Page 53 of A Virgin for the Vicious Highlander
And now, she was looking at him as they chased the dog around the gardens. Her eyes were soft, and she was smiling, her cheeks pink from the cold and the exertion and, no doubt, staring at the man she wanted to explore her list with.
I wasnae wrong. I kenned there was somethin’ between ye when I saw ye dance at the cèilidh.
Anger boiled up inside him as he continued to watch them from the window, unable to tear his gaze away. While he was up there, contemplating his impending nuptials and his duties, they were all down there having fun, growing closer than he would have liked.
Jealousy was an entirely new sensation to Murdoch, and he hated it with a burning passion. It made him feel out of control. It made him feel like he had no grip on his discipline. And, worse, it made him feel like the foundations of who he was had been weakened.
It’s beneath ye to feel jealous,he told himself sternly, twice as furious that his mind had permitted him to feel such a useless emotion in the first place.
The greatest frustration, however, was that despite what he had promised to Cecilia, Lennox was likely the only man in Scotland who was immune from his threat. If Cecilia chose him, if she asked him to fulfill her desires, Murdoch would have no choice but to stand back and let it happen.
“Curse ye both,” he muttered as he continued to stand there, watching his bride and his only real friend gaze and smile at one another.
If looks could kill, Lennox would have been dead already.
However, at that moment, a second wave of annoyance prickled up Murdoch’s back as an all too familiar voice cried out from behind him, “Well, well, well, the grumpiest malcontent in all of Scotland is gettin’ married at last! I said to Paisley, just before yer invitation arrived, that it was cold enough to be snowin’ in Hell.”
Murdoch unleashed a mighty groan, not needing to turn around. “Yer wife was invited, nae ye.”
“Och, is that any way to speak to a good friend who has come all this way to celebrate yer happy day?” Camden replied, laughter in his voice.
Murdoch turned to look at his fellow laird. “Gloat, more like.”
“Why would I gloat?” Camden put on an expression of innocence, his hand clasped to his chest. “I couldnae be gladder. It’s about time, if ye ask me, and since Paisley and Cecilia are like sisters, I suppose that means that we ought to be like braithers.”
Murdoch was in no mood for Camden’s relentless sense of humor, not when he feared that his bride might soon be wooed into the arms of Lennox, if she had not been already.
He gathered himself, narrowing his eyes at Camden. “It’s interestin’ to me that yecancome to Castle Moore at a moment’s notice when it’s somethin’ as trivial as a weddin’, but when I ask ye to attend to discuss MacDunn, it’s suddenly too far away.”
“Trivial?” Camden clicked his tongue. “Nay, nay, nay, Murdoch, there’s nothin’ trivial about a weddin’. And from what Paisley has told me, ye’re about to be a fortunate man indeed, marryin’ Cecilia.”
Murdoch stiffened. “Whereisyer wife?”
“I expect she’s hunted her dearest friend down by now,” Camden replied, grinning. “Aye, there she is!”
Murdoch followed Camden’s line of sight to the window, a funny feeling prickling in Murdoch’s chest as he observed the scene. Paisley had just burst out into the gardens, and Cecilia had just seen her—her face a picture of shock that quickly transformedinto momentous joy. A second later, the two women were running toward one another like long-lost sisters who had not seen one another in years.
Would Cecilia ever be so happy to see me again, if I had to leave for a while?
Murdoch shook away the thought, though his eyes remained on the two women as they met in an almost violent embrace, hugging one another and jumping up and down with excitement. They pulled back and their mouths started moving quickly, but he could not hear a word, nor could he hope to read their lips.
What are they saying?He imagined Cecilia telling Paisley how awful it was that she was being forced into a marriage, but then again, Cecilia’s expression did not seem so dismayed. She was smiling and laughing, offering everyone her easy joy except him.
“Och, I ken that look,” Camden said, elbowing Murdoch in the side. “Ye daenae think this marriage is trivial at all, do ye? Ye just cannae admit it.”
Murdoch flashed a scowl at Camden. “Mind yer tongue.”
“Because it speaks too truthfully? As ye prefer.” Camden smirked. “If ye want me to be quiet on the matter, ye’d best shut me up with some of yer finest liquor to begin the festivities early. This is a moment for the archives, Murdoch! The perpetual bachelor, the Beast of the Highlands, has finally found himself a lass to stroke his fur and smack his nose when he’s been naughty. I wouldnae have missed it for the world.”
Camden grabbed Murdoch by the arm, pulling him out of his bedchamber, and though Murdoch did not resist in order to abide by guest rites, he could tell that the time between now and the wedding was going to be the most unbearable of his life.
CHAPTER 23
“I cannae believe it,”Paisley whispered, lying in bed beside Cecilia as dawn rose behind the shuttered windows, slivers of bluish light piercing through the cracks in the wood.
Cecilia forced a smile. “Neither can I.”
“I prayed for ye to find someone who would make ye as happy as I am with Camden,” Paisley continued obliviously as she took hold of her friend’s hand and held it tight. “I prayed fervently for it. Ye never did belong in that convent.Iwas more likely to end up a nun than ye. See, I always kenned ye were destined for more. Cecilia Adair, Lady of Clan Moore. Och, it’s like music to me ears!”
