Page 17 of The Cruel Highlander's Bride
Ciara had no sense of where she was walking, but with the goofy smile still on her face—courtesy of Magnus and her conversation with Ewan—she was not all that concerned.
“There ye are,” came Lana’s voice from behind her. “I was startin’ to worry about ye bein’ alone with the Laird,” she added in a whisper.
Ciara spun towards her sister but clearly forgot to wipe the smile off her face because Lana visibly took a step back.
Sighing, Ciara schooled her smile into something more bland. She wouldn’t feign fear for Lana’s sake, but her sister did not need to know that she was only thinking of the Laird’s lips on hers. Besides, she hardly understood the emotions she was experiencing—she would not be able to explain them to anyone else.
“How was the Laird?” Lana asked.
“He was very well,” Ciara said vaguely, in an attempt to end the conversation.
Her sister looked at her suspiciously but didn’t say anything else on the matter. “Elspeth wanted to give us a tour of the castle. I offered to come grab ye.”
“Aye, that would be lovely,” Ciara replied, letting her sister lead them back to where Elspeth and Olivia patiently waited.
Well, Elspeth looked patient. Olivia was rocking back and forth on her heels and regaling her mother with some tale.
The younger woman did not seem like the type to be cooped up in this castle all day. Ciara looked forward to getting to know her better. She had a feeling it would involve a certain degree of mischief. The thought had her looking at her own sister and remembering everything they used to get up to as children.
Lana smiled back at her, and Ciara could just imagine that she was having the same thoughts.
“Ah, there ye are,” Elspeth said when she saw the two women approaching them. “We’ll just give ye a quick tour of the main areas today, but feel free to wander whenever ye wish. The castle is yers as well now,” she added to Ciara. “Also, if there is anythin’ ye’d like to change in yer chambers, feel free to let me or one of the servants ken. If ye want to change somethin’ in the common areas, ye should at least run it by Magnus. But he will likely agree with whatever ye want.”
Ciara just nodded. The responsibility implied in those statements was already weighing on her. The castle would be as much hers as it was Magnus’s, as would the clan and its people. She wasn’t just a laird’s daughter anymore. Soon, she would be a laird’s wife. And as much as she wanted her independence, that title meant something to her.
As Elspeth walked them through the halls of the massive castle, Ciara soaked in the history and tradition of Clan MacLeon. With each painting and portrait, she heard stories of their leaders and conquests and victories. Elspeth came alive as she recounted them, no longer wearing a stern mask.
Clan MacLeon had an impressive history, as old as Clan Gunn’s. Their history contained tales of conquests, defending the homeland, and people coming together. Each new story filled Ciara with pride for her new clan. These were her stories now as well.
Olivia chimed in every once in a while with an anecdote her mother missed, and Ciara could hear the pride in both their voices as well. Highlanders were nothing if not proud.
“Thank ye for sharin’ all yer stories with us,” Ciara said. “Ye must be proud to be a part of a clan like yers.”
Elspeth paused in their tour to study Ciara, and when she saw the sincerity on Ciara’s face, she gave a respectful nod. “Aye, ye will find we are all very proud.”
“Most Highlanders are.” Ciara laughed.
On the way to the Great Hall, the women stopped recounting the clan’s history before they reached the current timeline. They walked by a portrait of the former Laird MacLeon, but neither woman commented on his Lairdship, skipping ahead to Magnus himself.
The resemblance to his children was striking. Ciara hadn’t really remembered his face from their one interaction, but looking at his portrait now, she could see the similarities. The nose that Magnus inherited, and the green eyes that both siblings had.
Magnus’s father looked every bit as strong as she would expect of a laird, but there was something darker in his eyes. A shadow that neither of his children possessed.
Lana was staring at the portrait as well, obviously recognizing the man when she leaned towards Elspeth.
“How can ye accept that man as yer Laird? I mean, he’s yer husband’s son… but not yers,” Lana asked conspiratorially.
Ciara hushed her sister. Quite obviously, another woman was involved, but she was shocked by her sister’s rudeness.
Elspeth turned to Lana and pulled self-consciously on the hem of her sleeve, tugging it down further past her wrists. She studied the younger woman. The openness on Elspeth’s face had faded, and she was back to being stern. Her intense stare made Lana squirm.
Finally, Elspeth said, “Magnus didnae ask to be born. I cannae very well blamehimfor his faither’s actions.”
* * *
The moment Magnus dismissed his betrothed, he was tempted to call her back. He didn’t really have to wait until tonight to see her again, did he?
She lived here now,he reminded himself, if only to stop himself from abandoning his work for the rest of the day and showing her around the castle personally… every dark and shadowed corner of it. There was one very private spot on the third floor he thought she might particularly like.
