Page 26 of Taken By the Ruthless Highlander
At that moment, the servants rushed into the room to clear away all signs of her dinner party.
With a heavy heart, Morgana started for her chambers. Now that her guests left, the weight of loneliness settled on her chest. It made every step feel heavy, as if she were trudging through the bog.
“Did ye see how the Laird dismissed the Lady?” she overheard someone whisper from one of the rooms she passed by.
The question pulled her to a halt.
She closed her eyes, debating whether to hear more. But the need to know what the castle thought of her was like an ache in her chest that wouldn’t go away.
“I missed it,” another voice chimed in. There was no mistaking the glee in it. “What happened?”
“He came in drunk, passed by the room she was in and didnae say a word. She came barrelin’ out of the room to stop him.”
“I dinnae see the problem with that. I dinnae care who my husband is—Laird or Duke or Earl makes nay difference. But ye better believe they’ll show me respect. What he did was wrong, the poor lass. How would ye feel if ye went out of yer way to prepare a fine dinner, tryin’ yer hardest to impress someone, and ye get turned down?”
“Never saw it that way before.”
Morgana blinked as the weight in her chest lightened just a bit. The validation she felt seemed to chase away the dreary clouds hovering over her head.
Quickening her steps, she made her way into her chambers and shut the door behind her.
Dawn had come too quickly. Morgana rolled onto her side, wishing that with the new day came new opportunities. But the truth of the matter was that she could still feel the grime of yesterday clinging to her.
“Good, ye’re awake,” Eloise intoned, her voice ringing through the room like a little bell. “Get dressed.”
“Why? What is goin’ on?” Morgana moaned, throwing the pillow over her head to block out the light.
“Ronnie and the stable boy, Dale are havin’ an archery contest,” Poppy said. She pulled on Morgana’s arm to get her to move. “I told him we’d be there.”
“Ye go on ahead, and I’ll catch up with ye,” Morgana mumbled, praying her younger sister would leave her in peace.
She didn’t want to face the sun. She wanted to cower in the shadows and lick her wounds. The very thought of crossing paths with her husband sent a shiver down her spine.
“Oh nay, ye dinnae,” Eliose grunted, pulling more aggressively and with full determination.
The sight of the eleven-year-old struggling to yank Morgana off the bed was beyond entertaining. It was just the sort of spontaneity that she needed.
“Last time ye said that, we found ye in the library four hours later.”
“It’s nae my fault ye couldnae find me,” Morgana said with a smirk.
“Yewere supposed to find us,” Eloise huffed, before changing tactics. “Now, come on.”
“Fine,” Morgana grumbled playfully as she rolled off the bed. “I’ll go. But I willnae like it.”
“Aye, ye will,” Eloise asserted.
“Oh nay, we cannae go,” Morgana gasped suddenly, raking her fingers through her mussed hair. “I promised Orella that we’d help her restock the storeroom.”
“We can do both,” Eloise said gleefully. “Ronnie’s contest willnae take long. When it’s finished, we can get everyone to help.”
“Sometimes, ye can be pretty clever, ye ken that?” Morgana smirked.
“Aye, well, I had a great teacher,” Eloise quipped as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her cheeks flushed a rosy color that made Morgana’s heart swell.
How she looked like their mother. Out of all the siblings, it was Eloise who reminded Morgana of their parents the most.
Letting out a forlorn sigh, Morgana reached behind her and tossed a pillow at Eloise.
