Page 63 of Married to the Highland Devil
“Punishing’ them will not change anything,” Amelia argued. “Instead, show me to your people. Maybe if they meet me and get to know me, they will know I am a woman like them, and they will not believe these rumors.”
“I dinnae think that is a good idea,” Duncan said as she lifted a hand to touch his face.
Amelia stroked his chin. She felt the rough stubble there and heard his low growl.
“I dinnae need to display ye in front of my people. They have to trust that I have made the right choice to make ye my wife.”
“Duncan—”
“Amelia, please,” he interrupted. “Yvaine is gone, my maither is barely holdin’ herself together, and now these rumors… It is a way to tear us apart, and I willnae have it.”
“Then let me talk to them,” she insisted. “I have spent most of my life locked away, Duncan. In England, the rumors existed, and I lived away from people to avoid them but not here. If this is to be my home, then I want to be free to live and mingle with everyone. Your people should be my people, and they will feel closer to me if they see me for themselves and listen to what really happened to me.”
When Duncan still said nothing, she added, “Please, let me do this. It’s the only thing I can do for you now. And for me.”
He sighed and stroked the back of her neck softly with one hand. “All right,” he whispered. “But only when Yvaine returns safely.”
“Thank you, Duncan.”
Amelia rose on tiptoe to kiss him. He moved the rest of the distance when she leaned towards him, and his cool lips rested over hers for only a split second before he moved away.
“When Dahlia told me what happened, I worried that ye were sad,” Duncan said when he released her lips.
“I feel sad, but I am all right. You do not need to worry about me.”
He stroked her arm, and his warm touch made her sigh. “I want to make ye feel better, Amelia. What can I do?”
Amelia did not need to search her mind for long. There was one thing that always helped her when she felt sad.
“Would you read to me?” she asked with anticipation.
“Of course,” he agreed. “Here or in my study?”
“I would like to stay here.” Amelia grinned, and he kissed the tip of her nose before he left to bring a book.
They spent most of the evening cuddled up in her bed together, and Amelia snuggled closer to Duncan, so she could feel the steady beats of his heart. She wished they could have many more peaceful days like this.
Her thoughts were full of Duncan. Her body and soul wanted him, and it was more of a need that raged inside her, making her ache for him.
Just the two of us.
When Amelia had first met Duncan, she had liked him, yes, but she had never imagined she would want him like this. The more time passed, the more she wanted not just his touch but also his presence.
28
Duncan took Amelia riding in the moors in the evening. It was the perfect distraction from having to wait so long for Arran and Yvaine to return. Not that he would stay away from Amelia, anyway. He couldn’t. Not anymore.
They sat under an oak tree not too far off from the castle, and he fed her with berries while she told him tales from a book Lily had read to her in the past.
“The lady was all he wanted in the end, and they lived happily ever after,” she said with a face-splitting grin that made Duncan lean against the bark and hold his breath. Her smile made him breathless, and he wanted to get lost in her eyes.
Being with Amelia promised freedom and pleasures he never imagined he would experience. Duncan brought her out here so they could enjoy their time together after their first picnic had been interrupted. He needed to replace those images with new, happy memories. He needed to see her smile again.
This time, he had his guards on high alert. They were more watchful of the castle than ever since Yvaine had been taken, and Duncan made sure to train the soldiers every day.
He had visited Kret earlier today. Laird MacGregor had not launched any attack since he had taken Yvaine, but Duncan knew this could be a ploy to make him lower his guard and relax. Or worse, to go to him, walk straight into his trap.
He had no intention of doing either. Arran would return with Yvaine in the end. Duncan trusted that he would. But he felt that they were running out of time. He would have to go to Malcolm soon. He would not wait another day, leaving his sister and his best friend at Malcolm’s hands. Trap or no trap, he couldn’t. That’s why he had to savor this time with Amelia.
