Page 40 of Marry the Highland Villain
Brigid nodded. Her heart was pounding in her chest.
He cannae be sayin’…
“Then the wedding will wait. Whenever yer sisters arrive, we’ll hold the ceremony the day after. If it is tomorrow, then it will be the day after. If the delay is longer, then so be it.”
Brigid blinked, dumbfounded by the generosity he was showing her. “But ye said… The truce and all the preparations…”
“If I announce the delay at the mornin’ meal, there will be time enough for the cooks to make adjustments. Nothing else is so delicate that it cannae be managed easily, even if the steward will have a fit.” Conall gave a dark grin that seemed both mysterious and just the tiniest bit mischievous. “The man’s had little enough to challenge him since Oliver wed.”
“Och. Well, in that case…” Brigid swallowed hard, but she couldn’t think of anything to say.
For once, there was no ready answer on her lips. She felt deeply touched, and it was all she could do to blink back tears at the show of kindness. Kindness she hadn’t expected to receive, for all that she’d begun to see that Conall Barr was not as grim and forbidding as he sometimes seemed.
“Thank ye.”
“Ye’re welcome.” Conall brushed her cheek lightly with his thumb, then kissed her—a quick, light kiss that made her head spin anew. “Now, if ye’ll leave me to it, I have a bath to finish… among other things.”
Before she could stop herself, Brigid glanced down. The towel was still wrapped around his hips, but it did very little to hide the prominent bulge of his manhood.
She blushed so hard that she was sure her cheeks were scarlet. “Of course. I should certainly… I’ll just be…”
Conall chuckled, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine.
Words failed her. Cheeks burning, she bent to grab her robe, then tied it on and darted to the door. As the heavy oak panel closed, she heard the sound of splashing bathwater.
Her cheeks were still hot as she climbed into bed, and when she woke up, it was to the memory of kisses and caresses that had followed her into her dreams.
CHAPTER 14
The Great Hallwas noisier than usual as Conall made his way to his seat the next morning. He could hear the excitement, the undercurrent of chatter as servants, guards, and councilmen chattered about the upcoming wedding.
He scowled. There was no point in delaying the announcement he knew he must make. Especially when he saw Brigid entering the hall, dressed in a green day dress that in no way resembled proper wedding attire—to say nothing of the fact that tradition dictated that the couple could not see each other until the actual ceremony.
He rose from his seat and cleared his throat. Silence fell over the hall, curious eyes fixed on him.
“I ken ye’re all expectin’ a wedding today,” he began. “But my betrothed has asked me to delay the ceremony until her kinfolk—her sisters, for those of ye who might be thinkin’ otherwise—arrive. I’ve chosen to grant her request, so we’ll be holdin’ the wedding the day after they arrive, whenever that might be.”
He sat back down abruptly as he reached the end of his short speech, resolutely ignoring the whispers that immediately broke out around him.
Ignoring whispers was an old habit by now, and it was made all the easier by the way Brigid smiled and reached across the table to touch his hand in gratitude, her face glowing with happiness.
A cup of strong tea accompanied by thick strips of bacon, sliced bread, and porridge appeared before him, carried by a maid who did not meet his eyes. Conall ate heartily. He was just finishing his third cup and considering a tankard of mead to complete the meal when Oliver approached, his expression thunderous.
“Conall. There are some men at the gates.”
Conall frowned. “Men? Nae women?”
“Nae women.”
Oliver’s hand tightened around the shaft of his favorite axe, and Conall’s heart sank. He had a feeling he knew who was at the gates without even having to see them.
“I’m thinkin’ ye should meet them yerself,” his brother added, his hand still clutching the axe.
Conall nodded and rose from his seat. “Stay on guard, Oliver.”
Oliver nodded curtly, but Conall didn’t miss the bitter look his brother sent in Brigid’s direction, and it further confirmed his suspicions as to who his unexpected ‘guests’ might be.
He clenched his jaw and strode toward the front gates of the castle, with Oliver trailing behind.
