Page 26 of A Virgin for the Highland Beast
It made Emma nervous, as she wondered if this was just the beginning of a bigger problem. She had hoped by making her conditions known to Hunter that the fighting between her sisters wouldn’t come, yet she found herself smack in the middle, just as she feared.
“Have ye forgotten that ye’re puttin’ yer trust in the same man who killed our braither?” Isobel snapped.
“The Laird didnae kill James,” Emma stated calmly, trying to keep her emotions in check. “But he has sworn to help us find out who did.”
“Oh, and ye believe this because yer husband-to-be told ye so?” Isobel countered, the sarcasm dripping from each word. “Well, that’s all we need to ken, then.”
“Hold yer tongue,” Nora growled. “Ye shame yerself, Isobel. Emma didnae have to accept to marry him, but she did. To save yer skin as well as her own from our cousin. And if Emma says that the Laird had nothin’ to do wit’ our braither’s death, then I’ll believe her. I may nae trust the Laird, but I trust her. Do ye nae?”
“Of course, I do,” Isobel spat, her words rough and angry.
“Then that is all that matters here,” Nora said, rubbing Emma’s back as if to ease the tension there. “Trust our sister.”
Hunter’s footsteps echoed ominously down the hallway, his mind a tempest of contemplation and brooding. As he wrestled with the notion of his marriage to Emma and what he was going to do about the council, he found his emotions in a whirlwind of terror and excitement.
The weight of his decision hung heavy in the air around him like the black clouds lingering over his lands. Suddenly, her soft and melodic voice drifted to his ears, stealing his senses. His ears perked up, his heart pounded, and he questioned if it was reality or merely the echo of his latent desires.
Drawn to the sound, he ventured further down the hall as if it were his heart leading the way. His journey ended at the guest room door, which he found slightly ajar. The girls had insisted on staying together. It made sense that they didn’t trust him.
Peering in, he was met with the sight of Emma, her face illuminated in the warm light of the fire and engrossed in conversation with her sisters. The scene before him only intensified his inner turmoil.
“Are ye sure this is what ye want, Emma?” Nora asked.
Hunter’s heart nearly stopped as he found himself intrigued and repulsed by the question. Yet, no matter what he did, he couldn’t walk away.
“Ye dinnae have to marry him if ye dinnae want to,” Isobel chimed in. “We can find another way.”
“I gave the Laird me word,” Emma said.
Hunter found himself impressed by her answer. As simple as it was, he found her to be a woman of integrity.
“If ye’re nae sure, though,” Nora was saying, “I could step up and offer meself to him.”
Hunter choked back a laugh that threatened to give away his eavesdropping. Nora was a sweet girl and pretty, but she didn’t captivate him the way Emma did.
Emma’s response pulled him back to the present moment.
“The situation isnae ideal,” she admitted, “but I made a deal with the Laird, and what sort of person would I be if I go back on it now? I will make this work, and we will all be well cared for.”
Lydia’s voice then intervened with a question that shocked him to the core. “Do ye think ye could ever love the Laird?”
Hunter felt as though he’d been punched in the gut. He stumbled back. It was as if the question was poison, no matter how innocent it may have been perceived. He scurried away from the door, trembling.
She cannae love me. I’m a monster. Her life will be ruined. Nay, I cannae, willnae allow such a thing. I’ll nae condemn her to that sort of fate. But… could she? Could she see beyond the leather mask and harsh words? Nay, I’ll nae allow meself to entertain such fanciful thinkin’. It’ll be a death sentence for her.
The question left him feeling angry and confused. Although there was no doubt in his mind that he liked Emma. And why wouldn’t he? She was fiery, and contrary to all others, she didn’t recoil from his touch.
Yet, he hastily shushed the voice in his head, reminding himself that nothing could ever happen between them. It would be too dangerous. Not only for him but for her as well.
Yet, as he moved further down the hall, the conversation echoed in his mind, unsettling his composure. The question, the words, the implication, all rattled him to his very core.
Could he, a monster as he was, be allowed to be happy? The thought was so profound that it stopped him in his tracks. Maybe Violet was right, and happiness was not beyond his grasp. But did he dare to hope?
Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Archie came around the corner and stopped. He bowed low as his gaze scrutinized Hunter even further.
“Enjoy yer swim, M’Laird?” Archie asked with a smirk.
Hunter didn’t answer as he stormed past Archie without a sideways glance.
