Page 40 of The Veiled Wish of a Highland Bride

She had seen his eyes widen as though he never thought her capable of uttering more than pleas for his attention. She was much stronger than that, and now the bastard knew it as well.

Mia was not deterred. The pain she felt was beginning to fade, leaving behind a numbness she could barely explain. “It was me all along Bram, begging for his attention, desiring to experience the thing ye so stubbornly refused to give me as yer wife. He was just a man, and then naejusta man.”

Mia did not look away. Bram’s rage seemed to thicken the air around them, and Mia stiffened as he began to speak.

“Ye… Ye…” He staggered backwards as he tried to speak. “Ye're in love with him,” he spat out as though the words were venom burning his throat.

Mia said nothing but nodded before she simply stared at the ground waiting for her fate. At least she had bought Archibald some time to get away.

Bram steadied himself.

“Go into yer chambers and stay there until I send for ye. Ye will nae dare leave, or else I am going to kill ye right now with my blade. I will cut yer head off yer neck,” Bram said almost inaudibly, his voice made lower by his anger.

Mia was numb. She knew full well what she was getting into the second she made the deal with Archie. Her husband would kill her and no one would notice, and Mia was well aware that the only reason she was still alive was Bram's need to maintain his reputation.

“Now!” he barked, his voice jolting her to attention. She slowly turned around and limped into her room, her heart pounding in her chest.

* * *

Mia paced the length of her room like a dog on a leash waiting anxiously to be released. She had gone over every detail in her head carefully.

Had Bram threatened to kill Archibald, or had he simply banishedhim from Murray Castle? Mia wasn't sure which one she'd heard. In any case, she couldn't be certain that Bram wouldn't send men after Archie in order tokill him.

Perhaps because of what she had said.

Especiallybecause of what she had said.

The sun had now set behind the clouds, yet there was no sign of Bram. Mia's devastation was slowly turning into madness as she banged on the door, yelling out to anyone who cared to listen that she needed to be let out. She was certain Bram would have instructed all the maids and servants to ignore whatever noise was coming from her chambers—but what about the guests? Could they all have left? Mia concluded that they must have if Bram was not reacting to her commotion.

She was not certain how many hours had passed, but it felt like years to her. She needed to know if Archibald was safe, but she knew she could do nothing but wait.

Eventually, she fell asleep to the memory of her first day at Murray castle.

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

“Why is she dressed like that?” the woman snickered, talking to the other maid who held a woven basket identical to hers.

“Is she supposed to be our new lady? I sure hope nae. She looks naething like all the other great ladies,” the other lass replied, her whispers still audible to Mia above the sound of the running mill.

Mia had never for the life of her felt so self-conscious. Her father's coachman had just deposited her at the doorstep of the Murray castle as the new bride of the Laird. Not surprisingly, Conrad had failed to give her any information about what to expect. It was on days like these that she missed her mother dearly.

She wasn't dressed correctly, that much she knew. And she was certain it was not because her own clan dressed differently than the Murray clan.

“We cannae afford a lady’s maid as well as a footman to come with ye, Mia. Wear this. Ye shall be transported into yer husband's house castle,” he had said without a single trace of a smile on his face, handing her a plain woolen gown.

With the way she was being stared at, she knew she had gotten something wrong. Her hair was running down her back like she always had it at home, and her boots were muddy.

The few soldiers who had passed by had barely spared her a second look. It wasn't until they saw Bram approaching from the top of the stairs that they all stood to attention. He regarded her as she stood in the middle of the great hall, chin raised up like her father had always taught her to do.

“The Steward family are kent to be strong and courageous. Dinnae forget that.” His voice still rang clearly in her head, all his training at the forefront of her mind.

As the Laird descended the stairs and approached her, his frown deepened.

“Ye look so much like…” The rest of Bram's sentence hung in the air, causing the pin-drop silence to become all the more apparent. “Take her to her chambers,” he said, signaling to the maid closest to him, not bothering to look at Mia again. “But give her a proper bath first.”

All the occupants of the room, male and female alike, fell into raucous laughter that stung Mia more than she cared to admit.

Keeping her back straight and her gait slow she followed the maid, wondering what her fate would be in this new home.

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