Page 5 of A Wife for the Highland Villain
She shrugged. “Nay.”
More silence ensued. The air was thick, but she didn’t back down. She didn’t flinch. And that seemed to pull him in even more, for some reason.
“Ye daenae really mean that,” he said, studying the line of her jaw.
She tilted her chin higher. “With all me heart.”
He tried to grin. “Ye wound me.”
She pulled again, but it was fruitless. It was almost laughable, the way she struggled against him, but he said nothing to that effect. Not now. Instead, he turned toward the waiting horse, a smirk on his face.
“Now, get on.”
“Nay,” she said. “Nae until ye tell me why. What are ye really doing here? Why now?”
“I told ye?—”
“If ye want me to follow ye, ye’re going to start being honest with me, Alasdair,” she responded.
The set of her jaw and her firm tone told him that she meant exactly what she was saying.
Alasdair paused and ran his free hand down the back of his neck. “Because me people need help.”
Her mouth opened, but no words came out for a moment. Her eyebrows knitted together. “What do ye mean?” she managed.
He sighed and shuffled his feet, eventually loosening his grip. “There was a war. It ended just days ago. There’s still blood everywhere, and many wounded are filling the halls. Most of them daenae even ken why they were fighting. We never asked for it, but we paid for it anyway. I learned from some of me people that Blackwood’s eldest daughter is now a healer. So I came to find ye.”
Lily’s hands fell to her sides, and her shoulders dropped just a little. There it is, the sympathy he knew she had.
“And?” she prompted.
“And what?” His eyes narrowed.
Lily scoffed. “I am certain ye could have gotten a thousand healers on yer journey here. So why me?”
He held her gaze. “The council wants me to take a wife. They say the clan needs stability. Alliances. And ye—” He took a deep breath. “Well, ye’re tied to two strong clans. Yer name alone will keep us from being swallowed.”
She blinked, but her eyes didn’t hold anger this time. After a moment of thick silence, she nodded. “Fine. I will come. But I need to stop by me house first.”
He stepped closer. “Ye daenae need to go back there. Ye’re a lady now. A laird’s wife. Ye’ll be cared for.”
“What about me herbs? Me tools? There are things I need, Alasdair.”
“Ye’ll have access to whatever ye need. I will see to it.”
She was still for a moment, then nodded again.
Just as he turned toward the horse, her voice rose behind him. “There is one more thing.”
He stopped and looked back.
“There is a wee girl in the village. Dropsy. If I daenae treat her today, she’ll be gone by dawn.”
His gut twisted as he watched her for a moment. Her face was flushed from shouting, and her chest rose and fell quickly, but her eyes were steady.
“Fine,” he said. “But I go with ye.”
“I daenae need a guard,” she snapped.
