Page 34 of A Highland Bride Taken
He smirked and then stepped back from her.
“Have I startled ye, lass?” he asked. “I do play games.”
“I… I… Nay, Me Laird,” she stammered.
“Come, lads,” he called. “Shall we play a few more rounds?”
The boys looked at each other, then at him, then at Mabel. She was about to nod in reassurance when a voice suddenly spoke from beside them.
“Me Laird, Me Lady,” Missus Norah greeted, cutting the mood as effectively as a knife through butter.
“Missus Norah,” the Laird returned. “Why have ye disturbed us?”
The housekeeper flushed briefly. “I was looking for Her Ladyship. I have been searching for her, since we didnae finish our lessons,” she answered with a pointed look. “‘Tis time to prepare the evening meal.”
Mabel lowered her eyes, not wanting to seem inadequate in the Laird’s eyes. It was one thing to be regarded lowly by the staff. But in front of her husband, whom she had assured she would fulfill her role, she couldn’t bear it.
Tears pooled in her eyes, but the feel of the Laird’s hand on her arm made her look up.
“Ye can handle the meal as ye always have,” he ordered with a frown. “I will be spending time with me wife this evening.”
“But Me Laird…”
The housekeeper’s protests died in her throat at the glare he shot her. Mabel wasn’t even at the receiving end of it, and she could already feel its heat.
Pride surged through her as he defended her against the woman, but she hid her smile until she could gloat alone.
She would have borne the housekeeper’s disapproval on her own, but now that the woman had seen fit to disparage her in front of her husband, she decided that she needed to assert her place as the lady of the clan.
But she would wait until she had sufficiently passed all the woman’s threats.
“Ye may escort the boys to their chambers, and see to them for the evening. They should be fed, as they are exhausted from their day,” the Laird continued. “The Lady and I will be going on a walk, and we arenae to be disturbed. Anyone who does so should be ready to sleep in the dungeons.”
Mabel flushed at the tone with which the words were delivered and hid her face so that neither of them would realize the direction her thoughts were heading. She also wanted to protest retiring the boys so early, but she saw them yawn and smiled. They had indeed exhausted themselves.
“Aye, Me Laird.” Missus Norah curtsied, a bitter look on her face. “Come, lads, there’s a tray of fresh bread and milk waitin’ for ye.”
Mabel watched the boys leave with the housekeeper before turning to the Laird, who had a small smile on his face.
He offered his arm, shocking her. “Shall we?”
14
The grounds of Muir Castle were nothing short of beautiful, with the well-trimmed hedges and the sprigs of holly that climbed the sides of the craggy stone cliffs.
It was a beauty that inspired nothing short of awe and serenity from its viewer. Not for the first time, Mabel thought it absolutely ridiculous that her husband, the master of these lands, was referred to as a beast. If this castle were a beast’s lair, then it was a very bonny one, indeed.
What beast would care about trimmed flowers and having an orderly yard? Even now, she watched him wave at the men training in the yard.
Those men, rough around the edges with varying scars and muscular bodies that bore proof of their dedication to protecting their clan, smiled widely and cheered as they passed. They clearly loved and respected their Laird.
While a beast could surely command respect by strictly relying on his cruelty, love and acceptance could not be earned that way. So, her husband was no beast, because no beast could inspire the feelings he stirred within her with just a look.
She might be a timid lady who struggled to express her thoughts, but she preferred to believe that she was a good judge of character, and so far, she had decided that Laird Muir was the farthest thing from a beast.
Even now, she could feel his eyes tracing her profile. He had shortened his strides to walk at the same pace she did, and for that, she was grateful. Unfortunately, that pace allowed him to study her profile. She worried that her awareness of him and desire might be evident in the flush on her face.
“Ye are verra good with the boys,” he suddenly said, startling her. She turned to face him fully. If he had noted her previous embarrassment, he made no mention of it. “Do ye have much experience caring for bairns? The boys took to ye so easily.”
