Page 20 of Marry the Highland Villain
Instead, she very deliberately straightened her back, blinking back the tears that shimmered in her eyes. She set the letter on his desk. “As ye will, My Laird. I would be obliged if ye could make sure yer messenger gets this to my sisters as soon as possible.”
The coldness of her tone made his gut clench. Before he could think of anything to say, however, she turned and marched out of his study, shutting the door firmly behind her.
She did not look back.
Alone once more, Conall swore and reached for the bottle of whiskey in his desk drawer.
It was going to be a long day.
Brigid made her way down the corridor, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall despite her best efforts to control her emotions. She’d hoped, after what they’d shared the nightbefore, that Conall might be willing to at least consider her feelings. Apparently, she had been wrong.
“Brigid?” She looked up to see Emily standing close by. “Are ye all right?”
She swallowed hard. “Aye. Just a disagreement with the Laird—with Conall,” she corrected herself.
Emily smiled sympathetically. “Och, that man can drive anyone to tears. Conall’s a stubborn man.” She took Brigid’s hands. “I came to check how yer wrists are healin’, and I thought perhaps we could talk about yer wedding. Nae to mention, ye need more clothing and other necessities.”
Thinking about the wedding hurt. But Brigid did need more clothing, and seeing as Conall had forbidden her to go and collect her belongings…
“Aye. I need… well, everything, I suppose,” she said, smiling at the other woman gratefully.
Emily nodded. “We’ll take care of the bandages first, then see what we can find for clothing. An’ see what fabrics are available for yer wedding dress.”
New clothing, and a dress for her wedding. The thought made Brigid’s stomach flip in a way that could have been excitement or fear—she wasn’t quite sure which. Getting new clothes hadnever made her comfortable. Not with her full figure, which had always been difficult to dress.
Still, it was better than continuing to borrow clothing from Emily. If she were to stay here, she’d need new clothes, after all.
“I think I’d like that. Thank ye, Emily. Ye’ve been kind to me.”
Inside Brigid’s rooms once more, Emily undid the bandages, applied more salve, then added fresh coverings.
“Ye should be able to go without these by tomorrow,” she said, satisfied.
Now that her work was done, she glanced around the room and clicked her tongue.
“Och, Conall should be doin’ better than this,” she said in dismay. “I ken ye’ve nae been here for long, but we can get ye some more furniture, I’m sure.”
Brigid followed her gaze. The rooms were far better appointed than her own back home, but they were dreary and impersonal. And given Conall’s refusal to let her step foot outside the castle grounds, they were as much a cage to her as a dungeon might be.
She missed the brightly colored fabrics that had adorned her walls and windows back home, and the warmth of the beechwood furniture she’d had, rather than the oppressive, dark stained oak.
She was startled out of her thoughts by Emily’s hand on her elbow.
“I have an idea ye might like,” Emily said with a conspiratorial smile. “Shall we go and see what we can find in the storerooms?”
Together, the two women crept into the hall.
Brigid half-expected Emily to motion for a servant to assist them, but the healer grinned. “We can call for the servants after we’ve had our fun. But for the kind of search I have in mind, it’s far better to do the huntin’ for ourselves.”
Brigid nodded. She could recall treasure hunts in her family home when she was younger—romps through storage rooms, rediscovering things that had been forgotten for a season or two, and the laughter and delight that filled the whole house. She could even recall, when she’d been very, very small, how her father had sometimes joined in or hidden gifts for them to find. The idea of being able to explore a new place in that manner did much to drive away the emptiness that had filled her after Conall’s harsh refusal to let her go home.
The next few candlemarks were… fun, despite her earlier melancholy. With Emily at her side, she delved into the storerooms of MacKane Castle, seeking out and unearthing all sorts of treasures.
In one room, they found a chest to place new belongings and clothing in. It was larger than some of her father’s loot chests, made for holding blankets and winter clothing, and itwas handsomely made of spruce and cedar, with warm copper finishings and a sturdy latch. Brigid fell in love with it at once and designated it as her new ‘treasure box.’
Another room allowed them to unearth a lovely table to set beside the fireplace in place of the dark-stained oak table, for when she wanted to take meals in her room. A set of chairs went with it, and all of them were made of the lighter beech that Brigid favored—warmer and brighter than the ones that had been placed in her room. They also found a decorated ceramic basin that had been painted with flowers to replace the simple pewter basin she had, and various other items to add to her bedroom, including some tapestries for the walls.
The tapestries were something Brigid had seen little of, for her father rarely brought them home. She was fascinated by the colors and textures, and spent several minutes stroking one before deciding on three that she wanted—one of a sunlit woodland scene; one of maids and men dancing in a well-lit hall, in clothing that practically glittered despite the need to remove some dust; and one of a deceptively simple Tree of Life, surrounded by intricate knot-work and a border of MacKane colors.
