Page 50 of A Highland Bride Taken
She grew mortified when she recalled how she had just lain there and not participated in anything that had happened. What if she had displeased her husband because she didn’t know what to do?
Who could she even ask about such matters?
Her only married sister didn’t seem to be having better luck in her marriage.
“Thank ye, Isla,” she said. “Ye may leave the tray.”
The maid curtsied and did as she was told.
She had changed much from when she had been tasked with just ensuring that Mabel did not leave her rooms, and it was a welcome change, indeed.
Once alone, Mabel realized how hungry she was and settled into her seat, tucking into her food.
It was thoughtful of the Laird to have asked to let her rest after last night, because she had felt tired to her bones and had been unable to keep her eyes open long enough after he had left.
To think a man so large and intimidating could be so gentle and loving…
He had handled her so tenderly and kept whispering how beautiful she was over and over again. He was good for her vanity—that she couldn’t deny—but not so much for her sanity.
Nothing had prepared her for the sensations he would wreak on her, and she had hoped she would recover rational thought after her mind had shattered when he had tasted her so intimately.
Her body warmed at the memory, and she wondered what it would mean for them going forward.
Pushing her tray aside, she decided to go to the boys. They would no doubt be worried about her by now.
The maids curtsied to her when she passed, and she noticed how they did not meet her eyes and giggled, which painted her cheeks red with embarrassment. She had warned the Laird that this would happen, but he did not hear any word of protest.
“It pleases me to hear ye, wife. What matters more? Yer husband’s pleasure or the others?”
She bit her lip as liquid heat pooled between her legs and tried to bury the memory. She couldn’t be harboring such thoughts so early in the day.
When she did not find the boys in their chambers, she asked a nearby maid for their whereabouts.
“They are in the dining hall with the Laird,” the maid answered, before scurrying off.
Mabel’s eyebrows rose in surprise, and while she did not want to interrupt the moment, she wanted to see how well they were getting along. She kept her steps light as she approached the high table, accepting the greetings that were sent her way by the clansmen and maids alike, but her eyes were fixed on the three she had been looking for.
They were sitting together, with the Laird in the middle and the two boys on each side, eating heartily. It was such a touchingscene that she had to pause as happy tears welled up in her eyes. They looked so alike at that moment that when she recalled how he had bared his pain at not having time with his brother, she felt even more touched that he at least had a part of Aidan with him.
When he finally noticed her, he had an odd expression on his face, which faded to a small smile that encouraged her to join them.
“I had them send a tray to yer room. I didnae want them to disturb ye,” he said when she finally sat. “Are ye well?”
He had a guilty look on his face, which made her smile.
“Aye. I thank ye for yer thoughtfulness,” she answered. “I was verra exhausted.”
The tips of his ears reddened, and his eyes darted around to see if anyone was listening in, which she found funny because they already knew or suspected what had happened between them. The fact that she had only just risen would no doubt have confirmed the rumors that indeed the Laird and Lady had an eventful night.
“I am glad to see the boys are eating well,” she added. “Ye have bonded well with them.”
“Aye, indeed.” He nodded, ruffling their hair. “And it’s all thanks to ye. If ye hadnae fallen into the lake, perhaps they might still be scared of me.”
She gasped at the joke and then shook her head with a laugh. “I am glad me misfortune helped ye.”
He smiled at her cheek, which had her eyes widening.
She had never seen him smile so broadly before; he was so beautiful that she couldn’t help but wish he did it more often.
