Page 59 of Taken By the Heartless Highlander
“Nay. Not that,” she said swiftly. The very idea seemed strange. She had never considered the laird andlovein the same thought before. It made an odd feeling burst to life in her chest.
“He looks at ye all the time, and ye are helpin’ him to feel better, I think he likes ye a lot.”
Keira watched her sister’s bright eyes and sighed. “Can I tell ye a secret?” she asked as Daisy sat up in bed. “I ken it isnae fair, but ye must promise nae to tell yer brother,” Keira added.
Daisy nodded her head more vigorously. “I willnae say a word,” she promised solemnly.
Keira sighed. “He has asked me to marry him, flower.”
Daisy gasped and clapped her little hands together.
“I kenned he cared for ye!”
“Nay, lass. It isnae like that.” Keira said carefully. “He is doin’ this so that we can be safe from Lucas MacPhee.” The words bit at her as she said them aloud. She hated the idea that Noah was acting purely to protect her—perhaps he doesnae care for me at all.“How would ye feel if we were to stay here in the castle and we dinnae go to the New World like we planned?”
Daisy contemplated the idea for a little time. As she was thinking, the candle finally guttered out, and a tendril of smoke spiraled into the air and disappeared. The dim illumination it had provided was quickly replaced by a bright shaft of moonlight. It picked out the copper in Daisy’s hair as her bright blue eyes looked eagerly around her room.
Keira thought she might say she had grown to like the castle. Yet the next words Daisy spoke, were the opposite of what Keira had expected.
“I want ye to be happy,” Daisy said sincerely. “Everythin’ ye have chosen to do, and everythin’ ye have worked for yer whole life has been to helpus. If ye could have some peace and we could all be settled, that wouldnae be a bad thing.”
Keira realized in that moment how much she had taken for granted about her sister. She was not a little girl anymore. She saw many things while standing at the edges of her life.
“Thank ye, flower. That is kind, but I havenae made up me mind. I dinnae ken what I should do.”
Daisy’s little fingers clasped onto Keira’s hand in a tight grip. “Whatever ye do, choose somethin’ for yerself for once. He is a kind man, and there is a lot to be said for feelin’ safe.”
Keira nodded. “Ye wouldnae mind stayin’?”
Daisy shook her head. “This castle is too big, but because it is big it has a huge library. Think about how many dragons and knights might be hiding inside it!”
Keira chuckled, and after ensuring Daisy was tucked up in bed, she padded to the door and went back into the corridor.
Do what makes me happy? If only I kenned what that might be.
* * *
When she woke the following morning, she was determined to find Noah and speak to him about his proposition.
She felt as though their shared circumstances were trapping him into a marriage that he did not want, and she could not be comfortable until they had discussed it.
Fenella had told her that Noah was uninterested in taking a bride.
Perhaps he does desire me, but that doesnae mean his principles had changed overnight.
She needed to understand his reasons for not taking a wife before she could ever agree to his terms.
She went down to the great hall to search for him, but as she entered, she almost collided with Callum, who stepped back and gave her a slight bow, several maps held beneath his arm.
“Good mornin’,” Keira said quickly.
“Good mornin’, Miss Keira, did ye sleep?”
“Aye,” she lied. “Is Laird MacAllen here?” she asked, looking behind him impatiently.
“Nae lass, he has gone to the Dougal Clan this mornin’,” there was a slight bitterness in his voice. “Went at first light and dinnae want any company. He has been quite out of sorts lately.”
His eyes were sharp and assessing as he contemplated her, and Keira felt as though his comment was directly aimed at her.
