Page 39 of Claimed By the Heartless Highlander
Lily nodded.
Ailis gave her a final kiss and a quick push. “Off with ye, and I’ll see ye sometime later.”
Lily managed a small smile, and a sniffle, before she wiped her eyes, turned on her heel, and ran off.
Ailis watched her go, then rose to her feet and turned toward the carriage. She was nearly there when a figure stepped into her path. She hesitated, then looked up into the blue eyes of the last person she wanted to speak to—Duncan Wallace.
CHAPTER15
Duncan stared at Ailis,his mouth dry. For all that he’d been trying to speak to her for the past several days, now he couldn’t think of anything to say.
He wanted to wish her a safe journey. He wanted to ask her not to leave the safety of the castle.
He wanted to apologize. To explain. But none of the words he wanted to say would come forth. The one time he’d managed to convince her to speak to him, the morning after the confrontation in his study, she’d turned away as soon as he failed to answer her questions.
After that, she’d avoided speaking to him, and any time she couldn’t avoid his presence, she made sure to address most of her comments to others and leave as soon as possible.
When he tried to start a conversation over a meal, he’d receive a curt “If ye’ll excuse me, Me Laird.” Then she’d finish her food and leave.
If he approached her in the gardens, she’d smile at Lily and say something like, “It looks as if yer faither’s here to speak to ye. I’ll let ye play with him for now and come back later.” Then she’d excuse herself before he could say anything, knowing he was too much a father to disappoint his daughter.
When he tried to join a conversation she was having with Jack, she’d slip gracefully out of it with a quiet “I’ll let ye speak with each other. I ken ye have much to discuss concernin’ clan affairs.”
Then she’d be gone, leaving him frustrated, angry, and more than a little jealous that she could speak so easily to Jack when she refused to give him more than a sentence or two.
His mood wasn’t helped at all when Jack addressed him. “I dinnae ken what ye’ve done to anger the lass so much, though I can guess from the questions she’s asked about the guards. But, Braither, I’ll warn ye, ye’re bein’ a fool, and ye’ll regret it if ye dinnae rectify it.”
Duncan’s jaw clenched. “There’s nay point in tellin’ her stories about the past, and havin’ her be wary of dangers we’re nae even sure are out there. Once the situation is resolved and we can tell her it’s over…”
“It may be too late by then, Braither. Ye’ll be lucky if ye can win her back by then, even if ye settle matters within the next fortnight. God above help ye, but at the moment, I have more a chance of winnin’ her affection than ye do.”
Jealous rage threatened to overwhelm him for a moment, black and hot. “Ye wouldnae dare…”
“Nay, I wouldnae, for I can see she’s good for ye, and that for all the hurt and silence between ye, the two of ye care about each other. In fact, ye’d be less at odds now if she didnae have feelings for ye, for she’d nae be half so hurt and furious.”
Jack finished his food and sat back. “I ken ye’re me Laird and me elder braither, and it isnae me place to tell ye what to do. But I’ve long paid attention to the world while ye’ve been nursin’ yer wounds and yer temper, so I’ll give ye a warnin’. If ye dinnae change yer behavior soon, ye’re likely to lose Ailis. And if ye’re nae careful, ye’ll lose Lily too.”
Duncan’s head snapped up. “Lily? Ye think she’d take Lily?”
“I think she wouldnae, for she’s not the sort to try and steal a child. But children are sensitive to the moods of their elders. Lily adores Ailis. She has like as nae already guessed there’s somethin’ amiss between ye, though she might nae understand why.”
“Ye cannae think she’d take Ailis’s side over mine.”
“I cannae say. But this much I ken. Lily’s young but smart. She kens that there’s a divide between her and the servants, even if she cannae understand the concept behind it. For all their kindness and their love for her, none of them forget she’s the Laird’s daughter, and she kens it. But there’s nay such barrier with Ailis, and Lily clings all the more fiercely to her for that. She’ll nae want to lose it.”
“I’m her faither.”
“Aye. And she loves ye dearly. But she’s old enough to start resentin’ the restrictions ye have placed on her movements. And if ye drive Ailis away, she’ll like as nae resent that ten times more. ‘Tis far worse to lose somethin’ ye cherish than to be aggrieved over somethin’ ye never had.”
Duncan knew his brother was right, and the weight of that knowledge silenced any rebuttal he might have made.
After a moment, Jack rose from the table. “I’ll do what I can to keep the peace, Duncan, but mending matters is up to ye. Ye’ll have to decide if yer fear and concerns are worth what they may cost ye in the end.”
He’d tried knocking on Ailis’s door later that evening, but she’d never answered, and he wasn’t enough of a fool to barge in without invitation.
It stung, and it was all the worse because he knew he’d brought it on himself with his own stubbornness. For all that his mind cried out that the only safety was in secrecy and caution, his heart knew he was wrong, and Ailis was right.
She deserved better than what he’d offered her, never mind the treatment he’d actually shown her. And yet… why couldn’t she just trust him? Trust that he had his reasons for the decisions he made and that he’d tell her when the time was right?
