Page 12 of The Cruel Highlander's Bride
The words were heavy with emotion, and Ciara felt her throat tighten. Not trusting herself not to burst into tears, she just smiled and nodded.
“I’ll make sure the whole clan kens exactly who is responsible for endin’ this feud,” he promised.
“Ye dinnae need to do that…” she trailed off.
But her father was already shaking his head.
“They deserve to ken, and ye deserve all the credit for finally accomplishin’ what I spent years workin’ towards.” He paused before he added, “I’m very proud of ye Ciara.”
The words broke her emotions free, and tears welled up in her eyes. She let them fall but forced a small smile on her face. Her father reached out and pulled her in for a tight hug.
He held her close until her tears stopped falling. “Now, get out of here. Ye need to start packin’.”
With a shaky laugh, Ciara left her father’s study. She forced herself not to think about the fact that she might never come back there and instead turned her mind to the future… and Magnus.
They had come to an agreement to be married in name only, so why did every order and possessive word out of his mouth fill her with fire? As she walked into her bedchambers, she was imagining that scene in the study if she had given in to temptation and put her hands on him. The images in her mind were so vivid that she didn’t notice that her mother and sister were already in the room.
“Oh!” she exclaimed when she heard Lana clear her throat.
Her sister was watching her suspiciously, but her mother just giggled.
“We thought ye could use some help with packin’,” her mother said in explanation.
“Aye, thank ye. I dinnae even ken where to start,” Ciara said as she looked around her bedchamber. She didn’t have nearly as many things as her sister, but it still seemed like a daunting task for one night…
“The maids are here to help as well, but we wanted this night with ye,” her mother added.
Her last night here… She couldn’t believe she was leaving all of this tomorrow.
“Tomorrow, Ciara? Ye’re leavin’ tomorrow!” Lana exclaimed, echoing her sister’s thoughts.
Ciara had half a mind to bring Magnus back here just so she could tell him exactly what she thought of that little surprise he’d dropped.
The nerve of the man to assume she would simply pack up her whole life and say goodbye to her family in just one night. If there was one thing she needed to make clear to him, it was that he would not be making decisions for her—not now, and not when they were wed.
But she also felt protective of Magnus, so instead, she just took a deep breath and smiled at her sister sadly. “I’ll miss ye too, Lana.”
She reminded herself that this is what she agreed to when she accepted Magnus’s proposal. She knew she would be moving to his castle, and she even knew it would be soon. Whether it was tomorrow or in a few days’ time, it did not really matter, since she would still be saying goodbye to her current life.
“No need to miss me. I’m goin’ with ye,” Lana insisted, sounding far more confident, now that Magnus had left. “Ye need the company, and I willnae let ye be terrorized by such a man…” she added with a shudder.
Ciara also found herself shuddering when she thought of Magnus, but it was a different kind of shudder. She felt that urge to defend the man or explain herself again, but she just kept quiet.
“Are ye sure ye ken what ye’re doin’?” Lana asked again. “Ye shouldnae give up everythin’ ye’ve ever wanted just for me…” Her eyes filled with tears once more.
Ciara gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s all right. I cannae think of a better reason to get married than for ye, but I would really love to have ye with me for the first few days.”
Lana would be a good buffer, because even though she wouldn’t admit it to her sister, Ciara found something about the dangerous Laird alluring. She had never had such a strong reaction towards anyone.
Honestly, she had been starting to think there was something wrong with her, because she never seemed interested in the men around her. Growing up, her friends were always giggling and smiling at the boys, but none of them ever caught her eye.
She could definitely use Lana as a buffer here… lest she start having feelings for her betrothed. Nowthatsent another shudder through Ciara.
The three women spent the night packing and chatting, reminiscing on all the lovely and mischievous moments they had in this castle. They recounted stories of Lana and Ciara sneaking into the kitchen for cake while everyone slept, mishaps during Alexander’s training, childhood games, and the rotation of crazy animals they all loved.
Late into the night, Ciara finally fell asleep with a big smile on her face, her cheeks sore from laughter.
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