Page 46 of Taken By the Devilish Highlander
“Dinner tonight,” he said. “Out on the terrace. I’ve asked Jan to make one of her specialties.”
It took Feya a moment to take in what Archer was asking her. After he sent her from his room last night, she had been confused about whether Archer wanted to see her. She had struggled with what might happen when they saw each other again. And now he was standing in front of other people, unabashedly inviting her to a private meal.
“Don’t leave the man waiting,” Holly said. She slipped over to Feya and nudged her with her elbow.
“Will ye join me?” Archer asked.
“Aye,” she said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ayla beaming at them, as if something she had wanted were finally coming true. “I’d love to.”
“Good,” Archer said. He didn’t smile, but Feya was starting to recognize the slight change in his eyes that told her he was pleased. She was finally able to peer beyond his hard exterior to see the true emotions underneath.
“And what about the rest of us?” Ayla asked, putting on some mock outrage. “Am I to eat by meself?”
“Ye ken ye’ll love it,” Archer laughed. “Ye willnae have to keep me grumpy self company. Ye should thank Feya for doing it for ye.”
“How true,” Ayla laughed. “I’ll finally have a night of peace.”
“Tonight then,” Archer said, locking eyes with Feya for a final time. She nodded, feeling shy, and Archer turned to leave. His steps hadn’t even disappeared from the hallway before Ayla and Holly started teasing her.
“I have news for ye.”
Archer and Feya sat at a carefully arranged table, the evening sky darkening around them. It was a warm night, but a cool breeze from the woods kept it comfortable on the terrace, light from large chandeliers inside illuminating through the French doors.
“News?” she asked. Archer poured wine into Feya’s glass, trying not to stare at the deep neckline of the dark blue velvet dress. She had no doubt borrowed it from Ayla, but despite his sister’s height, she was lighter of frame than Ayla. It meant that all the curves he had only begun to explore were on display, none more so than Feya’s ample breasts straining to be contained.
“From home,” he said.
As soon as he said it, Feya sat up straighter. Worry creased her brow.
“It isnae bad,” he said quickly. He hadn’t meant to panic her, and he shook his head now, doing his best to show her that he hadn’t brought her here to deliver bad news.
“Nay, it’s good, I think,” he assured her. “The new Laird McKenzie has married your sister.”
“Morgana?” she asked, and Archer nodded.
“The old man’s son returned to claim his position as Laird. And it seems he’s accepted Morgana as his wife.”
“Then she’s safe,” Feya sighed. She seemed to melt with relief, and Archer felt a warmth spread through his chest as he realized how good it felt to deliver this news.
“She’s safe,” he nodded. “And it’s likely your siblings are, too. I daenae have word of them, but if your sister is Lady McKenzie again, then they are under her protection.”
A smile spread across Feya’s face, and she gazed at him with gratitude.
“Thank ye,” she said, and the words felt so intimate that Archer squirmed beneath them. He reached for his wine and took a hearty sip. He gestured for the first course of their meal, catching the eye of the man who had set himself up in a quiet corner, available but discreet.
“Tell me about him,” Feya asked, and there was excitement in her voice. She lifted her own wine glass and sipped from it as she settled back into her chair. “The younger Laird McKenzie. Do ye ken him?”
“Not well,” Archer said. “But his reputation is a good one. He disapproved of his faither’s actions with the clan, and so he fled. But he made a name for himself as a hard worker, someone his men are loyal to.”
“If he is a Scots Inch kinder than his faither, then I’m happy. It means me family may be treated well. That they have protection.”
The lamb chops arrived, and Archer silently thanked the cook when he saw Feya’s look of admiration toward her plate. She lifted her knife and dug into the meal, eating with the careless abandon of someone who just had a weight lifted from her shoulders.
Feya talked of her siblings as they ate. It was like the news that they were safe had opened something inside of her. Perhaps she had been afraid to speak of them before, as if keeping them close to her heart could somehow protect them. But now he heard of her childhood in the village, of her younger brothers trying to protect her when they were small. He heard about the antics of her younger sisters, the twins who seemed to pull each other into mischief.
“They sound like Ayla and me,” he laughed, wiping at the last drops of sauce on his plate with a piece of bread. “Our tutors could never keep track of us.”
“It must be so different,” she said, looking at him thoughtfully. “To grow up in a small family. I cannae imagine what it would be like to have only one sister.”
