Page 26 of Bound to a Scot
She leaned out and looked up and down the corridor. “Hurry up, get in here.”
Maddox stepped through the door and as Emmeline closed the door behind him, he walked to the table on the other side of the room, setting the tray of food down on the table.
“Did anybody see ye come here?” she asked, genuine fear in her voice.
“Nay, I was careful.”
“’Twas reckless fer yet tae come here at all.”
“Perhaps. But I wanted tae make sure ye were all right,” he said.
“I’m fine.”
“Ye dinnae look fine.”
She sniffed loudly and smoothed out her hair, then her dress, doing everything she could to keep from meeting Maddox’s eyes. He sat down at the table and poured her a cup of wine.
“Ye should eat,” he said.
Emmeline looked as if she was going to reject the offer, but her hunger seemed to override her impulse as she sat down on the other side of the small table and tucked into the meal. Maddox poured himself a cup of wine and sat back. He watched her eat for a moment. The way she devoured the food made it obvious she was starving. As if sensing him watching her, Emmeline took another bite of the meat then wiped her mouth and hands with the cloth napkin on the tray.
“Thank ye fer bringin’ me food,” she said quietly. “I suppose I was hungry.”
“Ye’re welcome.”
“I’m grateful, but ye should go before somebody finds ye in me chambers. It would be bad fer the both of us. Very bad.”
“I understand. Before I go though, I wanted tae ask ye a question.”
She pursed her lips then took a sip of her wine. Maddox could see how much the prospect of somebody finding him in herchambers scared her. He understood. Getting to know Macfie as he had, Maddox knew what a petty, vengeful, and spiteful man he was. Despite not seeming to have a single care for his wife, if he found Maddox in her bedchamber, late at night, he would take it as a slight that demanded retribution.
Emmeline raised her gaze to him. “What is yer question?”
“I wanted tae ken why ye let Burchard treat ye so poorly?” he asked. “I ken ye tae have some fire in ye. But around Burchard, ye seem meek. Mild. ‘Tis nae ye.”
“With all due respect, ye dinnae ken me well enough tae say that.”
“Perhaps. But it daesnae mean I’m wrong.”
Emmeline tore a piece of bread off the small loaf, sopped up some of the gravy and popped it into her mouth. She chewed, the look on her face thoughtful, then chased it with a swallow of wine. She seemed to be thinking. Not denying what he’d said, which Maddox found telling, but thinking about how to respond, perhaps debating with herself about how much to tell him. She took another sip of wine then set her cup down gently.
“I used tae stand up fer meself more, but Burchard would punish me fer it. Badly,” she said softly. “He’s nae stranger tae laying hands on a woman. Eventually though, he saw that nothing he did tae me was havin’ an effect. In fact, it only made me angrier, and in his words, mouthier.”
Knowing Burchard put his hands on her stoked the flames of fury already burning hot in his gut. The idea of her being hurt made Maddox want to tear Macfie apart with his bare hands.
“Eventually, Burchard realized that punishin’ me wasnae doin’ what he wanted it tae dae,” she went on. “So, he started tae punish Cecilia whenever I stepped out of line.”
“Monstrous,” Maddox gasped.
“He kent it would hurt me more tae see her suffer than whatever he did tae me.”
“I didnae ken. I’m sorry,” Maddox said.
“He’s careful about it. Nobody ever kens.”
“If I’d kent, I wouldnae have spoken up?—”
“’Tis nae yer fault. Like ye said, ye didnae ken,” she said and glanced down at the floor for a moment, getting her emotions under control once more. “’Twas nae always this way. There was a time when Burchard was kind. When he genuinely seemed tae care about me.”
