Page 53 of Married to the Highland Devil
“Nay,” Duncan answered. “He hasnae written ye once ye arrived here.”
He inhaled deeply next, and she felt the steady rise and fall of his chest against her back. Amelia allowed his nearness to comfort her, and she fell into another deep sleep in his arms.
When she woke up again, Duncan still lay by her side, and his arms were on her waist, curled tightly as if he never wanted to let her go.
She briefly recalled the moment they had shared at the edge of the cliff. Amelia had desperately wanted him to kiss her then, and even now, in his arms, she wanted to do the same thing.
“Amelia,” he whispered in a gruff voice that sounded more like a whimper to her. “Dinnae do that.”
He felt so warm, and strong, she could not stop herself from touching him or wanting to learn the angles of his body. His arms were tight muscles, and she raked her fingers over them, moved her hands to his neck, and trailed them down his chest to his waist.
Amelia’s heart pounded now. Touching him was her way of committing him to her memory.
“I dinnae hate ye for usin’ me, Duncan,” she said to him when her right hand stopped on his cheek, and one finger lightly brushed over his lips.
He groaned in response, and she felt his grip on her waist slacken.
“Duncan… I lost my sight when I was nine summers, and I have lived content in the darkness ever since. It was not always this way, I must admit. It was difficult at first. I hated everything and everyone. I was so angry…”
Amelia had never spoken about this time in her life because no one had ever asked. Losing her mother and her sight had changed her as a little girl. The flowers and nature had not offered much comfort to her grieving heart, and even her father had not known how to help her.
“I am sorry,” Duncan said before pressing his cheek against her hand.
“You did not do this to me, so you should not be sorry,” she told him. “I live with this, and I do not even feel sorry for myself.”
“Still, it must be so hard for ye,” Duncan insisted.
“It is hard. I am not the perfect bride, Duncan, and I cannot be angry at you. I just want you to know that.”
They spoke in hushed tones, and the lightness in his tone made Amelia’s heart flutter.
“You don’t seem anything less than perfect to me… How did it happen?” he questioned. “Did someone cause it?”
She shook her head softly. “There were these beautiful colors in the sky… The sun was barely there because the moon stepped in front of it. It was black with golden and red circles around it. I cannot really explain it, but it was beautiful. I would have looked at it again if I had the chance. But then, I was walking in the garden, crying, and I raised my head to stare into the sky, hoping to see my mother there. I stared for too long, and my eyes started to hurt and burn, but I did not stop staring or crying.
“By the time my servant found me, I was on the ground screaming because the burn hurt too much. The physicians could not understand what happened, and they could not rectify the situation either. They treated the burn, but that was it. I was left with the shadows.”
Duncan touched her cheek this time, and his strokes were gentle. It made her skin tingle, and she loved that feeling.
“There are rumors, Amelia,” he began after a short silence. “Rumors that yer cursed by the sun.”
“I have heard worse in England,” she answered, a tiny smile skittering to her lips. “Trust me, the rumors do not affect me in any way.”
“I worry that my people will keep askin’ that I send ye away, but I am nae ready to do that.”
“I can speak to the village heads. Perhaps if they see me and hear what really happened, they might understand.”
“It isnae safe.”
“Duncan—”
‘Nay, Amelia. I need to keep ye safe for now — until I figure out a way to win against Laird MacGregor.”
“You will settle the debt you owe in due time and—”
“It isnae about the debt,” Duncan cut her off again then drew in a short breath and released it. “It is personal for him. I only just found out that he blamed my faither for his wife’s death, and that is what this is all about. He wants my sister because he vowed to my faither that he would have her, and he wants my clan as payment for losin’ his wife.”
“That is crazy,” Amelia commented.
