Page 87 of The Highlander's Auctioned Bride
“Well, she has been waitin’ for twelve long months for ye to make yer case known, and I have been waitin’ too, refusin’ to get involved, even though I can see the pain it causes her every day. But nae more. If ye love someone ye should be with them, and ye must ken she cares for ye deeply.”
Harris shook his head. “M’lady, she would lose her position. I cannae take her away from ye, she loves this castle, loves her service. I have always wanted to ask her, but it would mean she had to give this up. I willnae be the reason she has to dae so.”
Maisie flicked a glance at James, and he nodded with a kind smile.
“I ken that,” she said. “It took me a while to realize what the reason might be, but I came to it eventually. If ye wish to marry Jean, then I will grant permission for her to remain in meservice as a married woman and for ye both to live in the castle together.”
James raised his eyebrows at her.
“And this will enable ye to—whilst quotin’ me husband—get off yer arse and see to it’.”
Harris’s eyes were shining with unshed tears now, and he looked between them as though all of the good news in the world had arrived at once.
“Truly?”
“She has to say yes first,” James interjected.
“Truly,” Maisie said, giving James a grin. “Now I have asked Jean to wait in the courtyard for adeliverythat is already late. She has been waitin’ for months, foryears,ye see, and it is finally arrivin’.”
Maisie picked up the bouquet of flowers she had prepared and handed them to Harris. He now had real tears streaming down his cheeks, and she smiled at him happily.
“Go and secure that woman before someone else does. I am nae gettin’ a new handmaid because ye cannae get yer head on straight.”
“Thank ye, m’lady, m’laird, ye dinnae ken what this means to me.”
Maisie watched with a bright smile as Harris scampered from the room like a schoolboy.
Without discussion, James walked across the room putting one arm around her shoulder, the other stroking her belly absently. They both made their way to the window, looking down into the courtyard at the solitary figure of Jean, patiently waiting.
As they watched, there was a shout that caught her attention, and suddenly she froze. In no time at all, Harris was on his knees before her, flowers in hand, and Maisie could hear Jean’s squeal of excitement as they finally embraced.
“I dinnae ken I had married a matchmaker,” James said tenderly as they both stepped back from the window.
Maisie shook her head. “She sighed so much while she worked it was makin’ me quite melancholy.”
He laughed and pulled her into his arms, his hands wandering as she chuckled and pretended to push him away.
“M’laird, ye have just met with the council, surely ye have hundreds of meetin’s to attend to resolve all the problems they have put to ye.”
“Och, yes,” James said, his voice rough with lust, “hundreds of meetin’s.”
His fingers began to bunch the fabric of her skirts, and she really did push him away, hiding a smile at his look of dismay.
“Dae ye ken, m’laird, that I havenae eaten a meal with ye all week?” she asked.
James balked at that. “Ye have been busy as much as I have, and it is only the second day of the week, woman.”
“Nevertheless,” she said playfully, “I believe we should renew our rules, seein’ as we have been married for one year today.”
James saw her eyes settle on the chess board, and suddenly, all the argument seemed to drain out of him.
“I agree,” he said quickly, taking his seat immediately.
“What are the rules again?” she asked, as though she had forgotten.
“Remove one item of clothin’ for every piece I take.”
“Wetake, ye havenae won yet. I kent there was a reason we had made the game more interestin’ for ye.”
