Page 67 of Bound to a Scot
“I heard me faither talkin’ tae Laith. I heard him say ye’d been set upon and almost killed.”
“Laird MacLachlan saved me.”
After her bath, Emmeline had found her way to Cecilia’s chamber. She figured the girl would have been worried about her and when she had nearly burst into tears upon seeing her, Emmeline knew she’d figured right. They sat together on the girl’s bed. Emmeline had her arm around her narrow shoulders and was gently stroking Cecilia’s hair.
“How’d he save ye?” Cecilia asked softly.
“He… he made the men stop tryin’ tae hurt me.”
Cecilia was quiet for a long moment, but Emmeline felt her body tense up and when she spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper. “He killed those men, didnae he?”
Emmeline hesitated, unsure whether she wanted to share the details with the girl. But when Cecilia raised her head and looked up at Emmeline, her wide blue eyes searching hers, she knew she could not lie to her. She had always wanted to protect her, even from ugly truths, but she had never lied to Cecilia. And she never would.
“Aye,” Emmeline finally answered. “He did.”
“Good,” she said firmly. “Fer tryin’ tae hurt ye, they deserved tae die.”
It was a surprising thing for Cecilia to say. She was sweet, quiet, and most of all, she was gentle. One of the gentlest souls Emmeline had ever known. She had never expressed anything so harsh before. In truth, Emmeline didn’t know the lass was even capable of harboring such dark thoughts toward anybody before.
“Ye care fer Laird MacLachlan, dinnae ye?” Cecilia asked after a long moment.
Emmeline swallowed hard and felt the shadow of fear crossing her heart. Maddox was her betrothed, after all. It was wholly inappropriate for Emmeline to feel the way she did about him. And what they had done together the night before was wrong. She felt awful and it only added to the growing pile of guilt insideof her. She didn’t want to lie to Cecilia. But she didn’t necessarily want to tell her the truth of what happened between them either.
“Why would ye say such a thing?” Emmeline asked.
“I’m nae blind. I see the way ye look at each other,” she says. “’Tis the way I want the man I’m tae marry tae look at me.”
Emmeline’s heart quivered, partly because Maddox was Cecilia’s betrothed and what she’d done was wrong. But also, because the feelings that had developed between her and Maddox were so obvious to Cecilia.
“’Tis all right, Emmy,” Cecilia said. “When ye’re with him, ye seem happy. Happier than I think I’ve ever seen ye before.”
“Cecilia—”
“I dinnae want tae marry him. He seems a kind man, but I dinnae love him,” she says. “I dinnae ken if I’ll ever be able tae love him. And I dinnae want tae be forced tae marry a man I dinnae love, Emmy. I’d rather never be wed and spend me life alone.”
As Emmeline thought back to how miserable she had been throughout a marriage she had been forced into, her heart ached. She never wanted Cecilia to feel that way. But she also knew that, although Maddox was not a bad or cruel man and would never treat Cecilia the way Burchard treated her, the factremained that she did not love him. And marriage without love would be an exercise in misery and unhappiness.
“Dae ye love him?” Cecilia asked.
“I dinnae ken how tae answer that,” Emmeline said.
“Whenever I see ye look at him, ye look like ye love him.”
Emmeline remained quiet. She didn’t know how to respond to the girl’s words and thought it better to say nothing. Not that any of it mattered. Even if she wanted to be with Maddox, she couldn’t. She was married, Cecilia was going to be—whether she wanted to be or not—and nothing about either of their situations seemed likely to change.
“Thank ye fer always lookin’ after me, Emmy,” Cecilia said. “I ken ye want the best fer me. I’m grateful.”
“I’ll always protect ye, lass,” she replied softly. “Always.”
Cecilia laid her head back down on Emmeline’s chest and she resumed stroking the girl’s hair. Her mind spun wildly as thought and memory collided inside her skull, making for a dizzying clash of emotions that was exhilarating. At the same time though, it left her feeling heartbroken knowing she could never have that which she wanted with her entire heart, body, and soul.
Maddox.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Maddox had woken up in his bedchamber the same way he’d gone to sleep: alone. Adair had not returned to the keep the previous night, leaving Maddox to assume he had found the bed of a scullery maid or a tavern serving girl. He stirred beneath the bedcovers and smiled to himself as memories of coupling with Emmeline scrolled through his mind.
He knew what they’d done was wrong and that it could have dire consequences for the both of them. But as he laid there thinking about it, remembering the softness of Emmaline’s skin, the taste of her, and her moans of pleasure, Maddox felt a warm shiver run through him. He knew he should push those thoughts from his mind and should stop thinking about what he wanted desperately since he also knew he would never have her again. But he couldn’t. The more he tried to push her from his mind, the more stubbornly she seemed to remain in his thoughts.
