Page 31 of Marry the Highland Villain
Now, Brigid had more dresses than she’d ever had before, all of them adorned with the colors of Clan MacKane—another thing she’d never even dared to imagine: a clan of her own!—but she missed the softness of Valerie’s homemade clothing and the ornaments she and her sisters made out of trinkets from their father’s voyages.
The only things that were familiar in MacKane Castle were the looks of wariness, and sometimes outright scorn and dislike, that she received from some of the castle inhabitants, who’d clearly heard her story and knew exactly who she was and where she came from. Those hostile glances made her stomach clench with a familiar sensation of hurt. Hurt and bafflement that she should be judged by the actions of a man she’d never even met.
“Brigid.” Conall’s voice drew her back to the present and the heather-scented air of the gardens. She looked up to find him studying her intently. “Ye look unhappy. Would ye rather I leave ye to wander on yer own?”
“Nay.” She shook her head. “I dinnae mind yer presence, Conall. ’Tis only… Until I came here, I’d never been farther from home than the village closest to our cottage. An’ never so long away from my sisters. Perhaps ye’d think it silly of me, but I miss my home. I miss my family.”
“I dinnae think it silly. I am certain anyone in yer position would feel the same. And ye must ken, Brigid, that I would permit ye to go to them if it were safe or if I could accompany ye.” Conall paused. “But I hope, in time, ye could come to find this a good home for ye—when ye’ve had more time to get used to it.”
“I am certain I shall,” Brigid replied, forcing a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. “But I confess, a place without those ye love and who love ye… How could it ever be a home?”
“I’ve nay answer for ye,” Conall replied. “But ye have my promise, as well as I can make it. Ye’ll have yer sisters here if ’tis possible.” He paused again and then reached out and stroked her hair gently as if he were afraid he might startle her. “I ken ye dinnae feel comfortable here, Brigid. And I ken what ’tis like to miss yer siblings. But I hope…” he trailed off.
He tilted her chin up gently. Brigid’s lashes fluttered as he bent and pressed his lips to hers in a swift, gentle kiss.
“Dinnae think ye have nay one here who might care for ye.”
Brigid flushed. “Ye hardly ken aught about me.”
“I ken ye’ve been a good friend to Emily. And a brave lass, with a bright spirit. I ken ye’ve been kind to the servants, and ye’ve even tolerated my brother, who hasnae given ye much reason to like him. That’s a good start.”
Conall pressed another gentle kiss to her forehead, the smallest of smiles tugging at the scar on his face. Then, he drained the last of his mead and escorted her back inside.
The softness of the gesture, so at odds with the fierceness of his appearance, melted a little of the cold around Brigid’s heart. It was clear that Conall was making an effort to make her feel at home. He was doing his best to make her feel cared for, and it was scarcely his fault that she was unused to MacKane Castle, or that she yearned for the old, familiar walls within which she’d lived her whole life.
I suppose I can forgive him for how he spoke to me earlier. He loves his home, and he acts the way he does because of that love for his home and his clan. I daresay my sisters would be much the same if I were there—which makes Conall’s gruffness familiar too, if a little harsher than Lily’s scoldin’ ever was.
Conall escorted her through the halls to her rooms, but the air between them was no longer strained as it had been earlier. By the time they reached the door to her chambers, Brigid foundshe could smile easily at him, and she leaned up to kiss his cheek.
“Good night, Conall. I hope ye sleep well.”
She slipped into her rooms, but before she shut the door, she heard him reply, “Sleep well, Brigid.”
CHAPTER 11
The morningafter their stroll in the garden, Brigid knocked on the door to Conall’s study. She was holding a slightly crumpled piece of paper in one hand.
“I’ve received a letter from my sisters,” she said, her voice breathless with excitement. “I’d like to write back to them. And… I’d like it if ye wrote to them as well.”
“Aye? Ye think they’ll want to hear from me?”
“Aye. They need to ken that I’m tellin’ the truth—that I am safe and that I trust ye enough to include ye in my letters.”
She handed him the letter she’d received. ]
Dear Brigid,
It is good to hear from you and to know that you are safe and well enough to write. However, we will not lie. News of your wedding… it has taken us all by surprise. And we will not pretend that we are not concerned about you.
We will begin travel preparations, but you know it will not be easy. Even now, Valerie is reaching out to those men who might still be loyal to Father’s memory. In the meantime, we would like to hear more about your future husband.
What sort of man is he? Do you feel safe with him? Does your husband care for you as he ought, or is this to be a marriage of convenience?
On a different matter, have you heard any more about or from Laird Auchter? We’ve seen no more of his soldiers, but we are all still uneasy.
We hope to be able to come to you soon. Until then, be strong, and do not lose yourself. You are the bright, joyful center of our world. Do not let your current situation, whatever it may be, change you.
Remember that we love you, all of us.
