Page 4 of Trapped with the Vicious Highlander (Falling for Highland Villains #5)

CHAPTER 4

Ava continued to stare at the Highlander before her, still in a daze. He had just asked—no, ordered—that she leave with him along with Margaret. A bitter huff escaped her lips as she leaned against the kitchen cabinet.

“No,” she said, her voice coming out in almost a faltering whisper.

Brodrick narrowed his eyes at her. “Nay?”

“No, I will not be going anywhere. And neither will Margaret,” Ava added.

The faltering whisper was gone. Her confidence was back. Now wasn’t the time to wonder how this man was able to take her breath and confidence away and bring it back just the next instant, but he had that power. And she was not going to be left at a disadvantage. Her hand rested on the top of the cabinet.

Brodrick raised his hand in despair. “Ye truly are a difficult woman, arenae ye?”

“And you are quite the irresponsible man, calling a woman you barely know ‘difficult.’”

“I ken ye dinnae plan to make me life easier.”

Ava scoffed. “Because I do not want you to leave with a girl who may or may not be your daughter?”

Brodrick shook his head. “I thought that was settled.”

“Settled? Because Margaret happens to be some kind of bread for sale at the market?”

Ava watched a slow smirk tease the corners of his lips and couldn’t help but wonder what he could possibly be thinking at that moment.

Did he think she was mad? Or did he think her a woman who stood her ground no matter who her adversary was? He was a Highlander, after all, and she couldn’t imagine many women giving him such grief like she was doing at this moment.

Unfortunately, this involved his daughter, and there was only so much admiration he could have before he was forced to take action.

“The only way we can know for certain is if Margaret speaks—and that is if she even recognizes you. I suggest you return in a month. Hopefully, she’ll talk well by then and not just drop a syllable and go silent the next minute.”

Brodrick nodded. “I hear every word ye say, woman. But I cannae agree with ye. Margaret leaves with me. And since ye are the only one she trusts at the moment, ye leave with her too. I dinnae ken how else to make ye understand.”

Ava tensed. He was raising his voice, and a wave of anxiety washed over her. Her eyes grew larger with each word, but then the next words that came out of his lips were much softer for some reason.

“I’ve searched for me daughter for too long. Ye dinnae want to ken how many forests I’ve scoured, how many villages I’ve ransacked. She is me daughter, and I am nae leavin’ without her.”

A brief silence fell over them, punctuated by only sharp breaths. Ava studied the Highlander again. His hazel eyes screamed utter determination. She could tell even from the way he stared her down that he was not leaving without his daughter today—or without some confirmation.

She swallowed. “Maybe there is a solution to this, after all. Maybe I can have a talk with Margaret, and we can decide together if we want to come with you.”

Brodrick nodded. “Are ye pullin’ a fast one on me, lass?”

“What?”

“I dinnae ken. Maybe ye’re tryin’ to send me away?”

“Absolutely nothing of the sort,” Ava affirmed. “I shall have a talk with Margaret. And if she agrees, we shall go with you in the morning.”

“I’ll do ye one better,” Brodrick murmured.

He took another step closer to Ava, who had taken several steps back earlier. He was closing the gap between them, and for some reason, she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle it. She wasn’t sure she would be able to keep her eyes off his bruised chest, off his chiseled abdomen, off the belt around his waist, off his?—

“I shall be here tomorrow, just as ye said. But ye will be comin’ with me, nonetheless.”

“But I just said?—”

“I dinnae care what ye just said. I shall be here tomorrow to get ye and me daughter. I shall give ye the rest of the day to prepare Margaret and bid the rest of yer family farewell.”

Ava bit her tongue.

“I believe that is quite the reasonable compromise, is it nae?”

She didn’t reply.

“I shall take yer silence as consent.”

Brodrick stepped back and turned around. “I assume ye’ve heard of me one way or another, lass. The last thing ye want is to make an enemy of me.”

Ava watched him make his way to the door, leaving the way he had come. He had spoken to her with such finality that she knew all her objections were just delaying the inevitable. He was adamant, and she knew for now that there was nothing she could do to dispel his determination.

Hell hath no fury like a father with a missing daughter.

Brodrick stopped in the doorway, turned around, and gave her one last look, his eyes even more piercing in the distance.

“I shall be here by sunrise tomorrow, with a carriage ready to transport ye. Dinnae give me any reason to search for ye or me daughter. As I said, I’ve torn through tens of villages. I wouldnae hesitate to tear through hundreds more.”

Ava swallowed again and nodded.

Brodrick executed a slight bow, his grip tight on the hilt of his sword, before leaving the kitchen.

Ava remained frozen near the cabinet, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.

Laird MacDunn.

The bloodied Highlander.

He wasn’t jesting. As much as it did not please her, she knew she only had little time to prepare. She headed towards the door as well, wondering how she was going to break this news to Margaret.

Her mind tried to recant what had just happened now. It was insane that this had happened in broad daylight. Had anyone not seen him walk in?

Suddenly, she paused, the hem of her gown brushing quite abruptly against her shins.

The crashing noise she had heard, where had they come from? She hurried out of the cottage and towards the watering hole. The noise had come from there, she was sure of it.

Her feet barely touched the ground as she ran, her heart palpitating in rhythm with her footsteps. Soon, she got to the watering hole and was grateful to find Henrietta right where she had left her before heading to the kitchen. That was the good news. The bad news, on the other hand, was that Henrietta was surrounded by broken pots.

The source of the noise.

“Ava—”

“Henrietta!” Ava exclaimed, examining every inch of Henrietta’s face.

“I wanted to warn you, but I couldn’t. He was here, and he was rather demanding. He asked to know who was in charge of the orphanage, and when I wouldn’t tell him on time, he started to break the pots.”

Ava nodded. “It is quite all right, Henrietta. Did he—did he hurt you in any way?”

Henrietta shook her head. “He didn’t even touch me. When he left just now, he apologized for breaking the pots. He then mentioned that he would be here tomorrow to pay for them. Will he be here tomorrow?”

Ava swallowed. She was still wrestling with the possibility as well. As much as a large part of her wanted to shelve all of this up to uncertainty, she knew he would be back. And she knew he would be around to take his daughter. To take Margaret.

“Are you certain that he didn’t touch you? You can tell me if he did.”

“No,” Henrietta whispered. “And he was quite the gentleman on his way out, if I might add. He expressed that he did not intend to break the pots, and I could see the regret in his piercing eyes.”

Ava tilted her head, but Henrietta continued, the mild worry on her face now transforming into a knowing smile.

“Who could stay angry for long at those piercing eyes, though? And that physique.”

Ava nodded, returning her smile. Now she knew for certain that Brodrick had done nothing to Henrietta except verbally threaten her.

“So you are alright?” she asked one more time, just out of courtesy.

Henrietta nodded, and so Ava turned around and made her way back to the cottage.

She had seen what she needed to see, and now was the time she needed to take the next step—if she knew what it was.

“Where are you going?” she could hear Henrietta call behind her.

“To have a rather difficult conversation with Margaret,” she called back, hurrying to the cottage without a backward glance.