Page 23 of Claimed By the Heartless Highlander
Duncan made an effort to rein in his temper. He knew he was being unfair, and she raised some very real issues. “I didnae see how any of this was relevant to the betrothal.”
“Yer life, and yer family, werenae relevant? Well, if that’s the way ye feel, why bother with demandin’ I wed ye at all?”
“I told ye, I need an alliance, and the council was demandin’ I marry.”
Her lips pressed together into a thin line, and the spark of hurt and anger flared. “Ye demand a wife, but ye dinnae want one. Ye’re determined to shut me out and make a stranger out of me, and yet demand I marry ye, in spite of kenning it’s nae what I want.”
She turned away from him. “Ye dinnae care about me, and mayhap I should expect it, since it’s clear ye loved someone afore me. But if ye’re still so in love with yer dead wife that ye cannae give me anythin’, then why should ye nae just marry some empty-headed lass who doesnae care that her husband’s as cold and distant as a winter cliff?”
He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him, unwilling to speak to her back. “Ye keep speakin’ of a wife. What the devil are ye on about?”
She blinked at him. “Ye have a bairn. I would think a wife would be a part of that.”
“Ye ken nothin’ about it.”
“And how would I? Clearly, I’m nae meant to ken anythin’ about ye, or share anythin’ with ye.” She yanked her arm free.
He hated to see the anger, hurt, and dismissal in her eyes. Hated the feeling that he was losing the argument and that he deserved to lose it. His anger was doused with the realization that, once again, he was being unfair to her.
He sought to ease the tension in the room by reaching out to cup her chin with one hand. “And here I thought ye liked me enough to kiss me, at least.”
A blush crept up her cheeks, and she leaned toward him, as if asking him for the promised kiss.
He could oblige her with that, at least. He started to lean in, only to stop as she suddenly pulled away, her eyes sparkling with uncertainty and unhappiness.
“Nay. I dinnae want a kiss from a man who doesnae want me in his life.”
He didn’t know what to do. “Ailis… I ken ye’re angry with me. But ye’ll see. I’m nae the most demonstrative man, I ken, but I’ll be a fair husband. Ye’ll have everythin’ ye could need or want, for as long as I live.”
She didn’t seem to want to yield, and Lily was waiting. He waited a moment more, then dipped his head. “Good night. I’ll see ye in the morn.”
He was halfway to the door when he heard her soft response, filled with heartache and bitterness. “Everythin’ I want, aye… save for a lovin’ marriage or a place in yer family or yer heart.”
The thud of the door closing behind him was painfully loud, and he winced.
Lily was waiting.
He set his guilty feelings aside and strode down the hall to his daughter’s rooms. She was already dressed for bed, half buried beneath the coverlets and pillows, but she smiled and held out her arms for a hug when he entered her room.
“Faither!” She cuddled into his chest. “I was afraid ye might nae come.”
He shook his head. “I’ll always come to tell ye good night, lass, if I’m home. I just had some things to discuss with Ailis.”
“I like Ailis. She’s nice.” Blue eyes met his own. “Is she really goin’ to be me friend? Is she yer friend?”
“Aye. I think she’ll be a good friend to both of us.” When and if she managed to forgive him for his latest blunders.
“Good. I like her.” Lily frowned at him. “Ye had yer stern face on when Uncle Jack left. Ye werenae mean to Ailis, were ye? Ye shouldnae be. She’s very nice.”
He’d been a proper bear to Ailis, but he couldn’t say that to his daughter. “But enough of that. What have ye been up to while I’ve been away?”
That earned him a monologue about helping the cook and working with the steward and lessons with Jack that he listened to with half an ear. He nodded and smiled at the right moments, answered her quick questions, and waited for her to run out of words.
When her eyes started to droop and her sentences started to repeat, he bent forward and kissed her on the brow. “Enough, Lily-love. Ye can tell me the rest in the mornin’. For now, ‘tis time for ye to sleep.”
She nodded and snuggled down into the blankets, half-asleep already. He softly blew out the candle on her bedside table, kissed her once more, and left the room.
Out in the hall, he shook his head once, then turned to go back to his study. Time and paperwork waited for no one, and he had things that he needed to do. Reports to be signed, requests to be considered, and letters to write to the village leaders were just a few of the duties his absence had forced him to neglect.
