and he would be entranced.

“Ye obviously didn’t stick around to hear the rest of our conversation then,” Valorie laughed. She seemed eager to change the topic once again, so Aiden followed her lead. He would follow her anywhere, so letting her lead a conversation was no bother.

“Aye, did yer friend have any scandalous news to share?” Aiden asked.

“Nothin’ as scandalous as our betrothal of course,” Valorie confided.

Laughing again, Aiden joked, “We are quite the pair, the cruelest laird and the fickle lass.” Valorie eyes found his and turned serious.

“I don’t think yer cruel at all, ye ken.”

“Aye, I ken, and I don’t think yer fickle,” Aiden responded, equally as serious. Valorie’s independence had been skewed by the rest of their community into something wrong and reprehensible, and Aiden’s fear and isolation had been warped into cruelty.

Although, honestly, Aiden had encouraged his reputation over the years. When the situation called for it, he could be cruel and ruthless. And other times, he simply did not want to deal with the whining of other lairds. Silence or a well-timed eyebrow raise often got his point across, and the point was that he did not like people, well most people. Valorie had proved him wrong there.

The best part about his reputation by far was that it kept people away from him. Other lairds did fear him either because they misinterpreted his silence for violence or because Aiden had taught them a lesson at one point. But regardless of the reason, it kept Aiden isolated and more importantly, protected. People were far less likely to go against Aiden when they feared him so heavily.

“Hmm, well as long as that’s cleared up,” Valorie said nervously.

“Aye, so how do ye ken Margaret,” Aiden asked. He had no interest in continuing their conversation, lest Valorie realize how much of his reputation was born out of his fear or how much of it was actually true.

“Oh, I started seeing her at feasts not too long ago, and we quickly became friends when I found her readin’ in the back room one night. She’s Laird McMurray’s daughter,” Valorie explained.

“I ken of him; not one of the closest clans, so I don’t correspond with him regularly. Although, I do think there was a marriage proposal thrown around at some point,” Aiden replied, watching closely for Valorie’s reaction. Aiden was deeply curious to know how truthful Valorie had been earlier when talking to Margaret.

Would she be jealous now? Annoyingly for Aiden, Valorie’s only reaction was the slightest tensing of her jaw; if he did not have her facial movement practically memorized, he would not have noticed it.

“Oh, aye I’m sure ye get lots offers being the charming laird ye are,” Valorie joked, hiding any jealousy well. Aiden still couldn’t be sure.

“Oh, so we can add charming to the list of me many attributes, then. I’m glad there’s so many things ye like, Val.”

Valorie’s warm laugh filled the room again, and Aiden wanted to immerse himself in the sound. He would make it his other mission to hear that sound as often as possible.

Lightness and joy followed Valorie, and now, his home was brimming with it. It was such a departure from the normal silence that the sound echoed throughout the dining room.

Before Aiden could beg Valorie to just keep laughing, the servants brought out a modest meal for the pair. There was plenty of food to spare, but Aiden hated waste. Almost immediately after the food was set down, Aiden dug in, quickly eating large bites of his stew without thinking. When his bowl was completely empty, he set down his utensil and looked up to find Valorie watching him carefully.

Aiden looked at her, and then quickly down to her still full bowl of stew. In the time it had taken him to finish the meal, she maybe had eaten three bites of hers. Aiden avoided her gaze, fiddling again with his napkin.

Clearing his throat a few times, he attempted to explain with a forced laugh, “I must have been starved; someone fed my lunch to the mutt.”

“That’s all right; I’m just bein’ slow,” Valorie said with a light chuckle that felt equally false. Aiden wanted her full laugh back.

Aiden released a heavy sigh and laid his hand on top of Valorie’s on the table; it was as much for her as it was for him. With her touch settling something in him, Aiden began to speak, but he kept his gaze firmly on the napkin in his lap.

“When I was being held,” another long exhale, “Myles, that’s who captured me, never adhered to a strict meal schedule. Sometimes I was regularly fed and other times not for days. Myles also loved to bring food down and eat it all, just outside my cell.” Aiden paused to look up at Valorie. He was unable to hold her eyes during his confession, but he needed to see her face now.

Valorie was staring at him with kindness and understanding; Aiden searched her face thoroughly and her body language as well. He did not detect a hint of disgust or worse, pity.

“Sometimes, if I’m not remindin’ myself to slow down, I eat very quickly…” Aiden trailed off — that felt like enough revelations for now, Valorie could certainly connect the dots.

Valorie smiled at him, not her usual bright smile but a comforting one. A smile that told Aiden she was here, and she supported him. At least, that’s how it felt to Aiden.

“That was very brave of ye to tell me,” Valorie started. Aiden didn’t feel brave at all; he was bitter and nervous when he thought about his trauma usually. Sometimes he hated the way Myles still had a hold on him. Even in death, he was influencing Aiden. He was not in that cage anymore, but the bars still held him back.

With Valorie’s hand still under his, though, Aiden thought maybe he could do anything. Aiden hadn’t felt that unbridled confidence since before he was taken, but Valorie filled him with a light airy feeling that had Aiden believing he was invincible. And that was the scariest thought of all.