Page 32 of Addicted to His Highland Bride

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After four long hours, riding at a slower pace than he would have liked, Felix finally set relieved eyes upon Castle Moore. His headache had improved, and his stomach felt calmer, which he took to be a good omen. The last thing he wanted was for Edwina to smell the drink upon his breath and witness the full extent of the aftermath. Perhaps, he could even reach his chamber for some well-earned rest and wake refreshed before he sought her out.

“Rider approachin’!” a guard shouted from the battlements above the gate.

Felix squinted up, spotting Quint. “It’s me, Quint. Open the gate.”

“M’Laird?” Quint gasped and leaped for the lever that would bring up the portcullis.

With a squeak and squeal of grating metal, Felix urged his horse into the main courtyard.

He had barely managed to climb down from the saddle before figures swarmed him, streaming out from every direction. Arms snaked around him, threatening to squeeze the breath from his lungs, sparking a panic that made him wriggle and writhe to get away from his attackers.

Breaking free of their grasp, he stumbled back… and realized that he was not being attacked at all. The shadowy figures, hazy in the bluish tint just before the dawn, were those dearest to him: Meredith, Melissa, Edwina, John, Ryder, and Angus. His family, if not by blood, then by bond. Kenney had also appeared, wearing a strangely smug grin upon his face.

“Where in Heaven’s name have ye been?” Meredith jumped in first, punching him in the arm and showing more fury than he had ever seen from her. “Ye had us all worried sick, ye bampot!”

Felix frowned. “Did Quint and the others nae tell ye what happened?”

“Everyone returned to the Castle except ye, M’Laird,” Quint said, running up to the group. “We had nay notion of where ye were, or if anythin’ had befallen ye. We searched for two days, but there wasnae any sign of ye.”

A stiff laugh bubbled up from Felix’s throat. “Two days? I havenae been gone for two days.”

“Ye have, Felix! Three nights and two days! Almost three days as it’s nearly dawn,” Melissa scolded. “And ye’re the one who’s always telling us how much ye fret aboutus!”

Confusion clouded Felix’s already foggy mind. “That cannae be true. I wouldnae have slept so long. I’m nae even sure it’s possible to sleep for so long.”

“It’s true, M’Laird.” John bowed his head. “We feared the worst.”

Ryder nodded. “I sent out men from Castle Millar, but it was like ye’d vanished. We went back and forth on the same road ye traveled, searched as much of the forest as we could, but yer trail went cold.”

“Then, ye need to train yer men in trackin’ again,” Felix protested. “I was safe and well in Kinloch. I took the main road from McMorrow lands. There were plenty of folk who saw me.”

Angus raised an eyebrow. “What were ye doin’ in Kinloch?”

“I was—” Felix began to answer but, at that moment, Edwina weaved through the group toward him. His heart soared, his body eager to hold her again.

Reaching him, she rose up on tiptoe to put her arms around his neck, embracing him. Yet, there was a restraint to her hug that confused him even more. Was she mad that he had been absent for days? He supposed that made sense. If the roles were reversed, he would have been as mad as he was relieved.

“I’m glad to see ye safely back where ye belong,” Edwina said quietly. Sadly.

His arms came up to hold her in return, but she pushed lightly against his chest and stepped back. Their eyes met, and he saw so much pain in her gaze that it felt as though he had received a real kick to the chest. Tears glistened but did not spill, as she dropped her chin to her chest and turned away. She offered no further words as she walked off into the dark, leaving him at a complete loss, for that pain had not looked like anger. It had looked like heartbreak.

He moved to go after her, but Meredith yanked him by the arm, pulling him off to the side. “What were ye thinkin’, Felix?” she hissed. “How could ye do that to her?”

“Do what to her?” Felix replied, exasperated: his eyes still searching the gloom for Edwina. “I daenae ken what’s goin’ on. Ye keep sayin’ I’ve been away for days, but it’s the same day for me.”

Meredith shook her head in disappointment. “I thought ye of all people would be loyal, at least. Ye were raised better than to visit another woman just a few nights before yer weddin’. Nay, ye were raised nae to visit another woman at all when ye’ve got a wife waitin’!”

Felix wrenched his arm out of Meredith’s grasp, reeling from the shock of what she had just said. Nothing made sense. He did not understand what anyone was telling him, and that accusation was the final straw.

“What woman?” he growled, running a hand through his unkempt hair.

Meredith sniffed. “I think ye ken well enough.”

“Nay, Meredith, I daenae! I feel like I’m on the brink of madness!” he insisted, raising his voice so everyone could hear. “I chased after one of the brigands, I got separated from my men, and I needed to rest because my horse couldnae go on. I stopped at an inn in Kinloch and had some ale and stew, with the intention of ridin’ back here after a few hours. I drank more than I expected, and I passed out, but when I left that inn, I thought it was the same night, nae days after! There was nay woman, there hasnae been any foul play, and I daenae understand what is happenin’ here. I feel like I’ve wandered into a twisted version of the Castle I left.”

Across the courtyard, he spied Edwina’s pale face. She had not departed, after all; she had just taken refuge by the entrance to the tower, beneath a sloped awning that kept the rain off the woodpile. He looked at her in earnest, willing her to see that he was not lying.

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