Page 19 of The Cruel Highlander's Bride
God, Magnus couldn’t wait to get her alone again. She was a beautiful distraction and something to look forward to…
That was a dangerous combination for a laird, but Magnus couldn’t bring himself to care.
8
Where is she?
Magnus waited, impatiently, for his betrothed to arrive at his chambers. He was currently sitting by the fire, but every few moments, he rose to add more logs or otherwise tend to it. He wanted the room to be comfortable for Ciara, for his rooms often got drafty at night.
He may have overdone it though, because the fire was roaring, and the temperature in the sitting room was becoming unbearable. Or at least he assumed that was the cause of the beads of sweat across his forehead and his damp palms.
Should he put out the fire? Or change his shirt again? Oddly unsure, he tapped his fingers restlessly on the arm of his chair.
Those slightly sick feelings were back, roiling in his stomach, and Magnus wondered once again whether he should call for the healer.
Will she nae come?
Magnus had been so sure that Ciara would come. He could see in her eyes that same lust he felt himself, had watched as her eyes glazed over and her body instinctively moved towards his.
That confidence had him preparing everything early, including himself. But now the food and the bath water were getting cold, he was on his third outfit, and she was nowhere to be found.
Could something have happened to her? It was unlikely here in the castle, but it sent a chill through him, regardless. He would give it ten more minutes, then he would make sure she was all right.
More likely, he had just come on too aggressively today, ordering her presence here, demanding she join him. In truth, Magnus had very little experiencetryingto impress a woman, and someone like Ciara did not seem easy to impress.
For the first time in years, he was doubting every choice and little detail, obsessing over them. He would mock another man for thinking this way, but he couldn’t help it.
Should I have gotten her a gift?
Magnus wondered what his betrothed would even like as a gift. He didn’t know more than the cursory details about her, and that was becoming more apparent by the minute. Learning more about her would be a priority for their night together.
He tried to think of the lessons his mother and her best friend, Helen, had taught him.
Good food should be his priority. He did not want a hungry woman on his hands, they’d always told him. He looked over at the spread the chef had prepared. Maybe he should send for something fresh…
Comfort was key, they always reminded him, hence the fire and the extra blankets he’d brought in. And, of course, he should be a good listener. Women had enough men in their lives ignoring them already, so he would need to listen. If he did that, the ladies promised him he’d have no difficulty wooing any woman he wanted.
His mother would have loved Ciara, bold and caring as she was. Not for the first time, Magnus wished his mother was still here to help him with all of this. Not just with Ciara, but with the Lairdship in general.
She would certainly have her thoughts, especially about his method of handling his father, but there were so many lessons she never got to teach him. And so many milestones she’d never get to witness. He’d never even thought to include a wedding in that list before, but now her absence was acutely felt.
His mother always used to joke that she’d never see the day he would marry. He supposed she was right about that.
Magnus was due to pay Helen a visit, though. He hadn’t been to see the old broad in far too long. He wondered if Ciara would like to accompany him and meet the woman who had helped raise him. It took a village, and Magnus’s was an interesting one.
This line of thought was interrupted by a knock at the door.
Finally.
“Come in,” he called out, arranging his body in a casual lounging position. He didn’t want it to seem like he’d been waiting for her.
But instead of his lovely betrothed, his man-at-arms walked into the room.
“What are ye doin’ here?” Magnus barked, sitting up straight.
He watched as Ewan assessed the scene in front of him, as he often did, but Ewan wisely did not comment on the table set for two. Magnus was tempted to knock the whole thing over, but he just clenched his teeth instead.
“I have news on that audience the women requested,” Ewan said.
