Page 61 of A Forbidden Night with a Scot
Before the gates had even been shut, Samuel pushed himself out of the cot with all the strength he had left, determined to never make the mistake of hesitating again.
Clouds gathered above Alicia as she and her family rode down the path that led away from Castle MacLachlan—away from Samuel and any chance she had of being with him. Ever since the previous night, when her father had attacked him, she could not stop the tears that fell from her eyes no matter how much shetried. There seemed to be no end to them, no respite from the pain. Samuel was all she could think about and no matter how many times Emmeline assured her he was fine and he would make a full recovery soon, she could not help but worry for his well-being.
Her father had beaten him savagely upon seeing them together. Alicia had never seen him like this before, acting like a feral beast whose only goal was to take a chunk out of his opponent.
Ever since, he had been watching her like a hawk, refusing to let her out of his sight. She didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye to Samuel and now she never would.
“What were ye thinkin’?” her father demanded, his voice cutting through the silence of the forest they were crossing. “Were ye thinkin’ at all? O’ course ye werenae. If ye were thinkin’, ye wouldnae have allowed him tae… tae ruin ye like this!”
He had not spoken a word to Alicia ever since the incident, but now her father seemed in the mood to talk—or rather, to accuse her and release some of the anger he still held in his heart, since he couldn’t yell at Samuel. Alicia choked on a sob, gritting her teeth to keep herself quiet.
“He didnae ruin me,” she mumbled under her breath.
“What was that?” her father asked.
“I said he didnae ruin me,” Alicia said defiantly, this time daring to turn her head and meet his gaze. “He wishes tae marry me an’ so dae I. He wished tae speak with ye, tae explain everythin’, but ye had tae hurt him like that!”
“I should have killed him!” Her father roared, blood rushing to his face and turning it a bright shade of red. “I should have killed him fer what he did tae ye. Did ye think I would ever allow such a thing tae happen? Ye’re more foolish than I thought!”
“I’m nae foolish!” Alicia protested. She had never spoken to her father like that. Even when they argued—which was often, considering how much trouble she tended to get in—he always reminded her that even if he was upset at the time, he always loved her. But now there was nothing other than rage in his tone, nothing but contempt in his gaze. “I dinnae understand how ye can be against this when ye were so willin’ tae wed me tae Laird MacTavish! How is he a better man fer me than Samuel?”
“It isnae the same!” her father said, bringing his horse to a sudden halt and forcing her sisters to do the same. Alicia stopped a few steps farther down the path and turned her horse to face him, her lips forming a thin line as she pursed them. “An’ I didnae want ye tae wed Laird MacTavish. Ye ken that. I dinnae want ye tae wed either o’ them!”
“Well, I dae!” Alicia shouted, her anger getting the better of her. “I’m nae a bairn anymore, Faither. Samuel kens that, even if ye dinnae.”
“Ye act like a bairn,” her father said, raising his voice to match her volume. “An’ ye have humiliated me. Ye have humiliated us all! Did ye ever stop tae think how yer trysts with Samuel would reflect on the rest o’ us? Now everyone will ken ye’re a disgrace!”
“Faither—”
“Quiet!” Her father roared, turning to look at Emmeline, who had tried to appease him. “I expected Katherine tae say naething about this, but ye, Emmeline? I thought ye would ken better than this an’ yet ye never thought tae mention it.”
“Samuel planned tae speak tae ye,” said Emmeline, keeping her voice calm and level. “I didnae think it was me place tae say somethin’.”
“Ye should have!” Their father said, and then ended that part of the conversation by turning back to Alicia. “Pray Laird MacTavish forgives ye fer this an’ allows an alliance without a marriage, otherwise ye’ll be responsible fer what will follow. An’ all because ye were so eager tae let yerself be ruined!”
“I wasnae ruined!” Alicia cried, throwing her hands wildly in the air. As she did, her fingers were caught on the edge of the necklace Samuel had given her and it flew off her neck, landing on the ground nearby.
“What is that?” her father asked, but Alicia was too busy jumping off her horse and rushing to the necklace before she could lose it or it was trampled by her mare. She cradled it in her handand held it close to her chest, even as her father dismounted his horse and approached her, all but wrestling it out of her hand.
When he saw the necklace, he fell silent, eyes widening just slightly. “Samuel gave ye this?”
“Aye,” said Alicia through gritted teeth as she reached for it and took it back, relieved that her father gave it to her with no arguments. “It’s a token o’ his love. But I dinnae expect ye tae understand.”
Putting the necklace back on, Alicia stomped to her horse and jumped onto the saddle, refusing to look at her father or exchange another word with him. When he silently climbed onto his horse, too, though, and the four of them made their way down the path once more without any further arguments, she glanced at him from the corner of her eye and found him pensive, lost in his thoughts.
After that, there were no more arguments.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Samuel told no one but the guards at the gates where he was heading, too eager to catch up to Alicia to seek Nerian first. He knew his guards would give him the message, and he also knew he would come after him, but he didn’t mind. As long as he reached Alicia, nothing else mattered to him.
A pounding headache gripped him before he had even crossed the gates on his horse. His head felt heavy on his shoulders and all he wanted was to rest, but how could he when he knew Alicia was about to slip right through his fingers? For all he knew, Laird MacTavish could still want this marriage, and even if he didn’t, Samuel wouldn’t risk Gavin taking her back home and locking her in a room for the rest of her life, forbidding them from seeing each other. He had to reach him. He had to plead with him and make him see just how much he loved her.
But what if he doesnae understand? What if he doesnae care?
Samuel didn’t know what he would do then. He had half a mind to simply steal her away and marry her, so that no one could tell them what they could and couldn’t do, but there was no telling what the consequences of such actions would be. For all he knew, Gavin would declare a war against his clan, as was within his rights, and claim that the wedding was unsanctioned and unwanted. He could even get the support of the king, and then Samuel’s clan would be doomed. It wasn’t something he could risk.
It wasn’t something he could entertain for too long, so he pushed the thought aside. When the time came, he would know what to do, he told himself. He simply prayed Gavin would hear him out. He prayed he would understand.
