Page 76 of Married to the Highland Devil
Amelia smiled at that news and closed her eyes to relieve the pressure in her head again.
The rest of her memory blurred, and she couldn’t think about it without worsening the pain in her head.
“What happened?” she asked. “When did you get here, Father?”
“The Laird said you were pushed down the stairs. He has done a terrible job at protecting you, and this is not the kind of marriage I wished for you to have. I received your letter, Amelia. I am here to take you back home.”
A frown spread out across Amelia’s face, and she shook her head. “What do you mean? I wrote to you to tell you I wanted to get married as soon as possible, Father,” she said.
“What are you saying?”
Amelia tried to sit up, but the ache in her sides would not let her. She sighed, whimpered, and struggled to sit up again.
Her father helped her then he stroked her hair with his hands and kissed her forehead.
“I do not wish to return home, Father.”
“You are not safe here,” he argued. “How many times have you gotten hurt like this? How many more times will it happen? I wanted you to marry because I worried that you would be alone if anything happens to me, but I do not wish for you to live in danger.
“I was wrong… I should have let you marry an English man instead. It is not safe here. These people do not understand you, and they never will.”
Amelia understood her father’s agitation, but she had made a choice to stay here, and she would not let him change her mind.
“Father, please listen to me,” she began. “I did not write to tell you that I was not all right here. Someone must have intercepted my letter and changed my words. I wondered why you did not reply sooner, and I concluded that maybe you did not receive it…”
She sighed and ran her tongue over her lips again. “What I am trying to say is that… I am happy here. Duncan—the Laird, he has done everything in his power to protect and care for me, Father. He is a good man, and I do not want to leave. I am content here.”
Her father was quiet for a long time after that, and she suspected he did not believe her words.
“Father—”
“I want you to recover first,” he interrupted, “then we will decide if you stay or not. If you want to stay, then the Laird has to convince me that you are safe here. I will not allow this, otherwise. You are my only family, Amelia. If you are not safe, I will not be at peace.”
A slow smile spread out across Amelia’s lips, and she lifted her arms then spread them out to indicate she wanted a hug. Her father hugged her tight, and she closed her eyes, letting her worries and fear ebb away from her slowly.
The door opened while they embraced, and she heard Duncan.
“Your Grace,” he said in a gruff tone. Amelia’s pulse instantly skipped a beat. “May I have a moment with Amelia? A servant will walk ye to yer chamber.”
Amelia waited till her father left the chamber then she whispered, “Duncan.”
Duncan came to her immediately, enveloped her in a warm hug, and kissed the side of her lips. Being in his arms made her feel alive again. The warmth of his touch and his nearness, they made her heart thump with joy and her nerves race. She felt complete in his arms, and that was all that mattered.
Duncan’s hoarse voice filled the chamber as he spoke again. “I was so scared. This keeps happenin’, Amelia, and I want it to stop. I am so sorry that it isnae safe for ye here,” he whispered as he pressed kisses to the top of her head and kept her pressed against his body.
“Perhaps yer faither is right… I must let ye return to England with him. Ye will be safe there, and when this war with Laird MacGregor is over, I shall come back for ye and—”
“No,” Amelia said before he could finish his words. She shook her head and tightened her arms around him. “No,” she insisted. “I am not going anywhere.”
“Amelia, this is for the best…”
“No,” she hissed. “I am staying here with you. I will stay by your side through it all, Duncan. Please, do not make me leave… I will not leave.”
Amelia snuggled deeper into his embrace and closed her eyes. She did not want to move just yet, and she did not want to talk either. She moved her head and touched his face with both her hands, so she could search for his lips and press a kiss there.
The moment their lips touched, nothing else mattered but the rush of desire that sparked through her. His lips were tender and passionate against hers. He buried his fingers in her hair, and she tilted her head back to give him access when his kisses moved down the side of her neck, reached her cleavage, and climbed all the way up again.
Amelia wanted more than just his kisses now. She had feared she would never get the chance to feel this way again, or to tell him… to tell him that—
