Page 12 of Bound to a Scot
Maddox raised his head and blinked at him for a moment. When he realized he’d actually spoken out loud, he cleared his throat.
“I was just thinkin’ about somethin’ me cousin said tae me,” he replied.
“And what was that?”
“That we all must dae things we may nae want tae fer the good of the clan.”
Macfie seemed to chew it over for a moment then glowered at Emmeline and nodded, the message in his silent glare and frown on his lips more than clear.
“Aye,” Macfie said. “Ye speak truly, Laird MacLachlan.”
Maddox turned to Cecilia. “What dae ye think of this, lass? ‘Tis yer life we seem tae be playin’ with. I’d have yer thoughts on it all.”
The lass shifted in her seat and looked to her father. Upon seeing his narrowed eyes and clenched jaw, she quickly turned away. Cecilia clearly hadn’t expected to be asked for her opinion on the matter and didn’t know what to do. He could see she was a girlused to doing as she was told and to never question anything, always deferring to her father. It made him sad for her. And it only served to make Maddox even more disgusted with Macfie than he already was.
But that’s not what Maddox wanted. He wanted her genuine thoughts about marrying a man twice her age. More than that, he wanted her unadulterated thoughts about being used to solidify an alliance. He knew he shouldn’t have been asking, but he wanted Laird Macfie to understand that these women in his life were warm, living people, with their own thoughts and values. With their own beliefs. Their own minds. Their own lives.
Maddox was realistic enough to know that political and strategic marriages were common. His own marriage had been such, but that didn’t mean he approved or liked the practice. Although he’d grown to love his first wife, he hadn’t liked the fact that she’d been chosen for him and he didn’t want another to feel the way he’d felt. Especially a girl as young as Cecilia. She still had her whole life ahead of her. If not for the needs of his people, he wouldn’t even be entertaining the notion of taking her as a wife.
But that didn’t mean he wanted a wife who was mindless and simply did as she was told. A wife who did not have, let alone express, her own thoughts and feelings. A wife who was nothing more than an empty vessel that poured out exactly what he poured into her. That was not the sort of marriage he wanted. And that was not the sort of wife he would accept.
“Cecilia?” Maddox pressed.
“What daes it matter what she thinks?” Macfie grunted. “She’ll serve ye well and birth plenty of heirs fer ye. Yer lineage will be secure?—”
Maddox turned to Macfie. “Because I want more than a brainless baby maker fer a wife.”
The ferocity in his voice took Macfie aback, making him recoil slightly in his seat. From the corner of his eye, he caught the small smirk curling the corner of Emmeline’s mouth. It obviously wasn’t all that often that somebody put her husband in his place, and she was enjoying the show. But when Maddox turned to her, the smile slipped as she realized, once more, that they were talking about marrying off the girl she’d raised for their own gain.
He turned to Cecilia. “Well?”
With a quick glance at her father, the girl turned back to Maddox. “Well, ye seem like a good man. I’m sure ye’d make a fine husband?—”
“But what dae ye think about getting married so young? I’ll have yer true thoughts on that, Cecilia,” Maddox pressed.
Her full lips curled downward. “If I’m bein’ true, I’d nae get married so young. And I wouldnae get married fer political reasons. I would like tae be in love?—”
“Again, it matters nae,” Macfie cut her off. “She’s me daughter and I can bleedin’ dae with her as I wish. Ye need this alliance as much as I dae, Laird MacLachlan. Maybe more. So, ‘tis nae fer ye tae be questionin’ the way I go about makin’ it. But if ye’d rather stand on yer high horse because she’s younger than ye’d like, we can cancel the whole bleedin’ thing.”
His face pinched and angry, Macfie got to his feet and stormed out of the chamber, slamming the door behind him. The tense silence at the table was deafening. After a long couple of moments, Cecilia got to her feet and gave him a small curtsy.
“Excuse me, Laird MacLachlan.”
As he nodded, she turned and rushed from the room, leaving through the opposite door as her father, leaving Maddox sitting alone with Emmeline at the table. His heart thundered in his ears and his lips burned, recalling the feel of her mouth on his. Maddox turned to her, wanting to say something, perhaps to apologize for being so forward with her.
Before he could say anything though, she jumped to her feet and gave him a long, lingering look, her sparkling green eyes boring into his. He thought she would speak but she shook her head instead then fled the chamber, following through the door Cecilia had gone through, leaving him sitting alone at the table. He sighed and picked up his cup of wine, draining it down in one swallow. The serving girl appeared, almost as if from nowhere, and refilled his cup.
She gave him an awkward smile. “Sweetcakes fer dessert, me laird?”
CHAPTER SEVEN
After that less than pleasant meal with Macfie, Maddox stalked the halls of the castle, trying to burn off some of his frustrated energy. He knew going back to his chambers to turn in would be pointless. He was so irritated with Macfie and the situation as a whole, he knew he wouldn’t be able to get a minute of sleep anyway. Only when he’d run out of hallways to pace did Maddox throw up his arms in disgust and make his way back to his chamber.
The moment he stepped through the door and into the darkened room, he saw the silhouette of a man by the window and instinctively reached for the sword he normally wore on his hip. Being in another man’s castle though, he’d forgone wearing his weapon out of respect and it stood uselessly in the corner. There was no way Maddox would be able to get to it before the man descended upon him, so he balled his hands into fists and prepared to fight.
“’Tis about bleedin’ time. I’ve been waitin’ here fer hours,” the stranger grumbled.
Maddox immediately recognized the voice and felt the tension ebb from his shoulders as he opened his fists and let his arms fall to his sides.
