Page 37 of Bound to a Scot
“Aye. Nay sense in puttin’ it off any longer than we already have.”
“Indeed,” he said. “But I’d like tae make a proposal.”
“And what is that?”
“It just seems tae me that we’ve been so caught up in negotiatin’ this alliance that ye’ve nae had time tae really get tae ken Cecilia. Perhaps that’s why you’re so reticent.”
“I suppose that could be true.”
“Then after our evenin’ meal, why dinnae we gather in here,” Macfie offered. “Ye can talk tae her. She likes tae play games, so maybe ye can dae that. Just take a little time tae get tae ken her. Perhaps when ye see what she’s about, it’ll ease yer mind some.”
“Perhaps,” Maddox said slowly.
“Dinnae be afraid tae get tae ken her in any way ye wish, Laird MacLachlan. She’s like a spirited horse that needs tae be broken in. Feel free tae start that process tonight. ‘Tis fine with me,” Macfie said and tipped a wink at Maddox that made his skin crawl.
“We’ll see yet at the evenin’ meal,” Maddox said.
“Aye. See ye then.”
He and Adair got up and walked out of the salon, retracing their path back to their bedchambers. Maddox had to get out of the castle for a little while. He desperately needed to get away from Macfie. He was shocked that Cecilia’s own father had suggested Maddox bed his daughter before they’d been wed if he desired it. It was disturbing. His attitude toward his daughter’s virtue was monstrous.
“I need some air,” Maddox said as he turned toward the main door.
“Aye,” Adair agreed. “Me too.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Emmeline sat at the table across from Maddox staring at the chess board between them. Her mind kept flashing back to the night they’d played in the common room of the inn. She idly ran the tips of her fingers around her lips, imagining she could still feel the heat from his mouth on hers. The memory put a flutter in her heart.
“’Tis still yer move,” Maddox said.
Emmeline gave herself a small shake, pushing away the memory of their kiss. “Aye. I ken.”
“Well, I’m goin’ tae take a nap then,” he replied. “Wake me up when ye’ve finally moved.”
She bit off the laughter that bubbled up in her throat, cutting a glance at Burchard who sat in the chair before the fire reading a book. Like her father, Cecilia sat off to the side reading beneath the glow of a candle. Other than she and Maddox, the rest of theroom was silent, and she couldn’t help but feel the awkward and strained tension in the air. Burchard seemed angry, though he was holding it in. Emmeline wasn’t sure what had angered him, but she could feel it all the same.
Trying to push it out of her mind, she turned her attention back to the board. As she did, images from the night in the hot spring came crashing back into her memory. She remembered the look in Maddox’s eye and the heat of his gaze on her body when she’d been standing in the water naked. She’d been shocked to see him watching her and angry at the unexpected intrusion. She’d felt violated.
But the way he’d looked at her, like she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, had not been lost on her. It had continued to warm her from the inside. He’d looked at her the way Emmeline had always wanted her husband to look at her. Burchard had never looked at her with anything but contempt. For a time, his clear disdain for her had crushed her soul, but over time, she’d learned to shut it out, to not let it define her. She learned to wear armor over her heart so it did not affect her.
Deep down, though, she still yearned for the love she’d dreamed of as a girl. As she recalled the way Maddox had looked into her eyes that night, she felt what it must be like to have that. He hadn’t leered at her with lust. Or at least he had looked at her not only with lust. He’d looked at her like she was a work of art, a living goddess. And he’d treated her with respect, with care. He’d made her feel like she mattered. He’d made her feel seen. And that was something she’d never had in her life, but something she had always longed for.
“Have ye gone tae sleep, me lady?”
Maddox’s voice snapped her back to the moment again and she offered him an awkward grin.
“Aye. Sorry,” she said and made a move on the board that made him tsk.
“’Twas nae a wise move. I’ll let ye take it back if ye’d like. I can tell ye’re distracted.”
“I’m nae distracted,” she said quickly. “’Tis part of me larger strategy.”
Maddox chuckled. “Is that so?”
“Aye,” she said, inwardly cringing at her tactical mistake.
Against her will, Emmeline’s memory pulled her back to that night once more. As she’d been walking away from the hot spring, she’d heard Maddox splashing around in it. Curious, she had crept back to the stone outcropping and peered around it, figuring that since he’d seen her bathing, it was only right that she saw him. What she’d seen though, was very unexpected.
