Page 53 of The Highlander's Virgin Nun
“What do ye mean? I am yer wife.”
“Ye saw what just happened, Rosaline,” he said, his voice rising a little in frustration. “This is goin’ to happen again and again. Especially now that we are goin’ to have a child. Ye arenae safe here.”
“I see the danger, Caelan,” she protested, placing a hand on his arm to make sure that he was listening to her. “But this is how I met ye. I have always kenned ye were under threat, and I didnae think it would just go away. I kenned who I was marryin’.”
“Ye didnae have much choice,” he retorted.
“Caelan, I ken it is dangerous, but I want to stay with ye. We just got married.”
Caelan’s heart raced as much as it did when he fought off the attackers. He stood up, too, and placed a hand on his forehead, trying to resolve the even more complex situation he now found himself in.
He had been so adamant about getting married. The reason he had plucked a random girl from the forest—someone he had no history with, no friendship or likeness, someone unmatched as there was no reason for their paths to cross—was to ensure that his marriage was entirely loveless.
And so far, he had been struggling to maintain that.
He had tried to remain busy, away from Rosaline. He tried to be curt with her, not to spoil her or shower her with compliments. He had tried to hide who he really was so that she would not fall for his softness.
He had tried to convince himself that he did not know her. He had tried not to marvel at her beauty, laugh at her jokes, fall into her stories, and ask questions. He had tried not to fall in love with her.
And yet, I have fallen in love with her.
His body had sustained more injuries than it ever had. He had shoved his limbs in front of their attackers’ swords, just in case they somehow reached her. He had been willing to die if it would have kept her alive, and only because sheneededhim to stay alive had he been able to save them both.
He had fallen deeply in love with the girl he had plucked from the forest. The marriage that was to be contractual only, a formality to ensure the future of the clan, was in fact one of fascination, desire, and adoration.
Caelan knew now that his feelings for Rosaline had eclipsed his initial plan, and he had to get rid of her before she developed feelings for him too.
Not to mention that he could see now that her safety was severely at risk. He had thought that the assassins would continue to come after him only, and that he would be able to fight them off as usual. But now that she was with child, and that they somehow knew about it already, she was at just as much risk as he was.
I cannot protect her here, and I could not leave me clan. She is as unsafe now as she was in the Abbey, if not more. I am failing her.
Of course, he couldn’t explain it to her this way. She was selfless, thoughtful, and caring. She would see his pain and want to care for him. He knew that the only way to ensure her safety was for her to leave, and to do that, he would have to show her his horrible side.
“Ye are me wife, and ye are bearin’ me child. Once the child is born, ye can return, and then I will care for ye both. Until then, I think it best that yer braither took care of ye.”
Caelan fought to keep his face as straight as possible as Rosaline’s fell. She opened her mouth as if to protest, but found no words. Her face contorted in confusion, and her hands twitched only to go still.
She was dumbfounded by the sudden change in his demeanor. She likely could not believe that the man who had made sure she was comfortable, lay with her, and purchased her a whole new wardrobe could suddenly turn into a cheap, dismissive laird.
He had to try harder.
“He left ye in that place for years. He may nae have received yer letters, but he left ye there. How did he even make sure that ye were alive? Then, ye get swept up by another laird and married within a week, such that he doesnae have to pay for yer upkeep any longer. The coward owes ye at least nine months of care.”
He could barely believe he had managed to speak the words.
Caelan balled his hands into fists to stop them from flying up and covering his mouth. He pressed his lips together and furrowed his brow, preventing his face from showing any of the emotions he was feeling. He had to remain as cold as possible.
“How dare ye,” Rosaline whispered.
His heart almost broke in two. He saw her eyes fill with tears and hope flicker out of her eyes. He had hit her with the thoughts she had never dared to think—that her brother owed her more and had failed her. He could not summon any more words.
“Fine, have it yer way,” she spat out, taking another step away from him, her face contorted in disgust. “I willnae be a burden where I am nae wanted. I will write to Conall and ask him to come for me. I will be out of yer sight as fast as I can.”
She spun around, kicking her skirts out behind her, and marched back towards the castle.
Caelan watched as she swiped a hand across her face.
Did I make her cry?
