Page 24 of Here in Your Arms
When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter, though no less resolute.
"Stay the night," he said to Brody, his words slow, deliberate.
Rose’s eyes widened.No! Hell, no!
Brody, thankfully, declined the invitation. “Nae, MacRae, we’ve intruded enough. Again, I only intended—”
MacRae seethed at him. “Ye can stay one goddamn night. Now that ye’ve introduced the specter, ye can damn well give me time to ken what to make of it.”
Rose stiffened. It took her a moment—longer than it should have—to fully absorb the insult, the sheer audacity of being referred to as though she were somethinginstead of a flesh-and-blood woman standing right in front of him.
Specter?
She wasn’t sure which was worse: that he had called her that, or that he had then reduced her further to anit.
Her pulse spiked, indignation rising fast and hot in her chest.How dare he?
She turned sharply to Brody, ready to demand that they leave immediately, but the MacIntyre laird’s posture tensed, caught between diplomacy and whatever silent war he and MacRae were waging with their locked gazes.
Oh, for God’s sake.
Meanwhile, Margaret’s mother let out a quiet sob of relief, only to draw in a sharp breath when MacRae spoke next.
He said sharply to Brody. "But make nae mistake—I am nae deceived. This woman isnaeMargaret.”
His glare fell on Rose again, colder than the Highland winds outside, before he, too, departed the hall.
When he had gone far enough that Rose thought he might not be able to overhear—though part of her didn’t care if he did, rude man!—Rose pleaded, “Let’s not stay. Can we go, please?” She glanced between Emmy and Brody.
Leana stiffened, as though bracing for a blow. Her fingers, which had been resting lightly against Rose’s sleeve, clenched involuntarily into the fabric. She turned abruptly toward Brody, her voice unsteady but fierce.
“Nae,” she said, shaking her head, as if sheer denial could make it so. “Ye canna take her from me.” Her breathing was uneven now, her composure fracturing with every word. “I lost my daughter once. I canna—” Her voice broke. “I canna do it again.”
Rose flinched. She wanted—needed—to leave, to be as far away from this place, from that grim, glacial-eyed man, from all of it. But Leana’s pleading cut deep, dragging guilt into the mix of her already tangled emotions.
She turned to Emmy, hoping for support, for a firm and resoundingYes, let’s go, but Emmy wasn’t looking at her. She was watching Leana, her gaze full of quiet sympathy. Then,slowly, she glanced at Rose, her expression shifting to something closer to an unspoken question:How can you leave her like this?
Rose’s stomach sank. God. This wasn’t fair.
“Brody,” Emmy finally said, her voice softer now, but just as firm. “Maybe we should—” she began and then faltered and Rose didn’t know which she was asking for, to stay or to go.
After a long, measured pause, he exhaled and said, “Aye, we’ll stay the night.”
Rose’s shoulders tensed, every part of her recoiling. “But—”
“Just one night,” Brody said in a voice that left no room for argument. “We’ll take our supper and rest, and come morning, we’ll see where matters stand.”
It was cautious. Maybe even wise, given what he’d said about not wanting to make an enemy of MacRae, but it still felt like a betrayal.
Leana let out a breath—less a gasp and more a slow, trembling exhale, as though she had been holding it in anticipation of this decision.
Emmy shot Rose a small, apologetic look, as if to say,I’m sorry, but...
Rose pressed her lips together and looked away. Fine. One night. Then she was gone.
Leana, suddenly standing taller and now gracious, offered to show them to chambers that they might rest before supper.
Rose and Emmy followed in silence as Margaret’s mother led them up the stone steps that sat adjacent to an outside wall of Druimlach. Near the top, she jerked her gaze back down into the hall, having been overcome with a sense of being watched. The hall was empty, Brody having gone outside to advise his soldiers they would stay the night.
