Page 13 of Captured By the Cruel Highlander
Emily.
They kept moving, and Adam tried to dispel the contentment he felt as she slept in his arms.
As they trotted through the castle gates, Emily woke up with a start. Adam pulled on Buck’s reins as he saw a familiar figure barreling toward them.
His mother’s face was drawn and tense. She was wearing a dark blue gown that looked like a turbulent ocean. Her red hair was tied in a long braid down her back, and her expression was bleak and unhappy.
Adam dismounted and then helped Emily do the same. His mother did not even greet him before she spoke.
“Where have ye been?” she asked angrily. “Yer sister has written.”
She thrust a white envelope under his nose, and everything else was forgotten immediately as he snatched it from her and tore it open, desperate to know that Laura was safe.
Brother,
I cannot return. I am too ashamed.
I am safe. I will write again soon.
Laura.
He turned over the paper twice, frustration warring with relief. There was no mention of where Laura was, who she was with, or what she meant by ‘safe’. She could be anywhere, and her tone concerned him. He did not care about what she had done; all he wanted was to have her home again.
He cursed himself inwardly as he stared at the word ‘brother’ at the top of the letter. He had not been much of a brother to Laura of late. If he had paid more attention when she first met James Stewart, he might have prevented all of this from happening.
He glanced back at Emily, who was looking around her with interest. His sister’s letter changed nothing. He would still follow his plan and bring that bastard to justice. James Stewart would pay for what he had done to his sister, and Adam would have his vengeance.
“What does she say?” his mother asked.
“She is safe,” Adam replied, handing her the letter.
His mother’s face relaxed considerably.
“But we still dinnae ken where she is. What if she had to take refuge with people who willnae care for her?” Adam scowled, trying to imagine where his sister might have gone.
“Excuse me,” an irritated voice interrupted his thoughts. “What aboutme?”
His mother turned to Emily, her eyebrows rising and her eyes narrowing. “Dinnae speak to the Laird that way,” she chided. “Who are ye, and what are ye doin’ in me castle?”
Adam rolled his eyes. “This ismecastle, Maither. And ye will treat me future bride with respect,” he said sternly.
His mother blinked at him in confusion, her eyes darting between them madly as she took Emily in.
Lady MacNiall was a proud woman and didn’t like surprises. Her gaze fell on the tiny woman before her as though Emily were a spider she wished to crush with the heel of her shoe.
Adam watched Emily carefully, but her gaze was steady and sure. She was respectful to his mother but not intimidated by her anger.
“Yer what?” his mother asked, finally finding her voice.
“Me bride. The weddin’ will take place in a week.”
Emily’s mouth hung open like that of a fish as Adam dismissed them both without another word and walked into the castle. Shestood awkwardly beside his mother, who seemed as happy with her arrival as she would have been with a bout of influenza.
They stood in silence until there was a loud rumbling of thunder above their heads. The storm clouds that had been gathering all afternoon finally broke, and the rain descended in a torrential downpour. There was a flurry of servants all about them, and a lady’s maid approached Emily to show her to her room.
If MacNiall thinks he can get away with this so easily, he has another thing comin’.
With a swift curtsy to Lady MacNiall, she turned on her heel, marching through the rain in search of the second man she had been betrothed to in as many days.
