Page 25 of Wolfehound
He laughed at the sound of her peeved voice, his bright smile lighting up the room. “I was busy,” he said.
“Doing what?”
“Fighting Scots,” he said. “If you’ll sit, I’ll tell you everything I’ve been doing over the past two and a half years. My God, lass, ’tis good to see you again.”
She eyed him. The man was full of charm when he wanted to be, big smile and all, and that was something she’d always succumbed to. It wasn’t as if she could stay annoyed with him for long. But she didn’t want to appear too compliant, so she scowled and stomped over to the nearest chair.
“There,” she said, plopping down. “I’m sitting.”
Liam continued to smile at her, his green eyes twinkling. “Thank you, my lady,” he said. “May I say that it is good to see you? May I at least say that?”
In response, she turned her nose up at him and looked away. Her gesture was so exaggerated that Liam had to chuckle.
“Did I offend you by saying that?” he said, trying to make eye contact with her because she wouldn’t look at him. “Did I insult you?”
Cambria was well aware that he was trying to catch her attention. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, leaning over in his chair. But she kept her head turned away, unwilling to give even a little.
“Nay,” she said. “You did not.”
“Good,” he said, playing her game. “I would never wish to insult you.”
“I said you did not.”
“Then why do you not look at me?”
She kept her face turned away. “Because you have spent two and a half years away,” she said. “Why should I want to look at you? You did not think enough of me to come and see me in all that time, so why should I see you?”
The smile never left Liam’s lips. “It was not by choice,” he said. “As I said, I have been very busy. And I was wounded at Berwick, so I had to recover.”
That brought about the desired result. She looked at him, quickly, and with great concern. “Wounded?” she repeated. “What happened?”
He held up a finger to beg for her patience while he stood up and unbuckled the belt around his waist. It contained his purse and daggers, among other things. Then he untied the belt that held the broadsword, unfastening the strap from his left thigh before finally setting the sword carefully on Carlton’s desk. He proceeded to lift the mail he was wearing, and the tunic, to display his taut torso. But that torso also had a big scar on it, on the left side just above his hip bone.
“That,” he said, “was the result of an overeager Scotsman who wanted to take down an English knight. He nearly succeeded.”
Cambria gasped. “That is terrible!” she said, jumping up and rushing to him, her fingers going right to the puckered scar. “Did it hurt? Did you bleed a good deal?”
“It hurt and I bled a good deal,” he said. “So if you are truly angry that I’ve not come to see you in over two years, know that it has genuinely not been by choice. This wound set me back about six months because it became infected with poison. It took some time to heal completely from it. I—”
He was cut off when the door to the solar swung open. Carlton was standing there and beside him was an enormous black dog on a lead. Bran seemed quite happy to see Liam, and Carlton had been prepared to deliver the dog to his master because a soldier had turned the pup over to him out in the bailey, but when he saw Liam with his tunic up, belly exposed, and his daughter with her hands on the naked flesh, he blew his proverbial top.
“Bria!” he boomed. “What are you doing?”
The sound of his sharp voice startled her and she instantly drew back her hand, eyes wide at him. “Papa!” she boomed in return. “Why are you shouting?”
“Whyare you touching him?” Carlton fired back, but his focus swiftly pivoted to Liam. “And what are you doing with your flesh exposed? Are you trying to seduce my daughter?”
Liam dropped the tunic, lifting both hands in surrender. He’d never heard Carlton shout in his life. “I am not, my lord, I swear it,” he said quickly. “She asked why I’d not come to visit in so long and I was showing her a wound that nearly killed me.”
“Killed you?” Cambria shrieked. “And you are only just telling me this?”
Liam looked at her in remorse, but Carlton wouldn’t let him reply. “Take your dog and remove yourself, Liam,” he said, handing the dog’s lead over to him. “Go. Get out of here before I do something I regret.”
Ever obedient when it came to Carlton, Liam took the dog’s lead and prepared to swiftly move out, but Cambria threw out her arms and put herself in his path.
“You are not going anywhere,” she said. Her ire immediately returned to her father. “Andyou. You would think such terrible things about me? Do you truly think I would allow Liam to seduce me? Have I ever allowedanyoneto seduce me?”
Carlton was rightfully angry. “You are a very young woman who thinks she is a grown adult,” he said. “You are fourteen years of age, lass. You should not be speaking of seduction or anything else where it pertains to a man. You should not even be alone with him in this chamber. Do you have any idea how improper this is?”
