Page 101 of The Highlander's Auctioned Virgin
For some reason, a part of her doubted that her man-at-arms was telling her the full story.
She waited a little more by the window until the moon disappeared behind the clouds. Ciaran refused to come out. She went to bed, the ache in her heart preventing her from sleeping.
A day before the wedding, Anna came to her room with a comb and started brushing her hair.
Elinor did not thank her. The ache in her chest was too sharp to speak. She could not deal with anything else.
“We cannae have ye looking like an unruly sheep on yer wedding day, can we?”
“Where is Katherine?” she asked.
“She is making ye some tea,” Anna replied. “Something to help ye sleep. Ye look like ye have gone to hell and back since ye returned from the Coral Plains.”
Elinor said nothing. She couldn’t get defensive in the face of the truth.
The first man she ever felt she could trust had completely withdrawn from her. She did not know how she was supposed to deal with that.
Later, she went to the marketplace with Katherine and Anna. They made various stops at different stalls, asking about certain goods.
When she returned to her chamber, her mood had brightened a little, but not enough to soothe the ache in her heart.
“I believe ye should use the lavender rose. It works well,” Katherine commented when Anna brought out vials of fragrances Elinor could use on her wedding day.
“I also think the Laird loves these. I heard Jenny say that he requested the lavender bathing oil.”
Elinor perked up. She looked at Katherine. “When was this?”
“A few minutes earlier. He needed it for his bath.”
Elinor swallowed. “Ciaran is… in his chambers?”
“Aye.” Katherine nodded. “Jenny said that he had gone in to take a proper bath.”
Elinor did not wait. She shot to her feet and bolted out of the room, her eyes peeled.
“Elinor, where are ye go– ”
The door slammed shut behind her, cutting off the rest of Anna’s words.
A look of determination crept onto her face as she made her way to Ciaran’s quarters. This had to end one way or another. And it was going to end now.
She hurried through the passageways, barely sparing a glance at the maids who walked past and offered their greetings. When she stopped before Ciaran’s door, she took a deep breath, her hand curled tight around the handle. The air felt thicker here, and for some reason?—
No. No, she had to do this now.
If she waited any longer, she would turn and go back to her chambers. She could not allow it. So she pushed the door open and stepped inside, her heart pounding in her chest.
Ciaran was standing near his bed, rubbing a towel over his body. His eyes flicked up and caught her closing the door behind her.
For a moment, she stood there, saying nothing. The words just would not come out. She held his narrowed eyes and took a few steps towards him. The room smelled of lavender and horses—the consequence of sleeping in the stables for the past two days.
When she eventually found her voice, it came out softer than she had intended. “I need to ask ye something.”
Ciaran looked at her, his gaze intense. The floor felt hard beneath her feet as she took one more step towards him.
“Do ye regret it?” she asked.
He arched an eyebrow. “What?”
