Page 27 of The Runaway Bride and the Highlander
The following morning, Maxwell stirred from a heavy sleep. The first thing he saw was Bram standing over him, shaking him awake.
“Are ye planning on lying in bed all day?” his brother growled as Maxwell swiped his hand at him.
“What time is it?” Maxwell asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and pushing himself up in the bed.
“It’s time ye were out o’ yer pit. That’s all ye need tae ken. Now, get up. The council is meeting shortly, and we need tae be there.”
Bram wandered about Maxwell’s chamber, gathering his brother’s clothes and throwing them in his general direction. “All right, I’m coming,” Maxwell said grumpily.
“Good.” Bram nodded. “I’ll be back shortly. Ye’d better be dressed.”
“Ye do ken I’m the laird around here, right?” Maxwell retorted.
“Humph,” was all Bram replied before heading out of the door and leaving Maxwell to get ready.
He hadn’t returned to the feast after he left Skylar’s room. There was no possible way he could go back into the great hall with such a desperate need that had not been satisfied. Instead, he had made his way to his own chambers, reliving the pleasure he had given Skylar while he had brought himself to a peak and experienced the much-needed relief of the intense ache he had endured while with her.
Maxwell had slipped into such a state of relaxation after his own pleasure, he had hardly realized he had closed his eyes. Clearly exhausted after the months he had spent following Johnson’s men across the glens and mountains of Scotland, he had slept long and deep, only waking at the bidding of Bram’s rough hands.
A little while later, the brothers strode purposefully down the corridor toward Maxwell’s study. He had remembered, as he had dressed, that he called this meeting after talking to Bram and deciding the council needed to know the truth about their guest.
“What happened tae ye last night?” Bram said.
Maxwell threw him a glance as they continued to walk side by side. He knew exactly what Bram was referring to but decided to play the fool. “I dinnae ken what ye mean.”
“Ye ken exactly what I mean, Max. The entire evening, the feast, the entertainment, the music, was all tae celebrate ye and Lady Fiona’s upcoming marriage. One minute ye were there, the next, ye disappeared and didnae return.”
What was he supposed to say? That he barged into Skylar’s room and argued about how she felt about his brother and then pleasured her until she was weak? No, Bram could not know. Besides, it would only lead to a moral discussion that Maxwell simply couldn’t handle at this time, especially right before meeting with the council.
“I dinnae want tae talk about it,” Maxwell said firmly.
“Maxwell,” Bram pressed.
“I said I dinnae want tae talk about it. That’s the end o’ it.”
Perhaps he would tell his brother what had happened eventually. He had always confided in him about everything. His decision not to tell him had nothing to do with what Skylar had said last night either. He had deduced that her telling him that she might like Bram had only been words to anger him. While his morality could easily be called into question, he couldn’t imagine she would say that in one breath and let him do to her what he had done a moment later.
Skylar Morgan was not like many other lasses he had met. She had not thrown herself at him at the first opportunity, and he sensed, though he did not know her well enough to be certain, that if she lost her heart, it would not be from lust but love. Maxwell was still convinced that she had not yet been with any man, and after understanding her situation further—having to hide for so many years and the constant danger she had been in—he could understand why.
But none of that was important right now. The threat to the clan was. Maxwell would likely tell Bram what had happened last night at some point, just not right now.
When they finally arrived at the study, the same older men who had gathered yesterday once more sat around the table. On his entrance, they again stood and welcomed him before settling back down in their seats, looking over at him expectantly.
“New information has come tae light,” Maxwell began. He didn’t want the council to know he had kept anything about Skylar from them yesterday and therefore had decided to be tactical with his phrases. Bram did not interfere and clearly knew Maxwell’s reasons.
“I have discovered the woman we rescued from Johnson’s men had a valid reason she was hiding for so long. This same reason is why Johnson is so desperate tae have her.”
“Do tell us, my laird,” Samuel spoke first and encouraged him.
Maxwell then went on to tell them all he knew about Skylar and the reasons he believed Johnson wanted her powers. The older men listened with wonder, some of them more skeptical than others by their expressions. After Maxwell explained what happened with the young lad in the forest, even those who had expressed doubt appeared convinced.
“Well, this is only further reason tae keep her at the castle,” Samuel declared. “It is far too dangerous for all o’ the Highland clans for her tae be discovered, for if Johnson succeeds in marrying her, the battle will certainly be lost for all o’ us.”
“I agree.” James nodded. “However, I do believe we need tae do more than simply keep her here. We cannae keep her forever without good cause.”
“Then what do ye suggest?” Maxwell asked.
“She should marry,” James replied. “If she marries, she can never be Laird Johnson’s wife, for she will belong tae another.”
