Page 22 of A Highland Bride Taken
“Faither, I?—”
“Do ye have any idea what something like this would do to yer marriage prospects?” Lady MacLennan snapped, interrupting her. “Who will marry ye now?”
Campbell felt irritation bubble beneath his skin as he watched Mabel shrink further into herself. He imagined it was the same thing she had experienced at home, which explained why she wasn’t aware of her charms and didn’t know how to wield them.
“Maither, if ye will just let me explain…”
“Is that how ye were taught to speak to me?” Lady MacLennan scowled. “How have I never seen this stubborn side of ye? When we return, ye will?—”
“Enough!” Campbell barked, tired of the one-sided barrage of words.
He had needed wisdom to be scolded into Mabel, but dimming her spirits hadn’t been his intention. The sight was painful to witness, and he chafed at it. An unexplainable urge to protect her rose inside him, causing his fists to tighten.
Laird and Lady MacLennan had raised her, yet they didn’t know anything about her courage and selflessness. Yes, she had been wrong in her approach, but her heart had been in the right place.
Her parents turned to him, chagrined, but his eyes were fixed on the lass, who now pressed deeper into the wall.
“We apologize for causing such a disgraceful scene in yer home, Laird Muir,” Laird MacLennan muttered. “We will be taking our leave now. We are sorry for whatever inconvenience she must have caused ye.”
“There is nay need for that, Laird MacLennan,” Campbell stated calmly, wanting them to hear his words and realize that he was not asking butinformingthem of his choice. “I have proposed to yer daughter, and I would like for us to be married quickly.”
Twin surprised looks met him, and he gave them time to process the news. They had just been berating their daughter for ruining her marriage prospects and obviously had not been expecting the news of an engagement.
“Ye accepted his proposal, Mabel?” Laird MacLennan asked.
Mabel nodded, unable to speak. She didn’t meet their eyes, and for a brief moment, Campbell began to wonder if she was already regretting agreeing to his proposal.
He frowned. Perhaps he should have asked her again, to see if it was truly what she wanted.
“Have ye compromised her?” Laird MacLennan asked suddenly, his eyes flashing with anger. “Is that why ye wish to marry her?”
“Nay, Faither,” Mabel answered.
“Silence, lass!” he yelled.
“Ye arenae to speak when the men are discussing, Mabel,” Lady MacLennan chided softly. “Did I nae teach ye that?”
Anger heated Campbell’s blood at that.
“Ye willnae disrespect me bride anymore,” he warned them with a glare. “And yewilllet her speak. I havenae compromised her, and I willnae tolerate any further questioning of her virtue. Ye raised her, so ye should ken her. She is as well behaved as a lady should be, and I shouldnae be the one to tell ye that.”
Laird and Lady MacLennan looked thoroughly scolded.
Campbell turned to Mabel, stunned by the look on her face. Gratitude radiated off her, potent as well as something else that he didn’t want to see.
“Speak then, Mabel,” Laird MacLennan urged, shattering the spell between them. “I will hear yer tale.”
When Mabel finally finished recounting her tale of how she had helped Layla elope with Aidan—although she hadn’t known at the time that he was the Laird’s brother—and as a result been named the godmother of their children, her parents’ faces reflected a maelstrom of emotions, from disappointment to wonder and then acceptance.
They shook their heads and sighed.
She had tried to keep her voice steady and firm as she spoke, aware of the Laird’s intense eyes on the side of her face.
She still hadn’t recovered from the emotions she had felt as he had defended her against her parents, and his words had left her breathless.
He had been so firm and powerful that her body had softened as she eyed him. He was so confident that all she had wanted to do was throw herself into his arms and hide.
She bit her lip as she awaited her parents’ response, sparing the Laird only the briefest of glances. She found his gaze on her still and felt her breath hitch.
