Page 25 of A Virgin for the Highland Beast
“Have ye heard any word from the Laird?” Nora asked as Emma settled beside her on the bed.
Emma glanced at her sisters, noticing their apprehensive gazes. “Nay,” she stated plainly. “And I dinnae think I will any time soon.”
“What if he’s gatherin’ his men to round us up and give us the boot?” Isobel asked, moving swiftly to the window to peer out.
Emma’s chest tightened as her mind replayed Hunter’s ghastly expression. It was more than hurt she saw lurking in his eyes—it was utter terror.
“Come, Sister,” Emma said, wagging her hand for Isobel to move away from the window. “I dinnae think the Laird would ask to marry one of us only to shun us.”
“Are ye sure about that?” Lydia inquired, worry etched on her features, making Emma doubt herself. “Isobel could be right in assumin’ ye crossed some line wit’ him. After all, we all ken what kind of man he is.”
“That’s nae entirely true, now, is it?” Emma scolded. “All we’ve heard are rumors about who he is. But from me limited experience wit’ the man, he doesnae seem to be what people make him out to be.”
Isobel crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head, and her blue eyes widened in disbelief. The color drained from her face as her delicate mouth fell open slightly. And Emma could see Isobel’s brain struggling to process her words.
Emma didn’t need to be told what was running through Isobel’s thoughts, she could read them plainly on her face. The creases between Isobel’s eyebrows, and the stupefied gaze were all telltale signs of her shock and incredulity.
“Dinnae look at me like that,” Emma said. “Laird MacRoss has given us his word that nay harm will come to us while we’re here.”
“And ye believe him?” Nora asked, placing a hand on Emma’s shoulder as she sat on the empty spot next to her.
“Aye, I do. He’s given us nay reason nae to believe him. I just wish I ken what I said to make him so angry,” Emma stated as her thoughts swirled like a tempest.
There was just so much about him she didn’t know, and she found herself intrigued by the man.
“Well, at least one good thing will come out of all this,” Nora said, pulling Emma back to the conversation.
“And do share, Sister. What good do ye see? Because from where I’m standin’, we’ve gone out of the fryin’ pan and into the fire,” Isobel stated, refusing to leave her post next to the window.
“Our cousin wouldnae dare come out here. Nay one in all of Scotland would dare challenge Laird MacRoss. His reputation may very well be what saves us, after all,” Nora continued.
Emma nodded her head in agreement.
Underneath the reputation that cloaked Laird MacRoss, Emma perceived a complex figure who was more than just the sum of his violent, unexpected bursts of anger. She saw him as more than a feared figure, and beyond the whispered tales of his ferocity that swept across the land like wildfire.
To her, Hunter was a riddle, a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. He was a man whose exterior of brutality hid a depth that was seldom explored or understood. She knew that his intimidating persona and poor communication skills were not reflective of his whole character, but were facets of a much larger, intricate picture she was desperate to unravel.
Beneath his hardened shell, Hunter was just another human being, shaped by his experiences and circumstances. And was certainly deserving of compassion and understanding.
“Ah, Laird MacRoss a savior,” Isobel scoffed. “And I think, dear sister, ye put too much stock in his word. I’ll bet me last arrow that he’ll hand us over without a fight the second our cousin shows his face here. After all, ye forget, we have nay ties to this place or this clan.”
“That’s the whole reason for the marriage,” Nora interjected, her voice rising with frustration. “When Emma marries him, she’ll be his, and hopefully, she’ll persuade him to allow us to stay.”
“Actually, that was one of the conditions for the marriage,” Emma stated, trying to ease the worry brewing between them. She shifted her weight and studied each of their faces as they turned to look at her.
“What did ye tell him?” Isobel gasped as if Emma had made some horrific deal behind their backs.
“I agreed to marry him if he swore to protect all of ye,” Emma said. “I told him I wanted ye all to be well cared for and live wit’ me, here in the castle.”
“Until he finds a reason to get rid of us,” Isobel chimed in.
“Will ye let Emma finish?” Lydia snapped. “Or can ye nae see that our sister is doin’ all she can to ensure we’re nae goin’ to be left out in the cold? Or worse, have to go back to our cousin?”
“What I dinnae understand is how all of ye believe that the Laird is a man of his word,” Isobel stated.
“He’s given us nay reason to believe otherwise,” Emma stated, finding herself defending Hunter against the fiery arrows of her sisters.
Not even married yet, and the squabbling between them had already started.
