Page 32 of Claimed By the Heartless Highlander
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Duncan stared at Ailis, his rage so thick that it seemed likely to choke him. How dare she accuse him of neglecting his daughter?
He knew Lily didn’t like being kept in the castle. He knew it, and he tried as well as he could to make her happy while keeping her safe and not spoiling her too much.
He did his best to be a good father, as good or better than his own had been. It wasn’t fair to either Lily or himself that there were things that he always had to be aware of, dangers he was guarding her against. He still did his best to keep her content and provide for her.
And now here was Ailis, who knew nothing of his past, or his life, or the dangers he faced, who dared tell him he was doing wrongly by his daughter. The only thing that infuriated him more than her words was the small voice in the back of his head that suggested she might be right.
He suppressed the urge to grab her and shake her until she apologized. “Ye dinnae understand what the situation is. I have me reasons for what I do, and ye dinnae ken enough to question how I run me clan, nor how I raise me daughter.”
He’d hoped to put her in her place, but she was made of sterner stuff than her small frame might suggest, and her temper was clearly a match for his own.
She merely lifted her chin and challenged him. “Och, in that case, tell me what it is I dinnae ken. Ye wish to claim me as yer wife, then ye’d best tell me what it is I’m dealin’ with. Why are ye so set on trappin’ yer daughter? And is it only yer child ye’re set on trappin’ like a wild thing in a cage? Or are ye plannin’ to do the same to me?”
His lips curled into a snarl. “I promised ye yer freedom. I dinnae break me word.”
“Except when that freedom might nae agree with what ye think is necessary because of these shadows I dinnae ken aught about. I have me freedom and every comfort… but I cannae speak to yer daughter, or interact with her, or make her happy without kissin’ yer arse and placatin’ yer moods first.”
She gave him no time to respond as she continued her verbal attack, her words slicing through his defenses like well-aimed blows.
“And what then? Will ye decide one day that I cannae go to me friends because of yer oh-so-important reasons that I’m apparently nae meant to ken, for all I’m meant to be yer wife and partner? Will ye decide that one day, I too cannae go beyond yer castle walls and cannae ever ken the reasons why because ye deem ‘tis nae me place?”
Her words stung, and not only because of the heat of her anger. There was too much truth to them.
She deserved answers, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to give them. He’d kept this secret for seven years. The idea of allowing anyone outside his clan to learn the truth of what had happened in the past, or what he felt, was unacceptable.
He tried to control himself, but it was becoming steadily more difficult. “I willnae trap ye. I swore it, and ye’ll have to trust me on that.”
“And why should I? Ye run hot and cold, changeable as the winds in the midst of a storm.” She glared at him. “Ye’re fair one moment and a tyrant the next. Generous and kind, even flirtin’ with me, and then in the space of a breath, ye’re pushin’ me away and treatin’ me like an inconvenient interloper, despiteyerinsisting on this arrangement.”
“I explained that.”
“Scarcely. And certainly nae well enough to explain yer behavior.” Ailis cocked her head, golden locks framing her face and her aggrieved expression.
When he made no response, a bitter look crossed her usually sweet face.
“Ye ken, I was supposed to wed Laird MacDean. I was fairly terrified because of his reputation as ‘the Beastly Laird.’ I was relieved when Maisie won his heart, and nae only because she became a good friend to me and revealed that he wasnae as beastly as he seemed. It gave me hope that this might be true of others like him.”
Her voice was heavy with disappointment, and it hurt like salt in wounds. “But now I ken that some men truly are beasts, nae just men with unearned reputations. Certainly, the title of ‘Beastly Laird’ would suit ye far better than Keith.”
The anger, disappointment, and scorn in her voice were infuriating and painful. His head ached with the force of his conflicting emotions.
He was hurt by her accusations, as well as angered by them. He was furious at himself for not being able to respond to her words. His own seemed to have failed him in the face of her anger.
He’d brought her to his study, intending to make it clear that she was not to do anything with Lily without his permission and involvement. He hadn’t been prepared to receive a lecture in return. Especially not one so scathing and cutting.
He hadn’t been prepared for the way she could breach his carefully erected walls with a few words and the sparks in her eyes alone.
In the end, he could only offer, “Ye dinnae understand me reasons… nor all that’s happened… if ye kenned…”
“Then explain it to me. Tell me what it is I need to ken. I’m to be yer wife, and ye owe me at least that much.”
She was right, but he couldn’t speak. Couldn’t bear to let anyone see those wounds, nor risk how much damage she might do if she truly understood his situation.
After a moment of silence, the anger in her eyes turned into disappointment, so deep and bitter that it seemed likely to drown them both. “Fine. If ye cannae even make the attempt to trust me, even a bit, then tell me this. Why should I stay?”
He started, shocked by her words. “What?”
