Page 23 of Marry the Highland Villain
“She might run away? Conall, she’s far more likely to attempt it if ye try to keep her caged than she is if ye give her some freedom.” Her expression softened. “The truth of it is either ye trust her to keep her word or ye dinnae. If ye dinnae, then there’s nay sense in ye marryin’ her, and it doesnae matter. If ye do trust her, then ye’ve nay reason to keep her caged. So, which way is yer heart takin’ ye?”
Conall scowled. The truth was, he wasn’t sure. He distrusted Laird Auchter’s motives and intentions, but Brigid was a different story.
After a moment, he sighed. “I’ll speak to Brigid after supper.”
Emily smirked at him. “See that ye do. An’ be warned that unless ye have a solid reason, I’ll be takin’ Brigid with me to the market tomorrow.”
Conall sighed and stepped past her to resume his journey to the Great Hall.
Och, the things I put up with from my brother’s wife…
Supper that night was a tense affair. Despite the pleasant hours she’d spent with Emily, Brigid still felt a spike of hurt and anger when she looked at Conall.
Conall, in turn, had a face like a thundercloud. He looked as if one wrong word would make him strike out at someone. Even knowing that, Brigid had no intention of being cowed by him or turned from her purpose.
As the servants began to clear away the last of the platters, she gathered her strength and said, “I need to speak to ye.”
“Aye. I’d intended to speak to ye as well.” Conall finished the last of the mead in his tankard, then rose. “We’ll speak in my study.”
Brigid finished the last of her wine and got up to follow him, only stopping long enough to ask Emily to have some honey cake sent up to her rooms for a treat later.
Well, her betrothed had told her to eat her fill; it would be a shame to let such bounty go to waste.
The short walk to the study was quiet. Brigid wanted to ask questions, to know why Conall had wished to speak to her, but she had no desire to have the discussion where anyone might hear them, so she waited until they were safely inside his study, with the door closed behind them.
“What did ye want to speak to me about?” Conall asked warily, wondering if he really wanted to know the answer.
“I need to send a servant for some things, but I dinnae ken how far they’ll have to travel.”
Conall scowled. “What sort of things do ye need?”
“Och, a number of things. Sewing supplies. Books. Inkpots, paper, and colors for sketchin’ and the like. Nae to mention clothes that fit me properly and other things. Different garments, mayhap some spices for cookin’… There are many things. Sachets for soothin’ dreams and the like as well.”
“Emily can make ye a sachet if ye need it. She is a fine healer.” Conall frowned, trying not to think about what kind of dreams she might be having that required soothing.
“But there are other things.” Brigid frowned right back at him. “Like the books and the drawin’ supplies that arenae so easy to come by. An’ clothes that fit, for it will tak’ time to have them made.”
“But why would ye need them? And why send a servant for them? I dinnae have so many servants I can send to chase fairies or… soothin’ sachets, or whatever else ye said ye needed.”
“’Tis nae chasin’ fairies!” Brigid’s shoulders tensed with indignation. “Just because ye dinnae care for readin’ or writin’ or things of that nature doesnae mean I dinnae!”
“But I have enough inkpots and paper in my study. There are shelves filled wit’ books of all kinds. That should suit ye, surely?”
He gestured around the room, which, sure enough, contained enough books and papers to make it quite the fire hazard.
Brigid scoffed.
Conall stiffened in indignation, but she ignored the gesture, too frustrated and indignant to care if she’d offended him. “The ink an’ paper ye use for business arenae the same as the ones I use for sketchin’. And what about journals? Do ye have those as well?”
She saw the answer in Conall’s sullen expression even before he spoke.
“Surely ‘tis easy enough to bind one?”
“It isnae.” Brigid shook her head.
“I still dinnae see why ye would need to send a servant to collect those things. Emily said ye could manage to find clothing, and everything else…”
“Everything else is what I need to be happy. If ye insist on confinin’ me here, then I have a right to have the things that make me happy.” Brigid matched him glare for glare.
