Page 33 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
The crackling of the fire coaxed Erica out from under her blankets, and she walked over to the hearth to warm herself.
Kara grabbed a brush and started to tame her long brown hair, the feel of the bristles against her scalp almost cathartic. Erica closed her eyes and breathed slower to match the rhythm of the brush.
“Yer arm. Let’s start there,” Kara said softly, encouragingly, as if she knew that something else was amiss.
“Me arm is well. A bit sore but manageable.”
“How did the Laird react?”
Kara’s question struck a chord, and it resonated so fiercely in Erica’s chest that the backs of her eyes started to sting.
“He wasnae pleased.”
“How do ye feel about that?”
“I feel confused. I’m nae sure what I can do. I want to let Lily live and nae live in fear, but I dinnae wish to upset him.”
Kara continued brushing her mistress’s hair silently, and Erica struggled with her own stubbornness while she continued to speak about what happened.
“I ken climbing the tree was reckless… We could have done somethin’ different, or nae climbed so high. I was only thinkin’ about how much fun me siblings would have had. I wasnae thinkin’ about her. I was thinkin’ about meself.”
Kara was finished brushing her hair and placed a hand on her uninjured shoulder. “Somethin’ quite easy to do and incredibly hard to forgive.”
“Will he hold a grudge against me for it?”
“The Laird doesnae seem the type. Ye tried to leave the night before the weddin’, and he hasnae brought it up or even treated ye like ye might again.”
“True.”
“Any other man might have locked ye up or ordered guards to follow ye around day and night. Seems like he wants ye to feel at home here.” Kara gave her shoulder a squeeze and stepped back.
Erica twisted around to look at her maid—reallylook at her. Kara was right, of course, but before Erica could compliment her, she smiled, bowed, and left.
A dress and cloak were laid out on the bed.
How quickly that woman works.
Erica slipped out of her chambers a few moments later, pulling her cloak tightly around her shoulders before adjusting the heavy bag hanging over her uninjured shoulder. She made her way outside. The morning sunlight assaulted her senses with reckless brilliance. It bored down on the dewy grass and lengthened the shadows of the trees. As her eyes adjusted slowly, she let her mind wander back to the previous day.
The kiss had been… a mistake.
Or, at least, that’s what she kept telling herself to get some sleep. But even now, a hint of warmth lingered on her lips, and that infuriated her more than anything else.
Why should it matter?
She shook her head as she followed the long garden paths. Hunter’s coldness afterward should have been enough to wash away any feeling, but it clung to her stubbornly, refusing to fade. His sudden, uncharacteristic show of passion had startled her, maybe even awakened something, yet it only left her feeling more foolish.
Ye’re here for Lily, she reminded herself firmly, her steps quickening as she spotted the child in the distance.
The young girl was crouched in a patch of violets near the low stone wall, her fingers trailing over the delicate petals. Her face, however, was unusually serious, her small eyebrows knitted together in concentration.
Erica’s heart swelled. After the incident, Lily had spent most of the day by herself, as Erica was advised to rest. Erica was worried that the girl was suppressing her spirit, retreating into herself after Hunter’s outburst. And the last thing she wanted was for Lily to feel burdened by guilt for something so small.
“Good mornin’, Lily!” Her greeting was warm and full of promise as she crouched beside her niece.
Lily looked up, her eyes widening with a trace of surprise. “Good mornin’, Aunt Erica!” she replied, her voice small and soft. “I-I didnae think ye would be up for an adventure today after yer fall.”
“Ach! Nonsense,” Erica said, waving her non-injured arm as if to wipe away any trace of that thought. “Shall we go see what else is in bloom today?” she suggested.
