Page 48 of The Highlander's Auctioned Virgin
“The promise that I shall marry the man who passes all the tests I have set. He was the only one who came for me during the storm. The other lairds returned to the castle to eat me food and bask in the warmth of me hearths. Ciaran was the only one who found me. And he didnae just find me, ye ken. When he realized we couldnae return to the castle, he made certain that I was fed, warm, and entertained. And nay, he didnae touch me the entire night. How many of those greedy lairds outside can do that?”
Elinor’s eyes darted between Anna and Katherine. They were both silent.
“Ye think a part of me isnae terrified as well? Ye think I havenae thought about all the disadvantages that come with marrying a man like him over and over?” She looked at her sister. “And ye’re a quick one to judge, Anna, seeing as ye married the Devil of the Highlands.”
“This is different.”
Elinor eyed her sister intently, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Is it?”
Anna bit the inside of her cheek and said nothing, but Elinor could see the concern on her face. Concern for her naivety, for her helplessness, as if the last three years she had survived under Murdock’s thumb had never existed.
“I need a bath,” Elinor muttered and spun around.
She could still feel their eyes on her as she made her way out of the surgery. It was fine. Let them look. She would marry Ciaran anyway.
She had to.
