Page 17 of Saved By the Cruel Highlander
She opened the door a few seconds after his knock, then smiled up at him. Her smile was genuine and pulled at something in his gut. It wasn’t a painful or irritating sensation, just a foreign one.
“Me Laird,” she greeted. “What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for ye?”
Now that he was standing there, Elias was suddenly at a loss for words. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.
“Take a walk with me,” he ordered.
She nodded. “Of course. Just let me grab me cloak.”
What am I thinkin’? It’s cold enough outside to make Fergus use his cane, and now I’m askin’her to brave the weather?
She was back almost before he could finish his thought, wrapped up in a warm sheepskin cloak.
She followed him down the hallway, stairs, and then outside.
The air was crisp, cooling his lungs with every breath he took. But it felt good, too.
Elias enjoyed the Highland weather even though some said it was too harsh. To him, it was raw and pure. The air was clogged with wood smoke, like in England.
He walked a bit until he got to the garden before he said anything. There wasn’t much to see at this time of year, but it was still well-kept and sported vines and marble benches for relaxing.
“Have ye settled in?” Elias asked as they walked by one of the marble benches.
“Aye, thank ye. ‘Tis a very nice chamber.”
Elias nodded. “Fergus paid me a visit,” he said after a minute.
Holly’s eyebrows rose. “Aye?”
“Aye. He told me about yer interaction with the maid.”
Although her cheeks had already turned a pale shade of pink from the cold air, that color spread across all of her face now.
She pursed her lips. “I’m sure ‘tis just an adjustment period,” she said, her voice a little stiff.
“I hope ye’re nae goin’ to fight with all me maids? Or will it be all the servants, Miss Taylor? Ye’re nae goin’ to fight with all me servants, are ye?”
“What? Nay,” Holly said quickly. “Nay, I dinnae mean to fight with anyone—ye have to believe me about that.”
The Laird made a sound halfway between a grunt and a chuckle. “The maid was in the wrong, Miss Taylor. I am just surprised by the vehement way ye defended me. Well, according to what Fergus told me.”
Holly was surprised by his defending her when she had only just arrived at the castle. The maid must have worked for him for far longer. Holly had barely been in the castle at all.
Still, she lifted her chin defensively. “Sometimes, I feel ‘tis important to be stern about… certain matters.”
“Ye mean like callin’ me a monster?”
Holly glanced up at Elias so abruptly that she lost her footing and stumbled. He reached out a hand and grabbed her arm, steadying her.
“Thank ye,” she muttered, her face turning an even brighter shade of red. “‘Tis true. I am to be the lady of this castle, and I willnae tolerate such talk about ye, Me Laird.”
Elias realized he was still holding her arm and quickly let it go. When he didn’t immediately respond, she stopped and turned to face him, forcing him to stop walking as well.
“I take me duties as both yer wife and lady of the clan seriously, Me Laird,” she said, her voice stiff but full of conviction. “I willnae allow petty gossip and disrespect to rule our home and our people.”
Elias felt his face relax. The way she said ‘our’ did a strange thing to his insides. His heart felt a little less cold, his mood a little brighter.
“Do ye?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “How seriously will ye take yer duties when ye are me wife?”
