Page 79 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
“Kara,” she said, her voice cracking. “I didnae hear ye come in.”
The maid’s eyes narrowed slightly with concern as she crossed the room. “Ye are cryin’,” she said gently. “What’s happened? What has he done?”
“It’s… nothin’,” Erica tried to say, but her throat was clogged with tears. She gestured weakly toward the letter on the floor. “I found that just now.”
Kara furrowed her brow as she picked up the parchment, her eyes scanning the words. As she read, her face paled, and her lips thinned.
“This is—This is vile,” she scoffed, shaking with anger. “Who would put such a disgustin’ thing to paper? And to say those things about ye, Me Lady. It’s disgraceful.”
Erica swallowed hard, her throat constricting painfully. “I dinnae ken who it’s from,” she admitted, her voice trembling. “But the gifts that were mentioned—the dress, the flowers, the necklace—I thought… I thought they were all from Hunter.”
Something Erica couldn’t quite place crossed Kara’s face, but she was too distraught to dwell on it.
“Ye dinnae think he…?”
“Nay,” Erica said quickly. “He doesnae… Hunter doesnae send gifts like that. He’s nae—” She cut herself off, unsure how to exactly finish the thought.
Kara reached out, her hand resting on her mistress’s shoulder in what should have been a comforting gesture, but it felt oddly stiff. “Ye must tell the Laird,” she urged. “This… whoever wrote this, they’re a danger to ye.”
Erica hesitated, her mind reeling. Part of her wanted to go to Hunter immediately, to lay everything bare and let him deal with it. But another part of her—the part that still stung at the possibility that she’d misread their growing closeness—made her hesitate.
What if he dismisses me? What if this letter only confirms how little I understand him?
“I’ll… I’ll tell him,” Erica mumbled, though her voice lacked conviction.
“Now,” Kara insisted, her grip tightening slightly. “This cannae wait.”
Erica nodded reluctantly, pushing herself to her feet. Her legs felt unsteady beneath her as she made her way to the door, the letter clutched tightly in her hand.
Kara followed closely behind, her presence a shadow that felt both comforting and oppressive.
“Where is he?” Erica asked as they stepped into the drafty corridor.
“He is in his study, with Calvin,” Kara replied quickly, her voice solemn.
Erica pushed through the door to the study moments later.
Hunter was sitting at his desk, pouring over ledgers with his usual intensity. A quick glance around reassured her that Calvin was not in the room.
Hunter finally looked up as he finished reading something, his sharp gray eyes immediately landing on her tear-streaked face.
“Erica,” he said, rising from his chair. “What’s happened?”
She held out the letter, her hand trembling. “I found this in me room earlier.”
Hunter took the parchment from her, his eyes scanning the words. As he read, his expression darkened, a storm brewing in his eyes.
“Who gave this to ye?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
“I dinnae ken,” Erica said softly. “It was just… there, on me vanity.”
Hunter cursed under his breath, crumpling the letter in his hand.
“The gifts,” Erica added hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper. “The flowers, the necklace… Hunter, were they…?”
He looked at her then, his expression shuttered, and the silence that followed was answer enough.
“Nay,” he uttered finally, his voice cold with barely restrained anger.
