Page 9 of Married to the Icy Highlander
“Well, we’ll wait and see if ye’re expectin’. If nae, then we’ll just keep tryin’.”
His eyes roamed over her in a way that made her feel as if she were overheating. Something coiled inside her with promise.
Until he spoke again.
“And when ye do have me bairn, we can go on livin’ separate lives.”
4
Separate lives? What was that even supposed to mean? It made her feel… cheap. It was the first part of what he had offered her that made her reconsider the whole arrangement. She had no intention of being cast aside like some trinket to collect dust on the shelf. Whatever anticipation had been building inside her started to fizzle out as she removed her arm from his grasp and took a step back.
Some choice words hung on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them when the study door burst open again. This time, a small figure darted into the room like a blur.
“Faither!” she called, hurrying past Ceana as if she didn’t even see her.
Only a few steps behind her was her maid, ruddy-cheeked and panting for breath as if she had been chasing after the little girl for quite some time now.
“Pardon me, M’Laird,” the maid huffed, doubling over as if to catch her breath as she attempted to catch the little girl, who ran to her father. “The young lass was gettin’ a wee bit anxious because she didnae want to miss yer game of chess.”
Only then did the girl realize that her father wasn’t alone. In an instant, she went from pulling on his kilt to hiding behind him as she peered up at Ceana. He nudged her forward, and she seemed to remember her manners, as she dropped into a small curtsy, blushing so deeply that her ears turned red, nearly blending into her strawberry blonde hair.
She was a pretty thing, but she seemed to take much more after her mother than her father at first glance.
“I’m sorry, Faither. I didnae ken ye had company!” she said quickly.
The Laird shook his head. “It’s all right, Jeanie. The lady was just leavin’.”
Jeanie glanced sheepishly at Ceana, who realized a moment too late that she was staring.
“Right. We should talk, M’Laird,” Ceana muttered, knowing that the matter between them was still unresolved, but now was neither the time nor the place.
When he mentioned that he had a daughter she would have to raise, this was not how she had envisioned their first meeting to go.
“Of course,” the Laird said and nodded to her, effectively dismissing her.
She slowly made for the door.
“Fetch Abel,” the Laird ordered the maid. “He’ll fetch a horse to take Lady Ceana home.” He paused, looking at Ceana directly. “I wouldnae want me bride to get tired from the long walk.”
Was he mocking her? His tone, the way he dismissed her so abruptly, she had to presume that was his intention.
Just what had she gotten herself into?
The anxiety from running from her wedding didn’t start to fully set in until the village came into view. The archway that she was supposed to be wed under was still up, but now it looked oddly forlorn in the twilight.
She walked slowly to her cottage, for she knew that the conversation waiting for her wasn’t going to be pleasant at all. She didn’t want to see the disappointed look on her mother’s face or have to explain herself. Furthermore, she didn’t knowhow she was going to announce to her mother what she had just agreed to with the Laird.
It would either make things way better or way worse.
Only the candle in the living room was still burning, but no light came from her mother’s bedchamber. Perhaps she was lucky and her mother was asleep.
Ceana pushed open the door slowly, exhaling heavily. But of course, her mother wasn’t asleep. Ida sat at the table with a steaming cup of tea in her hands, and Ersie was sitting beside her. No doubt Peter and his cat had been sent up to bed hours ago.
They both looked up at her expectantly, waiting for some sort of explanation or comment that would make her sudden departure more sensical.
“We werenae sure ye would be back here tonight,” Ida started gently, pushing an empty teacup toward the place setting beside her and motioning for Ceana to have a seat.
Ceana complied, her bones feeling so heavy the moment she lowered herself into the chair. Ersie poured her tea and pushed a bit of sliced lemon toward her as well. Ceana accepted it and squeezed it into her tea before wrapping her hands around the cup to absorb its warmth. “Of course, I was comin’ home, Maither.”
