Page 48 of Bound to a Scot
“Of course. I’ll see tae it, me laird,” she said.
“Very good,” he said imperiously.
Burchard stood at the table, eyeing them both closely, his face tight, his expression dark.
“All right,” he said. “I need tae make me preparations. Enjoy the rest of yer meal.”
He turned on his heel and marched away as Laith, the tall, pale man with the ever-watchful eyes, who never failed to unsettle her, followed behind his master like a malevolent specter. Something was in the air, something dangerous was brewing. She wasn’t sure what it was just yet, the picture was not clear, but Emmeline got the sense Burchard was laying some sort of trap and if she wasn’t careful, she’d blindly stumble into it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Would ye lie down and go tae bed already, ye bleedin’ donkey?” Adair called.
His arms folded over his chest, Maddox paced the length of the chamber and bit back the caustic reply that sat on the tip of his tongue. Arguing with Adair would only agitate him more than he already was. He was restless and knew he would not be finding sleep anytime soon. Adair let out a loud, frustrated breath.
“What is the problem?” he asked.
Maddox paused and stared through the darkness to where Adair was attempting to sleep, feeling bad for keeping him awake with his relentless pacing. He was restless but shouldn’t be bothering Adair because of it.
“Sorry,” Maddox said. “I just cannae sleep.”
“What has ye so restless?”
“I dinnae ken. I just am.”
“Ye should try tae get some sleep.”
“I dinnae think I could even if I tried,” he replied. “But I dinnae want tae keep ye awake so I’ll take a walk. Maybe burnin’ off some of this energy will help me sleep.”
“One can hope.”
Smirking to himself, Maddox pulled on his boots and threw his cloak around his shoulders to stave off the chill in the air, then quietly slipped out of their bedchamber. He stole through the castle like a breeze passing through the empty stone corridors and just as silently. The household staff had long been asleep and the few sentries awake at that hour were posted on the walls outside.
Although Maddox believed he was wandering aimlessly, his feet seemed to have an agenda of their own and it wasn’t long before he knew where he was going. He rounded the corner and found himself in the corridor that led to Emmeline’s chambers. He paused and looked around, listening closely, but didn’t see or hear anybody. Nor did he get the feeling there was anybody lurking about spying on him. He was alone.
Maddox gnawed on his bottom lip, gripped by indecision. He knew he shouldn’t be there, that he should turn around and go back to his bedchambers, or walk through the yard, or go anywhere but where he was. His feet, though, refused to heed hiscommands and before he knew it, Maddox was standing outside Emmeline’s bedchamber.
“Bleedin’ hell,” he muttered softly.
He stared at the door for a long moment, his mind screaming at him to turn and go. Screaming at him that this was madness. Idiocy. Telling him nothing good would come from his being there. His heart though, told him to stay. To go in. To talk to her. To share his thoughts and his feelings. He shook his head, trying to drive those thoughts out. Sharing his feelings with her would do nothing other than cause confusion and pain, because there was nothing either of them could do about them. Acting on those feelings would only bring trouble.
Soft light glowed beneath the door of her chamber, telling Maddox that she was still awake. He had seen Burchard leave earlier in the day on whatever clan business he was attending to, so he was not afraid of the man catching them. Laith was still lurking about, and he had undoubtedly been keeping an eye on him at Macfie’s urging, but the man was nowhere to be seen, leading Maddox to conclude he had gone to bed long ago.
Still he stood outside her door gripped by indecision when, from inside the chamber, he heard Emmeline singing. It was soft and muffled by the heavy door that separated them, but the sound of her voice was beautiful. It sounded like an angel from heaven was singing. It brought a smile to his face and Maddox might have been content to stand in the corridor listening to it all night. But the sound of footsteps approaching rang in his ears.
“Damn,” he whispered to himself.
Adrenaline surged through his veins and as the footsteps drew near, Maddox knew he had to do something. He had no idea who was coming but everything inside of him made him believe it was Laith. And Maddox knew if he was caught in the corridor outside Emmeline’s door, it would look terrible. More than that, Maddox knew it would be relayed back to Burchard. Whatever happened after that, he knew it would not be good for him. Or for Emmeline.
Acting quickly, Maddox opened the door and stepped inside. Emmeline gasped, her eyes widening as her mouth fell open. He closed the door behind him then darted across the room, stepping into a darkened corner, letting the shadows swallow him whole.
“What are ye doin’ in here?” she asked.
“Quiet,” he whispered harshly.
“Maddox—”
“Be quiet,” he repeated and pointed to the door.
