Page 11 of Taken By the Ruthless Highlander
“Ye sure about that? If I kenned how easy ye are to fluster, I would have done it sooner,” he teased, his brown eyes twinkling.
“Where are we?”
“The door to yer chambers,” he answered. “Although, I doubt ye’ll come here again.”
“Ye expect me to stay in a room that has a secret tunnel? What sort of fool do ye take me for?”
“I’m nae the one who agreed to marry. By my accounts, ye have proved to be the most difficult.”
“Difficult?” Morgana gasped. “Ye didnae have to announce the weddin’ in the midst of the fire!”
“Nor did ye have to announce ye wanted to marry me then. What was it? Just the heat of the moment?” The Laird chuckled as he pushed off the wall and stalked into her room.
Morgana’s irritation spiked like lightning. She marched after him, glaring at his audacity and rudeness.
“Ye are insufferable,” she snapped, stopping the second she noticed the grandeur of the chamber.
It was more than just a room; it was a wing of the castle all to herself.
“Well, I suppose I’ve been called worse,” he said with a shrug as he turned to face the room. His shoulders dropped, as did his voice. “This was my maither’s favorite part of the castle. Ye’ll stay here tonight. Nay one but a handful of people ken about this room. Many think it was torn down or too damaged to repair, but ye’ll find everythin’ ye need, I’m sure.”
“Now, wait just one moment,” Morgana blurted as he turned his back to her and made a beeline for the secret door that, at first glance, seemed nothing more than a tapestry to brighten the room.
She swept her eyes over the picture, admiring the details. But then she quickly returned her attention to him, just as he was about to open the secret door.
“Ye never told me exactly what bein’ yer wife will entail,” she pointed out, her heart fluttering with anxiety. She held her breath as she stared at him, waiting for his answer.
“Now, that is a good question,” he murmured as he rubbed the stubble on his chin. “After all, we should have some sort of an agreement before settin’ things in stone. Let’s see here. First, I’ll expect ye to join me for dinner every night, nay exceptions. If we are to make people think that all is well, we need to show it. If we can present a united front to the council, then I offer ye nothin’ sort of yer freedom. Marry me and ye’ll be free.”
“That doesnae sound much like freedom to me,” Morgana said through gritted teeth. “More like yer tryin’ to tie me down.”
“As a married woman, ye’ll be free to come and go as ye please. Ye want to spend Christmas in Paris? Or maybe it’s London in the sprin’? I’ll be able to send ye off to wherever ye want, let ye see the world.”
“And what exactly will ye be getting’ out of this?”
“Simple,” Ryder said with a hint of arrogance in his tone. “I get the same freedom. Ye’ll nae ask me where I go or what I do. Ye’ll never ask who I am wit’ or what goes on wit’ my business.”
“That’s all ye’re askin’ of me? Nay heir? Or anythin’ of that notion?”
“I have nay intentions of havin’ an offsprin’,” Ryder confessed. “Of course we’ll have to keep up appearances for the sake of the castle and servants. So, what say ye?”
“Do I nae get time to think about this?”
“What’s there to think over? From where I stand, this is the best solution for the both of us,” Ryder explained.
“Aye, but what of my family? I want them to be released.”
Release them. They’re bein’ held prisoners in yer dungeons. They must be set free and able to return to Kilbray.”
“Consider it done. What use do I have for keepin’ yer family in the dungeons? And they can stay here if that is what they want. To be closer to ye, if ye want. Or they can leave. I’ll nae bind them to this place anyway. Now that that’s settled, what other demands do ye have?” the Laird asked, putting his hand on the tapestry and pushing it away from the wall.
“I’d like to have dinner with Cohen,” she said.
He tensed up at her request. His jaw flexed as he turned to face her.
“Nay,” he answered coldly.
“Orella will be there as well. Please, they both have been nothin’ but kind to me. And I’d like to ken if she’s all right. Dinnae forget, she was the one who was trapped in the storeroom.”
