Page 20 of The Highlander's Accidental Wife
And all the other things he wished he’d said to Lady Helena.
I didnae forget ye, lass. More the fool I was.His fists clenched.I thought of ye often. Ye plagued me, with yer cheek and yer circumstances. And yer bloody intriguing face, those damned hazel eyes and sweet lips.
More, just when Damien had made up his mind to forget her, to write to the Queen when he returned to Morighe after the wedding, she’d appeared. Like a vision in the snowy morn.
He’d wondered what she might do or say if they met again. Deep down, he hated to admit that the thought that she might?—
Ducking his head, Damien hated that his face flushed. Well, she had bloody well not done that. She’d done the opposite.
And yet I still won in the end—she’s still mine,said a savage voice in his head.
In deed and word, boy,said another calm voice in the back of his head.But nae yet in matters of the heart. Can ye abide by that?
His heart clenched. It was so rare that he heard his father’s voice, and to hear him say that of all things…
It gave him pause, though, and he pressed a fist to the stone wall next to him. Was he a fool to invite such a distraction into his home?
I still have blood to spill to avenge ye, Faither.
“Are ye done?” called a voice.
Damien started, then saw a lantern coming toward him, and Grant carrying it.
“Come on, friend. Let’s have a drink.”
With a shrug, he followed Grant in, knowing that his friend would bodily drag him inside if he didn’t obey.
Once they were ensconced in the study, Grant pushed a large glass of whisky toward him and eyed him.
“I confess that when I saw yer reaction to the lady this mornin’, I thought this might be an inevitability—just nae so soon.”
Damien grunted and threw back a mouthful. “’Tis necessary. I’ve put off marriage for too long. And the Queen is liable to ship me a mouse. I’d rather have the falcon.”
A smile flitted across Grant’s face. “Braither, ye can fool others with yer quips and brassin’, but nae me.”
Damien felt something heat up in his throat, but he did not answer.
Grant, wisely, and kindly, changed the subject. “Ye will marry as soon as ye can, then?”
“Aye, and I’d like ye and Emma to be there.”
Grant nodded and dragged a hand down his face. “Listen, I must ask ye this because Helena is Emma’s dearest friend, and… well, I suppose I feel some responsibility, since she was me intended once. Tell me ye arenae doin’ this because ye’re still huntin’ for the last of the Vipers.”
The Viperhad been the name of his uncle’s ship, andViperswas what his motley crew called themselves.
“I ken ye tracked one down a few months ago—in Fallenworth,” Grant said carefully. “Odd timing, that. If I’d kenned ye were so close, I would have asked ye for help in findin’ Emma—and perhaps Helena.”
“Helena found me,” Damien said. “Nearly distracted me from why I was there, but aye, I got the bastard. And a lot of drivel as to where the rest of those rats are hidin’.”
“Ye have been travelin’ too much, Damien. Lookin’ too hard for ‘em,” Grant said in a low voice, as though he were speaking to an easily spooked horse, and Damien gave him a wry look. “What? I ken what’s goin’ on. Hamish still writes to me, ye bloody fool. And now, suddenly, ye’re goin’ to marry? What, so ye can get her with child, secure yer bloodline, and then ride off into the wind to hunt down the rest of them?”
Damien did not answer. Instead, he drained his whisky.
“Christ, Damien, dinnae do this. Lady Helena deserves better, and so do ye, ye great dobber. Wait till morn, man, and dinnae make this decision out of fear.”
“I dinnae fear for meself, Braither,” Damien responded.
“I ken that, more than ye even realize,” Grant said in an urgent tone. “But heed me words—ye are bein’ more reckless than usual to protect Morighe and Galeclere. Wait till ye’re calm. Make decisions like this with a clear head?—”
