Page 26 of A Virgin for the Vicious Highlander
He kept that thought firmly in his mind as he climbed up the shallow slope of the hill and turned onto the partially trodden road back to the castle in the near distance.
It took all the willpower Cecilia possessed not to say more to Murdoch than she already had. If he thought she could not go a single moment without speaking, or that she could not abide silence, then she would show him how wrong he was.
Kill him with kindness.
She smiled to herself, determined to ensure that she never found herself in that situation with Murdoch again. And even more determined to make him see that she was unbothered by his harsh—but timely—rejection.
Indeed, she hoped thatheended up feeling embarrassed for saying such uncouth things to her, in the solitude of that cabin.
As such, when the majestic stallion plodded through the gates of Castle Moore and Murdoch brought him to a standstill, Cecilia waited for him to come around to the side and help her down.
He turned his half-masked face away from her and held his hands up to receive her.
“Nay, thank ye,” she said politely. “I cannae have ye touch me. It wouldnae be proper. I’ll dismount by meself.”
He looked at her, his stony eyes flickering with an unfathomable emotion. A moment later, he stepped back and let her get down, clearly expecting her to make a fool of herself. But she had been riding horses since she was five and donkeys since she was ten—and donkeys had a far worse temperament than the lovely stallion.
Expertly, she swung down from the saddle and made a point of stroking the stallion’s nose and giving him a couple of “thank you” kisses before she headed for the entrance. Unescorted.
She was aware of eyes on her, and she glanced up at the battlements to find an array of guards staring down at her in bewilderment. Putting on her cheeriest smile, she waved up to them. “Good mornin’! I hope ye’ve got braziers to warm yerselves up there!”
A few waved back awkwardly, an incoherent mumble drifting back to her ears.
No more than a second later, they all sprang into motion, making themselves look busy. Cecilia did not need to look back to know that Murdoch had shot them one of his “I am the Laird, hear me roar” glares.
But she would not be dissuaded from her mission to be as charming as possible to the people of Clan Moore.
“Excuse me,” she said, entering the castle and finding the nearest maid. “Could ye be so kind as to tell me where Her Ladyship and her guest are?”
The maid blinked in surprise. “Of course, M’Lady. They’re currently breakfastin’ in the East Hall.” She hesitated. “Would ye like me to escort ye so ye dinnae get lost?”
“That would be delightful,” Cecilia replied, offering her a cheery smile too.
But Murdoch took that moment to cast his shadow over her, his presence behind her undeniable. “That willnae be necessary,” he interjected sharply. “She kens the way.”
The maid bowed her head. “Of course, M’Laird. Apologies.”
With that, Murdoch stalked off ahead of Cecilia, scattering servants wherever he went. They almost seemed to recoil from him, pressing their backs to the nearest walls, bowing their heads so low that he could not see their faces, their entire bodies tense with anxiety.
Why are they all so afraid of him?
Cecilia could not deny that Murdoch was intimidating, but she longed to know what he had done to frighten the residents of his castle. Their fear was not… normal.
She followed behind him, whispering soothing words to the puppy that was still nestled against her chest.
The little pup seemed to be very sweet-natured, and she had not forgotten how he had tried his best to protect her from Murdoch in the woods, as if he had known she was about to get herself into trouble.
“Ye’ll keep me safe,” she murmured. “Ye’ll raise merry Hell if I take leave of me senses again, will ye nae?”
The puppy stretched his little furry forelegs, bending them in the most adorable fashion as he fell back to sleep.
“Och, there ye are! I was so worried!” Aileen’s voice was the first to greet Murdoch and Cecilia as they walked through the doors to the East Hall.
Murdoch halted, opening his mouth to answer, when Aileen ran right past him and opened her arms to embrace Cecilia. It was all Cecilia could do not to burst into laughter at the sight of his fleeting confusion as he watched his mother breeze by and hurry straight to hug her.
“Are ye well?” Aileen pulled back, brushing snow-dampened locks of hair from Cecilia’s face. “Are ye hurt? Och, I’ve been prayin’ to gods nay one has prayed to in years, hopin’ ye’d come back to us safely. I was just about to gather some guards to—Och, me dear, who is this?”
Cecilia took the puppy out of the sling and set him down on the flagstone. All of the sleepiness abandoned the fluffy pup as he took in his new surroundings, his tail wagging, his nose twitching as he trotted off to sniff everything and everyone.
