Page 87 of Wedded to the Twisted Highlander
“Then I’ll lock ye up and throw away the key until I have saved me sister. That way, I ken ye’ll be safe.”
“And how well did that work for ye last time ye tried?” Astrid asked, tilting her head to catch his eye.
The hint of a smirk gave her hope that maybe she was getting to him.
“Then the dungeons,” he said. “But ye willnae escape me again.”
Astrid flashed him a smirk that cut through the tension in the room. “Och, ye think so, do ye? Well, I’d have to disagree wit’ ye on that. I think I could slip through yer fingers and ye wouldnae even ken it.”
With a surge of raw emotion, Thomas pulled her close. She gasped as the heat rolled off him and seeped through the fabric of her bodice, warming her bosom. His lips hovered dangerously close to hers as he looked deep into her eyes.
“I will find a way,” he vowed with such conviction that she had no choice but to believe him. “I’ll find a way to keep ye by me side. I willnae let ye go.”
“Ye willnae be able to stop me,” Astrid said as she stroked his cheek, wishing she could take away his worry and pain.
“I should be the one to face him, nae ye.”
“Ye willnae be able to negotiate wit’ a man like Laird Chalium, and ye ken it. He thrives on fear and power. If ye refuse to meet him, he’ll send Olivia back in pieces just to send a message. It’s me he wants. I cannae live wit’ the fact that Olivia is sufferin’ because of me.”
Thomas’s face twisted with a mix of pain and frustration. His gaze never left hers as he tightened his arms around her. She felt his chest rise and fall on a deep inhale and exhale.
“Ye’re me everything, don’t ye ken that?” he whispered into her hair. “How am I supposed to let ye go when we’ve just found each other? And if ye dinnae want to stay for me, then think of Melody. She needs ye. Ye made a vow to her, remember? What of that? Are yer vows so easily broken?”
“So, are ye goin’ to tell me what’s really goin’ on?” Melody asked as her smile slowly vanished.
Astrid wished she could hold on to the moment, but with the rumors circling about the castle, it was only a matter of time before Melody heard.
“I dinnae ken what ye’re talkin’ about,” she said as she led Melody to the right side of the bed and pulled back the covers for her.
“Aye, ye do. But that’s fine. If ye dinnae want to tell me, I’ll ask Eileen. She tells me everything, ye ken.”
“Does she now?” Astrid asked with a smirk as she tucked the child in and pulled the covers to her chin.
Melody bobbed her head.
“And what has she told ye that’s turned out to be true?”
“She said that Laird Chalium sent a messenger,” Melody answered, her voice laced with pride.
Astrid pursed her lips and shook her head in disappointment.
“Aye, that he did. But ye need nae fret about it, me love. I’ve already decided what I’m goin’ to do.”
“Ye’re leavin’ me here, are ye nae?” Melody asked breathlessly.
The question hung between them, waiting to be answered.
As much as Astrid didn’t want to answer, she knew she couldn’t avoid it any longer.
“Do ye remember when we lived in the village under the leaky thatched roof and we met Peter?” Melody bobbed her head. “We did everything we could to help him, do ye remember? But nay matter what I gave him, his fever just wouldnae break. Well, I have a chance to save Olivia, and ye. I have to do what I think is right.”
“I dinnae want ye to go,” Melody whined, grabbing her pillow.
“Ye’ll be safe here. Thomas loves ye, and he’ll see to it that ye’re cared for. I ken he will. But listen to us,” Astrid said, trying to find some way to ease the tension in the room. The last thingshe wanted was to give Melody nightmares due to all the worry. “We’re talkin’ as if I’m never comin’ back—and that may nae be the case. I could go to Laird Chalium, and he could be merciful.”
“Since when has he ever been merciful?” Melody sniffed as tears streamed down her little face.
“Never, but there’s always a chance for a miracle, right? Maybe he’s had a change of heart,” Astrid said as she brushed the hair from Melody’s face.
